Page 7

K age

Extraction was a dangerous business.

Not only for the hostage, but also for those attempting to bring the person to safety. SEAL Team Six had handled countless dangerous missions. Many had been high profile, victims ranging from government officials to billionaires who’d made the mistake of vacationing in the wrong country.

Kidnapping was a profitable crime and without intervention from highly skilled operatives, the victims were almost always left out with the trash.

We’d been called when there were few options left, time running out.

There was no difference in the mission I’d been coerced to handle except for one.

I was on my own.

With one exception.

Tank was with me. We were both placing our trust in one another, but if anyone could find the girl before it was too late, we could. I had a feeling we’d make an incredible team.

The air was thick and humid, but at least the breeze from the open windows of the Jeep allowed for some fresh and cooler air.

Tank woofed beside me, happy to hang his head out the window.

“Don’t get too comfortable, boy. We have some work to do.

” The plane was on standby, the pilot a former Navy man himself.

He knew how to keep the flight from being noticed, especially since there was only one airport in Bermuda.

What I’d found interesting was that the huge police presence Gray had mentioned was nonexistent.

Either that meant he’d been lied to or the police no longer gave a shit about a missing American girl.

That pissed me off.

The flight had been without incident, Gray coming through on wiring the cash, emailing me the other necessities.

I’d kept a secure line since leaving the SEALs, at least as much as technically possible.

Yet on this mission, a burner phone was being used.

There was no chance of anyone discovering my real identity.

There were no credit cards and the identification wouldn’t be used unless absolutely necessary. I had cash for emergencies and Gray had handled the Jeep’s acquisition. I didn’t ask questions how nor did I care. This was a simple in and out operation.

As long as I found the girl.

Woof.

Tank’s response brought a smile to my face. Somehow, I had a feeling he knew exactly what I was saying.

“Don’t worry. You help me with this shit, and you’ll get a juicy prime rib out of it. Maybe a cheeseburger for dessert.”

I’d quickly gone through Juliette’s social media.

For someone I’d understood was a smart girl, she’d placed her safety in a precarious position by uploading too many pictures that gave her location away, especially since her profiles were public.

That had included photographs of the condominium where she and her friends had been staying.

Thankfully, that had made it easier for me to find.

The first stop was the condo, the last place where she’d been seen.

From what I’d read, the police had done a shitty job in their investigation, including ignoring the man seen with her in the video on TikTok. Some local guy. Easy to see. If push came to shove, I’d find him.

The police had already been inside, obviously disturbing the scene of abduction, but that didn’t matter. I wasn’t looking for clues regarding the kidnappers. Someone else had been placed in charge of figuring that out.

I was simply there to survey the scene and pick up her scent. Or for Tank to.

“I’m putting my money on you, buddy. Make your former dad proud. This is what he wanted for you.”

His whine snagged at my heart. At least I knew I still had one.

With speeds in excess of what the roads could handle, I rolled through Hamilton, reaching her condo not long after touching down. Keys weren’t an issue. As force of habit, I’d kept an extraction kit stuffed full of items that I’d found useful over the years.

Knives and rope.

Implements used by a locksmith.

Anchors and rappel devices.

A hatchet and various light sources.

Just a few of the items.

I’d added several magazines of ammunition, two other handguns, and a short assault rifle.

Since leaving the SEALs, the duffle had gone idle. At least I knew what the hell I was doing.

I pulled into the parking space, immediately scanning the area. The police were long gone at this point, not that they’d found anything. I’d also been privy to the report as well as witnessing Randolph Carver’s ridiculous plea for his daughter’s release.

Given his billionaire status, every asshole in the world would be crawling from the woodwork hoping to provide just enough information about Juliette’s kidnapping to claim a piece of the prize. Thank God, details on the condo hadn’t been given out.

I took the stairs leading to the front door two at a time, Tank right by my side.

After taking another quick scan of the area, I pulled out the specially designed pick and proceeded to unlock the door.

That took less time than I’d thought. The perpetrators had easily gotten in without destroying the place or causing undue attention.

The quiet was comforting and the two of us moved through the interior. Whoever had cleaned up the living room hadn’t done a good job. With a lamp obviously missing from one end table, the shards surrounding the legs of the table indicated there’d been a struggle. She hadn’t gone willingly.

After searching the kitchen, I headed toward the bedrooms. The two women who’d been staying with her had already left the country, instructed to leave the items in Juliette’s bedroom since it was an ongoing investigation. Not that I bought that shit either.

I risked turning on the light. I didn’t want to draw attention to the fact that anyone outside the police was investigating the crime.

Her bedroom was neat and tidy, clothes put away, her bed made. Even the adjoining bathroom barely acknowledged anyone had been staying here. She was a neat freak.

“Okay, boy. Let’s get her scent.” I noticed a nightgown had been tossed into a small hamper. When I pulled it to my nose, I gathered a whiff of her perfume, the light floral scent startling.

The fragrance brought back too many memories.

Well, fuck. I closed my eyes briefly, my fingers fisting around the material. Tank’s nudge reminded me I had a job to do and that a woman’s life depended on me finding her and quickly.

My neck cracked as it did when I was tense. I pulled the material away and offered it to Tank. He took a deep whiff, immediately alert.

“I think we have what we need, bud. Let’s get going.” With the flight leaving just before eight and arriving at two in the morning, the goal had been to try to find where she was being held by morning.

At least Gray had spent some time checking with the Bermuda Police Service regarding the flights and boats that had left since Juliette had been taken three nights before.

The police had done their best in checking, but that didn’t mean there hadn’t been several private charters that had escaped their scrutiny.

However, I was going on gut faith that she was still here. The reason was simple. The perpetrators would wait until the heat was shifted to something else. In my calculations that would be in less than twenty-four hours.

Just before I headed from her room, I noticed the expensive camera that appeared tossed onto her bed. For reasons I couldn’t explain, I grabbed it before heading out. Maybe it would come in handy.

We jumped into the Jeep and I floored the engine.

I’d studied the area surrounding where her phone had last been pinged.

Tucker’s Town. The area was known as being more rural with dozens of secluded and secure properties.

Undoubtedly, the area had been checked, but with the amount of wealth involved with the people who owned the properties, that could mean nothing.

The police didn’t like to piss off their meal tickets.

Plus, the aerial views showed several outlying buildings.

Pool houses. Employee quarters. Tool sheds.

Dozens of them. If this were a combat situation, I’d use heat-seeking trackers or thermal imaging devices, but I didn’t have one of those lying around in my arsenal.

Besides, if the men handling the kidnapping were as well trained as I suspected they were, they’d easily detect almost any device used.

That meant the best method was simply tracking her with Tank’s help.

The area was narrowed down, various locations already determined to be unfeasible.

Considered a private enclave instead of an actual town, the two-mile area was comprised of almost entirely luxury compounds and estates.

I should be able to canvass the area in a couple of hours.

We arrived twenty-two minutes later. I parked the Jeep so that it wouldn’t easily be found by anyone and we set off on foot.

One hour into the mission and Tank had managed to grab her scent. He zigged and zagged his way from one property to another. There were cameras everywhere, but given my experience, I knew where to look and how to keep away from them.

Another thirty minutes passed and as I glanced up at the sky, I could swear I was just seeing the hint of dawn. That wasn’t good.

“Come on, boy. Let’s take another whiff.”

I poured some water into the collapsible bowl then offered him the gown once again. His entire body immediately tensed.

This time, he took off running. But to his credit, he wasn’t barking.

Yet.

Fortunately, I had no difficulty following him. When he stopped at the back of a thick eight-foot-high wall, he immediately started to dig.

I took a deep breath, staring up at it then scanning the area. There was more foliage backing up to the property, which allowed for additional privacy. With the ocean on one side, that limited access and the possibility of nosy neighbors.