Page 40 of Rescuing Micah (Prey Security: Cyber Team #3)

Seconds later, he jumped from the helo. It was something he’d done dozens of times before.

Usually, he got a rush of adrenaline as he floated through the air, confident in his abilities and those of his team.

It was a different team with him today, but he trusted them as much as he trusted his own, and he knew that they could take on whoever was on board that boat and win.

But this time, there was an element of fear he never usually experienced, because he’d never gone into an op with someone he loved in need of rescuing.

Cancelling out that fear was determination.

Never before had a mission been so important.

Vital.

His life had always been tied up with Teresa’s, and he wasn't going to fail his girl ever again.

About halfway between the helo and the softly rolling waves of the sea, something caught his eye. A little scrap of paper caught on a breeze wafting along beside him.

It was pure instinct to reach out and grab it.

Stuffing the small scrap inside his suit, he readied himself to hit the water.

That second where you were thrust deep into the water, momentum propelling you along, had always been his favorite.

Obviously, given his career choice, Micah had always loved the ocean, loved the wildness of it, the freedom you felt when becoming part of this massive force of nature.

Teresa loved the water, too, and she needed more moments of fun and adventure in her life.

Maybe he’d see if she wanted to jump with him one day, or maybe even try out skydiving.

But first, he had to rescue her and bring her safely home.

With smooth strokes, he brought himself up to the surface, close to the boat, the heads of Rocco and his team popped up as well, and like a well-oiled machine, they made quick work of reaching the boat and making their way on board.

The vessel was much smaller than the one Nathaniel had set out to tag that night when he found Ava unconscious and alone in a lifeboat.

That one had been a former cruise ship, and while this one had also been used for cruising, it was much smaller, something that wouldn't usually travel vast distances across the ocean.

Which made their job that much easier.

There were fewer places someone could be hiding, and with the trafficking ring taking hit after hit lately, he had to hope there weren't many guards on board.

It would be too much to hope for to have zero guards, though, and there would be enough to make fairly quick work of killing the innocents on board. The helo was obvious, flying across the clear blue sky, so they knew they did not have the element of surprise on their side.

Still, Micah was surprised that they made it all the way to the top deck without a single shot being fired.

That was as far as they made it, though.

The moment his feet hit that deck, bullets began to fly.

It seemed like the guards on board had decided to group together and try to pick him and the SEAL team off as they approached.

A plan which might have worked had those men had the same level of training and experience that he and the men on Rocco’s team had.

This was literally how they made their living.

They stopped bad guys as Teresa’s brother Arthur had gushed when he’d gone with her to visit with Arthur and her mom the other day.

They eliminated threats, and right now, he’d never faced a bigger threat than those trying to hurt his girl.

Taking cover, he and the other SEALs all fired back. It would help to have some intel, how many guards there were, what training they had, how many innocents there were on the boat, if those who were victims of the ring were already dead, or were perhaps being slaughtered right at this very moment.

That thought filled him with a cold sort of rage he’d never experienced before.

Of course, Micah hated every single target his team had ever been sent to kill or capture, they were all evil people, and the world was a better place without them in it.

But that sort of hatred was a little more detached, it wasn't personal, it was a job, one he’d signed up for, and one that he was good at and enjoyed, even though it was hard and required him to constantly put his life on the line.

These people had made things personal, though, they’d deliberately gone after the woman he loved, so this hatred was different. It infused him with a determination he knew couldn’t be squashed. Wouldn't abate until his girl was safe in his arms where she belonged.

The shots being fired at him and the others began to diminish until they stopped altogether.

Slowly, they approached the spot where the guards had gathered, a spot that was now filled with several dead bodies. Eight, he counted.

Leaving one of the others to secure the bodies, confirming they were all dead and no longer a threat, Micah made his way down into the boat. It was quiet down there, there were no shots, no shouts, no anything.

Eerie was the only word he could use to describe it, and that made his stomach drop.

Were they already too late?

No.

He couldn’t accept that.

Wouldn't.

With Rex, Phantom, and Gumby at his six, they proceeded to begin clearing the boat. Every door they opened, he expected to find Teresa waiting for him behind it. Each time she wasn't there, his anxiety crept another notch higher.

Where the hell was she?

Some of the rooms were empty, others weren't. There were men and women in some of the rooms. Strapped down to beds, their eyes wide with fear, when four men dressed in dive suits with weapons in their hands came storming through the doors.

Micha left it to the others to calm down the victims, he needed to find Teresa.

Only she didn't appear to be anywhere.

How was that even possible?

The tracker she had with her had worked. It had been activated, and it had led them to this boat. He’d been given no intel to indicate that had changed in any way, and yet they’d searched all the rooms, and she hadn't been in any of them.

“Where is she?” he demanded of no one in particular.

“Has to be here somewhere,” Rex assured him.

“Yeah? Then why haven’t we found her?”

“Maybe she went up here,” Gumby suggested.

The SEAL was pointing to a smaller staircase than the one they’d used to work their way down to each floor. That one had been the main one, but this one appeared to be for the use of the crew, well, at least when the boat was a working cruise ship.

It was worth a shot.

Anything was.

So long as he found his girl.

Taking the steps three at a time, it wasn't long before he was back up in the fresh air on the top deck, only this time right at the back of the boat, the opposite end to where they’d boarded.

This space of open deck was separated from the rest by a small room that had once been a bar and small kitchen serving passengers as they relaxed up there.

Now he scanned the space.

Empty.

Again.

Was it possible that Teresa had already been killed and her body thrown overboard? The ocean was smooth today, so her body wouldn't have traveled far, especially if she’d only been killed once the helo arrived. The tracker only told them her location, not her condition, so it was a possibility.

Then he spotted movement.

A flutter of something white.

“Teresa?” he called out, hurrying toward it.

“Micah?” her voice called out, and the relief of hearing his name falling from her lips almost took him to his knees.

“The others have got the remaining crew and medical personnel in custody,” Phantom told him as he saw Teresa’s face as she peeked around the corner from where she’d obviously been hiding.

This was it then. They’d found Teresa, she was safe, alive, possibly hurt, but she was up there when everyone else was still tied to their beds, so he knew that she was mostly okay. Physically, at least.

“You're here,” she murmured as she took a step closer.

“You're alive,” he said at the same time.

She smiled at him, but the smile quickly wavered as she turned her head slightly, obviously looking at something that he couldn’t yet see, something—or probably someone—still hidden by the small structure.

When her gaze snapped back to his, her eyes were wide with fear, and she took a step toward him.

He was still closing the distance, but before he could reach her, haul her into his arms, stand between her like a human shield, a body came flying out of nowhere, tackling Teresa and taking her over the edge with them, plummeting toward the ocean below.