Rescued by the SEAL Read online

  As I watched their movements, one barred the door and lowered the shades while another collected cell phones from the patrons and instructed them where to sit. At the same time, one disappeared into the back—presumably to flush out any other employees—and the last one tossed an Army green duffel bag to each teller and demanded they fill them from their tills.

  Their actions were well-coordinated, and they moved in sync with each other, suggesting they were a crew who worked together frequently. I doubted many would have spotted their earpieces, but I’d seen the best of the best when it came to equipment in my job.

  The tall, skinny guy corralling the patrons pushed us all into a corner and told us to sit down. After the rest of the employees were ushered over to join us, a guy built like a brick house—I could tell he was the one in charge—made a hand signal, and they grabbed the bank manager by the arm, lifting him to his feet and escorting him to the back.

  The tellers were told to sit with the rest of us, and Cora hurried over to drop down beside me. I put my arm around her and tucked her close to my side. She glanced up, but I shook my head when she looked as though she might speak.

  One of the two men left in the lobby touched his ear for a moment, then his gaze scanned over the hostages, eventually landing on Cora.

  Fuck!

  I wasn’t about to go John McClane on his ass and risk anyone getting hurt, but it took everything in me to let Cora go when he stalked over and demanded she stand. Her frightened eyes met mine before he squeezed her arm and dragged her to the back.

  The remaining robber was slowly pacing the room, his rifle resting on his shoulder. He did a sweep of the area every few minutes, including a lingering glance out the window on the opposite side from us.

  Whenever his eyes left the hostages, I scooted backward inch by inch. I knew I was an intimidating presence, and most people tended to let me lead in any situation without even realizing it. So, it wasn’t surprising when the crowd parted a little at a time, allowing me to make my way to the back. Then they swallowed the hole. I was impatient, but I kept myself in check, knowing that too much too fast would bring my movement to the robbers’ attention.

  Once I was behind everyone, I crouched low and slowly unzipped my jacket. Being a SEAL, stealth had become a habit, and I carried a suppressor with my subsonic 9mm. I withdrew both and screwed the silencer on.

  A few of the hostages were gazing at me with worried expressions, and a nervous few looked as though they might cause a ruckus, drawing the robbers back into the room. I met their gazes with a look of authority and warning. Then I locked eyes with a few who looked like they could help keep them calm and lifted my chin. I received nods in return so I focused on the robber once more.

  I held my weapon under my jacket, watching and waiting for the right opportunity. When the silence was broken by the sound of police sirens, the robber skipped his scan of us and walked over to the window to peek through the slatted shades.

  Removing my pistol, I aimed and waited until the very last second, allowing the sirens to become louder and hopefully muffle the sound of my gunshot. Silencers only suppressed the noise so much, and I didn’t want the crew in the back to realize I’d taken out their man.

  Thankfully, the criminal telegraphed his movements, and police cars had reached the building by the time he made a move to turn around. I slowly straightened and took aim. Before he noticed me, I had a clear shot and put a bullet in his temple. He dropped to the ground, and I shot another warning glance at a woman who tried to scream. Thankfully, someone pressed their hand over her mouth before she made a sound.

  I made my way to the fallen robber, checking to make sure he was dead, even though I had no doubt. Then I removed both of his guns, unloaded them, and set them on a desk. When the phone rang, I thanked my lucky stars that I was standing right in front of it. I grabbed it up before the first ring was done.

  The woman on the other side of the line introduced herself and asked who she was speaking with.

  “Lieutenant Huntley Reed,” I replied in a low tone. “I’m with the other hostages in the front lobby. Currently unguarded because I took one of their men out.”

  Before she could ask any more questions, which would only try my patience since I was used to efficiency, I gave her the rundown of everything I knew. The only time I nearly lost my cool was when I told her they’d taken “one of the tellers” to the back with the manager.

  “I’ll unlock the front so you can begin helping the hostages, but your men better be fucking silent because if they alert one of the other robbers and that teller is killed, I’ll have their careers and their heads.”

  She started to say something else, her tone indignant, and I growled, “You can send your best man to go with me, but I will go after those hostages.” I hung up while she sputtered, then crept over to the front door and quietly flipped the lock. Two men in bulletproof vests and police uniforms came in and went right to the group of scared patrons. A third walked in and nodded to me, his vest indicating he was FBI. From the way he carried himself, his haircut, and the belt perfectly straight with the gig line, this guy was active or former military.

  I cocked my head toward the back, and he nodded, drawing his weapon. He silently followed me as I headed for the door to the teller area. There was a small bank of televisions, and I glanced over them all until I spotted the three men at the vault. One was holding the manager, and the other had an arm wrapped around my girl.

  That motherfucker wouldn’t be carrying that limb around for long.

  We crept down the hallway, listening carefully. When we were around the corner from the vault, someone spoke. “We don't need two.”

  “Better leverage,” another grunted.

  “Maybe,” the first guy muttered. “As long as I get to be in charge of this tasty piece of ass, you can do whatever the fuck you want.”

  The agent with me must have seen the rage and murderous intention on my face because he grabbed my arm in an iron grip and shook his head. I took two long, deep breaths and mentally shouted at myself to remember my training. I’d never allowed myself to be distracted during a mission, but apparently, when it involved Cora, all of my skills went out the fucking window.

  “We’re about done,” a third voice—I was pretty sure it was the brick house—grunted. “Larry, lock the hostages in the break room and head back here.”

  Silence…

  “Larry?”

  Silence…

  “Want me to check on him?”

  “No, we need to get the fuck out of here before the police storm the building. Something has happened to him, or he’s not paying attention. Either way, I’m leaving.”

  The agent and I suddenly rounded the corner, guns aimed at the heads of the two men who weren’t holding Cora.

  “Let them go,” I warned in a deadly tone. I gave myself one brief glance at her to make sure she wasn’t harmed before focusing on the two bastards threatening her.

  The man holding the bank manager started to put a gun to his head, but I put a bullet between his eyes before he’d even lifted his arm halfway.

  The manager fell to his knees, and tears streamed down his pudgy face as he scrambled into a corner, curling up to make himself as little as possible. Pussy.

  “Make another move, and I’ll kill her,” the brick house responded flatly—obviously not bothered one bit by the fact that I’d just killed his crewmate.

  “You wouldn’t make it a single step before I took you down,” I snarled.

  “Maybe, but I’ll take her with me.” He gestured to his last conspirator. “Grab the bag.”

  The other man picked up a small sack. They left everything else as they backed down a hallway to the rear exit. “Tell them to let us through, or she’s dead.”

  The agent spoke into the radio on his vest before nodding. “You’re clear.”

  When I finally let myself meet Cora’s eyes, they were filled with terror. But she wasn’t falling apart, not even a
glimmer of tears in her eyes. I was so fucking proud of her, and her show of strength just hammered home the fact that I’d been shortchanging her. She was right. The decision to be together wasn’t mine alone. “You’re going to be all right, gingersnap.”

  “I know,” she said softly, her voice steady as she looked at me with faith in her expression. Letting her down wasn’t a fucking option. Now that I’d finally given in to my need for Cora, I wasn’t about to lose her.

  “Once we’re somewhere safe, we’ll call the bank and tell you where to pick her up.”

  “If she so much as breaks a fingernail,” I growled, “I’ll make you bleed before I end your life.”

  My gaze never wavered from the dead man holding my girl as he exited the building. I looked for an opportunity to take him out, but I wasn’t going to risk it unless I was certain there was no chance of Cora being hurt.

  The agent and I followed them outside, and the man holding the bag jumped into the driver’s side of a nondescript white van. The other carefully maneuvered into the back, basically using Cora as a human shield.

  Police cars raced after the vehicle, but ten minutes later, they radioed to say they'd lost it when at least five matching vans entered the highway, clearly there to give the robbers cover.

  I was being debriefed by the FBI agent in charge when they called it in. My hands balled into fists, and I counted to ten so I wouldn’t put a dent in the car next to me.

  “We’re done,” I announced and stalked away, pulling out my phone and hitting a number as soon as I knew I wouldn’t be overheard.

  “Reed?” Cash answered after one ring.

  “I need your help.”

  3

  Cora

  I’d kept my eyes on Huntley the entire time the robber dragged me out of the bank. He was my lifeline, keeping me calm right up until the moment when the door to the white van slammed shut. I felt as though all of the air was knocked out of my lungs when I was shoved down and the van sped forward, but not because of how hard I landed. The loss of Huntley’s steady gaze was what impacted me the most.

  I was filled with regret over waiting so long to speak up about my feelings for him. If I’d said something sooner, forced his hand before he’d been deployed four months ago, maybe we would have had time together as a couple. Then I would’ve had the chance to get to know Huntley. To learn about the things he liked. Go out on dates. Feel his lips brush against mine as our tongues tangled together while we kissed.

  Being taken hostage by two bank robbers—one of whom creeped me out big time with all his talk about the things he wanted to do once he got me alone—made me wonder if those things were ever going to happen. I didn’t doubt that Huntley would do everything in his power to find me, but I wasn’t sure I would be the same person when that happened.

  I’d already seen someone die after Huntley shot the robber who’d been ready to aim his gun at my boss, Mr. Jones. And I was ashamed to admit that a part of me had wished that the one who was using me as a shield had been the one he’d killed instead because then I’d be free. Or at least the creepy jerk wouldn’t be in the back of this van with me now. While his partner was busy evading the police cars who were chasing us, he’d taken full advantage of our position to cop a few feels. But he’d paid for it when I nailed him in the balls with my knee and was still cupping his groin a few minutes later.

  “Secure the girl and get up here,” the huge guy in front growled. “I need you to keep an eye out to make sure we aren’t spotted by the cops.”

  “Didn’t the trick with the other vans work?” the robber holding me grunted as he reached for some rope to tie me up. I cried out when he yanked my arms behind my back and roughly secured my wrists together. “Serves you right, bitch. I’m not going to be gentle with you when we get to the warehouse, either. With the setup Jack has there, the cops and that jackass who killed Steven will never find you, and I’ll have all the time in the world to make you pay for your little stunt.”

  “Shut your fucking mouth or you won’t have the chance to do a damn thing. I’ll kill you and let your body rot in the back of this van.”

  I shivered at the deadly threat, but the skeevy dude didn’t seem to understand that his partner meant every word. As he climbed into the front passenger seat, he whined, “What the hell is wrong with you, man?”

  “No names. I reminded you of that rule right before we walked into the bank, remember?” Jack snarled as he took a sharp right, sending me rolling onto my side. “Now the girl knows my name, which will make it easier for the cops to figure out who I am.”

  “Not if they never find her,” the creepy robber argued, leering at me over his shoulder.

  “You really are a dumb fuck.” Jack sighed and shook his head. “The guy at the bank meant his threat. If she dies, he isn’t going to stop hunting us until we’re both six feet under.”

  The other guy rolled his eyes before turning forward again. “You’re acting like he’s Liam Neeson. This isn’t an action movie, and that dude has no fucking clue where we’re headed.”

  “The guy was clearly military, you idiot. Special Forces, if I had to guess. And now he’s motivated. It’s personal for him.” There was zero emotion in Jack’s eyes when he looked at me through the rearview mirror. “Because we took her.”

  I gulped down the lump of fear in my throat, even while I offered up a silent prayer of thanks that Huntley had picked today of all days to come into my branch. Jack was right—even though he’d been doing everything he could to resist the pull between us, I knew Huntley would do whatever it took to find me. The promise had been there for me to see in his gorgeous hazel eyes when he’d told me that I was going to be all right.

  The skeevy guy had to have been blind because he hadn’t seen how determined Huntley had been. “I’m sure we’ll be fine. We’ve pulled six jobs together, and the cops have never been able to ID us or find the warehouse. Without their resources, that dude doesn’t stand a chance.”

  I pressed my lips together to keep myself from disagreeing. Although I didn’t know a lot about Huntley, there was a guy I’d seen him talk to a couple of times when they’d been at the bank at the same time. Both of them were in the Navy, as were a lot of our customers because of our proximity to the base. But I was pretty sure Huntley and his friend were SEALs, especially because they were stationed here, where one of the special warfare groups was based. I’d never worked up the courage to ask Huntley if he was a SEAL, but I hoped I was right because I really needed a hero to rescue me right about now.

  “The police can only go so far. They have rules they need to follow. Not him. The way he moved and handled his weapon told me everything I need to know. He’s a stone-cold killer who’ll stop at nothing until he gets her back.”

  Typically, I wouldn’t want to agree with a guy I assumed was in charge of a robbery crew, but I took comfort in the fact that Jack seemed just as certain about Huntley as I was. I didn’t stand much of a chance against these two on my own with my hands tied behind my back and knowing they had guns. The only thing I had going for me was the warning that Huntley had given them. Shuffling to a seated position, I used the weapon he’d given me as best I could. “You’re right to be worried. Huntley meant what he said back there. Your best bet is to drop me off now and put some distance between us before he catches up. As long as I’m not hurt, he won’t go after you. I’ll make sure of it.”

  Jack’s gaze turned considering as he glanced at the rearview mirror again, but his partner wasn’t convinced. “C’mon, man. She’s our only leverage. We can’t give her up now.”

  “Are you really going to trust him to make the decision?” I raised my eyebrows and shook my head. “He’s not worried about using me as a bargaining chip if you guys get caught. He wants to keep me around because he’s a pervert who’s pissed that I kneed him in the balls when he tried to feel me up.”

  “Fucking hell, man.” Jack glared at the creepy dude. “Do you have a death wish? Because I’
m damn sure her man is going to take you sexually assaulting the girl a fuck of a lot more seriously than her breaking a nail.”

  “I barely even touched her,” his partner whined, crossing his arms over his chest as he turned to look out the window. “And I still say that you’re making too much out of that dude’s threats.”

  I barely stifled a gasp when Jack pulled a handgun out and rested it on his thigh. The other guy didn’t notice, and I wasn’t about to warn him when he was the one who was the bigger threat to my safety. “You’re wrong. We’re down two men already because of that guy.”

  “We don’t know what happened to Larry.”

  Jack’s finger slid over the trigger, and my whole body tensed in fear. “Her man was in the lobby and had a fucking silencer on his weapon. What the fuck do you think happened to Larry? He’s dead, just like Steven.” He lifted the gun and fired a bullet straight into the other guy’s head. “And just like you now, too. Fucking idiot.”

  At the sight of another splatter of brains and blood, my vision grayed. I let out a little whimper of distress, and Jack’s attention turned to me. “I’ll give you the same warning I did him. Shut your fucking mouth or I’ll take my chances with your man, kill you, and let your body rot in the back of this van.”

  I was a heck of a lot smarter than his dead partner, so I nodded and didn’t say another word.

  4

  Huntley

  Cash met me at my house fifteen minutes later. As well as Stirling, who was on our Intelligence Team, and Deacon, whose specialty was Surreptitious Entry and Technical Surveillance Operations. Cash and I both had specialty training as Snipers and Advanced Air Operation. Not that being a Jumpmaster or Parachute Rigger would help us find Cora.

  The four of us lived the closest to our base, and I was grateful that we’d just returned from a deployment because it meant they were home.