Page 17 of Invaluable

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Kyle

“We’ve gotevery man on this, Lieutenant Commander Lawson. Drones are being sent out now, and we have Osprey helicopters surveying the terrain. We will findthem.”

I nodded while clutching the phone but my gut doubted the words of my Rear Admiral. He was the best the military had. Admiral Stevens had orchestrated some of the best rescues in military history. I was honored to serve withhim.

In reality, we didn’t know who took the women, why they took them, and where they were. No group had taken responsibility for the kidnappings, yet. I had my theories—the usual suspects—religious fundamentalists, radicals, terrorists. But I never wasted my time on conjecture; my decisions were made on facts, not guesses. My actions could mean life or death to these women—the gravity of the predicament and responsibility weighed heavily on mysoul.

“Thank you, sir. I’d like to be on the ground and have my Team be the first ones embedded when we discover their location.”

“Roger that. I’ll update you when I hear anythingnew.”

My first decision had been to return with my Team to base to formulate a plan, gather intelligence, and call in air support. There was absolutely no time to be spent on a wild goose chase. This wasn’t Hollywood—I wasn’t miraculously going to find her by the side of theroad.

Since the abduction, thousands of military personnel, both Stateside and in-country were working on this. For now, I could do little more than be prepared andwait.

I grinded my teeth. The word burned. Wait. Safe on base, with a television, a computer, food, and my military family.

I paced around the room. Every second that clicked on the clock grated at my nerves. Anger and worry consumedme.

Pat placed his hand on my shoulder. “I get it. It’s personal. This is exactly how I felt when I’d left Annie in the brothel. But I found her. We’re going to findSara.”

I shook his hand off. I didn’t need his comfort—I needed to take action.

Ten more agonizing minutes passed. Finally, the phonerang.

“Lawson, a terrorist group has taken responsibility for the kidnappings. The girls’ faces are plastered all over the media.”

I clicked on the computer—pictures of the squad, numbered as if for execution. Their director was noticeably missing. Running a hand down my face, I studied Sara’s face intently, her beautiful blue eyes, her angelic smile. Rubbed across my chest. This fucking hurt. I would never forgive myself if I couldn’t saveher.

I’d always believed I was put on this earth for a purpose—save lives to make up for the ones taken.

Sara was my duty, my mission. I would rescue her or die trying.