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I squeezed Liam’s shoulder. “Liam has agreed to come on as our medic.”
“That’s great,” Dante said. “You did a good job at the Gage event.”
Liam smiled. “Thank you.”
“Okay,” I began, trying to get us back on track. “Michael worked with Deshawn Bradley to help him locate his missing fourteen-year-old sister, Kayla. She apparently met some guy online who told her he was sixteen. Two weeks ago, she said she wanted to meet up with him and Deshawn wouldn’t let her, so she snuck out one night. She hasn’t been seen since.”
“Fuck,” Pete growled.
“I should tell you that Deshawn is raising his two younger sisters. Their mom died from cancer two years ago, and their dad was killed in a car accident when Kayla was four. The older of the two girls, Samara, is nineteen and going to college at U Penn in Philadelphia.”
“Smart girl,” Andrea commented.
“Yes,” Michael said. “She’s studying to be a doctor.”
“So I’m assuming we’re here because Michael found the sister,” Dante said.
Michael nodded. “Correct. Deshawn is also a computer programmer, and one of my bots found his searches for his sister. I reached out to him, and we pooled our knowledge.”
Michael looked back at me, so I picked up the story. “We found evidence that Kayla is being held in a house belonging to a man named Ephraim Little, about thirty minutes northwest of Harrisburg. We’re meeting Deshawn at his place in Harrisburg, and we’ll recon from there.” I clenched my jaw. “We think there might be at least two other girls there. The sick fuck has been uploading videos of different men…” I stopped because I couldn’t even say the words.
“Yeah, we get it,” Gabe said. He looked pissed.
I blew out a breath. “Let’s all finish our lunch and get on the road.”
While everyone was eating, Michael connected his laptop to my TV and pulled up a satellite view of the area where Kayla was being held. He then showed them the drone images Deshawn had gotten.
The team worked together to find a place to stage our rescue operation. Andrea was delighted to spot a deer stand close enough that she could set up her sniper rifle and provide cover. The heavily wooded area around the house also had a dirt road running through it. It was close enough for us to conceal our vehicles and approach the target on foot. Our objective was a large old farmhouse that had seen better days. It was set well back from the main road, close to the trees, which was good for our target but also good for us.
I noticed Liam looked a little lost. It wasn’t surprising, considering this wouldn’t be his part of the rescue operation. Since I trusted my team to put the op together, I tapped Liam on the shoulder and gestured for him to follow me into the kitchen. He picked up his empty wrappers and some of the other trash on the coffee table and followed.
“How are you doing?” I asked as he tossed his trash.
Liam shrugged. “I’m fine.” He tilted his head toward the living room. “All that out there is a little above my pay grade.”
I shook my head. “That’s not your part of the mission. They’re tactical. You’re support. We’ll need you when it’s all over to patch people up.”
He huffed out a laugh. “Hopefully, not too many. And try to avoid getting bullet holes in you. I’m not a doctor. I’m a nurse.”
Liam sucked in a sharp breath, and his eyes started tracking back and forth. It took me a second to remember where I’d heard him say that before. He had said it in the hospital in Beirut. In French. Shit. “Liam, you’re having a flashback,” I said calmly. I carefully took his hand in mine. “Liam, take a nice slow breath in.” I put his hand on my chest. “Breathe with me.” I took a slow breath in and breathed out even more slowly. It took him a minute, but he finally started following my lead. “Good. Now tell me five things you can see.”
Liam took another stuttering breath and started to look around my kitchen. “Clock on the wall. Stainless steel sink. Dark-blue tile on the wall behind the faucet. Pictures on the refrigerator.” His eyes met mine, and he gave me a quirky half-smile. “Hot ex-Navy SEAL.”
I chuckled and kissed his forehead. “You good now?”
He took his hand off my chest. “Yeah. Thank you. I haven’t had a flashback in a while.” His brow furrowed in concern. “Is that going to disqualify me from going today?”
I shook my head. “There isn’t a person out there, with the exception of Michael, who hasn’t had a flashback or ten. It happens. You came out of it quickly. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
“You too?” he asked.
My eyes drifted to the picture of Terry stuck on my refrigerator with a Mickey Mouse magnet. “Yeah. Me too.”
Gabe poked his head around the doorway. “We’re all set, Chief. Ready to roll?”
I looked down at Liam, who nodded. “Yep. We’re ready.”
17
