Page 106 of Protecting Addison
Despite that, he was filled with doubt. Ellory was still a little girl. There was almost no way she’d be able to find her way out of a metal container. Not without a blowtorch and a hell of a lot of luck. But his wife’s praise and belief in both him and her daughter made him want to weep, and he’d never say anything to kill Addison’s hope.
“She’s brave, she’ll get through this. And Yana…she might be five, but that girl has already been through hell. Literally. She’ll stay strong too. Our girls are going to be all right.” His words were more for his benefit than Addison’s, but MacGyver wasn’t surprised when she nodded firmly in agreement.
She reached out and put her hand on his thigh. “I love you. I’m terrified and pissed and a hundred other emotions. But knowing you’re here…that you won’t rest until you find our girls…it’s what’s keeping me going.”
“I feel the same, hon,” MacGyver admitted. “I’ve been through hundreds of missions, but this one is personal. If I’d had the strength, I would’ve left you back at the house with Artem and Borysko. But I need you, Addy. You’re the incentive I need to keep going, to not fall to my knees in frustration, fear, and anger. You’re also the reason that asshole is still breathing, because if you weren’t there, I would’ve killed him without a second thought.”
“Well, I need you. Ellory and Yana are going to need you to help them work through their feelings when we find them. And Artem and Borysko need you to show them how to be good men. So I’m glad you didn’t kill him…because visiting you in the penitentiary wouldn’t have been the same.”
To his amazement, MacGyver chuckled. Then he sobered. “Vogel will get what’s coming to him. For now, we just need to concentrate on finding a needle in a haystack.”
“We can do this,” Addison said. “After all, the MythBusters were able to find four needles in their haystack. All we need is to find one.”
MacGyver wasn’t surprised his wife enjoyed the old science TV show. It was a shame it wasn’t on anymore, but he made a mental note to have a marathonMythBusterswatching session with his family in the not-too-distant future.
As they neared the shipyard, tension returned to MacGyver’s shoulders. Looking at the sea of shipping containers was daunting. But they had a place to start. Vogel claimed the one holding Ellory and Yana was blue. They’d start with the ones closest to the ships and work their way back from there.
Patrick Hurt put out a call for all SEALs, active duty or not, anywhere near the shipyard to come out and help search. MacGyver had no doubt his brothers-in-arms would show up in force. They’d find his girls. He couldn’t imagine any other outcome.
* * *
Bree Haynes was a stalker. At least, she was acting like one. When she’d fled Las Vegas, and the men who were searching for her, she didn’t really have a plan. All she knew was the man who’d helped her at the lowest time in her life—Jude “Smiley” Stark—was a Navy SEAL stationed in Riverton, California.
Even though she’d only met him briefly, he’d made her feel safe. Secure. So when her ex was pulling out all the stops to find her—so she could be shipped off to some foreign brothel as a sex slave—she could only think of one place to go.
And here she was.
In Riverton.
She was living out of her car, a Subaru Outback, and when she’d first arrived, she’d parked near one of the entrances to the naval base. To her amazement, it had only taken three days for her to recognize Jude Stark as he’d entered the base early one morning.
Since then, she’d been following him. She knew where he lived, where all of his teammates lived, and where he spent his nights. Usually at his condo. He also frequently went out of town. She’d followed him to the interstate more than once, but Bree always turned back before reaching the city limits, too afraid to leave Riverton, now that she’d made the journey here. She had no clue where Jude went so frequently, but she supposed it didn’t really matter one way or another.
Tonight, however, when she’d spotted him leaving the base, he’d been hauling ass. She’d discreetly followed him to one of his friends’ houses, where there were a ton of other cars parked.
More people arrived, and after a while, a bunch of them—including all of his teammates—came running out of the house, and she literally couldn’t stop herself from following the caravan.
Her curiosity was out of control. She supposed it came with the boredom of her current situation. She spent all her time hiding out in her car, making up stories for the people she saw walking past her night and day.
She didn’t sleep well, was always expecting the worst, like her ex tracking her down, or her new “owner” popping up and grabbing her at any time. And she had to admit…she’d become somewhat obsessed with Jude’s friends. The women were always smiling and laughing, and the kids at the house everyone had just left were adorable.
But today, the tension coming from that house was palpable, even from her vantage point down the street, parked well away from the commotion.
Following the caravan at what she thought was a safe distance, she saw everyone pull into a huge shipyard. She itched to know more. To get closer. To find out what was happening. But Bree knew it wasn’t a good idea. She should leave the area. Thestate. Go east, far away from Vegas to start a new life. She had money, although it was stuck in her bank account at the moment. If she tried to withdraw any of it, she’d probably be traced, and then she’dreallyhave no choice but to leave the area.
But something…no,someone, was keeping her here. Jude. It was ridiculous, this pull he had on her.
Shaking her head to clear it, Bree parked about a block down from the entrance to the shipyard. She’d figure a way to get in, to find out what was happening. She may not be able to help…but then again, she might. She could be an innocent bystander who just happened on the scene.
There was no way Jude would recognize her. After all, he’d only seen her once, late at night, and she definitely wasn’t looking her best at the time, all trussed up and bruised in the backseat of her kidnapper’s car.
The fantasy of being able to integrate herself into the lives of the men and women she’d basically been stalking flared. Then died almost immediately.
She couldn’t do that. It would be dishonest. Besides, why would they want to hang out with a homeless woman they didn’t know, who had no ties to the Navy? She also didn’t want the danger she was in to touch anyone else. Not the women she’d watched from a distance, not their children. And especially not Jude Stark.
This had to stop. Her stalking. Her obsession. She’d find out what was happening, assuage her curiosity, then leave. Head east. Or north. Whatever. Get as far away from California, Las Vegas…and the man who’d sold her to a sex trafficker. She’d start over somewhere. Figure out how to change her name, get her money from the bank, andliveagain.
Closing her car door quietly, Bree tried to look as casual as possible as she walked down the sidewalk. She was an ordinary citizen who just happened to be walking by.
