And I wasn’t going to let that happen.

All those prostitutes in that whorehouse were probably trafficked from somewhere, but I couldn’t save every whore in the place. It would cause an international incident; most of them were probably from Eastern Europe or Central and South America. But I’d be damned if I let Annie, or any other American trapped there, spend one more day than they had to in that hellhole. Other men didn’t get why I hadn’t shed a tear when I found out that my fiancée had cheated on me. But the national anthem? ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ had me bawling like someone shot my dog. I watched my buddies die protecting our county’s freedoms. And I’d lay down my own life before I let some traffickers steal Annie’s life.

She was now twenty-three, two years younger than me. I thought being away from my friends and family during my deployments was bad, but at least I had volunteered to take this job. Living for five years in a foreign country as a sex slave was unimaginable.

“My loyalty to Country and Team is beyond reproach. I humbly serve as a guardian to my fellow Americans always ready to defend those who are unable to defend themselves.”

Enough men had used her and then abandoned her; I wasn’t going to be one of them.

3.

Vic made his way through the tangled maze of hung over SEALs in our sleeping quarters to talk to me. “Want to get dinner?”

If I flaked on them two nights in a row, they’d know I was up to something. “I can’t. I’m going to get a massage.”

Kyle’s head popped up in his rack. “As long as it includes a happy ending, I’m in.”

These men were my best friends—I didn’t want to lie to them. We’d saved each other’s lives more times than I cared to remember.

“No can do, I’m already late. I’ll be back in a bit and we’ll go out.” I slipped a watch on my wrist and left the ship.

I had to see Annie before they shuffled her to another brothel and I lost the opportunity forever. My goal was to assess the situation, case the building, and size up her captors, so I could plan a mission. I had to see her again—I needed to be one hundred percent sure that the girl with the hollow eyes really was Annie.

Would the pimp get suspicious if I came back two days in a row? I doubted it. If she, Annie, had survived five years, she must’ve gained their trust. They probably thought she was so strung out that she wanted dope more than she wanted her old life back. That’s how these lowlifes worked—strip these girls of their identities.

But she’d told me her name. She trusted me. And I’d walked away from her.

Some hero.

The streets seemed less bright today. I had actually looked forward to my Team’s mission in the Caribbean waters. Curaçao was a better destination than Afghanistan, as far as I was concerned. But now I’d rather be roasting in the mountains, than investigating the underbelly of this paradise.

I stopped by a tourist shop. Purchased some water, snacks, lotion, and a dress for Annie. Also bought her a small necklace, which I placed in my pocket.

The same Columbian man found me on the street. “Sailor, you had good time? Welcome back, my friend.”

I hated the way these vipers called me friend. I wondered if he even knew Annie was American. Often these girls were traded to other pimps, so he might not even know who she was, if she kept her cover. Even though he carried a rifle around his shoulders, I could take this fool in a second even without my weapon.

I followed him back into the brothel. He was about to ring the bell but I stopped him. “I want the same girl I had last night.”

“Star? Sure, sure. How about two girls? I give you a good price.”

I shook my head. “Nope, one will do. ‘Star’ did a good job.”

“What’s in the bag?”

I opened it up. “Some food, water, clothes, lotion. I wanted her to dress up for me and smell good. How much for an extra hour? I’m heading back out to sea tomorrow.”

He rummaged through the bag, and then squinted his eyes. “I give her to you for two hours free, for your watch.”

I didn’t hesitate to hand it over to him.

His face broke out into a smile. He motioned to me and led me down the hallway, to her door. Then he turned and left to lure the next jerk like me inside.

I paused before I opened the door.

One desperate plea. This wasn’t a Hollywood blockbuster or a New York Times best-selling thriller. I knew that this time there was no room for excuses, no margin for errors. I had one chance to put the cape on and be her hero.

The door squeaked. Annie was sitting on her cot, rocking back and forth, cradling her body.

Her head snapped to the side when she saw me. As her jaw dropped, I shut the door and put my index finger over my mouth, motioning for her to stay quiet. My eyes darted around the walls, scanning for a camera. Luckily, this low budget brothel was not high tech. The acidic smell of heroin made me gag. I glared at the floor and saw used needles under the bed.

She must’ve understood my disgusted expression because her chin dropped and she cowered.

I knelt beside her and traced my fingers over her tattoo. The image was ingrained in my memory; it was a perfect match.

After five years, extensive manhunts, and expensive private investigators, I’d found Annie Hamilton.

This time, she wasn’t wearing lingerie, probably because she hadn’t been called out to the line. She was clad in a stained white tee shirt and pink cotton panties.

I sat on the bed and held her hand. “Annie, my name is Patrick Walsh—I’m a Navy SEAL. I’m going to get you out of here.”

Her body trembled and she started shaking her head. But she didn’t speak.

“I’m sorry for running out of here the other night.”

I debated apologizing for paying her to give me a blowjob. But I wasn’t sorry. A, it was amazing. And B, I’d found her. That was all that mattered. Maybe I also hoped I could get a repeat performance. Wishful thinking considering her current state. I pushed the thought from my mind.

Annie sobbed quietly. But I could handle that. Being raised by a single mom, I’d comforted her so many times growing up it was as if I were the parent. Every time her heart broke, she lost a job, or didn’t have enough money for Christmas presents, I was the one she had turned to.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’m going to take care of you.” I embraced her; her tiny frame almost disappeared in my strong arms. She buried her head into my chest. From now on, there could be no sexual contact between us ever again. But I wasn’t an asshole—she’d been through hell and back and if she needed me to hold her, wipe away her tears, and tell her everything was safe, I would do that. “You can relax. I’m not going to have sex with you, or make you touch me—that’s not why I’m here tonight.” I brushed back the hair on her face and handed her the paper bag. “I picked you up some things, clothes and stuff.”

Mascara ran down her face. She opened the bag and took out a sundress, fresh panties and a bra, and some coconut-scented lotion. I kept the necklace in my pocket.

Her tongue poked in her cheek and she swallowed.

“Put the dress on.”

She nodded, stood up and turned away from me as she undressed. I couldn’t stop staring at her tight little ass. Her sudden shyness surprised me, since less than twenty-four hours ago she had my dick in her mouth. I felt a dull pain in my chest. I hated myself for adding to her nightmare. At least I came back.

I needed to figure out her daily routine, how far gone she was on heroin, and try to make a plan. There was no intel team on the ground making action plans for me. I was in charge. And alone. No one to watch my back...or hers.

“Ready to Lead, Ready to Follow, Never Quit.”

I couldn’t risk making a call later to the FBI or smuggling her now to the embassy. I didn’t have time to conduct a full background investigation and go through the proper channels.

Maybe I should’ve told Vic. He would’ve known what to do. But Vic played by the rules. He would’ve never let me go rogue. Or accompany me to a brothel, for that matter. Vic was a good man, a deeply pious Catholic. When his wife cheated on him during our last mission, I didn’t know if he would make it. He spent every minute back in the States with his daughter, Carina. I knew he missed her like crazy. I couldn’t imagine having a child. My dad left before I was born, so I wouldn’t have a fucking clue about how to be a father.

Annie turned back toward me, dressed in her sweet yellow sundress, her hands fidgeting, as if she wanted approval.

“Sweetheart, you look gorgeous,” I offered. Though she was way too skinny, and her skin was speckled with bruises and welts, she was still sexy as hell. Her pouty lips curved up, her wild hair framed her face. I wanted to hike up that sundress, rip off her panties and feel her wet pussy clench around me, but I knew that I could never cross the line with her. From the moment I realized who she was, she became like any other job. She was nothing more than a mission to me now.

She sat on the cot next to me. I wanted to move over and put an invisible line of distance between us but I kept her close by my side. I didn’t want any temptation; I had a job to do.

I whispered into her ear. “I need to take a few pictures, okay?”

She just shrugged and I took out my phone. Took a shot of her ankle, her scar, and her face.

“What happened, Annie? Tell me everything.”

She remained silent. Her dilated pupils remained fixed on the wall.

I pulled her to me, and stroked her hair. “I’m sure they think that by now they’ve humiliated you so much you’d never consider running. You can trust me. But I can only help you if you let me.”