Free Hacking the SEAL (Saving the SEALs Series Book 2) by Leslie North

his gaze from Scotty. “Good. Now, we have a message for you.”
    Of course they did. Scotty avoided rolling his eyes, barely. “What?”
    “Your girlfriend here for your team. Fair trade. Your choice.”
    “I’m not his girlfriend.” Hayley bucked hard against the guy holding her and received a hard smack to the head with the butt of his gun. She went limp in his arms and Scotty winced on her behalf. Blood oozed from the fresh cut on her temple and white-hot anger surged through his veins. These fuckers would pay for that.
    “Now, take a nap, soldier boy.”
    Scotty snorted. Soldier boy? Really? Obviously he wasn’t dealing with a brain trust.
    He relaxed his arms and lowered his hands and was just about to step forward and deal with these amateurs by opening a good old-fashioned can of SEAL-sized ass-whoop on them, when pain exploded in the back of his head. His knees buckled and he crumpled to the cement, his vision tunneling and the side of his face flaring with pain as his cheekbone made hard contact with the ground.
    A fourth pair of combat boots filled what was left of his vision and a voice that sounded vaguely familiar echoed in his ears as the last threads of consciousness deserted him. “Your team for your girl. Your choice. You got forty-eight hours.”

Chapter Eleven
    “What the…” Hayley groaned softly and rolled onto her side. Squinting her eyes open, she gazed around the unfamiliar space. Nothing but bland beige walls and empty hardwood floors. The tang of fresh paint and drywall hung heavy in the dusty air.
    She pushed herself up on one arm and kicked away the tarp tangled around her feet. The last thing she remembered was kissing Scotty, then someone grabbed her from behind. Then chaos. Wincing, Hayley lifted a hand to her sore temple and gently rubbed the small knot there. Whoever had taken her had whacked her good on the side of the head.
    Her ears still rang slightly from the impact and she opened and closed her mouth several times to relieve the annoying buzz. This place looked like some kind of construction site. A quick check of the rest of her person showed they hadn’t done more than dump her in here, thank God. No restraints around her wrists or ankles, no other… violations .
    A shudder ran through her.
    Yeah, as much as getting kidnapped sucked, things could’ve been so much worse.
    Voices sounded from the hallway outside her door and her pulse quickened. Okay. She laid back down and pretended to be out cold. That seemed like her best option—only option, really—at this point. She’d just rearranged herself on the tarp again when the door creaked open and heavy footsteps entered.
    “She alive?” one of the arrivals asked. Deep, gritty voice. No accent. Male.
    The footsteps moved closer and Hayley forced herself not to hold her breath. She needed these people to think she was not dead. Lack of breathing wouldn’t help her cause. A finger poked her shoulder, tipping her from her side to her back. The observer took a deep breath, then placed their hand on her neck, presumably to feel for her heart beat. “Yeah, she’s still good.”
    Another male, based on the gruff tone. This one didn’t sound familiar either.
    “I don’t like this,” the first guy said. “He ain’t paying me enough for this shit.”
    “The fact someone’s paying you at all should make you happy, dumbass.”  The second guy, the one closest to her, said, then moved away. “Now shut the fuck up and get back downstairs for the meeting.”
    Guy number one mumbled something Hayley didn’t quite catch and stomped away. Once his footsteps receded, she took a chance and peeked one eye open, glanced sideways and spotted a medium-sized man sporting burglar black and a shiny bald head. He made a slow perimeter of the room, checking the one window. As if sensing her gaze, he swiveled fast to face her and she squeezed her eyes shut, hoping like hell he hadn’t caught her snooping. Seconds ticked by in