Chapter Twenty-Five
For nearly two hours, Jay Bird had been staring at the same goddamn shipping container.
It sat among hundreds of others at the sprawling Norfolk port. It was an ordinary steel box that shouldn’t have meant anything to him. Instead, every time his eyes landed on it, his chest tightened until breathing became something he had to consciously remind himself to do.
Inside that container might be Willow and Lily.
The AirTag Riley had hidden inside Ellie hadn’t moved since they had first picked up its location.
The signal had led law enforcement directly to this section of the port and, eventually, to the dark blue container now surrounded by enough police, federal agents, military personnel, and bomb technicians to make it clear they weren’t dealing with an ordinary kidnapping.
They had been less than fifty yards away when one of the EOD techs discovered the first explosive device.
After that, everything had stopped.
Jay Bird understood why. He had spent enough years operating in places where a single wrong move could kill an entire team to know that rushing in was exactly what Chen wanted them to do.
Understanding it didn’t make standing there any easier.
“They’re still working on the backside of the container.”
Jay Bird glanced toward Derek as his commander stepped beside him. “How many?”
“Two confirmed. But all sides of the exterior are covered with wires.”
Jay Bird rubbed a hand over the back of his neck before returning his attention to the container.
Nails and Diego were closer to the scene, assisting the explosive ordnance disposal team.
Both had extensive training, but even knowing some of the best people available were handling the situation did little to ease the pressure building inside him.
His girls could be in there. The phrase had been running through his head since they had arrived.
“Jay.”
He realized Derek had said his name twice.
“What?”
“You with me?”
“Yeah.”
Derek studied him for a second, then nodded. “Keep it that way.”
Jay Bird knew exactly what he meant. He also knew Derek wasn’t hovering because he doubted Jay Bird’s ability to do his job. He was doing it because he knew him well enough to understand just how close to the edge he was standing.
A few yards away, Tink ended a call and headed toward them. His expression didn’t give anything away, which wasn’t unusual. The man could probably announce the end of the world without changing his tone.
“What’ve you got?” Derek asked.
“Nothing I particularly like.” Tink slid his phone into his pocket.
“Every airport within a reasonable radius has Chen’s information, aliases, and the facial images we pulled from the clinic.
Private aviation is covered too. Police have people at the train stations and bus terminals.
Rental-car agencies have been notified, and Coast Guard and harbor authorities are watching maritime traffic. ”
“And?” Jay Bird asked.
Tink looked at him. “Nothing. No sign of Chen, Willow, or any of the men from the clinic.”
Jay Bird’s jaw tightened. “They didn’t just disappear.”
“No, they didn’t.”
“Then where the hell are they?”
“If I knew that, we’d already be moving.”
Tink wasn’t being an asshole. Jay Bird knew that, but frustration still had him turning away.
The container sat there mocking him.
Derek folded his arms. “What about cameras?”
“Port security is pulling everything. We’ve got footage of a vehicle entering this area, but the plates were stolen. Whoever planned this knew enough to avoid the better camera angles.”
“Chen,” Jay Bird muttered.
“Maybe.” Tink’s gaze shifted toward the container. “Or someone working for him who knows what they’re doing.”
Something about Tink’s tone caught Jay Bird's attention.
“What?”
Tink hesitated. “I don’t like this.”
“None of us fucking like this.”
“No.” Tink shook his head. “I mean the setup. Chen goes through all the trouble of taking Willow and Lily, gets them here, leaves the tracker active, and then parks them inside a container wired with explosives?”
Derek’s expression hardened. “You think it’s a trap.”
“Could be. Or could be a diversion.”
That answer did nothing to make Jay Bird feel better.
Before he could respond, Nails approached, pulling off his gloves as he came toward them.
Jay Bird immediately straightened. “Well?”
“We’ve got the two primary devices isolated. EOD found a secondary trigger on one, but they've neutralized that too. They’re doing another complete sweep before anyone touches those doors.”
“How long?”
Nails stared at him.
Jay Bird knew that look.
“How long, Nails?”
“As long as it takes for me to make sure opening that fucking door doesn’t kill whoever’s inside.”
The words landed exactly where they needed to.
Jay Bird closed his eyes briefly and nodded. “Yeah.”
Nails’ expression softened. “We’re going as fast as we safely can, brother.”
“I know.”
And he did. That was the worst part.
If it were only his life at risk, Jay Bird would’ve ripped the damn doors open himself two hours ago. But if Lily and Willow were inside, his impatience could kill them.
So he waited. It was the hardest thing he had ever done.
When the final all-clear came, the sun had dropped lower over the port, throwing long shadows between the endless rows of containers.
Jay Bird had spent countless hours waiting for missions to begin, sometimes crouched in darkness while intelligence changed by the minute. He knew how to control his breathing, slow his heart rate, and focus on what mattered.
This time, every bit of that training was being tested.
Derek stood nearby with Bear and Ace while law enforcement prepared to breach the container. Several paramedics waited farther back, ready to move the second they were given permission.
Nails came over the radio. “Devices are clear. EOD sweep is complete.”
Jay Bird adjusted his grip on his weapon.
Derek looked directly at him. “You stay behind the entry team until they call it.”
Jay Bird didn’t argue.
That alone probably told Derek how serious he was about keeping his shit together.
The team moved forward. Jay Bird went with them.
The closer they got, the harder it became to separate himself from what might be waiting behind those steel doors. He pictured Lily curled against Willow, probably terrified and crying. He pictured Willow trying to comfort her while scared out of her mind herself.
The heavy locking mechanism was removed.
Jay Bird’s pulse pounded in his ears.
One of the doors was pulled open several inches, then wider. Flashlights cut through the darkness inside as the entry team moved into position.
For several seconds, nobody said anything. Then one of the lights moved across the floor.
Something pink came into view, and Jay Bird stopped breathing.
Ellie. He recognized the stuffed elephant immediately. Then he saw the tiny body curled around it.
“Lily.”
He moved forward, but Derek’s hand caught the front of his vest.
“Wait.”
“That’s Lily.”
“I know.”
“Get the fuck off me.”
“Five seconds, Jay. Give them five fucking seconds.”
Every instinct inside him screamed to get to her, but somewhere beneath the panic, the SEAL in him understood. He stood there while the entry team swept the container, checking corners, the ceiling, the floor, and every place another device could have been hidden.
Five seconds had never felt so goddamn long.
“Clear!”
Derek released him, and Jay Bird moved.
He barely remembered crossing the distance. One second he was outside the container, and the next he was dropping to his knees beside Lily.
She was curled tightly on her side with Ellie trapped against her chest. Her hair was tangled across her face, and she was wearing the same little outfit he had seen on the security footage.
She wasn’t moving. For one horrible second, Jay Bird thought she was gone.
“Lily.” His hand shook as he reached for her neck.
Her skin was warm. And then he felt her pulse. It was strong and steady beneath his fingers. All of the air rushed out of his lungs.
Jay Bird carefully slid one arm beneath her and lifted her against his chest. Her body was limp, but she was breathing. He could feel every soft breath against his neck.
“I got you, peanut.” His voice sounded rough even to him.
He pressed his face against her hair and closed his eyes. “Jay’s here.”
Someone touched his shoulder. Jay Bird stiffened, then realized it was a paramedic.
“Sir, we need to examine her.”
He knew that. He still didn’t want to let go.
“What did they give her?”
“We don’t know yet.”
“She’s breathing. Pulse is strong.”
The paramedic nodded. “That’s good. We need to get her on the monitor and transport her.”
Jay Bird looked down at Lily. She appeared to be sleeping, but there was something unnatural about how deeply unconscious she was. He brushed the hair away from her forehead.
Then another thought slammed into him. “Willow.”
He looked around the container. There was nothing. No sign she had ever been there.
Derek entered behind the paramedics.
“Where’s Willow?” Jay Bird asked, looking at Derek.
Derek didn’t answer because there wasn’t one to give.
The paramedics brought in a stretcher, and Jay Bird reluctantly lowered Lily onto it. The moment he tried to remove Ellie, Lily’s fingers seemed to tighten faintly around the elephant.
Jay Bird stopped. “Leave it with her.”
The paramedic nodded. “It stays.”
He walked beside the stretcher as they carried her from the container.
Outside, the entire scene had shifted. Radio traffic filled the air as officers and agents began working the new problem.
They had found Lily. But Willow was still missing.
Tink approached Derek as Jay Bird followed the stretcher toward the ambulance.
“Jay.”
He stopped.
Tink looked at the container, then back at him. “This was intentional.”
Jay Bird stared at him. “What was?”
“The whole thing.”
Derek came closer.
Tink gestured toward the container. “Think about it. Chen’s people took Willow and Lily, knowing we would come after them. Somehow they either discovered the tracker or suspected one existed. Instead of destroying it, they left it with Lily.”
Jay Bird’s stomach turned.
“The explosives.”
Tink nodded. “They weren’t there to hide anything. They were there to slow us down.”
Derek swore quietly.
Tink continued. “The tracker brought every resource we had straight here. The explosives forced us to sit on this location for hours while EOD cleared it.”
Jay Bird stared at him as the realization settled in.
“This wasn’t a trap.”
“No.”
Tink’s expression darkened. “It was a clock.”
Rage rolled through Jay Bird. “He used Lily.”
“Yes. To buy himself time with Willow.”
Jay Bird turned toward the ambulance.
Chen had deliberately left a two-year-old child drugged inside a shipping container because he knew they would find her.
That thought nearly brought Jay Bird to his knees.
“He’s going to use Lily against her.”
Derek looked at him. “What do you mean?”
“Willow probably doesn’t know what Chen did with Lily or that we found her,” Jay Bird said. “Chen can tell her Lily’s hurt. He can tell her she’s dead. He can tell her whatever the fuck he wants, and Willow will believe him because she won’t know any different.”
Derek’s jaw tightened. “Then we find her before he gets the chance.”
Jay Bird looked at Tink. “Find him.”
“I already have everyone working it.”
“Then get more.”
Tink didn’t take offense. “I will.”
The ambulance doors opened.
Jay Bird looked at Derek. “I’m going with Lily.”
“You should.”
Jay Bird hesitated. Every part of him wanted to stay with the team and hunt Chen, but Lily was unconscious and alone.
Derek seemed to read the conflict on his face. “Go with your daughter.”
The word hit him, and Derek didn’t correct it. Neither did Jay Bird.
“I’ll call the second we have anything,” Derek promised.
Jay Bird climbed into the ambulance. As the doors closed behind him, he reached for Lily’s small hand and held it tightly in his.
His chest tightened as one thought played over and over in his head.
Where are you, Willow?