Bound By Blood: (The Betrayed Series Book 2) by Victoria Renteria Read Free Book Online Page A

deep baritone brings me out of my mental trance.
    “What everyone who targets me hopes to gain . . . information. Gentlemen, the information that passes across my desk would make your head spin. Think about it, the power one would gain from the information I deal with daily—information on leaders, terrorist, countries, weapons, things that start wars and level countries.” He pauses, closing his eyes and inhaling a deep breath. Upon opening them, the pain of his daughter’s abduction can be seen in his features, stilling my heart and halting my breath temporarily. It’s as if our pain is one, a living breathing entity, breeding and multiplying by the second.
    Noah’s raspy voice breaks the tension. “Sir, I’m assuming you have more background information on this man that you can provide us with, correct?”
    Nodding, he replies, “Yes, I have a rather large file that details all of his aliases, businesses, and who his contact is in North Korea. We’ve only scratched the surface. We do know he has local dealings with the Kkangpae. How deep or to what extent it runs . . . that I don’t know.”
    Cooper leans forward, resting his elbows on the table, his brow furrows, creasing into a deep V. Catching the Colonel’s gaze, he holds it firmly, asking, “What’s the plan? I’m assuming you and Colonel Black have one, sir?”
    “There is.” He pauses, looking to each of us for a moment. “Your team is specially trained to handle situations like this. You’ve extracted countless hostages, so this shouldn’t be any different. Yet, we all know it will be.” Scanning the room briefly, he continues. “It’s been brought to my attention that each of you have had the opportunity to meet my daughter. I’m hoping you’ll use that as fuel to aid you in your search. Be diligent, steadfast, be smart, and together we will find her and bring her safely home. I know I don’t have to tell any of you this, but I feel I need to remind us all that emotions can be deadly and make even the most routine situations turn volatile at moment’s notice. The loss of life weighs heavy and always lingers for those left behind.”
    Silence ensues, settling around us for several long moments. Reaching forward, I place my elbows on my knees. In my mind, my body is like a caged tiger pacing furiously, yet on the outside, I’m calm and collected. Stoic, as the Army has trained me to be. My shoulders begin to tense as different scenarios pass through my mind. Sang-Hyun was already on our list. We were working our way through his corporation to him.
    Seeing as he’s well known in Seoul, we knew about several different business fronts already. This definitely changes things. Blowing out a breath, my nails bite into the flesh in my palms. Muscles in my arms bulge, lengthening and tightening, preparing for the oncoming battle I feel stirring in the days to come. An acute sense of purpose assails me. This is the first significant lead. I can roll with this. We all can.
    Pushing my shoulders back, a transient sense of calm descends upon me. Exuding calmness I’m barely in control of, I put to work the valuable skills the Army has spent years drilling into me.
    “Sir, we’re gonna need access to all information you have on Sang-Hyun. We can compare it to the intel we’ve already gathered and go from there. First thing we need to do is put eyes on him.” Taking a moment to observe the room, my eyes roam over my brothers’ faces. Every face is darkened with differing degrees of fear, anger, and determination. There’s no doubt in my mind that every man here would stop at nothing to bring my girl home safely. With a curt nod in the Colonel’s direction, my voice is firm as I inquire, “Sir, I’m going to assume you’ll be active in the investigation and extraction?”
    Colonel Parker’s reply is instant. “You better damn well believe I’ll be there every step of the way, Captain. You and your team couldn’t get rid of me if you