Betrayal (SSU Trilogy Book 2) (The Surgical Strike Unit) Read online

  He ran his thumb down the sleek leather border of his desktop blotter. Tonelli’s death would have to wait. Assassination teams didn’t come out of Kaufmann’s lab. That skill set was too specialized yet for the scientist’s program. Unfortunately, Kerberos’s team of assassins was currently on assignment elsewhere.

  Soon Kaufmann’s lab would create subjects to specification. Mind controlled soldiers with enhanced strength and endurance. Spies with superior speed and intelligence. In the meantime, it wouldn’t hurt to put this newest group of Kaufmann’s men to work.

  “I need your team as backup.”

  “Very well,” Kaufmann replied. “Give me the details.”

  Saturday, Afternoon

  Amazon Jungle

  Underneath the lean-to he’d quickly constructed out of leafy branches, Kai checked Susana’s pulse. Assured she was just sleeping, he indulged himself and just watched her for a few moments.

  She’d been through hell the past twenty-four hours and she looked it. Her hair, which was a shiny, flowing mass in her modeling photos, was now a dull, tangled mess, sticking to her face and shoulders in sweaty clumps. She was filthy. Her skin was covered with scratches and bruises. And she stank of river water, mud and sweat.

  Yet she still managed to be incredibly sexy. And it had nothing to do with her clothes or her appearance.

  It was the vibrant, utterly female energy she gave off that pulled his eyes toward her. The angry flash of her eyes. Her muttered self-pep talks. And it was her unpredictability that kept him watching her, fascinated to see what she’d do next.

  Despite knowing that as an archaeologist she’d worked in some of the roughest, end-of-the-earth places, he’d still expected more silk and fashion from the ex-model, instead of practical, high-tech working clothes.

  He bit back a smile. There were hundreds of men who’d be disappointed to learn that the woman once voted one of the top ten sexiest women alive wore a plain black sports bra. And was so modest, she kept her shirt in front of her the entire time he’d worked on her.

  Or maybe it was just a sign of how uneasy she was around Kai.

  He rubbed the back of his neck, annoyed to discover that he didn’t like the idea. His mission didn’t depend upon her liking him. With the jungle and the mercenaries bringing out the violence in him, it was probably safer if she didn’t fully trust him.

  Yet he wanted not just her trust. He wanted her to like him.

  Hell.

  A bee flew toward Susana’s face and Kai waved it away. He didn’t want her waking up. She needed sleep.

  And he needed to get the tracking device the hell away from her, so the other mercenaries couldn’t find her. He grabbed the baggie with the device in it and crawled out of their hiding place. In the distance he heard men shouting. Shit. The second group of mercenaries had found their comrades sooner than he’d expected.

  Memorizing landmarks so he could find Susana again, Kai headed toward the river. He wanted the mercenaries to think he and Susana had been flushed out of hiding and were making a break for it.

  But Kai didn’t make it more than several hundred feet before he broke into a sweat, the world tilted, and his stomach heaved.

  Not now, dammit!

  His body ignored him. Kai fell to his knees and vomited into the bushes. From experience, he knew the sickness would be gone in less than five minutes. Until then, he shook and heaved as his body tried to clear itself of the memory of death.

  Murderer.

  God, how did field operators like Rafe and his brother Niko handle the death that was part of their jobs? Every time Kai killed, he got sick. Yet he could never predict how long it would take for the vomiting to hit.

  It was a damn good thing Rafe wasn’t here to watch, because his friend would laugh his ass off. Then tease him about it for the rest of Kai’s life.

  His stomach gave one more lurch, then settled down. He could almost hear the damn thing saying, okay, all done now. Carry on.

  Right.

  And a guy whose body parts started talking to him was one hair shy of a straightjacket.

  He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and pushed to his feet.

  From the sound of muted conversation and snapping branches, the mercenaries were somewhere to his right, approaching fast. Just great. He was still feeling wobbly from his little episode. Not up to running through the jungle.

  Kai put his hand out to steady himself on the branch of a tree. His skin met something warm and furry instead of cold bark.

  The screech of an enraged monkey shattered the air.

  Uh-oh. He’d somehow grabbed its tail.

  The monkey met his eyes and leaped. Kai raised his arm to protect his head and the miniature creature latched onto his forearm, still screaming madly. Its claws dug into Kai’s arm and its black, furry tail whipped Kai in the face.

  Before it could escape, Kai grabbed the creature by the scruff of its neck. This was the answer to his dilemma. “Sorry, fella,” he said. Holding the squirming monkey with his left hand, he pulled the baggie containing the tracking device out of his pocket with his right. Then, using his thumb, he forced the monkey’s jaws apart and shook the tiny transmitter out of the baggie and into the monkey’s open mouth.

  The monkey glared at him and struggled to turn his head, but Kai held the creature’s jaw shut and waited until it swallowed. Kai then opened its mouth to check that the tracker was indeed gone. Yep.

  “Okay, you’re free.” He released the critter up a tree.

  It scampered up the closest branch, then turned and hurled monkey curses at him, before disappearing further into the canopy.

  The monkey was moving in the direction of the river. Leading their pursuers away from them.

  Perfect.

  Kai smiled and faded into the trees. He made one stop at a sluggish creek to fill the canteens, set the ultraviolet purifiers to work, then returned to Susana.

  Saturday, Afternoon

  Santarém, Brazil

  “What do you mean, you’ve lost the woman?” Mark Tonelli demanded into the phone. “You said she was secure.” Which was the only reason he’d left Belém and traveled further up the river to Santarém. He was supposed to be taking over control of Susana. Not learning she was gone.

  “Yeah, well, see…she escaped. Went out the window and into the water, even though she was tied up.” The lead mercenary didn’t sound so much apologetic, as admiring of Susana’s courage. “Some guy on a boat pulled her out of the river. They both survived the rocket attack.”

  “Rocket attack? I told you I need her alive.”

  “Yeah, but the other men said it didn’t matter. Dead or alive, it’s all the same.”

  Mark barely restrained himself from yelling. But the walls were thin in this cheap hotel and he couldn’t afford to draw attention to himself. “Other men? I thought you said there was one man and he was with Dias.” It had to be Paterson. The bastard.

  “Well, yeah. But the guy who rescued her shot up our boat. We were sinking. Then this gunboat comes up, with a dozen men onboard. Mercenaries, but outfitted real well, like soldiers. They fired an RPG at the guy’s boat. After, they pulled us aboard. Said they were hired to bring back the woman’s body. They had a monitor for this tracking device their boss had shot into the woman.” The man paused, and Mark could hear the sound of voices arguing on the other end of the line.

  “But…uh…the guy and the woman made it to land. Now, the group that followed them are dead. And the tracking signal is out of range.”

  Shit. Mark rubbed between his eyes, but it didn’t lessen the growing headache. The only person with close enough access to Susana to shoot a tracking device into her was his contact at the dig. He should never have partnered with someone holding such a grudge against her, but at the time he’d been desperate for information.

  Unless he found Susana, he’d just lost his one chance at getting the name he needed from Jamieson. He winced at another stab of pain behind his eyes. He just want
ed his revenge over with. He needed that damn chip.

  And these imbeciles had managed to lose her.

  “Where are you now?” he asked the mercenary.

  “On the gunboat. They’ve got a team searching for the woman.”

  “And when it gets dark?”

  “Don’t know. Let me ask…uh…we’re anchoring here tonight.”

  “Good. Tomorrow, you and your men head upriver to the archaeological dig and wait for Dias to arrive. There’s a good chance she’ll head back there. Don’t let anyone see you. I’ll warn my contact that Dias is alive and to notify you if she arrives.”

  “We…uh…don’t have a boat.”

  Mark cursed. “Then you need to convince the other mercenaries that the best way to find Dias is to head to her dig. I don’t care if you have to take over the gunboat, just get to her camp before she does! Notify me when you’ve arrived.”

  Mark pressed the off button and tossed the phone on the bed. He paced rapidly from door to window and back again. He was due to check in shortly, but he couldn’t talk to Jamieson when he was this angry.

  The next time I call, if you don’t have the chip, I’m sending down a cleanup squad. And you’re one of the items they’re going to clean up.

  Mark stopped pacing. He’d heard rumors about Jamieson’s cleanup crews. Assassination crews, to be honest. Still, the odds of being found in this low-rent hotel were slim. Jamieson couldn’t yet know he’d left Belém.

  Could he?

  To hell with it. Jamieson probably had someone watching him. If not, there was always the possibility that the mercenaries he’d hired would talk to the wrong person.

  Mark grabbed his suitcase out of the closet, added his toiletry kit, and was out the door within five minutes.

  Amazon Jungle

  “Uh…do you have any more aspirin?” Susana asked. “I think I might be running a fever.”

  Kai choked back an involuntary sound of dismay. Fever in the jungle was as potentially lethal as infection. He stepped toward her, hand raising to check her forehead. Then he shook his head. “The air is too hot, you’re going to be warm to the touch either way.”

  He turned so his rear backpack faced her. “The first aid kit is in the front pouch. Right…no, your left side.” He felt her rummaging around. Heard the rattle as she shook some pills out.

  Then she moved next to him. With a tired smile, she said, “Okay, I’m ready.”

  Damn, she looked exhausted. No wonder, he’d been pushing them hard, knowing the mercenaries would eventually lose the signal from the monkey. And keep searching regardless.

  Susana, bless her, hadn’t complained once.

  He frowned a little. She hadn’t muttered, either. For a woman who talked to herself, a lot, her silence was disturbing.

  She really must not be feeling well.

  And why not? She’d nearly drowned, been kidnapped, seen violent death, had minor surgery performed on her, and raced through the jungle. She had to be both in pain and exhausted.

  Yet she kept going, regardless.

  Kai wanted to kiss her.

  Out of respect. Comfort. A show of strength. Who the hell knew.

  Just because.

  And if he stood here being sappy all evening, they’d never find a place to make camp before the lowering sun disappeared completely. “Hang in there just a little longer. I promise we’ll make camp soon.”

  Susana hummed slightly in acknowledgement. Or maybe it was disbelief.

  He walked past her and started along the faint animal track they’d been following.

  Fifteen minutes later he heard the murmur of running water ahead and noticed that the trees thinned to his right. He changed course and discovered a patch of uncluttered ground perhaps fifteen feet by twenty. More importantly, two sturdy trees at the far edge had just the right distance between them for the hammock.

  Susana stumbled to a halt next to him. Her skin was stretched tight at her eyes and mouth, showing her exhaustion. He felt a twinge of guilt, then immediately directed it at her father.

  If Nevsky hadn’t implanted the chip in her, none of this would have happened.

  “We’ll set up camp here,” he told her.

  She nodded and just stood there as if now that they’d stopped, her body didn’t know what to do with itself. He put his hands on her shoulders and guided her over to a fallen tree. “Sit,” he said gently. He took off the backpacks and set them at her feet, then pulled out the foldable water jug, purification tablets, and the small purifying system.

  “Guard the packs while I fetch water.” He was also going to scout around to make sure there was no sign of wildlife, but she didn’t need to hear that.

  “Okay.” Her voice was thick and slurred. He figured she’d be asleep when he returned ten minutes later, but she was awake.

  Sort of.

  Her eyes were open and looking across the clearing, but he couldn’t say if she recognized what she saw.

  He placed the gallon jug full of water on the ground. The purification tablets would have it drinkable by morning. A smaller amount of water was running through the UV purifying system in the canteens. Satisfied that they’d soon have enough water to drink, he set about quietly unpacking the supplies. He pulled out the hammock and strung it up, then draped the mosquito net across the top.

  There were facial wipes in the pack and he used one to clean himself up. Then he dug out the insect repellent and sprayed himself. The light was about to go and the insects swarmed, searching for food.

  He repeated the cleaning routine on Susana. She blinked up at him when he touched her, but otherwise was non-responsive. He checked her pupil response, which was normal, and her temperature, which was only slightly elevated at one hundred.

  So her near-catatonic state was just exhaustion. And shock.

  Kai checked to make sure her bandages were still secure and not bleeding through, but left them alone.

  “Hold out your arms. I need to spray you with bug repellent.”

  Susana obeyed, but her arms quivered and she couldn’t quite get them all the way up to shoulder level. Feeling an odd tug in his chest at this sign of how deeply depleted her energy was, he sprayed her quickly so she didn’t have to hold her arms up for long. Then he got his hands wet with the stuff and carefully applied it to her face, trying his best to avoid the cuts and scrapes.

  When he was done, he stuck a straw into a packet of energy drink and made sure she swallowed the whole thing. She needed the electrolytes.

  Once she was finished, he lifted Susana into his arms.

  She was asleep before he took two steps, not even stirring when he placed her in the hammock and tucked in the mosquito net.

  For a few moments he allowed himself the luxury of watching her, taking an inordinate amount of pride in having her safe and under his protection.

  “I won’t let anyone hurt you again.” The quiet promise slipped out of his mouth with a conviction that shocked him.

  What the hell was he doing? He knew better. Protection wasn’t something that could be guaranteed. He’d thought by working to keep biochemical weapons out of the hands of terrorists, he’d make the world safe for his family.

  Instead, his work had led to their deaths.

  Yet his promise to Susana rang through him, firming his muscles with resolve. Practical or not, he knew this was a promise he’d die trying to keep.

  Chapter 7

  Sunday, Morning

  Rocky Mountains, Montana

  “Niko.”

  Every hair on Niko Andros’s neck jumped to attention. His younger brother’s voice was barely recognizable, little more than an animalistic growl across the phone line.

  “Rafe. What’s wrong? Where are you?” Niko’s worried voice caused his wife, Jenna, to glance at him in alarm. His brother had been missing for over a month, ever since Ryker, their boss at the SSU, had sent Rafe and his team to take out a lab run by Nevsky’s former second in command, Dr. Kaufmann.


  “God, Rafe,” Niko said. “We’ve been searching frantically for you.”

  On the other end of the line, Rafe gave what might be called a harsh laugh, but sounded more like an engine choking. “In trouble, bro. Ouch…Shit…”

  “Rafe!” Niko’s fingers tightened on his cell phone as if he could force the pain away from his brother.

  “Ah…sorry…headaches…” His brother cut off with a gasp of pain.

  “Stay with me, Rafe. What happened?”

  Niko heard Rafe take several shuddering breaths. He was afraid his brother wouldn’t answer, but finally, Rafe continued.

  “Security…waiting for us… others dead…”

  Ah, fuck.

  “Gave me…drugs.”

  “Jesus Christ!”

  An icy fist squeezed Niko’s heart. Dios, por favor, not his brother. Kaufmann had been continuing Nevsky’s work and there was currently no way to reverse the mental and physical changes caused by Kaufmann’s drugs. Subjects only lived a few months. By the time the drugs caused an internal hemorrhaging that killed the host, the men had deteriorated to being little more than enraged animals.

  “New…treatment…accelerated results…aagh!”

  Niko stared helplessly down at his wife, surprised to find her hand tightly gripping his own.

  “Rafe, where are you?”

  Another frightening laugh. “New York City. Heading…to Brazil… They…ordered me…find Kai…kill him… Kill anyone…tries to…stop me…Ordered…get chip…get Susana Dias.”

  “Rafe, what has the drug done to you?” When they’d first learned that Rafe was going after the lab, Niko had insisted on learning everything the SSU knew about the drugs. He’d needed to understand what his brother was up against.

  According to the doctor who’d once worked at Kaufmann’s lab, his treatment program increased muscle strength and mass, turned off pain receptors, reduced the body’s need for sleep, and opened up the mind, making the subject highly suggestible. It also dimmed intelligence and destroyed the ability to tell right from wrong. Subjects did exactly what their handlers told them to do, and were as unwavering and unstoppable in their mission as robots.