by Bradley,CD
“Oh yes. The scenery is beautiful.” Kira took a deep breath. Kira laughed at herself. While no one could take Starks place in her heart and soul, this Peruvian beast could make anyone have to stop and collect themselves.
“My name is Javier Galvez. Pleasure to meet you miss…?” He stood smiling and waited for her to respond.
“Kira, I mean Captain Riley but you can call me Kira.” She remembered her place and the importance of her mission. “Are you military?” He was dressed in a gray tank top that outlined each muscle group and green cargo type pants. He was wearing black combat boots but wasn’t dressed like the other Peruvian military aboard the boat or in Iquitos.
“No.” he laughed then after an awkward pause in which he looked her up and down. “I am …insurance.” Before Kira could ask what that meant Holt walked over taking a posturing position by her side. Kira rolled her eyes.
“Captain Riley we need to review our med equipment for the trek into the jungle.” Holt’s voice was firm, almost commanding. Kira bit her lip to stifle a giggle.
“Well, alright Captain.” She answered playfully. “It was nice to meet you Javier. Hope we’ll get to talk again.” She smiled and started to follow Holt.
“Count on it.” Javier responded quietly and walked to the front of the boat.
“So we are talking again?” Kira asked when she and Holt were out of earshot.
“Do you really have to jump all over every tall dark and handsome prick that comes your way.” His voice was as strained as the vein popping out on his temple. Kira had come to know it as Holts stress marker. Like a turkey timer it popped out when he was just about at his limit. “You have no idea who that is.” He snapped under his breath.
“Ok enlighten me. For the record I am a single 28-year-old woman. I can talk to any tall dark and handsome man I want to. Don’t hold it against me just because blond and cocky isn’t my type” Kira retorted quietly as to not alert their crew of any drama.
“You kill me sometimes. Javier Galvez is the little brother of the Peruvian drug lord Gerson Galvez. We will be traveling all through territories controlled by their people. He is being paid serious sums of money to keep us safe to do our work.” Holt’s voice was deadpan but surely he had to be joking.
“You are not serious. The United States Military isn’t going to pay a drug lord for safe passage. That is ridiculous. That’s why we are here, The United States Army, to keep the research teams safe.” Kira rolled her eyes again. “You have lost your mind.”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night princess, just stay away from him ok?”
“Tall, dark, handsome, and the little brother of a Peruvian Drug Lord… Are you baiting me Liam Holt? Because that sounds like a story I could sink my teeth into.” Kira laughed and patted him on the shoulder. “I’m just giving you a hard time. Lighten up, will you? We have a chance to make a real difference here.”
Holt’s scowl was permanent these days. She hated to admit she almost missed the cocky self-absorbed Holt. “Kira …I …” he paused as if he wanted to say more but stopped. “Let’s get our gear ready. They said we will be docking in twenty minutes.” He started toward the area with their packs and nearly tripped when his foot caught on the edge of one of the pallets of larvicide. “Shit. This stuff is about as dangerous as the damn mosquitos!” He yelled.
Before they could depart the boat the commander called them all to the main deck for a safety briefing. “We are about to move inland. Research teams stay with your army escort. Soldiers look alive. Drug activity, indigenous groups, and a terrorist group called the Shining Path all occupy this jungle. Javier Galvez is our guide. He is local but speaks moderate English. He will translate for you if needed. If he advises you to avoid an area, I highly suggest you avoid it. Research team I mean you specifically. Both drug enforcers and the Shining Path are known to booby trap routes of trade and areas they want to protect. They are opportunists. You have all been through kidnaping training. A lone gringo in the forest is a prime target. They last thing my men need to be doing is traipsing through the damn jungle looking for your sorry asses because you went out of the safe zone.” He finished with a menacing tone. Kira could see the commander was as aggravated as Holt to be baby-sitting a bunch of scientists in the jungle. Most likely not for the same reasons though. While Holt felt the mission was beneath him, the commander was responsible for keeping a group of untrained unexperienced scientists and research aids safe in a hostile environment.
The jungle itself was a danger. While beautiful and full of life, many dangers lie in every shadow. Spiders that could eat birds were native here. While some were astronomically huge other were poisonous. The Brazilian wandering spider, which made its home in the Amazon rainforest, was considered by some to be the most venomous spiders on Earth. One bite can cause intense pain, paralysis and trouble breathing. She had read that they were nocturnal, wandering across the ground at night in search of food.
Kira watched the water’s edge. Small green foliage, small lily pads and reeds, made perfect camouflage for the green anaconda. She had heard that they could grow over 30 feet long and weigh over 500 pounds. Fuck a 500-pound snake! That was too big to even think about Kira shivered and scanned the shore line again. She really hated snakes. How perfect that the world’s largest snake lurked in the Amazon River. She made a mental not to stay on land at all times since due to its size, the green anaconda was awkward on land. She had heard though that in the water it could move unnoticed sliding along through the water then quickly, strike at anything, and could overpower — jaguars, caimans, wild pigs, deer and even humans, especially children. It would coil its body around its prey and drag it into the water, suffocating it within minutes, and then swallow it whole with its large jaws.
One of the species of mammal that they were to capture was the common vampire bat. Like most other bats, they were nocturnal. But while other species of bats looked for fruit or insects these little beasts come out of their roosts at night to search for blood. Although they mostly feed on horses and cattle, they were known to drink human blood as well, drinking for as long as 30 minutes in some cases. She was told that while the bite isn’t painful and the blood lost isn’t enough to make a human sick, the bite site could get infected. Also, a small percentage of common vampire bats carry rabies. No thank you. The idea of a furry little rodent drinking her blood made Kira’s skin crawl.
Chapter 11
Owen Stark knew that he recognized the man in the video. Something about the way the man moved. His frustration while trying to open the door, Stark had seen it before. He just couldn’t place where. How the fuck did he get a key to Kira’s apartment? Kira had sworn up and down that she didn’t know who it was. She said she hadn’t given her key to anyone. The very idea that someone had broken in to hurt her made Stark seethe with anger. He would find this fucker and make him pay even if it took every fucking resource he had. Kira and Paige would be safe if it was the last thing he ever did.
He went back to the Apex club to review footage with Lysander. As many differences as they had, the two men could join forces for Paige. She was the one woman that would forever bind them. Stark would stop at nothing to bring her home safe. Poor Zoe had been a wreck since watching the video of Paige be taken. She had stayed with him ever since. Paige was her whole world.
He had distanced himself from Kira at her request. Though he desperately wanted to be with her he still felt like she was keeping something from him. The guilt of having her investigated and not believing her twice still loomed over them. He wished she would have just talked to him from the beginning. Why hadn’t she trusted him? Now with her career on the line she had withdrawn even further. After the police had become involved in Paige’s disappearance, they had placed an unmarked car at Kira’s to keep an eye if the stalker returned. Kira made it very clear she wanted to help with Paige anyway she could but wanted nothing to do with any of the rest of it including him right now. She needed to focus on her deployme
nt. He knew that he loved her beyond anything else. But right now he had to focus on getting Paige back.
They had gone over the videos a hundred times. Stark refused to give up. The police were fucking useless. All they had come up with were excuses for not finding anything. Stark was going to hire an entire team if he had to. They were going to find her. Nothing would stand in his way. Lysander had every tech savvy hacker money could buy working on the videos.
“Play it again.” He barked at Lysander. The club owner let out an exasperated sigh and played the footage for the twentieth time that night. Stark’s nostrils flared as he watched the screen. The image of that man touching Kira in the ballroom and catching her on the steps made him white hot with rage. If this shit bag hurt her or Paige, he was going to fucking kill him. Of course they still didn’t know if it was the same person from the footage at Kira’s house. Kira had been too intoxicated to remember the last parts of her night at the Apex Club. He cringed thinking of her getting the DUI and going to jail. She had no business driving in that condition. She was the most frustrating and most amazing thing in his life.
“Wait go back to the steps and zoom in on the hall mirror as Kira passes.” Stark strained to catch the exact moment. There it was. “Freeze!” The claws of a scorpion tattoo were visible on his wrist. Though the rest of the creature was hidden Stark knew the tattoo. At first he couldn’t place where he had seen him before but now he knew exactly who it was and where he could go for answers.
After making sure Zoe was safe with Lysander and saying goodbye to Kira when she left for her deployment he put in for a few days leave. He was going to hunt down the son of a bitch and bring Paige home. He had better fucking hope not one hair on her curvy little body was harmed.
At least Kira would be safe on the other side of the world. He couldn’t have hand picked a better assignment for her. Safe in a lab playing with bugs. Yes, there were always risks but as long as she took the preventative medication and followed the pest precautions she should be fine. He had been on a half dozen South American missions. He knew the area fairly well and as long as she stayed in her compound she would be fine. At least no one would be trying to kill her. The thought of any fucker stepping out of the shadows to hurt her made him physically ill. Homicidal.
Speaking of homicide, he had a fucker in a white suit to track down. He threw everything he needed in a bag and called a sitter to care for Maggie. He threw on a ratty but comfortable pair of jeans and black t-shirt. It was still too hot for his leather jacket and he hated to get more blood on it anyway. He zipped up his black leather boots and rubbed Mags fur.
“I’ll be back soon girl and I’ll have Paige with me.” He knew Paige would be all right. She had to be. He was not letting anything happen to her. Once everything was squared he jumped on his bike and took off for the desert. He had an appointment with a sorry ass punk who was going to tell him everything he needed to know. The blacked out Harley roared down the highway toward the mountains.
It was just after midnight when he pulled up to the roadside bar. The lot lined with bikes belonged to the D214 Motor Cycle club. Stark burst through the door like a man on a mission. He held no reserve for protocol or cub rules. Tonight he was going to mow down any fucker who got in his way. “Where’s Jayce?” the steel tone of his voice silenced the bar.
“Who the fuck wants to know.” A biker the size of Texas stood up and asked.
“Owen Stark.” Came the cool reply.
“Well Mr. Stark, I think you’ve walked into the wrong fucking bar. But I’m feeling generous. Tell you what, I’m going to give you about two seconds to take your little bitch ass out of here before I break your fucking neck.” Texas snarled as he worked the duster on his pool cue.
“That’s going to be really difficult with your broken hand.” Stark replied his half smile never wavering.
“I don’t have a…” Before the man could even finish the thought Stark stepped forward grabbed the man’s hand and twisted his arm around effectively pinning Texas’ hand and wrist behind him. Simultaneously Stark swept Texas’ legs out from under him with his foot bringing him to his knees. Texas came down hard snapping the pool cue like a twig, sending one half through a stained glass window. He bellowed in pain as Stark held him still one slight move and Texas would be need hand surgery.
“Owen Fucking Stark!” A lanky man with long grey hair and a black bandana on his head stepped out of the private back room and craned his neck around Texas to see. “Owen Fucking Stark, with all this racket, I knew it had to be you. No one else could bring Big Mikey to his knees without using a gun. What hell brings you here?”
Stark let go of Big Mike and let him fall to the ground. “Sorry about your window Jayce. I’ll pay for that.” Stark offered.
“Hell buddy it’s been a long time! Too long. Don’t worry about a fucking window.” The man stepped over Texas and grabbed Stark in a hug. “This little shit bastard saved my life!”
Stark wasn’t in the mood for reunions. “It’s Paige. She’s missing and I need your help.” The old biker’s eyes lit up when he heard her name. Paige had a way of coming along at just the right time in someone’s life like a kinky rockabilly Mary Poppins. The lives that girl had lived.
He put his hand out to Starks. “Anything you need brother. How can we help?” He led Stark to a table in the back room. The two men sat and the older biker yelled for two whiskeys straight. Stark filled him in on every detail he had of her disappearance.
“You sure it wasn’t just some lame scorpion?” Jayce asked raising an eyebrow. “Could just be some punk.”
“No, I know that tattoo. Paige did it. It’s a black scorpion with blue accents. She still has a drawing of it at the house. The tail has a battle axe instead of a stinger. He was cartel enforcer. What I don’t understand is what the hell was he doing at Kira’s house and at the club?” Stark pounded his fist on the table. He remembered being pissed as hell when Paige did the tattoo in the first place. His mind traced back over the video. He knew now why Paige seemed to recognize him, but what he couldn’t understand was why Kira did.
“You know you are walking directly into the devil’s lair. Your chances of walking out are slim to fucking none.” Jayce stared at him deadpan.
“We’ve all gotta die someday.” Stark’s voice was solid steel. “I’m not asking you to come I just need a way in.”
“The hell I’m letting you do this alone. I’m here on time I borrowed from you man. If it’s time to pay the reaper I’m fucking ready.” He reached out and clasped Stark’s hand in a firm grip. “Ride or Die brother. You know what we have to do.”
“Cyrus” Stark responded. He knew Jayce was right. “Is that crazy rat racer still living in the desert?” Stark rolled his neck around. Cyrus was bat shit crazy but fucking loyal to Paige.
“Blazing as ever. But if anyone knows where to find your guy it’s him. It’s a fucking gamble but then the best ones always are.” Jayce rounded up his guys and filled them in on what was going on. Several of the men in the club knew Paige from doing their ink. She was a darling of the group. Her rockabilly style and charm was irresistible.
Big Mike stepped forward. “I would do anything for Paige. Let’s go get this fucker and bring her home.” The men cheered and grabbed their gear.
If taking women and scaring little girls was this creep’s MO, he had just crossed the wrong fucking line. Stark was coming and bringing all the powers of hell with him.
Chapter 12
Kira checked her traps. She was getting plenty of mosquitos. She couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that they were missing something. They were in their third village on the border with Brazil this time. Brazil had been especially proactive in the war on mosquitos since they had gotten the bid for the summer Olympics for 2016. Brazil was also the epicenter of the Zika outbreak and the cases of Microcephaly. Kira felt strongly that the catalyst had something to do with the process of crossing the Atlantic or the breeding ground in Brazil
Kira’s team worked harder than ever. They took water samples, collected larvae, and treated the water supplies. They had also been given impressive PCR test kits made from BioStar that allowed them to check for the presence of the Zika virus in local populations with a finger stick rather than have to collect vials of blood and transport them back to the lab for confirmation. This way they only took back blood from people who tested positive.
“Many of these villages have not had any treatment for their water or preventative care.” Brooke had told her before they left. The amazon forest in Peru is largely untouched. It is the lung of the earth. An ecosystem that contains 70% of all life on earth. Kira felt incredibly small in the magnitude of this jungle.
Despite finding a few cases that tested positive for Zika they hadn’t encountered any microcephaly or Guillaine Barre that could be linked yet. They continued to push toward the heart of the jungle. Capturing mosquitos with hopes of finding a link and to help prepare a vaccine.
“Are you having luck finding el zancudo?” Javier had walked up beside her as she checked her next set of traps and documented her findings.
Kira gasped and almost dropped the trap she was working on. “Wow you scared me. I didn’t know anyone was out here.” She looked up at Javier. He was standing about five feet away just out of the shadow of the dense canopy. The jungle was so thick in this area it was possible to disappear into the shadows and still be very close. Whether Holt was right about Javier or not Kira was thankful to have someone with them who at least knew the area. “El zancudo?” Kira wished like hell her Spanish was more fluent.
“The mosquito.” He said giving her a half smile. “You are trying to capture el zancudo no?’ The words rolled off his tongue. His accent was beautiful.