The 3rd Cycle of the Betrayed Series Collection: Extremely Controversial Historical Thrillers (Betrayed Series Boxed set)

by Carolyn McCray

  “Push!” Brandt barked.

  Right. Back to that.

  But this time she could see the sky. She would push until they got to the top.

  * * *

  Davidson hauled the Ambassador up and out of the tunnel. He didn’t say “Thank You,” but hey, Davidson wasn’t in this for the validation from politicians. He moved on to the next hostage.

  Only it wasn’t a hostage, it was Rebecca. There should only be Brandt and Cristoval. Brandt had forced the cultist to go last. The guy wasn’t too happy about it, but how could he argue?

  Ki grabbed Rebecca’s other hand, pulling Brandt’s wife up to safety. “Careful there. It’s slippery.”

  Rebecca reached the surface, stepping tentatively to make sure she had good footing, then hugged Davidson, “Thank you, thank you.”

  Now that was some gratitude that Davidson cared about.

  Just as he was about to let her go, the mountain jerked to the right, then to the left. That was no single explosion, that was a cluster of them. Davidson threw Rebecca downslope, away from the rocks falling from above.

  Then the snow hit. A wall of it. Davidson got tossed upside down as he struggled to stay upright. His ears rang with the avalanche’s roar. Then it stopped. His slide down the mountain stopped.

  He didn’t know which way was up. He just dug as fast as he could.

  Finally he crested the surface. He looked around. The entire mountainside that had been rocky only a moment ago was now pristine white with snow. Below the plane’s fuselage teetered on the edge of a precipice. Not that it mattered, not without wings.

  But where was everyone else?

  * * *

  Bunny bit and scratched at Rojas as he pulled her through the jungle by the hair. So much for his slick “player” persona. Well, at the least she now knew what his secret was and boy was it a doozie.

  The shaman came at them with his long, sharp knife. The low light glistened off the silver metal.

  “Hold still,” Rojas demanded.

  Yah, right.

  Bunny arched her head back, then brought her teeth forward, biting into Rojas’ arm. He screamed, loosening his grip. That was all Bunny needed. She leapt out of his hold, charging to the right. She’d seen an escape route.

  It was a little dangerous and a lot crazy, but hey, she’d been trained by Lopez so it was cool.

  She angled away from the shaman and his blade and headed into the thick of the jungle. Nothing was going to stop her. Not even a python that slithered its way across her path.

  Why were there so many snakes? Why? Seriously, she wanted to know.

  But the reptile didn’t matter. She had the plan in her head. Everything else was inconsequential. Even the jaguar tracking her in the branches above. She had to stay on the move. She couldn’t stop. She couldn’t even hesitate.

  Bunny kept running, shoving branches out of her way until she reached her destination. It wasn’t the roof door. She figured they would have that covered.

  Nope, it was the glass wall of the arboretum.

  The jaguar launched its attack. Bunny leapt, narrowly missing the big cat’s outstretched claws. She ran straight into the glass, which shattered on impact.

  Suddenly both she and the jaguar were in the air, arms and claws flailing. Had she picked the right spot? Bunny craned her neck around to see a large pool directly beneath them.

  “Bunny!” Rojas yelled from above, leaning out the broken window.

  Right. Good time to be concerned now.

  Bunny sucked in a deep breath, pulling tight into a ball. She and the jaguar crashed into the pool together. Bunny’s momentum stopped just as she hit the bottom of the pool. Kicking off, she struck for the surface. The jaguar was already there, paddling for the edge.

  Of course, it couldn’t be that simple. A loud mechanical sound filled the air, and a large drain opened at the bottom of the pool. A whirlpool began, sucking both her and the jaguar down.

  Perfect. Just perfect.

  CHAPTER 14

  Stark jumped out of his chair. “That didn’t just happen!”

  But it did. It did.

  “I can’t see the rest of the team,” Cama said next to him.

  They had crisis on all fronts. The avalanche had wiped out the team in Peru and Bunny had just gotten sucked into a drain with a live jaguar.

  Today was not going well, not at all.

  “I’ve got to get over there,” Stark blurted.

  There was a momentary look of surprise on his mother’s face. It wasn’t everyday Stark volunteered to go into the field. But this was Bunny. His mother ultimately nodded. “Go ahead, I can monitor from here.”

  Stark turned and ran out of the attic. It wasn’t until he was halfway down the stairs that he realized that Cama was right behind him.

  “No, you stay here,” Stark said.

  “Don’t you need a ride?” Cama asked.

  Damn it, some day Stark really should get his driver’s license. And it wasn’t exactly a stirring rescue if he had to get over to the Adam Morgan neighborhood by bus. That was going to take at least three transfers.

  Reluctantly, Stark accepted Cama’s offer. They rushed out of the house and to her Audi coupe. Lingerie modeling apparently paid pretty well. Cama skid away from the curb, heading northeast.

  As they raced across town, Stark’s mother updated them. “The team is digging out. I still don’t see Brandt and Cristoval, but the men are trying to find them.”

  While Stark cared deeply about the team, he cared more about his redhead. “And Bunny?”

  “I’m not sure,” His mother reported. “There’s been no movement since Bunny disappeared down that drain.”

  No, she didn’t disappear by herself down that drain. There was a live jaguar. A pretty pissed off jaguar, if Stark remembered correctly.

  Cama skid them around a corner, hopping up onto the curb then down again. Where did this chick learn to drive?

  The Lopez school of dangerous maneuvers?

  But did he care? As long as it got him to Bunny quicker, he didn’t care.

  Which was a good thing since Cama didn’t seem to care about their safety either, running a red light, zigzagging through the cross traffic.

  If they didn’t die in route, they might just be able to save Bunny.

  * * *

  Brandt shook off the snow. Only filtered sunlight came through the tumble of rocks above his head. Luckily he’d had the rope tied around his waist otherwise Cristoval and he would be at the bottom of the shaft again.

  He heard movement overhead.

  “Sir?” a voice shouted. Ki.

  “Here,” Brandt answered, trying to make up the distance he had slipped down. While there were gaps in the rock debris, none were large enough to allow either him or Cristoval to get through.

  Still Ki tried to clear the rocks from above.

  Brandt could feel the mountain breaking apart. The rupture resonated through the rock.

  “Down there,” Cristoval said pointing to a large crack in the wall. It looked like a passage had been opened. It sloped outward and down. Maybe another way out.

  “Get everyone out of here,” Brandt shouted up to Ki.

  “But sir --”

  “No buts,” Brandt retorted. “This is a direct order. Get everyone off the mountain before there isn’t one.”

  “How?” Ki asked, peeking through the gap in the rocks.

  “Lopez will figure it out,” Brandt said. “Now go.”

  Ki looked on the fence about the idea, but then a loud crack resonated all the way down to where Brandt was. Then there was a huge boom. The look of horror on Ki’s face told Brandt that a large slab of the mountain had just fallen off.

  “Ki!” Brandt yelled.

  This seemed to snap the lieutenant back to his senses. “Yes, sir. I will try.”

  “Don’t try,” Brandt reminded him. “Just get the damned job done.”

  “Yes, sir,” Ki said one last time, then the ma
n was gone.

  There was just a moment when Ki’s shadow moved away from the gap that Brandt doubted his decision. Maybe with more men they could have cleared a path up and out. Or maybe Brandt could have doomed his men and his wife to an icy death.

  No, if anyone was going to take the chance he was going to be crushed by the mountain, it would be Brandt.

  “Let’s get moving,” Brandt said, preparing to descend to the crack.

  The mountain shook. The whole thing. Brandt was thrown against one wall then the other.

  This had better work.

  * * *

  Davidson awoke with a start. He had to blink several times to identify his position. Oh yah, on a crumbling mountain. He’d been hit by the edge of the avalanche. He could feel blood running down the side of his face. It was inconsequential.

  Ki ran up to him.

  “Brandt wants us out of here,” Ki said, helping Davidson to his feet.

  Brandt. Why wasn’t Brandt telling him this?

  “He and Cristoval are trapped in the tunnel,” Davidson looked over Ki’s shoulder to find a pile of rocks stacked higher than a man’s height.

  “We should --”

  Ki shook his head sharply. “Direct order. We evac.”

  What Ki didn’t know was that Brandt had a whole spectrum of direct orders. Some were softer than others. Then Davidson spotted Rebecca wandering the pristine snow bank.

  Brandt wanted her out. The rest of them he might risk on a rescue mission, but not her. This was a firm direct order.

  “Plan?” Davidson asked putting his palm to the side of his head. That was a nasty gash.

  “Brandt said Lopez would have one,” Ki responded.

  Oh. Dear. God.

  Davidson looked up the slope. Lopez was near what was left of the plane, yelling at the commander and the remainder of his men who had survived the avalanche. What the hell was Lopez doing?

  The plane didn’t have any engines. Scratch that. It didn’t have any wings.

  Yet, Lopez was ordering the other men around like he had a purpose.

  Probably best to go see what he was up to.

  * * *

  Rebecca allowed Davidson to urge her up toward the plane. Perhaps they thought they could find shelter there? But the way huge chunks of the mountain were falling off, bouncing down the slope, was there really any safe spot?

  They were almost to the plane when she realized they were missing something. Her husband.

  She turned in Davidson’s hold and looked back the way they came. “Brandt?”

  “He’s can’t get out the top, but is evacuating out the side.”

  It took a moment for Rebecca to visualize the concept. All she could think was that Brandt was gone. The father of her unborn child was missing. “We’re leaving him behind?”

  “He ordered us out. He’ll catch up,” Davidson said.

  While the young man’s tone sounded firm, Rebecca knew the many shades of Davidson. He was as worried about Brandt as she was.

  “What the --” Ki blurted.

  It must be bad if the point man was flustered.

  Rebecca turned back to the plane. Lopez had gotten the men to point the nose downslope and they pushed it right to the brink.

  In a rush, Rebecca realized Lopez’s plan. It was insane. It was impossible. So therefore, it was a sound plan in Lopez’s mind.

  “Get in!” Lopez yelled, waving them forward.

  Rebecca looked to Davidson. Were they really doing this?

  Davidson shrugged and helped her through the deep snow. Ki looked no more confident than Rebecca felt.

  They really were about to board a wingless plane and bobsled it down a collapsing mountain with no way to guide it.

  No big deal.

  Right about now, Rebecca was pretty sure Brandt might actually be the safer of the two.

  * * *

  Bunny choked up water as the chamber drained. She was on all fours trying to suck in some oxygen. Choking wasn’t her idea. Her body was working on instinct. They were in some kind of cement underground chamber. And by they, she meant her and the jaguar.

  Funny the big cat didn’t seem to be struggling to catch its breath at all. As a matter of fact, it seemed extremely bright and alert. Bunny was sure the choking wasn’t helping her cause.

  Finally she sucked in a large breath and stifled the coughing. The jaguar looked straight into her eyes, as it stalked forward. A moist padding sound tracked the big cat right at her.

  Bunny tried not to be afraid, but come on. It was a full-grown jaguar not ten feet from her. Then five feet. Then a foot.

  She cringed waiting for those fangs to come out again, but instead of attacking, the jaguar head butted her, then rubbed his cheek against her wet hair.

  What the hell?

  Bunny slowly rose to her feet, as the jaguar continuing petting itself against her legs. Was this how a mouse felt just before the kill? Standing, she felt slightly less vulnerable, but if this jaguar wanted to break out the claws, how could Bunny stop him?

  “Ah, el asesino,” Rojas said, walking into the chamber from a side channel.

  Killer.

  Great.

  Rojas made a kissing sound and the jaguar leapt from Bunny’s side and romped over to Rojas, wrapping his neck in its big paws. To Bunny’s disappointment, it did not eat the head off the professor. Instead he licked Rojas’ face. The professor patted the jaguar up and down his body.

  “Treat them like kittens and they stay kittens.”

  Right. Somehow Bunny didn’t think the man was talking about big cats. Maybe one day in the past Bunny was a kitten, but no more. And she didn’t want to be one again.

  “What do you want?” Bunny demanded.

  “To protect you,” Rojas said as he rubbed under the jaguar’s chin.

  “Right…” Bunny responded “Because the blade was meant to help. Along with the snakes and the jaguar.”

  “Just as outsiders misinterpret the Amazon jungle, you have misinterpreted us,” Rojas said his smooth, sophisticated veneer intact again.

  Bunny seriously doubted that, but he still had a jaguar and she had nothing. So she had to play along. “Then enlighten me.”

  “The shaman was only going to draw a drop of blood to draw a protective hex.”

  Sure he was.

  “For what purpose?” Bunny asked.

  “You have stirred up a dangerous nest of vipers, Bunny. Many, who would not like you to discover the deep secrets of the Brotherhood.”

  “Like Jesus was an alien?” Bunny retorted with a snort.

  Red flushed in Rojas’s cheeks. “This is more serious than you will allow for.”

  Bunny made a hand motion for Rojas to move along. “And you are protecting me from these ‘dangerous’ factions?’”

  Apparently Rojas didn’t get the implied air quotes, because he smiled. “Yes, yes we are.”

  Well, she was screwed as long as they stayed here, so Bunny zipped up the sarcasm and indicated past Rojas. “So why don’t we go discuss this in a little more civilized setting?”

  Rojas though seemed to catch onto that trick. “You still do not believe me?”

  “Prove it,” Bunny challenged. That jaguar was giving her the eye again.

  The professor sighed. “Fine. El asesino, salga.”

  The big cat responded to the command to move along and disappeared down a side tunnel.

  “Come,” Rojas urged Bunny, offering his arm.

  Right.

  * * *

  Rebecca clung to the seat arm as most of the men were outside pushing the airplane, which was now more of an air tube. Well actually, just tube.

  One moment they were level then the next they were nearly nose down, teetering on the precipice.

  “Get in!” Lopez yelled from the cockpit. “Get in now!”

  The men seemed to realize that their ride was about to get away from them. They loaded from the back hatch, tumbling over themselves to get inside the ves
sel. But were they really any safer in here? Really?

  Maybe, as huge chunks of rock cleaved from the mountain, crashing down the cliffs, they were. At least for now. Once they tipped over the edge? Rebecca wasn’t so sure.

  “Everyone to the front!” Lopez yelled.

  Rebecca stayed seated, thank you very much. But Ki lead the charge with Davidson right behind him, then the Peruvian commander, who probably wished right about now that he had listened to Brandt and stayed in Lima, and his handful of men.

  Slowly, achingly slowly, the plane’s nose tipped those last few feet. There was nothing but snow ahead of them.

  Dear God, this was happening.

  Just another pound shifted forward and sent them careening down the mountainside. Lopez whooped from the cockpit, trying to work the only steering they had, one rear flap.

  Rebecca wasn’t sure it was helping any, but Lopez was having a blast.

  They raced down the slope, kicking up snow as they went.

  Was this really going to work?

  Lopez certainly seemed to think so.

  * * *

  Brandt squeezed through the last of the rock, Cristoval close behind him. Brandt had to step carefully. They exited the newly opened crevice on the side of a steep slope, covered in snow. One misstep and they would be tumbling down the cliff to a rather unwelcome end at the bottom of the Andes.

  He heard something on the wind. Was that Lopez?

  Yes, it was Lopez’s whoop.

  He turned to find the plane, wingless with only a rear rudder cruising down the slope. And just in time. Behind the plane, the mountain split in half. Literally in half. One side fell left, the other side fell straight for them.

  Boulders as large as houses rolled behind the plane.

  This was it. Time to catch their ride or punch out.

  He didn’t have to explain to Cristoval what had to happen. You could see it in his nearly fully dilated pupils.

  Perfect timing didn’t even come close to describing what had to happen next.

  Taking in a deep breath, Brandt waited and waited. They had to let the nose of the plane get past if this was going to work.

  He could see faces flash by in the windows. One was Rebecca’s. Strangely, she waved, probably not knowing how to process the moment.