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

by Kier, Vanessa

  “You set this up around last night’s camp?”

  He nodded. “It’s simple, but it does the job. I doubt the mercenaries would be expecting it. Even if they knew what to look for, it’s hard to spot in the dark.”

  He told her to hook it up, then had her push the wire down.

  The box emitted a series of sharp, steady chirps, like a mechanical cricket.

  “In the middle of the night the sound will carry clearly. It’s close enough to an insect’s call that it will take a hunter a moment to realize it’s not a natural sound, giving us time to get away.”

  “Clever.”

  “In case something goes wrong with the alarm system, take this.” Kai thrust his gun at her.

  Susana tried to hide her revulsion as he showed her how to operate it. She remembered all too well how easily this weapon had killed the mercenaries. It was far more sophisticated than the shotgun she used at camp to protect against wild animals and thieves.

  Kai lay down and Susana helped him roll up in the survival blanket. Then he turned his back to her.

  Trying not to feel shut out, Susana picked up the Biel, the lantern, and the mosquito net and moved outside.

  An hour later she had the mosquito net strung over their shelter to provide more protection against insects, had cut enough branches to form a bed for herself and to camouflage the top of their shelter, and had strung the security system. She’d also created a small fire pit in an area she’d cleared several feet away. She couldn’t keep a fire going for long, because it would give away their position, but she wanted to get some hot liquids into Kai.

  With the solar lantern charging in a patch of fading sunlight, Susana filled up their canteens at the stream, then heated some water using, wonder of wonders, a telescoping pot she’d found in Kai’s pack. The man had a serious Boy Scout thing going, but given the situation, she couldn’t complain. When she carried the hot soup to him, she was smiling.

  Kai had his eyes closed, but roused when she shook his shoulder. He was shivering again and need her help to sit up. She’d found a straw in his pack and that helped get the hot soup into him, although it was slow going and some of it ended up dribbling down his chin.

  “Man, that feels good inside,” he mumbled as Susana set the pot aside.

  She blotted the soup from his chin, then put her arm around him. “Here, let’s get you lying down again.”

  Once he was prone, she tugged the blanket around him. With just his face showing, he looked like a dirty mummy.

  “Mmm…warm.”

  She thought he’d drift off to sleep again, so she turned away and picked up the pot.

  “Hate…this,” he said. His voice was soft, almost dreamy.

  She halted and turned back to him. His eyes were closed. “How many times have you had these attacks?”

  “Don’t know. Too many.” He paused and frowned petulantly. “No treatment in warlord’s prison. Very sick.”

  Oh, Kai. She bit her lip so she wouldn’t ask all the questions racing through her mind. “Shhh…you’re safe now. Try to sleep.” Her voice was choked with emotion.

  “Mmm…sleep.”

  Susana hurried outside, fighting back a sudden surge of protectiveness.

  She rinsed out the pot, then went searching for two fist-sized rocks. She set the rocks in the glowing embers of her fire, then removed her boots. She took off her socks, then put her boots back on over her bare feet.

  When the rocks were hot, she used sticks to roll them inside her socks. She tied off the ends and, voila, instant foot warmers.

  Which, thanks to several days’ worth of foot odor, stank to high heaven. “Phew,” she muttered. “Be thankful you’re sleeping, Kai.”

  Holding the socks by the knots she’d just created, she returned to Kai and tucked the sock-wrapped rocks next to his feet. “Mmm,” he murmured. His lips curved in a slight smile, although his eyes stayed shut.

  Susana went back outside. The light was starting to fade, so she quickly prepared her dinner—a heated mash of under-ripe fruit and edible leaves—and washed it down with water.

  Fire extinguished, she set the trip wire and crawled into the shelter.

  There was nothing to do now but watch Kai sleep. Even with his eyes closed and his cheeks fuzzed with several days growth of beard, there was still an aura of danger to him. It lay in the steep, clean line of his nose, and a jaw that tapered to a square chin.

  She judged him to be about her own age, late twenties, but after the violence of the past two days, she felt years younger than Kai in experience.

  The proof was in the not-yet-vanished scar a few inches off his forehead. The slightly puckered two-inch gash of pink skin was frightening. Had someone tried to bash his brains in?

  Although she knew she shouldn’t, she reached out and smoothed her finger over the scar, as if she could erase any lingering pain. Scratches from hiking through the jungle covered his cheeks and forehead and she found herself tracing them, too, with her finger.

  Then Kai stirred, mumbling something unintelligible before settling back into sleep. She jerked her hand away from him and crossed her arms across her chest to make sure she didn’t reach for him again.

  God, he lived in a world where being shot at was ordinary. Correction, not just ordinary, but part of his job description. That’s what special operations was about, wasn’t it?

  And this ultra-capable man trusted her to care for him while he was unconscious. To stay and give him another dose of his anti-malaria treatment instead of abandoning him and heading for her dig.

  His life was in her hands. It was humbling, and more than a little scary. Because while she was quite confident she could nurse him through the malaria attack, she had no such confidence that she’d be able to protect him if the mercenaries found them.

  Chapter 10

  Sunday, Evening

  Manaus, Brazil

  Mark Tonelli jabbed his finger against the off button on the prepaid cell phone he’d bought before leaving Santarém. He hurled the phone onto the thin comforter on the lumpy hotel bed, all too aware that his normally sedate temper was dangerously close to exploding.

  He stalked across the worn carpet to the bathroom, limping slightly from the fall he’d taken out the taxi door. Not that he was complaining.

  After all, he’d made it out of Santarém alive.

  Even now, he felt a cold trickle of sweat down his spine. It had been pure luck that he’d been in the lobby of his hotel, already on his way out of town when he’d seen the men walking down the street.

  They’d worn jeans with windbreakers, even though in the midday heat anyone with sense wore short sleeves. And they’d walked with the arrogance of men who expected the world to get out of their way.

  Mark had known they were from Jamieson.

  He’d spun around and fled out the back door, yet somehow they’d managed to find him, chase his taxi, and run the taxi off the road. Before the driver got the vehicle back on track, Mark had taken advantage of the cover of the surrounding bushes, grabbed his overnight bag and bailed into the shallow ditch.

  Luckily, Jamieson’s men hadn’t spotted him and he’d made it to the airport without further incident.

  Now he rifled through his shaving kit until he found a bottle of ibuprofen. He chased the pills down with some bottled water, then headed back into the bedroom without looking in the mirror. His reflection was not something he could face right now.

  The black eye, puffy lips and scraped cheeks were vivid proof that his life was spiraling out of control.

  His revenge was in jeopardy all because the damn mercenaries had lost Susana Dias. She was a woman, for pity’s sake. How hard could it be to keep her contained?

  And he knew, he just knew that the man with Susana was Kai Paterson. Damn the bastard, Mark wished he could kill the SSU agent himself. But he had to stay hidden. Jamieson’s men would still be searching for him.

  He wouldn’t be safe again until he had the chip.r />
  Only then would he be able to bargain for his life, and Susana’s. Plus, he’d finally get the name he needed from Jamieson.

  But on the off chance that Jamieson wouldn’t bargain, Mark figured Ryker and the SSU would be willing to strike a deal. Amnesty for the chip.

  If the SSU wasn’t interested, he could name a dozen criminal organizations who’d pay top dollar to get their hands on a formula that created superhuman soldiers.

  No matter which scenario came to pass, he’d make sure he ended up with Susana.

  Mark flipped open the local map he’d bought at the airport. He’d instructed the mercenaries to bring Susana to him, promising to give them an exact delivery location once they had her back in their possession.

  He scanned the map, looking for a suitable rendezvous spot. It had to be someplace with multiple exit routes. Jamieson’s assassins would eventually find him, so he had to be prepared to bolt at any time.

  Mark pulled off the wig of curly, gray, chin-length hair. He deliberately hadn’t shaved or bathed in days. He was even wearing dirty, stained fatigues, like half the male population in this uncivilized town. And his sense of smell had finally dulled to his own rancid scent, making the disguise more bearable, even if the feel of accumulated dirt made his skin crawl.

  Anyone looking for the old, pristine Mark Tonelli would have difficulty recognizing him. Just as no one would expect him to be hiding out in this rundown shack of a hotel in the roughest part of town.

  He picked up his satellite phone and dialed another number. His contact at Susana’s dig would tell him when Susana returned and he could then send in his mercenaries to retrieve her.

  He’d sleep better, knowing she was safe.

  Amazon Jungle

  Kai opened his eyes. It was dark, but his internal timer told him he’d slept soundly for a couple hours. His chills were gone and the rocks Susana had heated, and then reheated, made it uncomfortably hot.

  He was just about to push the survival blanket away, when his sluggish brain registered a heavy, uneven weight on his legs.

  “Susana?” he whispered.

  No answer. He knew he wasn’t alone because he could hear her breathing. He called her name again, louder and with more command.

  “Kai! You’re awake.” Her voice, bright with relief, came from at least two feet to his right. So it wasn’t her lying across his lower body.

  “Susana, I think we have a non-human visitor. Is the flashlight with you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Move very slowly and turn it on,” Kai told her. He tried to convey urgency through his tone, without spooking her into any sudden movements. “Keep the lens mostly covered with your hand and aim it away from you.”

  He heard her quick intake of breath and was afraid she was going to waste time asking questions. “Hurry, Susana.”

  After a bit of rustling, light warmed the darkness. Kai glanced down the length of his body.

  Ah, shit.

  He tried not to tense up, but his muscles were hardwired for a flight-or-fight response. The large brown snake coiled across his lower legs stirred as it felt Kai’s muscles harden beneath it, but its eyes didn’t open.

  Okay. If it was asleep, the situation was a little less dangerous. But he couldn’t just lie here, hoping the damn thing woke up in a good mood and decided to slither away.

  “Kai, look at the white, donut-shaped pattern on its scales…that’s a wutu pit viper. It’s…uh…extremely poisonous.” Somehow Susana managed to keep her tone quiet and non-threatening.

  Thank God the snake had picked him to lie on rather than Susana.

  Kai did his best not to move. It was likely the foil covering of the survival blanket would lessen the impact of the snake’s fangs if it attacked, but he really didn’t want to find out.

  “Just remain still,” Susana told him. “I’ve dealt with snakes before. I’ll get rid of him.”

  No! He bit his tongue rather than say it out loud. He had to trust her abilities. She’d grown up at the edge of the jungle and spent much of her adult career here. Of course she’d have encountered poisonous snakes before.

  But God, please don’t let it bite her.

  He kept his eyes on the snake and his ears trained on Susana. He heard the shush of nylon sliding over nylon, followed by the soft grinding of a zipper being undone. Susana was looking in the backpacks. He wanted to tell her to grab the Biel tool. Afraid that speaking might wake the snake, Kai remained silent.

  The more he looked at the snake, the more mesmerizing he found the pattern on its scales. As if sensing Kai’s regard, the snake opened its eyes. Its wide mouth yawned and a forked tongue lazily tasted the air.

  Nothing threatening here, bud, Kai thought, staring into the reptilian eyes. Go back to sleep.

  He heard a metallic click to his right. Then sensed Susana moving up beside him.

  “On the count of three,” she breathed. “I’m going to knock him off your legs and pin him to the ground. Be ready to pull away.”

  “Roger,” he answered just as quietly.

  “One…two…three.” Susana darted forward. She hooked the claw under the snake’s coils with a speed and fearlessness that stole Kai’s breath.

  Then she lifted the startled snake and held it suspended with its tail caught by the Biel and its head hanging down and out of immediate reach of Susana’s arm.

  The snake twisted and hissed in annoyance.

  Kai jerked his legs away.

  Susana dropped the snake and planted her left foot on its head, pinning it to the ground. The snake thrashed wildly, but Susana didn’t budge. She deftly removed the Biel’s claw and put it back in the bottom of the tool. Then, in a move almost too quick for Kai’s fevered brain to follow, Susana brought the axe edge down and severed the snake’s head from its body.

  Kai gazed at the snake’s death throes and the gush of blood. The darkness inside him stood up and cheered.

  “Sorry about the mess,” Susana said. She used the Biel to pick up the body and took it outside. From the length of time she was gone, she must have carried the remains into the jungle. Maybe even buried them.

  She returned to collect the snake’s head, again using only the Biel to touch it, then disappeared again. This time when she entered, she carried ashes in a trencher of leaves. Using the Biel, she scraped up the bloody soil and carried it away. Then she scattered ashes around the edges of the encampment.

  Kai’s vision had become super sharp. Every shadow seemed magnified. Every throw of light was elongated. He knew it was the fever starting, but he let it carry him. He was content to lie here and watch Susana. Because looking at her distracted him from the ache in his limbs. And as long as his eyes were open, he wouldn’t be lost in fever dreams.

  “Why ashes?” he asked. Even to his own ears, his voice sounded blurry.

  “They have a strong scent that’s a deterrent to snakes,” Susana replied. She knelt down to lay the Biel next to her bed and he noticed her hands were shaking.

  Alarmed, he tried to sit up, but found he only had enough strength to push up on one elbow. “Are you hurt?”

  “What?” She shot him a startled glance. “No. Why?”

  “You’re trembling.”

  She looked away. “I’m not hurt.”

  “Then what?”

  She shrugged and reached for her canteen. “Are you thirsty?”

  He waited several beats before answering. “Yes.”

  She poured out a cup of water and handed it to him.

  He made a big show of getting his arms tangled in the survival blanket. She scooted closer so she could hold the cup to his lips. He sipped, then grabbed her wrist before she could move away.

  “If you’re not hurt, then why are you shaking?” he demanded.

  She glared at him.

  Oh, no, he wasn’t giving in to her temper. This was too important. He wasn’t going to let go until she answered him. Something was wrong, dammit, and he needed to know what so
he could fix it.

  “Susana,” he warned.

  “I was scared,” she snapped. “Okay?”

  In his surprise, he dropped her wrist and she scooted away.

  “You’re afraid of snakes? But…you handled it so calmly.”

  “No,” she growled, her voice tinged with such impatience he sensed he was missing something. “I’m not afraid of snakes. I’ve killed dozens of them on my digs.”

  “Then what?”

  “I was scared for you,” she huffed. “Okay? I was afraid I wouldn’t be fast enough and the snake would bite you. We’re nowhere near a medical facility. You could have died.”

  He stared at her. So this was how it felt to be struck dumb. Left with a frozen brain and mouth.

  She cared what happened to him? But…

  “Do you want any more water?” she demanded, not looking at him.

  He shook his head, still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that she’d been afraid for him.

  “Okay. Sleep well.” She moved over to her bed and extinguished the light.

  Kai lowered himself onto his back and stared into the darkness. Susana didn’t hate him. She wanted him safe.

  When the fever claimed him, he was smiling.

  “Jenna! Dad! No!”

  The anguished cry roused Susana from a light doze. She jerked upright on her pallet and looked around, trying to figure out where she was. Early morning sun peeked through the roof of their shelter, illuminating Kai’s head thrashing from side to side, his arms punching at invisible enemies.

  “Blood…too much blood. Noooo! I’m sorry. So sorry.” His voice cracked on a sob, then his body stilled.

  “I may say some things while I’m out of it. Just…ah…ignore me, okay?”

  But how was she supposed to ignore such obvious pain?

  Susana crooned soothingly to Kai as she crept closer. But the outburst appeared to be over. She reached out and touched the tears shimmering on his face.