His foot pressed a little too hard on the accelerator and the car jerked forward. He forced himself to back off. It wouldn’t do to draw attention to himself. Not now, when he was so close to realizing his goal.
Kai parked his car down the quiet street from a small, tidy bungalow that glowed faintly pink in the moonlight. His prey had just pulled into the driveway leading around back.
It had been ridiculously simple to follow the GPS signal from Jenna’s phone to the dock. He’d watched the men load her into the car’s trunk. Watched as Tonelli shot them. The dock had appeared deserted, but Kai hadn’t wanted to take the chance that Tonelli had men hidden, guarding his back, so Kai opted to follow the man, rather than attack him.
Mark Tonelli. That arrogant asshole was everywhere these days, wasn’t he? He’d interfered with Niko and Jenna’s mission several months ago and left Rafe to bleed to death on an airport tarmac in Mexico.
Now this.
He’d never liked Tonelli. They’d worked a couple of assignments together back when Kai had been with the CIA. Tonelli held an arrogant belief that only certain high-profile cases were worthy of his superior skills, so his work was sloppy on any assignments that failed to meet his standards.
And Kai had always suspected Tonelli dipped into the other side of the legal river now and then for profit or thrill.
Kai disabled his car’s overhead light, then stepped into the humid night air. The SSU didn’t have enough available agents to send backup for Kai and crew two flights—one to take Susana to Russia and another to ferry Niko and Rafe back to headquarters. But that was okay with Kai. He was used to working alone. Keeping to the shadows, he moved down the street. Tonelli had driven around to the back of the bungalow.
Air soughed in and out of Kai’s lungs in choppy discord. His muscles tightened, preparing for battle as he released the hold he’d kept on his temper. His sister had been trussed up and tossed about like a friggin’ carpet. Tonelli was nowhere near as vicious as Jaime Alvarez, the deceased crime lord who’d captured Jenna a few months ago, leaving Jenna with a faint knife scar on her cheek, but Kai didn’t care. He couldn’t feel generous toward any asshole who touched his baby sister.
He lengthened his stride, shredding the distance between him and the bungalow.
Up to now, Kai had figured the mercenaries that kidnapped Jenna had mistaken her for Susana. But he hadn’t known Tonelli was involved.
Now he had to wonder if something else was going on. If maybe his sister was being used as a tool in some larger game. Or maybe Tonelli was just out for revenge. He’d hated Jenna ever since he’d been paired with her on a joint SSU/CIA mission to Moscow to lure Kai out of hiding.
Kai paused at the house next to Tonelli’s. He scanned the area for guards.
Saw no one. He shook his head. Sucker.
As he moved across the lawn toward the bungalow, he heard Tonelli yelling. “Where’s Susana?”
Kai grinned. Okay, so Jenna hadn’t been the target. Man, he wished he could see Tonelli’s face now he knew he’d kidnapped the wrong woman.
Tonelli’s yelling cut off on a yelp of pain.
Kai ran toward the front door. He’d just reached the lawn when a slight figure stumbled out the door onto the short concrete porch.
“Jenna!”
At his shout, she turned her head. The movement caused her to lose her balance and she started to topple toward the lawn.
Kai dove, catching her before she hit the ground. “Hey, baby sis. You okay?”
She grunted behind her gag.
“Just a sec.” He set her back on her feet and swiftly cut off the bandana.
She spit the cotton out. “I’m fine,” she croaked. “Go get that bastard Tonelli before he escapes.”
Just then a car rounded the house, nearly mowing them down as it swerved onto the street.
Tonelli.
“Don’t worry,” Kai said. “We’ll get him eventually. He’s no immediate threat. Let’s get you out of here.”
Mark Tonelli glanced in the rearview mirror, watching as a familiar shape of a man put his arm around the woman. Who wasn’t Susana Dias.
No, just his luck it was Jenna Paterson. He’d hoped to never see her again. She still had the same spooky amber eyes that seemed to peer right through him. Eyes that matched her damn brother’s. Her hair had grown out since he’d last seen her, but instead of dying the white strands a normal color, she’d gone with a camouflage pattern.
Who wanted green and brown hair? Why hadn’t she put on a hat to hide her distinctive hair like a normal woman?
Well, let her brother take care of her now. Mark was going to find Susana.
He indulged himself and let the speedometer creep up. What the hell, he didn’t have a trussed-up female in his trunk now and it felt good to take out his temper on the road. Barbaric as ever, Jenna had driven her feet into his groin the moment she woke up. The throbbing pain still lingered.
Typical violent SSU agent. His lip curled. He didn’t think much of their recruitment policies. A bunch of savages, every one.
His cell phone beeped, indicating an incoming text. Mark divided his attention between the screen and the road. When he was done reading, he laughed.
At least one of those SSU savages was useful, though. His mole had just sent a text explaining Susana’s true location.
An hour later, Mark was still in a generous mood as he pulled alongside a private airplane. His instructions had been to go inside and seat himself in the front section. Although Mark was anxious to see Susana for himself, he agreed it was better to get airborne before revealing his presence, just in case Paterson had warned Susana about him.
Susana couldn’t run from him if they were a mile up.
Niko set Rafe down on one of the couches in the SSU’s private airplane, thankful the tranquilizers were still working to keep Rafe unconscious.
The door to the cockpit opened and the pilot stuck his head out. “Y’all strapped in okay? We’re cleared for takeoff.”
“Almost,” Niko replied. He sat down, but then his hands stilled over his seatbelt. “Jim, I thought you were flying Susana Dias to Moscow.” Enrique Gonzales, another SSU agent, had met the helicopter and taken Susana to a different plane.
“Change of plans. Gonzales said they weren’t flying out today. He told your pilot to turn back and assigned me to fly you to the States.”
“Shit.” Susana only had two more days to get to Moscow. What the hell was Gonzales thinking?
Niko whipped out his phone. He dialed Gonzales, but got no answer. The call bounced straight to voicemail. He swore.
“Hey Andros?” Jim called from the cockpit.
“Yeah?”
“Another private plane just took off from the other side of the hangar. We were supposed to be the only ones cleared for takeoff tonight.”
Shit. Niko started to dial Ryker, then his phone rang. “Andros.”
“Hey, lover. You still on the ground? Because Kai and I could use a ride.”
Despite the tension crawling up his spine, Niko smiled. Jenna’s voice did that to him every time. He loved the river-smooth tones of her voice. “You okay, querida?”
When she assured him she was fine, he said, “We’re about to take off, but I’ll have Jim wait for you. What’s your ETA?”
“I don’t know. Ask Kai. Love you.”
He didn’t have time to reciprocate the sentiment before Kai was on the line. Niko didn’t know Boa Vista, but it was small. He estimated Kai and Jenna to be about ten minutes away. “So Kai, you heard from Susana? Or maybe Gonzales?”
“No. Why?”
“’Cause Gonzales told Jim that Susana’s departure was being delayed until tomorrow, leaving Jim to ferry us back to the States. But a private plane just took off and I have a bad feeling that Susana was aboard. I just tried calling Gonzales but it went right to voicemail.”
“Shit.” Niko heard Jenna’s voice asking what was wrong and Kai’s brief explanation.
“Tonelli’s work,” Kai told Niko. “Has to be. Jenna confirmed that he’d wanted Susana, not her. But the bastard escaped. How much do you want to bet Gonzales is working with him? Fucking hell. That sonofabitch has Susana.”
The note of desperation in Kai’s tone made Niko’s eyebrows rise. He hadn’t missed his friend’s wording. He was worried about Susana, not the chip.
Niko grinned. Oh, man, this was going to get interesting. Cool-headed Kai was in l-o-v-e. As that steamy good-bye kiss had shown.
Perfect. But first…
“I told Gonzales about the self-destruct deadline,” Niko said. “How the chip will be destroyed if it triggers. Whatever he and Tonelli are up to, they have to take her to Moscow in order to get the chip.”
From Kai’s end of the line Niko heard a car engine revving, then Kai’s outraged voice. “Who taught you how to hot-wire a car?”
Niko couldn’t hear his wife’s response, but he grinned again. After two years alone and on the run, Kai hadn’t yet accepted that his formerly sunny, innocent little sister was now a force to be reckoned with. She’d completed the SSU’s operator training course in the top ten percent of her class. And while Niko would never hold her back, he’d been relieved when she decided to pursue a degree in wildlife rehabilitation instead of joining the SSU full-time.
He’d discovered that husbands had as many protective feelings as big brothers.
“Damn,” Kai said. “It seems my sister has found us transport. We’re on our way. You’ll call Ryker and warn him about Tonelli and Gonzales?”
“Yeah,” Niko said. “I also need to get further instructions for Rafe.”
“He doing okay?”
Niko let out a harsh laugh. “Being tranq’d is probably the most peace he’s had since we lost him.”
“I’m sorry, man. Hey!” Kai’s voice moved away from the mouthpiece. “Jesus, Jenna watch where you’re going. You nearly blindsided that truck…Yeah? Well I’m the one in the passenger seat and I’m telling you, you came within millimeters of peeling this side of the car open and spilling me onto the street.”
Niko heard a long-suffering sigh from Kai. “Listen, Niko. I gotta go. Your damn wife is trying to kill me again.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m cryin’ for ya. See you in five.” Niko disconnected the call. Jenna and Kai had come a long way if Kai could joke about her killing him. Five months ago, in Jaime Alvarez’s dungeon, Jenna had raised her knife with every intention of killing her brother. At the last second she’d discovered that her love for Kai trumped her hate. Kai had been conscious enough to see her strike and to feel the knife as it passed his cheek with millimeters to spare. Jenna had been terrified nothing would repair the divide between her and her brother after that. But their love was too strong to let even attempted murder separate them.
“Jim,” Niko called. “Tell the tower we’re holding for ten. We’re going to be taking on two more passengers.” As Niko dialed his boss, he made a private bet Ryker would redirect them to Moscow.
Susana sat alone in the rear section of the posh Gulfstream 550 as it took off. As luxurious as the interior of the plane was, with cream puff leather seats and mahogany paneling, she’d flown in more expensive planes during her modeling days. It seemed odd, though, that the SSU would spend money on such luxury items as a fully-stocked bar and a wall-covering plasma television.
Shouldn’t they spend their money on weapons? Or body armor? Something that related to their dangerous work. If she were Kai, she’d complain.
The door to the forward compartment slid open so quietly, she wouldn’t have noticed if she hadn’t been facing it. SSU agent Enrique Gonzales walked through, followed by a man with short, perfectly-styled curly dark hair. She had the feeling she’d seen the man somewhere, but wasn’t sure where or when.
“Susana, I’d like you to meet my colleague, Mark Tonelli,” Gonzales said. “He’s fluent in Russian and very familiar with Moscow. He’ll be in charge of getting you to Dr. Ivanov.”
“I am delighted to meet you again.” Tonelli took Susana’s outstretched hand, raised it to his lips, and placed a kiss on her knuckles.
Every hair on Susana’s body tried to jump off of her skin at the contact. Only years of keeping her expression neutral during photo shoots allowed her to hide her revulsion.
It wasn’t just that the touch of his mouth felt too intimate, too soon after her separation from Kai. It was the way he lingered over the kiss, taking it beyond courtesy into presumption.
She could have forgiven him that. After all, she was a beautiful woman. He wasn’t the first man to behave so brashly. But when at last he allowed her to reclaim her hand and his eyes met hers, she recognized the feverish glint of possession.
“I’m sorry, do I know you?” she asked, putting a bit of haughty reserve into her tone to hide her discomfort. Surely if they’d met she would have remembered the vibes he gave off.
Tonelli smiled with little boy charm, revealing a dimple in his left cheek. She’d bet her entire investment account he practiced that smile in a mirror.
“I had the honor of dancing with you at the Archaeological Society fundraiser last month,” he informed her. His shoulders rose slightly, as if to apologize for assuming she’d remember him.
But Susana was no novice to the game. “I’m terribly sorry,” she replied. She curled her lips just enough to make him believe she was sincere. “Those events have so many handsome, charming men. I simply can’t keep them straight.” She let her mouth tilt up even more and sure enough, he jumped in to reassure her.
“It was only one dance and we were never properly introduced. I’m not surprised you don’t remember me.” Then all light left his face, as if he were suddenly standing underneath a storm cloud.
“Your father has put you in unforgivable danger, Susana. I promise I will keep you safe.”
The tinge of anger in his voice confirmed what her body had already figured out. This man was dangerously obsessed with her.
“Thank you.” She smiled and reached out to place her hand lightly on his arm. She lifted her shoulders and tilted her body forward while looking at him in false gratitude. “I just know I can trust you.”
Hah. She’d felt safer tumbling through the Amazon River while being shot at by the mercenaries. God, she wished Kai were here.
For the next few minutes she exchanged small talk with Tonelli, asking him innocuous questions about Moscow that allowed him to show off. After each question his chest puffed out a little more, until she was tempted to find a needle and see if she could pop him.
Gonzales hung around, but contributed little to the conversation. He puzzled her. If it had been just her and Tonelli, she would have been convinced she’d fallen into enemy hands. Whoever the enemy might be.
But Niko had passed her off to Gonzales with a relieved smile. She trusted Niko, if for no other reason than because he was so gentle with his brother’s unconscious body. More importantly, Kai trusted Niko. So if Niko thought Gonzales was okay, then Tonelli was also.
Her instincts had to be off.
Still, she was relieved when Gonzales told her to feel free to use the onboard shower, then accompanied Tonelli back into the other cabin. Once the cabin door closed, she searched for a way to lock it.
Nothing.
And since all the furniture was bolted down, she couldn’t even create a trip zone with chairs to warn her of an uninvited entrance. But, hallelujah, there was a lock on the inside of the bathroom door. She took a long, hot shower, reveling as days’ worth of grime slipped down the drain.
If only her fear would disappear so easily.
Dammit, she wanted Kai here. Wanted to soap him up and have wild shower sex, then have him hold her and reassure her everything was going to be fine.
She turned the water off with a snap of her wrist. Stop whining. Kai has every right to rescue his sister.
And she was a strong, intelligent woman. She could protect herself.
All
she had to do was stay on her guard until they reached this Dr. Ivanov. How hard could that be?
Chapter 25
Tuesday, Night
Washington, D.C.
Jamieson stared around his office, fighting back the panicked urge to pack everything and run. He reminded himself that only the weak ran. Besides, the best way to appear innocent was to stay put in times of greatest danger.
Events were at critical mass, though.
Dr. Kaufmann had called earlier, a tinge of suspicion in his voice when he reported the team he’d sent after the chip had disappeared. Jamieson had made appropriate sounds of sympathy, but both men had known the truth. That Kaufmann’s men had been eliminated on Jamieson’s orders.
What Jamieson hadn’t told Kaufmann was that his cleanup squad had also disappeared. His men were professionals. Only another well-organized military team would have been able to take them down.
Someone was onto him. This was a warning.
Jamieson wished he knew who was after him, so he could plan a counter attack. Ryker didn’t have the guts. Maybe—
His phone rang.
He glared at it and considered ignoring the interruption. But he had to keep up appearances.
“Jamieson.”
“This is Mark Tonelli, sir. I have Susana Dias.”
What flooded through his body might have been relief, but Jamieson preferred to think of it as satisfaction. “It’s about time,” he snapped. “This is where I want you to bring her—”
“We’re on our way to Moscow.”
“What?”
“Dr. Nevsky booby-trapped the microchip. Only his colleague, a Dr. Ivanov, can deactivate the trap and prevent the chip from being destroyed upon removal.”
Jamieson’s lips moved in silent curses. Russia was too far away. Anything could happen to the chip between there and his hands. He—
“I have contacts who are searching for the scientist, but the SSU is also on the man’s trail. Gonzales’s cover is blown, so I thought perhaps you might want to deal with that side of the problem.”
Betrayal (SSU Trilogy Book 2) (The Surgical Strike Unit) Page 24