Betrayal (31 page)

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.

J
amieson 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.”

Jamieson’s fingers tightened around the receiver. How dare the man presume to give him an order. Tonelli was nobody. He was…

…currently in possession of the woman and therefore the chip. It wouldn’t do to antagonize him just yet. Jamieson briefly closed his eyes. “Of course,” he said. “I’ll put a team at your disposal.” He’d have to eliminate Gonzales now that the man could no longer provide Tonelli with inside information on the SSU. He couldn’t afford to have Gonzales change his mind and decide to work with the SSU to stop Jamieson.

“Thank you, sir.”

After a few more minutes discussing logistics, Jamieson ended the call. Then he set about creating a roadblock for the SSU.

Tuesday, Night

On a Plane Heading to Moscow

S
usana glanced out the airplane window. The plane lowered out of the clouds and for the first time in hours, she saw the ground. Unfortunately, the earth was getting closer, not farther away. If she could, she’d turn the plane around. Never land in Russia.

But she didn’t have a choice. If everything her father had written was true, then her life depended on following through with this crazy journey.

Susana dug her fingernails into the already deep crescents in her palms and pushed her head against the seat back. She was scared.

No. Scared was too weak a word.

Try terrified.

There was no dancing around the truth. Her survival depended on this unknown Dr. Ivanov. In a few short hours, she could be dead at his hands. Most likely
would
be dead. After all, she had no value to Ivanov after he removed the chip. If he was anything like her father, he wouldn’t care about her life.

The optimism that had led her through most of her life was gone. Evaporated in the jungle heat the moment Kai left her. Because once the chip was removed, she had no value to any of the men involved. She trusted Kai to keep her alive, but not these strangers. Not even Gonzales, who she suspected wasn’t the man Niko thought.

She rolled her head back and forth on the head rest. The past several days were like something out of an adventure movie. Unbelievable. Fantastical. Deadly.

Welcome to her new life. Where no one was as they seemed and everyone wanted something from her.

Once upon a time, she’d have laughed at the absurdity of it all. But she had the cuts and bruises to prove that this crazy turn of events really was her life spinning wildly out of control.

And somehow, as illogical as it was, despite everything he’d done, with Kai by her side she felt safe. Around him, a tightly wound spring deep inside her, one she’d never known existed, turned into a limp noodle. It was more than a little disconcerting to realize he’d become as vital to her peace of mind as a child’s security blanket.

Snap out of it, girl. Since Kai’s not here, you’ll have to take care of yourself.

Same old, same old. She’d been taking care of herself all her life. Her mother hadn’t wanted to be bothered with her daughter, first letting her run wild in the jungle with the other children, then when she was old enough, shipping her off to boarding school. If she needed or wanted something—food, clothing, a trip to a museum—she got it on her own.

And now she suspected why. Because of her father. He hadn’t been the savior she longed for. Just the opposite.

She bit her lip.

God, her stomach was doing tumbling routines. She desperately wanted Kai beside her. Just to be able to hold his hand and know that for once in her life, she wasn’t alone.

But fat lot of good that did her, when he was thousands of miles away in Brazil, while she was only half an hour away from landing in Moscow.

Tuesday, Night

Boa Vista, Brazil

“W
hat’s your ETD?” Ryker demanded.

Kai waited for the plane’s engine to turn over before answering. “We were lucky. Jim carries spares of all critical engine components. He had the plane operational in two hours.” Someone, probably Gonzales, had sabotaged the plane. Jim had discovered the ruined engine parts during his pre-flight check. “We should be wheels-up in five.”

But that still meant Kai was dangerously behind Tonelli and Susana. Even a delay of one minute could mean Susana’s life.

“Good,” Ryker said. “I have men searching for Dr. Ivanov. A team should be on the ground when you arrive. They’re also on the lookout for Gonzales and Tonelli.”

“According to Niko, Boa Vista airport personnel reported seeing Gonzales and Susana board a Gulfstream 550,” Kai said. “About half an hour before that, a man entered the plane. His description matches Tonelli.” Kai watched the tarmac pass underneath as the plane finally taxied toward the runway.

He knew he was lucky to have transport. When Niko had called to update Ryker, it was decided to have Jim fly Kai to Moscow. Niko, Jenna and Rafe would board a diverted military plane set to arrive in four hours. The plane was ferrying troops back from a special operations training mission, giving Niko additional muscle should Rafe wake up.

Kai rubbed the back of his neck. An invisible metronome in his head ticked faster with each breath he took. The rhythm urged him to run. To catch up with Susana now.

If Tonelli or Gonzales hurt Susana, Kai was going to kill them.

“There’s another thing,” Ryker said. Something in the slow, heavy way he pronounced each word had Kai sitting forward in his seat.

“My men say Tonelli attended a fundraiser a month ago and danced with Susana. If he’s after the chip, that would have been a prime opportunity to snatch her.”

“Unless the extraction fell through.” Sweat prickled along Kai’s forehead, his heart racing along with the metronome. Jesus, if Tonelli had tried a month ago to remove the chip from Susana, the booby-trap around the vial would have been triggered, killing her.

Dammit, he’d almost lost her before he’d found her. The one woman he needed more than he’d ever imagined needing a woman. And even though he still didn’t have his violent side under control, during that good-bye kiss he’d decided he wasn’t giving Susana up. Not without a fight.

And if she’s dead?

Jagged shards of denial tore at Kai’s heart. His hands clenched so tightly around the armrests, pain shot from his wrists all the way to his shoulders.

No. He wouldn’t accept that.

But Christ, just the thought that Gonzales and Tonelli were with her now drove him nuts.

Kai closed his eyes and willed his muscles to relax. God, he was really losing it. Never before had a woman raised such primitive possessiveness. He’d never understood men who went into jealous rages.

Now he did. If Susana was hurt, he’d exact vengeance in the most violent way possible.

He needed to keep her safe. Needed to put his life up as a shield for hers. And more than anything else, Kai needed the peace he felt in Susana’s arms. She kept his rage and savagery at bay.

It took several minutes for him to calm down, and when he did, he realized he’d totally lost any sense of the conversation.

“Sorry,” he said to Ryker. “Could you repeat that?”

“You know both Tonelli and Susana. Is it possible they’re working together?”

“No.” Kai’s denial was swift and firm.

“Think about it,” Ryker insisted. “They meet at the fundraiser. She takes him home. We know she’s had numerous one-night affairs. Why not a sex-based alliance with Tonelli?”

“Fuck. That.” His rage blasted the internal metronome into pieces, boiling his blood. Susana’s face as she orgasmed flashed in Technicolor across the movie screen of his mind. No other man would see that expression from here on. She was his, dammit.

And Ryker could show a little respect. “Susana likes sex, so she must have slept with Tonelli? Not only screwed him, but let him guide her in some criminal plot? That’s bullshit. She wouldn’t work with Tonelli. She wouldn’t sleep with him.” There was no way. Susana wouldn’t be fooled by Tonelli’s urbane veneer.
And she couldn’t possibly go from his bed to mine so smoothly that she makes me believe in things I’d never thought possible.

Like love.

Kai’s heart jerked in his chest, then a feeling of peace settled over him. Yeah, he loved her. But this wasn’t the time to lose focus. So he forced his thoughts back to Ryker’s question.

“According to Susana, she left the fundraiser early and headed out of Belém soon after. Tonelli had no time to contact her.”

“Unless they’d met before the event and were only solidifying their plans,” Ryker said.

“Not buying it. She’s honest.”

“Okay.” Ryker’s voice held a tinge of amusement. “I expected you’d react that way, but I had to make sure. If we bring her out alive, I want to know whose side she’s on.”