Betrayal (40 page)

Jenna hugged him. The warm weight of her against his chest soothed the open wounds in his heart.

“Kai, when I tried to kill you in Alvarez’s dungeon, my knife missed because I was hit with the truth. I loved you, even though I thought you’d ordered the attack on our family. I love you even though you scalped and killed those men. No matter what you do, I will always love you.” She pulled back and smiled up at him. “At heart you’re an honorable man. A good man.”

“But—”

“Uh-uh. No buts. If I hadn’t been so focused on finding and killing you, I’d have gone after the assassins myself,” Jenna admitted. Her eyes held the dark knowledge of a seasoned combat veteran. It twisted his heart all up in knots. He didn’t like seeing his little Jen-shine so hardened.

Yet he could see the truth in her eyes. She would have killed in the same way.

He laughed, but it came out self-mocking. “Well, killing the assassins that way shook me up.”

Jenna nodded. “It changed the way you think about yourself, didn’t it?”

He realized she would know all about having your self-image shattered. Of learning you were capable of a darkness you’d never before imagined. God, but that hurt.

“Yeah,” he said. He put his arm around her shoulders. “We’re a pair, aren’t we?”

Jenna turned her face into his shoulder. “Don’t ever think I don’t love you, Kai. Don’t ever think you don’t deserve love. From me…or from someone like Susana.”

Ah…shit. He felt his eyes warm with tears. He’d forgotten what it was like to be loved and accepted for himself, faults and all. He squeezed her. “Thanks, Jenna. I love you too. Just as you are.”

From the way she suddenly relaxed against him, he knew she’d been worried he might not like this new Jenna. That even with Niko’s love and acceptance, she still needed her big brother’s love.

“Don’t worry, Jen-shine,” he reassured her. “I’m leaving tomorrow to find Susana. I’m already packed.”

Jenna laughed.

Chapter 33

Thursday, Night

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

S
usana let her partner lead her onto the crowded dance floor, struggling to feel the same joy as the rest of her newly hired crew. They’d just finished setting up an excavation site around the spot where she’d found the altar. The initial survey suggested that this time she’d found the true heart of Amerinis, bringing her dream close to fulfillment.

Plus, the Adventure Channel hadn’t cancelled her show. Instead, they’d run a tribute show on her deceased crew members, earning record ratings. To her great surprise, she’d actually had to turn people away from joining her replacement team. Footage of Susana and her new crew setting up the relocated site would air later this week. For once, there was no doubt about the excavation continuing. In fact, there was a bidding war going on among several top museums as to who would get the honor of having their name associated with the second phase.

Tonight’s party was her crew’s way of celebrating their last day before the hard on-site work began. As Susana and her dance partner passed the cameraman dancing with a busty blonde, the cameraman gave her a victory sign. Susana responded with one of the artificially bright smiles she’d perfected during her modeling days.

She knew she should be elated. This was everything she’d dreamed of. Professional success and respect that washed away the lingering suspicion from Elena’s charges of black marketeering. A significant enough find that even her worst critics couldn’t continue to paint her as just a pretty face with no brains.

More importantly, she’d been vindicated. Amerinis existed. And from the evidence they’d already uncovered, it had indeed been a society run by warrior women, just as the legends claimed.

But Susana didn’t feel like celebrating. Instead, she wanted to go back to her apartment and crawl into bed. Every night on site she’d tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Afraid of what might be lurking in the dark, even though she knew the mercenaries were no longer chasing her.

Unable to shake the fear that something would happen to her crew, she’d ended up walking the perimeter of the dig every night, freaking out the guards on duty who thought she didn’t trust them. But she couldn’t help it. The safety of her team was her responsibility. She needed to be aware of any threat.

Her last crew had died because of her. She wasn’t going to let it happen again.

To remind her of the consequences if she lost her vigilance, she’d insisted on seeing the ruins of her former dig.

Big
mistake.

Ryker’s men had told her the stench wasn’t so bad since they’d removed the bodies, but she’d still vomited at the smell. Or maybe she’d been sick because seeing the charred remains of her tent made it all too clear how close she’d come to dying.

And how many of her friends hadn’t survived.

Her partner stopped on a vacant patch of dance floor and swung her around to face him. For a moment she stood frozen. Trapped in the past. Caught by sadness and regret.

Desperately wishing the man putting his hands on her waist was Kai, not the pilot who’d ferried her crew out of the jungle.

But then the music started, driving away her sorrow. Within minutes, the pulsing bass of the music took over her soul. She became the music, letting the sensuous rhythms move her body. Living only in the moment.

Here under the hot, shifting lights, your dance partner was your great love. The one you desired most. Or the one who’d hurt you and needed to be teased and punished.

Susana explored all those emotions with her body, so that a casual observer would think her in love with her partner. But in truth, her heart and mind remained untouched.

She turned her back, raised her arms, and shimmied. Her partner grabbed her around the waist from behind and pulled her flush against him.

As one, they moved sinuously up and down, pressed together from shoulders to hips. Her partner’s hand skimmed from her side up to her cheek, trying to turn her face toward his. Since for this dance she was playing a lover who’d been emotionally hurt and didn’t want to commit, she jerked her head away.

Her gaze skimmed the crowd as she leaned away from her partner. Then she stumbled as she found a pair of familiar amber eyes. Her breath stopped. The music and her partner ceased to exist.

Kai’s remote expression turned molten as he caught sight of her. He stalked toward her, his jaguar’s eyes focused on her with such intensity, she couldn’t look away. She sucked in a deep breath as her heart started shimmying in her chest.

The crowd parted before Kai, people wisely taking one look at his fierce expression and getting out of his way. Susana took a small step forward, only dimly aware of her partner’s protest as his hands fell away. As she moved toward Kai, she searched his face for some clue as to why he was here.

Deus
, he looked exhausted. The corners of his mouth drooped as if even holding a straight line was too much for his lips. Troughs under his cheekbones gave his face an even more angular look.

His eyes, though, were on fire. And, merciful heavens, when he reached her, she could feel the emotions pouring off him in a heated wave that pulsed against her sweaty skin.

She had time only to gasp before he held out his hand.

“Dance with me.” His voice was a husky command that tightened every lonely place on her body.

Helpless to deny him, she moved into his arms and almost forgot how to dance, she was so overwhelmed by the relief of touching him again.

“I’ve missed you so much,” he murmured against her ear, echoing what she felt in her heart. “Why did you leave me?”

She pulled back. He wanted to talk? Here? On a noisy, crowded dance floor?

“Answer me, sweetheart.”

Couples danced around them, occasionally telling them to get the hell out of the way.

She grabbed his hand and tugged. “Let’s find someplace quiet to talk.”

He shook his head and pulled her back into his arms. “No. I want to do this here. Tell me why you left. Was it because of the men I’ve killed?”

Her temper flared. Fine. If he wanted to fight in the middle of the freaking dance floor, so be it. She pulled his head down so she wouldn’t have to shout. “No. You haven’t killed anyone who didn’t deserve it. I left because I have a life of my own. Responsibilities and dreams. Besides,” her breath caught, “thanks to my cockroach-eating father, I’m a genetic freak.”

She was still waiting for the results from the extensive number of tests she’d undergone with Ryker’s help. “Who knows what side effects might show up as I age?”

Kai turned his head and ran his tongue along the rim of her ear before answering. “You’re no more a freak than I am. I love you just the way you are.”

“Kai, I—”

“We can work out the differences in our lifestyles, Susana. That’s no obstacle. As for the other?” His finger traced a delicate path from her eyebrow to her chin. “You’re not going to turn into Rafe, Susana. Your father’s drugs would have manifested that behavior long before now. Whatever he did to you is of no consequence. He didn’t make you the warm, giving, temperamental woman I love. He didn’t shape your soul.”

Dammit, she actually trembled. Could she believe him? Did she dare?

The man must have read her mind, because he smiled tenderly and began to move to the music. He wasn’t practiced, but each swivel of his hips melted a piece of the ice around her heart, until she gave herself up to the dance. Let herself fall into a rhythm of love and lust. For Kai. Only Kai.

“
Mãe de Deus
, how I love you,” she murmured.

When the dance was over, Kai bent her over his arm and kissed her. Marking her in front of the entire club and earning the applause and catcalls of everyone around them.

Susana clutched Kai to her. There was no way she was letting him get away this time.

This time it was for life.

Kai knew it, too. She saw it in his eyes when he raised his head from the kiss. And then her man surprised her. He set her upright and got down on one knee, heedless of the dozens of people watching. There, before her crew and the rest of the club’s patrons, he asked her the question she’d never thought she’d hear.

“Susana Dias, love of my life, soul of my body, keeper of my heart. Will you marry me?”

Her heart swelled and tears blurred her vision. “Yes.” What else could she say? “Yes, I’ll marry you. Just try and stop me.”

Epilogue

Five Days Later

Tuesday, Afternoon

Washington, D.C.

S
usana sat next to Kai in Ryker’s office, her heart beating triple-time as she waited for the results of the physical and genetic workup done on her before she’d left the hospital.

“Ready?” Ryker asked.

She nodded and he handed her the manila envelope with the results. Susana glanced over to her left. Kai gave her a warm, supportive smile. It was hard to believe, but he honestly didn’t care what the data showed. He loved her. He accepted her. She had his full support. Kai’s only concern was whether the information would upset her.

It was a novel sensation. She wasn’t used to facing life’s challenges as part of a team.

Despite Kai’s insistence that it didn’t matter, she needed to know whether she truly was a freak. For one thing, it would affect her decision to have children.

And, okay, a small part of her was still afraid Kai would leave her if it turned out she was markedly different.

Susana mentally shook her head. She had to stop borrowing trouble.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed her thumb under the edge of the large manila envelope. Kai’s hand gently squeezed her shoulder. Absorbing his strength like sunlight, she flipped up the envelope’s flap and spilled the contents into her waiting palm.

She skimmed over the medical terminology to the conclusions.

Heart and lungs—highly efficient and healthy.

Blood and muscles. The same.

Immune system—very strong.

Genes—several genes known to enhance intelligence and stamina were turned on, but a few were not.

Overall conclusion—she was in exceptional health. Slightly off the charts, but not enough to scream of tampering. Athletes using performance enhancing drugs scored higher than her in several categories.

Susana’s muscled softened in relief. If not for Kai’s hand anchoring her in place, she thought she might slide off her chair onto the floor.

“Susana?” Kai asked.

She realized that both Kai and Ryker waited for her to give them the news. She took a deep breath. Her ribs expanded almost creakily.

Her lips tried out a smile. But that wasn’t good enough. She grinned and put her hand over Kai’s. “You were right. Whatever my father did to me had negligible effect, if any. All the tests show that I’m slightly better than average, but not so exceptional that doctors will clamor to study me.”

Kai pulled her to her feet so quickly the world spun. She flung her arms around him, threw back her head and laughed.

Kai grabbed her head, held her still, and kissed her.

It wasn’t until they broke for air, gasping and grinning, that Susana remembered Ryker. She glanced over at his desk, but the man was gone.

“I’m not a freak,” she crowed.

Kai lifted her up and spun her around. As he lowered her back to the floor, she whispered, “Do you have an office here?”

“No, but there’s an empty office anyone can use as needed. Why?”

“Because I want you. Here. Now.”

Kai’s eyes flared. He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the office, down the hall, and around the corner to another office. Susana entered first. While Kai closed the door and slid the lock home, Susana shed her shirt and pants. Leaning back against the edge of the desk, she gave Kai her sultriest smile. “Lose the clothes, Kai.”

“As you wish.” Kai prowled toward her as his fingers worked at the buttons of his shirt. By the time he reached her, his clothes lay scattered behind him on the carpet.

Susana finished wriggling out of her panties, sat on the edge of the desk and pulled Kai into her arms. Her mouth devoured him, while her body squirmed, trying to get as close as possible.