Betrayal (37 page)

Georgia, United States

N
iko let Jenna lead him toward the tall iron gates that surrounded the grounds of the old Victorian mansion. The elegant gables and wide front porch were more suited for a bed and breakfast, but the electrified fence was all about security.

Niko didn’t want to know what secrets the CDC had been protecting on the property before they closed it down. The only things that mattered were that this was Rafe’s new home, and Niko was being kicked out.

He stopped and glanced over his shoulder. He hated leaving Rafe to the mercy of the SSU’s scientists. In order to cure him, they’d treat Rafe like a lab rat. Yeah, Niko knew his brother needed help, but Jesus, it killed him to return Rafe to a situation that would remind his brother of his time as Kaufmann’s prisoner. Niko wanted to be there to support Rafe, let him know he wasn’t alone.

But since Rafe continued to fly into a murderous rage every time he saw Niko, the psychiatrist had banned Niko’s visits. “We suspect Rafe’s been brainwashed to kill anyone from his previous life,” the man had told Niko. “In order to break that conditioning, we need him calm. Besides, his recovery is going to be difficult. He’s barely functioning at the intellectual level of a two-year-old. Do you really think your brother would want you as a witness to his weakness? Let him have his privacy. We’ll call you when it’s safe to return.”

Niko had nearly shoved the psychiatrist against the wall and dared the man to stop him from seeing Rafe. Logically, he got the message. But in his heart?

Hell, no. This was his baby brother. He’d done a piss poor job of protecting Rafe so far. He needed to help his brother through this. But in the end, Jenna had convinced him to give the psychiatrist a chance.

As he neared the gate to the property, Niko stared back at the house. He knew how it felt to look in the mirror and hate the man he saw staring back. He’d wanted to hide from his family when he’d come out from his first undercover assignment, knowing that the violence he’d done to keep his cover had taken him so close to the line between good and evil that some days he hadn’t known which side he stood on. But Rafe hadn’t let him hide. He’d been there, hovering just out of sight sometimes, but always letting Niko know of his support.

Niko wanted to return the favor.

Fuck. Leaving felt too much like abandonment. Maybe he should just march back inside and tell the doctors to go to hell.

“How’s your eye?” Jenna asked.

Niko shrugged. He’d gone in to say good-bye and Rafe had thrown another fit, snapping his restraints and attacking Niko. The discomfort from his black eye and other bruises would soon disappear. Not so the memory of his brother’s face.

Jesus, he’d seen men in drugged rages before, but he’d never seen anything like Rafe’s wild, single-minded destruction. For the first time, he wondered if Rafe was too far gone for help. “What if…they can’t cure him?”

Jenna put her arms around him. “They—”

“Mr. Andros!”

A woman in a white lab coat ran toward them across the grass. Her dark blonde bob swung sharply against her chin. She looked vaguely familiar.

She stopped in front of him. “Mr. Andros, I’m glad I caught you.”

“Has something happened to Rafe?” Niko demanded. Shit. He knew it. He should never have left Rafe alone.

“What? Oh…no. Your brother is still unconscious from the sedative they shot him with. The doctor is examining him. That’s not why I came.” Her eyes bounced away and she tugged down the sleeves of her coat. “I’m Dr. Gabrielle Montague. The—”

“You’re the one who worked at Kaufmann’s lab.”

She nodded. “I’m so sorry. I’m the one who gave your brother the layout of Kaufmann’s lab for his return mission. I never thought…I never would have…” Her fingers twisted and un-twisted her left jacket cuff.

Her eyes sought his, pleading for forgiveness. Hell, there was nothing to forgive. She’d done the right thing, giving the SSU the information to launch a second assault on the lab. “It’s not your fault. Rafe knew there was danger. It’s part of his job.”

Christ, that sounded lame. But it was true. Rafe hadn’t known he’d end up as a test subject, but without a doubt he would have led the attack even if he’d been forewarned. “The other subjects deserved to be rescued from Kaufmann’s torture. That’s why he went back. Rafe couldn’t turn his back on those men.”

Dr. Montague turned her head away, but not before Niko saw the tears welling in her eyes.

“I…your brother is a very special man. We…uh…grew close…before he…”

Jenna reached out and gave the woman a one-armed hug.

The gesture seemed to give Dr. Montague strength. She straightened her spine and looked Niko squarely in the eye. “I’m heading the team who will be treating him. I promise you this. I will not stop until he’s whole again.”

“Thank you.”

“And…I know it must seem wrong that you’re not allowed to be here. I’m not sure I agree with the philosophy, but that’s not my call. I just wanted to let you know that he won’t be alone. The agent who is retrieving the chip, Kai Paterson, he’s your brother’s friend, right?”

Niko nodded.

“He’ll be my co-leader when he returns. And…I think…I hope…Rafe will recognize me, too.” The last part was said so quietly, Niko knew she hadn’t really meant for him to hear it.

She plunged her hand into her coat pocket and pulled out a business card. “Here’s my cell phone number. Call me any time you have questions or just want an update.”

Knowing he had someone to keep him updated on Rafe eased Niko’s need to storm to his brother’s rescue. Between Kai and Dr. Montague, Rafe was in capable, compassionate hands. “Thanks. Promise me you’ll call if there’s any change at all.” He dug around in his own pockets, but he couldn’t find any business cards. Dammit, when he’d left home to chase after Rafe he hadn’t planned on networking.

“Here,” Jenna said. “This has both our cell phone numbers on it.”

Thank God for his organized wife.

Dr. Montague grabbed onto the card. “I swear, I’ll keep you updated.” She glanced at her watch. “I need to get back. Good-bye”

Niko watched her go. He remembered Rafe’s good spirits after his team had brought Dr. Montague to the SSU. At the time, he’d suspected Rafe of having an affair with the pretty doctor. Now he was certain. “What do you think?”

“I think Rafe made another conquest,” Jenna said with a smile. “She’s in love with him. She’ll fight harder for him than anyone else on the team except Kai.”

“Yeah.” And it went a long way toward easing his pain at having to leave his brother behind.

Thursday, Afternoon

Moscow, Russia

“Y
ou’re wanted in connection to the firebombing of Susana Dias’s archaeological dig in Brazil, and the death of SSU agent Enrique Gonzales,” Ryker told Mark across a secure phone connection. “Turn yourself in to me,” he continued. “Give me the name of the man behind Kaufmann’s lab and I’ll work to clear you of all charges.”

So Jamieson had cast him in the role of scapegoat, had he? Mark let his outrage simmer. He didn’t like being used. And he hadn’t intended for Jamieson to kill Gonzales, only to put him somewhere safe from the SSU. The man had provided a great deal of useful information to Mark over the years and helped undermine the SSU’s status in the private special operations community. He’d deserved better than having his throat cut and being dumped in a rough Moscow neighborhood.

“No,” he told Ryker. Mark stepped up to the window of the suite’s master bedroom, aware that the SSU agents in the other room blocked his escape. Ryker’s men had arrived at Ivanov’s compound just as the Russian security agents who’d accompanied Paterson had finished securing the place. One group of Ryker’s men had grabbed Susana and Paterson and rushed off to a medical center, while another group brought Mark to this hotel while the team decided what to do with him.

“It’s not safe—” Ryker started.

“I know. But if word gets out that I’m with the SSU, my boss will cover his trail. You’ll never get him.” On the streets down below, Muscovites went about their business, unaware that Mark was about to make the most important decision of his life.

He opened his palm and stared down at the tiny microchip. He’d taken it out of one of the machines in Ivanov’s lab while he’d waited for help to arrive. It looked enough like Nevsky’s chip to fool Jamieson.

He hoped.

“I have a decoy chip,” he told Ryker. “My boss doesn’t know Paterson swallowed the real chip. He’ll talk to me.”

“So?”

Mark closed his fingers over the chip. “You need more than just my word. Even if I tell you his name, it will take time for you to find evidence against him. I can get it for you.” He needed to do this.

He’d known when Jamieson approached him three years ago that Kerberos pushed the envelope of legality. He had no problem with that. Most of the rules pertaining to the intelligence community were put in place by frightened politicians who rode the latest liberal wave in order to avoid being defeated at the polls. As a result, the existing laws favored the criminals, despite repeated assurances to the contrary.

Mark had looked forward to working for a group that didn’t have to adhere to those laws. He’d spent his whole life bending the rules, even breaking them when it suited him and when no one could take action against him.

Molding the world to suit his needs.

He’d turned his head from some pretty nasty scenarios over the years. Been involved in a couple of situations that turned his stomach in order to get closer to the men who’d murdered his father. Made certain that the murderers died in as painful a way as possible.

He’d vowed to do anything Jamieson wanted to get the name of the man who’d ordered his father’s death, so he could complete the vengeance he’d promised as his father lay dying.

But the shock of what he’d seen at Ivanov’s lab still reverberated through him. Violence he understood, even approved of under the right conditions. At the core, however, he considered himself a civilized, erudite man. Human in the best sense of the word.

No matter what morally questionable acts he’d committed in his life, the people Mark dealt with always retained their biological integrity at the end.

He wouldn’t have called any of Ivanov’s subjects human.

He closed his eyes to fight back the rage and fear. He’d do whatever he needed to get deeply into Kerberos. Not just for the name of his father’s murderer, but because he’d discovered he still had a conscience left. A conscience that wouldn’t let him look the other way while men were turned into monsters against their will.

Thank God he’d always been paranoid. He had copies of tapes and correspondence with Jamieson tucked away in an untraceable Swiss bank vault. As soon as he was out of here, he’d send another set to his lawyer, to be released to the SSU in the case of his death.

“Let me go,” Mark said. “I have contacts here who will help me free a couple of Ivanov’s scientists from jail. I’ll take them back to my boss with the fake chip. With those kind of prizes in hand, he’ll let me deeper into his organization. I’ll be able to find proof to tie him to what happened to Andros.”

“If that’s what you want, then good luck,” Ryker said. “I’ll tell my men to leave you alone. Call me personally if you need help.”

“Thank you.”

Mark walked into the other room and handed the phone back to one of the agents. As he turned back to the bedroom, he shoved his trembling hands into his pants pockets.

He’d never been so scared. Or so excited.

He closed the bedroom door behind him. This was it. The ultimate game of deception. Was he good enough to fool Jamieson? To keep hidden the fact that he wanted more than just the name? That his conscience had been resurrected? He flicked a glance at his reflection in the mirror over the bureau. Cool brown eyes stared back at him from an expressionless face developed at a very young age.

Oh, yes, he was more than a match for Jamieson.

In fact, he was looking forward to it.

Sunday, Afternoon

United States Military Hospital, Germany

K
ai’s eyelids fluttered. The beeping of the life support monitors changed tone. Susana leaned forward and put her hand on his arm. Kai licked his lips and groaned.

“Kai? Love, it’s Susana. Can you hear me?” She traced her fingertip down his cheek. Kai had been in a coma for three agonizing days.

On the other side of the bed, Kai’s sister Jenna squeezed his hand. “Hey Kai, you awake? It’s Jenna.”

Along with Susana, Kai’s sister spent most of the day by his side. Yet Susana had studiously avoided talking to the woman, her usual outgoing nature crushed under a press of guilt. Because of Susana, Jenna had been kidnapped. Because of Susana, Kai fought for his life. Because of Susana’s father, Rafe had been turned into a raging beast.

Susana had never felt so defeated by guilt before, yet the one time she’d tried to apologize, Jenna had brushed her off. “It’s not your fault,” Jenna had said. “Stop blaming yourself. We don’t.”

Easier said than done, particularly when jealousy also started eating away at Susana’s confidence. The love Jenna had for her brother shone so brightly, and Susana knew how deeply Kai returned that love. Susana had never experienced unconditional love. Watching Jenna speak softly to Kai now, then brush his hair back off his face, Susana’s throat tightened up.

She wanted that kind of loving relationship with Kai with a ferocity that made her chest ache. Oh, she knew Kai liked her. And he definitely lusted after her. But she’d give anything to have Kai love her.

Right now, she’d settle for having his arms around her, but who knew how he’d respond to her once he woke up. Maybe what they’d shared had only been born of proximity and adrenaline.

Kai’s eyelids cracked open and Susana’s heart jumped into her throat. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly upward. “Jen…na…” He coughed. “Sus…san…na…” He sighed deeply, then closed his eyes again. But the tone of the monitor stayed upbeat.

Susana took that as a good omen. She brushed a kiss across his lips, then stood. She didn’t want Jenna to see the emotion on her face, so she walked over to the window.