Wolfsbane (20 page)

Hand on his shoulder, Max forced Canyon to face him. “Do I need to know something?”

Too many variables. Too much involved.

“Attention on deck,” Legend’s voice boomed as he nodded toward the main bay.

Saved by the arrival of a visitor, Canyon slipped to the rear of the room.

Through the sea of black-clad bodies, he spotted a black Chrysler 300 gliding through the doors. It rolled to a stop at the four-foot bank that boasted stairs with no handrails. The Old Man emerged.

“He’s my godfather.”
Roark’s words the night she cut her arm roared through his head. What kind of godfather would send his goddaughter into the gaping maw of a communist jungle laden with rebels?

The kind of godfather with an elite team of warriors at his disposal.

Shadows scampered from one corner to another as Dani climbed the concrete steps into the warehouse. Grimy windows. Dilapidated. Broken windows high up. The building had all the earmarks of disuse. Until she passed through the first door. Night and day difference. Back there, dust and abandonment. In here, clean and remodeled. A consecutive series of walled-off areas defined the cavernous space into distinct rooms. To the left, bags and gear piled high in the middle of the room. Immediately to the right, the wall curved around and opened, revealing a brown leather couch—torn and well used—and a three-legged table with a stack of books serving as the missing fourth leg.

In the semidarkened room, shadows wavered. A lone, tinkling light dangled over a table around which several men huddled. Seven, in her quick appraisal.

Dressed head to toe in black tactical gear, the group seemed to tighten as the general guided her into their sanctum. Pockets protruded from the legs, ubiquitous bulges hinted at the weapons they carried, and thick chests bore testament to armored vests—most likely Interceptors. But the vests had nothing on the bulky bodies stretching T-shirts and filling jackets. Grit and determination had been gouged into these men through one method—experience.

Despite the temptation to relax, to believe she’d be safe with these men, Dani held her ground. She’d had no fear with the last team either.

“Gentlemen,” the general said. “This is Danielle Roark, your primary objective.”

Objective
. It sounded so sanitized, and she knew the reason behind the term—to make it easier for the men to do their jobs and not get attached to the objective—
me
.

The general’s stoic mask remained in place. “You are charged with Danielle’s protection. If anything happens to her, you will answer to me.” For a minute, he seemed to falter but then he looked at her. “I trust these men with my life. You can, too.”

Dani bounced her attention from man to man. With their proximity to one another, she couldn’t see the two at the back. All the same, the men here bespoke a powerful confidence.

“For security reasons,” Lambert said, “we’ll use call signs only. In the front, there’s the team leader, Frogman.”

Dark eyes matched the black clothes of the man who gave a curt nod. “In and out. We’ll have you back before you know it.”

Though she tried to smile, it fell from her lips. Nice sentiments. She’d heard them before.

“Don’t let the big guys scare you,” the general continued. “The one on the right is Cowboy.”

He tipped a black baseball cap. “Ma’am.”

“Next to him is Legend.”

A nod.

“There you have Squirt and the Kid.” Lambert pointed to the side where one from the back eased around the broad shoulders of Legend. “Then there’s—”

“Aladdin.” A smile made it into her lips this time. “How could I forget?” The playful tone haunted her words with memories of the surf lesson with Canyon.

Soulful eyes twinkled. “I am never going to live that down.”

“Maybe it’s the magic you work.”

Aladdin laughed. “I knew I liked you.”

“And of course,” Lambert said, “you already know the last team member.”

Blue eyes blazed, stuffing her heart into her throat as the last man stepped into view. “Canyon?” In the lighting, his sandy blond hair almost looked brown. Was it really him? Her gaze trailed over his body—the tactical gear only emphasized his muscular yet lean build. The look added an aura of intrigue and intensity to his already mysterious persona. Clearly he was a part of this team, but he’d never spoken of it.
Business trips
. He’d taken one not too long ago. Was it really a mission?

A curt nod. “Roark.”

The formality and distance in his greeting shoved her heart back down, past her chest, and into her stomach as she relived the night he’d kissed her, the night he’d murmured his brother’s name, then pealed into the night.

Legend took her duffel. “I’ll take care of this for you.”

She glanced over her shoulder as he headed to the other bay and flung it into the pile before returning. “Thank you.”

“… a problem. What am I missing?”

The terse question drew her round. Frogman had Canyon pinned in a corner. Toe to toe the two were the same height, same build. But Frogman exuded a ferocity that made Canyon look like a lamb. Beside her, the general talked with a couple of the other men, and although she feigned interest in that conversation, her ears were trained on the one in the corner.

“I said it’s not a problem.” Canyon scowled at Frogman.

“What I’m seeing says different.”

“What you see and what’s real—”

Frogman leaned in. Said something hissed and angry.

Fire lit through Canyon’s expression.

More heated words.

Two-handed, Canyon shoved him back. “Step off!”

With speed that frightened her, Frogman grabbed Canyon’s shirt and hauled him up against the wall, his forearm pressing into Canyon’s throat.

Silence dropped like an anchor on the room.

Dani started forward, but an arm flashed into view and held her back. She frowned at the general. Disconcerted, she could do nothing but watch. Conversations died. Movement ceased as all eyes pinned on the confrontation.

“At the first sign …” Frogman’s voice carried low and menacing, his face pushed up against Canyon’s. What he said next got lost in her whooshing pulse and his guttural words.

Face red and bulging against the air deprivation, Canyon struggled. Planted a hand against Frogman’s elbow, trying to dislodge the pressure.

“Got it?” Frogman asked through clenched teeth.

A strained “yes” carried through the deadly quiet.

With a grunt, Frogman released Canyon and stood there, shoulders rising and falling under labored breaths.
“Don’t
make me do that again.” He turned.

Dani recoiled at the ticked-off expression. His dark eyes tracked over those watching, then he headed through an open doorway. The sound of his boots thudding as he stormed down the hall was soon severed by a slamming door.

Whatever just happened, it’d brought an icy blanket of dread. She dared not move. The others, gazes locked on the floor, said nothing. But she couldn’t tear her eyes from the man slumped, holding his knees. Canyon. He looked broken, furious … and something else she couldn’t figure out.

He stretched and rubbed his reddened neck. When he pushed himself upright, his gaze lingered on the floor. For several seconds he stood there without moving or talking. Then he strode toward them, a scowl gouged into his handsome face.

The men stepped aside, the sea of bodies parting to allow him exit. He stalked down the open corridor toward a steel door with a lone lightbulb flickering overhead.

Pangs shot through Dani. Why did Frogman do that—and Canyon yield? Was the mission already in jeopardy? “Where’s he going? What does that mean?”

“Showers.” Legend sauntered out of the room.

“It means we’re a team and hold each other accountable.” Cowboy soon followed.

Accountable? Accountable for what? Did this mean Frogman didn’t like her? She glanced to the general.

He cupped her elbow and gave a light squeeze. “They’ve worked together for more than two years, dozens of missions.” The smile he offered didn’t fool anyone. “It’ll be okay.”

She should leave. Right now. Being locked up in a federal pen was better than being captured or killed in Venezuela, and if this team was divided, she wasn’t going anywhere with them.

Then again, there was the death penalty …

“They are
the
best, Danielle.” He touched her arm and a sorrowful smile clouded his normally vibrant eyes.

“How do you know?” she whispered. “After what I just saw—”

“I can’t tell you more. Just know that these men will put their lives on the line to carry out this mission.” Were there tears in his eyes? “I wouldn’t entrust you to anyone else.”

The vehemence in his words pushed her back. His comment seemed out of place … odd. But then she remembered the promise he’d made to her mother.

A presence loomed over her. Dani glanced to the side and jumped, yelped.

Legend hovered, his milk-chocolate skin practically glowing under the amber light.

Beside him stood Cowboy who pushed his ball cap off his forehead and winked at her. “Don’t let them worry you none. Frogman might be hotheaded sometimes, but he knows what he’s doing.”

“That include roughing up his own men?”

Cowboy grinned, a dimple peeking at her. “Reckon Midas needed it.”

“We all do at one point or another.” The deep bass voice echoed Legend’s large size. “Tell you what,” he said as he tugged out a metal chair. “Why don’t you sit here and show us on the map what you know.”

Tucking a strand behind her ear, Dani nodded, grateful for the shift in focus. “Okay.” Seated, she let her gaze skip across the gridded map. “The entry point is here.”

“There’s no door,” Cowboy said.

“I know. But it’s there.”

Legend spread satellite photos in front of her, along with some images that looked as if they’d been taken by hand. “Show me the door.”

And yet, she couldn’t. Brick. Uniform. No breaks or cracks. But no door. “I don’t understand.” Her stomach knotted. “It’s there. I know it is.” It had to be. “Once I was on the ground level, they blindfolded me and led me through the—” Her gaze hit an empty lot beside the building. She pointed to it. “There—I thought … a parking garage. I remember the hollow sounds of the cement walls and ceilings. Cars …” She cradled her head. “This doesn’t make any sense.” Was she losing her mind?

Aladdin scooped up all the images and the map. He tossed aside the pictures but swirled the map to face him. “Close your eyes.”

Dani looked around, confused. Concerned.

“Go on. I have an idea.” His smooth words calmed her.

With a sigh, she obeyed.

“Tell me what you remember. Try to remember number of steps, stairs, floors, sounds, feelings, smells—anything.”

Dani took a breath and blew it out as she honed her focus. “Okay, once on the ground floor, we exited the elevator and went left. Through one set of doors—secured with a side-panel control. I remember the sound of the plastic swiping and the beep before a lock disengaged.” What next? She bit her lower lip. “One more secured door, and then we walked down a ramp, it’s really damp smelling. I guess it was—”

“No, no guessing. Just keep going.”

She nodded. “Down the ramp, then a door—without a secure code box. It smells normal in here. Nothing special, but a bit windy. But then the ground is different, cement, I guess. This is the garage. We walk about twenty yards, then climb a set of stairs. Up, probably a dozen steps, then the landing to the right and up a dozen more steps. Then … two feet or so to a door. No code box. And we walk thirty paces or so and get in a car.” Dani opened her eyes, expecting to find the men looking at her. Instead, their gazes were fixed on the paper that Aladdin was drawing on.

Aladdin stood, flipped the pages over, ripe with the stench of a permanent marker, and laid them out.

“Son of a batch of cookies,” the Kid muttered.

“The entrance isn’t at the building,” Aladdin said. “It’s right here, two buildings down. There’s a parking garage.” His green eyes met Dani’s. “They took you underground.”

Sitting on the bench in the locker room, Canyon stared at the wadded-up socks in his hands. Humiliation clung to him like body odor. Max had seen straight through the tough facade he’d tried to conjure up when Lambert singled him out.