CHAPTER 23

"You two know each other?" Christian asked, standing between the two men. He raised his voice to be heard over the waterfall. But Fuentes and the rest of Zharan's team drifted into a circle around them, insulating them from the white noise of tumbling water.

"All too well, I'm afraid," his father replied with a subtle shake of his head.

"Does my presence here truly surprise you, Nicholas?" The smug expression on Zharan's face added to the tension already mounting between them. "Did you really think I would back off and let an outsider take from my country?"

"What's he talking about?" Christian asked, shifting his gaze to Charboneau.

His father ignored his question, the corner of his lip curled into a sneer. He drilled Zharan with violet eyes teeming with contempt.

"It wasn't about an outsider taking anything that bothered you, Ricardo. You're not the kind of guy who likes being number two. You wanted it all. With you, it's all about greed and power."

"You looked down your nose at what I could bring to the table. And you never would have thought I had the stroke to pull this off, but here we are. You underestimated me."

"All you brought to the table was poor taste and unwarranted risk. You're the one behind this so-called med clinic with its illicit experiments."

Zharan grimaced. "You weren't moving fast enough to suit me. And I was beginning to question your real motives."

"And my kidnapping? That was you too."

Zharan looked at Fuentes with a sideways glance. His number one man grimaced in question. But no one looked more confused than Mario Araujo himself. His father had struck a chord, but Christian didn't know how to read it.
What the hell was going on?

"Let's just say I knew what might have happened," Zharan said. "I had only recently become aware of Araujo's activities in my role as chief of police."

"Oh, bullshit. You got Mario involved so you could blame the local natives. But why not just kill me from the start?"

Zharan tensed, then seemed relieved to be off the topic of the kidnapping and eager to change the subject.

"I'd face too many questions and the interest of your crime syndicate. I had to come up with a plausible reason that didn't land on my doorstep. Jasmine Lee was supposed to bear witness to it all and be the messenger when the time came for your Chicago business associates to hear the bad news of your demise. But she had to bring back help. And Christian Delacorte couldn't leave well enough alone. He had to spotlight the genetics lab and uncover the connection to Araujo. And as you can imagine, I had no interest in finding you alive. Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time before I had to step in and take care of things myself. I fed Delacorte just enough information to get him to trust me."

"So why the rescue? A pretty big operation," his father asked.

Zharan shrugged. "Who am I to deprive Mr. Delacorte and his cop lady friend of hope? I might have spared Ms. Mackenzie, but with her link to law enforcement back in the states, I couldn't risk it." The man shook his head and chuckled under his breath. "I'm not partial to loose ends, as you can see. Your man Delacorte was far too stubborn and determined. I was afraid of his connection to your business back in Chicago, so why not lead the lambs to slaughter by dangling a carrot? They came willingly. Captain Duarte, on the other hand, is a sly fox. He will be a challenge."

The chief cocked his head and waggled a finger at Charboneau. "You know, for someone so perceptive of human nature, it amazes me you never saw this coming, Nicholas." Zharan didn't hide his amusement. He had the upper hand and he knew it. "That ego of yours made you vulnerable. You thought you'd come to this sleepy little Brazilian town on the edge of the great Amazon rain forest and take charge with all your financial resources. Well, down here, you're on my turf. My country. Using my people. I only claimed what was rightfully mine to take."

Nicholas smiled without any real humor, a look of disdain forged in his eyes, and said, "You're right about one thing. I should've known better. Never trust a man you can bribe."

"What's going on?" Raven asked, coming off the trail and slipping next to him.

Zharan had played him. He even coyly listened while Christian pleaded his case to be taken on this raid.
Damn! What an idiot!
The bastard wanted that from the start, and Christian had made it way too easy. He'd gambled with his future to uncover the last piece to the puzzle of his past—and he just threw the dice and came up snake eyes—crapped out.

And now Raven would pay the price for his mistake.

"Glad you could join us, my dear. Now that we are all present and accounted for . . ." Zharan waved a hand to Fuentes. "Would you do the honors, Arturo?"

Fuentes grinned and pulled his gun, barking an order to his men. "Take off the body armor and search for weapons, then cuff them. Remove all forms of identification." When he fixed his gaze on Christian, he added, "You can see in the dark, my friend. But I bet you never saw this coming."

The detective laughed, a haunting abrasive sound. Christian wasn't likely to forget it.

"Base Camp, this is Rally One. Do you read?"

"Copy that, Rally One. Go ahead."

"Rally One requesting clearance for landing. We're about five klicks from your position. You copy?"

Rally One was the call sign for Detective Eduardo Silva's special ops team. Oscar Vasquez grimaced to his fellow officers and shook his head. Only seconds before, the com set had crackled to life. In the background of the transmission, Oscar heard the distinct sound of a helicopter rotor. The unexpected noise and the radio chatter jolted his brain like an electrical shock. He'd almost dozed off in the steamy heat of the jungle. Boring duty. The communication came on the radio frequency designated for the operation. And the call sign was legitimate.

Oscar had met the undercover cop Silva before and didn't care for him much. The
cabrão
was nothing but a bully, both on and off the force. But Oscar had a job to do.

"Stand by Rally One. Hold your position and wait for further orders. I repeat, hold your position. Do not advance until I give the order."

"Copy that, Base Camp."

Protocol was protocol. If Silva disregarded his authority, he might have to send a clear message. A kiss off the hull by a sniper round. The thought made him smile. This time, Oscar would be in charge, at least until he heard back from the chief.

Before he made the call, one of the helicopter pilots sitting nearest him asked, "Are we expecting another chopper?"

Oscar shrugged. "Not up to me to decide. I'm contacting the chief. Let him make the call."

In unison, they all nodded. They weren't paid enough to think.

"Base Camp to Team One. Come in, Team One." He waited for a moment, then repeated. "I say again, Base Camp to Team One. Do you read?"

Over the ridge to the east, Chief Zharan heard the call in his earpiece.

"Base Camp, this is Team One. Read you loud and clear. Go ahead."

His man at the extraction point informed him of the arrival of Detective Eduardo Silva via a third helicopter. He had expected the call. His plan was coming together.

"Affirmative, Base Camp. Rally One is approved to land. Do you read?"

"Will comply, Team One."

"Team One heading back to Base Camp." Looking at his watch, Zharan gave his best estimate for their arrival, then signed off. "Team One clear."

Christian sensed a change in the man's demeanor. "You have an uninvited guest at the clearing?"

"Not at all. Quite the contrary." Chief Zharan grinned at Christian and Charboneau. "A trusted ally and two very reluctant guests. You have not met my special ops man Eduardo Silva, but Bianca and Hector Salvador have. An unfortunate circumstance for them. And they have you to thank for that, Mr. Delacorte. The Macumba curse on your balcony was meant to point a finger at the native population, specifically Mario and his people. And it worked too. But you had to take it a step further. Involving a local Macumba vendor only meant another loose end for me. And today it will cost them dearly."

Mario Araujo jerked his head toward Zharan with a scowl. Christian noticed the man's reaction to the news. The native man opened his mouth to speak for the first time since his so-called arrest.

"I know Bianca Salvador and her nephew. What are you planning to do with them?"

"I believe in equal opportunity. An idealist like you, Mario, should appreciate the concept. What will happen to them will also befall each of you. I wouldn't want them to feel left out, so Silva has brought them here." The chief and Fuentes laughed, starting a chain reaction with the rest of the men.

Zharan walked in front of his prisoners, hands locked behind his back, glaring each one in the eye as he passed.

"Once we arrive at the extraction point, you will be forced to kneel before my men with your backs turned, hands bound behind you. No resistance. No escape. No hope left."

Nicholas rolled his eyes and cocked his head, a look of boredom on his face. Christian had no idea what was going through his father's head except a heavy dose of insolence. If this were his father's day to die, Charboneau would do it his way.

The chief ignored the insult and continued. "Two quick shots to the back of the head, execution style." He walked slowly before each one. Cocking his hand like a gun, he imitated the action, as if they needed help to imagine it. "My men will not sweat over digging a shallow mass grave in this heat. No one will discover your bodies out here. In days, exposed to the elements and the animals of the Amazon jungle, there will be nothing left to find."

He stopped directly in front of Charboneau, grinning. His father glared back, losing none of his attitude, but that didn't stop Zharan.

"Shortly, you will mean nothing more than a full belly for some jaguar or puma after they rip the meat off your bones and devour your entrails, their muzzles red with your blood. Nothing will go to waste, I understand."

Hands in front with wrists cuffed together, Christian stood next to Raven, his gut twisted with guilt. An overwhelming rush of powerlessness swept through him, compounding his agony. One of Fuentes's men had searched him and confiscated not only his Glock 19, but also his Marine Corps Ka-Bar knife and his backup gun, a .357 short-barreled revolver he had in an ankle holster strapped to his leg. The man also took away his international cell phone.

Bad enough to be stripped of his weapons, but now Raven would be searched and Fuentes took over, knowing what it would do to Christian. The bastard took his time. From the corner of his eye, Fuentes toyed with his reaction.

His father watched from a distance. In a subtle move, he shook his head to get him to cool down, but that only fanned the flames of Christian's anger. He wouldn't stand for this, not with Raven.

"Get your hands off her."

"Christian, please. Don't." Raven tried to intervene, more for his sake than her own. "I can handle it."

"Yes. Listen to your woman, Christian." Fuentes grinned and flashed a wink at him. "Besides, maybe she wants to handle what I've got. Or perhaps one man isn't enough for her."

The men around Fuentes laughed, a low guttural sound that quickly died when their eyes trailed down her body like unwanted fingers. Hiding her terror, Raven glared at the detective, but defiance didn't stop him.

She gritted her teeth when the cop plunged a filthy hand down her shirt, manhandling her left breast. With his other hand, he squeezed her ass, letting his fingers probe deep between her legs. Raven held herself rigid, but there was nothing she could do. The rest of the men closed in, some licking their lips with eyes following every move Fuentes made. Any minute, Christian would lose it. Raven saw it in his eyes. And if he did, Fuentes would not hesitate to kill him here and now.

Fire raged in Christian's eyes. His fear for her had taken over. Christian knew everything could change in a heartbeat. One spark. One nod from Zharan and these men could pounce on Raven and take what they wanted. And he could do nothing to stop them. His heart pumped rapid fire in his chest. He gasped for air as if he was drowning.

When he took a step toward the bastard, Zharan's men grabbed his arms and held him in place. He jerked and tried to break free, but more men grappled him into submission. Finally, a beefy guy emerged from the rabble and punched him hard in the stomach. Once. Twice. Three times. It got his attention.

Fuentes smiled at Christian, doubled over in pain. Then the man looked down at Raven and rubbed her body harder, undeterred. She fought the degradation and the pain, trying not to show how much it hurt.

"I'm gonna bring you down, Fuentes." The words were out of Christian's mouth before he realized he'd said them. The voice of the predator. "Some way ... somehow. I'm gonna take you out."

"You threatening me, Delacorte?"

The dirty cop laughed again, but didn't stop abusing Raven. He held her against his chest, an arm around her throat. In crude fashion, Fuentes ground his pelvis into her backside, giving Christian a tormenting preview of what would happen. Christian charged the bastard, nearly toppling the men holding him back.

"You talk big when you've got me handcuffed with men holding me down. Come over here and bring it, you coward."

From across the clearing, Nicholas Charboneau had watched the whole exchange and finally had enough. When he burst out laughing, all heads turned.

"No, that's not a threat, you ignorant jerk." Directing his comment at Fuentes, his father grinned and shook his head. "I'd say that sounded like a promise worth keeping." Then he shrugged and cocked his head. "Ricardo? Who's in charge here? You're gonna kill us anyway. Do you have to subject us to this damned Brazilian soap opera? Really, man. I know it's hard, but show some class."

Christian did a double take, unsure whose side his father was on. But when Zharan waved Fuentes off, Christian knew his father had done the right thing.

"Get off her, Arturo," the chief ordered, waving a hand for another man to resume the search for weapons and identification. "Be patient. If things go as planned, you and your men will get your chance with her. And you can make him watch." Zharan pointed at Christian. "In the meantime, follow orders and finish up. We pull out in five minutes."