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“That is why,” Nik said wearily, rubbing his face, “that the CIA wants to capture Korsak and take him to the US. He had very strong ties with Alexandrov, Petrov and now, Pavlovich. The CIA knows he has a lot of information that can help them because they were all together as Spetsnaz soldiers or officers. That’s why those three Army Special Forces three-man hunter-killer teams are hanging around this area. Pavlovich is a treasure chest just waiting to be opened.”
She wiped her mouth and gave Nik a concerned look. “I wasn’t briefed on the larger picture.”
He snorted. “I’m sure you weren’t. This is need-to-know basis only, Daria. But you need to know, and I don’t give a damn what your CIA or Jack Driscoll at Shield Security thinks about it. I’m not leaving you in the lurch. You need to understand the commitment Russia has to South America. To them, it is a lush continent with third world countries that are hungry for money, power and opportunity. Russia is slowly infiltrating all of them. They have control of Venezuela. They are at war in Columbia through local militias who want a piece of the drug cartels, and the child sex trade, also.”
“And now they have five ex-Spetsnaz teams operating here in Peru.”
“Yes, all in this region.” He gestured around with his hand. “This is the cradle of the cocaine-growing area. That, and the area the north of us. And that’s why the new Russian Mafia leader, Rolan Pavolvich, is getting up to speed to learn everything he can about the operations down here. He was elevated to that position, I believe, by the Russian government, although I can’t prove it, after Yerik Alexandrov was killed.”
Daria gave him a dark look. “It was Sergeant Mace Kilmer who killed that sick bastard,” she whispered harshly. “He kidnapped Cal’s fiancée, Sky Lambert, and Shield Security created a mission and went and tracked him down in South America, to northern Costa Rica, to rescue her. She was pregnant with Cal’s child at the time, Nik. He worked for Shield when it happened.”
Drawing air between his teeth, Nik rasped, “That is tragic. Is she okay? Was the baby miscarried?”
“No, thank goodness. It had a happy ending. Someday I hope you can meet Cal and Sky. They live in a cabin just outside Alexandria, Virginia. Cal is home for good. He’s a father and husband now. He is one of the mission planners at Shield.”
“He’s a brave man going into the lion’s den of Alexandrov’s drug world,” Nik said.
“Cal didn’t have a choice. I’d have gone on that op if my fiancée had been kidnapped, too.”
Nik sat back on the couch, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I need to think this through. I can’t make rash decisions based upon my emotions, Daria. I want to stay with you tonight, more than anything.” He dropped his hand, reaching out, stroking her left thigh lightly. “You know that?”
“Yes, I know that.” She swallowed hard. “But something is going to happen tonight, Nik, and we don’t know what it is? Is that what you’re sensing?”
“It could be ammo or weapons shipments coming in by train, is all.”
“My gut says it’s more than that. Doesn’t yours?” and she dug into his hooded stare.
“Unfortunately, you are right,moya kotya.”
“Could you be receiving a new member to your team?”
“Korsak likes what we have. The men are healthy. They do their job. I see no reason for a replacement or addition to the team right now.”
“What if he’s getting rid of you?” Daria saw the shock come to his eyes and his mouth tighten. “Wouldn’t that explain the secretiveness of Fedor’s comment? If they had a combat medic coming in to replace you—”
“Then,” he said thickly, his voice lined with steel, “it would mean that Korsak is going to get rid of me in the jungle. He’ll find a time and place to shoot me in the head, leave my body where it lays, and let the local jaguar find it and carry it off.”
Daria shivered, wrapping her arms around herself, staring blankly at him. “Wouldn’t he just say you’re fired and let you walk away?”
Grimacing, Nik said, “I know too much. They’d never let me walk away, Daria.” He saw something raw, something startling, come to her eyes. He felt her reaction and it rocked him. What was going on between them? There was a sense of shattering terror washing across him from Daria. And something else that he dared not ever hope for: a feeling of love. It was there in her eyes, in her facial expression, unspoken, but damn, it wasthere.
Nik sat very still, digesting what he felt and saw. Was it possible he was misreading Daria? Oh, yes, because he wanted her so very damn much? The glistening look in her eyes, the worry, terror and fear for him, were overriding. He watched her as she fought the tears that suddenly threatened to jam into her eyes and as she swallowed convulsively several times before winning the battle. His heart beat harder in his chest, and the love he felt for her tripled in those stolen, silent moments as they stared at one another.
Not only was he falling in love with Daria. Wasshefalling in love with him? Was that possible? It was the wrong time.
CHAPTER 12
Aloud, harshbanging at the door made Daria tense up. Instantly, Nik was on his feet, his gaze focused on the door.
“Stay where you are,” he said to Daria under his breath. Moving over to the door quickly, he opened it.
“Korsak wants you now,” Brudin snarled. He made a quick, cutting gesture with his hand.
Nik nodded. He turned and gave Daria a meaningful glance as he went for his medical ruck. “I’ll see you later.” Something was very wrong. The blackness in Brudin’s eyes made him go on full internal guard. He saw the look of terror in Daria’s eyes as he held out his spread hand, indicating for her to remain on the couch. Under no circumstance did he want to give Brudin any choice of action from her even starting to stand up or say something. The Russian would lose it. Nik saw her quickly nod, her eyes growing hard as she stared at the door. She couldn’t see Brudin standing on the porch from her angle and he was glad. He didn’t want the bastard anywhere near her.
Moving out the door, Nik shut it behind him. He heard the last train of the day pulling into the station beyond the town, its whistle blowing sharply, announcing its arrival. Brudin glared at him.
“Korsak wants us all at the train station,” he growled, dashing down the stairs quickly. “Right now!”
