Vengeance (SSU Trilogy Book 1) (15 page)

“Yes,” she said. “I have a dog back at the SSU compound. Monroe. A golden retriever. And we had a golden growing up. Molly. She loved people, but was protective and a barker until she got to know you. If she…” Her mouth flattened and she lowered her eyes. Callie rolled over onto her back and nudged Jenna’s hand. With a sad shrug, Jenna rubbed Callie’s belly.

Niko waited for Jenna to pull her thoughts together. When she didn’t continue, he prodded, “I thought they found a dog’s body in the driveway after the attack.”

Jenna nodded. “That was Jimmy D, our neighbor’s pit bull. He…saved my life that night.” Her eyes grew dark with emotion.

Niko held his breath, willing her to go on, even though hearing about the attack in her own words was going to hurt.

“Mama told me to run just before she died. She’d fought so hard, my attacker had reached over to help subdue her. I took advantage of his distraction, slid free from underneath him, and ran.”

Jenna’s hands clenched on her thighs. Since the petting had stopped, Callie flopped onto her belly and laid her head in Jenna’s lap, her eyes begging for attention. Jenna stroked Callie’s ears a moment, then continued, “But I only got as far as the back door before one of the men caught me. He shoved me and I fell down the porch stairs.”

Jesus. That’s why she’d been found outside while the others were inside. He’d seen the photos of the house. The back porch had six steep wooden stairs leading down to a concrete walk. According to her file, the fall had broken her back and caused swelling that resulted in months of paralysis.

“The man pinned me down and…” her voice broke and Niko felt a pain in his chest.

“And…he…started to scalp me.” Jenna’s hand trembled. Callie whined and nudged Jenna with her nose. But Jenna was too lost in her memories to notice.

“Jimmy D attacked, knocking the man off me. But the man got his hands around Jimmy D and broke his neck.” Jenna fingered the worn leather bracelet on her left wrist.

Even across the room, Niko saw the way her fingers trembled. His hands clenched into fists. God, he wished he could go back and protect both dog and woman.

“The other man yelled from inside that he heard sirens, so my attacker yanked my head back and slit my throat.”

Niko bit back a curse. “Your bracelet…that’s from the necklace that stopped the knife?” She was damn lucky to be alive. The report said the blade snagged on one of the stone beads, preventing the cut from reaching killing depth.

Jenna nodded as she stroked Callie’s head, her eyes lowered. Which was probably for the best. He expected the sympathy she’d see in his face would piss her off.

But
Madre de Dios
, hearing her tell the story with that hint of repressed sorrow and pain was like taking a punch to the gut. He’d witnessed a lot of violence in his life, but the photos of what had been done to her family still made him sick.

He wished there were some words of comfort he could give her, but knew nothing could compensate for what she’d suffered. What she’d lost.

And if she continued to search for her brother, she could end up in a whole lot more hurt. Not just from Alvarez. No one knew Paterson’s attitude toward Jenna. If he’d actually been part of the team that killed their family, what was to say he wouldn’t try to kill his sister?

Did Jenna really have the heart to fight back against her brother?

Remembering the sunny, laughing girl from the pre-attack photos, Niko didn’t believe for a second she’d react fast enough to protect herself from her brother. Which meant Niko had to convince her to give up and leave the search to him.

#

Half an hour later, watching Jenna finish the last bite of quiche his housekeeper had left warming for her, Niko knew he was in trouble. He’d never guessed watching a woman eat could turn him on. But damn if he wasn’t semi-hard.

Jenna’s mouth was the only part of her that wasn’t sparse. The unpainted, full curves of her lips mesmerized him. Made his mind go in directions he couldn’t afford to think about, let alone put into practice.

He stared at the apple core in his hand. He’d picked the thing up as a way to direct his thoughts away from the erotic sight of the fork passing into Jenna’s mouth. Instead, each time he’d bit into the apple he’d thought about nibbling on her plump bottom lip. Or on the perfect “m” of her upper lip.

All that was left of the apple was the very core. He’d stripped it of every edible piece of flesh. Disgusted, he stood up and tossed the core in the trash. “Come on. I’ll give you a tour.”

Yeah, a tour would be good. It would force him to walk in front of her. Nothing erotic about that, was there?

Wrong. After just a few steps his back tingled. He swore he could feel her eyes running up his spine, leaving heat in their wake.

Stop dreaming.

He’d stared at her a little too long in the kitchen, but Jenna hadn’t acknowledged his obvious attraction. Thank God.

If he wasn’t careful, he was going to scare her. He’d met too many women in Afghanistan who’d been raped as a part of war. Some of them never regained comfort around men. Never reclaimed their sexuality. Jenna deserved better than that, and he wasn’t going to send her into a panic attack by letting her see how badly he wanted her.

Jenna wasn’t afraid of him. He should be satisfied with that.

Instead, he wanted her to look up at him grinning with delight. Brimming with life like the girl in the pre-attack photos. Sharing her vitality and her sexuality. With him.

Cut it out, asshole. She doesn’t need that from you. Besides, Aunt Madalena is what matters.

He felt a familiar tightness in his chest. None of his contacts had been able to determine where Alvarez was holding his aunt. The bastard was completely off the radar.

God. Niko rubbed the scar on his biceps. He hated doing nothing, knowing Alvarez was using Aunt Madalena in his sick games.

The minute he found out where she was, the
second
he figured out a rescue plan that didn’t require Paterson or the chip, he was out of here.

Without Jenna.

#

Saturday, Evening

Andes Mountains, Peru

“
Jefe, lo siento. Por favor…clemencia …
” Jago Salazar’s face was an unrecognizable pulp of blood and torn flesh, his words barely intelligible as they passed through his split, swollen lips.

Alvarez spat, the wad landing on Salazar’s forehead and running into his eyes. “You lied to me. I asked you why you hadn’t brought back a hostage and you told me everyone had died. But Jenna Paterson survived.”

“
Pero, jefe
…It’s not my fault. Bernardo and Efrain thought the other was keeping a living hostage…Bernardo cut the girl’s throat without checking if it was okay…I thought she was dead…
la policia
were coming.”

“The time for excuses is past. Do not tell me that taking thirty seconds to verify Bernardo’s kill would have landed you in jail. I put you in charge of the hit because I trusted you to see it done right!” Alvarez slammed the whip handle into Salazar’s battered cheek, smiling at the man’s cry of pain.

“You ran away like a dog with a tail between its legs. So you will die with the dogs.” Alvarez beckoned with his index finger. The two men standing behind Salazar grabbed his arms and lifted his battered body off the marble terrace.

The man screamed, a combination of terror and agony that ricocheted off the white walls of the mansion, brushed past the men assembled on the wide terrace, and disappeared across the lawn.

“This is what happens to men who fail to follow orders and then lie about it.” Alvarez paced beside the men carrying his former employee. He kept his face serene to impress them with his control. Inside, his anger was a serpent eating away at his heart. Jago had been with him from the beginning. One of the few men he called friend. His betrayal cut deep.

Yet it made punishing Jago even more important, for it showed the other men that he didn’t play favorites. And it reminded them of the consequences should they lie to him.

To their left, a wire enclosure stretched up from the ground, ending about three feet below the terrace. Scenting blood, the dogs inside snarled and leapt, trying to reach the men.

“
Jefe
, no!” Salazar screamed. “It was long ago. Haven’t I proven my loyalty since then?”

At Alvarez’s nod, his men tossed Salazar to the dogs.

Alvarez watched the hounds tear into Jago’s body, trying to guess which tender portions the dogs would eat first. He listened to the wet, sucking sounds of flesh tearing and licked his lips. The scent of feces rose from the enclosure, mingling with the coppery smell of blood, but even such a foul odor failed to diminish the pleasure coursing through him. He felt gloriously alive. And heavily aroused.

He stood at the edge of the terrace until all that was left were bones and chunks of meat no longer recognizably human.

His men stood farther back on the terrace, too afraid to leave, but scared to come any closer in case he suddenly decided the dogs needed a second victim.

Good.

Examples were so much better at maintaining discipline than words, and it was important that his men see he’d lost none of his power while in prison. He let a satisfied smile dance across his lips as he returned to his table and his interrupted dinner. He lifted his wineglass, sniffed deeply to clear his nose of the scent of death, and took a long swallow.

Perfect.

He eyed the shaking man standing in front of him. “You will find Kai Paterson’s sister and you will bring her to me, understood?”

Pedro Delgado nodded.

“Good. I would hate to lose you as I lost Jago.” Alvarez handed the man a manila file.

“I will locate her,
jefe
. What about the brother?”

“No longer your responsibility. I’ve assigned another team to find him.”

As the man walked away, Alvarez rang for Madalena.

#

Saturday, Evening

Rocky Mountains, Montana

“There is apple pie warming in the oven,” Danuta, Niko’s housekeeper said as she slipped on her coat. “I will be making waffles in the morning.”

“Thanks, Danuta.”

Danuta kissed Niko on the cheek, smiled at Jenna, then let herself out the back door. A gust of chilly air swirled into the kitchen, and Jenna shivered.

The lingering smile on Niko’s face caused something dark to spiral through her system. Jenna frowned, trying to identify the emotion and why Danuta triggered it.

She liked the serene young woman and her mischievous husband, Yousef. According to Niko, Yousef’s family had played host to Niko while he was undercover. After their village in Afghanistan was destroyed, killing the rest of their family, the couple had decided to accompany Niko to Montana.

The couple now lived in a cozy cottage at the edge of Niko’s property. In addition to keeping house for Niko, Danuta had an online business selling Afghan arts and crafts, and Yousef served as Niko’s groundskeeper and hawk master.

Niko treated the couple as family. His eyes softened and his voice warmed when he spoke to them. Even when Niko was at his friendliest with Jenna, he never displayed those signs of deep affection.

Oh, God. I’m jealous.

She blinked as her world tilted. She had no business being jealous of the affection Niko showed Danuta and Yousef. Jealousy implied emotion and she didn’t do emotion. So what if Niko had protected and tended to her? If he’d opened his home to her? If his combination of strength and gentleness intrigued her? She didn’t want ties to other people, ties that could hurt her.

Yet, for the first time in over a year she felt a hint of loneliness. She didn’t have friends. Within two days of her arrival at the hospital, Ryker put word out that she’d died in the attack, cutting her off from the friends and distant relatives who could have helped her through her ordeal.

She understood Ryker had only been protecting her, but he’d also cut her off from the emotional support she’d desperately needed in those first days of recovery. By the time she’d left the hospital months later, she’d become so used to coping on her own, and was so focused on preparing herself for vengeance, she didn’t have either the ability or the inclination to make friends.

Now here she was, jealous of the warm friendship Danuta and Yousef shared with Niko. Wishing he’d smile at her with that extra warmth.

See, this is what happens when I have too much time on my hands. I start feeling sorry for myself.

Niko dumped a plate in front of her with a piece of apple pie big enough to feed a family of five, then scooped a huge mound of vanilla ice cream on top. “Uh, Niko? Is this your way of saying I need to gain weight? I can’t eat all that!”

Niko’s eyes held a hint of teasing, but his cell phone rang before he could reply. He turned to put the ice cream back in the freezer as he answered.

“Andros…Yeah. Great. Do me a favor. Call me back in five.” Niko pocketed his phone.

“Make yourself at home,” he told Jenna. “I’ve got to take this call.”

Then he was gone, striding down the hallway toward his office.

And Jenna’s loneliness returned threefold.

Dammit.

Jenna stabbed her fork into the pie. What the hell was happening to her? Grief. Loneliness. Why were her emotions breaking free now, when she needed her head clear to go after Kai?

That’s right. Focus on Kai. Forget yourself.

With each bite, Jenna felt her control slip back into place.

A gleeful yip warned her mere seconds before the dogs barreled into the kitchen. One of the Afghan hounds slid on the throw rug covering the polished floor and crashed into Jenna’s legs. Her arm swung out for balance and knocked the plate to the floor.

Callie dove on the pie and grabbed a piece of apple between her teeth before Jenna could stop her. Jenna reached down, trying to separate dog from dessert, but she overbalanced and fell onto the floor.

Now that she was at their level, the dogs decided to include her in their play. Jenna became the center of a nipping, growling, tugging pile of fur and teeth.