Jungle Inferno

by Desiree Holt

  Faith’s heartbeat speeded up. “Can you give me some idea of what you’ve got?”

  “I’d rather wait until you’re here. I tried—”

  “Hold on a sec. My call waiting just beeped.” Faith pressed the Talk button to connect to the incoming call.

  “Okay, Faith.” Trey Winslow was his unctuous self. “You’ve got your appointment with Major Gregorio. Tomorrow.” He gave her the time. “Can you get there by then?”

  A tiny shiver of excitement rippled through her. “He agreed to meet with me?”

  “Not very happily. I had to go over his head to get it done. But I don’t think you’ll get much out of him.”

  That’s what you think.

  “I’ll be grateful for anything he gives me. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.”

  “Let me know how it goes. And of course, I want one of the first copies of the book.” The artificial laugh drifted over the airwaves.

  “Of course. I’ll deliver it myself.” She disconnected and was back with Tia. “Listen, I have to find a flight to North Carolina.”

  “What? Faith, I—”

  “I promise to call you later. And to try to get home tonight. Gotta run.”

  Dodging Tia would take some broken field running. Was it time to let her in on things? No. Tia had no idea of Faith’s psychic abilities. Faith didn’t know how open the woman was to them and if the revelation would damage her credibility. No time to think about that now. She could worry about it when she was finally headed home.

  She managed to snag a seat on a flight to Raleigh-Durham leaving in two hours. Hustling, she packed her few things, checked out and was in a cab headed to the airport in thirty minutes, planning a full frontal assault on Major John Gregorio.

  * * * * *

  The cabin had two bedrooms. They set Joey up in the larger one. They’d take turns in the other one, since only one or two of them at a time would be sleeping. Rick helped Troy get his brother settled, then pulled up a chair next to the bed and dropped into it.

  “He’s still knocked out from the shot I gave him,” Troy pointed out.

  “I don’t care. I’ll just be here when he wakes up again.” His jaw was set in a stubborn line.

  Troy was in and out throughout the night checking on Joey’s vitals, careful not to disturb Rick who dozed restlessly in the chair. When he saw the sleep the younger man had fallen into was a natural one and his vitals were stable, he disconnected all the monitors, leaving only the IV that pumped vital antibiotics and narcotics into his system.

  He examined the incisions where the doctors had removed the bullets from his leg and shoulder. Neither wound had done serious damage, fortunately. The coma had been due mostly to shock and loss of blood and the trauma of the surgery. Troy made sure to give him plenty of pain meds, then assured Rick they’d see steady improvement.

  Rick grunted. “Getting him out of that hospital ought to help.”

  In the morning Troy brought him a steaming mug of coffee. “He’s slept off the shot I gave him and his breathing’s a lot more normal than when we fetched him. I think he’ll wake up soon.”

  Rick raked his fingers through his hair. “God, I hope so.”

  “Something else for you to think about.” Dan came into the room carrying a satellite phone. “I checked in to make sure our paying clients were being taken care of.”

  “And?” Rick raised his eyebrow. “We pick our staff carefully. I can’t believe anything’s falling through the cracks.”

  “That’s not it. All that’s going well. It’s that woman.”

  Rick raised an eyebrow. “Woman?”

  “Faith Wilding. She’s left three more messages for you.” One corner of his mouth lifted in a grin. “Are you sure this isn’t one of the many women you’ve blazed your path of destruction through?”

  “Damn it. No. You think I’m such a shithead I wouldn’t remember?” He made a sound of disgust. “Anyway, no one I ever slept with would call me Eric. I can’t think of a single person who uses that name anymore.”

  “Well, she’s damn anxious to talk to you.” He held out the sat phone. “Find out what she wants.”

  “Not until Joey’s awake and I can get a handle on things. Right now that’s all that’s important.”

  At that moment his brother groaned, a raw sound that made the hair on Rick’s neck stand up. He leaned over the bed.

  “Joey? It’s me, kid.”

  Joey’s hand flailed and Troy locked his fingers around the younger man’s wrists to keep him from knocking himself loose from the equipment.

  “Give him a second,” he told the others. “He’s coming around but he’s fighting it.”

  Troy was right. In a moment Joey settled back and his eyelids opened slowly. When he caught sight of Rick bending over him a look of shock spread over his face.

  “Rick?” His voice sounded as if it was scraped from the bottom of a barrel. “God. That really you?”

  “It’s me, kid.”

  Joey struggled to sit up and they had to restrain him again.

  “Take it easy,” Rick told him. “Wherever you were, you’re safe now.”

  The younger man’s head fell back on the pillow, pain slashing across his face. His breath rasped from his lungs. “Safe. A joke.”

  “Joey?” Dan moved to the bedside. “Are you up to talking at all?”

  “What he needs is rest,” Rick told them.

  “No.” The word rasped from his throat. “Have to tell you. Need…to talk.”

  Troy filled a glass with water, stuck a straw in it and helped Joey to sit up so he could take a few sips. “Just go easy, okay?”

  “Rick,” he began again. “Please. Listen.”

  Rich looked up at Troy, who nodded his head.

  “Okay, kid. Let’s have it.”

  “They’re all… Oh God.” Tears filled his eyes. “They’re all dead. Everyone except Mark.”

  The men looked at each other. Finally Dan asked, “The whole unit?”

  Joey nodded. “They were…waiting for us. Someone told them we were coming.”

  The tangos had been waiting for them, guns chattering even before the unit was fully in place. All hit. Except for Joey, who was already settled high in a tree.

  The young man’s eyes were haunted as he told about the dead men dragged to the campsite in the bowels of the Peruvian jungle and burned. And Mark, beaten and bleeding, dragged away.

  “Shit.” Rick ground out the word. “Fuck all anyway.”

  “Are you sure Halloran’s still alive?” Dan asked.

  “Yes.” Joey’s breathing was labored but he was obviously determined to get his story out. “They wanted to find out who told us about this meeting and where it would be. He’ll…hold out…but…”

  “According to your CO, you were almost dead when the team found you,” Rick told him. “I’ll be lighting candles over this for a long time.”

  Joey drew in a painful breath, forcing himself to speak again. “Do you know… Is anyone getting the captain out?”

  The men all looked at each other. “We didn’t even know he was still alive until just now. And the government isn’t real good about sharing information.”

  “If we get a map can you show us where you were?” Dan asked.

  “Yeah. Only… I know they moved Mark.” He nodded toward the water again and Troy lifted the straw to his lips. “The place where they met wasn’t their permanent camp.”

  “That’s enough for now.” Troy gave Joey another sip of water, then waved everyone out of the room. “You too, Rick. This little bit has drained him.”

  They could see that, despite his fierce need to tell them everything, Joey’s strength had waned. The meds kicked in and his eyes slammed shut. Troy eased him back down to the pillow.

  “Let’s talk.” Dan led them out of the room and they settled around the table. He took the lead, a grim look on his face. “We’ve got to get details,” he said, giving voice to what was in everyone�
�s mind.

  “When Joey wakes up again I’ll get some nourishment into him,” Troy told them. “Then we’ll let Rick handle the rest of the questions. Everyone okay with that?”

  They all nodded.

  “Let’s figure out what we need to do and divvy it up.” Dan reached behind him to the counter and snagged a pad of paper. “Rick and I will work with Joey on the map of Peru. We’ll have to try to figure out where the tangos moved Mark to. Where their permanent base might be. That will be the hardest.”

  “It won’t be that far from the meet,” Mike pointed out. “They were walking, remember.”

  Dan shook his head. “We don’t know that. They could have had their vehicles concealed.”

  “And we need to keep in mind,” Mike pointed out, “that by now Mark could really be dead.”

  Heavy silence dropped like a thick fog.

  “Someone needs to talk to John Gregorio,” Dan said at last.”Find out what the fuck is really happening.”

  “I’ll do it.” Rick’s voice was harsh. “I served under him and he’s the one who called me about Joey. He’ll open up to me. If he can.”

  “Rick, you need to call that Wilding woman back too,” Dan told him. “Just on the wild-ass chance she’s somehow connected to all this.”

  Rick lifted an eyebrow. “How would that even be possible?”

  “Don’t know. It’s just a strange coincidence that she pops up out of nowhere while this is all going on. Meanwhile I want to check the security setup again. Mike, take a walk outside and make sure everything smells all right.”

  “Okay.” He pulled the scrap of paper from his pocket where he’d written down the number and punched it in. He listened, frowned and disconnected. “This time I got her voice mail. She said to leave a message.”

  “Then do it,” Arsenault told him. “Get her to call again.”

  Rick made the call and left the message before setting the phone back on the table. “I’m going to check on my brother again. If she calls back, come get me.”

  * * * * *

  At the moment, however, Faith was focused on other things. She’d rented a car at the airport, debated calling Major Gregorio to let him know she was on the way then decided against it. Why give him a chance to shut her down? Now she was at one of the gates, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel impatiently while the sentry called to verify her appointment.

  Through the windshield she saw men and women in camouflage and others in uniform hurrying from place to place. Cars sped along the roadways, joined by occasional motorcycle. Overhead she heard the roar of engines as planes took off and landed. She knew Fort Bragg was a large, busy place—Mark’s Delta Force unit wasn’t the only one based here—but the sheer size of the place was overwhelming.

  “All right, Miss Wilding.” The sentry handed her identification back to her. “You’re cleared to Major Gregorio’s office.” With concise words he gave her directions. “Oh and thirty miles an hour, okay?”

  “Thank you. I’ll try to keep my lead foot off the accelerator.” She stashed her ID, waited until he lifted the gate and rolled slowly onto the base.

  She considered herself lucky that she found a parking place right next to the building and a Ranger who looked too young to be in the Army who could direct her to the office itself. Too young to go out and die, she thought. Then she realized he wasn’t much younger than Mark when he’d enlisted.

  John Gregorio was polite but far from welcoming when she entered his office. He extended his hand but she could tell it was ingrained courtesy and not from any real pleasure at seeing her. He was immaculate in his uniform but his face was lined with worry and fatigue. His eyes were cold as they assessed her and there wasn’t a hint of a smile on his face.

  “Thank you for seeing me, Major.” She tried to make her voice as conciliatory as possible. “I know you’re a busy man.”

  “When a member of the committee overseeing the Armed Services makes a request it isn’t good form not to grant it.” He gestured toward the wall behind her and she was startled to see another man standing there.

  “I’m sorry.” She was confused. “If I’m interrupting something…”

  “Colonel Frank Ryan.” The man held out his hand but like Gregorio, there was no welcome in the gesture. “Major Gregorio reports to me.”

  Faith’s pulse sped up and she had a sinking feeling in her stomach. This wasn’t really going to be quite as easy as she’d hoped. Did they already know what she wanted? No. That was impossible. Something was up.

  “Thanks to you too,” she said, hoping her sudden attack of nerves didn’t show. “I know you must have better things to do than spend your time with me. Especially when I’m just looking for background information for a new book I’m writing.”

  “Why don’t you have a seat, Miss Wilding.” Ryan moved forward and held out a chair for her.

  Faith dropped into it and busied herself pulling out her notepad and pen. “I’ll try not to take too much of your time,” she began. “I believe Senator Winslow explained I’m working on my latest book and wanted information about Delta Force and Special Ops.” She tried out a smile. “I like to make sure what I write is as authentic as possible.”

  “Let’s just cut to the chase,” Gregorio said, his eyes like ice. “We know who you are and I’m not just referring to Faith Wilding the author. You’ve called a dozen times and left messages for me in the past two days. As soon as the senator called to wave his privilege in front of my nose I checked you out.”

  Ryan pulled up another chair and sat next to her. “What we want to know is why at this particular moment you’re asking questions about Delta Force, the branch of the Army that your friend Mark Halloran’s in. What’s your role in all of this?”

  Faith just stared at him. Now what did she say?

  Chapter Eleven

  Faith wet her lips. “I don’t understand what you mean. I just—”

  “Cut the crap. You can forget about this story you’ve dreamed up. I know you and Halloran have been friends since childhood. What is it that has your tail in such a crack you’re pestering me with calls and using influence to force me to see you?”

  She didn’t know what to say. There was no way she could tell them the truth. These hard-eyed men would never believe her. But she had to tell them something. They didn’t look at all as if they’d let her just get up and walk out.

  “I…” She stopped, swallowed and began again. “I’m just trying to get some information about Mark. I haven’t heard from him for a long time.”

  “You could have called his parents,” Gregorio pointed out. “I understand you’re very close to them.”

  Well. They had done their homework after all, it seemed. “Mark doesn’t tell his family very much.” No. That was the wrong thing to say.

  Ryan lifted an eyebrow. “And he’d tell you things he’d keep from them?”

  This wasn’t going well at all. She drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “All right. Please don’t think I’m an idiot when I say this but I think Mark’s in great danger.”

  Both men did their best to control their expressions but she’d hit a nerve. Something flickered in both pairs of eyes, although it was quickly blanked. Neither spoke for a moment. Gregorio broke the silence first.

  “Exactly what makes you think that? Has someone told you something?”

  “Not… No, no one.”

  “Not what?” Ryan asked. “There’s something you’re holding back and I think you need to tell us.”

  “But I… That is…”

  “Miss Wilding.” Gregorio leaned forward. “We’re in a somewhat delicate situation here. If you’re as close to Mark as you say you are, then you know his missions are as covert as they come. So how in the hell would you have any idea what’s going on with him at this particular moment?”

  Faith twisted her hands together. The situation was rapidly deteriorating.

  “I’d hate to have to detain you,” Ryan told her.
“But if you have information not available to civilians, I want to know what it is and how you got it.”

  Her shoulders slumped and she leaned back in the straight chair. “All right. You’ll probably think I’m crazy but I’ll tell you.” She screwed up her courage and sat up straighter. “Are you aware that Mark is a telepath?”

  The two men stared at each other. “How the hell do you know about that?” Gregorio finally asked. “Who have you been talking to?”

  “No one.” She spread her hands before her. “Are you telling me you know about this? That you don’t think this is some kind of insanity?”

  Ryan looked as if he was choosing his words carefully. “I can only tell you that the military has been aware for years that some people have…special abilities. That there are ongoing projects to determine how to refine them and best use them. We’ve been able to tap into Mark’s…talents on a few occasions when it saved our bacon.”

  Faith just looked at them. “So you believe me.”

  “Let’s say we don’t doubt you,” Gregorio answered. “How exactly do you know about it? And are you trying to tell us you have the same ability?”

  “Mark and I discovered when we were in high school that we could communicate with each other this way. We’ve done it ever since then.” Her lips twisted in a tiny smile. “It beats the telephone, especially when you aren’t close to one.”

  “Go on,” Ryan encouraged. Obviously from his attitude he knew about Mark’s special talent but his voice was still far from friendly.

  “I have an aunt who has the same abilities. She introduced me to The Lotus Circle and its members have helped me hone my skills.”

  She went on to explain about TLC, about all the conversations she and Mark had telepathed during the years. About their relationship, which she still was at a loss to define. And about the messages he’d been sending for the past few days.

  “He said someone betrayed him,” she told them. “I think all of his men were killed except for him. He’s in terrible pain. I think they’re torturing him to find out how you knew about whoever these people are.” She turned and looked Ryan square in the eye. “I came here to see if you knew this and what you were doing to find him.” Her throat tightened. “I don’t think he can hold on much longer.”