That was when she applied to an agency the general population knew nothing about. Due to her father and uncle's conversations about the secret government agency, JT didn't have to search too hard to find them. With NASSD, she'd be judged on her brains and not her body. Or so she thought. If anything, the goons at Gahanna were worse than the oglers with SI.
And now here she stood, back in a swimsuit again and modeling around for goons and oglers.
She'd find something. With a slight hesitation and a deep breath, JT headed back into the lion's den unarmed.
* * * *
Dan had a sidearm in each hand. He could sneak in and take out Mercado before JT had to go to his room. He knew the bastard was there in that house. Somewhere. He'd be able to spot Mercado with his one good eye, since JT's welcome last night had his other eye completely swollen shut.
He heard every single word. He heard the quiver in JT's voice as she boldly told Mercado to stop groping her. Which meant the son-of-a-bitch had his hands on her. She didn't like it. Neither did Dan.
The son-of-a-bitch was going to die slowly. Painfully. He'd rip his digits off, one by one. Then, just when Mercado begged for death, Dan would start the real pain.
"I know what you're thinking." Snyder sat next to him in their makeshift foxhole. They were completely hidden from the naked eye, and Mercado didn't have trackers on them or he would have found them by now. To ensure they'd stay hidden, Dan covered them head to toe with Pedro's Peirdale spray.
Dan had dialed in a second earpiece to pick up the frequency of JT's mic and gave it to Snyder last night. They both heard what Mercado did to JT today.
"No, you don't." Dan set one gun down to check the other. Full clip. Check. One in the pipe. Check. Ready to kill Mercado for touching JT. Check.
"You can't go in there, dude. Its obvious Mercado doesn't trust Turner. Until she puts out—"
Dan spun around and brought his finger up, stopping it an inch from Snyder's face. He almost spit in his face. "That is not going to happen."
Snyder didn't flinch. "It's her job. She's a pro. She'll do what she needs to in order to get the job done."
"Sleeping with the enemy is not her job. Killing him is."
He shot Dan a knowing grin. "You got it bad."
Dan turned back around and started to check another pistol. He didn't have anything, let alone had it bad. Having JT inside the compound without backup had him on edge. He'd dropped off a small arsenal of weapons for her, but he didn't know which ones she'd taken. Jesus, what if Mercado's men found the stash? JT would be having dinner with Mercado, fighting to keep her stomach from blowing its contents. His men would barge in, show Mercado the weapons. It wouldn't take a genius to put it all together.
And then he'd put a bullet in JT. There was no way Dan would be able to get in there fast enough to save her.
"She seems to have a handle on it."
Not willing to admit how wrong Snyder was, Dan grabbed another gun and started to check it for the third time. He had to keep his hands busy, his mind off of what that son-of-a-bitch would force JT to wear tonight. Last night's outfit still had him reeling. Her breasts might have well been fully exposed. Her dark curls were clearly visible. Even the little mole she had on her beautiful hip could be seen through that material.
Shaking in anger at how she had to parade around like that, he wondered how many other women had to wear that same dress, suffer that same humiliation. At the end of those nights, Mercado took the woman back to his room and fucked her, making sure to complete the disgrace with something sick, Dan was sure. A man like Mercado didn't respect women. They were there merely for his pleasure, for his sexual release.
But not JT. He felt the grin spread across his lips. No doubt Mercado went to bed with blue balls last night. He lost his smile. That would make him even hornier for tonight's dinner. A psychopath was dangerous. A horny psychopath would be worse.
"Do you love her?" Snyder asked casually.
"You are way off base." Was he?
"And you are full of shit. Or in full denial. Or both. You two were pretty happy to see each other last night."
Dan gave him a sideways glare. How did he know that? Oh Christ. The mic. JT had her earrings in just as he'd insisted on. Snyder must have heard them through his earpiece. "Listening in?"
"Don't worry. I gave you two a little privacy and turned it off once I realized what you were doing. Right after I heard her deck you and then what sounded like big, wet sloppy kisses."
"All right," Dan cut him off before he said anything else.
"I don't mean to pry."
"Yes, you do."
"Okay," Snyder corrected with an easy shrug. "I do. But do you think it wise to be burning the candles at both ends?"
Dan knew where Snyder was going with this. Yes, it was a dangerous game they were playing. Yes, they were burning the candle at both ends. But with JT, it didn't have to be a game. And it didn't have to end in Colombia.
He'd had all night to think about it. He didn't know when. He didn't know how. But damn if that woman hadn't grown on him. He couldn't imagine another mission without his new partner, without JT. After they completed this op he'd take her away for a while. No saving the world. No secret identities. Just Dan and JT. They needed time alone to sort things out, to try and make a go of it.
Whether JT wanted the same thing or not remained to be seen. Dan thought about that as well. If JT didn't want anything more than the here and now, as they both agreed to, then it was her choice and Dan would honor that. He'd go back to work as a NASSD Agent. Alone. No more partners. Ever again.
"Taking on a new partner. A rookie. Doing your new partner. The rookie. All while trying to save the world." Snyder lifted his brow. "I will give you one thing. You got balls of steel. Having sex right there under Mercado's nose like that could have gotten you killed." Snyder grinned. "But what a way to go, huh?"
"Shh," Dan ordered. He heard a knock on a door through his earpiece. "It's show time." Dan glanced down at his watch. Seven o'clock. Mercado was nothing if not prompt.
"Miss Jessica," Mercado started, the lust oozing from his tone. Dan heard a grinding through the transmission. It took him a minute before he realized it had to be JT's teeth. "Come. It is time for us to feast."
JT took a deep breath. Dan breathed with her. In and out. In and out. That a girl. They were in a hall from the sounds of the echoes her heels made.
"Wow," JT said. Her voice didn't echo, so they had to be in a smaller area. "That's a lot of candles, Santos. It's so dark. Are the candles the only light here in your room?"
Good drop, Turner. Now Dan knew they were in Mercado's room, that it was dimly lit.
"For tonight. I find candlelight sets the appropriate mood, my dear."
Dan hated it when Mercado called her that.
"My men told me you paid a visit to my room earlier today. Were you looking for me?"
"Yes," JT answered. Dan frowned as he listened. Why in the hell did she go to the man's room any sooner than she had to? Unless she did to give her a little insurance for tonight's dinner. "But you weren't here. Where'd you go?"
Good girl. Get him to start talking.
"I had some business to attend to. I will not bore you with the details."
"Oh, please do. I'm sure I'll find it fascinating."
There was a long pause through the line. Did the mic cut out? His ears ached as he concentrated on picking up any little noise through the transmission.
"Do you know what I do, Miss Jessica?" Mercado's voice finally sounded through the line.
"For a living?"
"For money."
"I don't know," she answered. "I figured you owned a chain of hotels or something."
"I am into disease control."
"Like a scientist?" JT played innocent well. Dan almost believed she really had no idea what the man did for his money. But they, as well as most of the world, knew better.
"I am a humanitarian. I make the worl
d a better place by ridding it of unwanted vermin."
"How noble of you," she said. Ease up, JT. Tone the sarcasm down a bit. "So you take care of rats and stuff?"
"Very big rats."
"Hmm. So what sort of rat drew you out today?"
Silverware clanked against plates in the background as they carried on their polite conversation. Either Mercado knew JT wasn't all she seemed, or he thought she was an idiot. Who would buy his little speech? This guy was the poster child for anti-humanitarianism.
Come on, Mercado. Quit with the small talk. Let's get to the good stuff. "Can we talk about you?" JT asked.
"What do you want to know?" Mercado spoke slowly, carefully. His suspicion grew. Dan could hear it in his voice. He could only imagine the body language JT should be picking up on. He hoped.
"This is my first visit to Cartagena. My first trip anywhere, actually. I've never been outside the United States. Care to show me around? It seems nice."
"Perhaps. I wish it to remain, as you say, nice. That is why I have dedicated my life to seeing the vermin of this world not spread their disease into my country."
"How can you stop something like that from happening? Disease is everywhere."
"You are very interested in my work. Why?"
Okay, JT. Deep breaths. Don't get too excited. He doesn't know anything, yet. "If you want me as your woman," JT countered calmly, "then I should at least have a common understanding of what you do. After a long day at the office, wouldn't you want to come home and relax? Talk about your day?"
"You wish to be my woman?"
"I figured we could make a go of it. Sure."
Mercado laughed lightly. "I find you very refreshing, Miss Jessica. My women do not like to hear about my day. My women like to swim in my pool, sleep in my bed, and spend my money."
"I'm not so much interested in any of that."
"Which is why I like you so very much. You are not like my other women."
"I'm one of a kind," JT mocked.
Dan chuckled silently. You can say that again.
"I am going to share something with you, because I like you. It is my intention to—"
They heard a door open. Footsteps. Oh shit. Here it comes. Dan and Snyder exchanged looks, and Dan braced himself. Come on, asshole. Finish what you were saying.
More footsteps. A door closed. "Who was that?" JT asked. "Where are you going?"
Going? Dan pushed the earpiece into his ear to hear what was happening.
"I'm sorry, Miss Jessica. Unfortunately, I must cut our evening short. Please return to your room for the night."
"Is something wrong?"
"No," Mercado answered quickly. Too quickly. That answer confirmed Dan's suspicions. Something was wrong. "I have an unexpected guest. Alejandra has returned. She is waiting for me now. I must go."
Alejandra ? Who the hell was that? Another female guest? Dan and Snyder exchanged looks again. Dan told Snyder what happened to Mercado's last female guest. It didn't take them long to find her. They didn't even need directions. The smell of rotting flesh wafted in the air, mixing with the smell of the fermenting jungle leaves. The guard who dumped her body didn't even bother to cover it, nor did he bother to cover up any of the others. They found bodies, from recently deceased like Marcella to those with nothing left but rotten flesh and bones. Dan marked it on the map so he could be sure the local authorities knew where to look. He was sure the families of their loved ones would like some closure.
Dan and Snyder did what they could to cover the bodies with dirt and leaves. From what he could tell, most of the girls there couldn't have been older than their mid-twenties. Young. Much too young to be tangled up with Mercado. Just like his guards.
"Okay, Dan. I'm back in my room. As relieved as I am the evening is over, I really want to know who this Alejandra is. I had to leave my gun under the mattress in his room, and since I can't leave the house, I can't go get another one. I'm a sitting duck up here if Mercado decides to replace me with whoever the hell Alejandra is."
Dan listened as JT rustled. More than likely she was in the process of changing out of whatever Mercado had her in, and into something a little less revealing and a little more comfortable. "You still there?"
He wished he could answer her. This one-way transmission must be driving her nuts. Not knowing whether Dan was even listening. Wanting something in return.
He picked up on the similarities. JT urged non-stop for Dan to talk to her. He knew her life story, and she knew nothing about him. And now that Dan actually wanted to talk to her, he couldn't. The irony irritated the hell out of him.
"What am I thinking? Of course you aren't there. Peck is due in anytime. You are probably at the airport to intercept."
Shit. Dan looked at his watch. The next flight into Rafael Nunez Airport from Seattle would be landing right about now. His cell buzzed on his hip and surprised the hell out of him. He didn't even think he'd get service out in the middle of the jungle. He ripped it off his belt and flipped it open. "Weber," he answered in a whisper.
"It's D—n ." The connection sucked, but Dan knew the voice. Besides, Donovan was the only person who had Dan's cell number, at least the only one still alive. That thought drew out a shudder. "Mi—n com—ised."
An apprehension gripped at Dan's heart. That sure as hell sounded like he said the mission has been compromised. "Donovan? Say again. I didn't copy. I repeat. I did not copy."
"C—prom-sed. Rep—t. Compromised."
"How? What can you tell me?"
"N—d cont-ct. I'm -n Col—bia."
"You're here? Where?"
"H-tel."
"Stay there." Dan slammed his phone closed. Now he had a gimpy ex-field agent to retrieve before he blew all their covers.
This couldn't have come at a worse time. Peck would be arriving soon, and Dan would bet his last bullet Mercado's surprise visitor had something to do with him. Now he had to leave JT with that monster.
Hold the phone. He turned back to Snyder. For one of the first time since Gessler's death, he was glad to be working with someone. "I need you to go back to the hotel. Donovan is here. Get him and get back here. I'll hold down the fort."
"Here? In Colombia?"
"That's what he said. We could use him on this. He can't shoot worth shit, and running is out of the question anymore. But we could use the set of eyes for relay." Dan paused and thought about how to break the news to Snyder about the mission. There really wasn't any way to sugarcoat it. "The mission's been compromised."
Snyder visibly paled. "How?"
"The mole, probably. If Donovan came all the way down to Colombia, he must have something big for us." Dan slapped Snyder on the shoulder. "Drive fast. There and back shouldn't take you more than an hour."
Snyder stood, nodded. "Right-o, boss." And was gone.
Dan sat back and let out a long sigh. It was so quiet. Not even the jungle felt like talking tonight. He had to be losing it. For some insane reason, instead of enjoying the peace, he wanted JT there next to him, talking his ear off.
Chapter 20
Dan drifted in and out of sleep, every little noise bolting him back awake. Since arriving in Colombia, he'd had a total of four hours sleep. Four hours in two days. Damn he was tired.
He was also anxious. He hated the wait. From the consistent deep breathing in his ear, JT had fallen asleep. At least one of them would be well rested when the shit hit the fan. Dan had a bad feeling, one he couldn't quite put his finger on. It wasn't just one thing per se, but a combination of too many coincidences.
He'd found Peck after searching for two years, only to have him slip through his fingers again. He'd recovered LEON , only to have the one man he was trying to hide it from find it. Now both were on their way down to Colombia to meet up with the man Dan and JT had been sent to kill. It came together so neatly. Like it was meant to be. The common factor? Dan Weber.
His gut wrenched. He didn't want to make the connection. He didn't want to beli
eve it. All the signs were there. Only one person with high enough clearance in NASSD could have pulled something off like this. And that man was now down in Colombia, on his way to see him.
Ron Donovan had been Dan's friend for almost as long as Steve Gessler. To think Donovan would betray him like this felt like a thousand pound dagger plunged into his chest and just sat there, weighing him down. Dan knew what he had to do, and the weight of his decision made it hard to breathe. He'd never had to make a harder choice in his life. Kill the mole and save the world, or allow his friend to remain amongst the living.
Jesus, man. Why did he do it? Dan had every intention of finding out. He couldn't stand to think Donovan had anything to do with any of this, but there was no other explanation.
He prayed he was wrong.
A twig snapped behind him. He pushed himself down and removed the safety on his sidearm. If Mercado's men decided to take a stroll after dark, that was their problem. The jungle could be very dangerous at night.
Three tongue clicks. Dan replaced the safety and tucked the gun back inside his belt. "You're late."
Snyder appeared from behind a tree, Donovan hobbling behind him. Dan's blood cooled as he rested his eyes on the true enemy. Donovan returned his look.
And Dan knew. The nervousness, the darting of his eyes. The look on his telltale face. The bastard.
Donovan raised his hands in front of him in an attempt to ward off the inevitable attack. "Weber, I know what you're thinking. It isn't me."
"Shut up."
Donovan swallowed and nodded, even snapped his mouth shut.
Snyder jumped in. "I scrambled the scanners and sprayed him down."
That didn't do shit for Dan's trust. He remained silent, reading Donovan's body language like an open book. The guy shook more than a leaf in high wind. And he was sweating. Innocent people didn't sweat.
He stood and took a step toward Donovan, and caused him to retreat a step. His disbelief moved to anger, which moved to almost a blinding fury. This man had set them up. He'd turned against his country, his fellow agents. His friends.
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