The sun beat down on him, burning through the protection of his light shirt and causing beads of sweat to trickle down the indent of his spine. A vendor tried to entice him to buy a bottle of water but he shook his head. Quite likely the water was contaminated, filled at a public well and then capped to be passed off as natural spring water. A fast track to dysentery, that’s what it was.
He paused by a shop, one step up from most on the street, and studied the shoes and cell phones that were displayed in the window. They were cheap knockoffs of designer labels but he stepped inside anyway.
The shadowed store felt cool compared to the heat outside even though there was only a rusty, old fan circulating the air. It clattered and wheezed from its position on top of a shelf near the register. After briefly perusing the goods, he picked up a watch, tried it on and then took it to the counter.
“Ah, buena elección. El señor has a good eye. This is a fine piece.” The clerk took the watch from him, prepared to ring up the sale.
“Well worth the price.” He used the code phrase and then tapped his fingers three times on the counter before sliding a folded bill across the wooden surface. “Do you have any others like it?”
The clerk had paused at the signal he’d given, glanced at the money and then at his face before giving a brief nod. “Sí. Of course. They are in the private viewing room out back. Would you care to take a look?”
“If it can be arranged right away. I have a train to catch in two hours.” Stone completed the conversational sequence that would grant him access to The Dealer.
“I’m sure it will be to your liking.” The clerk gestured towards a door near the back of the store. ‘Knock before entering.”
Stone inclined his head keeping his face impassive. Secret signals and passwords seemed over the top when the black market operated all but openly in the country. Oh well, if the cloak and dagger bit made The Dealer feel safer, it was no skin off his nose.
He followed the instructions and entered the shop that occupied the rear of the building. It looked like the front store except everything was real or a very high quality reproduction. He wasn’t interested in what was readily displayed though. His most important purchases would be items that were kept hidden from view.
After briefly scanning the room, he focused on a man sitting in a ratty reclining chair smoking a cigar.
“Señor Stone, isn’t it?” The man blew a smoke ring towards the ceiling. “Oí que ibas a venir. I heard you were coming.”
“Word does travel.” He wasn’t surprised. The mercenary world was strangely tight-knit considering they’d kill each other without a qualm if the job called for it. Certain information flowed freely while specific details were kept closely guarded. He was here. That was no secret. Why he was here, well, that was open to speculation. Not that The Dealer would care. As long as money exchanged hands, the man would be happy.
“What are you looking for?” The man rose to his feet with an effort. Lack of food wasn’t his problem as it was for many of the people in the neighbourhood. His shirt, a loud tropical print, stretched over the girth of his stomach and his thin, greasy hair was slicked to one side in an ineffectual effort to hide a large bald spot. For all that his outward appearance indicated a tendency towards sloth, the man’s eyes were sharp and assessing, giving hints of the keen mind behind the florid face.
Stone rattled off his requirements getting supplies for himself and whoever the partner was that Reno sent him. “Two backpacks, two hammocks, two mosquito nets, two water purification kits, four t-shirts sized extra-large…”
A young boy appeared seemingly out of nowhere and began to scurry around the room, locating the needed supplies as he said them. The list wasn’t extensive—bare minimum since they’d be carrying it on their backs—but a jungle trek required certain necessities.
He reached the end of his list and checked through the pile of items on the table.
“¿Algo mas? Anything else?” The Dealer raised a brow.
“Yeah, a couple of machetes, a knife, a .9 mm with holster and an AK-47 with a bunch of clips.” They were the real reason he’d stooped to visiting the black market. The Dealer had quality munitions, not some knockoff that would explode in your hands the first time you fired it.
The weapons appeared on the table and Stone examined each carefully before giving his approval. “These will do.”
Money exchanged hands. He clipped the holster to his belt, checked that the pistol’s safety was on and that it wasn’t loaded before slipping it into place. Making sure there wasn’t a round in the chamber of the AK-47 and that the safety was engaged, he then slung it over his shoulder while his other purchases were put in the two backpacks. When everything was ready, he exited out the back door. It led into a filthy alley—was there any other kind—complete with a police officer standing near the entrance. He looked at Stone then turned away. Obviously on The Dealer’s payroll.
Stone shrugged. Not his problem. There was worse corruption to deal with at the moment.
He headed back towards the cheap hotel where he was staying. The only reaction to the gun he carried was that the locals gave him a wider berth. They were used to various types of militia walking the street; some were legal, some weren’t. As long as shots weren’t being fired, life went on as usual.
Once he got back to his room, he’d stow the backpacks and hop in the jeep he’d acquired. There was time for some scouting around before sunset. Tomorrow, he’d pick up the partner Reno had promised him and then go looking for the Duffy family.
A sense of familiarity was settling over him. Except for the kid angle, jobs like this were almost old hat. His stride lengthened as he walked down the street, muscles loose but ready to act; his mind switched into mercenary mode, all thoughts of another way of life locked firmly away.
This is the life we know and love, his wolf murmured. It’s been too long since we’ve been on a mission.
Stone curled the corner of his mouth indulgently. His inner wolf was like a dog with its head out the window, enjoying the view, anticipating the hunt ahead. Yep, this was what he’d been born to do.
Twenty-four hours later, Stone leaned against the wall of the tiny airport cursing. According to Reno’s last message he was supposed to be meeting a partner, Jenkins, on the early afternoon flight from Mexico City. While he usually worked alone, the prospect of being in charge of two small children in the middle of a jungle had made him desperate for an assistant. Anyone who was breathing and could still walk had been how he’d termed the request. Reno had promised to do his best to scrounge up someone and had finally supplied a name, Jenkins.
Unfortunately, Jenkins hadn’t disembarked and Reno wasn’t answering his phone, despite Stone’s repeated calls and messages. If he didn’t have a certain level of respect for Reno, Stone might have thought the promise of an assistant had merely been an attempt to fob him off.
To top things off, his repeated attempts to discover when the next flight from Mexico City might be landing had been fruitless; the attendant at the desk seemed to be in no hurry to answer his questions. Her only response was to continually tell him to come back in fifteen minutes.
Well, it had been an hour and a half and he still had no information. In fact, the more he pushed, the slower the clerk seemed to move.
Damned sleepy resort.
His wolf paced restlessly. We need to begin our mission. This delay is unacceptable.
He should have flown into a bigger centre, if anything in Mercosta could be classified as big. This private resort town had seemed preferable when he and Reno had made their plans. The place was close to the border with Cantala, security was light, he could pass as a tourist…
The drone of a plane interrupted his thoughts. Another flight was landing. He pushed his way through a group of hot, tired tourists, ignoring their affronted looks. There was no time for courtesy; his only concern was grabbing his partner and getting on the road.
Stone positioned himse
lf as close to the gate as he could and, through the window, scanned each passenger as they disembarked from the small plane. Couples, families with children, seniors, a group of coeds. No one who looked like Jenkins. His gaze swept over the group again and then skidded to a halt as a splash of bright colour caught his attention. There was no way in hell that could be…
It was.
That bastard Reno had sent Christina!
The witch! What is she doing here? His wolf frowned and eyed her suspiciously.
Stone bit back a growl. What kind of shit was going on? This situation was too serious for Reno to be playing idiotic jokes. Sure he’d said to send anyone, but he hadn’t meant it. He needed someone reliable, someone trained in jungle warfare, not a witch training to be a make-up artist! Unless… He narrowed his eyes.
Surely she hadn’t begged and pleaded her way into being sent?
No.
Reno wouldn’t cave in.
Which meant Christina had somehow learned the location of the mission. Stone remembered her attempts to eavesdrop, how she’d said she could lip read. Recalling those facts made him clench his teeth so tightly his jaw ached.
He lost sight of her for a moment as she completed the formalities of luggage collection and customs. When he saw her finally emerging, he took up a position near the door, half hidden by a rack of postcards. He planned on taking her by surprise, getting the truth out of her and then sending her right back where she came from.
Strangely, she didn’t seem to be looking for him. In fact, she was talking with the coeds. It figured. She seemed able to strike up a conversation with anyone; just look how she’d managed to suck him in.
Idly, he noted her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. From the front it appeared to still be its natural colour, but when she turned her head, the ends were shades of pink, purple and blue. And her eye make-up resembled a tropical sunset. He sighed, wondering what she had against looking normal.
Impatiently, he waited, half hidden by a pillar for her to complete the airport formalities.
We will confront her and then send her back to Chicago where she belongs, his wolf decreed.
There she was. Another few steps and…
“Come. With. Me.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the group. Ignoring her cry of surprise, he frogmarched her out the door, her suitcase trailing behind them.
“Stone!” She stared up at him a myriad of emotions passing over her face. He didn’t really care at this moment; his own pissed-off feelings superseded all else.
“Hey! Some guy just grabbed Tina!” A voice sounded behind him and before Stone could react, he was kicked in the knee, a bag crashed down on his head and someone was blowing a whistle in his ear.
“What the—” He released his grip on Christina’s arm and spun around. Instinctively, he dropped into a half crouch, preparing to attack his assailants, only to rein himself in as he saw a group of indignant young women surrounding him. Before he could speak, a large, floppy hat smacked him in the face.
“Rat bastard!”
“Creeper!” Someone smashed her foot down on his, grinding her heel into his arch.
“Ouch!” He cowered behind raised arms, trying to move away only to be jabbed in the ribs from behind. Okay, he’d had enough of this. A growl rumbled in his throat. “Enough!”
They all froze, some with hands half raised, another with what looked like a can of pepper spray.
“It’s okay, girls.” Tina’s voice cut through the momentary stillness. “He’s foot fungus, but I know him.”
“Are you sure? I can drop him with one move.” A vicious looking blonde had her foot raised and was eyeing his groin. Stone fixed a glare on her. Her face paled and she slowly lowered her foot.
Tina sighed. “Yeah, it’s okay. Sorry, but the party’s over.”
Obviously reassured that he wasn’t dangerous, the women began to look him over, smiles appearing and eyes lighting with interest.
“A stud.”
“Beefcake.”
“Hello, hottie!”
“You’re the first to score one on this trip, Tina!”
Hottie? Score? His wolf bristled at the terms.
Stone raised one eyebrow and looked at Christina. She didn’t seem amused.
“I’ll meet up with you girls later.” She dismissed the crowd and then waited until they were out of earshot before speaking. “What are you doing here?” She hissed the question at him, irritation radiating from her.
“What am I doing here? What are you doing here?” He noticed that several people were looking their way. Taking her by the arm, he led her towards a palm tree a short distance away from the door, her battered old suitcase bumping behind her on the sidewalk. The shade would provide a modicum of relief from the midday heat as well as taking them out of the direct path to the parking lot. The fewer people hearing their exchange the better.
“I’m on vacation.” Tina walked beside him, a tight expression on her face.
“Try again. You weren’t planning on going on a vacation.”
“It was a spur of the moment decision. I made it when a certain jerk left without even saying goodbye.” She yanked her arm out of his grasp and turned to face him.
“No. You followed me here. And I did say goodbye.”
“No you didn’t. You said if you were ever back in Chicago, you’d look me up. It’s not the same thing. And how could I follow you when I didn’t even know where you were going?”
He ignored her comment about the goodbye and homed in on the important facts. “Eavesdropping? Lip reading? Do those activities sound familiar? Oh, and maybe some spell casting thrown in for good measure?”
“You made sure I wasn’t near you when you were talking about your mission. And I did not cast a spell on you.”
“Then why are you here?”
“I told you. A vacation.”
“Why would you choose to come here? There’s a turf war going on right next door.”
“It was cheap. Apparently a lot of people cancelled out.”
Stone narrowed his eyes. “Seems too coincidental to me.”
“That’s your problem, not mine.”
“You wanted me to take you along.”
“No. I didn’t want to go. I offered to go. To help you and those kids. I like helping people.”
He compressed his lips. She had a point.
“If you’re done interrogating me, I’d like to catch up with my friends.” She moved to step around him, but he blocked her way.
“So this really is a coincidence?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes.” Obviously realizing he wasn’t going to let her just walk away, she plunked down on her suitcase, using it as a stool, folded her arms and stared resolutely out across the parking lot.
He considered the situation again. “All right.”
“That’s it?” She turned to look at him. “Just an ‘all right’? No ‘I’m sorry for grabbing you and embarrassing you in front of your friends’?” Disbelief laced her voice.
“When I saw you instead of the person Reno had promised, I jumped to conclusions.” He took a step back. “You can go.”
Tina exhaled loudly. She rose to her feet, grabbed the handle of her suitcase as if to leave and then hesitated. “You said you were expecting someone.”
“He didn’t show. I’ll have to alter my plans.”
She turned to face him, head slightly cocked. “This is still all about the job you were going on, isn’t it? The one with the kids and the people who were killed.”
Stone didn’t confirm or deny her suspicions. Instead, he rubbed his neck, his mind already considering and dismissing various ways of dealing with the pups now that he’d be handling the mission solo.
Perhaps some of his concern came through on his face for Tina’s expression softened. “If you really are stuck, I’d still be willing to help you.”
“Christina…”
“Cantala is just a few miles away, right? You’re p
robably just going to slip in and out.”
He frowned. “How do you—?”
She waved her hand dismissively. “I promise I wasn’t listening to you and Reno, but it makes sense. You want to get in and out fast before the baddies find you. If you have to handle the children by yourself you’ll be slowed down. Chances of being caught go up.”
“Baddies?” He rolled his eyes at her choice of words. “You have no experience.”
“No, but you do. If I stick with you, follow behind, what could go wrong?”
What indeed? Stone eyed her lace top, the short white pants that snugly encased her hips, the pink high-heeled sandals and, of course, matching toenails. He squinted at her toes. There were little butterflies painted on each nail, too.
He opened his mouth to say ‘thanks but no thanks’ when a sound caught his attention. Across the parking lot a family was loading suitcases into a rental car. One of the kids was crying, another was dancing about as if she had to go to the bathroom and the third appeared almost asleep as it leaned against the mother’s leg.
His wolf lowered its ears feeling defeated. Pups. We will have to deal with them unassisted. This will not be an easy mission.
Yeah, by himself he’d be travelling much slower. And if he waited for Reno to send someone else… He flicked a look at Tina. She was here. She was willing. If he put her in the nondescript clothes he’d bought for Jenkins and she stayed right behind him, then maybe…. He admitted defeat and nodded. “Okay. You can come with me.”
A smile began to spread over her face, excitement brightening her eyes. He felt the need to quash it.
“This isn’t going to be an easy trip. The jungle isn’t like you see in the movies. Any paths will be rugged and overgrown. Insects galore biting you every chance they get. It’s hot and humid except for when the rain is beating down and then you’re left with your wet clothes chafing your skin. No showers. No bathrooms. You piss and take a dump behind a tree.”
“I’ve been camping.” She tossed her head, obviously not pleased with him. Too bad.
For the Good of All Page 8
