Seal of Surrender (19 page)

“Help?” Xander's cool reply held a decided undertone of suspicion. “What kind of help?”

“This conflict is too one-sided for my tastes.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Innocent has the men, but they're not well trained. I can get them ready for the coming battle.”

“I thought her mission was to keep the peace.” Xander jerked his head in Irena's direction.

“Sometimes to keep the peace, one must fight.” Chago smiled, remembering Innocent's similar words from a few days earlier. Memories of his ranch flashed across his mind and the promise of sweet retirement, of a life with Irena. “I must do this, Xander. Please understand.”

“Fine. But know if Divinity calls, Luther and I must go.”

“Agreed.”

They walked back to the table as Irena finished up her coffee, her face ashen beneath the harsh sunlight. “I can't believe Adrienne's dead. Who would do this? Has anyone let her family know?”

“I don't know, querida.” Chago scooted his chair closer and placed a protective arm around her shoulders. He met Innocent gaze over the top of her head. “I must go with Innocent to the militia base for awhile today. Xander and Luther are going to stay with you while I'm gone. Will you be alright?”

Irena looked at him, her eyes oddly blank, as if his words were penetrating quicksand. At last she gave him a small smile and a tiny nod. Irena traced absent, heated circles on the chilled skin of his forearm and burnt a path straight through his the heart. Without thinking, he twined his fingers with hers.

In a tiny voice she answered. “Yes.”

Two hours later he and Innocent stood beneath the blistering Congo sun on the deserted grassland, a small army of able-bodied men spread before them and a pile of weapons and ammunition at their backs. Innocent addressed them first, explaining the training regimen. He then turned over leadership to Chago.

Chago led the men through a series of hand-to-hand combat exercises, accessing their skill level and making adjustments where needed. When each man had mastered those techniques, he moved on to weapons and artillery. As he showed them the proper placement of C-4 charges and where to aim for a slow death versus a quick demise, satisfaction fizzed through his mind. He'd missed having a justified purpose and a worthy adversary.

Vision of Yana danced through his head, followed in close order by memories of his night with Irena. He would not make the same mistakes again. This time he vowed to protect the woman he loved at all costs. He would not be distracted by revenge. He would not be swayed by duty. He would succeed.

“Innocent, what do you know about poisonous snakes in this area?”

“I know you run like hell if you sees one.” Innocent carefully packed up a crate of C-4 and slid it back under a protective tarp in the back of the van. “Why?”

“I need to find out what the most poisonous snake in the region is.” Chago shoved a crate of AK-12s back into hiding. He dusted his hands on his faded denims and pinned Innocent with a serious stare. “The answer could save Irena's life.”

“That's easy. The black mamba. She native to these parts and her venom is the most deadly in the world. Her bite kill a man within a half hour if not treated.”

Chago nodded. Hope entered his heart for the first time in days. If he could get his hands on the venom, he might have a fighting chance against Archon.

They finished packing up just as his phone buzzed. He pulled out the device and read the new text message from Xander. Divinity had summoned both he and Luther. They promised to leave Irena in capable hands.

“I need to return to the hotel immediately, Innocent.” Urgency made his voice tight. “Irena needs me.”

Innocent nodded and grabbed the keys to the van. “Come, my friend. I'll drive you.”

Left under guard of the local police, Irena sat in a quiet corner of the lobby and watched the bustle on the street outside. Xander had placed the undercover officers at various points around the lobby before he and Luther left, a concealed army of everyday men.

She shifted in her seat and tried to concentrate on her laptop screen. A hiss of discomfort passed between her clenched teeth. The burning pain from her mark had grown worse since last night. The stupid thing had never bothered her before and now wasn't the time for it to start. She scooted once more to relieve the searing pressure and shifted her attention to more pressing issues — what to do about her relationship with Chago.

The longer they were together, the stronger her feelings for him grew. Pain flared from her mark once more. She glanced out the window and spotted a man in a yellow pickup stopped amidst the traffic, leaning far out his window to scream and point. A gun was visible in the man's waistband. He departed the truck and Irena recognized him from the airport debacle. Turay. The insurgent leader stood nose to nose with a police officer, his words emphasized by wild hand gestures. The cop remained motionless beneath his verbal assault.

Two additional men hopped out of the bed of the truck with rifles in hand. Irena's two guards straightened and rushed forward, their interest directed to the conflict outside. She shut her laptop and stood. Agony raced up her spinal cord. Irena swayed and gripped the arm of the chair for support.

Turay now openly waved the pistol in the officer's face and images of her martyred Syrian interpreter flashed through her mind, merging with the scene before her. She couldn't lose another person on her watch.

With her security team otherwise distracted, Irena waited for her current tide of pain to subside then headed for the entrance. Peace was her purpose for being here.

Gunfire echoed loud from the street. Screams followed.

Irena made it to the curb in time to see what she thought was a body tumbled into the bed of Turay's yellow rust-bucket. The vehicle took off in a screech of tires and haze of burnt rubber.

She needed to let Chago know, to tell him what happened. Irena looked around the dusty street beyond the hotel entrance and realized her mistake too late.

Before she could dart back inside, a roaring motor snagged her attention. A hand clamped down on her upper arm. Irena swiveled to stare into Turay's face, her mind awhirl. How had he gotten back here so fast? The answer dropped like a steel ball — because he never left. The preceding show had been nothing more than a ruse for the real hurrah.

Shouts echoed from the hotel entrance. Her guards rushed outside, but not in time. A cloth covered her mouth and nose. Vision tunneling, Irena caught a glimpse of a black van barreling around the far corner and Chago leaning out the passenger side window, his gaze locked on her.

Heartbeat frantic and adrenaline spiked, she fought hard, but to no avail. The sticky, sweet smell of defeat soon clogged her airway and darkness crashed down.

• • •

Traffic snarled the roadway, blocking any hope of reaching the pickup in time. Chago kicked the van's door open and raced on foot after the faded yellow Datsun, only to watch helplessly as it disappeared around the corner ahead in a cloud of dust.

He ran after it, but was no match for a vehicle hell-bent on escape. Out of breath, he slumped to a defeated heap on the curb. He'd failed. Again.

“Mr. Chago, you alright?”

“Si.” He stood and stormed into the hotel lobby, spotting Irena's abandoned computer and bag. “I need to find a supply of black mamba venom. Know where I might locate some?”

“The university lab keeps it on hand, along with the anti-toxin.”

He grabbed Irena's laptop, shoved it inside her tote, and walked to the elevators, Innocent by his side. “Can you get me in there today?”

“Sure.” Innocent boarded the elevator with him. “I gots a friend, works security over there. He owes me a favor. Mind if I ask what's you gonna to do with that stuff once you gots it?”

“Right an old wrong.” The bell dinged and the doors opened. Chago charged down the hall and into his room. Their room. Irena's perfume clung in the air, driving his urgency higher. If Archon did anything to harm her … “How long until we can get in?”

Innocent dialed his phone and paced to a far corner of the room. After a few minutes of hushed conversation, he hung up and returned. “The school closes at six. My friend say to wait until eight, after the cleaning crew gone. He be there to let us in.”

“I'll do this alone, Innocent.” The last thing he needed now was another person to worry about. “This isn't your fight.”

“You my friend, Mr. Chago. You help my cause, I help yours.” Innocent plopped down in the room's only chair, sprawling out with a grin. “Besides, me friend not let you in without me.”

The next few hours crawled by at an unendurable pace.

He dug through every bit of information he could find about the black mamba and its lethal poison on the Internet. As far as excruciating deaths went, this viper's bite certainly fit the bill. The most fast-acting venom of any snake species, the toxins invaded both the nervous and cardiovascular system, causing the victim to experience severe abdominal pain, difficulty breathing and paralysis. Death resulted from suffocation.

Xander and Luther returned from their meeting with Divinity shortly before he and Innocent departed. They remained tight-lipped about their summons, saying only that Luther would be departing soon on a Seal mission of his own.

Chago apprised them of Irena's situation and his plans to obtain the necessary supplies to defeat Archon. “We're heading to the university now.” He checked his weapons and walked to the door. “Be back soon.”

“We'll see what we can discover about Irena's location.” Xander said as Luther set up shop on the room's small table. “And get the Rover ready to roll.”

“Si.” He shoved a new magazine into the handle of his Glock and stashed it in the holster beneath his shirt. “I want to end this tonight.”

The ride to the University of Kinshasa took about twenty minutes. Chago rechecked his weapons for the umpteenth time and stared at the passing scenery, eager to get this done and find Irena. The look in her eyes as the rebels had taken her — fear, love, and resignation — ate a hole through his heart. He'd seen that same look in Yana's eyes when she'd died. He never wanted to see it again in this lifetime.

Regret bubbled like bile in his throat, but he refused to consent to its bitterness. He couldn't afford to lose focus. Not now. Not when all he'd ever wished for hovered so close and Irena's life was threatened. Not until the job was done.

Innocent pulled the van up outside three cement buildings, gray and harsh in the gathering moonlight. Grass grew tall near their perimeter, allowing them enough cover to skirt toward the entrance unseen.

A thin man in a beige uniform adorned with the school's trademark red, yellow and blue badge met them at the entrance and unlocked the door. Innocent stayed outside, keeping his friend occupied while Chago slipped inside to snatch the venom.

Aisles of gray plastic bins filled the room, each filled with crumpled newspaper and marked with a different name: Black Mamba, Puff Adder, Boomslang. The air was alive with constant hissing. He crammed his growing revulsion deep and instead turned his attention to a row of cabinets and refrigerators against the far wall. He shot a glance toward Innocent, who was still deep in conversation with the guard, before moving to the back of the lab.

The cabinets proved unfruitful, nothing but specimen cups, latex gloves, and empty syringes. He proceeded to the first fridge. Rows of anti-venom lined the shelves in neat groups. The second fridge showed more of the same. At least these people were well protected against something.

He hit the jackpot in the third fridge. One vial of black mamba venom perched near the back of the second shelf. Chago snagged his prize and secured it in a nearby piece of bubble wrap before stowing it in his pocket. Before leaving, he also grabbed a handful of syringes, some needles of varying sizes, and a box of extra-large latex gloves. No way was he taking a chance of exposure with this crap. Scion could survive a variety of sinister deaths, but never had one tried recovery from poisonous snake venom.

Innocent knocked discreetly on the glass, warning him to hurry. He tucked his bundle beneath his arm and started toward the door.

In his haste to exit, he accidently bumped against a rack of bins. Papers rustled inside and from under a hood of newspaper, two cold eyes gleamed back at him. A long tongue darted out, scenting its prey. A brief flash of red flame flicked within the serpent's eyes. Chago shook his head and looked again. Only cold black eyes remained. Fuck. Now he could add insanity to his list of issues. He shuddered and raced for the exit. Retirement couldn't come fast enough.

• • •

The girl is in custody.

Archon stared at the text message on the phone before adjusting his tie. He appraised his modified appearance in the mirror and ignored the kick of the flagging human spirit still trapped inside his head. This one had been strong. Most humans gave up the fight after twenty-four hours and surrendered to death. Not so with Drake.

Without time for a full extraction, the human still roamed his skull like a withered ghost, his ambitions and flagrancies riding Archon hard. He'd given into those desires once already, with the girl. He'd not succumb to them again.

He smiled at his reflection, showing two rows of even white teeth. His own fangs were hidden away behind a thin layer of flesh, waiting for the time they'd be needed again. The only visible reminder of the transmutation was hidden in the depths of his now brown eyes. A brief flash of yellow skittered across the black pupils, arcing out into the irises. A hint of what lay beneath the façade.

The bedside clock showed nine pm. Time to meet Turay again. The insurgent leader had showed no sign of noticing the changes in his human partner at their first rendezvous, allowing Archon to orchestrate his events for this evening. If all went well he'd be the ruler of Hades by tomorrow.