No One Lives Forever

any clinic at the lab. What's it going to take to—'

He didn't get a chance to finish. Zharan and his men came up the trail and overtook the small clearing.

When Nicholas saw a smiling Chief Zharan, he slowly stood with hands on his hips, a look of disbelief set in his eyes. 'Well, I'll be damned. What the hell are you doing here?'

CHAPTER 23

'You two know each other?' Christian asked, standing between the two men. He raised his voice to be heard over the waterfall. But Fuentes and the rest of Zharan's team drifted into a circle around them, insulating them from the white noise of tumbling water.

'All too well, I'm afraid,' his father replied with a subtle shake of his head.

'Does my presence here truly surprise you, Nicholas?' The smug expression on Zharan's face added to the tension already mounting between them. 'Did you really think I would back off and let an outsider take from my country?'

'What's he talking about?' Christian asked, shifting his gaze to Charboneau.

His father ignored his question, the corner of his lip curled into a sneer. He drilled Zharan with violet eyes teeming with contempt.

'It wasn't about an outsider taking anything that bothered you, Ricardo. You're not the kind of guy who likes being number two. You wanted it all. With you, it's all about greed and power.'

'You looked down your nose at what I could bring to the table. And you never would have thought I had the stroke to pull this off, but here we are. You underestimated me.'

'All you brought to the table was poor taste and unwarranted risk. You're the one behind this so- called med clinic with its illicit experiments.'

Zharan grimaced. 'You weren't moving fast enough to suit me. And I was beginning to question your real motives.'

'And my kidnapping? That was you too.'

Zharan looked at Fuentes with a sideways glance. His number one man grimaced in question. But no one looked more confused than Mario Araujo himself. His father had struck a chord, but Christian didn't know how to read it. What the hell was going on?

'Let's just say I knew what might have happened,' Zharan said. 'I had only recently become aware of Araujo's activities in my role as chief of police.'

'Oh, bullshit. You got Mario involved so you could blame the local natives. But why not just kill me from the start?'

Zharan tensed, then seemed relieved to be off the topic of the kidnapping and eager to change the subject.

'I'd face too many questions and the interest of your crime syndicate. I had to come up with a plausible reason that didn't land on my doorstep. Jasmine Lee was supposed to bear witness to it all and be the messenger when the time came for your Chicago business associates to hear the bad news of your demise. But she had to bring back help. And Christian Delacorte couldn't leave well enough alone. He had to spotlight the genetics lab and uncover the connection to Araujo. And as you can imagine, I had no interest in finding you alive. Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time before I had to step in and take care of things myself. I fed Delacorte just enough information to get him to trust me.'

'So why the rescue? A pretty big operation,' his father asked.

Zharan shrugged. 'Who am I to deprive Mr. Delacorte and his cop lady friend of hope? I might have spared Ms. Mackenzie, but with her link to law enforcement back in the states, I couldn't risk it.' The man shook his head and chuckled under his breath. 'I'm not partial to loose ends, as you can see. Your man Delacorte was far too stubborn and determined. I was afraid of his connection to your business back in Chicago, so why not lead the lambs to slaughter by dangling a carrot? They came willingly. Captain Duarte, on the other hand, is a sly fox. He will be a challenge.'

The chief cocked his head and waggled a finger at Charboneau. 'You know, for someone so perceptive of human nature, it amazes me you never saw this coming, Nicholas.' Zharan didn't hide his amusement. He had the upper hand and he knew it. 'That ego of yours made you vulnerable. You thought you'd come to this sleepy little Brazilian town on the edge of the great Amazon rain forest and take charge with all your financial resources. Well, down here, you're on my turf. My country. Using my people. I only claimed what was rightfully mine to take.'

Nicholas smiled without any real humor, a look of disdain forged in his eyes, and said, 'You're right about one thing. I should've known better. Never trust a man you can bribe.'

'What's going on?' Raven asked, coming off the trail and slipping next to him.

Zharan had played him. He even coyly listened while Christian pleaded his case to be taken on this raid. Damn! What an idiot! The bastard wanted that from the start, and Christian had made it way too easy. He'd gambled with his future to uncover the last piece to the puzzle of his past—and he just threw the dice and came up snake eyes—crapped out.

And now Raven would pay the price for his mistake.

'Glad you could join us, my dear. Now that we are all present and accounted for . . .' Zharan waved a hand to Fuentes. 'Would you do the honors, Arturo?'

Fuentes grinned and pulled his gun, barking an order to his men. 'Take off the body armor and search for weapons, then cuff them. Remove all forms of identification.' When he fixed his gaze on Christian, he added, 'You can see in the dark, my friend. But I bet you never saw this coming.'

The detective laughed, a haunting abrasive sound. Christian wasn't likely to forget it.

'Base Camp, this is Rally One. Do you read?'

'Copy that, Rally One. Go ahead.'

'Rally One requesting clearance for landing. We're about five klicks from your position. You copy?'

Rally One was the call sign for Detective Eduardo Silva's special ops team. Oscar Vasquez grimaced to his fellow officers and shook his head. Only seconds before, the com set had crackled to life. In the background of the transmission, Oscar heard the distinct sound of a helicopter rotor. The unexpected noise and the radio chatter jolted his brain like an electrical shock. He'd almost dozed off in the steamy heat of the jungle. Boring duty. The communication came on the radio frequency designated for the operation. And the call sign was legitimate.

Oscar had met the undercover cop Silva before and didn't care for him much. The cabrao was nothing but a bully, both on and off the force. But Oscar had a job to do.

'Stand by Rally One. Hold your position and wait for further orders. I repeat, hold your position. Do not advance until I give the order.'

'Copy that, Base Camp.'

Protocol was protocol. If Silva disregarded his authority, he might have to send a clear message. A kiss off the hull by a sniper round. The thought made him smile. This time, Oscar would be in charge, at least until he heard back from the chief.

Before he made the call, one of the helicopter pilots sitting nearest him asked, 'Are we expecting another chopper?'

Oscar shrugged. 'Not up to me to decide. I'm contacting the chief. Let him make the call.'

In unison, they all nodded. They weren't paid enough to think.

'Base Camp to Team One. Come in, Team One.' He waited for a moment, then repeated. 'I say