She stood off to the side, her gaze on Rose. Her long dark hair was pulled tight into a ponytail high on her head and braided, the stark hairstyle accenting her Asian heritage. Her sexy body-shaping black catsuit kept his attention. She had a sleek, lithe body, rocking ass, and great legs. He was well aware that her body was a weapon. Both in bed and out of it.
She slayed him on a regular basis, both in bed and out of it.
She must have felt his scrutiny. Now that he was no longer celibate, the months of their excruciating sexual tension behind them, he could think of nothing other than getting her back into that hotel room and showing her, she was the woman he wanted the most.
She turned to look at him and slayed him again with a wry smile, her eyes telling him she was quite aware of where his thoughts were. He tilted his head and smiled back because that look meant she was thinking about him too.
Karasu rarely gave much away, but it was clear that not only was she concerned about her boss but also about her partner. There had still been no word from Volk.
But according to what he had gleaned from working with the spooks, it wasn’t cause for alarm. His signal was still strong. The big man was hunting, and Preacher had no doubt that whatever situation Volk got himself into, he could get himself out of it. Yet he understood Karasu’s concern. Preacher was as much a part of a team as Karasu. He looked around the table. His brothers were dead tired. The night of sleep they had expected was cut short. The investigation had heated up quickly, just like their relationship. The bad guys weren’t waiting on his team to take a catnap and he wasn’t waiting to make Karasu his. His bond with the team, with his brothers, was forged through their experiences. They were as much a family of men as he was with his own family, separate from all the other men who served. Their innate warrior spirit united them on the most basic, most primal level. They were cut from the same cloth.
So, he understood Karasu’s and Volk’s bond.
The hotel staff brought in a coffee service and there were audible sighs and groans of pleasure. While Rose continued to talk on the phone, they all lined up for a cup of motivation. Karasu stepped toward him, and he made room for her in front of him.
“Such a gentleman,” she said, touching his forearm. It took everything he could do to keep it professional. GQ turned around and gave him a knowing look, and Boomer nudged him from behind.
What the hell was this? High school?
Bunch of nosy bastards.
So why the hell was he grinning? When he reached the urn, he poured himself a cup and retook his seat at the table. To his surprise, Karasu had made GQ move and was now seated next to him. He smiled and sat down.
“Too bad our collaboration was cut short,” she murmured close to his ear. The heat of her breath feathering over his skin and slip-sliding goosebumps down his spine. He turned to look at her, caught the devious gleam in her eyes.
“We’ll pick up where we left off,” he whispered. Boomer was making kissy pucker faces out of the corner of his eye. When he glanced over, he had a poker face, but Hazard was smirking next to him.
Preacher gave them both a disgusted look.
Rose walked to the front of the room and dimmed the lights over the large screen.
“I’m afraid we’re in the same boat here again as we were in Paris. But I will go over each scene and talk about where we are right now.”
She put up a snapshot of the lobby of the building. “Delgado Asociados was hit first at oh-eight-hundred this morning. It’s a law firm that was in the process of signing an agreement with Heath Global, a services company. Delgado was going to work with them delivering legal services internationally. Heath is based in the US and that is why NSH targeted them.” A picture of the receptionist’s desk showed blood spattered across the white walls. “They entered through reception, killing the receptionist and a junior lawyer, gaining access to the upper floor and the conference room.”
The next picture flashed up on the screen. It was a conference room, more blood spattered on the walls and windows, bodies sprawled on the floor and slumped in chairs.She flipped to another picture of a middle-aged woman on the blood-soaked carpet, the NSH flag covering her still face. “Among the dead are Mrs. Delgado, her oldest son and full-partner, Jorge, her office manager, and three of her junior lawyers who would’ve been overseeing the international cases and liaising with Heath. On the Heath side, the CEO, CFO, and business manager were also killed.”
Rose put up a photo of a bombed building that Preacher thought looked like a church. Smoke rose from the center of the building where the heart of the structure was a burned-out husk. “The second, more devastating attack was on the Basilica of the Virgen de la Candelaria in Copacabana. It is a sacred place, and the Bolivian government is understandably outraged and heartbroken over the damage to such a holy place and for the extensive loss of life both Bolivian and American.”
She paused, her jaw clenching. She looked over at Iceman as if she were gaining strength from him. She swallowed and continued speaking. “There was a pilgrimage from Our Lady of Peace out of Baltimore, Maryland visiting the shrine. Among the dead are Father Theo Charles, the pastor of the church, along with all twelve of the parishioners, and Bishop Timothy Jordan. The Bolivian loss of life includes the presiding priest. There were close to two hundred and fifty people, foreigners from all over the world, at or near the altar. All dead. More than one hundred others were injured.
“The State Department’s Office of US Disaster Assistance is coordinating with the Bolivian government in rescue and recovery. The Disaster Assistance Response Team, or DART, will be on the ground sometime today with military special forces providing security. Peace River Search and Rescue out of Florida is inbound with DART and is bringing ten human remains detector dogs and four live search dogs. That’s the training site for search and rescue dogs. Their dogs and handlers have the most training and experience.
“The Israeli Search and Rescue Brigade is also inbound. They were the lead agency during the Haitian earthquake. In the meantime, the local Red Cross and the Doctors Without Borders group are doing what they can.
“I know you’d like to jump in and help but that’s not our job. Our job is to find the SOBs and stop them from ever doing it again. The only survivor of the congregation is Deacon Jason Bailey. We will be questioning him when we fly to the scene later today. NSH left a huge flag with their customary black X floating in Lake Titicaca made from flowers.”
“Fuckers,” Kodiak said under his breath.
“As you know,” Rose said wearily, “the last attack was on a DEA Task Force out of Miami who was here presumably collaborating with locals in apprehending members of the Cortez Cartel. Neither GAT, nor the minister have any knowledge of a joint mission. Information is spotty, but we believe they were lured to that location and ambushed by NSH, who may or may not be working with the cartel. The only survivor of that attack is the DEA Agent in Charge, Nancy Chambers.” She clicked and a dark-haired woman with brown eyes came up on the screen. Preacher recognized her from this morning. “We’ve had word that she is doing well and will be joining us on the investigation. In the meantime, we have a few leads.” Nancy’s picture disappeared and a video popped up. “One of the shooters who attacked Delgado Asociados didn’t have gloves on. He touched the receptionist’s desk and we’ve pulled prints. He’s got a criminal record.” She looked down at a notepad, then back up. “Eduardo Ortiz, a petty criminal who must have been recruited by NSH. Hopefully, he will lead us to their handler for this country.” She looked at Iceman and he stood.
“Hazard and Breakneck. You go snatch him up and bring him back here for interrogation,” Iceman ordered. “GQ, Kodiak, Skull, and Boomer, you’ll be with Rose and me when we fly to the basilica.”
He looked at Rose. She took a breath and clicked off the screen as the lights came up. She focused on Preacher, and he met Rose’s firm gaze. “Preacher, we’d like you and Karasu to investigate the signal for Volk. Supposedly, he’s back in the city, but we can’t contact him.”
11
Back in Karasu’shotel room, she changed out of her sleek catsuit into something more tourist-friendly to blend in with the population.