Finding Dani (Once a Marine, Always a Marine Book 3) Read online

  “What do you suggest, Anuma?” Dani asked.

  Trekking through dense jungle at night wasn’t just an unpleasant thought; it could be deadly. Night predators, snakes, and even insects would be teeming in the inky blackness. But against men with guns, the jungle was the only alternative. Even with all the evil bugs. She shuddered at the thought.

  “We will have to leave the truck and hide in the trees.”

  She was afraid he was going to say that. “Can we put more distance between us first?”

  Both he and Travis nodded. “We can hide the truck by the river and track backwards to the rendezvous spot.”

  “How long before they catch up with us?”

  Travis shrugged. “Guess it depends on what happens in the village and how determined they are.”

  “I will hide us well,” Anuma said.

  Dani nodded. She believed he would try, but as she looked around at everyone in the truck, she knew it would be difficult. Four pale faces looked back. She knew her face echoed the terror they all felt. Her stomach was in knots and every bump threatened to release the panic she was carefully keeping in check. She was the leader and needed to keep calm.

  But that didn’t mean she couldn’t worry about everything. Claire was in a stark white T-shirt that was a beacon in the light of the rising full moon. And Hailey’s pale blonde hair would stand out like neon in the moonlight.

  They were all in light colors, to stay cooler in the oppressive heat. But now those colors could alert the enemy to their location.

  Only Anuma was in darker clothes, and with his obsidian hair and mocha skin, he would blend into the shadows flawlessly. He’d be able to disappear into safety on his own, but Dani was more than grateful that he was with them. And willing to help.

  She reached out and laid her hand on his darker one. “Thank you, Anuma.”

  There was nothing more to say, no reassurance that she could give her team that they were going to make it out alive. There were no guarantees in this world. And they all knew it, even accepted it.

  But that didn’t mean she couldn’t hope.

  ***

  “I’m not actually sure a helicopter is supposed to make that kind of noise,” Gunner said.

  To his credit, his voice was steady and his posture was relaxed, but Damon wasn’t fooled. Gunner was freaked out. Even with the headsets, they had to almost yell. “This baby will make it. Besides, I told you to stay at the base.”

  “But this is so much more exciting. I love flying,” he said. “And maybe one of the lady doctors will think I’m handsome and heroic enough to reward me with a kiss, or a full night together.”

  Damon grinned. When Gunner wasn’t lost in one of his inventions, he focused all his attention on women. All women. He loved everything about women and they loved him. Tall, blond, with deep brown eyes, he wasn’t ever lacking in companions. Being rich and brilliant wasn’t a bad asset either.

  “What makes you think any of the docs are women?”

  “Are you kidding? The CDC specializes in women who want to make a difference in the world. Tough, but tender women, who aren’t looking for a permanent man in their lives because they work for ‘the cause’.”

  Damon checked his instrument panel with the coordinates he’d been given before he answered. “And you aren’t a permanent kind of guy.”

  Gunner shrugged. “There are too many adventures and women in the world to settle down with only one. Besides, you’re one to talk. When was the last time you had anything but a fling?”

  Damon ignored that. It was true, but made him sound cold. “Well, you’re in luck. There are three on this team. I’m sure at least one of them will be eternally grateful.”

  “Then hurry up and get there.”

  Damon handed Gunner a pair of night vision goggles. “We should be coming up to the clearing now. See if you can spot them.”

  “Got it.”

  He began to circle. No way was he landing if the team wasn’t close. Gunner had been unable to reach the SAT phone the doctors were using, so he figured the battery must be dead or the phone damaged.

  “Movement in the trees. Four—no, six bodies.”

  Then they both saw the bright red of a flare spring to life. Damon saw the tip moving and then another one was lit. Both bounced along as they were carried to the clearing. He circled the open space as more flares were lit and placed on the ground, illuminating his landing area.

  “Shit. Land now,” Gunner said. He pointed toward the river. Headlights jumped up and down in the distance. “That’s muzzle flash. They’re shooting at us.”

  “Copy that.”

  Damon pushed the stick down and used his pedals to make the landing as smooth as possible, but going down that fast made his stomach drop. The blades above them whined at the abrupt movement, then they settled down into the normal thump, thump noise they usually made. He set them down with a hard thud. Gunner was cussing steadily under his breath, so Damon was only catching every other word. He made sure his door faced the headlights angling toward them.

  “Get everyone inside, Gun.”

  He heard Gunner acknowledge him as he moved. His M-40A3 sniper rifle felt comfortable in his hands. Flying was the second best thing he did; killing was the first. He’d been one of the best Marine snipers in the Corps. And it was time to slow down the rebels. He couldn’t see anyone in the pitch black, but they couldn’t drive fast without headlights. Those, he could see. And if he happened to wing a couple, then so be it.

  When he had a rifle in his hands, he didn’t miss.

  ***

  Dani had Claire and Hailey by the hands as one of the pilots jumped out of the chopper and slid open the door to the passenger area. It looked like a Vietnam era Huey, minus the gun turrets. And it wasn’t until she was almost inside that she saw the name scrawled on the side.

  Archangel.

  That’s when she stumbled.

  Dani hadn’t thought about who was coming for them; she assumed it would be someone from the military. She never dreamed it would be a civilian. She never dreamed it would be him.

  Damon Dupree.

  “Oh, God, the rebels,” Claire yelled over the noise of the copter blades. Dani saw the headlights in the distance, just as one went black and the noise of a large caliber weapon sounded from the other side of the helicopter.

  “Everyone in, now,” yelled the big man waving them over.

  Gunfire erupted in the distance as the second headlight was extinguished suddenly. Everyone was running, but the wind from the rotating blades pushed against them. Hurry, hurry, her mind screamed. She wasn’t about to get inside until her whole team was safe, but it was a battle against the adrenaline surging through her, demanding she jump inside and be done with it. Once everyone had climbed in, she threw herself inside as the door was sliding closed. Both the pilots jumped back into the front and they were up off the ground in a move that caused everyone to give a startled gasp.

  Damon didn’t have a single light on inside or out, probably to make them an impossible target. With no lights, the rebels could only guess at their location in the sky by the sound. And they were moving so fast, Dani was sure they were out of range. Her breathing was so ragged that she had to lean forward, elbows on knees to catch a breath. While it was still loud inside, she was able to pick out other noises, such as Hailey’s crying. Everyone else was in the same condition Dani was, breathing fast, but trying to get it under control.

  Small lights flickered to life in the back after a while. There was only enough light to see everyone’s relieved faces. The big man in the co-pilot chair turned and grinned at them and gave them a thumb’s up. Then, he pointed above their heads.

  Dani reached up, already knowing what was there. Headsets. Slipping hers over her ears, she helped Claire with hers and showed the rest of them the switch they could hit to talk.

  “Is everyone okay back there?”

  His voice made her want to cry, but also sounded so sweet in her
ears that she couldn’t speak past the fist-sized lump in her throat. It had been at least eight years since she’d seen Damon in person.

  “We’re all alive, thanks to you two,” Travis said.

  The rest of her crew added their thanks, but Dani hadn’t said anything. She couldn’t yet. It was amazing that after all these years the sound of his voice had this effect on her. Her chest was tight and she had to close her eyes and count before she could calm down. It was as if the years had fallen away and she’d been given a precious glimpse into the past.

  “How’re you holding up, Red?”

  That made her eyes fly open, only to meet five very curious pairs. Good thing it was too dark to see the blush making its way up her neck and into her cheeks. No one dared call her that, and her team was waiting for the rare explosion that normally happened when someone did.

  “As well as can be expected, Shadow.” She ducked her head to hide her grin. “How’d you get mixed up in this?”

  “I heard there was a Copperhead sighting and happened to be in the area.”

  That earned him a tired chuckle and some incredulous looks from everyone else. Dani’s team had never seen her act this way with anyone but themselves. And they’d only managed to loosen up her tight reserve after being with her for several years.

  “It figures. Dad never does let me go completely off the radar.”

  “Of course not, the last time he did you created an international incident.”

  “I did not start that one, and you know it. That was all…,” she trailed off.

  “Yeah, it was,” Damon finished for her and she could hear the distant echoes of the pain she carried with her in his voice. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friends?”

  Dani looked around at her team, who were exchanging confused looks. “Everyone, this is Damon Dupree. My brother-in-law.”

  Chapter 3

  The temporary military base in Liberia had a tent with hot showers. Real hot water that rained down onto her head. It was a little bit of heaven for Dani, but due to the adrenaline dump, tears that were hotter than the water streamed down her face. Slow sobs bubbled up and escaped as she stood under the hot spray. Since she was alone, she let herself have a good cry. It was raw and ugly, but she didn’t care.

  They could have died. All of them.

  It took a bit, but her muscles began to unknot as the terror seeped from her body. It wasn’t as easy to wipe away as the soap, but she was under control again.

  Dani made her way back to the tent assigned to her, thinking she still had an angel sitting on her shoulder. Gabriel. It had been a long time since she felt his presence, and even though she wasn’t a religious person, she believed in angels. He’d always been hers, even more so after he’d died and left her.

  Obviously, his twin brother carried Gabriel with him as well. He’d even named his helicopter after his brother. Archangel. It warmed her heart to see the nickname.

  And then suddenly he was there. The shadow to his twin’s bright light. Damon. Long wavy black hair with eyes the color of topaz. So achingly familiar and yet—not.

  “Come here,” he said.

  And she flew into his arms, wrapping herself in his muscular embrace. “Thank you for coming for us.”

  “As if there were any other option.”

  Dani broke their quick embrace and moved away before she did something stupid, like cry all over him. And just when she had gotten herself under control. It was just—well—so damned wonderful to be in his arms because for one infinitesimal moment, it was like Gabriel was back and holding her.

  And she couldn’t use Damon that way. It wasn’t right.

  “Why are you even here in Liberia?” she asked.

  Damon shrugged. “Babysitting on Uncle Sam’s dime.”

  “I heard you’d gone into business for yourself. Although, mercenary is an ugly word.”

  He laughed and said, “That sounds like something your father would say.”

  Dani sat on her cot with her legs crossed in front of her as she began to comb out the tangles in her long red hair. “Well, yeah, he’s the one I heard it from.”

  Damon made himself comfortable in the chair by her makeshift desk. He looked older than she remembered, but then it had been at Gabriel’s funeral that she’d seen him last. And that had been through a haze of pain so intense that she’d blocked out most of that entire year.

  He was leaner, harder somehow, than he’d been in the Marines. And even more handsome than the last time she’d seen him.

  “Why are you still crusading, Dani? You should be in a private hospital, stateside, working normal hours.”

  She ducked her head, not knowing how to answer him, because for the last couple of years, she’d been asking herself the same thing. But this was the only life she’d known, and it was hard to give up the familiarity, even comfort of it. “How could I give all this up?”

  The smile that slowly emerged as he looked around the sparse tent made her stomach clench.

  “True. World travel, danger, and no regard for personal hygiene. Now, that’s the life.”

  “How about you? Why aren’t you married with five kids?”

  That got a raised eyebrow from him. “What makes you think I’m not?”

  Dani shook her head. “No woman in her right mind would let you continue being a Merc if you had five mouths to feed. It’s not exactly the most stable job. Or the safest.”

  “Let’s just say that I’ve never found anyone who measures up.”

  Instantly, an image of the one and only kiss they’d ever shared sprang to mind. It was the night she’d gotten engaged to Gabriel, and Damon happened to be home on leave. She’d had a bit too much to drink and made a mistake. An honest one, but embarrassing as well, because she’d never before had trouble telling them apart, but only because their hair was so differently styled. Everything else was startlingly similar, especially since she’d never had any experience with identical twins.

  It wasn’t until she tried to bury her fingers in his hair that the shock of his buzz cut jerked her into reality. Gabriel’s hair was longer, softer, and his kiss had never been quite that wild. As if he were trying to eat her alive. Damon’s kiss had scared her.

  “What are you thinking about?” he asked, when the silence had gone on a moment too long.

  Dani could barely meet his eyes and was very much afraid that she blushed. “I’m sorry, I got lost in thought. What were we talking about?”

  He didn’t believe her, she could tell, but he changed the subject anyway.

  “My orders were to get you back to this base safely. What are you and your team doing next?”

  “We were only two days from being deployed back home, but I wasn’t prepared to go just yet.”

  He cocked his head to the side and stared at her. What he saw she wasn’t sure, but it startled her when he asked, “What did you find?”

  Because he’d always been able to read her like that. Even Gabriel couldn’t do that, and it had always made her uneasy. “How do you do that?”

  “I play a lot of poker, Red. I can spot a ‘tell’ immediately.”

  “What gave me away?”

  He grinned and shook his head. “If I let you know, then I wouldn’t have that ace anymore. So, what’s going on in that pretty head of yours that would prevent you from leaving?”

  She sighed. Dani hadn’t confided in anyone, because she wasn’t sure of her findings. Not yet. And the last of her samples were left behind in that village. She had to get back there.

  It would be nice to tell someone her fears. And Damon could be trusted.

  “I think someone is altering the Ebola strain,” she finally said.

  He didn’t question her or show any disbelief, which a statement like that might cause with anyone else. She could have hugged him for that. “Altering it how?”

  “Shortening its incubation period and making it stronger.”

  “Shit.”

  “Exactly.�
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  “How did you find out?”

  Dani threw the brush she’d been using on her hair down on the cot and moved toward her desk. Her personal journal was in her bag sitting on top. “We take samples of blood from everyone infected, and when we got to the village, we found exactly what we expected to. But then, one of the women, who’d seemed fine, suddenly had symptoms. And it progressed at a faster pace than it should have. Not only that, but we couldn’t trace where the strain came from.”

  “That’s unusual?” he asked.

  Finding the journal, she opened to the page where she’d sketched out the virus. It always reminded her of a backwards J with fancy swirls on top. She pointed to the normal virus. “This is what we see in almost one hundred percent of infection cases.”

  Then she pointed at a second picture that was nearly identical with the exception of three lines that looked like hairs jutting off of the main body of the virus. “Do you see these?”

  “It’s almost unnoticeable.”

  “Exactly. And when we found the villager that we thought was patient zero, this was what the sample looked like.”

  Damon looked up at her. “But?”

  “But,” she leaned down next to him. “This wasn’t patient zero. And this woman died five days after we landed in that village.”

  “So, what are you thinking?”

  Dani could feel the horror creeping into her tone, something she’d lived with for the past month. “That someone on my team is altering this virus and killed several people in that village as a trial run. And, now, I don’t have any proof because my samples disappeared not long after those rebels attacked.”

  “A trial run for something bigger. Maybe an attack on a larger, more important target?”

  “I don’t know.”

  ***

  Damon leaned back in his chair. The mild soap mixed with Dani’s unique fragrance filled his senses and he tended to lose perspective when she was close. And what she told him needed laser focus.