Epilogue - Unfinished Business
RIO DE JANEIRO, TWO YEAR LATER
A SUMMER breeze cooled the shaded terrace of the cliff-side mansion overlooking the inlet to Guarabara Bay. The home belonged to Tex Wilson, a man of many fingers in many pies. He relaxed in a massive chair like a king in his throne room and smiled at his guests. Izeta Cordero and Brody “Babel” Buchanan occupied cushioned chairs. Lennox Morgan and Griffith “Abel” Caine occupied a large lounger. Abel still sported bandages, but he was well on the road to recovery after their recent run-in with a group of mercenaries in the Amazon rain forest.
Three children splashed in the pool while a giant Newfoundland named Capaz ran around the edge, barking. Then the dog jumped in and swam to the nearest child. The little girl grabbed hold of the dog’s collar and Capaz towed her to the steps in the shallow end.
A servant appeared. He held a whispered conversation with Tex, then withdrew. A few minutes later, two men walked through the French doors opening from the home’s interior. Zeta was on her feet, her hand patting her side as she reached for a weapon that wasn’t there. Brody rose a bit slower. He stared at the men, recognizing the one with black hair and blue eyes from the jungle. He’d never met the other but he knew the big man. So did his wolf. This guy was a living legend.
“I’m Mac McIntire,” the big man announced without preamble. “And this is Rudek Tornjak.”
Zeta remained tense though she’d blanked her face, hiding all emotion. Rudek only had eyes for Zeta. He searched her face as if looking for something familiar. She just stared at him, his face all too familiar—and hateful—to her.
“Zevan Tornjak,” Rudy finally said. “Was my twin brother. I tore out his throat in a lab outside of New Orleans ten years ago. He’s dead.”
Zeta straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. “Zevan Tornjak is my father. I saw him get into a boat on the Xingtu River one week ago. He is alive.”
“Is he still working for Black Root?” Mac directed the question to both Brody and Tex.
They answered in unison. “Yes.”
Mac dropped his head and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, hell. This is gonna piss Hannah right the fuck off.”
That seemed to break the ice. Tex called for food and drinks. His beautiful wife, a former Ukrainian model, appeared. She, Lennox, and Capaz entertained the children in the pool. Zeta and Rudy moved to a small seating area at the far end of the terrace, far enough away that their whispered conversation would be hard to overhear by nosy Wolf ears.
Mac sat with Tex, Abel, and Brody. Brody learned that all charges against him would be dropped. The confession by the surviving Black Root operative cleared his name. Duke Reagan’s boss, who had more stroke than anyone could gauge, had sent the report up the chain of command. She’d personally called TJAG— The Judge Advocate General. He’d signed off and so had the Pentagon.
Brody didn’t even ask how Mac knew. He knew the stories of the powerful alpha Wolf who’d led the Wolves of the 69th, of how Mac had tangled with a staff puke by the name of Major Hannah Jackson, and how they’d mated on a mission in Bosnia. There’d been a lot of scuttlebutt since. Sitting there across from the man live and in person, Brody was pretty damn certain every story he’d heard was true.
While he was interested in the information Mac shared, his attention continuously strayed to the far end of the terrace, where his mate sat tense but controlled, and the man whose face dragged up what had to be her worst nightmare. Despite his best efforts, he only caught snatches of their conversation.
ZETA CLUNG to every shred of her CIA training to remain calm and to appear collected though her thoughts and memories were pinwheeling through her mind. She did not want to hear what this man calling himself Rudek Tornjak had to say. That didn’t stop him.
Rudy studied her for a few minutes, then in a quiet voice, spoke of the childhood he had shared with his twin. “My mother prayed for him,” he said. “And told me that we—Zevan and I—shared the same soul. He had the dark half. I had the light.” He lifted one shoulder in a very Slavic shrug. “Two sides of the coin, light and dark. Without evil, there cannot be good. She was a very religious woman. She did not live to see the demons her sons would change into once we came of age.”
Despite herself, she had to ask. “Your father?”
“He loved his mate, our mother. When she died, he went a little crazy but he hung on for us. He was a soldier. He saw us through our first changes.” Another shrug as he added, “He was killed by Chechen rebels.”
When he finished, Rudy insisted she tell him everything she remembered of her early childhood. Resisting at first, she finally gave him all she had—the few snatches she’d recalled, of then being caught in the memories which led to her getting sucked into a fugue state.
“Mama…I am still not sure what she did or who she worked for. Maybe the UN. Maybe the CIA. I just know that she traveled many places before I was born. I think my earliest memory is of looking up at the Eiffel Tower. In Paris. I might have been two. Whoever she worked for, she always took me along. I was…different. Even then. I would sit quietly in a corner while she worked. I read. Or I watched people outside the window. I remember a man. He would come to see my mother. She would tell me to stay in my room so I did. I don’t remember seeing his face but she was always…different when he was there. Lighter. Happier. Then he would leave and she would become sad.”
She paused, watching the happy children splashing in the pool. “At the end, we were someplace new to me though Mama seemed to know the town. Cobbled streets wound through old buildings. And there were mountains not far away.” She glanced up at him. “Later, I had nightmares of wolves howling and the air was painted red. Screams. Gunshots. Mama told me to hide. I did. Under the bed. Then the howling went away. Far off in the mountains. Mama didn’t come so I crawled out.” She closed her eyes. “Out in the street in front of the building where we stayed, there was my mother. She was bloody. And a man stood over her, also covered in blood. A man with your face.”
She couldn’t continue. When she finally opened her eyes, she looked down to discover Rudy had gently covered her hands with his own.
“I did not believe he could ever love anyone,” Rudy murmured. “But I think he cared enough about your mother that he mated with her. This would explain things that happened.”
“He killed her. Killed my mother.” Zeta was adamant.
“Perhaps. He certainly tried to kill me on numerous occasions. And I was sure I had killed him.”
Zeta raised her eyes to stare at Rudy. “I only see him when I look at you. I see him, and I want to kill you for reminding me.”
“If it helps, I see nothing of him in you.”
She jerked, as if she’d been slapped. Zeta? Brody. She turned her head, searching for him. He was staring at her, his face hard but his eyes contained worry. For her. She sent a wave of love along their bond. He dipped his chin in acknowledgment, then returned to the conversation at the table.
“You have a good man as your mate.”
“Yes.”
“I will leave my information should you wish to contact me. I understand why you would not wish to. My mate, Izzy, she would make you family the moment she laid eyes on you.”
“And you?”
He offered a sad smile. “I meant to kill my twin, Zeta, because I believed he needed to die. My opinion has not changed much. If he and I meet again, I will try to finish what I started. But that is between Zevan and me. You? You carry my blood. You are family whether you choose to acknowledge it or not.”
He rose, taking her hands with him, holding them while he bent at the waist to kiss the top of her head. “Family is important, Zeta. I have learned this from Izzy.” Then he pulled her to her feet and walked her back to Brody.
When the day was over, they’d learned why Black Root was so interested in children. Kids with the right DNA made good lab rats for on-going experiments. Brody and his wolf both were ready to go hunting. Mac explained how Zevan, while working for Black Root, kidnapped Mac and Hannah’s son. As he watched Mac and Rudy, Brody figured there’d come a time of reckoning and he wanted an invite to the party. Problem was, he’d have to take Zeta with him.
As the men said their farewells, Rudy once more took her aside and handed her a business card. Mac took the moment for a quick message for Brody. “Tell your mate there’s been a little housecleaning at Langley,” Mac said quietly. “And that she’s now retired, with a pension. She’ll have no more trouble.”
Yeah, Mac McIntire might be off the grid, but he was a damn big blip on someone’s radar. “I’ll do that.”
Mac offered his hand. “You ever get to West Virginia, stop by to say hello.”
Brody shook the proffered hand and grinned. “I’m not a country roads kinda guy but if and when, I’ll keep it in mind.” He glanced over to Zeta and Rudy. He was surprised when Rudy moved to hug her and Zeta didn’t back away. She didn’t respond at first, but as Rudy loosened his hold, she threw her arms around his waist and clung for a moment.
Funny how things worked out sometimes, Brody thought, then he retrieved his mate and let her cling to him for a while.
THE TRIP back to Blaidd’s Gap took a while, giving Rudy and Mac time to catch up on sleep and occasional conversation. Both were what Hollywood would call the strong, silent type. They were men of few words but with deep emotions. And action. They both chafed at sitting behind desks.
On the drive home, Mac finally spoke about the elephant in the car. “You know we’ll back you,” he said.
“You have more right—”
“No, Rudy. He’s your brother. It’s your right. To kill or to let him live.”
“He needs to die.”
Mac smiled. “Hell, they all need to die.”
“Then we will kill them. One at a time, or many. However we catch them.”
“It will be a long hunt.”
“Yes. But I am not one to leave business unfinished. Are you?”
“Nope.”
Rudy smiled and Mac realized it was an expression the once somber man wore more easily these days.
“Good. Then we will start searching for his scent as soon as we get home.”