Monkey's Uncle Read online

  “Just answer the question,” Papa said.

  “No, you answer something for me,” John shot back. “You ever have to stand by and watch some government fucker execute a child with a shot and call it a ‘liquidation’ after the asshole told her parents it was an antibiotic? Have to stand there and hold back a mother and father when you know they’re probably going to be getting the shots next?”

  He jabbed a finger at Papa. “Fuck you. We’re moving our families out of the US to try to keep them safe. Shit’s already bad. People just don’t know how bad yet. We had to help hold down three journalists last week while they got po-clo shots. They were trying to break the story and the military brought them in. Threw them in a holding cell while they brought over some fuckin’ military medic to do it. Guess they didn’t feel like getting their hands dirty holding them down themselves, so we got ordered to do it. Some cowardly bullshit about civilian authority versus military. The reporters were young, right outta college. Practically kids, about the same age as my oldest. A girl and two boys. They pissed themselves as they got the shots, they were so scared. Begging us to help them.”

  John sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. “You might be military, but fuck you, buddy. We’ve seen our share of combat, and I guarantee you it’s uglier than anything you’ve ever seen.”

  India felt sick to her stomach.

  She thought maybe Papa would get angry, but instead he just nodded. Then he extended a hand to the man, who finally shook with him.

  And then Papa told them the whole story, leaving out the whereabouts of Q and Sin. Including that he was trying to figure out the best way to bait the as of yet unidentified mole into coming to Mexico City.

  The two cops were both staring at the floor by the time Papa finished with his story. Robert looked up first. “You have a short list of suspects, right?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Okay then. This is what you do. Have your inside guy monitor the personnel rosters for those people. Flat-out bait the guy to Mexico City by offering a limited-time-offer kind of meeting. The first one who takes sudden leave, there’s your guy. Watch the flight lists. You’ll get confirmation that way. And you’ll know who you’re looking for.”

  Paul let out a chuckle. “Guess you military guys aren’t used to sting operations,” he said.

  “We’re used to being given intel, given an objective, and making it happen at any cost.”

  John contributed his two cents. “Get a pic of you. Have one of your guys take it like from a distance, with no landmarks in the background. Like it’s surveillance. Scrub all metadata from it, then send it as proof.”

  Robert looked at his brother. “Yeah. We can set up a meeting in a busy plaza or something, figure out what he knows. We’ll have all the info we need that we can feed him so it looks like we know what we’re talking about—”

  “And we tell him we’re looking for a piece of the action,” John continued. “And that we want to be put in touch with whoever his handler is.”

  “Right,” Robert said. Then he looked at Papa. “The guy won’t know who we are from Adam. He’ll have no clue, except he’ll know we’re some unknown players. That’ll fit in with what you’ve been doing so far, right?”

  “And then we can follow him back to his hotel and go through his shit,” John added. “Take him out once he’s given up his handlers. Might be able to confirm if your general is clean or not, too.”

  “Does this mean you two want to help us?” India asked.

  The men looked at each other and smiled. “I guess it does,” John said. We were planning on being here for a few days anyway. Let’s make this happen.” He stuck out his hand again to Papa, a genuine smile on his face. “One last case, and we won’t need to do any fucking paperwork on it or worry about Miranda rights.”

  Papa shook with him. “Genius. Welcome aboard, gents. We greatly appreciate it.”

  Robert’s expression turned serious. “Just promise us, your guys figure out that vaccine, you express ship a bunch of it here to the town for Paul and Ellen, and us and our families. And others, obviously,” he added. A sick look crossed his features. “I’ve seen what that shit does to people. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy, and I damn sure don’t want my family getting it.”

  “Deal.” He turned to Yankee and Oscar. “Well, Doc and Tango will be pissed off to find out that they and Pandora are back into play.”

  “Guess they’ll just have to suck it up,” Yankee said. “No favorites.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Papa left for a little while and then returned, apparently with a digital picture file. He took over the bedroom again and emerged less than an hour later, wearing a smile.

  “All set?” India asked.

  “Yep. Bubba is working on it, and will make the final meeting arrangement for us.”

  “Shouldn’t you make it?”

  “He’s pretending to be me. Who will actually be John or Robert when it comes time for the meeting. I sent Bubba the digital file to verify the metadata was scrubbed from it. He’s going to bounce the IP address around so the messages can’t be traced.”

  “How do we know we aren’t walking into a trap?”

  “Because we’re going to give our friend a very limited window of opportunity. If he, or she, is trying to stay concealed in the food chain, they’ll do exactly what John and Robert said and take off on their own to make this meeting. Bubba’s going to pick a public place for the meeting, based on the intel you gave us, and we’ll be there ahead of time to keep an eye out for anyone who looks like they’re setting up surveillance of their own. If we don’t like it, we don’t do it. The mole won’t know what our guys look like. Bubba’s going to get a burner cell number from the mole for us to call, and then we’ll pick up a burner locally in Mexico City to use to confirm the meeting.”

  Before the clinic closed for the day, Papa had a response from Bubba, as well as a confirmed meeting time. The day after tomorrow, at ten in the morning, at the northeast corner of the Zócalo, the old main square of the city. Their contact would have ten minutes to appear, or the meeting would be cancelled. To add extra incentive, they told the mole that if they didn’t show, their next contact would be to the Chinese government, asking how much they’d pay for the information.

  “How familiar are you with the layout there?” Papa asked her.

  “I’ve been there a few times. They use it as a marketplace now, after the big earthquake in 2112 completely destroyed most of the buildings around it. They didn’t rebuild there. The government couldn’t afford to. So they moved everything to a different part of town. It’s a maze if it’s a busy market day.”

  “And when we’ll be there?”

  She did a quick calculation. “I think that’s a market day.”

  “Even better.”

  “So do you know who you’re meeting with?”

  “I should by tomorrow morning. I’ll check before we leave. Be ready to move out by seven.”

  Oscar cleared his throat. “Um, we have John and Robert. We don’t need her to go with us now, do we?”

  “Clara is a member of the team. Suck it up, buttercup. We need her expertise and knowledge of the area.” He clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Tango and Doc aren’t happy about it, either. Hey, you guys should quit bitching. Look on the bright side. Clara gets to stay with us, if she wants to, when we finally move on.”

  She couldn’t help the thrilled way her pulse raced at that proclamation. “And when will that be?” she asked.

  “Probably as soon as we return from Mexico City. It seems unlikely anyone will be able to trace us to Colima at this point, but I’d rather get moving and find a larger city to hide out in. And Bubba’s working on our next lead.”

  That was all he’d say before he left.

  Once the clinic closed for the day, and with John and Robert bunking at Ellen and Paul’s house, India and her guys had the clinic to themselves.

  I gu
ess I should enjoy it while I can.

  When the bittersweet thought that if things went badly she might never see the clinic again once they all left Colima for good tried to work its way in, she shoved it back.

  One step at a time.

  She’d obviously have to keep reminding herself of that point.

  The men helped her cook them a simple dinner of ham steaks and vegetables. With their plans settled and in motion, India felt the men had relaxed a little, even if they weren’t happy about her going with them.

  “Shouldn’t you guys be wound up even more now?” she asked.

  “Nope,” Oscar said. “We know what our mission is. Waiting is the hardest. We’re meant to be used.”

  “Machines,” Yankee added, “break down and rust if they are left sitting idle for too long.”

  “You two have kept me pretty well-lubed the past few days,” she teased.

  The brothers groaned. “Puns like that could earn you a spanking if you’re not careful,” Yankee playfully warned.

  “I don’t know about a spanking, but I’m definitely in the mood for a post-dinner fucking,” she said.

  It was as if a pall suddenly settled over the men. “What?” she asked.

  Oscar gently took her hand. “Make sure you go armed tomorrow, okay? Bring your gun.”

  “Oh, believe me, I will. What’s up with you two? Why the long faces all of a sudden?”

  Yankee captured her other hand and kissed it. “We don’t want anything bad to happen to you. We need you to follow any of our directions or Papa’s orders without question tomorrow. Okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m not an idiot. I get it.”

  “Just wanted to make sure,” Oscar said. He pulled her into his lap. “And you sure you want to stay with us? Depending on what happens tomorrow, you might feel differently.”

  She glanced at Yankee before returning her focus to Oscar. “Look, you heard what they told us. What’s going on in parts of the world. And what’s now happening in New York City, supposedly one of the most civilized places on earth. You think it’s going to be better anywhere else, think again. I think my best chances are with you guys.”

  She tapped Oscar on the chest. “Besides, it’d suck being stuck back here wondering if you two were okay or not. I’m already used to living lean and light. You’re not trying to get rid of me, are you?” Her heart pounded in her chest. “If that’s the case, then say so now.”

  “No,” both men said together.

  “That’s not what we want,” Oscar said.

  “As long as you’re sure you want to stay with us,” Yankee said.

  “I’m sure. Don’t try to back out on me.” She draped her arms around Oscar’s neck. “You think you two can wiggle out of my life by using a wimpy ole pandemic as an excuse, think again, chumps.”

  Oscar kissed her. She didn’t want to read anything into it, but the way his hands traveled up her back, it felt like maybe he wanted to hold on to her, too, and not just for the night.

  Yankee cleared his throat. “Let’s get dinner cleaned up,” he said. “Then we can get to dessert.”

  A few minutes later, they were naked and in bed together, on their sides with her back to Oscar and facing Yankee. Yankee laced fingers with her and leaned in for a kiss so sweet and fiery at the same time that it made her toes curl.

  Behind her, Oscar nibbled his way up and down her shoulders, around the nape of her neck, feathering his lips across her flesh and taking away her ability to put together coherent thoughts. She felt his rigid cock nestled along the seam of her ass, his hips slowly flexing against her.

  Yankee reached down and lined up his hard cock with the entrance to her pussy, gently sliding home with a contented sigh. “Slow and easy tonight, sweetie,” he said. “Then we get a good night’s sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow, and it’s going to be a long day.”

  Then he kissed her again. She wondered if they were more concerned about what would happen at the meeting than they were letting on. It almost felt like they were trying to savor this moment, too, and she didn’t want to let maudlin emotions get in the way.

  Not tonight.

  Tonight she wanted to absorb every sound, every taste, every scent, store it away in her memories to pull out later when she needed a good one to lift her spirits.

  Yankee gently thrust, filling her, and at this angle perfectly hitting her clit with every thrust. As Oscar continued nibbling on her neck and stroked her body, Yankee slowly fucked her.

  They weren’t one-dimensional men at all. This, if nothing else, told her that. They were focused on their jobs, sure, but she longed to find out more about them, spend time with them…

  Make it through to the other side of this mess with Kite to see the kinds of books they liked to read, the kinds of movies they liked. What they looked like with their hair grown out.

  Maybe even how they’d be with kids, if they were lucky enough to get to that point.

  Stop it.

  She felt herself drifting into dangerous emotional territory again. She wanted this moment to be about the sexy now, not the scary what-if future.

  Oscar’s hand settled over one of her breasts, cupping it in his palm. “Let go to us, baby,” he whispered against her flesh.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Oscar couldn’t help it. He knew damn well he’d tipped over the edge into love, and there wasn’t a farking thing he could do about it. As much as the thought of India going with them and being in harm’s way petrified him, he also knew she had to go with them for the sake of his sanity. He’d felt such immense relief at her determination to not be left behind when they departed Colima that he’d nearly burst into tears not caused by physical agony for the first time he could ever remember in his adult life.

  He also knew he couldn’t admit his feelings to her. Not yet, at least. Not without risking her not feeling the same about them. She’d made it clear early on she didn’t want to go there yet in terms of talking about feelings, and they were okay honoring that.

  Maybe she’ll figure it out through osmosis.

  He also figured he owned Doc and Tango an apology. Even though he’d never said it out loud, he’d envied the two men their relationship with Pandora. He knew the three weren’t throwing it in everyone’s faces, but there’d been no other good option. And why shouldn’t they take advantage of whatever time they could to be together?

  The flip side of that, what he hadn’t completely realized before now, even after what they’d been through with Pandora being kidnapped in Australia, was the ever-present level of panic that lurked just below the surface in his mind. The vigilance he knew Doc and Tango likely felt about Pandora, because he damn sure felt it about India now.

  Clara. I’ll have to get used to calling her that.

  She’d always be India to him in his heart and mind, though.

  Feisty, smart, and a quick-thinker. That was in addition to her beautiful body. Looking at it logically, she would be an excellent addition to the team. She had medical experience that would likely help them with their mission. Also, she was totally flying under everyone else’s radar. No one knew she was with them. She could make contacts and gather information for them in ways they might not be able to risk.

  She would be another precision instrument added to their group’s tool bag of skills.

  It looked like for the immediate future their mission would require more of those fine-tuned skills to bring about success, and not just being the hammer he and his teammates were used to pounding into things.

  We survive this, I want to come back to Colima and raise our kids here, together.

  It was in that moment he understood how, if they made it, the rest of their lives should play out. Him and Vance and India, together. She could work in the clinic, while he and Vance ran a small homestead locally. Grow vegetables and raise chickens and shit. Learn how to make a slightly better quality of rotgut, maybe.

  Life could be quiet. Peaceful.

  Maybe,
if he was lucky, he’d never have to kill again.

  * * * *

  Yankee held back, hoping to get India over like this, with nothing but his cock slowly gliding in and out of her sweetly hot pussy.

  She was a perfect fit for them, body, mind, and spirit.

  I hope we can earn her heart, too.

  From the way Lance looked at her, talked about her, followed her with his eyes, he knew his brother was as in love with her as he was.

  They didn’t need to talk about it with each other. It just was.

  And it was perfect.

  No, he wasn’t happy she was going with them to Mexico City, but he admired her spirit, her courage. Admired that she was willing to jump headfirst into their group and help them do this damn thing, to save the world.

  Which is what it boiled down to.

  No pressure.

  Only the fate of the human race resting with them.

  Q and Sin were working on yet another mutation of the virus signature one of the team had uploaded to the server. Apparently that was a good thing, that it was mutating, because it meant they had a chance of figuring out the virus’ base, of seeing the similarities so they could work out the vaccine.

  And it meant that the virus might naturally mutate to a less deadly version if it stayed on the projected track.

  He could only hope. Figuring out the medical aspects of what they were doing wasn’t his job. He was munitions and demolition. Something needed blowing up? That was his job. And Lance’s, too.

  Pulling his mind back to his current lovely activity, he felt India’s muscles begin to tense, her body urging him faster as she started rocking against him.

  Not breaking their kiss, he responded, enjoying the soft moan that escaped her.

  She was theirs for now, at least. He’d have to settle for that and be happy with it and pray they could keep all three of them safe enough to have the conversations he wanted to have, about the future, a future with all three of them in it.

  India’s body rocked harder, faster against him as a fine sheen of sweat covered her. He let her guide him, responding to her, trying to silently urge her over that edge into pleasure.