Red Zone (Red Zone 1)

“Back in the Northern Territory.”

His stomach turned bitter at the words. “You’re telling me that there isn’t another clinic with the antidote in the whole of South America?”

“No. The poison was developed in the Northern Territory. They control it and the antidote—especially outside of the Territories. They’re worried it might be used as a weapon against them.”

“Fuck.” He wanted to roar. Rage. Pummel something. Anything.

His snake stirred from slumber.

What?

Friday’s in trouble.

Mine.

It was a definitive answer. Friday couldn’t be in trouble because she belonged to the diamondback, and he wouldn’t allow it. Striker understood his reasoning and, for once, they were in complete agreement.

“Where are the clinics in the U.S.? I mean, the Northern Territory?”

&nb

sp; “Houston, where I took the poison. New York and Seattle.”

“Good. Good. Okay.” He ran a hand over his smooth head. He could do this. There was still time. “If we get on a super jet, we can be in New York in seven hours.”

He flicked open his satellite phone as he pulled his trembling woman against his body. It was okay. Everything was going to be okay. He wouldn’t allow anything else.

“What’s up?” It was Hunter.

“Somebody blew up the clinic. We need super jet passage to New York. That’s where the nearest antidote is.”

He heard Hunter suck in a breath. “Enforcement behind the explosion?”

“I would say so. Have you started booking that passage?”

“You turn up in the Northern Territory, and Enforcement is going to be on you before you can get her to the clinic.”

“Do you see another choice?”

There was a pause. He could practically hear their tech guy think. “Maybe we can break into the New York clinic, steal the antidote, and bring it to you.”

“We looked into that when she first approached us. It isn’t an option. It would take weeks to plan and days to execute. The security around the antidote in the Northern Territory is tight.” He pressed a kiss to Friday’s hair. Her eyes were still pinned to the clinic. “This is our only option.”

He heard Hunter’s fingers move over his keyboard. “There’s a super jet flight leaving for New York in an hour.”

The tension in his shoulders loosened slightly. They could do this. It was possible. He’d worry about Enforcement later. The main thing was to keep Friday alive.

“I’ve got the two of you passage to New York under assumed identities. I’ll get Dominic to hack the system and change your bioscans. The new identity will come up when you’re scanned at the plane. It’s gonna cost a shit ton, dude.”

“I don’t care.” All that mattered was getting it done. Dominic, their hacker connection, was a genius who lived on the fringes of Territory society. He was weird as hell, talented and loyal. He’d get the job done. “Tell him I’ll bring him back some Inca Cola.” The guy was also addicted to sugar and caffeine, two things that were seriously restricted and monitored in the Territories, but not in Bolivia.

“Good luck, boss.” Hunter didn’t wait for a reply. The line went dead.

He wrapped his arms around the woman who’d come to mean everything to him. “We’ve got to get out of here, bébé. The super jet leaves from La Paz International in an hour.” Time was tight if they wanted to make that flight. And he very much wanted to make it.

“When I get to New York, Enforcement will kill me. I die here, or I die there, what’s the difference?”

“No.” He clasped her chin and angled her face up to him. “No. We’ll assemble an army. We’ll protect you. They don’t know we’re coming back. They don’t know you’ll be at the clinic. But we’ll be ready if they find out. I’ll keep you safe. I swear this to you. I swear it.”