WAR: Intrusion Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  FIFTEEN YEARS AGO

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  CHAPTER FORTY

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  Dear Reader

  Excerpt from Vengeance

  Book List

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Copyright

  WAR: Intrusion

  (WAR Book 2)

  Copyright © 2015 by Vanessa Kier

  *****

  He’s trained to kill

  WAR military team leader Lachlan MacKay has a simple mission: determine who is smuggling weapons to a vicious group of West African rebels, and stop them. His number one suspect is Dr. Helen Kirk.

  She’s trained to heal

  In a remote corner of war-torn West Africa, Dr. Helen Kirk is struggling to leave her past behind her. If she finishes restoring her general practice clinic to showcase status before a crucial fundraiser, then she’ll be able to return to the trauma center work she loves.

  Their definitions of right and wrong are about to be challenged

  But there’s a new rebel leader on the rise and he’s decided to involve Helen in his deadly games. In order to stop him, Helen must work with Lachlan—a man who believes violence is an acceptable means to peace. A man whose actions may have cost her the career she loves.

  Faced with death, Helen and Lachlan must decide if their beliefs are worth dying for…or if their love is worth living for.

  *****

  To receive information on upcoming releases, and to receive exclusive content such as deleted scenes and snippets-of-life short stories, click here to sign up for my newsletter, or sign up on my website www.vanessakier.com.

  FIFTEEN YEARS AGO

  AS THE CLOCK moved from 1999 to 2000, many of the democratic countries of West Africa started a period of internal dissent. People rose up against corrupt, inefficient politicians. Civil wars broke out and spread throughout the region. In the aftermath, a new geopolitical structure emerged. In the east of the region Nigeria merged with Niger to form the Greater Niger Republic. Burkina Faso and the northern-most regions of Ghana, Togo, and Benin formed the United African Republic (UAR). The remainder of Benin and a bit of Togo became the Republic of Dahomey. The rest of Ghana and Togo became the Republic of the Volta. Côte d’Ivoire separated into the Ivory Republic (north) and the Democratic Republic of the Ivory Coast (south). Mali, Senegal, and Gambia became the New Mali Federation. Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone became the Republic of West Guinea.

  Now, however, the democratic societies have once again become overrun with corruption. The people are dissatisfied with their governments and with seeing multi-national corporations get rich off West African resources while the people remain in poverty. The African Freedom Army (AFA) promises to give power back to the West African people and offers hope for a better life. Yet their brutal tactics against both foreigners and any Africans who disagree with their strict doctrine and animist religion has begun to turn public opinion against them.

  That’s where the West African Rangers come in. An underground military and political group, WAR is dedicated to stopping AFA and returning true and honest democracy to the people.

  This is the environment in which our story begins…

  CHAPTER ONE

  Eastern Region

  The Republic of the Volta

  West Africa

  “YOU’RE CERTAIN YOU don’t want me to handle the doctor, Commander?”

  Lachlan MacKay closed his rucksack and reined in his temper before answering. “Do you have a problem with me being in charge of this mission, English?” The last rays of afternoon sun filtered through the jungle canopy, throwing Tony Jacobs’s face into shadows enhanced by his camo paint.

  Tony stared at Lachlan a moment. Then he blew out a breath that was half laugh, half snort. “I’ve got no problem with your leadership so far, Scots. What I’m concerned about is sending you into a situation where you’re clearly prejudiced. An anonymous tip and a grainy, blurry photograph isn’t enough to prove that Dr. Kirk is involved in the weapons smuggling, no matter what her mother did. With your damn fear of doctors, you’re more likely to scare her off than get any actionable intel.”

  Lachlan’s hands clenched into fists. He suspected that Kristoff Wren, the man in charge of assigning missions to WAR’s military teams, had deliberately paired two of the newest members—Tony and Lachlan—on this mission precisely to test them. And clearly Kris wanted to determine if Lachlan could overcome his aversion to doctors. Which was why Lachlan couldn’t let Tony step in and handle this next bit. Lachlan needed to prove his worth before the lads would fully accept him as team leader. To earn their respect, he had to make a success of this mission.

  “I’m the best choice.” Lachlan glanced around their hidden camp to make certain he wasn’t leaving anything behind. He’d scrubbed the paint from his face and changed into civilian clothes. He’d passed all weapons but his pistol and his knife over to Tony for safekeeping. His knife was military-issue, but with its worn leather hilt and sheath it could pass as an outdoorsman’s knife. The pistol at the small of his back was hidden by the loose flow of his over shirt.

  “You’re equally prejudiced,” Lachlan said. “Only you’re wanting to prove the doctor innocent. My way, we’re more likely to discover the weapons faster.” He would have preferred to have a bit more research on the situation, such as the local politics, economics, and social setup, but WAR’s research department was woefully understaffed and their equipment was antiquated. He was lucky to have received a report on Layla’s Foundation, the non-profit that had built the clinic, and a background report on Dr. Kirk.

  “Not buying it, mate,” Tony muttered as he slapped at an insect on his neck. “You just want the chance to sleep in a real bed while I bunk out here in the bloody jungle providing dinner to every bloodsucker in the vicinity.”

  Lachlan clapped Tony on the shoulder. “Ah, lad, you’ve found me out.” He shook his head, then grinned at Tony. “But since I outrank you, there’s not much you can do about it, now is there?”

  Tony grumbled something uncomplimentary that Lachlan pretended not to understand.

  “Besides, it’s only for three more nights,” Lachlan pointed out. Four days ago, they’d inserted via helicopter several kilometers north of here. Searches had uncovered no signs of weapons in the two most northern villages, leaving just this last village and Dr. Kirk’s clinic as possible locations for the smuggled weapons. Unless they
found a cache of weapons that would justify calling in the rest of the team early, Lachlan and Tony were scheduled to be extracted the morning after the big festival.

  “Surely a fine soldier like yourself won’t melt?” Although, given the increased humidity and the gathering clouds, Tony might be in for a spot of uncomfortably bad weather. “If a monsoon blows up, perhaps I’ll be able to slip you into my quarters to protect your sensitive English skin.”

  Tony made a rude gesture, then saluted, turned around, and vanished into the jungle.

  Chuckling to himself, Lachlan shouldered his pack.

  Fifteen minutes later, he was striding down the red dirt lane toward the medical clinic when he heard a child singing in the local language. On instinct, he moved into the protective shelter of the jungle, then remembered that he had a cover story to explain his presence. He shifted forward, then froze as a wee lass wearing a bright green and white batik dress skipped out of the jungle and onto the grassy verge not twenty meters in front of him.

  Not wanting to frighten her, Lachlan decided to wait until she passed before leaving his cover.

  Oblivious to Lachlan, the child swung her rag doll by one arm as she skipped along. Suddenly, she made a sound of distress and cradled the doll against her chest. Crooning soothingly to the doll, the lassie plunked herself down in one of the few remaining patches of sunlight and pulled something out of her pocket. Then she proceeded to fuss with the doll.

  Lachlan sighed, inched back a bit into the trees, and prepared to wait the lassie out. Then he spotted a sinuous ripple of brilliant green and yellow slipping through the grass next to the child. With a squeal of delight, the lassie reached for the tail of the western green mamba snake.

  “No!” Lachlan pulled his knife and dove out of his hiding spot.

  The child grabbed the snake’s tail and the mamba whipped its head around. Lachlan sliced down with his knife, severing the snake’s head from its body milliseconds before it sank its fangs into her tender flesh.

  Riding the momentum of his dive, Lachlan rolled across the grass until he was out of range of the snake’s death throes. He checked to make certain the head was completely separated from the body, then rose to his feet.

  The child still had one hand outstretched toward the snake’s twitching body. With her other hand, she clutched her doll to her chest. Her big brown eyes stared up at him from a face with skin dark as coffee.

  “It’s okay,” he said in the local language. “You’re safe now.”

  The lassie screamed and burst into tears.

  Shite. Maybe he’d mangled the phrase. Maybe he’d mistakenly told her he was going to hurt her. There were too many damn dialects in this region. It’s possible he’d used the wrong one. “Ah…” He didn’t know any other phrases that might comfort her.

  The lassie kept screaming while huge tears rolled down her cheeks.

  “Shh.” He knelt beside her, then realized he still held his bloody knife. Brilliant. She probably thought he meant to kill her, too. “Shh.” He wiped the snake’s blood off on his pant leg, then stuck it back in its sheath. “You’re safe.” This time he spoke in English, hoping that even if she didn’t understand his words, she’d find the tone reassuring. “It’s okay. I killed the bad snake.”

  The lassie ignored him and continued wailing like a banshee. Bugger it. Now what was he supposed to do? He was a soldier, not a nursemaid. He didn’t know the least bit about bairns. The few times children had been freed by his former SAS hostage rescue team, someone else had been in charge of the wee ones. “There now, lassie. I—”

  “Step away from Sisi,” a female, American voice commanded. “Now.”

  Lachlan turned his head. Now didn’t that just bloody figure? Dr. Kirk stood in the middle of the dirt road holding an older model Winchester pump-action shotgun in her hands. From the steady way she aimed it at his chest and her solid stance, she’d had some basic training. Of course, at this range, any idiot could hit him.

  Well, then. He’d just have to make certain she had no reason to fire, hadn’t he? “Easy, lass.” He held out his empty hands. “I meant no harm. I just wanted to make certain that the wee bairn here hadn’t been hurt by that mamba.” He jerked his chin toward the decapitated snake.

  Dr. Kirk’s deep green eyes widened at his brogue, which he’d deliberately thickened because Yanks, particularly the female ones, seemed to like it when he turned up the Scottish. Her gaze flicked to the dead snake and her lips tightened.

  That’s right, lass. I’m the good guy here. Just a pleasant fellow trying to save a little girl’s life. This wasn’t exactly the way he’d intended to introduce himself, but perhaps he could work it in his favor.

  A moment later, Dr. Kirk returned her wary gaze to him. He climbed slowly to his feet, then raised his hands to waist level with palms out. See? No weapon. Of course, he could grab the pistol at the small of his back, roll, and get off a couple of shots in less time than it would take to say hello.

  “So, what’s it going to be lass?” While he waited for her answer, he did a little scrutinizing of his own. A few inches shorter than him, she wore a white doctor’s coat over an olive green t-shirt, matching cargo trousers, and sand-colored, mesh-paneled walking shoes. Her mahogany-colored hair was pulled back in a braid that barely reached her shoulders. She had a strong, intelligent face and Lachlan felt a faint stir of unwanted male interest. Yet her entire body, despite some lovely feminine curves, was taut with purpose and warning. One wrong move, and he had no doubt he’d be dodging shot. “Are ye going to shoot me? Or help me calm the wee one down and return her to her family?”

  Dr. Kirk stared at him a long moment before finally lowering her weapon. She skirted the dead snake, then sat on the other side of the lassie. Gathering the screaming child into her arms, she spoke soothingly in the local language while the girl snuggled against her chest. A few minutes later, after a soft hiccup, the child stopped crying.

  Lachlan rose to his feet and backed away, giving them some privacy. He did a quick survey of their surroundings, but there was no sign of a distraught parent coming to see what was the matter with the child. “What was she doing out here alone?” Lachlan said, a bit more sharply than he’d intended. He knew his question was a mistake the moment it left his lips, but damn it, the lassie should have been supervised. Any idiot with a heart would make sure she stayed out of danger.

  Dr. Kirk narrowed her eyes at him. “The regional schools are on break this month. Sisi’s parents, like many villagers, can’t afford to stay home. They need to tend the fields in order not to starve. So they left her under the care of her older brother.”

  “Fine job he’s done,” Lachlan shot back. “Sisi grabbed the snake’s tail. If not for me, she’d be dead.”

  The doctor’s lips tightened. “Back down, mister. I happen to agree with you. This isn’t the first time Sisi has gotten into trouble while her brother played soccer with his friends.”

  Sisi had been peeking shyly at Lachlan during this conversation. Now she wriggled to get free. With an affectionate shake of her head, Dr. Kirk released the child from her embrace, then stood up.

  After wiping her nose on her doll’s dress, Sisi marched over to Lachlan. “Thank you, snake-killing man,” she said in accented English. “Dolly needed a plaster.” She held up the doll so Lachlan could see the small sticking plaster affixed to the doll’s arm. No. On second observation, it looked like a piece of Sellotape with special coloring to make it look like a plaster.

  “Fixed Dolly’s boo-boo,” she announced proudly. “Just like Dr. Helen.”

  Er. Now what? Was he supposed to kiss the doll’s boo-boo? Clap and praise Sisi for playing doctor? It was a good thing Tony was patrolling elsewhere, otherwise he’d surely give himself away with his laughing.

  Dr. Kirk knelt down beside the lassie. “I’m very proud of you for remembering to use Dolly’s special plaster. Good job.”

  Sisi beamed at her.

  “But it was dan
gerous to sit in the jungle,” Dr. Kirk chided gently. “Isn’t that right?”

  Sisi frowned, then nodded reluctantly.

  “Do you remember what we told you?” Dr. Kirk prodded.

  The child’s bottom lip went out and Lachlan feared she’d resume her wailing. Only years of training kept him from backing away.

  “Stay away from the bad snakes,” Sisi muttered. “More than this far.” She held her arm out to her side.

  “That’s right.” Dr. Kirk looked up at Lachlan. “There’s been an increase in the green mamba snake population lately. All the children have been warned to only play in areas that are several adult-arm-lengths away from any trees or bushes.”

  Dr. Kirk appeared genuinely concerned about the child’s health, but Lachlan didn’t buy it. His father had taught him all too well how the caring manner of a doctor could hide a monster. His fingers twitched as Lachlan fought against the urge to snatch the girl away from Dr. Kirk.

  “What are you supposed to do if you see a snake?” Dr. Kirk asked Sisi.

  The girl lowered her eyes and hugged her doll to her chest. “Get away,” she mumbled. “Or scare it with a stick.” Her lip trembled. “But it was so pretty.”

  The doctor smoothed her hand over Sisi’s hair. “I know, sweetheart. But not everything that is pretty is safe.”

  Lachlan bit back a snort. Aye. He knew all about that.

  “Next time, do what we told you, okay?”

  Sisi sniffled. “Okay.”

  “Dr. Helen. Dr. Helen! Is everything all right?” A local woman in a nurse’s outfit dashed down the driveway from the clinic. She stopped beside them, noticed the dead snake, then jumped sideways with a gasp of alarm.

  “Everything is fine, Theodora,” Dr. Kirk answered. “But Sisi has had a bit of a scare. Would you please take her home and tell her brother that his inattention almost cost his sister her life?” She nodded at the snake. “Also, please tell Tobo to come and remove the snake’s body.”

  “Of course.” Theodora bent down and spoke to the child in the local language. She held out her hand and Sisi took it easily. As they headed down the path toward the village, Sisi glanced back over her shoulder at Lachlan. She waved Dolly at him. “Bye snake-killing man!” she called out, then turned around and skipped alongside the nurse.