“He didn’t take his revenge out just now, Senator. He took his pound of flesh when your daughters were born,” Merc said.
“Wha-what? What are you talking about?”
“The nurse, Jacqueline, who was found dead in the river with your other daughter’s wrist band in her pocket, was Mankel’s cousin.”
Cotter’s pale face turned white and he wavered on his feet. “What are you saying?”
Merc didn’t hesitate, “I’m saying Jack Mankel had his cousin kidnap Marissa. Then he killed Jacqueline and kept your daughter out of revenge.”
“That’s impossible. Marissa drowned twenty-seven years ago.”
“No she didn’t. Marissa is in your house, right now.”
Cotter’s knees buckled and Riser caught him, maneuvering him to the bed. “That’s not Caroline?”
Hunter shook his head, “We don’t think so. Which means Mankel still has Caroline.”
Cotter’s legs buckled. “You mean I just called Mankel out on TV and he still has my baby girl!?”
Riser pushed him back to the bed. “Calm down. We need to reason this out. You’ve provided the motive, but now we need to know why. Why wait all these years to make his move?”
“Think Senator, is there anything big going on in the government we need to know about? Anything he’d want enough to play his ace in the hole?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary. I mean, the wedding for Caro and the General was a big deal then. It would have helped solidify our ties in JSOC, but that’s not Earth changing.”
Merc exchanged a glance with Hunter. Cotter had treated his daughter like a business deal and even though Merc knew that he’d fallen for Marissa and not Caroline, he still despised the man for that.
“There has to be something else, something he wants access to that you can give him,” Merc said.
“No – wait. Maybe – but it’s just in the developmental stages. He can’t want that,” Cotter said.
“Why don’t you let us be the judge,” Hunter said.
“Rainier has been working on a new training program, it’s just now in the developmental stages, we haven’t implemented anything yet.”
“What kind of program?” Hunter prodded.
“This is beyond classified, you don’t have clearance,” Cotter stuttered out.
Hunter said one word. “Merc.”
Merc didn’t need a second invitation. He picked the Senator up by his blue button down and held him over a foot off the ground. “This has to do with my teammates’ lives and with your daughter’s. You will tell us.”
Cotter clutched Mercs wrists, his legs flailed in the air. “Okay, okay put me down.”
Merc lowered the man and sat him back on the bed, towering over him with hurt and fury thrumming through his veins.
“Before my wife died, she’d discovered a combination of proteins and hormones that, when bonded to certain human cells, can enhance a soldier’s abilities. Up until a few years ago, the research had been buried in old file folders, completely gone after Sarah’s death. Then someone stumbled onto her research and we’ve been considering starting the program. We want to test the treatment out on select volunteers to see if it works.”
Merc blinked, trying to put the words into context. “You’ve cooked up a new steroid.”
Cotter shook his head. “Not just a steroid. A protein binding agent that enhances your own testosterone levels, increasing muscle mass and brain function. We’ve blended it with a new combination of purified cells and enzymes that allow the drug to bind to the unit at the molecular level.”
“You’re making super soldiers?” Merc said incredulously.
“No, no, no. Not anything as sci-fi as that, we’re just enhancing the test subject’s natural abilities.”
“Which means what exactly?” Merc asked.
