Covert Game

by Christine Feehan

  The heat and humidity added to frayed tempers as the day wore on. They practiced their spots on the rooftop, making the dry run over and over. The first jump, without equipment, was a disaster. Trap had a landing field not far from his home with a large hangar that housed several aircraft including a smaller plane that would be similar to the one they had to use. Malichai piloted. All of them could fly a plane or helicopter if necessary, but Malichai had particular talents and Zeke didn't want to worry about anything but the jump.

  If the first jump was any indication, this wasn't going to work, at least in Gino's mind. They all managed to stay out of one another's way, but he felt as if he'd never made a jump before--it was that bad--and he didn't even have the heavy equipment with him. Still, they'd all gotten on the roof without an incident. Zeke called for the equipment. He wasn't going to mess around. He wanted them prepared.

  They barely had time to see to their gear before Malichai took them up again. Gino didn't think the first jump with the heavy equipment went any better than the first dry jump. He cursed as Diego slammed into him, nearly sending both of them over the edge of the roof. He was going to be hurting like hell on the plane ride to China.

  "That didn't go well," Diego announced. "I felt like I was a first-time jumper. Sorry, Gino. I just ran out of room."

  "I was all over the place too," Rubin admitted.

  "Me too," Draden said. "The weight really pulled me off balance."

  "Yeah," Gino added. "Even after I pulled my canopy, steering wasn't great."

  "We're fucked," Diego said. "Wonder how Valhalla is this time of year." His voice dripped with sarcasm.

  Zeke looked them over. "Repack your gear; we'll break for lunch and go up again in an hour and thirty. Eat, boys, you might not get another chance until we're in the air, and Nonny did the cooking."

  That improved things as far as Gino was concerned. Nonny's meals were always something to look forward to. He knew when they were leaving for a mission, she came up with special dishes, everyone's favorites and loaves of freshly baked bread. Nonny was part of the reason he had begun thinking about having his own family. She was the epitome of what many men would want, a partner to walk beside him, one who could defend her children, to help carve a life out of the wilderness. She had hunted and fished right along with her husband, and later, after the accident that took her son and his wife, she had raised four wild boys herself with no money, her man in the ground.

  Her meals alone were worth gold. He sat at the table, quiet as usual, letting the talk swirl around him, hearing it, but not really listening to the camaraderie of ribbing one another and telling old war stories to take their minds off the fact that it was more than likely some of them weren't going to be coming back.

  He thought about Zara and what was happening to her. He had no idea why just the images of her had gotten to him, but more and more, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He was obsessed with finding everything he could on her, and he'd spent most of the night reading the articles he'd found online. It wasn't a good thing, especially since he'd been tasked with putting a bullet in her head if she was working against them. Still, he couldn't stop worrying about what was happening to her. That was another unusual thing for him. He didn't waste time on things he couldn't change.

  Joe's dad was a criminal. Straight up. A member of organized crime. Not just a member, but a boss. Neither Joe nor he could change that. Joe's father, Ciro, and Gino's father, Jacopo, had served in the Marines with Sergeant Major Theodore Griffen, and the three had been friends ever since. Gino had benefited from Sergeant Major's abilities and connections. Ciro had run down those who had killed Gino's father and made them pay. He had been the man to condition Gino to seeing torture and being able to shut down his mind and not view the recipient as anything but the slime they were. He considered, with his father's two friends looking out for him, that his father was still there in spirit. He wished his father could see Zara Hightower.

  Ciro had been the one to insist he be taught to take care of himself, with hands or weapons, to keep himself in good physical condition. He had taught Gino that the world wasn't always black and white or a man all good or all bad. He'd always recognized the cold well in Gino and had talked to him often, telling him to accept himself, but to find something to balance that side of him.

  Ciro loved his wife and son. He loved Jacopo and Gino. He was capable of love, and Gino knew he was as well. He'd pushed that side of him down for so long, refusing to think about it because in their line of work, men didn't always come back and sooner or later, putting his life on the line so often, his luck was bound to run out. Then they'd found the swamp. Nonny. Wyatt's family. Trap's woman. Bellisia. It was hard to get around the fact that they were building homes, permanency.

  He had a lot to offer a woman. He hadn't touched his family's money--and there was a wealth of it and growing every day. He'd never needed it. He didn't want a woman with him because of money. His choice was the military and now the GhostWalkers. There was no getting out of the program because no one could undo what Whitney had done to them. The government wasn't certain what to do with them. They were dangerous, but they also were loyal, and they cut down on the deaths of soldiers when they were sent into the field. His woman would have to put up with military life. The only difference was, each team was able to choose their permanent location.

  "You've gone a million miles away, Gino," Joe said. "You okay with this?"

  Gino knew Joe was talking about the order to end Zara's life if she was a threat to them. "Don't know," he muttered truthfully. He could lie to anyone but Joe. "Don't like it."

  "It's just a contingency," Joe reminded softly. "In case she isn't like Bellisia. She planned an escape with Bellisia and one other woman, but they never could be in the same place at the same time. Whitney always sent one of them out along with the threat of a deadly virus implanted in them, held the other two up to be sent to the breeding program if things went wrong."

  "Whitney's still got one of them." Gino sighed. Loyalty was a huge reason the women stayed, unable to leave when they knew leaving would cause suffering to friends or others who had been raised as siblings. He understood loyalty. He felt it, first toward Joe, and then the other GhostWalkers in his unit, and lastly the ones not in his own unit.

  Joe nodded. "I'm sorry, Gino, I should have asked someone else."

  Gino shook his head. He already thought of the woman as "his." That meant if she had to be terminated, he would do it himself, quick and clean so there was no chance she ever saw it coming and suffered. "She's my responsibility all the way. I'll see to her."

  Something about the way he said it had Ezekiel's head turning toward him, those eyes moving over his face assessing him. He stared back, keeping his expression blank.

  "Gino, when the others go out, drop back and talk to me," Ezekiel ordered.

  Gino nodded, but he cursed under his breath. He was blowing it. He wasn't a man to give anything away and in the space of a few seconds, both Joe and Ezekiel were worried about him. Joe's father had taught him the importance of keeping his thoughts to himself, yet in a very short time, he was giving away too much.

  The talk continued, no one wanting to draw attention to the fact that both of the commanding officers had questioned him. He listened to Malichai and Mordichai tease Trap and Ezekiel about their women's ability to cook and how they were lucky to have Nonny as an instructor. Wyatt's wife, Pepper, had a little more time with Nonny, and although in the beginning she had been pretty bad at cooking, she was getting the hang of it.

  He waited for Ezekiel, a little wary, but managing to lounge by the door looking lazy and relaxed. Another thing he had to thank Ciro for. Ezekiel was a hunter, through and through. He stalked up to Gino without hesitation, his eyes giving off a faint glow, much like a cat's might. The two walked out of the house together, the others moving ahead in a group to give them privacy.

  "You think I'm a threat to Joe?"

  The question
startled Gino because he was expecting something altogether different. He shrugged. "You're a threat to anyone making your wife uncomfortable. That's the way it should be, so no judgment, but Joe's in a bad place right now and I think he's looking for a fight."

  Gino could see that his answer shocked Ezekiel. The man stopped dead in his tracks, ran a hand through his hair and glanced back toward the house. "Shit, Gino. You're right. Why the hell didn't I see that?"

  "I've known Joe since we were kids. His dad was best friends with my father since grammar school. When the murders happened, it was Joe who found me. They saved my life when Ciro took me in and raised me as his son. Joe's a little older than I am, so I guess I looked up to him and I learned his every mood. His expressions. I can read him like a book." The trouble was, Joe could read him just as well.

  Ezekiel shook his head. "Thanks for letting me know, but just so you know, I may have gotten upset with him if Bellisia told me she didn't like his questions, but I wouldn't ever attack a man, a friend, when I know he's wounded. If you'd thought about it, you know me too well to think I'd do that."

  "Before the enhancements, yeah, I get that. None of us can predict what we might do now. You need to hunt. It's in you now. It was always in me, even before the murders, but you got that in you, Zeke. We have to watch out for one another. Your brothers covered you, and I covered Joe. Next time, you might have my six while I'm taking Mordichai's."

  Ezekiel flashed him a smile. "You're a good man, Gino."

  Gino regarded him soberly. "No, I'm not. I try to be. I want to be. But I'm not. Joe's a good man. I think we were born into the wrong families. He never wanted to be a part of his family's business, and I would have followed in Ciro's footsteps. In the end, I looked after Joe for so many years I just followed him into the service."

  "And you're still at it."

  Gino nodded. "This mission, Zeke. You're married. Maybe you should turn it over to one of the others. Let them take it. I'm an officer. A surgeon. I can run it and you stay back this time."

  Ezekiel clapped him on the shoulder. "You know I can't do that, but thanks for the offer. We'll bring her home."

  Gino wondered if Zeke still thought the same thing when the next two jumps proved to be a nightmare. No one hit their mark on the first jump with the heavy power paragliders attached to them. The second jump wasn't much better, and Ezekiel lost patience and growled orders at them, reminding them they still had to simulate the actual rescue and this was the last jump before their practice night jump. The man definitely wasn't happy with them.

  "Get it together. Focus. There won't be room for mistakes up on that roof. One of you fucks up and goes over, we're all dead. Every single one of us and the woman, so hit your damn marks," Ezekiel snapped.

  Gino pushed down amusement. Growling sometimes worked, but Zeke could look like a Bengal tiger when he wanted. Joe always spoke softly. Zeke did the same, but the two were so different in their delivery. Joe had the way of his father. He could be scary with that soft voice. Zeke growled, looking every inch the predatory male he was.

  Somehow Ezekiel's order was followed and every one of them managed to hit the mark with their bulky and very heavy equipment on the third try. They repacked everything and went into rescue mode, ready to simulate the actual retrieval of the prisoner.

  Rubin jumped first and disrupted the cameras as he came down, hitting the roof and hurrying into position as soon as he removed the powered paraglider. His brother was on his six, hand on shoulder at the door. Gino moved into position. He would go in first, checking for guards, making certain the way was clear. Draden stepped up, his fingers working magic on the lock, and then dropped quickly into the last position, watching their backs. Ezekiel was positioned right after Diego.

  They moved quickly and silently down the stairs leading to the floor. It was Gino who signaled all clear so they could open the door onto the floor, while Rubin disrupted the cameras. Small glitches only. The lights flickered, so that it seemed perfectly logical that the cameras would be having trouble as well.

  Once on the floor, they split into two teams, Draden and Ezekiel going to the left and Rubin, Diego and Gino going to the right. Each room would have to be checked. Draden had gifts similar to Gino's and would be the one to hopefully know the positioning of any guards.

  Gino had to strain, using his gifts, the ones that burned his eyes but allowed him to see beyond walls. He could feel for the energy that told him someone was behind a door waiting and just how focused they were on their job. He moved with authority, with confidence, along the hall. Sensing someone behind a door, he signaled to the others. Diego nodded and he and Rubin stood to either side of the door.

  To the left of the door, Gino told them. One man.

  The count was silent, but the moment Diego got the door open, Rubin exploded inside, was on the "guard" and took him down with a tranq. They hadn't wanted to take down any guards, just in case there were radio checkins, but they had to check each room that was occupied.

  They repeated the same entry and operation several times until it felt smooth. They broke for dinner and prepared for their night jump. They'd only do one and then they'd have to repack gear to be ready to leave.

  They ate dinner at the Fontenot house--all of them. The entire family together, and as promised, Nonny and the women fixed a feast for them. It was plain Cajun cooking, which meant it was amazing. Gino looked around the table. These were good people, all of them. He liked them. They were loyal, true to their word, warriors ready and willing to fight for one another and yet quick to give a hand to a neighbor.

  Did he fit in? He was never certain. Wyatt was the closest thing to him, and Wyatt was a good man. Gino had a cold edge that set him apart, and yet the triplets kissed and hugged him, accepting him as their uncle just as they did the other men. Pepper looked at them all with affection, although she stuck very close to Wyatt and never touched any of them physically.

  Cayenne was beginning to overcome her anxiety around them. She'd lived alone in a cell for too many years, and it had taken her longer to warm up to the idea of one big family. She and Trap never seemed to be able to keep their hands off each other and she looked to him for cues around the others, which was laughable as Trap was the most antisocial man Gino had ever met.

  Ezekiel and Bellisia were good together. She was a tiny little thing, but very strong and, like Cayenne, lethal as hell. Gino liked watching their interaction. He liked all three women and the way they were devoted to their men. He sat back in his chair, smiling at Pepper when she poured him a cup of coffee.

  "You don't have to wait on me, honey," he said.

  "I know. That's why I do it. I can't wait on Wyatt or he'd expect it every time." Pepper tossed her wild mane of dark hair--it was almost as thick as a man's arm when she braided it. It had a faint darker pattern strewn through the silky mass.

  The men erupted with laughter at Wyatt's expense. He just wrapped his arm around his wife's waist as she tried walking past him and pulled her down onto his lap. "You wait on me," he announced, nuzzling her neck. "Anything I want. Anytime I want it. Everyone knows you worship at my feet."

  "I do not." Pepper pretended to struggle.

  Gino noticed that her butt wiggled around all over Wyatt's lap. He liked that for his friend--that a woman loved him enough to show him.

  "Maybe not my feet, but you do worship other parts of me."

  "Wyatt." She punched his shoulder lightly and buried her face in his neck. "I do worship you, but I think it's gone to your head."

  The men, including Gino, burst out laughing. He could tell Pepper had no idea why they were laughing, or that Wyatt could have come back with something even more embarrassing.

  He wanted that, he realized. What Wyatt had. What Trap had. What Ezekiel had. He even needed it. Sooner rather than later. He knew he grew colder every day in spite of having the little triplets following him around, asking him to do bird calls for them and teach them to track animals in the sw
amp.

  He loved the triplets' company and sometimes sought the little girls out when he was feeling particularly shadowed. Nonny always seemed to notice. Once she'd gestured at him with her pipe while she was rocking away on the porch and told him he needed a good woman. He hadn't replied, but at the time, he'd thought a good woman wouldn't have him. A woman like him, one dark enough to accept him, would only drag him down further and he couldn't afford that. He was looking for just the opposite of him. He was searching for a woman who made his world light up when she smiled.

  He excused himself and went out to the porch to look at the night. He loved nights in the swamp. The sounds of the insects, the slide of alligators through mud to get to the water. The bellows of the bull alligators. The plopping of snakes as they fell from low-hung cypress branches into the water. The swamp seemed laid-back when it was really teeming with life. It was a long way from the city where he'd been born and raised.