Ruthless Game

by Christine Feehan

  "Both of you are crazy."

  "You knew that going into it."

  "I'm going to ignore both of you."

  "You do that," Mack approved. "Just say 'I do' at the appropriate moment, and all will be well."

  She frowned, obviously not really understanding or taking him seriously. Kane knew better. He shot Mack a warning glance. "Paul, is Sebastian healthy?" he asked, changing the subject.

  Paul hovered just outside the door, looking awkward. His face lit up. "Very healthy, Kane. He's unusually strong. He's also alert and aware of what's going on around him. When I came into the room, he locked onto me right away, without blinking, almost uncomfortably so, like a predatory animal might. I know you have feline DNA and Rose admitted she did as well. He has a few traits that make me think he's developing at a faster rate than most children, but I'm not a baby expert."

  Kane frowned. "Are you saying he's part animal? Should we expect claws?"

  Paul hastily shook his head. "No, no, of course not. I'm just saying you might want to expect unusual behavior rather quickly from him. His lungs, heart, every organ is in perfect working order. He's extremely healthy. Really. Nothing crazy, no leopard skeletons inside of him, but his intelligence shines through. Looking at him, you get the feeling he understands. When Rose introduced me to him, that alert stare vanished, and he seemed just like a normal baby, checking out a stranger."

  The explanation tumbled out. Paul talked fast, stumbling over his words, trying to convey something intangible when it was impossible. Kane understood. He'd noticed Sebastian's strange stare as well as the too intelligent look the boy often gave him. "Thanks for taking a look at him, Paul."

  "When I gave him a few strength tests, he pushed back hard, harder than I ever expected a child his age to be able to do." Again the words fell nearly on top of one another. It was apparent Paul was eager to discuss the baby and all the possibilities he presented, or at least to bounce his ideas off them.

  "You know you can't mention Sebastian to anyone," Mack said, startling Kane.

  Rose threw him a grateful glance.

  That pulled Paul up short. He flushed. "Of course not. Never outside this room and never to anyone not a member of our team."

  "Our family," Mack corrected. "Some others consider themselves part of us, but they're not. You protect Sebastian in the same way we protect one another."

  "I got it, Top," Paul assured.

  He looked so awkward, Kane took pity on him. "Coffee's on, Paul. We were just discussing what Mack's found out about the threat hanging over Rose's head."

  Paul threw him a grateful look and headed to the coffeepot.

  "What exactly is the threat, other than they know my name?" Rose asked. "As far as I know, none of them saw me alive."

  "There was an old woman," Mack reminded. "Her name is Olivia Lopez Martinez. Her son was guarding the outskirts of town when the two of you were escaping.

  Apparently you pretended to be in labor. Apparently she took your picture."

  Rose's dark eyes went wide. "Damn it. Just damn it. She was my neighbor, and she seemed such a nice woman."

  "She introduced you to Diego Jimenez." Kane made it a statement.

  I'd been so alone, felt so vulnerable, there in a foreign country with no real knowledge of how to live day to day without being in a military complex. I gravitated toward the elderly to tap into their knowledge and because they were far less threatening. I can barely believe that sweet old lady was born into the cartel.

  "She did," she acknowledged out loud. She looked at Kane, wanting to apologize, needing him to understand.

  I brought another enemy straight to their door. It isn't as if they don't have too many against them already. I'm so sorry, Kane. I was so scared when it came closer to the baby being born.

  Kane stood up, not quite with his usual fluid grace, but he managed without a cane, and went to her, wrapping his arm around her waist. She moved into him, nearly melting into his skin, slipping beneath his shoulder as if she just, for one moment, needed his strength.

  "I'm sorry," she said aloud to Mack. "It was stupid of me to trust any of them. She seemed so harmless, and I was about to give birth. I can leave . . ."

  "Don't be ridiculous. This is your home," Mack snapped, impatience crossing his face. "We don't turn tail and run, and we sure don't throw our family members to the wolves."

  "They kill everyone. They'll go after Jaimie."

  Javier had slid back into the shadows; now he stirred, drawing her attention, quite frankly startling her. Kane felt her jump. He was used to Javier disappearing on them, fading into whatever was solid behind him, but Rose scowled.

  "Stop doing that. I'm going to have a heart attack."

  He flashed a small, unrepentant grin. "I need the practice. Don't you worry about Jaimie, Rose. She can handle herself, and she's got all of us. No one's going to get to Jaimie."

  Kane felt a shiver run through Rose, and he tightened his arm around her. Javier is on our side, Rose. He'd die for Jaimie--and for you and Sebastian. More important, he'd kill for you. He's a good man. He lives by a strict code. He's a man of honor.

  I believe that, Kane, but I also believe it would never be a good idea to cross him--or betray him.

  She was a good judge of character, no doubt about it. He rubbed her rib cage with gentle fingers, soothing her as he turned his attention back to the matter of the cartel. "Do they know she's with us?"

  "Of course not. They have no idea. Whitney sure isn't going to give her up to them. More likely, we'll get an influx of his men hanging around to help protect her--or snatch her if they get the chance. They'll just muddy the waters for us," Mack groused.

  "So what are you worried about?"

  "They have her picture. It's been circulating, and they've got bounty hunters looking for her. They put a hefty price on her head."

  Kane took the body blow without flinching. His hand found hers, threading his fingers through hers in silent reassurance.

  "What are we doing about it, Mack?" He knew Mack. There was already a plan in motion.

  Mack's smile was anything but pleasant. "We're adept at urban warfare; they're adept at killing unarmed, terrified people. We have as good--or better--weapons than they do. If they're stupid enough to come at us, they're going to get a fight they won't believe."

  "I don't understand what that means," Rose said.

  "It means," Kane explained, "that if they find you here, if any bounty hunter finds you here, we'll take the fight right back to them."

  "And shove it up their ass," Javier added. "If you'll excuse my language, ma'am."

  "You can't invade a foreign country," Rose said. "It would cause an international incident. Every GhostWalker could be in trouble."

  Mack shrugged. "They'd have to catch us first, baby sister, and that just isn't going to happen. We're ghosts, remember?"

  "Have you sent them a message, Top?" Kane asked.

  "Not yet. We'll deliver it though, personally, if and when it's needed."

  Kane frowned and shook his head, his body straightening. "No one is doing my job for me. I'll take the message to them myself."

  Rose tightened her fingers around his and stepped in front of him, as if she could physically block his body from harm. "No one is going to deliver any message. They don't have a clue where I am. They don't know about any of you or what you do. If you go throwing down the gauntlet, you'll be stirring up a hornet's nest. Right now they're looking for a pregnant woman worth a lot of money to a crazy billionaire. They don't know about any of you. They know about Whitney, the man who supplied weapons and Humvees to the rebels. They think he killed all of their people trying to acquire me."

  There was a small silence. "She's probably right about that, Top," Kane said. "The cartel has to think Whitney's men shot them all to hell."

  "In fact, they did," Rose pointed out. "We only were responsible for a couple of them, and remember, they think I was a hostage."

  "Is t
he word on the street to kill her?"

  "Dead or alive," Mack's voice was grim. "Preferably alive, but they'll take what they can get. It's more money if she's delivered alive."

  "They plan on taunting Whitney with her," Javier said. "Showing him they will retaliate."

  "The bottom line for me," Kane said, "is that they said dead or alive. That's unacceptable."

  "You can't go to war with the cartel," Rose said.

  The three men smiled at one another, and there was nothing at all pleasant about those smiles.

  CHAPTER 14

  Rose stood on the rooftop and looked around, a little awed by the view. Three stories up, she could see the ocean as well as a good portion of the city. A garden had been started on the roof, mainly, she could see, for defense purposes. She was coming to realize this team did everything with both offense and defense in mind.

  "Urban warfare is different than what you've been trained for," Kane said, indicating the buildings around them. "See all those windows? Every one of them can house an innocent family. Women and children, a good man working to provide for his family--or an enemy can be sitting there waiting for you to give him a good target. Sometimes, it can be extremely difficult to tell the difference between that good man trying to protect his family from what he perceives as a threat, and the man waiting to take you out."

  Rose felt a small chill steal down her spine. Sebastian lay quietly in the front pack, snuggled against her, his blue green eyes staring around him in a kind of wonder. She suddenly felt exposed there on the roof and wanted to rush back inside and keep him safe.

  "The field of vision is always limited in a city," Kane said, moving along the side of the roof that looked out over the street. "You have to really take your time and study our area here. This is a very three-dimensional world, with a lot of areas for a sniper to sit back and pick off one of us. Gideon Carpenter and Ethan Myers--I think you met both of them on the helicopter--are up here daily, familiarizing themselves with every conceivable cover, both for them and for the enemy."

  Rose narrowed her eyes and looked down at the busy street. They were near the docks, and everyone seemed to be hustling to get on or off the boats. She took her time, studying each warehouse, the balconies and small alcoves and fire escapes that could hide potential enemies.

  "Once we have complete control of the buildings on both sides of the street, we'll be in a much stronger position. Our biggest problem at the moment is that building right there." He indicated a three-story warehouse that had been renovated into apartments. "So far, we've been unable to purchase it. People come and go all the time. It would be easy enough for an enemy to infiltrate and set up shop right there. Any of the front apartments face our home. Gideon is building his home on the top floor of the next building and Paul has the floor beneath him. The training center will be on the first floor."

  "You all are keeping Paul on the middle floor, to protect him," she mused aloud.

  Kane shrugged. "The truth is, we do look out for him, but make no mistake, Rose, Paul can handle any weapon. He went through all the same training we did, just as Jaimie did. She can work in the field, just as Paul can, but neither are really cut out for it. The thing is, an enemy would underestimate Paul every time. He's got courage and loyalty and would stand. I'd have him at my back any time."

  "Yet you still protect him. All of you do."

  He flashed a small grin. "Yeah. We do."

  Paul was special, and they all recognized it. His intellect, his powers of observation, and his incredible psychic talent earned him a consideration, but it was his heart that had eventually won them all over. "We're lucky to have him on the team."

  "So your plan is to have your homes in these buildings, with each man getting his own floor for his house."

  "We'd command this entire street. The water on one side would be an asset and escape route, plus we've got an underground escape as well. Once we secure the buildings, we'll connect the tunnels."

  "What about the local police? How are you going to have a military compound in San Francisco?"

  "Jaimie's adept at getting through paperwork, and of course, we're more than willing to help the local police any way we can. They know we're military, but these are our homes. This is our neighborhood. Since we've been here, crime has gone down significantly, not only here but in a seven-block radius around us. We know every store owner, every bar owner. We make it a point to keep goodwill. We've already built up a network, and we're friends with most of the fishermen and dockworkers. They'll leave us alone."

  "So no tanks driving through the streets."

  Kane laughed and swept his arm around her. "Don't sound so disappointed. We'll have plenty of excitement."

  "Speaking of which, I thought I'd go shopping with Jaimie this afternoon. Sebastian will be safe with you."

  Kane felt every muscle in his body lock down. He stared down at her little pixie face. So innocent looking. So very devious. She'd dropped the bombshell on him without so much as blinking. And what the hell was he supposed to say to that? She wasn't a prisoner. She didn't need his permission. But he envisioned her first foray into their neighborhood with him as her armed guard. And maybe six or seven of the other team members.

  Babysit? She wanted him to stay home and watch the baby sleep while she walked among the enemy. There was probably an entire battalion of Whitney's men waiting to kidnap her. And surely some spy had contacted every bounty hunter both in America and overseas, giving her exact location. Along with that, the cartel probably had assassins blanketing the area.

  "You look a little pale, Kane. Are you certain you should be walking around so much just yet? We should go in." She took his arm.

  There was nothing wrong with his physical strength. If he was pale it was because she terrified him sometimes. "Do you think that's really wise?"

  She blinked up at him, giving him that little frown he found sexy. "Yes, absolutely. I think you need to go back inside and rest. Wisest course of action for you, Kane. You're working out too much. Even that rude surgeon says so. I hate to agree with anything the man says, but unfortunately, he's making sense."

  He pulled her close to him, bending his head until their mouths were inches apart. "I'm not above putting you over my knee."

  She went up on her toes to cover the scant couple of inches needed to find his mouth with hers. "Sounds intriguing," she murmured against his lips. She brushed kisses back and forth across his mouth. "But you'd better really enjoy it, because once you let me up, I'll have to retaliate, just for the sake of all women across the world."

  He choked, laughter welling up. The day was foggy and a little windy, but right then, the sun seemed to burst over him. There was something about her that made him feel good. Her small stature, a little Asian porcelain doll with her dark chocolate eyes and her wild, shiny hair spilling around her face, was at odds with her tough core. She made him want to be her hero, the man who she depended on when everything around her fell apart, yet more than likely, it was going to be the other way around.

  He framed her face with his hands--hands that were so big in comparison to her. He was twice her size, twice her weight easily, and yet in her small hands he was lost, completely lost. And he wanted to be. Somewhere in between running from the cartel and fighting Whitney, delivering their baby and lying next to her soft body in the middle of the night, he'd given himself, heart and soul, to her.

  "I'm in love with you, Rose," he said, looking into those beautiful, dark eyes. He felt as if he was tumbling into a dark, warm, bottomless well.

  The laughter faded from her eyes, and she blinked as if her eyes were burning. "You don't have to say that to me, Kane."

  "I don't say what I don't mean, Rose."

  She took a deep breath and blinked. This time he could see tears glistening on the tips of her lashes.

  "Sweetheart." He bent to kiss the tears from her eyes. "That's a good thing, not a bad thing. We've committed our lives to one another. Loving you is g
ood."

  "Is it real?" Her voice shook. A whisper of sound. Maybe a plea. Or denial.

  "Are you asking me if it's something you can count on? Because if that's what you're worried about, Rose, the way I feel about you isn't going to go away. I'm in love with you. I've never thought it, let alone said it, to another woman. Pairing is about physical lust, not love. Whitney can't manipulate emotion, only our bodies. What I feel for you is real, Rose. It's about you and the person you are."

  She searched his face, a long, slow study. He stood very still, letting her see the truth in his eyes. She shook him to his very core. Her strength and courage. Her determination. She'd come to him, committed to him, to a life with him to protect their child. She'd asked Whitney to pair her with him, knowing there was the possibility that they wouldn't find one another--and that she'd never be physically satisfied with anyone else, but she'd done it because she took responsibility for her choice.

  How could a man like him, one devoted to duty and honor, not respect and admire her? Everything about her personality appealed to the man in him.

  "You might have to say it several times a day for me to believe it," she warned. "I've never been good with fairy tales."

  A slow grin teased his mouth. He could feel the warmth spreading through his body--her sun--slowly heating his blood. "So I'm the prince. I always wanted to be a prince."

  Rose continued to look into his eyes. Her slender arms circled his neck, and she brought his head down to hers. He watched her eyes go dark and dreamy as his mouth took hers.

  Sebastian kicked him hard, squirming as their bodies came together. They broke apart, laughing.

  "Sorry about that, son," Kane said, taking him gently from the front pack to cradle him in his arms. "I can't resist your mother. You have to admit she's pretty darn sexy."

  Rose rolled her eyes, blushing. "Don't tell him that. You don't know what he understands yet. I'm still reading all those baby books. I have to tell you, Kane, there are so many contradictions with all these so-called experts."

  "Well, do we want to start off by lying to him? You are darned sexy. And what's wrong with him knowing his daddy finds his mommy very attractive?"

  "I don't know. I don't know the first thing about raising a child." Rose shoved her hand through her hair in agitation. "I'll probably mess up his little psyche."