Conspiracy Game

Page 23

Luther caught her hair in his fist as he went down, dragging her backward with him so that she landed heavily on top of him. “I’m running out of patience with you,” he snarled. “Behave before I do something we’ll both regret.”
She slammed her elbows into his ribs, followed with the back of her head to his face. He jerked his head out of the way just in time, but she was already rolling back from him, scrambling to come to her feet. “Stay away from me.”
He feinted to his left and jumped to his feet, landing in a crouching position, his fist streaking out too fast to block. She tried to slip the punch, whipping her head to the side, but he hit her hard enough to send stars dancing momentarily in front of her eyes. Briony staggered back, slipped on the tiles, feet going out from under her, and went down.
Luther was on her in seconds, pinning her down, hand over her mouth. “Damn it, you gave me no choice. Stop fighting me. I was careful not to hurt you, but you keep this up and it’s going to happen.”
Briony went still. He was incredibly strong, and the more she struggled, the tighter he held her. She tried to curl into a ball; an attempt to protect the baby.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Luther said. “And I certainly don’t want to upset you by killing your brothers, but you’re giving me no choice. You have to come back to the lab with me.” He brushed the hair out of her face and probed her swelling jaw with the pads of his fingers. “You shouldn’t have pushed me so far.”
Briony winced and jerked away from him. Her mind raced with ideas to get away. She had only seconds. He would be somewhat vulnerable when he shifted to his feet. It might be her only chance. She turned her head away from him, and colors danced for just a moment, yellow and red heat sensors, just a brief blur alerting her to the presence of her brothers. Briony quickly looked up at Luther, hooking her fingers in his shirt. “I’ll stop fighting you if you tell me the truth. Are they going to harm the baby?”
“No. No! Sparks should have told you. They want the baby alive. Both you and the baby are valuable to them. They don’t want to harm either of you. They can’t take chances with either of your lives. There are others who want you dead because they’re afraid of the power we wield.”
Briony scented her brother just as Luther turned, a whisper of sound warning him. Jebediah hit him hard over the head, knocking him from Briony’s body. Seth and Ruben quickly wrapped yards of duct tape around his legs, wrists, and mouth as Jebediah reached down to help his sister to her feet.
“You okay, honey?” He caught her chin in his palm to inspect the swelling. “He really nailed you, didn’t he?” He turned and kicked Luther in the ribs, using all his pent-up rage at the situation.
“He’s not conscious,” Briony pointed out.
“I don’t give a damn.”
“Did you hear what he said?”
Jebediah nodded. “I heard. They killed Tony because they thought he was the father of the baby. The rest of it is bullshit. Can you walk?”
She nodded. “Are there others? He couldn’t have been alone.”
Tyrel winked at her. “Seth and Ruben woke up. Both said they heard a voice warning them. They got the drop on the intruders and tied them to the bed.”
Luther opened his eyes and glared at her. The more he looked at her brothers, the more afraid she became. Even tied, Luther had powers and skills her brothers couldn’t conceive of.
“Let’s get out of here,” she suggested.
Jebediah wrapped his arm around her as he glanced at Luther. “I agree. We need to go now.”
Thought he was the father of the baby? She heard the voice, loud and clear in her head. Whirling around, she stared at Luther. Jebediah had been careless, and Luther was no fool. She could see the dawning comprehension on his face.
Briony dragged Jebediah to the car. “Hurry. They can’t follow us this time.”
Jebediah slid behind the wheel of the car. “Did you check for a tracking device, Ruben, like I told you?”
“I didn’t find anything,” Ruben said. “Maybe I missed it.”
“We’ll ditch the car,” Jebediah decided. “We’re not taking any chances.”
“He knows,” Briony whispered. “Luther knows about Jack. He knows Jack is the father.”
Jebediah glanced at her, put his hand over hers. “I’ll find a way to get word to him, to warn him, Bri.”
“Thanks, Jeb. I have no idea where we can go, do you?”
“Tonight we’re going to put as many miles as possible between Luther and us, and then we’re going to hole up for a while and sort this out. If we’re not moving, we’re not leaving tracks for them to follow. Let’s pick up another car and ditch this one as soon as possible.”
It was easier said than done. At night, with the storm still raging, it wasn’t easy to find another car. Jebediah wanted something fast with good maneuverability in case he had to try to outrun someone. Ruben stole a Mercedes and switched plates with a second one they found several miles up the road.
Briony covered her face with her hands, appalled that they had been reduced to stealing cars. She slept on and off, and her brothers took turns driving through the night and morning. They got rid of the stolen car, after first washing it inside and out, leaving it parked on a narrow, deserted street while they walked over to a little store.
Ruben hurried down the street to purchase another car at a used-car lot they’d passed. While they waited for him, her other brothers went inside the store to stock up on food and necessities. Briony opted to stay outside, needing a little respite from the constant company in the small confines of the car.
There were few people on the street, and she breathed deep to calm her churning stomach. “Come on, baby, don’t be making me sick this morning,” she crooned. “My brothers are getting a little freaked out by it.” As she talked to the baby, she noticed a man sitting in his car parked just down the street from the store. Her heart leapt, began to pound. At once she got up and started toward the store. They’d been followed.
The man got out of his car, removed his dark glasses, and walked toward her with long, confident strides angled to intercept her before she could make it to safety. “Ma’am, my name is Kadan Montague. I need to speak with you and your brothers about a matter concerning you and Jack Norton.”
Briony turned away from him, wary of the stillness in his eyes, the calm expression, but most of all, the instinctive knowledge that he was enhanced. He lifted his arm and his shirtsleeve pulled up, revealing the same tattoos Jack wore. She stared at them, knowing the strange dye only showed up using enhanced vision. “You must have the wrong person. I don’t know anyone named Jack Norton.”
Tyrel emerged from the store, knowledge flaring in his eyes, and he snapped a command at his brothers over his shoulder before hurrying to her. He took Briony’s arm and pulled her protectively toward him.
“It’s important, ma’am. Just hear me out. We can sit out in the open, maybe at that table over there.” Kadan indicated a colorful umbrella over a round table on the sidewalk where she’d been. “I’ve been traveling nonstop to find you and I could use a cup of coffee about now.”
Her brothers poured out of the store, rushing to surround the man. He calmly handed Jebediah his identification. It was his stillness-his complete control-that worried Briony. This man reminded her too much of Jack. She didn’t trust anyone, and without a doubt, Kadan Montague was enhanced both physically and psychically. More than that, she realized right away, he was an anchor. Out in public, her body trembled continually and she had to fight off the pain squeezing her head like a vise. The moment he’d approached, the symptoms had receded.
She pressed both hands over her stomach. She was never going to feel safe again. Worse, her brothers were running with her. They had no plan. No clear direction. They didn’t even really know why they had to run. She knew Jebediah could read the desperation in her eyes, because he put his arm around her and pulled her close to him.
“Please, I’m only asking for a few minutes of your time.”
“Are you armed?” Jebediah asked.
“Yes. And you should be as well. I arrived too late to help at the circus, tracked you to the villa, and followed you here. I’m not the only one on your trail.”
Seth cursed under his breath. “I watched the entire time; I never saw a tail.”
Jebediah gestured to indicate that Kadan precede him to the table. “Seems like half the world is on our trail. What is it you want?”
Kadan waited until the Jenkins family was seated around him, the brothers forming a protective ring around their sister. “Did you meet up with Jack Norton in Kinshasa?” he asked bluntly.
“I’m not going to answer that,” Jebediah said.
“Maybe this will help you understand what’s going on,” Kadan said, opening his briefcase. Before he could retrieve anything, Jebediah pinned his wrist. Kadan merely looked at him, one eyebrow raised. Jebediah slowly removed his hand.
Kadan took out a file. “Once upon a time, many years ago, a brilliant researcher, with more money than good sense and morals, came to Europe and went through the orphanages looking for specific children. He wanted children, all female, who showed promises of superior intelligence, but also-more importantly-a psychic gift.”
Tyrel leaned forward. “How would this researcher be able to tell if a child was bright with psychic gifts? How old were these girls?”
“Many of them were infants. He bought the girls and took them back to his lab, where he proceeded to conduct experiments on them. Later, when he feared he might get caught, he devised a plan to make it look to the world as if he had adopted the girls out. In the meantime, he conducted his experiments on volunteers, military men trained in Special Forces.”
Jebediah let out his breath in a slow hiss of comprehension. “He was developing a superior soldier, a weapon, using physical and psychic enhancement.”
“Exactly. Briony, you’re one of his girls.”
“Dr. Whitney,” Jebediah said. “My parents were approached by a man named Peter Whitney. He was a billionaire. Checked out completely, had all kinds of ties to several governments, here in Europe as well as in the States. He knew the president and just about anyone who was anyone. He said his wife died and he just couldn’t raise his daughter alone. He wanted her in a loving environment, but somewhere she could develop her unusual skills.”
Kadan nodded. “We don’t know everything. Supposedly Whitney was murdered, but none of us believe he’s dead. We’ve retrieved three of the girls, now grown women, of course. Lily, Dahlia, and Iris, and now you, Briony. We’ve been looking everywhere. I know you’re not an anchor. How have you managed to survive all these years without one, in such close proximity to others?” There was open admiration in his voice.
Briony gripped Jebediah’s hand hard. “Do you know a man named Luther? Enhanced physically and psychically just as you are?” Deliberately she hit him with her certain knowledge.
Kadan shook his head. “I’m sorry, no. There are two teams of men I’m aware of. If there are others, Whitney enhanced them in secret.”
“What did he do to them?” Tyrel asked.
They all had questions. She had a hundred questions, but they didn’t know this man. If Luther and Sparks were after her, it was possible Kadan Montague represented the other persons Luther said wanted her and the baby dead.
“It’s an involved process,” Kadan said. “If you come back with me, to the States, Lily can explain it. She’s one of the girls bought from the orphanage. She’s been working not only to find the other girls, but to find a way to help those who aren’t anchors to better be able to live in the world without constant pain.”