Predatory Game
Page 52
You’re vulnerable here, Jess.
Damn it. Don’t you think I know that? Go!
“We’ve got to get over there, Saber. If Brian was interested in Patsy, Whitney must have somehow paired them using his pheromone enhancers. He won’t let her go.”
Saber had reached for the van keys, but she dropped them back on the table and stopped, turning to look at him. “What does that mean, Jesse? You don’t think Brian could have genuine feelings for Patsy?”
“What difference does it make?” he snapped impatiently, reaching past her for the keys. “Let’s go.”
“You go.”
Jess whipped his chair around. “Don’t do this, Saber, not now. Patsy could be in danger.”
“Brian isn’t going to hurt Patsy. And in any case, he’s long gone. She said he left, remember? And Ken and Mari won’t let anything happen to her. I think you should go and see for yourself, but I’m tired. I’ve been up nearly twenty-four hours, been in a shoot-out, and used up all my energy trying to heal your legs. I’m going to bed.”
“Damn it, Saber. This isn’t the time to get pissed off. I wasn’t talking about us.”
“Yes, you were. You think I’m going to just let that go, Jesse? Brian is after Patsy for no other reason than because Whitney paired them? Patsy is beautiful, far more so than I am. She’s sophisticated and educated and most men would kill to have her. She isn’t anything at all like me. If you don’t think Brian could be attracted to her for herself, then no way in hell did you fall in love with me on your own.”
He raked a hand through his hair, wanting to shake her. She was exhausted. He could see it on her face. And hurt. He could see that in her eyes. But the truth was, she was looking for a way out because she was afraid-of him, of Whitney, of being involved in a family, of being part of the community of GhostWalkers.
“You’ve always got one foot out the door, Saber. No matter how much I tell you I love you or that I want you, no matter how many times I tell you that you’re my world and I’d give up everything for you, it isn’t going to matter if you don’t feel it too. I can’t make you want to stay. And I’m not holding you against your will, as much as I’d like to.”
He threw the keys back on the table. “Do you think I’m proud of the fact that we didn’t use birth control? Do you think a man like me ever-ever-forgets something that important? I wanted you pregnant. I wanted you to have my child growing inside of you because you wouldn’t leave me. You’d need me to take care of you and the baby. I hate that I did that. That I even thought that. That’s as much of a trap as Whitney had you in. If you stay with me, it has to be because you love me and want to be with me.”
“It’s so easy for you, Jess. You have it all. The parents. Patsy. Your friends. Everyone respects you. I come from nothing. I don’t even have a name or a birthday. I can do all the things Patsy can do because I was educated for the purpose of fitting into any society to kill. That was my main goal for everything I ever learned.”
He spread out his hands. “But that isn’t who you are. You’ve lived here going on a year, Saber, and I can tell you, I have more of a killer instinct than you. Brian knew that or he wouldn’t have blown his cover. He’d still be here watching us, informing Whitney and seeing my sister. But you wouldn’t kill Les.”
“I would have killed Chaleen. When I thought she was a threat to you…”
“But you didn’t. And that’s the point. It isn’t in your nature. I see you. Who you are. Who you can be. For once in your life stop running from yourself and have the courage to take what you want. I’m right here. In front of you.”
Saber sank into a chair and rested her head in the crook of her arm on the table. “I’m so tired, Jesse, I can’t think anymore. Go see Patsy and make sure she’s fine and I’ll sleep for a while, and when you come back we can talk.”
His breath caught in his throat. Something was very wrong. Saber didn’t get tired-not like this. He should have noticed the moment they were alone together. He rolled his chair closer to her and put his hand on her forehead. She wasn’t running a fever and that could only mean she was feeling repercussions from trying to heal the damaged nerves and muscle in his legs. It wouldn’t be unusual for a GhostWalker to have problems after using psychic ability. Many had brain bleeds and other major physical problems. He should have considered that.
“Come on, baby, let’s get you to bed. I’ll call Eric to come over and check you out, just in case.”
“No, I don’t want that man near me, and I’m just exhausted. I can hardly function, let alone think. Please just go see Patsy, you won’t worry so much if you do. I’ll be fine here.” She let him pull her out of the chair and onto his lap. She nuzzled his neck. “Tell me about your legs. So much has been going on I haven’t had a chance to ask you if you think I helped.”
“I think you saved my legs for me, baby. I spent the evening while you were working swimming and relearning how to use my legs. It’s interesting. I know how to walk, but I actually have to remember, think each step through. But I only fell a few times.” There was excitement in his voice.
He pushed the wheelchair through the house toward his bedroom. “I’m resting my legs right now. Eric said not to be stupid and overdo, even though I really want to go running.” He kissed the top of her head. “Go running. Did you hear that, Saber? It’s possible that I’ll be running in a few days and you did that. You. You’re a f**king miracle, babe. My own personal angel.”
She sighed softly and murmured something he couldn’t catch, her small body relaxing into his.
Jess slowed his pace. She had fallen asleep in his lap. Even with his astonishing news, she had crashed-big time. His mouth went dry. He wasn’t a man to feel panic, but he wanted to call Lily and ask her if it was normal for Saber to have this reaction. Unfortunately Lily wasn’t available to him. Ryland and she had gone underground with the baby being born. A boy, Daniel Ryland Miller. Jess was certain he would see them up in the mountains when they bought land in the same vicinity.
A thin red streak flashed across the room right in front of him and Jess slammed the chair to a halt and dove for the floor, taking Saber with him. They landed hard, Saber beneath him as half a dozen tiny red beams hit the wall.
“Shit. Shit. We’re under attack. Are you hurt? Did I hurt you?” He stayed low, trying to get a look at her and move them at the same time.
“I’m fine.” Her voice was utterly calm. “But I’m really getting sick of this. Let’s take them out for good this time, Jesse. This is our home.”
“Crawl forward, toward the exercise room. I’ve got things stashed in there we’ll need.”
She didn’t ask questions, but scooted, more on her belly than hands and knees, going fast as the first canister of gas blew through the window and exploded. She closed her eyes and held her breath. She knew her way around the house without sight and she went unerringly, Jess right behind her. She could feel his body skimming over the top of hers as they moved, Jess crawling with her, his body shielding hers.
Her arms and legs felt like lead, but now she was beginning to lose her temper. Is your office secure?
They can eventually get it open, but when they try to blow it, and they will, they’ll get a few nasty surprises. It will also trigger a meltdown in the hard drive. Everything will be wiped clean.
They don’t know you can use your legs. You can use them, can’t you? That was her biggest anxiety. If Jess needed a wheelchair, they were in for trouble.
I might not be fast, but I can use them. Keep going, baby, it’s getting bad in here.
He all but pushed her through the door to the exercise room and slammed it shut. They stayed low to the floor, taking in deep breaths of clean air. Saber crawled over to the cabinet holding the towels, grabbed a couple, and shoved them into the crack.
“What am I looking for?”
“Move the cabinet out,” Jess instructed. “There’ll be a keypad. Code in ‘red flag.’ Count ten seconds and code in 997342. That will get the door open.”
Saber punched in the codes as quickly as she could. Tracers were zinging through the kitchen and living room, and the thunk of the canisters of gas could be clearly heard as they hit the floors or walls.
“I need the laptop. Hurry. I can lock this room down. They’re going to try to kill us, Saber. Have you ever been in a combat situation?”
“I trained with weapons, but without an anchor I have a bad reaction. I’m an expert marksman, though, and I’m very good with a knife.”
“You can’t hesitate, Saber. You’re going to have to shoot to kill. And stay right by me so we can do this.”
She had the steel door built into the wall behind the towel cabinet open. There was an arsenal there as well as gas masks and the latest in body armor. She pushed the laptop into his hands and turned back to the weapons.
Jess flipped the top open and powered up the laptop.
“This room was built specifically for this purpose.”
She sent him a quick glare over her shoulder. “Nice that you told me. What other secrets do you have?”
“Okay, I’ve got it up and running. Am locking it down.”
Coverings slid into place over the windows, thick steel to prevent the gas canisters and attackers from entering.
“Bullets aren’t going to penetrate the walls and doors. The coverings won’t stop them, but it will slow them down until our team shows up.”
“What else does that thing do?” She began pulling weapons and ammunition out and tossing them to him.
Saber shoved guns and knives into her waistband, taped one to her ankle and another to her wrist. She threw him a vest and donned one herself and then added the gas masks to their growing pile.
“I need the small suitcase. Hurry, Saber.”
She dragged it off the shelf and gave it to him. “I hate to ask.”
He flashed a quick grin. “I’ve tapped into the security monitors and you can see them. I count six. They’re coming in.”
“We’re overloaded.” She traveled light and all the weapons were a bit much. Still, she strapped them on and went back to him.
He began pulling materials from the suitcase.
Saber stared at the contents and then at him. “A bomb? You’re going to make a bomb?”
“It’s mostly already made. I just have to arm it.” He positioned the claymore mine in the middle of the door and ran a thin trip wire to the door handle and signaled her to the other side of the room. “They’ll be coming into the house in another minute. They know we’re inside and they’ve got us surrounded. They’ll try to blow the door, and the claymore will take out anyone on the other side.”
“You’re crazy, you know that?” But she was beginning to feel safe with him. He was a soldier and very methodical. And he had planned for just such an attack. He was perfectly calm and very confident.
He flicked her a wicked smile. “You got it right, baby. I’m a GhostWalker and we were born crazy.”
Saber had the sudden urge to laugh. He really was crazy. “You like this, don’t you? They’re tearing up your house, and you’re stoked about it.”
“We’re moving anyway.” He indicated the wall around the swimming pool. “Get behind that. There’s a grate in the cement.”
Saber had looked at that grate hundreds of times, assuming it drained any water that splashed from the pool. “You have an escape route.”
His eyebrow shot up. “Doesn’t everybody?”
“I must be slipping. I didn’t suspect.” But she should have. Jess was no lamb. No Navy SEAL was. Add in the GhostWalker program and she should have been searching his house for his arsenal. “Is the house wired?”
Damn it. Don’t you think I know that? Go!
“We’ve got to get over there, Saber. If Brian was interested in Patsy, Whitney must have somehow paired them using his pheromone enhancers. He won’t let her go.”
Saber had reached for the van keys, but she dropped them back on the table and stopped, turning to look at him. “What does that mean, Jesse? You don’t think Brian could have genuine feelings for Patsy?”
“What difference does it make?” he snapped impatiently, reaching past her for the keys. “Let’s go.”
“You go.”
Jess whipped his chair around. “Don’t do this, Saber, not now. Patsy could be in danger.”
“Brian isn’t going to hurt Patsy. And in any case, he’s long gone. She said he left, remember? And Ken and Mari won’t let anything happen to her. I think you should go and see for yourself, but I’m tired. I’ve been up nearly twenty-four hours, been in a shoot-out, and used up all my energy trying to heal your legs. I’m going to bed.”
“Damn it, Saber. This isn’t the time to get pissed off. I wasn’t talking about us.”
“Yes, you were. You think I’m going to just let that go, Jesse? Brian is after Patsy for no other reason than because Whitney paired them? Patsy is beautiful, far more so than I am. She’s sophisticated and educated and most men would kill to have her. She isn’t anything at all like me. If you don’t think Brian could be attracted to her for herself, then no way in hell did you fall in love with me on your own.”
He raked a hand through his hair, wanting to shake her. She was exhausted. He could see it on her face. And hurt. He could see that in her eyes. But the truth was, she was looking for a way out because she was afraid-of him, of Whitney, of being involved in a family, of being part of the community of GhostWalkers.
“You’ve always got one foot out the door, Saber. No matter how much I tell you I love you or that I want you, no matter how many times I tell you that you’re my world and I’d give up everything for you, it isn’t going to matter if you don’t feel it too. I can’t make you want to stay. And I’m not holding you against your will, as much as I’d like to.”
He threw the keys back on the table. “Do you think I’m proud of the fact that we didn’t use birth control? Do you think a man like me ever-ever-forgets something that important? I wanted you pregnant. I wanted you to have my child growing inside of you because you wouldn’t leave me. You’d need me to take care of you and the baby. I hate that I did that. That I even thought that. That’s as much of a trap as Whitney had you in. If you stay with me, it has to be because you love me and want to be with me.”
“It’s so easy for you, Jess. You have it all. The parents. Patsy. Your friends. Everyone respects you. I come from nothing. I don’t even have a name or a birthday. I can do all the things Patsy can do because I was educated for the purpose of fitting into any society to kill. That was my main goal for everything I ever learned.”
He spread out his hands. “But that isn’t who you are. You’ve lived here going on a year, Saber, and I can tell you, I have more of a killer instinct than you. Brian knew that or he wouldn’t have blown his cover. He’d still be here watching us, informing Whitney and seeing my sister. But you wouldn’t kill Les.”
“I would have killed Chaleen. When I thought she was a threat to you…”
“But you didn’t. And that’s the point. It isn’t in your nature. I see you. Who you are. Who you can be. For once in your life stop running from yourself and have the courage to take what you want. I’m right here. In front of you.”
Saber sank into a chair and rested her head in the crook of her arm on the table. “I’m so tired, Jesse, I can’t think anymore. Go see Patsy and make sure she’s fine and I’ll sleep for a while, and when you come back we can talk.”
His breath caught in his throat. Something was very wrong. Saber didn’t get tired-not like this. He should have noticed the moment they were alone together. He rolled his chair closer to her and put his hand on her forehead. She wasn’t running a fever and that could only mean she was feeling repercussions from trying to heal the damaged nerves and muscle in his legs. It wouldn’t be unusual for a GhostWalker to have problems after using psychic ability. Many had brain bleeds and other major physical problems. He should have considered that.
“Come on, baby, let’s get you to bed. I’ll call Eric to come over and check you out, just in case.”
“No, I don’t want that man near me, and I’m just exhausted. I can hardly function, let alone think. Please just go see Patsy, you won’t worry so much if you do. I’ll be fine here.” She let him pull her out of the chair and onto his lap. She nuzzled his neck. “Tell me about your legs. So much has been going on I haven’t had a chance to ask you if you think I helped.”
“I think you saved my legs for me, baby. I spent the evening while you were working swimming and relearning how to use my legs. It’s interesting. I know how to walk, but I actually have to remember, think each step through. But I only fell a few times.” There was excitement in his voice.
He pushed the wheelchair through the house toward his bedroom. “I’m resting my legs right now. Eric said not to be stupid and overdo, even though I really want to go running.” He kissed the top of her head. “Go running. Did you hear that, Saber? It’s possible that I’ll be running in a few days and you did that. You. You’re a f**king miracle, babe. My own personal angel.”
She sighed softly and murmured something he couldn’t catch, her small body relaxing into his.
Jess slowed his pace. She had fallen asleep in his lap. Even with his astonishing news, she had crashed-big time. His mouth went dry. He wasn’t a man to feel panic, but he wanted to call Lily and ask her if it was normal for Saber to have this reaction. Unfortunately Lily wasn’t available to him. Ryland and she had gone underground with the baby being born. A boy, Daniel Ryland Miller. Jess was certain he would see them up in the mountains when they bought land in the same vicinity.
A thin red streak flashed across the room right in front of him and Jess slammed the chair to a halt and dove for the floor, taking Saber with him. They landed hard, Saber beneath him as half a dozen tiny red beams hit the wall.
“Shit. Shit. We’re under attack. Are you hurt? Did I hurt you?” He stayed low, trying to get a look at her and move them at the same time.
“I’m fine.” Her voice was utterly calm. “But I’m really getting sick of this. Let’s take them out for good this time, Jesse. This is our home.”
“Crawl forward, toward the exercise room. I’ve got things stashed in there we’ll need.”
She didn’t ask questions, but scooted, more on her belly than hands and knees, going fast as the first canister of gas blew through the window and exploded. She closed her eyes and held her breath. She knew her way around the house without sight and she went unerringly, Jess right behind her. She could feel his body skimming over the top of hers as they moved, Jess crawling with her, his body shielding hers.
Her arms and legs felt like lead, but now she was beginning to lose her temper. Is your office secure?
They can eventually get it open, but when they try to blow it, and they will, they’ll get a few nasty surprises. It will also trigger a meltdown in the hard drive. Everything will be wiped clean.
They don’t know you can use your legs. You can use them, can’t you? That was her biggest anxiety. If Jess needed a wheelchair, they were in for trouble.
I might not be fast, but I can use them. Keep going, baby, it’s getting bad in here.
He all but pushed her through the door to the exercise room and slammed it shut. They stayed low to the floor, taking in deep breaths of clean air. Saber crawled over to the cabinet holding the towels, grabbed a couple, and shoved them into the crack.
“What am I looking for?”
“Move the cabinet out,” Jess instructed. “There’ll be a keypad. Code in ‘red flag.’ Count ten seconds and code in 997342. That will get the door open.”
Saber punched in the codes as quickly as she could. Tracers were zinging through the kitchen and living room, and the thunk of the canisters of gas could be clearly heard as they hit the floors or walls.
“I need the laptop. Hurry. I can lock this room down. They’re going to try to kill us, Saber. Have you ever been in a combat situation?”
“I trained with weapons, but without an anchor I have a bad reaction. I’m an expert marksman, though, and I’m very good with a knife.”
“You can’t hesitate, Saber. You’re going to have to shoot to kill. And stay right by me so we can do this.”
She had the steel door built into the wall behind the towel cabinet open. There was an arsenal there as well as gas masks and the latest in body armor. She pushed the laptop into his hands and turned back to the weapons.
Jess flipped the top open and powered up the laptop.
“This room was built specifically for this purpose.”
She sent him a quick glare over her shoulder. “Nice that you told me. What other secrets do you have?”
“Okay, I’ve got it up and running. Am locking it down.”
Coverings slid into place over the windows, thick steel to prevent the gas canisters and attackers from entering.
“Bullets aren’t going to penetrate the walls and doors. The coverings won’t stop them, but it will slow them down until our team shows up.”
“What else does that thing do?” She began pulling weapons and ammunition out and tossing them to him.
Saber shoved guns and knives into her waistband, taped one to her ankle and another to her wrist. She threw him a vest and donned one herself and then added the gas masks to their growing pile.
“I need the small suitcase. Hurry, Saber.”
She dragged it off the shelf and gave it to him. “I hate to ask.”
He flashed a quick grin. “I’ve tapped into the security monitors and you can see them. I count six. They’re coming in.”
“We’re overloaded.” She traveled light and all the weapons were a bit much. Still, she strapped them on and went back to him.
He began pulling materials from the suitcase.
Saber stared at the contents and then at him. “A bomb? You’re going to make a bomb?”
“It’s mostly already made. I just have to arm it.” He positioned the claymore mine in the middle of the door and ran a thin trip wire to the door handle and signaled her to the other side of the room. “They’ll be coming into the house in another minute. They know we’re inside and they’ve got us surrounded. They’ll try to blow the door, and the claymore will take out anyone on the other side.”
“You’re crazy, you know that?” But she was beginning to feel safe with him. He was a soldier and very methodical. And he had planned for just such an attack. He was perfectly calm and very confident.
He flicked her a wicked smile. “You got it right, baby. I’m a GhostWalker and we were born crazy.”
Saber had the sudden urge to laugh. He really was crazy. “You like this, don’t you? They’re tearing up your house, and you’re stoked about it.”
“We’re moving anyway.” He indicated the wall around the swimming pool. “Get behind that. There’s a grate in the cement.”
Saber had looked at that grate hundreds of times, assuming it drained any water that splashed from the pool. “You have an escape route.”
His eyebrow shot up. “Doesn’t everybody?”
“I must be slipping. I didn’t suspect.” But she should have. Jess was no lamb. No Navy SEAL was. Add in the GhostWalker program and she should have been searching his house for his arsenal. “Is the house wired?”
