Ruthless Game
Page 44
“So they planned this carefully. They knew about the lock and how it worked,” Kane stated the obvious. “They were prepared.”
“How?” Mack asked. “We don’t have that many visitors. A few construction workers, but we checked them out thoroughly. Deliverymen.” He looked at Jaimie. “Who else?”
“We’ve had the cops here a few times,” she said. “Something about the surveillance tape really bothers me, but I can’t put my finger on it.” She swung back to study the footage. “Go up to our home, Kane, and take a warm shower. Mack’s jeans will be short, but you can fit into them. In fact, I think there are a couple of pairs of your jeans left from when you were staying with us while your house was being built. Look in the clothes closet. This is going to take a while to figure out.”
Marc stuck his head out of the tent, bloody glove-covered hands in the air. “Where the hell is Eric? He went to get another set of instruments. I need help in here. I can’t monitor him and do the operation.”
He disappeared back inside the tent.
Get down here, now, Paul. Mack sent the command instantly. “Get upstairs, Kane. Guard Rose and Sebastian. Don’t trust anyone.” He glanced at his watch. “Eric ran out of here a few minutes ago to get another surgery kit from his car. I thought it odd that he didn’t ask one of us to get it for him but just figured he could find it faster.”
Kane turned and ran up the stairs as Paul came running down.
“That’s what’s bothering me,” Jaimie said. “Look, Mack. Look at the tape. Eric goes through the door first, and the therapist follows him. Look at what Eric does.” She froze the tape. “Look at his eyes. He stops right there, and his gaze shifts down and toward the lock just as the therapist slips in his tool. Eric knew. Eric has to be working with Whitney.”
Chapter 16
“Son of a bitch.” Mack leaned down to study the tape. The entire time, they’d been watching the lock and the therapist, not really paying attention to the surgeon who had worked at one time or another on many of the GhostWalkers, even saving lives. How Jaimie had noticed the slight turn Eric made and the shift of his eyes as he glanced down at the lock, he couldn’t imagine. Especially in the midst of Brian having surgery just a few yards away.
“He knows, Mack,” Jaimie reiterated and pulled up the footage inside the second floor and then of the street.
They could see Eric rush out of the surgical tent, call out to Mack, and then run behind the tent out of their sight. He put a foot on the stairs leading up to where Paul watched over Rose and Sebastian, shook his head, and turned quickly to take the stairs leading down to the first story. Clearly he had considered making another try for the baby. He dashed down the stairs and out the door, never entering Kane’s home. The street cameras showed him leaping into his car, cell phone out, and talking fast as he sped away.
“Get the word out to the other teams,” Mack ordered Jaimie. “There’s no telling what damage he’s done to us. Everyone he’s come in contact with may be compromised. Advise sweeping for bugs and reworking security wherever he’s had access. Let Jack and Ken know their home probably has multiple problems. Has he had access to our computer equipment?”
Jaimie shook her head. “No one touches my computers other than Javier. And he’s worse than I am about security. Well ... okay ... maybe not.”
Mack swore under his breath as he paced back and forth. “We’ve had a snake among us from the very first.”
“What if he didn’t work for Whitney? What if he’s working for the faction that wants all of us dead?”
“I doubt he would have saved so many of us. The death toll would have been much higher. I’m certain he’s Whitney’s plant.” He looked carefully around the room. “Check everything, Jaimie. Thank God Rose was so paranoid about Sebastian. She never left Eric alone with him. They didn’t manage to get a sample of his blood. They weren’t able to microchip him either.”
“Kane did,” Jaimie said. “He said it was the only argument he and Rose have had over the baby. He insisted, for Sebastian’s safety.”
“Top!” Paul called out. “We need you.”
Mack reacted instantly. “Tell Kane, Jaimie. The two of you need to go through that house and be thorough about it.”
Jaimie watched him disappear into the surgical tent and then made her way up to the third story. As she leaned in for a retinal scan, she stopped suddenly, frowning. She made her way back down to the bottom of the staircase where Eric had hesitated. She pulled out a small penlight and meticulously began going over the railing and walls, paying particular attention to where Eric had stopped.
The staircase was interior, running just on the inside of the building so that there was an escape from the first story and one leading to the roof. The second story was completely enclosed with only a door leading to a fire escape. She ran her fingers along the door. Eric must have known they would be suspicious of him, and he’d run. He wouldn’t have considered going upstairs to confront a GhostWalker. He wasn’t armed. She knew that because each time he stepped inside the entrance, she had a full-body scanner making certain. No, he’d stopped on the stairs for another reason.
She stepped back and studied the door and then turned around in a circle, inspecting the stairway again. She knew she was right; she just couldn’t figure out what he’d done. Reluctantly, Jaimie gave up her quest and went up to the top story. She used a retinal scan to open the door to her home.
Rose lay on her couch, a blanket over her, holding her head and moaning softly. Kane obviously had rinsed off and was now crouching beside Rose, sweeping back her hair with one hand, murmuring soft reassurances to her. Jaimie looked around for the baby.
Kane saw her question and nodded toward the safety of the bedroom. “Paul put him down when he fell asleep. I’m hoping he stays that way until we know Rose can safely feed him. We don’t want whatever drug this is to get into his system.”
Kane straightened slowly, stretching out sore muscles. He’d managed to find a pair of jeans and had ripped off one of Mack’s tees. “I take it they’re having a problem with Brian?” He managed to keep his voice even, but every muscle had tightened up all over again. He’d just managed to reassure himself that Rose and Sebastian were going to be fine, and now he was worried all over again.
Brian Hutton had grown up with him. Mack and Kane had protected the younger boy all through school. His parents had moved and left him behind. He’d stayed in a condemned building, foraging on the streets for food and running from bigger bullies until Mack and Kane had come across him. He’d been a wide-eyed kid with a mop of hair and a quick, inventive mind. He also had very quick hands. He was a first-class pickpocket. It had taken a lot to convince him to stay in school and get an education, but he wanted Mack’s and Kane’s protection, so he’d gone along with their rules. They’d made up a lot of paperwork for him to keep him out of the system and make the schools think he had parents.
“Marc and Paul will pull him through,” Jaimie said. “They’re good.”
“What the hell happened to Eric?”
“He’s a plant, Kane. He’s working for Whitney. He knew the physical therapist was going to make a grab for Sebastian and Rose. I think he got nervous when I kept looking at the surveillance tapes, and he ran,” Jaimie explained.
“That means everything he came into contact with has been compromised,” Kane said.
“Exactly. Mack wants a sweep of the entire building. I think he planted something at the bottom of the stairs on the second floor. He was running, but he stopped there. At first I thought he might be trying to come up here and changed his mind, but that didn’t make sense. I couldn’t find anything.”
Kane studied her face. Jaimie knew things. All of them, the entire team, had learned never to ignore Jaimie’s gut feelings.
Rose moaned and struggled to sit up. Kane held her down with a hand to her shoulder. “Paul said not to move around yet, Rose. He said once you could sit up, then he wants you drinking water. Lots of water, but he said you’d be unsteady for a while.”
“I’ve got to get this out of my system. I feel horrible.”
“I know, honey, you’re going to be disoriented for a while.”
She frowned at him, clutching the blanket around her. “Kane, I don’t have any clothes on. None.” She looked very puzzled, her gaze jumping from him to Jaimie.
“I had to undress you,” Jaimie explained gently. “You were soaked and freezing. We wrapped you in a blanket and put hot water bottles around you to bring up your body temperature.”
Rose snapped her head around and sat up, dragging the blanket with her. “Sebastian? Where’s Sebastian?”
Kane’s gut tightened. He’d told her three times. She seemed to forget things over and over. He framed her face and looked into her eyes. “Sweetheart, I wouldn’t be standing here chatting if someone took our son. He’s sleeping peacefully in the bedroom. I’d bring him out to show you, but I don’t want him to wake up and need to eat. The drug they gave you isn’t out of your system yet.”
She frowned and touched her neck. “I couldn’t stop them from taking Sebastian.”
“Javier spotted them, and the team went into action. We’ll be having a meeting soon to discuss what went wrong and what went right so we can improve response time and damage control.”
Jaimie sat on the arm of the couch. “No civilians got hurt and, aside from keeping Whitney’s men from taking you and Sebastian, that’s always the main thing in urban situations.”
Kane brushed his mouth across Rose’s lips. “We’re going to be all right, honey. The team came through. We had one casualty. Brian’s in surgery now, but both Paul and Marc are with him, and you know how bossy Mack is. He won’t let Brian slip away on us.”
“I want to take a shower.” Rose shuddered as she rubbed her arms up and down. “I’m itching all over.”
“I can put a chair in the shower,” Jaimie offered. “You shouldn’t try to stand by yourself, Rose.”
“I’ll go in with her,” Kane said.
Fear exploded through Rose’s body. For a moment she could barely breathe. “No!” Rose caught Kane’s wrist and held on hard. “You stay with Sebastian.” She would never forget those minutes, fighting off the kidnappers, knowing she wasn’t going to stop them from taking her son. She’d failed to protect him. All of her training, all of her resolve, none of it mattered. She touched her neck again. “I’m sorry, Kane. I’m so sorry.”
She’d been so certain she could do it all herself. She hadn’t trusted anyone else, other than Kane, not really. She knew Whitney better than any of them; she’d known he’d make a try for Sebastian. Sebastian was everything he’d worked for—all the years of experimenting came down to a child. She knew if Whitney saw him or even got hold of a sample of his blood, he would know he’d been successful.
She covered her face with her hands, her lungs burning. She’d almost lost their child. She couldn’t ever face Kane again. Everything was coming flooding back. Sebastian’s eyes widening as he lay on the floor playing with her. He’d known that she couldn’t protect him. She would never forget that moment when both of them had known she wasn’t going to be able to stop the men from taking him. A sob escaped, and she clamped down hard on it. She wouldn’t cry. Wouldn’t make Kane think she wanted sympathy.
“Rose.” Kane’s gentle voice was her undoing.
He should be railing at her. Yelling. Telling her what a screwup she was. She hadn’t protected her own child from the worst monster alive. She shook her head, unable to look at him. She might never be able to look at him again. She’d failed in the most important mission of her life.
“How?” Mack asked. “We don’t have that many visitors. A few construction workers, but we checked them out thoroughly. Deliverymen.” He looked at Jaimie. “Who else?”
“We’ve had the cops here a few times,” she said. “Something about the surveillance tape really bothers me, but I can’t put my finger on it.” She swung back to study the footage. “Go up to our home, Kane, and take a warm shower. Mack’s jeans will be short, but you can fit into them. In fact, I think there are a couple of pairs of your jeans left from when you were staying with us while your house was being built. Look in the clothes closet. This is going to take a while to figure out.”
Marc stuck his head out of the tent, bloody glove-covered hands in the air. “Where the hell is Eric? He went to get another set of instruments. I need help in here. I can’t monitor him and do the operation.”
He disappeared back inside the tent.
Get down here, now, Paul. Mack sent the command instantly. “Get upstairs, Kane. Guard Rose and Sebastian. Don’t trust anyone.” He glanced at his watch. “Eric ran out of here a few minutes ago to get another surgery kit from his car. I thought it odd that he didn’t ask one of us to get it for him but just figured he could find it faster.”
Kane turned and ran up the stairs as Paul came running down.
“That’s what’s bothering me,” Jaimie said. “Look, Mack. Look at the tape. Eric goes through the door first, and the therapist follows him. Look at what Eric does.” She froze the tape. “Look at his eyes. He stops right there, and his gaze shifts down and toward the lock just as the therapist slips in his tool. Eric knew. Eric has to be working with Whitney.”
Chapter 16
“Son of a bitch.” Mack leaned down to study the tape. The entire time, they’d been watching the lock and the therapist, not really paying attention to the surgeon who had worked at one time or another on many of the GhostWalkers, even saving lives. How Jaimie had noticed the slight turn Eric made and the shift of his eyes as he glanced down at the lock, he couldn’t imagine. Especially in the midst of Brian having surgery just a few yards away.
“He knows, Mack,” Jaimie reiterated and pulled up the footage inside the second floor and then of the street.
They could see Eric rush out of the surgical tent, call out to Mack, and then run behind the tent out of their sight. He put a foot on the stairs leading up to where Paul watched over Rose and Sebastian, shook his head, and turned quickly to take the stairs leading down to the first story. Clearly he had considered making another try for the baby. He dashed down the stairs and out the door, never entering Kane’s home. The street cameras showed him leaping into his car, cell phone out, and talking fast as he sped away.
“Get the word out to the other teams,” Mack ordered Jaimie. “There’s no telling what damage he’s done to us. Everyone he’s come in contact with may be compromised. Advise sweeping for bugs and reworking security wherever he’s had access. Let Jack and Ken know their home probably has multiple problems. Has he had access to our computer equipment?”
Jaimie shook her head. “No one touches my computers other than Javier. And he’s worse than I am about security. Well ... okay ... maybe not.”
Mack swore under his breath as he paced back and forth. “We’ve had a snake among us from the very first.”
“What if he didn’t work for Whitney? What if he’s working for the faction that wants all of us dead?”
“I doubt he would have saved so many of us. The death toll would have been much higher. I’m certain he’s Whitney’s plant.” He looked carefully around the room. “Check everything, Jaimie. Thank God Rose was so paranoid about Sebastian. She never left Eric alone with him. They didn’t manage to get a sample of his blood. They weren’t able to microchip him either.”
“Kane did,” Jaimie said. “He said it was the only argument he and Rose have had over the baby. He insisted, for Sebastian’s safety.”
“Top!” Paul called out. “We need you.”
Mack reacted instantly. “Tell Kane, Jaimie. The two of you need to go through that house and be thorough about it.”
Jaimie watched him disappear into the surgical tent and then made her way up to the third story. As she leaned in for a retinal scan, she stopped suddenly, frowning. She made her way back down to the bottom of the staircase where Eric had hesitated. She pulled out a small penlight and meticulously began going over the railing and walls, paying particular attention to where Eric had stopped.
The staircase was interior, running just on the inside of the building so that there was an escape from the first story and one leading to the roof. The second story was completely enclosed with only a door leading to a fire escape. She ran her fingers along the door. Eric must have known they would be suspicious of him, and he’d run. He wouldn’t have considered going upstairs to confront a GhostWalker. He wasn’t armed. She knew that because each time he stepped inside the entrance, she had a full-body scanner making certain. No, he’d stopped on the stairs for another reason.
She stepped back and studied the door and then turned around in a circle, inspecting the stairway again. She knew she was right; she just couldn’t figure out what he’d done. Reluctantly, Jaimie gave up her quest and went up to the top story. She used a retinal scan to open the door to her home.
Rose lay on her couch, a blanket over her, holding her head and moaning softly. Kane obviously had rinsed off and was now crouching beside Rose, sweeping back her hair with one hand, murmuring soft reassurances to her. Jaimie looked around for the baby.
Kane saw her question and nodded toward the safety of the bedroom. “Paul put him down when he fell asleep. I’m hoping he stays that way until we know Rose can safely feed him. We don’t want whatever drug this is to get into his system.”
Kane straightened slowly, stretching out sore muscles. He’d managed to find a pair of jeans and had ripped off one of Mack’s tees. “I take it they’re having a problem with Brian?” He managed to keep his voice even, but every muscle had tightened up all over again. He’d just managed to reassure himself that Rose and Sebastian were going to be fine, and now he was worried all over again.
Brian Hutton had grown up with him. Mack and Kane had protected the younger boy all through school. His parents had moved and left him behind. He’d stayed in a condemned building, foraging on the streets for food and running from bigger bullies until Mack and Kane had come across him. He’d been a wide-eyed kid with a mop of hair and a quick, inventive mind. He also had very quick hands. He was a first-class pickpocket. It had taken a lot to convince him to stay in school and get an education, but he wanted Mack’s and Kane’s protection, so he’d gone along with their rules. They’d made up a lot of paperwork for him to keep him out of the system and make the schools think he had parents.
“Marc and Paul will pull him through,” Jaimie said. “They’re good.”
“What the hell happened to Eric?”
“He’s a plant, Kane. He’s working for Whitney. He knew the physical therapist was going to make a grab for Sebastian and Rose. I think he got nervous when I kept looking at the surveillance tapes, and he ran,” Jaimie explained.
“That means everything he came into contact with has been compromised,” Kane said.
“Exactly. Mack wants a sweep of the entire building. I think he planted something at the bottom of the stairs on the second floor. He was running, but he stopped there. At first I thought he might be trying to come up here and changed his mind, but that didn’t make sense. I couldn’t find anything.”
Kane studied her face. Jaimie knew things. All of them, the entire team, had learned never to ignore Jaimie’s gut feelings.
Rose moaned and struggled to sit up. Kane held her down with a hand to her shoulder. “Paul said not to move around yet, Rose. He said once you could sit up, then he wants you drinking water. Lots of water, but he said you’d be unsteady for a while.”
“I’ve got to get this out of my system. I feel horrible.”
“I know, honey, you’re going to be disoriented for a while.”
She frowned at him, clutching the blanket around her. “Kane, I don’t have any clothes on. None.” She looked very puzzled, her gaze jumping from him to Jaimie.
“I had to undress you,” Jaimie explained gently. “You were soaked and freezing. We wrapped you in a blanket and put hot water bottles around you to bring up your body temperature.”
Rose snapped her head around and sat up, dragging the blanket with her. “Sebastian? Where’s Sebastian?”
Kane’s gut tightened. He’d told her three times. She seemed to forget things over and over. He framed her face and looked into her eyes. “Sweetheart, I wouldn’t be standing here chatting if someone took our son. He’s sleeping peacefully in the bedroom. I’d bring him out to show you, but I don’t want him to wake up and need to eat. The drug they gave you isn’t out of your system yet.”
She frowned and touched her neck. “I couldn’t stop them from taking Sebastian.”
“Javier spotted them, and the team went into action. We’ll be having a meeting soon to discuss what went wrong and what went right so we can improve response time and damage control.”
Jaimie sat on the arm of the couch. “No civilians got hurt and, aside from keeping Whitney’s men from taking you and Sebastian, that’s always the main thing in urban situations.”
Kane brushed his mouth across Rose’s lips. “We’re going to be all right, honey. The team came through. We had one casualty. Brian’s in surgery now, but both Paul and Marc are with him, and you know how bossy Mack is. He won’t let Brian slip away on us.”
“I want to take a shower.” Rose shuddered as she rubbed her arms up and down. “I’m itching all over.”
“I can put a chair in the shower,” Jaimie offered. “You shouldn’t try to stand by yourself, Rose.”
“I’ll go in with her,” Kane said.
Fear exploded through Rose’s body. For a moment she could barely breathe. “No!” Rose caught Kane’s wrist and held on hard. “You stay with Sebastian.” She would never forget those minutes, fighting off the kidnappers, knowing she wasn’t going to stop them from taking her son. She’d failed to protect him. All of her training, all of her resolve, none of it mattered. She touched her neck again. “I’m sorry, Kane. I’m so sorry.”
She’d been so certain she could do it all herself. She hadn’t trusted anyone else, other than Kane, not really. She knew Whitney better than any of them; she’d known he’d make a try for Sebastian. Sebastian was everything he’d worked for—all the years of experimenting came down to a child. She knew if Whitney saw him or even got hold of a sample of his blood, he would know he’d been successful.
She covered her face with her hands, her lungs burning. She’d almost lost their child. She couldn’t ever face Kane again. Everything was coming flooding back. Sebastian’s eyes widening as he lay on the floor playing with her. He’d known that she couldn’t protect him. She would never forget that moment when both of them had known she wasn’t going to be able to stop the men from taking him. A sob escaped, and she clamped down hard on it. She wouldn’t cry. Wouldn’t make Kane think she wanted sympathy.
“Rose.” Kane’s gentle voice was her undoing.
He should be railing at her. Yelling. Telling her what a screwup she was. She hadn’t protected her own child from the worst monster alive. She shook her head, unable to look at him. She might never be able to look at him again. She’d failed in the most important mission of her life.
