Deadly Game (GhostWalkers, #5)(118)

“He’s being guarded at an undisclosed location. No one is saying how badly he’s hurt. Nothing on the news. Not a single thing about him being shot and nothing in the media about Whitney’s laboratory. The general sent in a team, but the place is abandoned and all data appears to be destroyed. Of course they’ll take weeks to comb through everything. Whitney’s moved on.” Jack frowned. “Logan radioed last night to warn us that Sean was last seen getting off a plane in Montana. He’s heading here. You know he is.”

Ken nodded. “I was certain he’d follow her, but I didn’t think he’d come so quickly. Take the women and get out of here, Jack. I’ll deal with him.”

Jack grunted. “Like that’s going to happen. I’ve already called Logan. He’ll be here in an hour, and he’ll protect the women. I’m going to be backing you up just the way we always do it.”

“Sean isn’t going to stop until he has her or he’s dead. Whatever Whitney does to these men makes them believe they’re entitled to the women. They don’t care whether the woman wants them or not; she’s a possession.”

“We’ll get him.” Jack’s fingers drummed against the tabletop. “You realize Whitney isn’t alone in this? Senator Freeman’s father is involved, and Mari dropped the name of a banker. She’s seen at least two of the others, and that means the other women probably have as well.”

“Which increases the risk to them. Whitney and the others are going to want them back for many reasons. I should have realized when Mari didn’t really talk about them or let me see what they looked like when she was thinking about them, that they planned to strike out on their own.”

“You can’t really blame them for not trusting anyone,” Jack said.

“No, but I’m a little upset with Mari. If she’d warned me, I could have tried to persuade them that there was help out there for them.” He kept his face averted from his brother. Mari was thinking of leaving him. She was going to join her sisters and follow through with their original plan. He was desperate to cage her—but how?

“She trusted you with her life, just not with the other women’s.”

“She did at that,” Ken agreed, and stared out the window as he sipped at his coffee.





An hour later, Logan arrived, grim-faced and angry.

“I spotted Sean, or what I’m fairly sure was him,” he said. “He ducked into the trees and he’s too careful to make the same mistake twice. I didn’t have a clear identification so I couldn’t take him out.”

“How close is he?”

“Close, Ken. He’s moving fast. Tell me what you want and I’ll get it done.”

“You’re going to stay and protect Mari and Briony. Jack’s going to climb the mountain and let Sean get a real good look at him. Hopefully he’ll think it’s me. I’ll try to look like Mari and go for a little walk, lead him away from the house to the spring that runs along the bluff. I’m guessing he’ll make his try for Mari. If not, he’ll go after Jack. Either way, Jack will be waiting or I will.”

“And I babysit.”

“You’ve got the most important job, Logan,” Jack said, coming up behind them. “Anything happens to Briony and I’m no good to anyone anymore.”

“I feel the same way about Mari,” Ken added. “If he gets by us, you have to kill him. No matter what, he has to die.”

Logan nodded and glanced at the two women as they entered the room.

“Why the grim faces?” Briony asked.

Jack took her hand and tugged until her smaller body was up against his. “You’re going to have go down into the tunnel, Bri. We have a nasty visitor and we can’t take any chances. Get your emergency pack and go with Mari and Logan.”

Mari frowned and shook her head. “It’s Sean, isn’t it? He’s found us.”

“That’s right, honey, and you’ve got to get moving,” Ken said. “Go with your sister and Logan. We’ll take care of this.”

“What? You think I’m going to go hide while you and your brother put your lives on the line for me? Think again,” Mari snapped, her dark eyes flashing. She looked furious. “Sean is my responsibility, not yours.”

“Like hell. Get in the damned tunnel, Mari, where I don’t have to worry about you while I take care of this bastard.”

“I’m going to stay with you.”

Strobes went off in the house. A soft alarm buzzed. Jack and Ken sent Logan a quick, hard look. “An hour?” Jack said.

“I don’t have time for this,” Ken snapped, his voice icy cold. “You’ll do what I say. This is about safety, and when it comes to safety, you get in line, no arguments.”

“No one controls me. No one. Whitney couldn’t control me and I’ll be damned if you do. I’m not hiding while you take the risks.”

Ken stepped closer to her, his eyes glacier-cold. “You’ll do exactly what I say when I say it, Mari. I’m not f*cking around here. I’m not about to let you get shot so that you can prove a point. This isn’t about freedom or whatever else you think it is. Sean wants you any way he can have you. He’s got to go through me to get to you. If I fail, and Jack fails and Logan fails, you’re welcome to blow him away.”