Deadly Game (GhostWalkers, #5)(80)

“You know we need better intel,” Jack said. “I’ve asked for satellite views of the entire compound as well as infrared camera images to time the movement of the men. We have to have exact schematics of the entire compound—the layout, the height of the fence, and Lily will need to find someone who put the underground buildings together, so we know what we’re facing before we expose the team to danger. This base is very deceptive.”

“It’s layers. The top layer is what the outside world sees.”

“Yes, a guarded facility with a few outbuildings and a landing strip. You’ve got to get Mari to tell you what’s belowground.”

“I already gave you what she told me. Four levels, Jack. It’s made of concrete, so we know there are going to be a few hollow places like we’ve found in the military bases. It isn’t as impregnable as Whitney would like.”

“Look, Ken, we can’t just storm in guns blazing. Clearly there are civilians working here, and Whitney has regular military soldiers mixed with his own personal army. I’d like to get the women and get out without anyone spotting us. The last thing we need to do is hit or get hit by a friendly.”

“As far as I’m concerned, anyone working at this place is fair game.”

“They’re soldiers obeying orders. They don’t have a clue Whitney is a madman. My guess is most of them have never seen him, talked to him, or even know he’s here. Their assignment is top secret, the location is, and they do their rotation and get the hell out when the opportunity presents itself.”

“You know, Jack, I really don’t give a damn. You know as well as I do that when you’ve spent time somewhere, you know what’s going on—and if you don’t, you hear the rumors and you guess. That guard didn’t give a damn if innocent women were being used for experimentation. And where the hell is the loyalty of the team Mari and the others trained with?”

Ken’s voice was turning to ice. His gray eyes were glacier cold. Jack chose his words carefully. “I agree these are all questions we need to answer, Ken, but not here. Our primary mission is a rescue. That’s why we’re here.”

“Someone has to take out Whitney. You know it’s got to be done, Jack.”

“Yeah, I know. I don’t want to be the one explaining it to Lily, though.” Jack took a slow swig of water and let it trickle down his throat, giving his brother a little more time. Jack had always been the one pushing for a quick answer, and the role reversal wasn’t comfortable. “We have a lot of work to do before we bring in the team. They’re standing by, Ken, so if we want to pull her out, we have to get to work. It’ll be completely dark in another half hour or so.”

“I can feel her. She’s very upset. I’ve tried to reach out to her mind, but she isn’t answering me. Whatever is happening, she doesn’t want me to know about it.” Ken’s voice was strained. “And if she doesn’t want me to know about it, something bad is going on.”

Jack automatically touched his mind, as he’d been doing since they were toddlers, just as Ken knew he would. Ken was prepared and kept his shields high. It wasn’t easy keeping Jack at bay; they’d been shadows in each other’s mind for as long as either could remember, but both had worked hard to build shields once they became aware others had psychic power as well—and the practice paid off.

Jack didn’t need to know just how close to cracking he was. In that moment, Ken didn’t care about the other women, or even any innocents working as techs, researchers, or guards. If Mari didn’t let him know she was all right very soon, he was going in after her, and God help anyone who got in his way. He felt murderous, not cold and unemotional. Discipline was going out the window fast.

“Ken, you think I don’t know how you’re feeling with her locked up with madmen?” Jack crawled into a better position, his gaze sweeping the route the guard had taken.

“Whitney went after Briony because she was pregnant; he wasn’t stripping her naked and laying her out on an exam table for some perverted doctor to photograph. Damn it, Jack, I could feel him touching Mari. He wasn’t acting like any doctor I’ve ever met. And Whitney has men in there willing to rape a woman if she isn’t cooperative.” The knots in his belly tightened into hard lumps that threatened to climb higher and choke him.

“You have to step back, bro,” Jack said, keeping his voice steady. “We’ll get the intel and get the women out as soon as possible.” Ken didn’t answer, and Jack sighed and glanced over at him. “You know I’ll go in with you and pull her out if anything goes wrong. Tell her that, give her something to hang on to.”

“If I told her that, she’d freak on me. She’s willing to sacrifice herself for the other women. She considers them family and she’s not going to willing come without them.”

“Then we make it work,” Jack said. “I wouldn’t leave you behind. We can’t ask her to do something we wouldn’t be willing to do ourselves. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself.”

Ken bit back a retort. He hated it, but he knew Jack was right. He wanted to go in and haul Mari out over his shoulder and lock her somewhere safe, but he couldn’t do that to her—at least not right now. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if something happened to the other women, so that meant getting them all out before he went off the deep end and took her out without her consent—which would make him nearly as bad as everyone else who had taken her life away from her. He had to give her time and the opportunity to get those she considered family safely away.