Mind Game (GhostWalkers, #2)(107)

Kaden shrugged. “Haven’t tried it yet, but we’re going to,” he admitted.

Dahlia glanced up at his face and burst out laughing. There was something to camaraderie, something she’d been missing all of her life. “I want to watch when you do,” she said.

“Well you can want, but it isn’t happening,” Sam protested. “You’d be laughing at us, and we can’t be having that.”

“Men are such babies.” Dahlia looked over to Nicolas. He’d been on the phone with Lily and Ryland for some time and he had his stone face on. His eyes were flat and cold and she knew he was still upset over the position he’d put the men in, entering the agent’s house without the proper intelligence, not realizing the Norton twins were there.

Max had insisted he be let in on whatever they were doing, and no one objected all that much. He didn’t seem to be much of a prisoner, moving freely about the condo Lily had arranged for them to stay in. He was definitely trying to hear what was said, hovering near Nicolas, and occasionally pacing restlessly.

Nicolas put down the phone and turned to the others. At once all conversation ceased. “Calhoun is in a bad way. It doesn’t look good for his legs. They’ve operated and will a second time, but there’s a lot of damage, especially below the knees.” He rubbed his hand over his face. “Louise Charter had correct information. They don’t think he’s going to ever walk again. At least not on his own two legs.”

Max turned away and stared out the window. Dahlia sat very still, absorbing the sudden flare of energy while the men tried to suppress their emotions. She couldn’t suppress her own. She pressed her fingertips to her eyes. “It doesn’t seem possible.”

Nicolas crossed to her immediately, standing behind her as he put his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to offer comfort and take some of the energy from her. “We knew he was in bad shape, Dahlia. At least he’s alive.”

She didn’t trust herself to speak. She’d been hoping for a miracle, and in reality they’d been given one—Jesse was still alive. On some level she’d known when she saw the damage to his legs that it would probably be impossible to fix it, but she had held out hope anyway.

Nicolas crouched down beside her. Lily will see to it that he has the best doctors, the best care. She’ll make certain he’s guarded around the clock. And she’ll try to do even more because she knows he means so much to you. Kiciciyapi mitawa, look at me. I’m speaking the truth. She won’t let him go.

Dahlia blinked back tears that seemed all too close. Was it because she found herself leaning on Nicolas’s strength? She didn’t know. Didn’t care. She looked into his eyes. Into his heart—and saw herself there. She smiled at him. I’m beginning to believe in her. In the GhostWalkers.

Nicolas ruffled her hair and went back to the desk. “We brought some photographs out of Louise Charter’s home early this morning.” He held them up. “Has everyone gone through them?”

“Not me.” Dahlia put out her hand.

Kaden passed her the glossy snapshots. “There are a lot of pictures of Martin Howard.”

“Did Lily have any information on him?” Dahlia asked.

“Martin’s a good friend of mine,” Max interrupted. “He’s a decorated officer in the Green Berets and someone I’ve always been able to count on. He’s a good man, and has served his country since he was eighteen years old.” There was a hard edge to his voice.

Nicolas pinned him with a cold, flat gaze. “No one wants to look at friends, Maxwell. If you can’t do this, we’ll understand.” His voice held no inflection, but Dahlia winced at the clear reprimand. Max bit back a curse and paced across the room to the window.

“Lily found a few interesting things,” Nicolas continued. “Martin Howard isn’t the name he was born with, and Louise Charter isn’t having an affair with him. Apparently, Martin was born into a small-time Mafia family right here in Detroit. His name is actually Stefan Martinelli, and Louise is his mother’s cousin. When his parents were killed in an automobile accident Louise and her husband took in him and his four brothers and helped raise them.”

“Which explains why he’s always around her house and in so many photos,” Max said, folding his arms across his chest.

“Yeah,” Nicolas agreed. “To make a long story short, Martin changed his, and his four brothers’, last name in an effort to keep them away from the kinds of activities his parents had been involved in. They lived in Maryland near Louise and Geoffrey Charter until they all graduated from college. There were some minor incidents with the law, but Geoffrey got them through it.”

Max leaned against the wall. “So he was born into an Italian family with ties to the Mafia, but apparently he did everything possible to keep himself and his brothers out of that kind of life.”

Kaden flicked Max a quick glance. “It does sound that way, doesn’t it? What else did Lily find, Nico?”

“All the brothers went into the service. Martin led the way, and the rest followed. Most of them went to college and then joined. Martin joined and went to school while he served. He provided for the others along with the Charters.” Nicolas looked up at Max.

“I know he’s been in a couple of fights,” Max said. “Haven’t we all?”