Murder Game (GhostWalkers, #7)(29)

Her finger was mesmerizing, rubbing the neck back and forth, almost in a caress. Kadan remembered the feel of her fingers stroking over his shaft. He’d been so hard. So thick. He’d never been quite like that before, full to bursting. Looking at her, with her hair all over the place, no makeup and that remote look on her face, his heart contracted. And yes, even now, the breeze carried the faint scent of cinnamon, although now it mixed with his scent.

“His friends,” Kadan guessed.

“They’re close but apart. They hide in the shadows. The night is ours.”

His head came up alertly. “What the hell are you saying?” He snatched the game piece from her hand. “What do you mean by that?”

Tansy turned her shimmering eyes on him. Now he knew what those eyes did. They saw inside, where people never were meant to see. She was seeing too much. Where was the ice in his veins? Where was his cool?

“I didn’t mean anything. I saw the words, that’s all. He believes he is invincible at night.” She pulled off the gloves and dropped them on the table as if she couldn’t bear them against her skin.

Kadan shook his head. “I don’t believe it. There aren’t that many of us. Eight? Eight killers? GhostWalkers?” He shook his head again. “I won’t believe that.”

“So the phrase has meaning to you?”

He glanced at her sharply. She’d grown up around detectives, and her question, in that casual voice, sounded just like one.

“You’re my partner,” he said gruffly, staking his claim. “Don’t forget that.” Before she denied it, he shoved up his sleeve.

“Oh my God, how did I not see you were hurt last night?” Tansy asked. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“It’s nothing. A scratch. I sewed it up. I’m showing you the tattoo.”

There was an expectant silence. At first she didn’t see anything on his arm, but then when he released a little bit of psychic energy, allowing it to swirl close to her, she could see the strange crest.

“The GhostWalker crest. The night is ours. It’s in our creed,” he explained, his expression grim. “I don’t believe in coincidence. But eight . . . That would be an entire team.” He shook his head. “No way, Tansy. I know them all.”

“They’re under a lot of strain. You know it better than anyone, Kadan,” she said softly, watching him carefully. “The headaches, the continual pressure of the outside world, it could drive anyone insane. I ought to know.”

“But you didn’t brutally kill people. And you sure as hell haven’t done it for fun. These bastards are doing it for fun.”

She rubbed at the frown creasing her forehead. “So why are the GhostWalkers under suspicion? I’m not certain I get that part.”

She still had blood at the side of her mouth. He hated the sight of it. Pouring water onto a cloth, he closed the distance between them. “So far we have ten murders. Five on each coast. Each was somewhat similar but very different and each had a game piece left on-site, some game pieces being used more than once.”

“That doesn’t explain the GhostWalker tie-in.”

“You jumped over me, Tansy. Right over the top of me,” Kadan pointed out. “You know we’re genetically enhanced and can do things other people can’t. There are strong indicators that whoever is committing these crimes can do things that would be deemed impossible. Most of the murders on the West Coast have occurred in either Seattle or Tacoma, Washington. The murders in North Carolina are near the base there as well. We believe whoever is committing them is in the service.”

“Where are the GhostWalkers?”

“Scattered around, on missions. They have residences, of course, but they are often on both coasts.”

“Has anyone tried to eliminate them as suspects? If they’re in the military, someone has to know where they are on any given day, don’t they?”

Kadan noted that Tansy was swaying, her hands still unsteady, although she tried to cover it up. He stepped closer to her, ignoring the way she stiffened when he put his arm around her waist to steady her. “The GhostWalkers operate outside ordinary parameters. They don’t answer to anyone but their team leader and either the general or the admiral. Both men run teams. The missions are classified and often involve travel outside the United States without a paper trail. In other words, it is difficult to tell where the truth is because once set loose, they have the ability to travel in and out of the country and even state to state without anyone knowing. Of course we’re checking into that as fast as we can, but it isn’t easy, especially since I can’t reveal the investigation to them or the fact that they’re under suspicion.”

“And they were all out of the country?”

He shook his head. “No one can confirm their whereabouts but other GhostWalkers. The general consensus seems to be that they would alibi one another.”

“Would they?”

He sighed. Would they? Of course they would. Another shiver drew his undivided attention to her. Up close, touching her soft skin was a kind of private hell. He tipped her face back, taking no notice of her flinch, and dabbed away the remaining blood. “Sit down before you fall down.” When she didn’t respond, he took her arm and forcibly led her back to the sleeping bag. Her body was trembling, but it was her eyes that bothered him. She jerked, stared off for a moment, and then came back shivering.