Street Game (GhostWalkers, #8)(84)

He nodded and gave her a brief, nervous smile.

“Whitney’s the one trying to hack into your computer,” Mack said. “I don’t want him to know you’re on to him.”

Jaimie shook her head. “Not Whitney, Mack. Someone else. Someone who likes what Whitney’s doing and has condoned it, but doesn’t want his experiments exposed—or himself, particularly himself.”

Mack frowned. Why would Sergeant Major send Brian and Kane on suicide missions and suppress evidence against Whitney? he asked her telepathically, not wanting anyone else to hear him.

I think whoever this is aided Whitney to begin with and now they’re trying to cover their ass. By choosing Kane and Brian, they throw more suspicion onto Whitney, Sergeant Major, and Colonel Wilford. They’re distancing themselves even while they protect him. Whitney isn’t going to kill one of us, Mack. We’re his creations. He’ll experiment on us, and if we die during the process, that’s just science to him, but he wouldn’t throw any of us away.

“Damn it, Jaimie,” Mack snapped aloud. “Did you for one moment think this might have been important enough to tell me? Now’s a hell of a time.”

“I tried to tell you before, when I was doing the back-trace,” she replied calmly. “And don’t swear at me. I’m not one of your soldiers.”

Javier snorted and then sobered, coughing a bit when Mack pinned him with piercing eyes. Ethan helpfully pounded his back.

“This is going to be tight. We have to work it by the numbers. Javier, he knows you’re going to slip the earpiece into his pocket, so he’ll be looking for you. Don’t be too obnoxious and draw attention to yourself. We’ll need you moving in and out of the crowd.”

“I know what to do,” Javier assured. “I won’t blow it. Sergeant Major is family.”

“I’m talking about not getting killed here. You never think anyone can get to you.”

Javier sent him a small grin. “I know what you’re saying, Mama, and I’ll be careful.”

Mack sighed and shoved his fingers through his hair until it was nearly standing up in spikes. “There will be thousands of civilians. Innocents. You all know the rules. We want Sergeant Major out of there. He’s our primary, but we cannot risk civilians. Kills have to be clean and quiet if they’re necessary.”

They nodded.

“Javier, once you’re in that coffee shop, you work fast, but if Jaimie’s threatened at any time, get her out of there. Don’t worry about Sergeant Major or any of us. Get her clear and keep her safe.”

Javier threw a quick, taunting grin toward Jaimie. “You got that, little sister? I get to order you around.”

Mack leaned close. “Get this, Javier. She doesn’t come out of this with one scratch on her. Not one.”

Javier threw his hands into the air. “I got it, Top. I’m all over her.” He winked at Jaimie and then wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

That earned him another glare. Javier laughed. “You got it bad, boss man.”

“You’re going to get it bad in another minute,” Mack threatened, but the dire warning lost a lot since the others were laughing at him. He knew when to give it up. “You all know what to do. We’ve done this a hundred times. Let’s bring him home safe. Take your positions.”

His team nodded and began to drift away. He caught Jaimie’s arm. “Once you’re in the coffee shop, Jaimie, you’re exposed. You’re a sitting duck if they realize what’s happening. Position yourself away from the windows.”

He was reluctant to let her go. He’d wanted her working with him, but now everything had changed. He knew her energy was unusual, that it worked differently, but until Paul had given him an explanation, he hadn’t really understood why working around violence was so difficult for her. Now he knew, not only was it difficult, it was dangerous.

“I’ll be fine, Mack,” she assured.

His hand slid down her arm to her wrist, his thumb sliding back and forth in a little caress. “Trust Javier. He’s cocky, Jaimie, but he’s good. Really good. He’ll keep you alive for me.” He leaned over and pressed his forehead to hers. “Just keep your head down and the ball cap on. Wear glasses and your hair up.”

“Nothing will happen to me, Mack,” she affirmed. “I have the easy job. Javier has to boost the cell phone. He’ll be in the line of fire.”

“Javier is safe from the devil,” Mack said, although there was an edgy note in his voice.

Jaimie smiled at him. He was like that, worrying about everyone before, during, and after a mission. “Sergeant Major is going to be fine. I was wrong about him, Mack.”

“Let’s just hope you were.”

“No, this makes more sense. He would never have allowed anyone to compromise secret missions, but for the sake of his son, he’d definitely go a long way to protect the boy. Even then, he had to have known whoever this is running him is not against the United States, or he would have put a bullet in his own head. You know he would have. He counted on you—on all of us—to figure it out.”

“I was slow,” Mack said. “He’ll have a few things to say to me about that.”

Jaimie slid her laptop into the case. “Hopefully we’ll get to hear.” With a cheeky grin she opened the door of the van and exited, heading toward the coffee shop.