Samurai Game (GhostWalkers #10)(102)
Author: Christine Feehan

Kadan and Nico exchanged amused glances.

Ryland opened both eyes. “I heard that. I’m not that old.”

They all laughed and tension eased now that the truckload of soldiers was well up ahead of them. They drove through the night and made it to the coast just before dawn broke. Working fast, they filled the waterproof bag lining their rucksacks with air. The combination of inflated bags, empty canteens, and removing anything unnecessary would allow them to float their weapons and remaining gear out to the boat with them.

For what they couldn’t carry, they dug a hole, piled in what was left of the gear, and used the remaining explosives saved for just such an occasion. They always destroyed anything that could later be used against them—or against another team—and anything that might identify them. They detonated the explosives as they waded out to sea.

Gator turned and waved with a big grin. “Nice meetin’ y’all.”

“Is Mari in the tunnel yet?” Lily asked.

Azami shook her head. “She’s refusing to go and I can’t say that I blame her. She wants guns and ammo. Briony took her twins down and she has Daniel. I’ve got Eiji with them and no one will get past him. He knows that they’re the main target and he’ll guard them with his life. We need all the available trained soldiers up here. I told Daiki to stay with Mari.”

“Mari will lose those babies if they get to her and try to make her move.”

“She’ll lose them anyway if she moves into the tunnel. It’s not like she can be carried in. She might let her husband, but she’s not budging and we don’t have time to argue. We have to get everything set for an assault on the compounds,” Azami pointed out. “In any case, we’re fairly certain Whitney doesn’t know about her pregnancy. You’ve done a good job of concealing it to the outside world.”

“I can’t believe he’s doing this,” Lily said, her eyes shimmering with tears. “He’s my father and yet he’s willing to put Daniel and me in danger just to get what he wants.”

Azami put her hand on Lily’s shoulder. “You know he isn’t the man you loved anymore, Lily. You’ve got to accept that. He’s changed, gone a little mad . . .”

“Or maybe a lot.”

Azami nodded. “The point is, once you can accept that he isn’t that man you love, you can get past this. Then he becomes the enemy and you have to see him that way. What if he’s standing between you and your child?”

Lily pressed her lips together and shook her head. “I just can’t believe that he would hurt Daniel. What would be the point?”

“Dissecting him to see what makes Daniel tick.” Azami hardened her heart. Lily had to understand the true danger. The men surrounding her buffered her from the things her father did. “Right now your husband and Sam have been left in hostile territory on Whitney’s order.” She glanced around and unbuttoned her shirt. “He did this to me when I was three. These scars were acquired before the age of three.”

She let Lily look her fill, her features twisted with horror, her eyes wide with shock. “He did that to you when you were a child?”

“My hair came in white,” Azami said. She touched her hair a little self consciously. “There’s a hell of a lot more, but the point is, pick up a gun and shoot the bastard if he gets near your son.”

Lily swallowed hard and nodded. “I’ll do what I have to do, Azami. They aren’t coming into my home and trying to steal my son, or Briony’s for that matter. I’ll defend this place.”

Azami buttoned her shirt. “Let’s get to it then. Who’s running the show?”

“Ian’s in the war room now. I’m a strong telepath so I’ll build a bridge to anyone who isn’t,” Lily said.

“You’ll have to give Eiji and Daiki radios. I brought small ones for them. No one will pick up fifteen second transmissions. If anyone gets near the tunnels, which I doubt, or near Mari, they’ll take care of it,” Azami said with complete confidence.

She hurried in to find Ian directing his small army on the defense of both compounds.

“They’ll come at us in small groups,” Ian said. “Whitney doesn’t want the babies harmed, so I’m guessing they’ll try stealth to infiltrate. They have no idea we were warned that they’re coming. They think a sweet bunch of ladies are here all alone.”

“They’ve got another think coming,” Flame, Gator’s wife, said, with an indignant toss of her head. “Whitney always underestimates women.” She had thick, wine red hair and vivid green eyes sparkling with something between mischief and determination.

“He thinks you’re all flawed because most of you have problems with psychic overload,” Lily pointed out. “He has no idea we’ve been working on that. I’ll be with you, Dahlia. You have the most difficult time. Briony will be in the tunnels. She has a terrible problem when there’s violence, but she’ll defend the babies if she has no other choice.” She looked at Azami. “Just as I will.”

“I’ll be of more use to you outside,” Azami said.

“Me too,” Saber Calhoun, Jesse Calhoun’s wife, said. She was a small woman, extremely slight, looking more like a child than a grown woman. She had a cap of dark hair and large, violet blue eyes. She pressed her lips tight together and then looked Azami straight in the eye. “Do you remember me?” She swallowed hard, but refused to look away. “I practiced stopping hearts on you when you were just a toddler. Your hair was white when you were a child, but I’d know your eyes anywhere.”

Azami nodded solemnly. “I remember. Every one of us had to do things we didn’t want to do. I’m glad to see you made it out of there. You were always kind to me.”

“I didn’t feel kind,” Saber admitted. “I hated those days he would force me to work on you. I tried so hard to make him stop, but the more I protested, the worse he got. We all thought he killed you.”

“Apparently I don’t die so easy. He thinks I’m dead, and I’d prefer it stays that way,” Azami said.

“Ladies.” Ian snapped his fingers. “Do you think we could conduct old home week a little later? We’ve got this little problem happening right now.”

“Don’t sweat it, Ian,” Flame said. “These guys won’t know what hit them.”