Conspiracy Game (GhostWalkers #4)(83)
Author: Christine Feehan

“Relax, hon; he had no intention of coming into the tunnel. He’ll meet up with us near the mine. He’ll hold them off, give us a chance to get out just in case they decide to torch the house.”

Briony skidded to a halt, sucking in her breath. “You planned this? Without saying anything to me? Why would you let him risk his life that way, Ken?”

“Jack is Jack, Briony. There’s no arguing with him in certain situations, and this is one of them. If he had to, he’d knock you out and have me haul your ass to safety. That’s how serious he is when it comes to your life-and mine.”

“They might kill him. If we help… ”

“We’d distract him. He’s not going to let you near those men, so forget about trying to help him and get moving.”

“Ken, I know you’re a marksman-so am I. I just can’t leave him to fight off however many enhanced soldiers Whitney sent.” She could barely breathe with the thought of Jack in danger. She began to edge away from Ken and back toward the ladder.

“Get over here now, Briony.” His voice hardened unexpectedly, his easygoing façade fading away, to be replaced by the same commanding tone Jack used. “He entrusted me with your life and I take that seriously. You’re carrying his children. Get your ass over here and stop thinking with your heart.”

“This isn’t right,” Briony protested, reluctantly making her way to his side. He looked capable of throwing her over his shoulder like the proverbial caveman. It occurred to her that Ken was every bit as dominant as his twin-he just hid it better.

“Right or not, get moving.” His voice softened even as he gave her a little push. “Right now, everyone Jack comes into contact with is the enemy. He doesn’t have to worry about shooting either of us. He’ll take out as many as possible and disappear.”

“They’re enhanced.”

“So is he, and I’m betting he has far more combat experience than all of them combined. Keep moving straight ahead. Double-time it.”

Briony pressed a hand over her lurching stomach. She’d come to Jack for protection, to protect her baby-babies-but she hadn’t counted on falling in love. She was torn between wanting to keep the unborn children safe and rushing back to help watch Jack’s back. “You should be with him, Ken. You’re always with him. You fight together.”

“I’ll stash you in a safe place and then I’ll join him. But I have to know you’re going to stay put, Briony. No heroics.”

“I’m not stupid, Ken. And I can take care of myself if I have to.”

“Which is why you showed up with bruises and a cut down your arm. Some man does that to you now, and Jack will rip his heart out-or I will. No one touches you, Briony. You fight only as a last resort.”

“I promise, Ken. I’m not looking to lose the babies, or get taken by these maniacs.”

The tunnel began to curve upward, and Briony sprinted, wanting Ken to get back to Jack as soon as possible. “Give me a gun and several clips of ammo if you have it to spare,” she called over her shoulder. “I’m a good shot, Ken.”

“We have a weapons stash in the mine, here in the tunnel, and out in the shop, as well as the house. If anything happens, get to a man named Logan Maxwell or Kadan Montague. You can trust either of them. Don’t go near your family; they’ll be watched.”

She rounded a corner and skidded to a halt. There was a dead end. “How do we get out?”

Ken indicated straight overhead. “Trapdoor. We open it up there. Anyone coming in and not knowing how to get out is trapped. They aren’t going to get us on our home turf, hon.” He handed her the rifle and leapt up to catch a ring painted black to blend in with the darkness. He inverted, planting his feet on either side of the trapdoor and, using toe rings to brace his body, he heaved upward.

Briony realized only an enhanced person could move the door, another guard in place for the brothers. “If they do follow us into the tunnel, they might not be able to find the door,” she said aloud.

“They’ll die if they come in the tunnel. Each section has an activation switch with very precisely directed blasts. Don’t go back in there for any reason until we deactivate the security.”

“This place is a death trap.”

“For anyone coming after us or ours,” he agreed. “Can you make it out, or do you want a hand?”

“That’s an insult.” She leapt up, caught the lip of the doorjamb, and inverted easily, pushing through with her feet and shoving to launch herself out the opening. She did a flip and landed nearly at his feet.

“Show off. I’m carrying the pack.”

Briony looked around her. They were in deep forest, some distance from the house, but she could hear shots being fired. “I’m afraid to distract him even to make certain he’s safe.”

“He’s safe. Worry about the other guy. If this is some kind of test for his soldiers, Whitney must have more than we thought, because these must be expendable.”

“Do you think he guessed that I was here?”

Ken frowned as he shook his head. “Whitney has access to our complete files. He has high security clearance. He’d never send men against us to get killed unless he was certain. Even if they planted a camera on Brady, he was treated the way he’s always treated and sent on his way. He never got close to the house-or to you. They couldn’t have known that way.”

“But they knew, didn’t they?”

Something quiet in her voice alerted him, and he stopped in the act of concealing the trapdoor to look at her sharply. “Whatever you’re thinking-don’t. You aren’t putting us in any more danger than we’re normally in.”

“Yes, because you have enhanced soldiers coming after you all the time. These are military men. We can’t tell the good guys from the bad. For all we know, Ken, some of them are soldiers thinking they’re doing a job their commander sent them on. We have no idea what they’ve been told.”

“Whitney isn’t going to chance letting someone else acquire you. These are his men. He may have gotten military equipment using his clearances, and no doubt someone, an admiral, a general, maybe the senator I pulled out of the Congo, is helping him, but these are definitely his men. Don’t do anything stupid, Briony, like try to leave. It wouldn’t be heroic-it would be the dumbest thing you could do. Jack would come after you. You know him now. He’s not going to let you go.”