Conspiracy Game (GhostWalkers #4)(99)
Author: Christine Feehan

“Don’t do that,” Briony said sharply. “I’m not a child and I don’t wilt because it gets rough. I want to know what’s wrong.” She captured Jack’s hard gaze with her own. “Am I a part of this family or not?”

“You know damn well what you are to me,” Jack snapped. “The only real way out of the canyon is the pass. We didn’t think anyone knew there was a way up. The canyon is a box, and essentially we’re trapped here. There wasn’t a pass at all until we made one.”

“So how did they know?” Ken asked. “No one’s been here.”

“He guessed. The bastard guessed,” Jack said. “He’s a f**king genius, and he looked at the map and figured out exactly how we think. The canyon’s a natural trap. He knew we’d lead them here, and he put his men up above to sit and wait. We make the climb-it’s steep and dangerous and will sap our strength, and they’ll shoot us like ducks in a pond.”

Briony took a deep breath, inhaling to try to catch the scent of danger. She smelled pine and fir and night air, but not soldiers. The temperature was falling rapidly, as it often did up high in the mountains. She shivered and reached for Jack’s pack, pulling out a jacket to wrap around her.

“We’ll be fine,” Jack assured her.

“I know. I’m just cold.” She wasn’t certain how true what Jack said was, but she wanted it to be true. Fear was a constant companion, familiar to her and therefore easy to rise above. She shrugged it off and tangled her fingers with Jack’s.

“We don’t have a lot of choices,” Jack said. “If we try the pass, it’s tantamount to suicide. Maybe with both Ken and me giving you a lead, protecting you, you might make it, especially if they don’t want to kill you.”

She shook her head. “I’m staying with you.”

“I could protect the two of you,” Ken offered. “It makes sense, Jack. You know we have to get her out. It comes down to who’s more important. Briony is carrying the babies. I’ll lie up on the pass with the rifle… ”

“The hell with that. We go together or not at all,” Jack snapped. “If you think I’d run when they were gunning for you, Ken, you don’t know me very well.”

Briony shook her head violently. “I’m with Jack. Absolutely not.”

“It was an idea.”

“A stupid one.”

“What about going back?” Briony interrupted, her fingers digging into Jack’s palm. “We could go down the mountain-get some help.”

Ken shook his head. “No way. They have us boxed in with heavy artillery.”

“We stand a chance if we try to hold out right here and wait for reinforcements to arrive,” Jack said. “We can radio the team and they’ll move as quickly as possible.”

“Twenty-four hours at the most. Twelve probably. If we’re lucky they could be here by morning. We have the ammunition. We might do it,” Ken agreed. “We’ve got enough C4 and you’ve already rigged some wires. It might be our best shot, Jack.”

“What’s wrong with the idea?” Briony asked. “Neither of you like it much.”

“They can just as easily bring in reinforcements too,” Jack replied. “Whitney has access to much more sophisticated equipment if we stay too long. We can’t give him that kind of time-not unless we have no other choice.”

There was a small silence. Ken sighed. “I’ll climb up as high as possible and see if I can get a clear enough signal to call for help.”

“Wait.” Briony held up her hand. “You have to climb the cliff anyway to get a signal? Isn’t that dangerous?”

“We have no choice,” Jack explained. “We’re in a canyon, baby. We can’t call a dog, let alone our team.”

“If there’s a way for Ken to climb the cliff and get high enough to call out, why can’t we scale the cliffs and get out of here? We’re all strong,” Briony ventured.

Again there was a small silence, the men exchanging a long look.

“Maybe,” Jack said thoughtfully. “With you pregnant, that’s probably the last thing he’d expect.”

Ken rubbed a scar on his left cheek as he frowned. “We tried the northern face that time, Jack. It has fingers and toeholds, some crevices we could maybe use, but most are a good fifteen feet apart. It would be tricky, especially in the dark.”

Jack glanced up at the sky. “How much of a moon do we have?”

“Fairly decent. More than half. The night’s clear.” Ken turned his head to study the sheer, rising cliff. She’ll never make it, Jack. She’s strong, but she’s pregnant.

Briony knew they were talking about her in private. She pulled her hand away from Jack. “I’m a flyer, a high-wire performer and a darned good one at that. There isn’t much I can’t do.”

“You don’t like heights,” Jack reminded her. “It’s all right, Bri, we can hold out here.”

“I don’t like a lot of things, Jack, but it’s never stopped me before. If I wasn’t with you, what would you do?” she challenged.

“You are with us, so it doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me. I don’t want to sit here and wait for them if we have a chance to get out. I can handle heights as well or better than either one of you. Don’t sell me short because I’m pregnant-or worse, because I’m a woman.”

“We can’t climb in the conventional manner, Briony,” Jack explained. “We have to become a human ladder, one anchors while the other swings him like a pendulum and throws him up to the next hold. It’s difficult and dangerous.”

“So is staying here. Would you do it if I wasn’t here? Tell the truth.”

“We’d already be gone,” Jack said.

“That’s it then.” Briony kicked aside the blanket and stood up. “Let’s go.”

Ken shook his head. “This is how it all starts, bro. She’s getting bossy. I’ve heard women do that. They start out all soft and kittenish, leading a man on, and then the claws come out and they dig in and take over.” He stood up, the rifle looking a natural part of him. “You’re in for trouble, Jack.”

“Probably,” Jack agreed, pride and respect for her in his voice. “Let’s get moving.” He flashed her a small, approving grin.