Predatory Game (GhostWalkers #6)(68)
Author: Christine Feehan

The basement instantly went pitch black. For a moment there was silence, then Jess swore beneath his breath and struck a match. “There’s a light switch near the door, Saber, can you see it?”

She flicked it and below, back toward the wall, a single bulb lit up. “I take it Patsy doesn’t use this much.”

“No. Hurry. Get down here. We’ll have to turn off the light again and unscrew the bulb so it won’t work when they try it.”

She was already carrying the chair down to him, taking the stairs two at a time. Placing the chair beside him, she raced to the back of the room and unscrewed the lightbulb, once more plunging the room into darkness.

“They’ll be coming, Jesse. They aren’t going to be fooled into thinking we’re gone.”

She crouched down beside Patsy and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, aware of Jess moving toward them in the dark. Only the energy field allowed her to “see” where everyone was. Although she was listening intently for the sound of the enemy, she automatically picked up the rhythm of Patsy’s heart-and stiffened.

“Jesse. We’ve got a problem. Can you get over here now? Feel your way to us? You have a clear path. Right now.” She turned Patsy’s limp body over so she lay on her back. Pressing her palm over Patsy’s heart, Saber looked toward Jesse in dismay.

Chapter 14

“Patsy’s having a heart attack,” Saber said. “If we don’t help her now, her heart could be damaged beyond repair by the time we make it to a hospital.”

“What the hell are you saying?” For the first time, Jess’s composure was truly shaken. “She can’t have a heart attack, she’s too young.”

The wheelchair shot across the basement floor. Jess leaned down to find his sister’s pulse, his fingers searching in the darkness. “Are you certain, Saber? I can’t tell.”

“Yes, I’m certain.”

“Do something.”

Saber shoved back her hair, sitting back on her heels, one hand pressed to her forehead. Patsy needed help fast. The enemy was searching the house and the grounds and eventually would find them. Jess couldn’t run. Neither could Patsy. They were royally screwed unless the GhostWalker team arrived in the next few minutes.

She took a breath, let it out, and laid her palm over Patsy’s chest. At once she could feel the heart squeezing, clamping, laboring when it should have beat steadily.

“What are you doing?” Jess demanded, his breath coming in a harsh rasp.

“The only thing I can think of. I’m going to try to trip her heart back into rhythm.”

“Using an electrical charge?”

“Do you have a better idea?” Fear made her snap at him and she was instantly ashamed. She couldn’t blame him for questioning her. She killed people, she didn’t save them. “I’m sorry. You do what you think will help.”

Jess swallowed a retort and pushed down the urge to order Saber away from Patsy. “Do you have to sync up your rhythm with hers? Is that how it works?”

“Yes. And we don’t have time to discuss this.”

“It’s too big a risk for you to take.” Because he damn well wasn’t losing both of them. “Give her to me and we’ll make a run for it.”

“She doesn’t have that kind of time.” Saber ignored him, drawing air into her lungs and breathing away her fear of killing Patsy-her fear of losing Jess. The only thing that really mattered in that moment was saving Patsy’s life. And she was Patsy’s only chance. For once, she would try to use what gifts she had to help someone.

She felt the jolt as her own heart squeezed hard, shifting off rhythm. Her chest hurt, the pain worse than expected, but she fought it back and concentrated on her own rhythm, steady and true. Patsy moved weakly, bringing up her hand to cover Saber’s. Fingers fluttered against the back of her hand, and Patsy’s mind moved against hers. Tears burned in the back of Saber’s eyes as she felt Patsy’s acceptance of their merging. Rather than fight her, Patsy was trying to rise above the pain and fear to help connect.

For a moment it worked, Patsy’s heart following direction, settling into a steady beat, but almost at once the jarring pain was back, squeezing down on both of them. Saber moistened her lips, her mouth suddenly dry. She had no choice. If she was going to keep Patsy alive, she was going to have to shock her heart back into a normal pace.

She put her other hand on top of Patsy’s, the only warning, and sent the jolt sizzling through her body. The heart stuttered, bumped, picked up the beat, falling into a steady tempo once again. Saber waited, silently counting the seconds, aware of Patsy’s heart and the ebb and flow of blood through her veins. She had no idea she was whispering until Jess touched her shoulder and she jumped, shocked that it was her chanting-please, please, please-aloud.

“Patsy?” Jess said softly. “Can you sit up?”

“Not yet,” Saber said. “Give her a few minutes.” The pain was beginning to recede, the tight bands in her chest easing.

We don’t have the time, baby. I can hear them coming. I can hold the door against them for a few minutes, but they’ll know we’re in here. They could burn us out or simply stand at the top of the stairs and spray the basement with bullets. We don’t know what kind of firepower they have.

She hated that he was right. She was exhausted, and her body still felt as if she’d been in a train wreck. Tell me what you want me to do.

Jess hated the utter weariness in her voice. He had to ask more of her, although he knew the drain of using psychic abilities. She had just risked her life to save his sister and she’d felt whatever pain accompanied a heart attack with the same intensity Patsy had. And Patsy…Patsy had been tortured and terrified, driven into having a heart attack-all because of him and his choices in his life. It was a hell of thing for a man to have two of the most important women in his life in jeopardy while he-a man who’d spent his life working to save others-was helpless to save them.

“Can you two make it to the vent leading under the house?”

Saber’s swift intake of breath told him she knew what he planned. “We’re not leaving you, Jesse. That’s not an option.”

“Saber, I’m trusting you to get Patsy out of here.”

“Not without you. No way. I mean it, Jesse.”

He reached out and snagged the nape of her neck, his fingers settling around her to give her a small shake. “Don’t f**king argue with me when we’re all about to die. Get Patsy and get the hell out of here.”