Christine Feehan - Deadly Game

Ken. Can you hear me ? She reached out to him, needing someone. She never needed anyone, but she was shaken and angry and terrified that something could have happened to him.

Sean fell into step with her, sneaking quick, hard glances at her, but she refused to acknowledge him.

I hear you and I've got a rifle trained on your friend, Mari.

She heard the sound of her heart pounding in her ears. Her hand went once again to the cross nestled between her breasts. "Sean. You ever hear of a couple of snipers named Norton?"

"Hell yes. Everyone's heard of them."

"One of them has you in his scope right now. He nearly killed you before. Didn't you hear the bullet when you hit the ground?" You can't shoot him. Ken. If you do that, how are you going to follow me back to the compound ?

I'm feeling a little mean right about now, Mari.

Sean's breath sounded like one long wheeze. He looked wildly around. "Are you certain, Mari?"

I suppose you have reason to feel that way , she conceded to Ken. I had to think of something to keep everyone from getting killed, and after all, you did it to me first. I was saving your life, just like you saved mine .

Is that what you call it?

"Oh, yeah. I'm certain," she told Sean. That's what you called it , she reminded Ken. And just so you know, I didn't know about the gas or the building blowing up at the time. It wasn't my team. Someone on the inside working for Whitney did all that .

I have one hell of a headache, thanks to you. Veer to the left. I like seeing him sweat. If you go left it gives me more of an opportunity to wing him.

She glanced sideways. Sean was sweating. Droplets ran down his face and his shirt had damp spots on it. You are feeling mean. You don't need to wing him. And I'd have more sympathy for the headache, except you gave me one first and I think you sort of deserve it .

I'm going to shoot the bastard, Mari.

Fine. I have sympathy. Loads of sympathy.

The son of a bitch didn't need to slap you.

Her heart jumped again. Ken sounded lethal, all playfulness gone. I need him to help me get the others out .

You really think I'm going to let you go?

You have to. Ken. I mean it . Her heart thundered in her ears. It was only a few more steps. Once they made it into the trees. Sean would be safe from a bullet and she could figure out what was going on with him. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to one of the other women .

There was a small silence. She was counting steps now, trying to judge how many more to reach the safety of the trees.

Mari, if he touches you, he's a dead man. You'd better know that. And I'm going to be with you every step of the way. Don't try to throw us off the trail. That's just going to piss me off, and you don't want to see that side of me.

No, she didn't. She knew men like Ken, and they didn't have that glacier-cold burn in their eyes because they were nice. I'm counting on you following me. I don't want to get trapped there ever again .

Then you're both clear.

Relief swept through her. Sean put on a burst of speed, seeing the trees close, and she fell back a couple of steps to help block his body just in case Ken changed his mind. With every step she took, relief turned to dread. Even though it was her choice to go back, and she knew Ken had her back, the idea of being trapped again in Whitney's nightmare world sickened her. The other women were as desperate to escape as she was, going so far as to plan it, but even their allies within the compound were afraid of Whitney and his bodyguards. The men were cruel and brutal. Brett had been one of them. All had seen plenty of combat and all were enhanced.

You think I'd let you go there alone, honey? Jack and I are right on your hot little tail. We can follow a ghost.

His voice brushed along the walls of her mind like a physical caress, steadying her. She could go back and get the others out. Whitney seemed invincible, but that was only because he'd been the authority figure from her childhood. He had stood watching them all with that dispassionate look on his face, so unemotional no matter what happened, his terrible half smile on his face as he forced obedience.

Ken, most of the people at the compound are good people, following orders and struggling to make sense of it all.

I'm not the devil . But maybe he was. Ken watched Mari disappear into the trees with Sean and reluctantly dropped the rifle from his shoulder. He wanted to null the trigger. The moment he saw Sean-and he knew the big man was Mari's Sean-Ken had wanted him dead. The shot he'd taken had been a kill shot, and Mari had to have known that. If she hadn't punched the bastard and dropped him to the ground, the son of a bitch would be dead.

And why the hell did they need him alive? Mari needed to return to Whitney's secret compound, and that went against every instinct Ken had, but hell-he was in her head and knew she wouldn't stop trying until she'd done this. Short of locking her up-and he'd contemplated that very thing-he had to let her go back.

He rolled over, wiping his brow on his sleeve. Jack came up behind him. "How the hell do men do this? Because, let me tell you, bro, it's fucked. She's asking for something I don't think I can give her."

"Let's go." Jack said, his face grim. "You made the decision to let her go and we've got it to do now. We can't lose her."

"Lily make certain the tracking device is in her bloodstream?"

"Yes. She didn't like it. but she did it."

"How is she?"

"Ryland took her to the hospital to make sure the baby is okay. Everyone's in place. Let's do this and get Mari out of there as fast as we can," Jack insisted.

Ken rose to his feet and followed Jack from their vantage point. "No matter what, we had to put that tracking device in place. You have one in Briony and Lily has one. If Whitney takes them, we can get them back."

"They wouldn't like it if they knew, especially Mari."

"Who gives a damn?" Ken asked. "Mari can fucking well live with it. Asking me to let her do this is bullshit and she knows it."

"Women don't go for the word 'allow' anymore, bro. It's not politically correct." Jack kept his back turned as he listened to his brother spit out curses, Mari might look like Briony. but she wasn't ever going to act like her. Ken had his hands full.

"I am surprised you didn't chain her up inside a cave somewhere."

"Like you've done with Briony? Bri has the brains to listen to you. Mari would fight me every inch of the way."

The tension in Ken's voice made Jack glance at him sharply. "Ken. I know you're struggling here…"

Ken shook his head. "Don't even go there. I wanted to kill that man for just being near her. It wasn't that he hit her. He was a dead man the moment he did that, we both know that, but I wanted it before he was that stupid."

Jack sent a small, tight smile in his brother's general direction. "I wanted to kill him too, Ken. That doesn't mean either of us is like our father. It means we might need psychiatric help, but it doesn't mean what you think it does."

"She makes me crazy."

"She's supposed to make you crazy."

Ken shook his head in disgust. "You don't know, Jack. I have this driving need to keep her in a little cocoon, wrap her up in bubble wrap and force her to do every single thing I say. What the hell kind of man thinks that way?"

Jack snorted. "Pretty much all of them. We aren't that far from swinging in the trees, Ken." One eyebrow rose in inquiry. "So, if you want to force her to do what you say, why don't you?"

Ken shrugged, muttering under his breath as they reached their vehicle. "Man's smart, you know. She's fast and she's efficient and she doesn't fuck around. Man, she put me out so fast I didn't know what she was doing until it was too late." He rubbed the back of his neck, but there was admiration in his voice. "Trying to control someone like that is like trying to hold water in your hand. It just makes a man insane."