Ruthless Game

by Christine Feehan

  "How bad?" Rose demanded.

  Kane inspected his side. A hunk of skin was missing, but little else other than his pride. He slapped a pressure bandage over it. "Maybe he wasn't going for the kill and he knocked me away from Fargo's vehicle on purpose so he could kill the man. Who the hell knows?"

  "Who is he?"

  "Whitney's cleanup man. Get us the hell out of here, Rose. The cartel is on our ass, and we've got another player in the game." He took a quick look at the baby to make certain the boy was okay.

  Sebastian opened his eyes and looked back at him. Kane smiled at him. "You're good, son, just hang in there a little longer."

  "I'm going to try to take out the shooter, Rose. In any case, the cartel is going to be on us in another few minutes. We can't outrun them. We're too far away from the ravine to go to ground, so I'll have to give them something to think about."

  "I don't like the idea of you exposing yourself to the shooter. We don't even know where he is. How are you going to get a fix on him?"

  Their eyes met in the mirror. She shook her head. "No. No way. You are not going to give him another shot at you."

  He grinned at her. "We've got the weapons to protect ourselves, Rose, and we're going to need to use them."

  "Look at the truck," Rose said, pointing at the pickup that had been careening through the desert out of control.

  The driver's-side door flew open, and a body hit the ground, bounced, and then lay still. The truck swerved back and forth before the new driver took control. She spun the truck around and headed back toward the line of lights, now much closer.

  Kane opened the hatch above his head. The shooter would no doubt have his eye to the scope, but Rose was pushing the speed of the Humvee past sixty-five and redlining the heavy vehicle.

  "Sweetheart, we don't want to kill the engine," Kane cautioned as he took a slow look around. He had an arsenal mounted on the roof, and he could sit inside safe and warm, if he knew where the bastard was.

  He reached back and pulled out a helmet, raising it slightly. A bullet tore into the top, knocking it out of his hand.

  "Got him. He's at three o'clock. High ground. He's on the slope up there." Rose kept her heading toward the ravine, as though they still had no idea of the sniper's position. "And just so you know, Kane, that bullet could have taken your head off."

  "Yeah, I got that." He'd been hoping the sniper's first shot had been a miss on purpose. "I think they have no idea who I am, Rose. It's possible they think I'm Carlson stealing you away. Whitney set his watchdogs on Carlson and Fargo. They've eliminated Fargo, so they're coming after me."

  "I agree that it's got to be Whitney's man," Rose called back to him. "So if he's driving us toward the canyon and away from that slope, what does that mean?"

  Kane had a sinking feeling he knew what it meant. Whitney had a crew waiting for them. He didn't bother to answer the question. Rose knew what it meant as well. Of course Whitney still had no way of knowing that Rose had given birth to Sebastian. They thought she was still pregnant. With the cartel behind them and the sniper driving them in a direction, Kane was certain Whitney was dropping--or had already dropped--more men into the combat zone.

  "The canyon offers the only viable cover, and we can't run in this thing forever. We have enough ammo to give it a good fight, and I can take out a good portion of the cartel's vehicles and men when they close the distance. Forget luring them to open fire again. Drive straight for the ravine."

  "We might be driving right into Whitney's men."

  Kane shrugged. "Then we make our stand there. I think we'll have more of a chance. Otherwise all they have to do is wait for us to run out of gas and then water. We've got Sebastian to think of, Rose. Head for the canyon."

  She nodded and kept to the course, the Humvee bumping over the uneven ground, followed in the distance by a stream of bouncing lights as the cartel followed.

  CHAPTER 10

  The canyon was several miles away across open ground, but it was their only real cover. The M1165 Humvee with frag armor included two-inch-thick bulletproof glass. The doors alone weighed a good 250 pounds. Along with the state-of-the-art CROWS system mounted on the roof, they had firepower and protection but little speed.

  Kane liked the idea of staying inside the Hummer now that they had half the cartel on their asses as well as a sniper and spotter. With the CROWS system, a remote-controlled weapon platform mounted on top of the vehicle, the gunner could sit in the vehicle and use a joystick, watching the action through a "TV" screen. The system had the capability to zoom in, use night vision, infrared, daytime, or heat sensor, with some very heavy-duty weapons. If necessary, and he hoped it wouldn't be, he could disengage and use the system manually.

  "They're coming up behind us," he said.

  Bullets sprayed across the back of the Humvee. The first of the cartel vehicles had outdistanced the others and had gotten within firing range. In the distance they heard a massive explosion, and the ground shook. The blast seemed to trigger several smaller detonations. Kane saw a large mushroom plume rising out of the desert in the direction of Diego Jimenez's subterranean house.

  "What the hell was that?" he demanded.

  Rose shot him a fierce look. "That was me being pissed off. If the cartel--or Diego's sons--thought they'd be using his home and tunnel, or any of the weapons he acquired from Whitney, they have another think coming."

  "Remind me never to get you angry at me," he said.

  "Don't ever betray me."

  Kane grinned at her. "You're so damn sexy, soldada hermosa, especially when you go all blow-things-up and scary on me."

  She pursed her lips and made kissy noises. "Just a gentle reminder."

  He laughed out loud. "Just so you know, I'm the jealous type."

  Her eyebrow shot up. "Fine time to tell me. I thought I was going to get to take lots of lovers. Guess not."

  "Damn right you guess not."

  A heavy caliber weapon rocked the Humvee. Rose ducked and then bared her teeth, eyes flashing fire. "Check the baby and then teach that idiot a lesson in manners."

  "I do so love it when you go all soldier on me."

  "Quit flirting with me and get the job done."

  "You started it by blowing up the house," he pointed out righteously. Dutifully he took another look at Sebastian. The bouncing of the Humvee didn't seem to bother him, although he did open his eyes to stare at his father through narrow, sleep slits. "We're fine, son," Kane soothed. "Mommy's a terrible driver, but she's having fun, so we'll overlook it this once."

  Sebastian's little bow of a mouth curved in a smile, and his eyes closed.

  Kane settled in front of the screen, his hand on the joystick. The lighter, much more mobile truck leapt onto the screen. One man was in the bed of the pickup with a machine gun. Another was strapped to the roof with a rocket launcher. A third man leaned out of the passenger window with what appeared to be a grenade in his hand. The driver, with a look of determination on his face, fought the wheel as the tires bounced over the rough terrain.

  "This is a cool system," Kane said. "I've got one sweet weapon for distance and damage." He could hit someone a good one and a half miles away.

  "You sound like a kid in a candy store. Shoot them already, or you'll be doing the driving and I'll be the one having fun," she threatened.

  "Bloodthirsty little wench," he muttered. "I'm on it."

  The M2 .50 caliber, able to tear a vehicle apart, seemed ideal. "Keep it steady. I don't really want to waste a lot of ammo on these morons. Do they not see the weapons?" Even as he asked the question, he fired a series of three rounds, hitting the roof, the back of the truck, and launching one through the windshield.

  The truck explosion was spectacular. He grinned at her. "And that's how it's done, sweetheart."

  She laughed and shook her head. "My man is crazy."

  He felt the shift in his heart. A warm glow in his belly. He liked being her man. He grinned at her and gave her a sma
ll salute.

  The Humvee was approaching the entrance to the canyon. There was only one real way down, consisting of a narrow slope that ran down over boulders and shrubs. The Humvee would have no problems, and that had to be where Whitney's men would be waiting, if they were there.

  "You know you can't take us down there," he cautioned. "They'll have mines."

  "Great minds think alike," she said, although she didn't sway from her course.

  Kane studied the walls of the canyon, looking for signs of activity. His gut was telling him they were heading straight for a trap. Twice he looked at her grim face, but he said nothing.

  "Be ready," she ordered. "We need a direction. Left or right?"

  At the same time they both answered the question. "Right."

  Their eyes met. "Left."

  Two seconds later, just before they would have gone down the slope into the canyon, she cut hard to the left and ran parallel with the canyon. "If we both have the same answer, Whitney may have known that's what we'd do."

  "Or he guessed we'd do just what we did," he pointed out, laughing. "We could play this game all night."

  "Fire already," she ordered.

  Kane sprang into action, understanding her intention, but his mouth went dry. He knew the capabilities of the vehicle, but not of the driver. She planned on him opening up a path for them and taking them in. The Humvee was top-heavy with the mounted weapons in place. He didn't want the whole damn thing to flip over. Nevertheless, he fired several shots to blow the boulders and trees out of their way, clearing a rough trail for them to take.

  Instead of trying to go straight down, Rose angled the vehicle to take the incline at a slight slant. The moment he realized what she wanted, he was able to clear her line of travel much more easily.

  Three of the cartel vehicles followed the Humvee. One of the trucks chose the easy path and drove right into the minefield Whitney's men had set. The blast, although not designed to destroy, took out the unprotected undercarriage of the truck. The truck popped into the air and came down on its side. One man was flung from the back and landed hard, not moving. The one strapped to the roof hung facedown and made a slight effort to move. The driver and passenger both were still alive, one screaming relentlessly.

  Three of Whitney's men popped up with automatic weapons, firing indiscriminately, hosing down all four men. Instantly, Kane zoomed in on their positions. With the distance he had on the weapon, he was able to fire into their nest without difficulty. The third shooter returned fire from the safety of his blind, so Kane swung his attention onto him and sent a couple of presents his way. The explosions rocked the earth and silenced the weapons.

  "Kane!"

  Rose's voice turned his attention back to their chosen path. He came around immediately to center his weapon ahead of them, blazing a trail down an impossibly steep incline. Boulders and large shrubs gave way to trees and thick undergrowth. She took it slowly, aware that the remaining vehicles chasing them, although four-wheel drive, were much lighter and ill-equipped to traverse such a difficult route. It wouldn't do much good to soften the trail up with heavy weapon fire. They'd committed to the sharp drop, and they had to trust the vehicle to take them down into the depths of the canyon.

  Several grenades struck the ground around them, blowing part of the land away just feet from the Humvee. The Hummer shook with the force of the explosions and careened violently, sliding for a heart-stopping moment before the tires gripped solid ground again. A flurry of activity in the narrow valley below revealed a small force of men waiting for them. They'd disrupted Whitney's plans, startling his men. The barricades hastily put in place to stop them had been bypassed by taking the steep route. Whitney's men rushed to regroup and cut them off.

  The Humvee hit the bottom, bouncing hard into the nearly dry creek bed, and jolted over the heavy rocks, away from Whitney's soldiers. The sound of machine guns was loud and mini explosions erupted all around them, so that for a time the world was gray and black with the debris and smoke surrounding them.

  Behind them, one of the cartel's trucks rolled, smashing everything in its path. Small saplings splintered and cracked. The truck uprooted shrubs and plants, sending them, along with smaller rocks, tumbling down the slope, creating a mini avalanche. The rolling truck landed hard, upside down, wheels spinning nearly on top of the Hummer.

  The boom resounded through the narrow gorge. Sebastian woke with a cry, and Kane put a calming hand on the boy.

  "Is he all right?" Rose demanded, staring straight ahead, trying to maneuver through the rocks and boulders in the creek bed.

  "He's fine, just a little shaken up, aren't you, buddy?" Kane crooned.

  "We're jerking him all over the place," she said, worried.

  "We've got him tucked in tight. He's barely moving," Kane soothed her. "Do you hear your mommy, Sebastian? She isn't worried about the gunfire, just you."

  "We're taking a lot of gunfire," Rose said unnecessarily, "but they aren't hitting anything. Just around us."

  Which made it damn difficult to drive. Whitney's men were aiming in front of them, blasting away, pitting the creek bed and throwing more debris into the air so that rocks hit the sides and roof of the Humvee.

  "They want you alive, honey, so they can't exactly blast the Hummer. They have to stop us, not kill us. Well, not kill you. Apparently I'm disposable."

  Rose drove up the side of the shallow creek to avoid a huge crater and then back down into the hellfire. Kane steadied the joystick, swinging the M2 .50-caliber around until he had the two-man team tearing up the creek bed in his sights. He sent off three rounds and swung the weapon back to protect their flank as one of the cartel's lighter jeeps fell in behind him.

  He hesitated. The jeep was drawing fire from Whitney's men. The second vehicle, a red jeep, turned tail and was making its way back up the steep slope. For a moment it looked as if the red jeep would make it, putting on a burst of speed, but then it stalled, stopping. The passenger bailed out, diving as far as he could from the jeep and scrambling for cover, still clutching his rifle. In slow motion the jeep flipped, slamming into the ground, rolling, picking up speed and momentum. Halfway down the slope, the driver lay crumpled and broken, his body sprawled out over a pile of rocks. The jeep hit a boulder jutting out and took to the air.

  One of Whitney's men hit it with a rocket in midair, turning the vehicle into a fiery ball of orange red. The explosion rained down metal and shrapnel. Behind them, the cartel's jeep inched closer, one of the men half standing, clinging to the roll bar, as if he was considering jumping to the roof of the Humvee.

  "He's plain psychotic," Kane said aloud.

  "Have you considered shooting them?" Rose demanded.

  "No, he's actually providing a little cover for us."

  Kane's belly took a dive, suddenly hardening into a series of tight knots. The hair on his arms raised. "Get us out of here, Rose."

  "In case you hadn't noticed, that's what I'm trying to do." She glared at him.

  "No, I mean out of this creek bed."

  "How am I supposed to do that? We don't exactly have a lot of options here, Kane."

  He ignored the bite to her voice. The hair on the back of his neck was now tingling, much like the whiskers on a leopard, a kind of radar, and right now, although he couldn't explain it to her, he knew his warning system was shrieking at him.

  "Fucking do it, Rose. I don't care how. Get us out of here."

  He swiveled around constantly, looking for the threat. Everything inside of him urged him to take Rose and Sebastian and get out of the Humvee.

  "Now, damn it!"

  Something was just up ahead, just where the creek bed began a long slow, sweeping bend. He strained his eyes trying to see, nearly standing, one hand instinctively reaching out to protect his child, but the sense of urgency was so strong, he covered the child and the makeshift car seat and armor with his own body.

  Abruptly the Hummer lurched as Rose fought the wheel, driving the
m up and over an impossible set of rocks. Kane swung around to look behind them, still protecting Sebastian. Unable to follow, the cartel's jeep continued on a few more feet and suddenly vanished as if it had never been, dropping down into a large crater, a sinkhole a good hundred feet deep.

  Rose swore under her breath as the Humvee rocked from side to side, laboring to climb over the dense shrubbery and rocky incline.

  "We can't make it straight up," she said. "I'll try inching my way up, but if they start shooting ..." She broke off abruptly as the hillside above them exploded and rocks and dirt rained down on them. "That's what I was afraid of. We can't get back into that creek bed, Kane. They're going to trap us."

  Kane was already back in his seat, hand on the joystick. They were going to have to shoot their way out. "Keep moving forward, even if it's running along the bank."

  She complied. "We're awfully close to that sinkhole, Kane, and we weigh a hell of a lot."

  "I know, sweetheart." He centered the screen on the mortar gun wreaking havoc above them. "When I say go, move up a few feet and keep running parallel."

  He blasted the mortar gun and all around it, firing round after round, providing cover. "Now, Rose." He kept it up, pounding the area to prevent them from pitting the canyon wall and destroying any path they might find to take them out or around the stronghold Whitney's men had established.

  Rose was already jolting them forward, the Humvee rolling over the thick foliage and smashing down the displaced dirt.

  Where the hell are you, Mack? Because if his team hadn't gotten the message loud and clear that he'd left for them in the desert, he and Rose and Sebastian were bound to have to dig in and hold off Whitney's little army. They had enough water and ammunition to last for a time, but they needed reinforcements--and soon.

  Mack had to have sent out a couple of birds to look for signs, and he'd left an abundance of them each night. The last sign had been unmistakable: Come now. They had to have seen his messages, and he'd pointed them back to the ravine. Surely ...

  The ground around them exploded. Rose swore louder this time but kept the Humvee moving forward. One tire dropped into air on the passenger side, so that they tilted ominously. They kept moving forward relentlessly. Trees were thicker now and much larger than the saplings and thin round trunks they'd encountered, presenting an additional problem.