Ruthless Game

by Christine Feehan

  "Do you trust Eric completely?"

  Kane almost nodded and then stopped himself. Did he trust the doctor the same way he trusted Lily? Eric was the official GhostWalker surgeon, and he always came through when needed. Why hesitate? What was the difference between Eric and Lily? Was he prejudiced simply because Eric wasn't a GhostWalker and had no real idea of what they went through? Kane didn't like the idea that he might in any way be prejudiced, but the truth was, there was a hesitation for whatever reason.

  "I don't know. He's so intense about research. Maybe that creeps me out a little."

  "That's all he's really interested in," Rose said. "I didn't leave him alone with Sebastian. The doctor was so insistent about taking his blood, and I knew once it was out of here, at a laboratory, it would be vulnerable. Whitney would pay a fortunate for Sebastian's blood. I told the doctor that, but it was obvious he didn't care. Taking his blood from this house clearly wasn't in Sebastian's best interests, but for the doctor the research came first. I just don't trust that, Kane."

  He nuzzled the top of her head. "I can understand, Rose. You've been an experiment your entire life. You don't want that for Sebastian."

  "Exactly, but the doctor can't see beyond what he might learn from studying Sebastian's blood." She sighed, her small teeth biting at her lower lip. "I know a doctor should examine him more fully just to make certain he really is as healthy as we believe, but it isn't safe."

  "We happen to have just the man that will help you," Jaimie said, glancing at Kane for permission.

  Kane nodded in agreement. "I was going to suggest you meet him, sweetheart. His name is Paul. He joined our team recently, so I didn't grow up with him as I did all the others, but he's got an amazing talent when it comes to healing skills. I trust him."

  Rose swallowed hard, but she nodded. "If you're certain, Kane. But his blood can't leave our home."

  "It won't have to," Kane assured. "Paul doesn't work like other doctors."

  "You can't ever talk about him to anyone," Jaimie cautioned. "If Eric comes back, you can't tell him that Paul examined the baby."

  "We have to protect one another's abilities. Whitney would take Sebastian apart to study him," Kane said. "He would Paul as well. Do you understand?"

  Rose jumped up and paced across the room. "You've had what? Five years, seven years, maybe ten years of experience with Whitney? I've had my entire life. You don't need to tell me what he's like. We all protected one another from him, and we learned very fast to keep our abilities hidden."

  "I know, sweetheart," Kane soothed. "It's just that Paul is ..." He broke off, unable to explain.

  "Has a rare talent," Jaimie supplied. "He's sent out into the field a lot. Whitney would find a way. You're part of our family now, Rose. Paul is family; that's all we're saying."

  Rose nodded. Kane could feel her agitation, although there was little expression on her face. The idea that anyone would study her son was abhorrent to her, but she was trying to be accepting. She knew Sebastian needed a doctor and that they would need help with him. The only thing he could figure to do to help ease her mind was to introduce his family to her, one member at a time.

  "Who have you met so far?" He kept his voice gentle.

  "One they call Gideon and, of course, Javier. Jaimie and Mack." A faint smile touched her mouth, but failed to light her eyes. "They hover over you."

  "I'll bet Mack did his fair share of swearing."

  "You must have heard him," Jaimie said, astonished. "He's been here every day. A few times you were awake."

  "I must have been doped up. I don't remember much." Other than Rose's warm body snuggled next to his. He remembered her kisses, along his mouth and throat, her soft murmurs of reassurance. He remembered feeling safe because she was there. At times he'd woken to the sound of Sebastian crying, and he could pry his eyes open just enough to see her moving around the room, changing and then breast-feeding the baby, singing softly to him. He'd felt--complete.

  Jaimie grinned at him. "You were doped up, all right. We'd get you to sit up and you'd just slide down again and go to sleep."

  Rose regarded him with troubled eyes. "You scared me. You nearly died, Kane."

  He was weak, although he didn't want to acknowledge it. Bits and pieces of the last couple of weeks were coming back to him now. Jaimie crying. Mack gruff as hell, always a bad sign. Javier and Gideon standing over him. Always, Rose watching them all, one hand free, obviously ready to defend him.

  "I'm sorry, honey, I won't do it again."

  "Damn right you won't," Rose said, flashing him a fierce look.

  His body hardened, a brutal punch of need. She was sexy as hell when she went all commando on him with her little pixie face, so fragile and beautiful. Her eyes too big and her hair all tousled as if they'd just spent hours between the sheets. He knew his gaze went all hungry and predatory by the way her face flushed. Her eyes met his steadily. A soft consent in them that shook him. She'd just had a baby and she'd made love with him; she had to be sore, but she was willing to give herself to him again because his body demanded her.

  I can behave myself, he assured.

  You don't have to. You never have to. I love your hands on me. Your mouth. I love your body inside mine.

  If she meant to soothe him, her words had the opposite effect. He wanted her with every single cell in his body. He took a breath, and pain flashed through him, reminding him he was flesh and blood, not a machine.

  Well, maybe not a sex machine, she'd caught his last thought. Laugh lines appeared around her eyes, and her dimples flashed at him, taking the ache in his groin up another notch.

  He glared at her, one hand pressed to his aching side. That's not funny.

  "If you two need to be alone," Jaimie said, "I could always leave."

  He threw the couch pillow at her. "You don't need to be putting in your two cents. You and Mack are disgusting."

  She laughed at him. "So true. He's magic."

  Kane groaned. "You're my sister, Jaimie. You can't put those kinds of thoughts in my head."

  "I see. You have that double standard going. It's okay for you and the boys, but not me."

  "Exactly. There are rules, girl. Rules. Follow them." He held out his coffee cup. "I wouldn't mind another."

  She took it. "Not a chance, bro. You're on sick leave, which means you eat and drink nutritiously. One cup limit."

  He gave a fierce scowl. "You are not going to boss me around, Jaimie."

  "No"--she smiled sweetly at him and handed Rose the empty mug--"but Rose is."

  Kane studied Rose's fine-boned features. That same determined expression she got, stubborn as hell and so appealing to him he knew he was a lost man, was right there on her face. Whenever she got that look, he knew he wasn't going to win. He kept his mouth shut. There were other ways to get around his woman, and he was going to find every one of them.

  "By the way, Rose. I have put all your necessary papers into the system. Social. Birth certificate. Concealed weapons permit. Driver's license. Everything you'll need here on the outside. The baby's birth certificate states he was born in a military hospital. I'm establishing his records there now. Everything should be coming in the mail soon. Mack's talking to Sergeant Major about compensation for being on the team."

  "Wait a minute," Kane said. "You're moving a little too fast. What the hell does that mean?"

  "I'm a soldier, Kane," Rose pointed out. "That's all I'm trained for. I'm good at it, just as you are. You don't want out. If I'm part of this team, they can't break us up."

  He shook his head. "You can wait a little while. We haven't even discussed this."

  "Would you discuss this with me?" Rose asked quietly. "If your time was up?"

  "It's not the same thing."

  She smiled at him, that serene, sweet smile he was coming to know meant really bad things for him. "You know better. And it's added protection for Sebastian. I'm serving our country just as Whitney wanted. I'm more apt to bring up our
son as a soldier, another thing he wants. He knows I'll teach Sebastian everything I know, just as you and every member of this team will, and he's more apt to leave us alone to see how Sebastian does under a full team's tutelage."

  Kane bared his teeth at her. He hated that it was sound reasoning. His dream of the little woman sitting at home waiting for him was about to shatter. "We'll talk this out before you commit."

  She arched an eyebrow at him. "Does that mean you'll talk until I agree with you?"

  "At least give me the chance to persuade you. Jaimie doesn't go out on missions, and she contributes." He was grasping at straws and he knew it.

  "Jaimie has a very specific set of skills I don't have. My skills are all in the field, Kane. I'll be an asset to you there, not sitting here at home."

  Jaimie bent and kissed his jaw. "I think this is my cue to leave. Mack's going to be down later with Paul, and he'll tell you everything he's found out."

  Kane watched the two women walk to the door together. He wanted them close but not conspiring against his wishes. He'd seen Rose in combat. She was fearless and didn't hesitate, as good or better than any soldier he'd worked with, but didn't she want to stay home and be a mother? What was wrong with that? His mother hadn't wanted to stay home either. What the hell was wrong with women these days? Didn't they understand someone needed to be in the home with the children, keeping the family together? Having dinners together? Do all the family things he'd envisioned but never had?

  Rose closed the heavy door and turned to lean against it, regarding him soberly. They lived in a renovated warehouse, a massive building with large doors, and draped against it that way, she looked smaller than ever. It was difficult to imagine her in combat, yet he'd seen her, and she was too damned competent, with nerves of steel, for him to pretend she wasn't.

  "Damn it, Rose." He pressed his fingers to his suddenly aching eyes. He hadn't even noticed that his head was pounding and his gut hurt like hell. Maybe he was just tired. "You should have at least waited to discuss this with me."

  He felt the weight of her stare and looked at her. It was impossible to read the expression on her face. Not breaking eye contact, she pushed herself off the door and walked over to him. Her feet were bare, small and delicate, like the rest of her, making no noise on the floor as she came toward him. She was short enough that with him sitting, they were almost staring directly into each other's eyes.

  "You're right, Kane, I should have. We're a team, and I should have given you that courtesy."

  "I don't want to be a team. I want you to be my wife. Mine. Wholly mine. Not part of this big team, a soldier. I want the woman."

  She smiled and very gently brushed at the hair tumbling across his forehead, tenderness in her touch. "You have both the woman and the soldier, Kane. They aren't separate."

  "Damn it, I know that." He knew that. He did. "It's just that ..." He trailed off, feeling damned stupid. He wasn't a little boy or even a teenage boy. He'd grown up hard and fast, and maybe that was the problem. He didn't want that for his son. He shook his head and looked away from her. "I'm tired, Rose. I think I'll lie down for a while."

  "Look at me, Kane," she ordered softly.

  He did, dropping straight down into those large, fathomless, melting chocolate eyes that threw him every time he fell into them.

  "Tell me. I want to know."

  He shoved a hand through his hair, betraying agitation when, with anyone else, he would have remained absolutely stoic. "I just always had this idea--this fantasy--about coming home to my wife, to dinner, to her waiting there for me. To her being a mother to my children. It's stupid, I know, but when I looked at the possibility of a family, that was it--not our son being left to fend for himself."

  She framed his face with her hands. "I don't even know what family is, Kane. I had my 'sisters' when I was young, but even then we were often kept apart and used against one another. I'm learning as I go along, and I'm counting on you to help me with that. I'll do my best for Sebastian. I'll love him and I'll protect him, but quite frankly, I've never cooked a meal in my life. You're going to have to give up your dream of the wife having dinner waiting for you."

  She leaned forward and brushed her mouth over his. "I don't want to disappoint you, but I can only be who I am."

  He wrapped his arms around her and drew her onto his lap, cradling her close with a wry smile. "I suppose I could always be the girl and stay home."

  Her eyebrow shot up. "Girls stay home?"

  "If I lied, would that count?"

  She nuzzled his neck. "No. I'm your woman. All of me, Kane, and that includes the soldier. My advice is to learn how to cook if you don't already know how."

  He was happy just holding her. Maybe a stay-at-home mother wasn't as important as he'd first thought. "Fortunately, I'm a damned good cook."

  She kissed him.

  CHAPTER 13

  Rose liked Paul Mangan right away. He looked very young with his freckles and his wide-eyed innocence. It was more than obvious that he was of Irish descent. He looked a bit awkward and blushed every time he snuck a glance at her. He was tall and slender, with fine hands, almost delicate. She couldn't imagine him as a soldier, let alone him going into combat. While Javier Enderman looked young and could easily pass for a teenager, he had a steely strength about him, and if one looked into his eyes, there was no way they wouldn't feel a chill go down their spine. The killer was in those cold, flat, very hard eyes. But Paul ... He was altogether different. He just didn't look like he belonged in the Marine Corps, let alone have Special Forces training as well as what it took to become a GhostWalker.

  Don't underestimate him, Rose, Kane cautioned as he came into the room.

  She couldn't imagine that Paul could possibly see to the health of her child. He barely looked her in the eye, but the moment Kane walked into the room, he seemed entirely different. Rose frowned, watching the boy--no--man. He was definitely a man. His face changed very subtly, which told her part of what she saw was an illusion. She knew all about illusions; she could change her looks subtly or even blatantly if need be. Paul obviously had the same ability to a lesser degree, but why would he need to do so there in the safety of Kane's home?

  She studied him as he shook Kane's hand and turned toward her for an introduction, nearly bowing, blushing redder than ever.

  "It's nice to meet you, ma'am."

  Can he even shoot a gun? She carefully avoided looking at Kane, afraid she'd laugh. "Nice to meet you too. I understand you might be able to look Sebastian over and tell us if he's truly healthy without his blood leaving our home."

  His father is Sergeant Major Theodore Griffen. He grew up shooting guns. I doubt that the military would have ever been his thing, he's a gentle man, probably more like his mother than father, but he has an amazing and coveted psychic talent. Whitney would probably kill us both gladly to get his hands on Paul. No one knows about Paul outside of our team.

  "I can certainly try. Kane, you need to rest more. You aren't completely healed." He frowned, his eyes nearly glowing as he stared at Kane's chest and abdomen, clearly looking through skin, deeper into his damaged organs.

  Tell me about him.

  Rose found Paul fascinating. His gaze was sharp and focused; his entire demeanor changed. There were frown lines around his mouth and brow, and all of a sudden she could see the quick intelligence she'd missed before.

  Obviously he's a genius, like Jaimie. He graduated from high school at thirteen and holds multiple doctorates in chemistry, math, and something else I can't remember. He also has a BA in at least three other subjects. His mother is Shiobhan Mangan, an ambassador's daughter and the current ambassador to Ireland. She kept her last name and they gave it to Paul because when they first were married, Sergeant Major had quite a few enemies.

  She studied Paul's face. He doesn't belong in the military. He has too much empathy to kill, Kane. He shouldn't be around violence.

  No. They put him with us to protect him from W
hitney. His psychic ability is ... amazing. But don't shortchange him; Paul gets the job done when it's needed.

  "Who did this surgery?" Excitement edged Paul's voice.

  Rose tensed. There was no way he could know. No way. Just in case, she eased away from the two men, putting a little distance between them.

  "Eric Lambert," Kane replied.

  Paul shook his head impatiently, brushing off the quick answer. "No, before the doc. Who was in the field with you? Who worked on you in the field?"

  Kane shrugged. "Sorry, Paul, it was one of the team. I was out of it." He looked at Rose. "Do you remember?"

  She avoided his eyes. She had promised herself she would never lie to him, and if they were alone ...

  "I do," Javier stirred from the shadows.

  Rose jumped. She'd almost forgotten about him. He blended, perfectly still, until he was part of the wall he had draped himself on. His gaze moved over her with open speculation--and something else. If she had done anything at all to harm Kane ... She shivered at the dark promise there. She was very good at assessing threats, and in spite of all the skills the rest of this team had, Javier was truly the most dangerous--and unpredictable--of them all. His protective and loyalty instincts must have been off the charts when they tested him.

  "What's wrong, Paul?" Javier continued.

  "Brilliant fieldwork. He would have bled out, but someone repaired the artery; I just can't see how." Paul narrowed his gaze, stepping closer to Kane and actually crouching down to peer upward toward his abdomen and chest.

  "There's a definite wound site, the artery spliced together in some way."

  The darkness gathering in Javier's eyes disappeared, and he flashed Rose a smile. "You saved your man, didn't you? What exactly did you do?"

  Paul pushed Kane's shirt out of the way. "Clean cut. This is where he went in . . ." He broke off as Javier's words penetrated. He blinked rapidly as if coming back from a great distance. Very slowly he stood, regarding Rose with awe. "You did this? How? You have to tell me what you did." Excitement made his voice shake. "You know you saved his life. He would have bled out in minutes."