"Why didn't the alarm sound? Shouldn't it have?" Kane rubbed at his wet hair with the edge of the blanket.
"Yes." Jaimie sounded affronted. "Whatever they used simulated the lock enough that the monitor accepted it as real. I've never seen anything like it. The way it should work is, if anything, even a thin piece of paper is slipped in, the electronics don't engage and the alarm goes off. They have some tool that fools the electronics into believing the circuit has been engaged."
"So they planned this carefully. They knew about the lock and how it worked," Kane stated the obvious. "They were prepared."
"How?" Mack asked. "We don't have that many visitors. A few construction workers, but we checked them out thoroughly. Deliverymen." He looked at Jaimie. "Who else?"
"We've had the cops here a few times," she said. "Something about the surveillance tape really bothers me, but I can't put my finger on it." She swung back to study the footage. "Go up to our home, Kane, and take a warm shower. Mack's jeans will be short, but you can fit into them. In fact, I think there are a couple of pairs of your jeans left from when you were staying with us while your house was being built. Look in the clothes closet. This is going to take a while to figure out."
Marc stuck his head out of the tent, bloody glove-covered hands in the air. "Where the hell is Eric? He went to get another set of instruments. I need help in here. I can't monitor him and do the operation."
He disappeared back inside the tent.
Get down here, now, Paul. Mack sent the command instantly. "Get upstairs, Kane. Guard Rose and Sebastian. Don't trust anyone." He glanced at his watch. "Eric ran out of here a few minutes ago to get another surgery kit from his car. I thought it odd that he didn't ask one of us to get it for him but just figured he could find it faster."
Kane turned and ran up the stairs as Paul came running down.
"That's what's bothering me," Jaimie said. "Look, Mack. Look at the tape. Eric goes through the door first, and the therapist follows him. Look at what Eric does." She froze the tape. "Look at his eyes. He stops right there, and his gaze shifts down and toward the lock just as the therapist slips in his tool. Eric knew. Eric has to be working with Whitney."
CHAPTER 16
"Son of a bitch." Mack leaned down to study the tape. The entire time, they'd been watching the lock and the therapist, not really paying attention to the surgeon who had worked at one time or another on many of the GhostWalkers, even saving lives. How Jaimie had noticed the slight turn Eric made and the shift of his eyes as he glanced down at the lock, he couldn't imagine. Especially in the midst of Brian having surgery just a few yards away.
"He knows, Mack," Jaimie reiterated and pulled up the footage inside the second floor and then of the street.
They could see Eric rush out of the surgical tent, call out to Mack, and then run behind the tent out of their sight. He put a foot on the stairs leading up to where Paul watched over Rose and Sebastian, shook his head, and turned quickly to take the stairs leading down to the first story. Clearly he had considered making another try for the baby. He dashed down the stairs and out the door, never entering Kane's home. The street cameras showed him leaping into his car, cell phone out, and talking fast as he sped away.
"Get the word out to the other teams," Mack ordered Jaimie. "There's no telling what damage he's done to us. Everyone he's come in contact with may be compromised. Advise sweeping for bugs and reworking security wherever he's had access. Let Jack and Ken know their home probably has multiple problems. Has he had access to our computer equipment?"
Jaimie shook her head. "No one touches my computers other than Javier. And he's worse than I am about security. Well ... okay ... maybe not."
Mack swore under his breath as he paced back and forth. "We've had a snake among us from the very first."
"What if he didn't work for Whitney? What if he's working for the faction that wants all of us dead?"
"I doubt he would have saved so many of us. The death toll would have been much higher. I'm certain he's Whitney's plant." He looked carefully around the room. "Check everything, Jaimie. Thank God Rose was so paranoid about Sebastian. She never left Eric alone with him. They didn't manage to get a sample of his blood. They weren't able to microchip him either."
"Kane did," Jaimie said. "He said it was the only argument he and Rose have had over the baby. He insisted, for Sebastian's safety."
"Top!" Paul called out. "We need you."
Mack reacted instantly. "Tell Kane, Jaimie. The two of you need to go through that house and be thorough about it."
Jaimie watched him disappear into the surgical tent and then made her way up to the third story. As she leaned in for a retinal scan, she stopped suddenly, frowning. She made her way back down to the bottom of the staircase where Eric had hesitated. She pulled out a small penlight and meticulously began going over the railing and walls, paying particular attention to where Eric had stopped.
The staircase was interior, running just on the inside of the building so that there was an escape from the first story and one leading to the roof. The second story was completely enclosed with only a door leading to a fire escape. She ran her fingers along the door. Eric must have known they would be suspicious of him, and he'd run. He wouldn't have considered going upstairs to confront a GhostWalker. He wasn't armed. She knew that because each time he stepped inside the entrance, she had a full-body scanner making certain. No, he'd stopped on the stairs for another reason.
She stepped back and studied the door and then turned around in a circle, inspecting the stairway again. She knew she was right; she just couldn't figure out what he'd done. Reluctantly, Jaimie gave up her quest and went up to the top story. She used a retinal scan to open the door to her home.
Rose lay on her couch, a blanket over her, holding her head and moaning softly. Kane obviously had rinsed off and was now crouching beside Rose, sweeping back her hair with one hand, murmuring soft reassurances to her. Jaimie looked around for the baby.
Kane saw her question and nodded toward the safety of the bedroom. "Paul put him down when he fell asleep. I'm hoping he stays that way until we know Rose can safely feed him. We don't want whatever drug this is to get into his system."
Kane straightened slowly, stretching out sore muscles. He'd managed to find a pair of jeans and had ripped off one of Mack's tees. "I take it they're having a problem with Brian?" He managed to keep his voice even, but every muscle had tightened up all over again. He'd just managed to reassure himself that Rose and Sebastian were going to be fine, and now he was worried all over again.
Brian Hutton had grown up with him. Mack and Kane had protected the younger boy all through school. His parents had moved and left him behind. He'd stayed in a condemned building, foraging on the streets for food and running from bigger bullies until Mack and Kane had come across him. He'd been a wide-eyed kid with a mop of hair and a quick, inventive mind. He also had very quick hands. He was a first-class pickpocket. It had taken a lot to convince him to stay in school and get an education, but he wanted Mack's and Kane's protection, so he'd gone along with their rules. They'd made up a lot of paperwork for him to keep him out of the system and make the schools think he had parents.
"Marc and Paul will pull him through," Jaimie said. "They're good."
"What the hell happened to Eric?"
"He's a plant, Kane. He's working for Whitney. He knew the physical therapist was going to make a grab for Sebastian and Rose. I think he got nervous when I kept looking at the surveillance tapes, and he ran," Jaimie explained.
"That means everything he came into contact with has been compromised," Kane said.
"Exactly. Mack wants a sweep of the entire building. I think he planted something at the bottom of the stairs on the second floor. He was running, but he stopped there. At first I thought he might be trying to come up here and changed his mind, but that didn't make sense. I couldn't find anything."
Kane studied her face. Jaimie knew things. All of them, th
e entire team, had learned never to ignore Jaimie's gut feelings.
Rose moaned and struggled to sit up. Kane held her down with a hand to her shoulder. "Paul said not to move around yet, Rose. He said once you could sit up, then he wants you drinking water. Lots of water, but he said you'd be unsteady for a while."
"I've got to get this out of my system. I feel horrible."
"I know, honey, you're going to be disoriented for a while."
She frowned at him, clutching the blanket around her. "Kane, I don't have any clothes on. None." She looked very puzzled, her gaze jumping from him to Jaimie.
"I had to undress you," Jaimie explained gently. "You were soaked and freezing. We wrapped you in a blanket and put hot water bottles around you to bring up your body temperature."
Rose snapped her head around and sat up, dragging the blanket with her. "Sebastian? Where's Sebastian?"
Kane's gut tightened. He'd told her three times. She seemed to forget things over and over. He framed her face and looked into her eyes. "Sweetheart, I wouldn't be standing here chatting if someone took our son. He's sleeping peacefully in the bedroom. I'd bring him out to show you, but I don't want him to wake up and need to eat. The drug they gave you isn't out of your system yet."
She frowned and touched her neck. "I couldn't stop them from taking Sebastian."
"Javier spotted them, and the team went into action. We'll be having a meeting soon to discuss what went wrong and what went right so we can improve response time and damage control."
Jaimie sat on the arm of the couch. "No civilians got hurt and, aside from keeping Whitney's men from taking you and Sebastian, that's always the main thing in urban situations."
Kane brushed his mouth across Rose's lips. "We're going to be all right, honey. The team came through. We had one casualty. Brian's in surgery now, but both Paul and Marc are with him, and you know how bossy Mack is. He won't let Brian slip away on us."
"I want to take a shower." Rose shuddered as she rubbed her arms up and down. "I'm itching all over."
"I can put a chair in the shower," Jaimie offered. "You shouldn't try to stand by yourself, Rose."
"I'll go in with her," Kane said.
Fear exploded through Rose's body. For a moment she could barely breathe. "No!" Rose caught Kane's wrist and held on hard. "You stay with Sebastian." She would never forget those minutes, fighting off the kidnappers, knowing she wasn't going to stop them from taking her son. She'd failed to protect him. All of her training, all of her resolve, none of it mattered. She touched her neck again. "I'm sorry, Kane. I'm so sorry."
She'd been so certain she could do it all herself. She hadn't trusted anyone else, other than Kane, not really. She knew Whitney better than any of them; she'd known he'd make a try for Sebastian. Sebastian was everything he'd worked for--all the years of experimenting came down to a child. She knew if Whitney saw him or even got hold of a sample of his blood, he would know he'd been successful.
She covered her face with her hands, her lungs burning. She'd almost lost their child. She couldn't ever face Kane again. Everything was coming flooding back. Sebastian's eyes widening as he lay on the floor playing with her. He'd known that she couldn't protect him. She would never forget that moment when both of them had known she wasn't going to be able to stop the men from taking him. A sob escaped, and she clamped down hard on it. She wouldn't cry. Wouldn't make Kane think she wanted sympathy.
"Rose." Kane's gentle voice was her undoing.
He should be railing at her. Yelling. Telling her what a screwup she was. She hadn't protected her own child from the worst monster alive. She shook her head, unable to look at him. She might never be able to look at him again. She'd failed in the most important mission of her life.
"Rose, look at me."
She shook her head again, even more adamant this time. Whitney's taunting voice flooded her mind. Women aren't of any use; they just don't have the strength or intelligence men do. Their weakness compromises missions and jeopardizes teams. Men are wounded--killed--because of the weaknesses displayed by women. Even when using their psychic talents they have seizures and can't function properly.
Baby, do you really believe that nonsense? Any psychic, male or female, without an anchor close by will experience all of those things and more. Some have had strokes. Some meltdowns. It makes no difference whether you're male or female.
Kane pushed Whitney's voice out of her mind, filling her with warmth. His tone caressed her, gave her the courage to look up at him. His green eyes had gone nearly emerald, a heated promise that made her breath catch in her throat--made her want to believe the impossible. The moment their eyes met, hers filled with tears of guilt, and she looked away again.
"I've put some clothes out for you, Rose," Jaimie said. "I'm going back downstairs to contact Flame and have her start spreading the word that Eric has compromised all of us so the other teams can take precautions as well. He was inside the compound up in Montana as well as being in Wyoming with a couple of the GhostWalkers there. No one will bother you here for a while, so go ahead and use the shower, and if you want to eat, there's plenty of food."
Rose shifted her gaze to Jaimie, alarmed. Had Mack sent for her telepathically because Brian had taken a turn for the worse? She studied her face. No. She was being polite, giving her time to be alone with Kane. She silently shook her head in protest, but Jaimie just patted her shoulder and walked away, leaving her to face her son's father alone.
She swallowed hard. Guilt and shame were ugly things. She hadn't even had time to be terrified. She pressed her lips together and shook her head, knowing Kane was willing her to meet his incredible green gaze again. "I can't, Kane," she whispered once she'd heard the door close behind Jaimie. "I don't think I can ever look at you again."
"Because Whitney fed you bullshit to justify his experiment?"
The small edge to his voice made her glance up at his face. The lines were carved deep, making him look tougher than ever. His jaw was set in a stubborn line she'd come to know. He didn't understand. Her shame wasn't about Whitney--maybe he added to the voices in her own head telling her what a screwup she was--but her shame was all about the way she'd acted toward his family members. As if they weren't trustworthy enough to be alone with her child. In her mind she had been the only one who could adequately protect Sebastian. Okay, there was Kane. She had trusted him--maybe.
Her face flamed. Not completely, not with Sebastian. She was so determined Whitney wouldn't get his hands on their son, and she didn't think Kane adequately understood the danger Whitney presented. She'd been so foolish. Without his family, without the very men she'd snubbed, her son would be in Dr. Whitney's laboratory.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered again, shaking her head. How could there be forgiveness? Kane had brought her into his home and offered her a life with him. She wanted him--but she hadn't really wanted the rest of them. She didn't know how to act with them, what to think or do. She felt such an outsider, and yet they had risked their lives for her son.
"Tell me what happened. All of it. What each person had to do to get Sebastian ..."
"And you," Kane said quietly.
She shivered continually, unable to stop her body's reaction from the aftermath of the drug, or perhaps the time spent in the cold seawater. She could smell fish on her hair and skin. Dragging the blanket closer, she nodded. "And to get me back. Tell me."
She listened in silence to the quiet sound of his voice as he detailed the rescue and what each team member had contributed.
"If Javier hadn't spotted the SUV, they might have gotten away with it."
"It may have taken longer, but we would have found you and Sebastian, Rose," Kane said. "We had the microchip in Sebastian, and Whitney isn't the only one who can track with a satellite."
She felt a wave of raw fear. "My tattoo. Javier and Jaimie got rid of it."
"They deactivated it. There's a difference."
Now her teeth were chattering, but she didn't
care. She was horrified. "If they know a way to activate it, so will Whitney."
He shook his head. "I'll put Jaimie and Javier up against anyone Whitney has in electronics. Jaimie's figuring out how they managed the lock on the door, but my guess is, the doc had something to do with it."
She felt color flooding her face. Once again she'd not trusted the members of his team.
Our team, he corrected. "Our family. We're a unit, Rose. You. Me. Sebastian. And our family. We have to think that way, believe that way. It has to be absolute. No individual is going to be able to fight Whitney. As a team, a family, we're stronger than he can possibly imagine."
He was right. When she'd been in the compounds, if Whitney separated all of the girls, it was much more difficult to fight him, but together, they had too much strength and too many psychic talents for him to control.
"I grew up with every single man and woman in this team other than Paul. You've met Paul. He's no plant. His talent is incredible, and we all watch over him, especially Javier."
Her breath caught in her throat. She knew Paul was no threat. He was too honest--he felt too good--not that he wouldn't fight if he was forced to do so. But Javier ... He scared her, and yet it had been Javier who had ultimately been Sebastian's guardian. She'd seen the look on his face when he dropped in to see the boy. He always referred to himself as Uncle Javier, and she had secretly cringed.
Rose shook her head. "I'm sorry," she repeated. "I didn't trust them. I didn't want to like them or give them a chance."
"Rose." His voice was a velvet caress, stroking over her skin. "What did you expect? You've never been around a man who wasn't keeping you prisoner or torturing you. Did you think it would be easy? All of us knew we'd have to earn your respect and trust. It's never automatic, not when our lives depend on one another."
"But you trusted them. I should have ..."
He drew her up, blanket and all, pulling her shivering body against his, and she let him, wanted to melt into him, to draw from all that male heat and strength. She let herself be fragile and vulnerable, she already was--to him. She let herself open to him. He was so deep inside her that she'd never get him out, nor did she want to.
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