Viper Game

by Christine Feehan

  He closed the door and took his woman down the hall to his room. Once inside she moved away from him to stand in the center of the room, wiping at her eyes. He locked the door and leaned against it.

  "You should never have to cry, Pepper," he said softly. "That's wrong."

  She tried to smile. "I'm sorry. I can't stop thinking about them locked away. I've tried to put it out of my head. I know we couldn't just get them without the house prepared for an assault, but still, to just leave them. They really must think I've abandoned them. They're so little, and I know they're scared."

  She burst into tears all over again and threw herself on the bed, pulling her knees to her chest in a little ball that broke his heart almost as much as her tears did.

  Wyatt sank down on the end of the bed and reached for her left foot. He dragged her shoe off and tossed it across the room with a little more force than he meant. His hands massaged her foot for a moment before he removed the other shoe. Both legs curled back to her chest.

  "Babe, we're goin' to get them. Tomorrow night we'll have them with us." He took off his boots and set them aside before he rubbed her hip and bottom. "One more night. They'll be home."

  "But still, Wyatt, it's one more night in that horrible place. They give them one blanket. They'll be so cold and frightened. Without me there, I don't know if anyone is even making certain they have food. I shouldn't have left them. I couldn't get them through the fans. There wasn't enough time."

  She sobbed, took a breath and continued. "I tried to go back, but they had security beefed up and I was afraid Ginger would follow me inside. If I was caught and she was on the outside, who would look after her?"

  It had been a heartbreaking decision to leave the others behind. The only thing she could do was warn Braden she would expose them and what they did there if he terminated the other two babies.

  Wyatt tossed his clothing aside and crawled over her to reach the other side of the bed. Sitting with his back to the headboard, he reached down and pulled her into his arms, uncaring that he was naked and she was fully clothed. He only wanted to comfort her. To hold her.

  She snuggled into him just like Ginger did, curling up small and fitting into him without hesitation. His arms closed around her, caging her in, holding her tight. His chin dropped down on top of her head and he just let her cry.

  The storm lasted longer than he anticipated but he was patient, dropping kisses into the center of her thick, silky hair and nuzzling the nape of her neck.

  "I'm sorry," she repeated, her voice muffled by his chest.

  "Sometimes cryin' is necessary, sugar, everyone does it. You need it, you cry. I'm right here and I'm not goin' anywhere," he reassured her.

  "I don't cry in front of people."

  "Fortunately, Pepper, I'm not people. I'm your man. You cry in front of your man. You tell him what's wrong and he fixes it. That's how it works. And if it doesn't need fixin' or I can' do anythin' about it right at that moment, I just listen."

  She lifted her head to look at him. "Is that what you're doing right now? Listening?"

  "I'm lovin' you, babe. Lovin' the hell out of you. And when you're all tired out I'm goin' to lay you down and love on you some more." He pushed back her hair. "You need that. And then I'm runnin' a hot bath and brushin' your hair for you and puttin' you to bed."

  She smiled against his bare chest. He felt her lips move over his skin. "You have a plan."

  "I do."

  Wyatt pulled her shirt over her head and made short work of her bra. Her full breasts spilled out, temptation itself, and his cock grew, pressing deep against her bottom. Wyatt rolled her off of him, laying her out on the bed, his hands at her jeans. He stripped the clothes from her and threw one thigh over her, shifted and then straddled her.

  Pepper held her breath. Wyatt didn't say anything to her. Didn't give her any explanation or cue as to what he wanted her to do. When she raised one hand toward his chest, he caught her hand and put it firmly on the bed beside her. She could barely breathe with the way he looked at her. She'd never seen that particular expression on his face before. Soft. Gentle. Tender even. More than that.

  He leaned down and pressed a kiss into her throat. Butterflies took off in her stomach. His tongue was there, she could feel it just for a moment and then he kissed his way to the valley between her breasts. He pressed his lips there. Lingered. Stroked with his tongue, kissed either side of her breasts and then under them. Gently. Reverently. As if he worshipped her body. His mouth moved lower, his tongue and lips finding her rib cage and then moving to her belly button. He swirled his tongue and kissed her repeatedly.

  He shifted to move back, picking up her leg by her ankle, so he could kiss behind her knee and then the soles of each foot. Very gently he pushed her knees up and wedged himself between her thighs. His mouth found the inside of her thighs and he kissed her gently, his tongue tasting her skin.

  Pepper went completely still. He was doing exactly what he said he would. He was showing her love. It was beautiful. The most beautiful thing in the world. His face, carved so sensually, his eyes glowing with a soft look, his dark wavy hair and sexy mouth, muscles rippling. It was too much and yet not enough.

  Already she could feel her body spilling out a welcome. She went slick and hot, yet at the same time, she wanted this slow, leisurely love he was showing her. His mouth was on her, driving her up, and then it was all Wyatt. His cock glided in and out of her while his hands framed her face and he whispered softly to her in French.

  "Je t'aime, bebe, et je vais vous aimer eternellement."

  She couldn't breathe as he moved in and out of her with exquisite tenderness. He kissed her over and over, pouring fire down her throat. Pouring love. She nearly choked on it, the lump in her throat so enormous.

  No one had ever treated her with such gentleness, or said words of love to her. She wrapped her arms around him, lifting her hips to meet his, trying to show him that she felt the same way.

  "Wyatt," she breathed his name. It was all she could do. She was too filled with him. Too overcome by him. Wyatt. Just his name, but then, to her, that was everything. Her world now. This man and the family they were choosing to make together.

  She showed him she loved him the only way she knew how, when they were finished and he'd kissed her eyes to take away the last of the tears and then kissed her mouth a million times.

  She crawled over him down to his cock and gently and carefully made absolutely certain he was clean, all the while her eyes on his. He stretched out, his hands behind his head, his eyes glowing at her, much like a cat in the dark. She loved watching his face when she attended him, loved how he enjoyed every lap of her tongue and her mouth on him.

  When she was finished, he drew her back up to the pillow, pulled a single sheet over her and left her to go into the bathroom and run her bath. Lying on the bed, she watched him through the doorway as he moved around, pouring something into the bathwater and even testing it before he came back for her.

  She didn't protest when he cradled her in his arms and carried her to the bath. She didn't tell him how much it meant to her when he brushed out her long hair while she relaxed in the water. She didn't say anything until they were both back in bed and he was curled protectively around her, holding her close, his body tight against hers.

  Pepper closed her eyes and whispered to the night. To him. "Je t'aime, Wyatt, avec chaque souffle dans mon corps."

  "With every breath in your body forever, Pepper. For always," he prompted, his voice sleepy, his warm breath on the nape of her neck.

  Pepper found herself smiling in the dark. She felt loved, cared for her, relaxed and safe. Wyatt had done that. If he needed the words, she could give them to him.

  "Pour toujours, Wyatt, pour toujours."

  Forever. For always. And she meant it.

  Chapter 15

  Wyatt maneuvered the airboat through the dark, swampy waters slowly, suppressing the sound so it couldn't travel through the night to
the guards patrolling the fence line of the Wilson Plastics compound. No one spoke aloud, using hand signals or telepathy to communicate as Wyatt took the boat as close as he dared to their destination. He needed the boat close in case they had to make a run for it with the children.

  Wyatt was grateful he'd come to this part of the swamp so many times throughout his childhood. It made it much easier to avoid the cypress stumps and trees looming up along the shore as they made their way to shallower waters.

  They each knew the layout of the building and each had their own enhancements. The five men were used to working together, already a cohesive team, but Pepper was an outsider, one they weren't familiar with, yet they needed her. Ordinarily, they would never have gone into the field with someone they didn't know. Wyatt saw the others exchanging uneasy glances and he couldn't blame them. Bringing someone untried, someone new, into a cohesive team was a recipe for disaster.

  He was certain none of them believed she would betray them, they'd gotten to know her and they all trusted Wyatt. He was connected to her and he hadn't found one hint of conspiracy or an alternate agenda. He'd made that abundantly clear to them. She wanted those children free just as they did. Just the same, she was an unknown. All of them knew they could count on each other, but Pepper... He sighed. They would just have to do the best they could.

  Draden leapt from the boat when he stopped it and almost instantly disappeared into the terrain. He blended wherever he was, a ghost, moving through any background, impossible to find unless it was far too late and he was already on top of you. He would be their man to take out the guards while Wyatt controlled the dogs. Draden tied off the boat to keep it in place, using a tree stump.

  Watch yourself. Snakes and alligators love this particular spot, Wyatt warned. Zeke, we're countin' on you to keep them away from us.

  Roger that.

  In the field, Ezekiel was all business. The cat in him was strong, the drive to hunt sometimes coming close to overpowering him. He was enormously strong and could leap high as well as long distances. He would clear most fences with no problem. Ezekiel was an extremely dangerous man, but he never left a friend, and he would fight to the death to get to a team member in trouble. Wyatt was grateful he was there.

  Out of curiosity, Pepper, Ezekiel asked. Can you control snakes?

  Wyatt felt the instant alertness in the team members. He glanced down at her face. Did she feel it too? Did she feel the sudden change in energy directed at her? She already felt like an outsider, a flawed GhostWalker, destined for termination. Wyatt wasn't as certain that Whitney wanted her dead, but still, he knew she felt very alone.

  Her eyes met his as she took his hand to step from the boat. He pulled her in close to his body, wanting her to feel protected. Not in the way you mean, Ezekiel. I can't make them move away from me, but I can soothe them sometimes if they're agitated. I usually am aware of a snake close to me, but I can't always count on that. Here in the swamp, I had a lucky escape or two. It's possible Ginger can though, she added, sounding matter-of-fact.

  Wyatt knew she didn't feel matter-of-fact. He tightened his fingers around hers and pulled her hand to his chest, pouring his mind into hers, filling her with him - with his belief in her. She wasn't alone and he didn't want her to ever think she was.

  I meant the things I said to you earlier, Pepper. We're together in this. We'll get them out. The boys are used to workin' with each other. They trust you, but you're an unknown in the middle of a team that's worked together through many battles. We know how one another thinks.

  She nodded her head in understanding. I'll stay open to you at all times. You can build a bridge between us, Wyatt, so I'm included in your loop.

  And you're under my command. He wanted to make that very clear. It's important we work together as a team, Pepper. I can' have a wild card runnin' loose when all of our lives are on the line. Our first priority is the children, but if we have to cut and fade, you will come with us.

  She bit down hard on her lower lip. Her guilt and sorrow at leaving the other two girls behind still beat at her. She was afraid for them, afraid they would think she'd abandoned them, and he didn't blame her, but they had to be prepared for a fight with Whitney's soldiers once they took the girls back, and that meant preparation time.

  I'll never forgive myself if anything happened to them. I know Braden would have ordered the guards and the lab techs to tell them I left them and I wasn't coming back.

  She'd told him that last night, but he let her say it again. In the midst of a team of GhostWalkers, she had to feel isolated. She wouldn't be there at all if they didn't need her to get the children out. They could kill the guards and use their keys and prints to open the elevators, but that would open an entire new can of worms. The goal was to get in and get out without anyone knowing they were there until after they were gone. The last thing any of them wanted to do was fight their way out with two babies on their hands.

  Wyatt took the lead, moving through the swamp, feeling carefully with not only his experience, but also with his enhanced cat senses. Oftentimes, one could take a step and just sink right through to the murky, muddy waters below. The ground could be very thin in places. One had to know where to step, and even then, erosion was always taking place in the ever-changing swamp.

  The babies will know better. The guards and lab people aren't goin' to persuade them differently. They'll be able to sense lies. Ginger can, and no doubt the others can as well. I think Whitney wants us to have those babies. I think he studied my personality and yours and knew we'd fight for those children regardless of whether or not we believed they were biologically ours.

  Then we really could be walking into a trap. What's to say he doesn't want us all living in the horrible compound, guinea pigs for his experiments?

  Wyatt shrugged. It doesn't really matter much, does it? We're not leavin' them there, so we don' really have a choice. Whitney doesn' like things easy for us. He sets up his hideous little experiments to see how his soldiers work together. That's part of his fun.

  He held up his fist as they approached the end of the tree-line. His team sank low and scanned the tall fence just ahead of them. Pepper followed their example. She'd gone out many times as a child and teenager, into the field to practice and learn maneuvers so she wasn't unfamiliar with their silent signals.

  Malichai leapt for the branches of the nearest tree, drawing himself up easily, careful to keep the leaves from rustling or the branches from swaying. He was light and nimble when he needed, a strange phenomenon for such a big man. The others all called him the "rubber man" because his spine was so flexible, much like a large cat's, that he could turn in midair and switch direction. His flexible spine came in handy when moving fast through trees.

  Two guards on this side. Our friend Larry and his pal, Jim. They've got the dog, Wyatt. You'll have to reach out and keep that dog moving. He's already scenting the cat in all of us.

  I don' think so. He didn' really react when he was near the house and I had my scent everywhere. I think he's lookin' for a particular scent. Snake. He's reactin' to Pepper bein' close. I've almost got him. Give me another minute. Draden, hold your position.

  Draden stilled at the very edge of the grass leading to the fence. The dog whined, swinging his head toward them, and then just as quickly, turned away, walking casually close to the chain-link fence with his handler.

  Wyatt waited until the two guards moved around the corner of the building. You're on, Draden, be careful. They've got a guard up on the roof. Don' forget the cameras. We don' want Whitney to see any feed of us workin' together. We give that man nothing at all if we can help it.

  A lazy one on the roof, Malichai said. That's no soldier. He's lighting a cigarette. He's got a comfy chair up there and a he's settling down to read.

  A literate guard. Wyatt couldn't keep the laughter out of his voice.

  The guards at the plastic plant had no idea what was going in or out of their compound and they'd grown
a little complacent. Larry, he knew, was suspicious. He'd even tried to warn Wyatt, which signaled he wasn't privy to Whitney's plans. The civilian guards were considered disposable by Whitney and Braden. Wyatt didn't consider them disposable, and he'd cautioned his team, especially Ezekiel and Trap, to use as little force as possible.

  You're absolutely certain of the thickness of those walls? he asked Pepper, building a bridge so his team could hear. We can't be off at all.

  There was no way to measure, Wyatt. I went off the original blueprints and added what I thought looked right, but if you're planning on setting a charge... She trailed off, obviously worried.

  Charges make noise. We're goin' in absolutely silent. I would prefer no one knew we've been here, at least not tonight. Trap, we don' have exact measurements. If you can' feel how thick that concrete wall is, don' attempt to get in. We'll think of somethin' else.

  Tell me what you're doing, Pepper demanded.

  We're goin' to take the buildin'. You'll go in through the air vents just like you did before. In case they're lyin' in wait for you, Trap will go in first to protect you and children.

  That's your plan? Are you insane? It's impossible. He's too big. He'd never be able to fit into the vents.

  Wyatt curled his fingers around the nape of her neck, his thumb pushing up her chin so she was forced to look at him. He could feel her pulse beating hard into his hands. He'll be there. If he can', I'll let you know and you abort until we all get inside to take them back. If we have to, we'll kill everyone inside. We don' want to do that, but we won' leave the children in those cells, Pepper. That's a promise.

  She swallowed hard and put her hand on his forearm. You know someone will be waiting down in the cells.

  Maybe. Maybe not. They've never had a real break-in before, and I would guess they don' believe it's possible.

  Pepper took a deep breath and let it out. How is Trap going to get into the cells where the children are being held without being seen? You never told me.

  That's what he does, honey. Just do your part and get into position. Wait until I give the go-ahead and then get to the children. And don' let them bite Trap.