Lethal Game

by Christine Feehan

  She understood, probably better than the GhostWalkers, why Rubin’s ability had to be kept a secret from Whitney and the rest of the world. She also understood that just by giving her that knowledge, she was being included in their circle, accepted into their family because of Malichai, and if she ever tried to betray them, she would be hunted by every GhostWalker alive and they would never stop until she was dead. That was the code they lived by. And she would live by it too. She would protect this man and his gift as well.

  Another hour passed. She chewed on her bottom lip. No one moved. No one fidgeted. She didn’t like that so much time slipped by. That meant, in spite of all the work she’d done, there was so much more to do. Had she missed some fractures? What was really wrong with Malichai’s bone that it continued to have those small fractures erupt around the original bullet wounds? It didn’t make sense. She tried to puzzle it out. A few times she felt eyes on her and found the man standing in front of the door watching her.

  That was Trap, the owner of the plane. The genius. The one Malichai’d said had Asperger’s and wasn’t always nice to everyone but was a good friend. Mordichai, his brother, stood in front of the window, making certain no one could catch a glimpse of Rubin working, not that she thought they would have a clue what he was doing.

  Eventually Rubin straightened and lifted a hand to his neck to ease his sore muscles. “This is certainly interesting, Malichai.” He looked around, saw the armchair and immediately went to it and sank down. There was weariness in his voice.

  Immediately, Mordichai went to his brother and gripped his shoulder. “You okay?”

  “I’m good. Not so sure about Rubin.”

  “Introduce us to your lady,” Trap said. “She kicked ass for you.”

  Amaryllis thought that was a good thing. Trap might accept her into the circle after hearing and watching on the phone while she tried her best to heal Malichai’s leg. She was more interested in Rubin’s assessment of Malichai’s injury but before she could say so, she realized they were deliberately giving him time to recover.

  “Amaryllis, these are my brothers, Ezekiel, Mordichai, Trap and Rubin.” Malichai indicated each one. “This is my woman, Amaryllis.” Malichai took her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

  She tried not to pull her hand away, but the gesture had embarrassed her a little. The darkness helped, although she knew they could see every bit as well as she could.

  “Nice job you did,” Rubin said. “Especially for a first time and given the mess his bone had to have been. Just seeing it again after you worked on it, I realized how close we came to losing him. You saved his life whether you know it or not.”

  “What is going on with his leg?” Ezekiel asked.

  “I’m not certain what is causing the continual damage, but if I had to take a guess, I’d say it had something to do with the second-generation Zenith. The damage originates around the wounds where Malichai slapped on the field dressings. Of course, they were the worst wounds.”

  Rubin ran his fingers through his hair. “I need to sleep. All of you do. Malichai. You and Amaryllis need sleep, as much as possible. I want you treating that leg with care. You walk, and slowly, not jog or run. You swim as often as possible. In the water you’re exercising it but it isn’t weight bearing. I’ll check it daily to make certain you aren’t overdoing it. Stay off it when you can. No more standing around. When you sit, put the leg up.”

  “Roger that,” Malichai said.

  “We have to get out of here before anyone sees us in this room,” Ezekiel said.

  Just like that, they were gone. Like ghosts. Amaryllis slid down and Malichai curled around her. She had a hundred questions, but her eyes were already closing, and she fell asleep before she could ask any of them.

  8

  Malichai flashed what he hoped was a charming smile at the older woman working behind the counter at the magic shop. “I’m actually looking for a good friend of mine. She owns the shop. Miss Crystal? I’m only in town for a few days and we had an appointment to meet, but she didn’t show.”

  A flash of annoyance crossed the older woman’s face. “She isn’t here.”

  Your charm clearly isn’t working. Mordichai’s amused voice slipped into his head.

  Malichai gave the mental equivalent of flipping his brother off. He leaned on the counter and gave the woman another smile. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

  “Tess.” She gave it abruptly. “Why?”

  “Just being polite,” Malichai said and gave her another smile, this one not so charming. “Where is Miss Crystal? She’s never broken an appointment with me yet.”

  “I have no idea. She asked me to cover for her and I’m doing it. If you’re not going to buy anything, you might move along.” She had a slight southern accent, but she certainly didn’t have southern manners.

  Malichai’s eyebrow shot up. “I doubt Miss Crystal is aware of how rude you are to her friends and customers. If I didn’t have to go swimming this morning as part of my physical therapy, I’d be going to the cops to ask them to do a well check. You’d have to come up with answers then.” He turned and stormed out, making certain to limp heavily, before she could respond.

  As part of your physical therapy? Mordichai sounded very amused. You might have overplayed that one, bro.

  I wanted her to know I was injured, and it’s true.

  Limping like a three-legged dog wasn’t enough?

  Malichai couldn’t help the small grin as he made his way down the steps of the magic shop and limped through the alley, ignoring the other stores.

  She’s watching you, Mordichai reported. A man joined her. Getting photographs now. Will run them through facial recognition. Now they’ve been joined by a third man. You’ve gained quite an audience. Don’t overdo your performance.

  I think I’ve done this before, and my acting has always been praised for outstanding realism.

  Mordichai groaned. I knew that one stupid article that was planted in the college paper was going to come back to bite me in the ass. You didn’t actually act in that play, Malichai. It was a setup.

  So you say and you’ve always been jealous of my ability to impress the audiences with my skills. Malichai rounded the corner and almost ran directly into Amaryllis. She’d been sound asleep when he’d left that morning.

  She glared at him, stopping directly in front of him. He was grateful he’d gotten around the corner and out of sight of the three people watching him. The late morning sun turned her hair into a blaze of icy gold. He couldn’t help smoothing the strands with his hands, feeling all that silk. Soothing her.

  “You did it, didn’t you? You set yourself up without me to have your back.”

  “Babe. I’m working here. Don’t rain on my parade. My brothers are in town and they agreed you needed sleep after working on my leg.”

  “That healer said you needed to rest the leg, not walk around on it just hours after we worked on it.”

  He took her elbow and turned her toward the beach. “First, you did the work too. Just because someone else did work after you doesn’t negate the fact that you need to rest. Second, you should still be in bed.”

  And I’m going to kill Zeke. He was supposed to be watching her. Where the hell is he? He could have used a warning that she was close. Amaryllis could have blown everything.

  “I woke up and you weren’t there,” she said. “Seriously, Malichai. You could undo all the work that was done last night.”

  “The leg is strong. Stronger than it’s ever been. It will hold. You can’t be here, honey. I mean it. I have to see if they’ll try to attack me in the water the way someone did Dozer.”

  “Dozer is a little crazy, Malichai.” She threw her hands into the air. “You shouldn’t be running around on that leg. I’m serious. I can swim just as fast in the water as you can. If someone needs to be a targ
et, I can do it. You should have waited for me. I would have set myself up.”

  “You’ve got enough work to do at the B and B for Marie and Jacy, babe. I can do this much. It’s no big thing.”

  “Malichai, just think about what you could be doing to that leg.” She shook her head, looking more anxious than ever.

  He took her face gently between his hands. “You know Rubin worked on my leg. He wants me swimming in the ocean. He thinks that will be what strengthens my leg. I hope he’s right. I won’t be running or even jogging. I’m not going to overdo it. I’m just going to swim.”

  She took a deep breath and then forced herself to nod when she clearly didn’t want to give in. “Tell me what’s happening.” She didn’t like it, but she accepted what he said and was willing to go along with it.

  “Miss Crystal wasn’t in the shop. The woman who was in there was very rude and didn’t like me asking questions. If she was hired to watch the store in the owner’s absence, there would be no reason for her to be rude to one of Miss Crystal’s friends. And to have two men join her at the door and watch me walk off says something even more sinister.”

  “You could be absolutely right. But setting yourself up to be killed underwater where no one can see you or help you is ludicrous. I can go into the water with you. You know I’m a really good swimmer, probably as good as you.”

  “No, you’re going to go back to the bed-and-breakfast and watch over Marie and Jacy. I don’t like the fact that Anna and Bryon were murdered, and Burnell and Jay feel threatened. That’s too close to Marie and Jacy.”

  She glanced up at him, a shadow crossing her face. “Do you really think there could be a danger to them?”

  “I think it’s a good possibility if Anna and Bryon were really murdered—and I think they were. I don’t know what’s going on, but we need to get to the bottom of it. I’d feel better if you were there to watch over them. Rubin should be somewhere close by if you need backup. He needed sleep, and unlike you, I imagine he’s actually getting it. Ezekiel is probably making himself and everyone else crazy by inspecting every inch of the bed-and-breakfast to see if someone has the place wired.”

  “It sounds as if your people have everything well in hand.”

  They stood together on the sidewalk just in front of the long expanse of sand. Already the lounge chairs were filling up as people claimed their spots for the day. The water glittered as if diamonds were scattered across the surface. Waves raced toward the beach, folding over to form foamy crests several yards from shore. It was an idyllic scene. Beautiful and peaceful. One would never consider murder might have taken place on that white sand or near the serenity of the ocean.

  “Marie needs you, Amaryllis,” Malichai said gently. He framed her face again and bent his head toward hers. “I need to know you’ve got this. I can’t be worried about them and still go into the sea knowing I might be attacked.”

  “Your brothers . . .”

  “Marie doesn’t know them. She knows you. If you say run, she’ll run. No hesitation. You know that. I’m enhanced. I can stay underwater far longer than Dozer can. I don’t feel the cold the way others do. Once I’m in the water, my weight is off my leg. I’m going to be far more worried about you, Marie and Jacy than myself.”

  He brushed kisses over each of her eyes, her nose and finally her mouth. He was very fond of her mouth. She parted her lips and he was kissing her, bringing her body tight against his. Immediately she swept him away into another world where he only had to feel. Everything else dropped away but Amaryllis and how her body felt against his. How her mouth was hot and seductive, putting all kinds of erotic images in his head.

  “Looks like you two know each other very well.”

  They broke apart, laughing, turning to face the man who stood there grinning at them. Craig Williams was dressed in board shorts and a tee that said “Hittin’ the Waves Today.” His hair was slightly a mess and his dark glasses were reflective.

  Malichai nodded, giving Craig a slightly sheepish grin in return. “Amaryllis is my fiancée. So, yeah, we know each other very well.”

  “You’re very professional, Amaryllis,” Craig said. “I couldn’t tell. I thought maybe you were friends, but it isn’t like you’re all over each other.”

  “We try to show restraint in front of the guests,” Malichai answered for her, again giving Craig a small smile of camaraderie, as if sharing that it wasn’t always that easy. “Do you visit San Diego often?”

  Craig shook his head. “First time. I met a few people online and have become good friends with them over the last year or so. We’re meeting in person for the first time here in San Diego at a convention.”

  “The convention to exchange ideas for world peace?” Amaryllis asked.

  Craig nodded. “That’s the one. I’ve been an avid participant in the forums. It’s been shocking to see the number of countries represented and the amount of people willing to try to come up with ideas. The discussions are always respectful, although they have gotten heated occasionally, but the monitors seem to always get everyone back to the same page—respecting points of view and actually listening.”

  Malichai hadn’t really thought too much about the convention being held at the San Diego Convention Center, but it was a huge facility, capable of housing thousands of people. He couldn’t help thinking of the phrase “maximum number of people killed.” If one wanted to kill a lot of people, the convention for ideas on world peace would be a good place to start. He glanced down at Amaryllis. She was looking up at him and he could see on her face that she was thinking the same thing he was.

  “Are any of your friends staying at the bed-and-breakfast?” Malichai asked.

  Craig shook his head. “They’re scattered around in various hotels. There are very few rooms anywhere with the convention so close.” He winked at Amaryllis. “I can see he’s not in town for world peace.”

  He held out his hand to Malichai. “I’m Craig Williams.”

  “Malichai Fortunes. You’ve met Amaryllis.”

  “I have.” His expression changed. “There’s a rumor going around that the couple in one of the rooms carried out a murder-suicide pact right there. If that was true, the cops would be all over the place, but there is one room with tape across the door.”

  Amaryllis nodded. “Unfortunately, the couple was found dead elsewhere, but we don’t have many details on what happened or how they died.”

  That much was true and Malichai was proud of how she handled it. Very matter-of-factly, but her voice was tinged with sadness.

  “I didn’t get the chance to meet them,” Craig said. “I normally meet people online. I spend most of my time on a computer. This is my first real foray into a live event.” He looked toward the water. “What are you two up to this morning?”

  “I have to get back to help Marie,” Amaryllis said.

  “I’m going for a swim this morning.” Malichai made a face. “Took a little bit of a hit and need some physical therapy. Promised, since I insisted on visiting Amaryllis, that I’d swim. Apparently, that’s good for my leg.”

  “A little bit of a hit?” Craig echoed.

  “He’s in the service,” Amaryllis answered, rolling her eyes. “He was shot. Several times. He wasn’t supposed to come and see me, but he never listens.”

  Craig’s eyes widened in shock. “You got shot? With a gun?”

  “A machine gun, actually,” Amaryllis clarified when Malichai didn’t answer.

  Malichai sent her a quelling look. She wrapped her arm around his waist and gazed up at him adoringly. He had no idea if she was acting or if she meant it.

  “He doesn’t like me talking about it because he’s so modest, but he saved a lot of lives.”

  “Go to work,” Malichai ordered gruffly. He bent his head, kissed her upturned mouth and then gave her a little push in the direction of the bed-and
-breakfast.

  Laughing, Amaryllis waved at the two men and sauntered off, her hips swaying. Malichai sighed. “That woman.”

  “She’s beautiful. And nice. I don’t leave my house that much. I work from home on a computer and most of the time, my friends do as well. She’s easy to talk to.”

  That explained the awkward stares Craig gave Burnell and Jay. He probably had no idea how to talk to real human beings, face-to-face.

  “Amaryllis is very easy to talk to,” Malichai conceded. He began to inch toward the edge of the sidewalk. To his consternation, Craig moved with him. “I’m going to have to get this swim done.” He kept walking, determinedly stepping onto the sand.

  Craig followed him. “I don’t swim. I don’t even know how.”

  Malichai picked up the pace. He was fairly certain Craig was going to follow him right down to the water’s edge so he could see Malichai’s “wound.” If that was the case, he might as well get it over with. He had to strip off his track pants. He wore board shorts under them, but he wasn’t walking around that way, revealing to the world the raw, shiny wounds in his leg.

  He didn’t answer but found a lounge chair up closer to the water and casually tugged down the track pants. He heard Craig’s swift inhale and caught sight of the very real horror on the man’s face.

  “Wow. You really did get shot. More than once.”

  “Yeah. I did,” Malichai said.

  “Looks recent.”

  “A few weeks ago. Had a couple of operations.” Make that several. Lots of blood transfusions. He’d nearly died on the helicopter ride, but he’d been lucky that Rubin had been with him. If not, no one could have saved him. Then Ezekiel and the rest of the team refused to give up on him once he was taken off the helicopter and brought to their makeshift hospital before being transferred to Germany. It was a long road back and he was still traveling it.