Predatory Game

CHAPTER 19

“Logan and Neil checked out Les’s home and most of it was stripped clean. All but the little homemade dungeon he apparently had waiting for you,” Jess said.

Saber shuddered. “There are just some things in life it’s best not to hear about and Les’s dungeon is one of them. What do you mean the house was stripped clean? Weren’t there any prints?” She felt awful. So tired she could barely stand, and twice now she’d had nosebleeds. She’d covered it up at the police station when she was giving her report, but all she wanted to do was crawl in a hole somewhere.

Jess leaned forward in his chair to reach the cup of coffee she put on the table in front of him. It had been a long day with the police, checking on Brady at the hospital, visiting Patsy, and then talking with Logan and Neil. Saber hadn’t even gone to bed. They lost both soundmen at the radio station and he sure as hell didn’t want Saber to go in to work. He didn’t want her away from him.

“There were prints, but they didn’t tell us too much that we didn’t already know. I ran his prints when I hired him, and nothing popped out at me. It seems he failed to mention on his resume that he spent a couple of years working at the Whitney Research Center in California.”

“Brian said Les was reporting to Whitney, but he was a very sick man. Do you think Whitney knew he was sick and that’s why he sent Brian as well?” Saber asked. She yawned and pressed two fingers to her throbbing temples, trying to stop the incessant pounding. “It’s all too complicated for me to figure out.”

“They found recordings of Les’s ramblings. Most of the recordings were missing, so I’m assuming the ones referring to Whitney were taken, but there were enough left to show his descent into madness. It seemed to happen over time.”

There was something in his tone that had Saber going on alert. She reached across the table and caught his hand, waited until his eyes met hers. “It had something to do specifically with me? Did Whitney set him up?”

“We don’t know, baby, but it’s a possibility.”

She jumped up and turned away from him to pace across the floor. Even her legs felt rubbery, her body trembling with weakness.

“Whitney had another man like this working for him, a very sick doctor. Logan thinks it’s part of a larger research project Whitney’s conducting.” As Saber went by him, Jess caught her arm to stop her. “We all believe that Whitney has psychic ability. That he reads people. How else would he find infants with psychic ability? He isn’t the kind of man to have a couple of deviants working for him unless he wanted to study them.”

She frowned and pulled her arm away, not wanting him to notice she couldn’t control the trembling. “Whitney sent him on purpose? How could he know that he’d come after me like that?”

“He didn’t. He wanted to see. At least that’s what we think.”

“And he sent Brian along just in case.”

“He probably didn’t want to take a chance that anything would happen to you before you had a baby. If Brian is a shielder, then at this time, I know of only four of us. Kadan, you, Brian, and me. He needs more children to be born because it’s so rare and obviously he thinks we’re his best bet.”

“Great. I can never have a baby.”

“We’ll have babies,” he said softly, reaching for her again and drawing her close to him. “I’ve already talked to Ken and Jack about purchasing land close to them. We can build a fortress up in the mountains. A few of the others may join us and we can protect the children.”

“What about Patsy? It bothered me that Brian was so insistent about seeing her.”

Jess was silent for a moment, turning things over in his mind. Brian risked being caught to see his sister. Granted, the guards weren’t GhostWalkers, but they were well-trained men from Brady’s security force. When he’d spoken with Patsy she had admitted Brian had come to say good-bye.

“Patsy’s never met Whitney, has she?” Saber asked.

Everything inside of Jess went still. His thoughts were already heading in the direction of Saber’s and it scared him. If Whitney had managed to observe his operation at a major hospital with GhostWalkers around, he certainly could waltz into the hospital where Patsy was.

“Oh God. Hand me the phone. I want her protected at all times. We’ve got to get her out of that hospital and into some place we can better guard her.”

Saber shoved the phone into his hand. “Maybe I should get over there.” She didn’t want to. She wanted someone else to handle all the problems so she could just crawl in bed.

Ken, you and Mari get over to the hospital fast and guard Patsy. I’m afraid Whitney may make a try for her.

Then you wouldn’t have any protection. Neil is meeting with Kadan today and the others were called to work.

Jess glared at Saber, frustrated that Ken would argue with him. “You’re not going without me. I’m sending Ken and Mari there as well.” Get to Patsy. We’ll be right behind you.

You’re vulnerable here, Jess.

Damn it. Don’t you think I know that? Go!

“We’ve got to get over there, Saber. If Brian was interested in Patsy, Whitney must have somehow paired them using his pheromone enhancers. He won’t let her go.”

Saber had reached for the van keys, but she dropped them back on the table and stopped, turning to look at him. “What does that mean, Jesse? You don’t think Brian could have genuine feelings for Patsy?”

“What difference does it make?” he snapped impatiently, reaching past her for the keys. “Let’s go.”

“You go.”

Jess whipped his chair around. “Don’t do this, Saber, not now. Patsy could be in danger.”

“Brian isn’t going to hurt Patsy. And in any case, he’s long gone. She said he left, remember? And Ken and Mari won’t let anything happen to her. I think you should go and see for yourself, but I’m tired. I’ve been up nearly twenty-four hours, been in a shoot-out, and used up all my energy trying to heal your legs. I’m going to bed.”

“Damn it, Saber. This isn’t the time to get pissed off. I wasn’t talking about us.”

“Yes, you were. You think I’m going to just let that go, Jesse? Brian is after Patsy for no other reason than because Whitney paired them? Patsy is beautiful, far more so than I am. She’s sophisticated and educated and most men would kill to have her. She isn’t anything at all like me. If you don’t think Brian could be attracted to her for herself, then no way in hell did you fall in love with me on your own.”

He raked a hand through his hair, wanting to shake her. She was exhausted. He could see it on her face. And hurt. He could see that in her eyes. But the truth was, she was looking for a way out because she was afraid-of him, of Whitney, of being involved in a family, of being part of the community of GhostWalkers.

“You’ve always got one foot out the door, Saber. No matter how much I tell you I love you or that I want you, no matter how many times I tell you that you’re my world and I’d give up everything for you, it isn’t going to matter if you don’t feel it too. I can’t make you want to stay. And I’m not holding you against your will, as much as I’d like to.”

He threw the keys back on the table. “Do you think I’m proud of the fact that we didn’t use birth control? Do you think a man like me ever-ever-forgets something that important? I wanted you pregnant. I wanted you to have my child growing inside of you because you wouldn’t leave me. You’d need me to take care of you and the baby. I hate that I did that. That I even thought that. That’s as much of a trap as Whitney had you in. If you stay with me, it has to be because you love me and want to be with me.”

“It’s so easy for you, Jess. You have it all. The parents. Patsy. Your friends. Everyone respects you. I come from nothing. I don’t even have a name or a birthday. I can do all the things Patsy can do because I was educated for the purpose of fitting into any society to kill. That was my main goal for everything I ever learned.”

He spread out his hands. “But that isn’t who you are. You’ve lived here going on a year, Saber, and I can tell you, I have more of a killer instinct than you. Brian knew that or he wouldn’t have blown his cover. He’d still be here watching us, informing Whitney and seeing my sister. But you wouldn’t kill Les.”

“I would have killed Chaleen. When I thought she was a threat to you…”

“But you didn’t. And that’s the point. It isn’t in your nature. I see you. Who you are. Who you can be. For once in your life stop running from yourself and have the courage to take what you want. I’m right here. In front of you.”

Saber sank into a chair and rested her head in the crook of her arm on the table. “I’m so tired, Jesse, I can’t think anymore. Go see Patsy and make sure she’s fine and I’ll sleep for a while, and when you come back we can talk.”

His breath caught in his throat. Something was very wrong. Saber didn’t get tired-not like this. He should have noticed the moment they were alone together. He rolled his chair closer to her and put his hand on her forehead. She wasn’t running a fever and that could only mean she was feeling repercussions from trying to heal the damaged nerves and muscle in his legs. It wouldn’t be unusual for a GhostWalker to have problems after using psychic ability. Many had brain bleeds and other major physical problems. He should have considered that.

“Come on, baby, let’s get you to bed. I’ll call Eric to come over and check you out, just in case.”

“No, I don’t want that man near me, and I’m just exhausted. I can hardly function, let alone think. Please just go see Patsy, you won’t worry so much if you do. I’ll be fine here.” She let him pull her out of the chair and onto his lap. She nuzzled his neck. “Tell me about your legs. So much has been going on I haven’t had a chance to ask you if you think I helped.”

“I think you saved my legs for me, baby. I spent the evening while you were working swimming and relearning how to use my legs. It’s interesting. I know how to walk, but I actually have to remember, think each step through. But I only fell a few times.” There was excitement in his voice.

He pushed the wheelchair through the house toward his bedroom. “I’m resting my legs right now. Eric said not to be stupid and overdo, even though I really want to go running.” He kissed the top of her head. “Go running. Did you hear that, Saber? It’s possible that I’ll be running in a few days and you did that. You. You’re a fucking miracle, babe. My own personal angel.”

She sighed softly and murmured something he couldn’t catch, her small body relaxing into his.

Jess slowed his pace. She had fallen asleep in his lap. Even with his astonishing news, she had crashed-big time. His mouth went dry. He wasn’t a man to feel panic, but he wanted to call Lily and ask her if it was normal for Saber to have this reaction. Unfortunately Lily wasn’t available to him. Ryland and she had gone underground with the baby being born. A boy, Daniel Ryland Miller. Jess was certain he would see them up in the mountains when they bought land in the same vicinity.

A thin red streak flashed across the room right in front of him and Jess slammed the chair to a halt and dove for the floor, taking Saber with him. They landed hard, Saber beneath him as half a dozen tiny red beams hit the wall.

“Shit. Shit. We’re under attack. Are you hurt? Did I hurt you?” He stayed low, trying to get a look at her and move them at the same time.

“I’m fine.” Her voice was utterly calm. “But I’m really getting sick of this. Let’s take them out for good this time, Jesse. This is our home.”

“Crawl forward, toward the exercise room. I’ve got things stashed in there we’ll need.”

She didn’t ask questions, but scooted, more on her belly than hands and knees, going fast as the first canister of gas blew through the window and exploded. She closed her eyes and held her breath. She knew her way around the house without sight and she went unerringly, Jess right behind her. She could feel his body skimming over the top of hers as they moved, Jess crawling with her, his body shielding hers.

Her arms and legs felt like lead, but now she was beginning to lose her temper. Is your office secure?

They can eventually get it open, but when they try to blow it, and they will, they’ll get a few nasty surprises. It will also trigger a meltdown in the hard drive. Everything will be wiped clean.

They don’t know you can use your legs. You can use them, can’t you? That was her biggest anxiety. If Jess needed a wheelchair, they were in for trouble.

I might not be fast, but I can use them. Keep going, baby, it’s getting bad in here.

He all but pushed her through the door to the exercise room and slammed it shut. They stayed low to the floor, taking in deep breaths of clean air. Saber crawled over to the cabinet holding the towels, grabbed a couple, and shoved them into the crack.

“What am I looking for?”

“Move the cabinet out,” Jess instructed. “There’ll be a keypad. Code in ‘red flag.’ Count ten seconds and code in 997342. That will get the door open.”

Saber punched in the codes as quickly as she could. Tracers were zinging through the kitchen and living room, and the thunk of the canisters of gas could be clearly heard as they hit the floors or walls.

“I need the laptop. Hurry. I can lock this room down. They’re going to try to kill us, Saber. Have you ever been in a combat situation?”

“I trained with weapons, but without an anchor I have a bad reaction. I’m an expert marksman, though, and I’m very good with a knife.”

“You can’t hesitate, Saber. You’re going to have to shoot to kill. And stay right by me so we can do this.”

She had the steel door built into the wall behind the towel cabinet open. There was an arsenal there as well as gas masks and the latest in body armor. She pushed the laptop into his hands and turned back to the weapons.

Jess flipped the top open and powered up the laptop.

“This room was built specifically for this purpose.”

She sent him a quick glare over her shoulder. “Nice that you told me. What other secrets do you have?”

“Okay, I’ve got it up and running. Am locking it down.”

Coverings slid into place over the windows, thick steel to prevent the gas canisters and attackers from entering.

“Bullets aren’t going to penetrate the walls and doors. The coverings won’t stop them, but it will slow them down until our team shows up.”

“What else does that thing do?” She began pulling weapons and ammunition out and tossing them to him.

Saber shoved guns and knives into her waistband, taped one to her ankle and another to her wrist. She threw him a vest and donned one herself and then added the gas masks to their growing pile.

“I need the small suitcase. Hurry, Saber.”

She dragged it off the shelf and gave it to him. “I hate to ask.”

He flashed a quick grin. “I’ve tapped into the security monitors and you can see them. I count six. They’re coming in.”

“We’re overloaded.” She traveled light and all the weapons were a bit much. Still, she strapped them on and went back to him.

He began pulling materials from the suitcase.

Saber stared at the contents and then at him. “A bomb? You’re going to make a bomb?”

“It’s mostly already made. I just have to arm it.” He positioned the claymore mine in the middle of the door and ran a thin trip wire to the door handle and signaled her to the other side of the room. “They’ll be coming into the house in another minute. They know we’re inside and they’ve got us surrounded. They’ll try to blow the door, and the claymore will take out anyone on the other side.”

“You’re crazy, you know that?” But she was beginning to feel safe with him. He was a soldier and very methodical. And he had planned for just such an attack. He was perfectly calm and very confident.

He flicked her a wicked smile. “You got it right, baby. I’m a GhostWalker and we were born crazy.”

Saber had the sudden urge to laugh. He really was crazy. “You like this, don’t you? They’re tearing up your house, and you’re stoked about it.”

“We’re moving anyway.” He indicated the wall around the swimming pool. “Get behind that. There’s a grate in the cement.”

Saber had looked at that grate hundreds of times, assuming it drained any water that splashed from the pool. “You have an escape route.”

His eyebrow shot up. “Doesn’t everybody?”

“I must be slipping. I didn’t suspect.” But she should have. Jess was no lamb. No Navy SEAL was. Add in the GhostWalker program and she should have been searching his house for his arsenal. “Is the house wired?”

“You’re making me proud, angel face. Hell yes, it’s wired. Pull the grate.” He indicated the monitor.

She could see shadowy figures moving through the smoke surrounding the house. Two tossed hooks over the upstairs balcony while others surrounded the house. They rushed, blowing open the doors and windows. Glass and wood sprayed into the air and shot across the interior of the rooms to slam into walls. The house shook ominously.

Saber ducked her head and Jess swept her behind him with one arm. “Stay close. The energy is going to be racing toward us and it’s going to get ugly.”

She planned on staying very close to him. His solid frame was comforting and his complete confidence inspired the same in her. The first rush of adrenaline was wearing off, leaving her more exhausted than ever, the psychic drain taking its toll. She rested her head against his broad back, and he reached over his shoulder to curl his arm around her neck, holding her to him while they both stared at the monitor. Saber held her breath.

Two men entered through the front door in standard two-man formation.

“They’re military,” Saber said. “Look at the way they’re moving.”

“I believe the late Colonel Higgens had a lot more to answer for than we gave him credit for. I think he was part of an espionage ring that reaches all the way to the White House.”

The two men separated, rifles at the ready, and began a cautious exploration of the living room. With the gas masks on, they looked like monsters as their shadowy figures moved through the swirling vapor.

“If they think you’ve uncovered evidence of that, they’ll want to kill you for certain, Jesse. They aren’t going to be taking prisoners.”

“I have that feeling.”

Jess watched as the two climbing the ropes made it onto the balcony. One pulled out a very large-looking knife while the other had a gun. They tried the door, and when it didn’t open, the one with the gun fired several shots. The two in the living room were too disciplined to react to the gunfire. They swept the room efficiently, quartering the area, checking thoroughly.

Jess kept his eyes fixed on them, so much so that Saber stopped watching the split screens showing every entry point and watched the living room. She felt the jump in Jess’s pulse, the slight tension in his body as the man sweeping to the left of the room approached the doorway to the kitchen. The soldier took a step, then a second one. She saw a light flash red on the strip along the bottom of the screen. The soldier stopped abruptly, staring down at his foot, and the very line of his body screamed horror. He said something to his partner, who backed up, looking wildly around him at the floor.

“Pressure switch. Now they know who they’re dealing with. Fucking amateurs want to play with me in my own house.”

Jess leaned his head back and kissed her. His mouth was hard and hot and commanding. She could feel the heat radiating from his skin and feel the rush of excitement flowing through his body.

A thousand butterfly wings brushed at her stomach and in spite of the situation they were in, her body reacted to his heat. “And all this time I thought you were so sweet.”

He laughed softly. “The wheelchair was my friend. If you had met me before I was in that chair, you would have run.” His eyes were locked on hers. Dark with the excitement of combat. Smoky with raw hunger. Sharp and piercing, revealing the true predator that lived in his skin.

She pressed a kiss to the back of his shoulder. “I would have run like a rabbit.”

Her gaze shifted back to the monitor, her heart picking up the acceleration of the soldier in the other room. She could taste his fear. She wasn’t made for this kind of combat. If she could have, she would have closed her eyes, but it was impossible to look away. The soldier shook, his rifle visibly trembling while his partner turned and ran from the living room to the stairs.

The soldier in the living room yelled loudly, but it didn’t slow his partner down. The running man’s sole hit the third stair, and the explosion rocked the house. Saber’s body jerked and she turned away from the screen, unable to watch as the body lifted into the air along with half the railing and several stairs, slamming into the ceiling and raining down wood, plaster, and body parts. The second explosion followed closely on the heels of the first as the soldier in the kitchen jerked his foot in automatic reaction.

Jess whirled around and pulled Saber into his arms, sheltering her as violent energy rushed through the house, walls serving as no barrier, the red-and black-edged waves seeking a target. He wrapped her up, putting his head over hers, holding her to him while the energy washed over them like a tidal wave. She felt stabs of pain, but they passed quickly as Jess absorbed the violence.

Because her rhythm automatically synced with his, she felt the racing current. Instead of pain, Jess’s body attracted the energy, soaked it up and processed it-and that startled her. She’d never actually thought much about how an anchor worked with that much energy, but it was as if he’d gobbled it up, absorbing it into his system to be used for other purposes. She could understand how he might be an adrenaline junkie. The violent energy infused him with strength, and the need for action.

“Are you all right?” Jess kissed the top of her head, stroked one hand down her hair, even as his eyes stayed glued to the screen.

She nodded. The two soldiers entering through the upstairs heard the explosions downstairs and they were sweeping the rooms in a hurried, but much more cautious manner. Two more were entering through the kitchen, and that made her heart jump-they were closest to the exercise room.

“Doesn’t it upset you that so many people want you dead?” she whispered.

“No, it just pisses me off. These men work for whoever is betraying our country-and whoever that is ordered them to torture my sister. I’m taking them all to hell, but before they go, they’re going to know they fucked with the wrong family.”

She felt the resolve in him, the absolute conviction that he was taking his enemies down. The confidence that was beginning to bloom in her increased, spreading and growing. The other GhostWalkers had the same mentality as Jess. They would stand together and fight back. There would be no running, no lying down to allow someone to destroy them no matter what the odds. She wanted that. She wanted to feel that same confidence. Be part of that tight-knit group willing to band together against all odds and believe absolutely that they could win. More than that-she wanted to belong to this man with his fierce pride and courage.

“Okay.”

The soldiers upstairs were at the top of the landing looking down into the destruction of the living room. One shifted position slightly to get a better look, hands on the railing as he bent over. Instantly a red light blinked on the bottom of the laptop screen.

“Okay what?” Jess asked.

She looked up at him, at the strength in his face, at those piercing ice-cold eyes alive with the cunning of a true predator.

“I’ll marry you.”

His gaze slid over her upturned face, and a slow smile softened the hard line of his mouth. He caught her chin. “And you’ll have my children.”

“You don’t want very much, do you?”

He took her mouth with his, the flare of heat instant, the taste of joy evident. Even in combat he could melt her.

His arms were around her, his tongue dancing with hers when the next explosion rocked the house. The soldier holding the railing had shifted position and the pressure switch had blown.

Jess held Saber tight, kissing her, his lips moving against hers. She felt the vibration rush through him as he drew the energy to him like a magnet. Electricity zinged through her-through him, a physical wave nearly sexual, almost euphoric.

She let out her breath and caught at him for support. “Jesse. That’s so dangerous.”

“And addicting. Every psychic gift comes with a high price tag. It would be easy to become addicted and need that kind of rush.” He flicked a glance at the screen and swore. “The bastard on the landing has an M203 attached to the bottom of his M16.”

Saber’s breath hitched in her throat. She knew that was a grenade launcher and she wanted no part of that.

“He’s going for my office,” Jess informed her.

Saber imagined hearing the distinctive click and then the thump as the grenade was sent streaking through the hall into the door of the office. The house shook as the office door blasted inward.

Once again Jess drew Saber close to him as the wave of energy rushed over them. Jess studied the soldier on the landing. “He’s directing everything. See, he’s staying to cover just in case either of the two coming from the kitchen steps on a switch. He’s lost three men, and he knows the house is wired, but he’s as cool as a cucumber. He’s going to sit up there with his little grenade launcher, safe while everyone else takes the risks.”

“Are we going to get out of here anytime soon?” Saber asked.

“I have a couple of things to take care of, baby.”

“Like staying alive?”

It looked like a war zone on the screen. She didn’t want to wait around until the intruders blew open the door to the exercise room.

“I have to make sure the office is destroyed with everything in it and I’ve got to kill every one of these bastards. The cops will be showing up any minute and I don’t want any of them to die because I ran.”

She couldn’t argue with that, but she wasn’t certain she believed him. The calm, easygoing man she’d been living with for the past year was riled, and he wasn’t going to cut and run until he’d taken out the men who had threatened his family. In a strange way it made her feel safe knowing he was that kind of man. But she also felt as if she should grab him and drag him into their bolt hole. She didn’t trust his legs. He hadn’t walked one single step, and the wheelchair was on the other side of the door.

“One man is approaching the office. The door’s gone. Let’s see if my failsafe works. All data on the computers should be corrupted beyond repair even if they managed to get a hard drive intact, but just in case…” He murmured aloud, talking more to himself than to her.

Saber leaned closer to peer at the monitor. Smoke and dust swirled thickly. A soldier wearing a gas mask emerged out of the rubble and stood at the entrance to the office, staring inside. He turned and looked up at the man on the landing, holding his thumb up to indicate they’d found the computers. She felt Jess go still, and then his adrenaline spiked. His arms tightened around her, pulling her into his chest, his head going over hers.

The initial explosion shook the house, the ground, but didn’t stop there. More followed, each blast louder than the last. The energy came at them in a series of waves. Saber was left feeling sick, her head pounding. Even with Jess’s presence absorbing all of it, the initial rush was a shock to her body.

Jess raised his head to take a quick glimpse at the monitor and swore. He caught at her, for the first time standing, pulling her up with him, dragging her down toward the grate. “Get down the steps, take the gear. Move fast, Saber.”

She couldn’t see what had alarmed him, and she didn’t wait around to find out. She caught up as many weapons as she could, tossing the gas masks down into the tunnel before she dropped into the hole. The stairs were narrow and steep, leading down to a very small tunnel. She could walk upright, but she knew Jess would never be able to.

“Jess, we don’t have your wheelchair.”

“I can walk. I won’t be winning any races, but I really can get my legs to work.” He was already swinging his body through the gap and reaching for the stairs with his legs, pulling the grate after him. “Go, he’s blowing the door.”

She watched him come down the stairs, bending to keep from hitting his head as he neared the bottom. She wasn’t running down that corridor until she knew he was safe.

“Go, damn it.”

“Are you sure you can do this?”

He gave her a little push, indicating she should run ahead of him. Saber whirled around and sprinted down the length of the tunnel. She was very small and could move fast, but from the little she’d just observed, Jess was still unsteady on his legs. He was also tall, with broad shoulders. He had to stoop and turn his body at an awkward angle to get through the winding passageway.

The blast was loud, reverberating through the tunnel. Smoke and dust poured in. A thin trail of red light led the way as they followed the corridor deeper into the earth. The sides were shored up with thick timber and wire over the dirt walls.

“They’re in,” hissed Jess. “The one trying to get data from the office is toast, and the first one into the exercise room won’t have a chance, but we’ll still have the one with the grenade launcher, and we can’t be caught inside this tunnel.”

“Are you certain they won’t get your files? What about the one you had on me?”

“I destroyed it. Run, Saber, stop worrying about me. In another minute we’re going to have someone shooting at us with a grenade launcher.”

Saber could feel him right behind her, so she accelerated her speed. She wasn’t particularly strong, but she was fast. Gene therapy had seen to that. “Your beautiful house is being destroyed.” She’d tried not to think about it too much, but the loss of the first place she’d ever thought of as home was devastating.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does. It’s the first home I ever had. I loved it.” Her vision blurred and she wiped at her eyes, the gas mask clunking against her arm.

The tunnel curved and began going up again. She could see that just ahead the thin red line abruptly stopped. “Where? Tell me where to go.” She slowed, seeing nothing but a dead end blocking their way. They appeared trapped.

He put his hand on her shoulder and reached up to feel above them with one hand. Immediately the tunnel was plunged into complete darkness. There was no light coming in from anywhere to help with the unrelenting blackness.

Her breath caught in her lungs. Jess seemed larger than ever, more solid. He gathered her close and put his mouth next to her ear. “None of it matters, you know. We’re all that matters. You and me. Wherever we are together, Saber, that’s our home. You’ll love the new house I’m going to build for you.”

He reached above her again and found the latch that hid the door in the ceiling overhead. A head leaned in from above and Ken grinned at them.

“You’ve been having fun without us,” he accused.

Jess caught Saber around the waist and lifted her out of the tunnel. She blinked as the light filtering through the forest struck her in the eye. The house was on fire a short distance away. Ken caught her in firm hands and pulled her all the way up, setting her to one side in order to reach down for the equipment Jess had.

Saber could see they were surrounded by grim-faced men, all holding rifles as if they knew how to use them. GhostWalkers. Jess’s GhostWalkers. She turned to watch the house burn, her heart heavy. Mari stepped up beside her and took her arm.

“I’m sorry about your home.”

The sympathy was unexpected, but for the first time, she felt as if she might really be able to be a part of these people. She didn’t feel anything but sympathy and a determination to keep her and Jess safe. Maybe, just maybe, she was already home.