Phantom Game (GhostWalkers 18)

“Why is it that so much of the world thinks females are mostly useless?” Camellia asked, suddenly feeling so tired she just wanted to slide down the wall and go to sleep.

“I haven’t been able to figure that out,” Lily said. “Not when so many women have made such amazing contributions to the world. Of course, as far as Peter Whitney is concerned, the only valuable contribution any female can make is what he deems necessary.” There was bitterness in her voice. She looked at Camellia. “I believed him for years, you know. Looking back, I remember you and Flame both warning me that he was lying to all of us. I don’t know how he managed to keep me so blind to the differences in how he treated all of you compared to me.”

“Sometimes it’s really hard to face the truth.” A part of Camellia had always known Marigold wasn’t telling the truth about the night of Camellia’s disastrous escape attempt, but she’d refused to acknowledge her suspicions. She loved Marigold like a sibling, and she’d clung so desperately to that familiar bond. It was so much easier to lie to herself than consider the horrific possibility that Marigold didn’t love her the way she loved Marigold. Or that Marigold didn’t feel that same loyalty toward her.

Lily nodded. “I should have made Ryland understand how important it was to me to capture the memories of our son growing up. Things that have nothing to do with science. I shouldn’t have let his words hurt me to the point of trying to hurt him back. That’s what it was, I was striking out at him for his refusal to listen to me and the horrible things he accused me of, and then I just let it get too far. I was afraid to tell him what I’d done.”

“You know you have to have this conversation with him, Lily,” Camellia said as gently as she could. “He’s angry right now, and he’s hurt, but you two have to talk to each other. You have to do it for your son and for the two of you. If you tell him the truth, everything you told me, he still may be angry for a while, but he’ll forgive you. If he’s everything you’ve said he is, then he’ll forgive you.”

Camellia hoped what she said was the truth. She was fading fast. Really fast. “I’m sorry, Lily, but I’m so tired. I need to find a place to sleep. In spite of the circumstances, it was really good to see you. I hope we meet up sometime again.” She had no idea what she was planning to do or where she would be staying, so she wasn’t going to commit.

She glanced up at Kyle, who immediately came over to help her off the floor. Only then did she realize Kaden and Tansy were close, most likely waiting to ensure that Lily was taken care of. Camellia was too tired to do much more than lift a hand in a wave before following Kyle down the hall and through the maze that led to the outside parking lot.

13

Jonas had a sprawling cabin on the very outskirts of the fortified compound Team One had built together. Each of the men had their own home, mostly because they required alone time, but the main building at the center was easy to defend. The homes had escape routes leading to the fortified building as well as to the roads, the surrounding forests, the vehicles and all forms of transportation.

Jonas’s cabin was one and a half stories with extremely high ceilings. Each log was meticulously scribed to lock into place with another. That was no small undertaking. Kyle told her they’d all helped. They’d used wood that was naturally dried. The forest was old, and trees would stand for up to five years after dying. Jonas had an affinity for the trees in the forest, and he seemed to be able to find the right logs for the cabin. By using the naturally dried wood, it made the cabin sturdy and extremely stable. There was no moisture to dry out so that the wood would shrink, causing structural problems. Kyle explained the process to her as he gave her a quick tour of the house.

There was no doubt that Jonas lived there. His presence permeated every room. There was masculine strength throughout. The flagstone flooring was cut from giant pieces, while the floor-to-ceiling fireplace was made of smaller pieces of flagstone. Huge windows everywhere provided breathtaking views of the mountains and forests, bringing the outside indoors. The bathrooms were modern, and everything was very clean. Given Jonas’s constant effort to stay calm and in control, the immaculate, well-ordered tidiness of his home didn’t surprise her.

After showering, washing her hair and pulling on fresh clothes from her backpack, Camellia wandered outside to the huge verandah. It was covered by a thick roof that would shade occupants from the morning sun. A very large lounge—big enough to be a bed—sprawled invitingly along the wall.