Samurai Game (GhostWalkers 10)

Azami took a breath and avoided looking at Sam. Her stomach muscles tightened, her breath refusing to leave her lungs. She didn't want to see condemnation in his eyes. She hadn't warned him, not even when she was kissing him, committing to him in her heart. She forced the words out. "Whitney believes that Sam is useless to his program and he's willing to sacrifice him in exchange for the diamond."

Sam raised his eyebrow, but didn't say a word. Gator nudged Tucker, but one look from Ryland stopped any teasing they might have done.

"Any orders coming to us would be classified," Ryland said, his voice dropping another octave. "And then there's the matter of the second-generation Zenith that my wife has been working on, and no one should have even a whisper of it, let alone an actual patch.

She'd known that was coming. Azami recognized the instant suspicion and she couldn't blame him. If he'd come to her with classified information on a team that didn't exist to the outside world, where they were going and what was in store for them, she'd be extremely wary of just how that information had come into an outsider's hands. She had known the moment she disclosed what she knew, Ryland would really begin his interrogation.

She kept her hands folded in her lap beneath the table. Her stomach was jittery, not because she feared these people--she knew she could kill several of them before they got to her--but because she wanted to choose each word carefully and make them understand she was on their side without taking a chance on risking lives. "Whitney has several people working for him giving and passing along information, as well as helping forward his agenda. Clearly those helping him are people in positions of power. They do his bidding. I've intercepted his commands to a woman named Sheila Benet. She's his number one courier."

Beneath the table, Sam's fingers wrapped very gently around her wrist, cautioning her. He didn't want her to go any further. She had eyes and ears in the war room and knew the GhostWalker unit as a whole didn't believe the three deaths associated with Sheila Benet were accidental, and it was obvious Sam didn't want her confessing to murder. From the moment he had recognized that someone could have used a blowgun to kill Major Patterson, she was certain he would figure out who had done so. She had known the moment she met him that he was too intelligent to fool for long and had she been able to, she wouldn't have looked at him twice.

"The same Sheila Benet that witnessed two accidents? One in a bathroom of a night club and one in a restaurant?"

"I read about the accidents," Azami said truthfully. Her computers certainly searched for certain names that might come up in any news article or report. "I found it interesting that she was at both accident sites."

The pad of Sam's thumb slid back and forth over the inside of her wrist in a caress she wasn't certain he was aware of--yet she was all too aware. She was rarely distracted by anything, but that small movement sent a shiver of heat down her spine. She should move her wrist away from him--she couldn't afford any distractions--but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"We found it equally interesting," Ryland said. "We don't believe either of those deaths was an accident. And there was a third--a car accident as well that is suspect."

She didn't blink. "I have to agree with your suspicion. With Benet involved, I am certain those people had to be in Whitney's employ. It would be too much of a coincidence to think they both died within weeks of each other--although stranger things have happened."

Ryland studied her face with those piercing, steel gray eyes. She couldn't imagine his son at sixteen lying to his father. She hadn't lied, but she was definitely omitting facts. Ryland Miller seemed to see into one's soul.

"You had nothing to do with those deaths?" he asked outright.

Inwardly she winced. There it was. If she told the truth, they could have her arrested. If she lied . . . Well, she wasn't a liar. She widened her eyes and allowed a little frown, tipping her head back to look at him directly. "Why would you think that? How could you even consider such a thing?" Those were fair questions and she had sidestepped answering truthfully.

If Ryland cared enough to check, and he might, he would find she was in the United States at the time of all three "accidents," but until he had that fact, she was going to dodge every single incriminating question to the best of her ability.

Ryland frowned, studying her face. She knew she looked innocent. That was one of her best gifts, that ability, a natural one that her adopted father had helped her to perfect. Her diminutive size and delicate, almost fragile appearance was an asset. People always underestimated her abilities. She deliberately gave the appearance of a shy, demure woman who spent most of her life indoors.

These men were dominant and protective by nature. She read them easily. They made no attempt to hide what and who they were--warriors, every one of them--and yet they had a soft spot for women and children. To them, women and children represented what they were fighting for. The women and children were the reason they put their lives on the line for the freedom of their country, to keep those they loved safe and protected. That creed was bred into their very bones. As a samurai, she was trained to use every advantage, and her innocent looks aided her in unexpected ways.

Ryland suddenly snapped his head around and his eyes met Sam's. "Is she full of shit? Or is she for real?"

Her stomach did an unexpected somersault. If there was one person sitting in the room who saw right through her--it was Sam. Ryland was his friend and the leader of his unit, a man Sam respected and felt great affection for. Azami had to suppress a groan. Sam wasn't going to lie to Ryland, not even for her, and she wouldn't respect him if he did. It was a lose-lose situation.

For the first time, true tension crept into her. She forced herself to breathe normally, to look as calm and serene as ever. Those strong fingers stroking her bare, inner wrist ceased moving and settled around her arm like a shackle.

"I know she's the real deal, Ryland," Sam said, his voice equally low.

Which could mean anything. Azami didn't dare glance at him. Her heart had begun a strange pounding, the rhythm new to her. She had an unexpected urge to lean over and lift her face to his. His voice was absolutely honest. His simple sentence meant nothing to Ryland, but everything to her.

Her eyes burned for a moment, forcing her to lower her lashes. Her father had stood for her. Her brothers were in another room right at this moment listening so that if necessary, they could fly to her aid and all three might have a chance to fight their way out. Never had anyone else stood up for her, and Sam was not only standing but placing himself in front of her. He believed in her to the point that, although he wasn't being deceptive, he was still deflecting.

Ryland evidently knew Sam very well. Those steely eyes narrowed. "You're a damn big help, Knight. If anything, you're full of shit."

"I'm telling the absolute truth, Rye," Sam confirmed.

"I'm sure you are. What the hell's going on between you two?"

Sam shrugged. "I plan on asking her brothers' permission to marry her."

Azami gasped, swinging her head around to look up at him. It was one thing to fight quietly for her, but he was openly aligning himself with her.

Sam's fingers tightened on her arm, but his gaze was locked with Ryland's. "Azami is a GhostWalker. She's one of us and more than that, she's the one for me. I want you to know that up front. That's how certain I am of her."

"And you don't think that there's a possibility that you're blinded by your feelings for her? You just met her. Don't you think that happened just a little too fast?"

Azami winced. She knew what Ryland was implying. Whitney had somehow managed to pair them together. She kept her head down, long lashes covering her eyes to prevent anyone from seeing distress that might show.

"So how did that work out for you, Ryland?" Sam demanded. He looked around the table. "For any of you with a wife?" He shrugged his broad shoulders. "I don't much care if Whitney paired me with Azami or not, although I don't see how he could have, but I know she fits with me. There

isn't a doubt in my mind."

Azami shook her head. As much as she wanted Sam for herself, she couldn't let him sacrifice. "Let's slow down. There's something else you should know, something that may be very pertinent to how you're feeling right now, Sam." Her lungs felt squeezed for air, but she had to be fair to him.

"I don't need to know anything else, Azami," Sam assured.

The tears burned again and she blinked rapidly, her throat clogging for a moment.

"You might not need to know anything else," Ryland said. "But I do. Please continue, Azami."

It was a major concession that he'd used her first name again. His voice had been filled with warning to Sam. She rested her hand over his, a very light measure of caution beneath the table. She didn't want him to get into trouble with his unit, at least not before he heard what she had to say.

"Whitney's pairings so far have seemed to fit. I speculated that perhaps that was part of his psychic gift and he clearly has one. Those of you I've tried to study a bit seem very grounded by one another, but none of you have been placed in a position that might cause you to do something you don't want to do."

"What do you mean?" Ryland asked.

"Suppose you had to make a choice between your wife and your son?"

"There would be no question. My wife would expect me to choose my son. He's a child who needs help and guidance and love right now. If she suddenly went crazy and wanted to get rid of him, which is what you seem to be implying, then of course I would protect my child."

Azami didn't try to hide her relief. "Violet Smythe-Freeman didn't."

"She has a child?" Ryland looked around the table at his men. "Are you certain?"

"She aborted the child at Whitney's demand. And she killed Senator Freeman. He was scheduled for the operation. They had taken him to do the surgery at the hospital and Whitney insisted on seeing Violet. They met at a small private airport. He was alone with her for several hours in a hangar. There appeared to be some sort of field surgery set up in the hangar, but my informant only caught a glimpse of the inside. When she emerged, she appeared different, very submissive toward Whitney, yet flirtatious. She boarded her plane and went straight to the hospital and pulled the plug on the senator, and then insisted on an abortion."

Ryland frowned. "You believe he paired her with a second man and she immediately killed the senator and his unborn child? She was completely loyal to Freeman. She betrayed all the women in the compound in order to secure an alliance with Whitney."

"Senator Freeman had no psychic ability. His child would be worthless to Whitney," Azami pointed out. "Violet is well entrenched in the political arena. She's intelligent and personable if a bit cold. The camera loves her and there's talk of her running in the senator's place. A weeping widow who valiantly fought for her brain-dead husband, trying to find a way to save him, would definitely look good in front of a camera. And her voice is enhanced."

"Who was she paired with?" Ryland asked.

Azami shook her head. "My informant doesn't know. Violet was groomed to take a political position in Washington. Whitney wanted her in the White House. The senator was supposed to be the vice president. Violet would have continued to have a great deal of influence. If she is elected to a senatorial position and her loyalty is to Whitney, can you imagine how he could use her to influence his programs?"

Ryland sat up straight, comprehension dawning. "You think Violet Freeman is paired to Whitney himself."

CHAPTER 11

There was a small silence while the men seated at the table absorbed the idea. Whitney paired, perhaps married to a U.S. senator. What kind of carte blanche would he have for his experiments? The idea was daunting.

"Who is your informant?"

Sam threaded his fingers through Azami's and held her hand under the table. He wanted to brush his mouth across her knuckles just to show her none of the things she said mattered. He wasn't afraid of anything Whitney might have done to pair them together. He didn't see how the man could have, not when Azami hadn't seen Whitney since she was eight and he had joined the GhostWalker program a few years ago.

"You know I can't give you that information any more than you'd give it to me," Azami told Ryland. "You can choose to believe me or not, but the point is, once Whitney got his hands on Violet again, she ceased to be loyal to Freeman."

Ryland sat back in his chair, assessing Azami for a long time. Sam knew that look. The man respected her, even liked her and was beginning to believe her. "I don't believe Violet was ever loyal to Freeman. She might have been paired physically with him, but she wants power. She craves it like a drug. Freeman was a means to that power and she obviously controlled him. From all accounts, Violet was different from the other women from your childhood. She wanted status with Whitney and did whatever it took to get it. The more she climbed that ladder, the more power she wanted. Freeman wasn't a man she fell in love with. The power was what she loved. For a while there she believed she could break away from Whitney and get the things she wanted. If he paired her with him, that allegiance is all about what she can get and the status she can achieve. If you're right, Azami, she believes she'll eventually end up in the White House."

Azami's breath left her lungs in a little rush. Sam resisted pulling her into his arms to hold her close to him when he heard that soft sound of relief. Ryland had given her the reassurance that Sam couldn't. The GhostWalkers, paired by Whitney or not, loved one another and still, under even extreme circumstances, would choose to take the honorable path.

"Thank you," Azami said with a graceful head bow toward Ryland. "I do not want to think that if Whitney gets his hands on one of us, he could turn us against each other."

"He may think he can," Ryland said, "but I seriously doubt it."

The tension drained from Azami. Sam was aware that to his teammates she seemed at ease. He was the only one in the room who knew she was anxious. He wasn't in her mind, but he could still feel that slight disturbance of her energy. Her gaze lifted to his face, drifting over the hard edges, taking him in. He was no prize, certainly not the handsomest man in the room, but he knew without a doubt, no one else would understand or be as loyal to her as he would.

Azami pressed her lips together and then switched her gaze back to Ryland. "That's good to know."

"If this information you've given us is true," Ryland said, "Whitney's probably been pumping arms and money into the rebel camp for some time in order to gain control of the diamond mines. Tens of thousands of people have lost their lives and still it isn't enough. Whitney must be determined to gain control, through the rebel forces, of that specific area--that particular diamond mine."

"Can that diamond be so important to him?" Sam murmured aloud. "Back when Jack and Ken Norton went in with a team to rescue a senator, we believed that senator was part of a coalition trying to get rid of the GhostWalkers. Suppose we were right, but the senator double-crossed Whitney? Suppose Whitney and the senator were originally acting together to get a diamond or diamonds Whitney wanted and the negotiations didn't go as planned because the senator had other ideas?"

Azami shrugged. "That's entirely possible. Senator Freeman was being used as Whitney's way into the White House. He paired him with Violet, thinking she would influence Freeman to do Whitney's bidding. I know that Whitney provided money to back Freeman's campaign using several corporations to donate."

"Senator Freeman's father and Whitney went to school together," Sam told her. "He's a powerful man in banking."

Azami nodded. "He communicates with Whitney often. I think the idea, eventually, was to take control of the presidency. They groomed Freeman's son for the position, paired him with Violet, and helped his political career."

"But Violet got greedy," Sam said. "Or maybe it was the senator. They broke with Whitney and aligned themselves with whoever it is in the White House that wants to get rid of the GhostWalkers. He would have to have access to classified information, so someone . . ."

"Like the chi

ef of staff, Bernard Scheffield?" Azami suggested. "He was also in Whitney's class, but was his archenemy."

Ryland swung around to pin her with a stare. "Where the hell do you get this information? I knew they went to college together, but archenemy? I never heard that."

Azami shrugged, looking smug. "They despise one another. Whitney often speaks of him in disparaging terms. He's even gone so far as to say he's working with foreign nationals to bring down the U.S. Whitney believes in a strong military and that every U.S. citizen should be protected, much like the Romans. If harm comes to a U.S. citizen, the retaliation should be swift and brutal."

"Does he want us to go to war with everyone?" Ryland asked.

Azami shrugged again. "Whitney believes that Scheffield is advising the president against building up the military--that he wants to cut funds to the military and always, always chooses a diplomatic path. Whitney was so furious when American tourists were taken prisoner after hiking near the Iranian border that he actually discussed assassinating the chief of staff. Whitney told his private army that everyone knew those taken were just kids. He claimed the Iranian government was using them to try to force the U.S. into giving them what they wanted, all of which was probably true, but it didn't warrant the military intervention that Whitney believed should have been taken immediately."

"How long has this feud been going on?" Sam asked. "Not since they were in school?"

"Apparently Bernard Scheffield comes from money. Big money. He was considered a big deal in school. Not only did he have money and relatives in high places, he was the smartest kid in the school--until Whitney showed up."