Lethal Game (GhostWalkers 16)

“So far, coming down on the side of crazy.” Malichai rubbed the bridge of his nose. “When is Cayenne actually due, Trap? Give me a date. Or at least how far along she is in her pregnancy. She doesn’t seem to show, so it’s impossible to tell. It makes no sense that she doesn’t show when she’s so small.”

Trap waved that assessment away dismissively. “She’s got armor, silken armor, like a thin layer between her skin and the rest of her. Once she was stabbed and the tip of the knife nearly broke off. It didn’t go in. That shield isn’t going to allow her womb to push out. The baby has to be displacing her organs.”

Malichai closed his eyes over the casual way Trap spoke. It was clear, to keep from panicking over Cayenne’s pregnancy, Trap had distanced himself. It was a classic Trap maneuver. He allowed his brain to take over.

“You have to have an idea when she’s due. Did she get regular checkups? Did she take prenatals? Wyatt must be out of his mind.”

“Wyatt talks to her often and has her take the vitamins. He didn’t want her coming on the trip, of course, but I’m not risking another Cayenne silence. I sent her away to safety when we were working on the hemorrhagic virus, and I’m not sure she’s forgiven me yet. I needed to come to make certain you lived through this crap, so that meant she was coming too. I promised her, and I don’t break my promises to her. I can’t ever do that, Malichai. Not to her. Breaking trust with Cayenne would end us.”

Again, Trap spoke without looking at him, casually, as if they were discussing the weather, but Malichai was totally shocked. The man had to come to ensure Malichai was all right. That choked him up. Trap didn’t express emotion often. Malichai thought Trap tolerated him but wasn’t very fond of him. This said something altogether different.

“Thanks, Trap. I don’t know what the hell’s going on, but I want my woman safe as well. It makes me feel better knowing you’re here. I still want to know when Cayenne could go into labor.”

Trap shrugged. “She’s under a month out, but she’s showing signs. At first I thought she might be carrying more than one, but she can’t be because they would be totally squished in there. I couldn’t get her to let me take a look. She’s very resistant to any kind of exam. Too close to all the experiments they did on her. Cayenne’s capable of taking off if she feels too threatened. You all have to leave her be. Don’t ask her too many questions.”

“You’re a doctor. Multiple births? Seriously, Trap? There could be complications.”

“There won’t be,” Trap snapped. “There’s no way there’s two in there. You see her. She’s too small.”

“You’re not thinking straight. How could you possibly know there won’t be complications if it’s a multiple birth when little is known about the pregnancy or the woman giving birth? Damn, Trap. Why did you think at first there was a possibility?”

Trap always considered odds. He wasn’t someone to casually say or think multiple births. If he’d considered it, it was because the possibility was real. Malichai wanted to shake him.

“There can’t be complications, Malichai.” Trap ground the declaration out between his teeth. “I can’t live without her. Do you understand? No Cayenne, no Trap. She can’t leave and she can’t die. So that means everything will go smoothly. She’s fucking terrified. She’s terrified of exams and too close to running off. You know her. We’ll never find her if she goes. She thinks she can give birth by herself. I’m walking on eggshells with her. This all just has to go the way it’s supposed to go.”

Malichai took a deep breath before responding. Trap was right about Cayenne. She was capable of taking off on her own, and if she hid somewhere in the swamp, they wouldn’t find her. She was terrified of examinations and with good reason. He could see why Trap was trying to walk a fine line with her.

Malichai nodded. “We’ll make it happen.” He didn’t know how. What he did know was, Trap hadn’t been casual about her pregnancy, he was trying to make certain she didn’t panic and run.

Before Trap could answer, Rubin and Ezekiel slipped into the room and with them was Joe Spagnola, their team leader. Malichai wasn’t shocked to see his older brother had come, but he was rather surprised and even more apprehensive to see Joe. Rubin and Joe came straight to the bed, nodded to Malichai and both held their hands inches from the leg.

“Looks like a bit of swelling,” Rubin pointed out, hovering his palms over several nasty bruises already turning several shades of purple and blue. “What’s it feel like, Malichai, and I need the truth, not some bullshit tough-guy response.”