Toxic Game (GhostWalkers 15)

Abruptly he jerked the camera from that screen and moved it around the room. What was Ethan thinking putting the video on when they were still working? That was very unlike him. He concentrated on finding the swinging shadow. When he did, his heart stopped, and his mouth opened in a silent scream. His son was stark naked and seemed to have been practicing autoerotic asphyxiation. When he zoomed in on the shadowy figure, he could see ropes or cords wrapped around his neck and other body parts. He hadn’t known Ethan was into something as dangerous as breath play, choking himself while watching porn. That was insane. Insane. And what the hell was going on with him swinging?

He could see the chair under Ethan’s feet. It was right under his feet. Right there. Ethan’s feet were sliding back and forth along the seat cushion. What had gone wrong? Was he dead? Alive and still moving? He got on his phone and called the head of security in his son’s home, yelling to break down the door if need be. He would be there in minutes. He didn’t remember to shut off the camera, he just turned and ran from his control room, calling to the people he trusted most and rushing to his car.

He knew he was too late. He knew he was. His son was dead. Ethan. His greatest asset. His one indulgence. He actually loved the boy and his intelligent, quick mind. How could he ever have gotten caught up in this type of erotic play? It was just insane.

Trying to breathe, he thought about it all the way to his son’s home. No way. He would have known if Ethan was into such things. No, this had to be murder, plain and simple. He had enemies, so did Ethan. But if it was murder, how had the assassin gotten into a locked room, through all the security guards and cameras? His son must have … No. He wouldn’t accept that. Someone had murdered his son. This was a message. Maybe Cheng wasn’t as insane as everyone thought.

19

“Nonny wants to come home,” Ezekiel greeted. “I think Teams One and Two want to steal her, but she misses her swamp.”

Trap flung himself in a chair, looking glum. “They’ve been gone a week and Cayenne won’t even speak to me. I’ve tried everything, and she won’t answer her phone or do a video chat. If I don’t bring her home soon, she may not want to come back to me. She’s acting like I wanted to send her away. If she doesn’t stop this soon, I’m going there and dragging her little ass back and we’re going to be talking.”

“You can’t do that until we find these three scumbags who want to test their virus on us, thanks to Cheng,” Joe said. He glanced over at Draden and the newest member of their team, Shylah. “Good work. The papers reported that Ethan was found dead of an apparent suicide. There was no mention of erotic play, and weirdly, three of his security team disappeared. I think Daddy wasn’t happy that anyone saw his son like that, but he bought the scenario.”

Draden nodded. “We were in the room with Ethan when he was reporting to his father, and the power play they were exchanging back and forth suggested his father might buy into any kind of sexual activity. He’s smart though, and he’ll figure it out eventually. Unfortunately, Ethan wasn’t able to give Whitney’s three scientists the order to back down and not test the virus on us.”

“Trap vaccinated everyone here,” Wyatt said. “The vaccine was tested immediately by the military labs, and it’s working. But he can’t vaccinate the entire population of the swamp.”

“Fucking Whitney got exactly what he wanted,” Draden said. “He used us. He took a chance with Shylah’s life and he used us to get him his biological weapon and his vaccine. Those in the White House helping to hide him are no doubt very grateful to him and he’ll be doubly dangerous now. They’ll give him all the more room because he delivered.”

“Do you think he intentionally allowed his virologists to escape with the virus?” Malichai asked, stuffing food into his mouth as he did so. Nonny may have been gone, but she’d left behind casseroles and various other meals in the freezer for her “boys.” Malichai was forever hungry and no one made home-cooked meals like Nonny. “What do you really think, Shylah? You’ve been around Whitney more than any of us.”

Shylah turned that over and over in her mind. Was it possible Whitney had known all along that the men were talking with Ethan Montgomery? Even accepting money from him? He had to have known. Everything was monitored. Email, phones, computers, any kind of device that sent messages out or received them. He had cameras everywhere as well as audio to pick up conversations. He was able to monitor bank accounts of those he employed. He had people that did that sort of thing 24/7. Even if the Williams brothers and Orucov were smart enough to find a code to use, Whitney would have known, and he would find someone to break it—or would do so himself. He enjoyed playing with codes.

She nodded her head slowly. “He would have known. They couldn’t have been working for Montgomery, passing him information over several years, without Whitney finding out. A few weeks, maybe, but it sounded as if they had been accepting pay from the Montgomerys for a long while.”

“So, he allowed them to take a few drops of the virus with them,” Joe said, shaking his head. “He’s partially responsible for the deaths of all those people in Lupa Suku.”

“With the way Whitney thinks, the fact that we uncovered the Montgomerys and the consortium and who was funding the MSS is valuable information worth the lives of those people,” Shylah said. “People aren’t that important. They’re disposable, especially ones that cut themselves off from the rest of the world. In his mind, they’re part of the problem. They don’t contribute in ways he feels are vital.”

Joe swore under his breath. “He’s won himself more support. If any country protests that weapon, we have only to say we’re working on a vaccine. No one knows Shylah and Draden fought it off and survived. The soldiers guarding them knew very little. For all they were told, they were there to try to infiltrate the MSS. The fact that they killed so many of them would lend itself to that explanation.”

“Montgomery made it clear he knew two people were taken out of the forest and flown with a military escort back to the States,” Draden pointed out. “That was clear in the video chat.”

“But he doesn’t know who. Chances are very good their informant doesn’t know who. Your names were never given out. We had to promise the Indonesian government that if you were infected, you wouldn’t be able to leave that area.”

“In other words,” Draden said, “You were supposed to kill us if we tried.”

Joe sent him a lopsided grin and a little shrug. “That may have been mentioned, but I had that woman of yours giving me nightmares. Wasn’t about to be the one to pull the trigger.” His grin widened when he looked at Shylah and gave her a little salute.

“Glad to have made an impact,” she answered with a little bow.

Malichai laughed. “Joe came back telling us about guns to his head and a sniper being threatened. A few more very interesting times as well. I’m a little in love with your wife, Draden, and I fully admit it. Course, my woman’s going to just feed me and fan me. No opposition. I don’t have the kind of energy a man needs to put up with a feisty woman. I need me a ‘yes’ woman.”

The room erupted into laughter as the GhostWalkers scattered around in various reposes, draped over chairs, lazily leaning against walls or sprawled out on the floor commented simultaneously on Malichai’s statement. Most thought he was full of bullshit, but the general common consensus was there weren’t any “yes” women for him to find.

“I’m about to start searching,” he said solemnly. “I’ve been contemplating on how to best go about finding this woman. In the interests of not having to work too hard, I’ve been composing an ad to take out in one of those serious-about-relationship places online.” He chewed thoughtfully and regarded his teammates deadpan as he did so.

Mordichai nudged him with his foot. “That the same ad you started a year ago?”

Malichai nodded. “Have to word it just right. Don’t want to repeat myself.”

Another round of laughter followed and Shylah couldn’t help joining in. The

y were all a little crazy, but it reminded her of spending time with Bellisia and Zara. Bellisia had thrown herself into Shylah’s arms and cried, something very unusual for her. She just wasn’t a crier. Bellisia was tiny, a gorgeous little pixie, and standing next to her always made Shylah feel like a giant. Before, she’d been a little sensitive about her height. It wasn’t that she wasn’t confident, but she didn’t feel particularly beautiful. Being with Draden had changed that. She didn’t know about her looks, but she felt beautiful.

She looked up at his face. To her, he was breathtaking. The most remarkable man in the room, and it wasn’t about his looks, although she had to admit she thought he was gorgeous. She loved his personality, the way he communicated so openly with her.

I’m in your head, sweetheart.

His voice stroked caresses through her mind and filled her body with heat. Well, you shouldn’t be. What if I’d been thinking mean thoughts about you?

You never think mean thoughts about me. I ought to know. I’m always sneaking in to be connected to you.

She knew he did that often. He filled her up with him, making her feel as if they were so close she didn’t know where he started, and she left off. The other GhostWalkers’ conversations and laughter swirled around them, but they were locked together in their own world.

You never know, I might be upset with you one day and then you’d hear all sorts of bad things about yourself. Mostly made-up, but they wouldn’t be nice.

If I hurt you, Shylah, I would want to know immediately and, believe me, baby, I’d rectify that situation on the spot. No matter what, good or bad, it’s important for us to communicate.

She loved that he thought that way. From the beginning of their relationship, they’d been honest. She’d told him things she might have been embarrassed to tell him had she known she was going to live, but by both being so brutally honest, they’d given themselves the best start possible. Clearly, he wanted to continue down that same path going forward and she did as well.

No worries, Draden. If you hurt me, you’ll get an earful. I’m not one to suffer in silence.

You also believe in retaliation. I learned that on the plane. I’m liking your silk, sweetheart.

She blushed. There was no way to hide the sweep of bright red color creeping up her neck to wash through her pale face. Of course the GhostWalkers were far too eagle-eyed to miss it, and none of them were gentlemen enough to ignore it. The hooting and hollering as well as the multiple suggestions to adjourn to another part of the house only made it worse. Draden didn’t seem to mind in the least. They can’t read our minds, can they?

I don’t think so … Well … maybe Joe. He builds a bridge between everyone who doesn’t have telepathy as a natural gift.

She didn’t really believe him, but it sounded plausible, so she snuck a quick look at Joe from under her lashes. Just a peek. He wasn’t looking at her. In fact, he had his head turned away from her. Not natural at all. He should be looking at her if they were all teasing her, right? Maybe he really did pick up everyone’s thoughts even when he wasn’t trying to intrude.

No more teasing until we’re alone.