Ruthless Game (GhostWalkers 9)

Javier, on a skateboard, dropped into position just a few yards from the fleeing men. He looked like any other teenager out for fun, sliding in and out of pedestrians with ease. He had spotted the SUV waiting in front of the warehouse and had taken a closer look before disposing of the driver.

Kane and Mack burst from the warehouse and ran together, weaving in and out of the pedestrians, sprinting fast. A bullet shattered the glass of a small bookstore, sending shards flying into the air and raining down onto the sidewalk and street. Several people screamed and began running.

Take a left, Top, through the alley. You'll get around in front of them. Javier is closer to them, and Brian's flanking them on their left. Gideon was as calm as ever.

Jacob's closing in from the right, Lucas reported.

Get the shooter, Mack snapped.

Already done, Top, Ethan said as he took his shot. The shooter was in an apartment on the third floor, fifth window over. Ethan fired through the window, watching his bullet hit the target. He's down. Sweeping now.

Paul and Marc are right behind you, Top, Gideon added.

Paul Mangan and Marc Lands were the best medics they had on their team. If Rose or the child were injured, it would be up to them to save them quickly.

They were surrounding the enemy, closing in fast.

Javier, take the one with the baby, and get him out of there.

On it, Top. Javier's voice never changed.

He pushed hard with his foot, increasing the speed of his skateboard. He had let Whitney's men see him when they came running out, dismissing him as a kid hanging out with his friends, trying new tricks. He'd studied them carefully, knew they were skilled and dangerous. The one he targeted held Sebastian in some kind of pack, leaving both arms free to carry his semiautomatic. The trick was not to try to outshoot them but to make certain his enemy never saw death coming.

He knew they could hear the skateboard coming up behind them, but he sounded like any other teenager, and they'd already assessed and dismissed him as a threat. Rose is unconscious. I can't tell what they've done to her, he warned Paul.

The baby? Kane sounded dispassionate, completely disengaged and remote, but there was the sound of death in his voice.

He's got lungs, Javier reported, a brief hint of amusement in his voice.

In another few seconds the two men would be on the docks in the midst of a crowd. Smoothly, Javier shoved again, crouching low, surfing over the pitted alley, coming up behind the enemy holding Sebastian. He swept past, his knife flashing, cutting the throat with one hand as he ripped the pack holding the child away with the other.

The man gurgled, both hands flying to his throat. Javier turned sharply as he shot out of the alley into the throng of people, heading for the market where the rows of booths and tables gave him cover. He flashed past Kane and Mack straight toward Paul and Marc. He shoved the bundle into Paul's hands and swerved away from them, making a show of weaving in and out of the booths to better give Whitney's man a target.

Javier made the handoff before the enemy went down, a slow-motion fall, first to his knees, clutching his throat, blood spraying through his hands, and then facedown, his head hitting the wooden slats of the wharf.

I've got the package, Paul announced as he did an abrupt about-face and began to hurry back toward the warehouse, using the thickening fog for cover from sharpshooters on the rooftops.

I've got you covered, Gideon assured. The other two members of their team on the surrounding roofs, Ethan and Lucas, would provide cover for the converging members of their team on the ground.

Double-time it, Mack commanded. We don't know how many more they sent.

The baby ceased crying the moment he was in Paul's hands, as if he knew silence was paramount for safety now that his team was taking him through enemy lines back home.

The man with Rose slung over his shoulder halted, staring in horror at his companion. Whirling around in a slight circle, he changed direction, running toward the end of the dock. The fingers of fog had gathered together, turning gray and thick. The sound of his boots on the wooden dock was loud and eerie coming out of the murkiness.

If you have a shot, take it, Mack said. Jacob, are you on him?

Roger that, Top. He's got company. A fast boat running hot.

Keep them away from the dock, Mack ordered.

At once a barrage of fire from the rooftops prevented the boat from coming in close to the dock. It veered away and raced back out to sea. Once again, the man with Rose switched directions, this time running down the dock toward the pier. The boat circled back in the distance, apparently in communication with the man holding Rose.

Kane paid no attention to anything but Rose. He concentrated on the path to her mind. It had always been easy to communicate with her, but perhaps she had been reaching for him as he reached for her. Now he groped blindly, trusting his instincts as he ran. He refused to allow fear to enter. Emotion wouldn't do her any good. He had to keep a clear mind and trust his team. All of them were in on the action. Javier had spotted the SUV and correctly read the situation, alerting the team, and they operated together smoothly, as they had for years.

Come to me, sweetheart. Open your eyes, but don't move. Just open your mind to mine.

He kept the running command up, over and over, pushing deeper into her mind, trying to find her subconscious, trying to reach her. Rose was a force to contend with. The man running with her just didn't know it.

"You've got nowhere to go," Jacob's voice came out of the fog, disembodied, slightly distorted. "You're cut off from your men. Put her down and walk away."

I've got no shot, Lucas said. I'm firing blind at the boat. Fog's too thick.

I've got an angle on the boat, but can't see Rose, Ethan reported. He sent two rounds at the zigzagging boat. The two occupants had good cover with the small cabin.

Kane stopped running as he neared the enemy and went "ghost," sliding into the dense fog, barely taking a breath, his feet making no sound on the heavy wooden planks.

Keep his attention centered on you, Mack instructed Jacob. We're approaching from behind and slightly left and right.

They didn't want Jacob to shoot them by accident as they split off from each other, moving in complete silence. Kane had sight of the enemy now, standing near the railing overlooking the pounding waves as they broke over the pier pillars. Rose hung limp, either hurt or drugged. Not once had his efforts to rouse her met with a conscious mind. He didn't stop moving or even hes

itate, coming out of the fog, the vapor swirling around him as he approached, striding right up to Whitney's man, eyes locked on his prey, his gun up and ready.

He recognized the man as one of the guards he worked with, David something. Their eyes met. David's eyes went wide. He turned and heaved Rose's body over the railing into the rolling ocean. Kane shot him in the back of his neck, picking up speed as he did, running toward the rail. He tossed the gun to Mack, leapt onto the rail, and dove, following Rose into the sea.

The water was ice cold, closing over his head, taking him down into darkness. He refused to feel the cold or the pounding, rolling force of nature. He didn't fight, rather went with it, waiting to surface until the sucking sensation left and he could kick upward. He took a breath and looked around, knowing the next wave would drive him against the pillars if he wasn't careful.

He spotted her body up against one of the whitened columns, the waves battering her delicate form. He swam, using his enormous strength to pull him through the water, using the wave to push him closer to her.

Rose! Rose, baby, wake up for me.

He refused to allow panic into his world. There was only the distance between them, and he was closing it with every long, strong stroke. He got his arm around her and rolled her over. Her body was completely limp, and for a moment he thought she might be dead. He managed to ride out the next wave with his arm firmly under her.

In the water! Bogey in the water. Ethan's voice filled his mind.

A bullet spit just past Kane as a diver in a green and black wet suit emerged from behind the pillar, speargun in hand. Lucas had taken a shot at the diver but missed. The diver shot at Kane, reaching for Rose in an attempt to get her away from Kane. The spear slid fast through the water, but as the wave came crashing in, it veered slightly off course and just missed his leg.

Go, Jacob, Mack directed. Jacob had been enhanced through DNA just for this purpose. He was the best in the water, and Mack sent him to back up Kane.

Jacob Princeton sliced through the water, moving fast, his body built for swimming, his enhancement allowing him to stay under for long periods of time. He dove under Kane, straight at the diver's legs, yanking him down and away from Kane, who retained possession of Rose.