Phantom Game (GhostWalkers 18)

He’ll probably keep one of the helicopters back to make certain he has a quick escape as well, she added. If he manages in my fog.

Jonas mentally shook his head. I wish I agreed with your assessment of him, honey. Shaker doesn’t feel that way to me at all. He might seem arrogant and overconfident, but we probably do as well to other soldiers.

Camellia remained silent. Jonas had been a soldier for a long time and had a great deal of experience. Others relied on him. Neither Kyle nor Jeff interrupted his train of thought either.

Doesn’t this all seem excessive? Why would Abrams risk sending an army like this against the GhostWalkers just to bring Whitney in line? Abrams does everything he can to stay in the background, right? He doesn’t want anyone to know about him and the rest of his little cockroaches running the world.

Camellia had to admit, she did think it was not only excessive, it was stupid. Abrams hadn’t gotten as far as he was being a stupid man.

If two full teams of GhostWalkers and their families are murdered, including children, that kind of news is hard to keep under wraps. It’s bound to surface. Do you believe the general is going to stay silent? Because I don’t think so. Sam Johnson is his son and a member of our team. Adopted or not, he loves Sam. If Sam is murdered, the general is going to take that all the way to the top and keep screaming until someone pays.

You’re onto something there, Jonas, Jeff agreed. What about Azami, Sam’s wife? Azami owns Samurai Communications along with her two brothers. If she dies with Sam, that would be worldwide news. If she doesn’t, that will still be worldwide news because she would make certain it would be. Abrams wouldn’t have a place to hide.

Jonas was quiet for another moment. See why none of this is adding up for me? Why would Abrams do this on such a massive scale? He had a spy in place he could have used to keep an eye on us and send him information for as long as needed. Even if he wanted to kidnap Lily and Daniel to keep Whitney in line, there were other ways to do it. Ryland and Lily go into town. Daniel goes into the yard and even into the forest. Why go after Team Two?

Camellia had to admit Jonas was right. Maybe Abrams thinks this can’t be traced back to him.

He can’t possibly think Whitney would let him get away with that. Even if he stayed silent about Lily and Daniel, he’d find a way to leak the information to the press just to get back at Abrams. Whitney is vindictive. Jonas was adamant. Abrams has known him for years. He would know that.

Camellia had studied Whitney for years. Jonas was certainly correct about his personality. He wouldn’t hesitate to get back at Abrams by outing him to the press and every official at the White House. He would also make certain Azami’s brothers knew exactly who was to blame. She had to agree with Jonas, this was not a wise decision on Abrams part, so what had prompted him to make it?

Kyle, let’s see what they’re up to, Jonas directed.

Kyle focused on the map on the table so all of them could see the way Shaker had the troops divided and coming at the compound from various sides. He indicated that two of the units were to skirt around the base of the mountain and come in from the east. They would have to double-time it in order to get into position quickly enough to be effective—and Shaker demanded they be effective.

The enhanced leader of the troops was called Lowell. He had the fastest of the mercenaries and believed he could come at Team One’s fortress from the eastern slope. He had thirty-three men under his command. All were fast runners and climbers. He seemed to have faith in his men, unlike Shaker.

Pops, as they referred to the oldest of the enhanced commanders—although he didn’t look older than thirty—was to take the second group of soldiers around the base of the mountain to the west with equal speed. He also had thirty-three men under his command. They too were considered fast runners, particularly going uphill. He nodded when Shaker asked if his men could get to Team One’s fortress in time to aid the others in defeating the GhostWalkers.

Camellia tried to keep focused on Shaker, but Jonas was moving carefully in the mist. She knew he was hidden, but she could see a shimmer now and then. She worried that if she could see him, the others at the table might look up with enhanced vision and catch a quick glimpse. Jonas’s goal was the helicopter farthest from the group of enhanced commanders. The chopper was decked out with numerous weapons. The pilot and his copilot were nowhere in sight.