"Movement to the right," Ryland reported.
"Hold your fire," Kadan cautioned. "Nico? Are you seeing us?"
Static was the only answer.
"Incoming," Ryland announced.
Don automatically covered his wife, trying to press her limp body against the seat as tightly as he could.
Gator took the Humvee into a fairly thick stand of heavy brush, smashing through leaves and branches while Kadan shifted to the right. A four-wheel-drive Jeep burst through the trees, coming at them fast. Kadan calmly fired three shots through the window at the driver while Ryland took out the passenger with a head shot. The driver slumped to one side, and the Jeep hit a rock and bounced into the air, crashed down, and hit a tree, coming to a stop. Gator drove a few yards deeper into the brush and once again made a hard right to try to get to the point where Nico should have been waiting.
He brought the vehicle to a stop, and Kadan signaled to Ryland to watch their packages, while he yanked open the door and leapt out, running low along the ground, his skin changing, his clothing reflecting the surrounding brush. He went up the slope, leaping over downed, rotting tree trunks and a few brambles to land back on a narrow trail.
He could hear the sound of a small motorcycle and knew Nico was in full retreat. Behind him came another much larger engine and the sound of gunfire. Nico was trying to lead them away from the Humvee.
"Bring them to me," Kadan ordered, hoping the command got through to Nico.
The canyon was steep, narrow, and covered in dense shrubs and trees. Nico had to be taking a beating on the small bike as he tore through the underbrush without protection. The whine of the engine grew louder as Nico seemed to circle back toward him. Then he burst through the bushes just a foot or so from Kadan, his face and arms covered in angry scratches, bleeding from a hundred tears in his skin. He abandoned the bike, leaping off it and rolling into the brush while it was still moving forward, his rifle protected by his body.
Nico came up on one knee, the butt of the rifle fitting snugly against his shoulder as he sought a target. Kadan looked him over once to ensure none of the wounds were too bad; most looked like brambles had ripped the sniper up as he traveled through the brush. Then the pursuing truck topped the slope and bounced over it. The guards in the back were thrown from side to side, making the shots difficult.
Nico, of course, had no problems taking out the marksman steadying his rifle, but Kadan's first bullet took the man behind the shooter high in the shoulder, spun him around, and knocked him out of the truck. He was still moving, and Kadan had no choice but to waste a second shot, giving the third guard a chance to get off a shot. The bullet whistled past Kadan's face, and he felt the burn along his cheek, although it never touched him.
Nico's rifle bucked again and the shooter went down. Kadan took out the driver and without a word, the two GhostWalkers raced back toward the Humvee. Ryland threw the doors open and they climbed in. Gator gunned the engine and they were on the move.
"You look a little worse for wear," Nico said in greeting. "That woman of yours is going to get all mushy over you."
Kadan didn't change expression or look at Tansy's father, but inside, his heart did a peculiar little flip. No one had ever had a mushy reaction to a few wounds on him. Would she? Even with her parents present? He hadn't considered that. The thought warmed him a little. He didn't want to think about her when he was working. She had no place in this part of his life. He was born to fight, born to kill, and someone as compassionate as Tansy would never understand the need and desire that drove him to take on the assignments he did--or maybe he was wrong. Maybe that same desire was in her--that thirteen-year-old girl offering herself as a sacrifice in order to track evil--maybe the need simply manifested itself differently.
He wiped his hand across his face and was surprised when it came back smeared with blood. He didn't even know whose blood he wore, only that he was going back to her covered in it. He seemed to spend a lot of his time with blood on his skin.
Ryland prodded him with his boot. "You've got a hole in your shirt. You hurt?"
Don Meadows cleared his throat. "He took a bullet when Fredrickson tried to kill my wife. They said if there was a rescue, they'd kill her and they meant it."
"Fredrickson was an idiot. He should have taken me out first and then killed her," Kadan said, shrugging his shoulders. It was what he would have done if the situation had been reversed. Take out the badass and then do your work.
Nico handed him a bottle of water from his pack. "Drink up, man, you look like you could use it."
He must look worse than he'd thought for Nico, the one covered in raw scratches, to point out that he looked bad. He took the bottle and downed half of it in one swallow.
"Who are you?" Don asked. "Where's my daughter?"
"She's safe. I've got a couple of good men guarding her."
"Guarding her, or keeping her prisoner?"
Kadan thought that over. She had no access to a phone. Ian and Tucker had orders to keep her close. She couldn't leave, and if things went wrong, they would forcibly remove her to a safer location. Technically, he supposed, she was a prisoner. He didn't bother to reply. Damn if he'd explain himself to this man.
He shifted his gaze, let it drift over Meadows. The man was in good shape, strong, fit, intelligence in his eyes. He was thinking, assessing the situation, and Kadan bet the man knew where every weapon in the Humvee was. Meadows also read accurately that any of the GhostWalkers was likely to kill him before he ever got off a move.
"What did you give my wife?"
Kadan glanced down at the sleeping woman. She looked very fragile, her pale face covered with bruises and her mouth swollen. She'd probably have a few more bruises where Kadan had slammed into her.
"She'll wake up in a few minutes, before we get to the house," Kadan assured him. "A little headache maybe and very thirsty, but she'll be fine." He reached over and sliced the tape binding Sharon's wrists. Her skin was swollen and raw.
"Who sent you?"
"Tansy."
That surprised Meadows. He blinked, but kept the same expression. He looked the way Kadan had seen so many in his position look before. Superior. Waiting to take charge. Angry at the loss of control.
Kadan fished in the small pack at his belt and came out with a small tube of salve. He tossed it to Don. "Put that on your wife's wrists. It should help." He kept his eyes on the man's face. "You have some psychic ability, don't you?"
Ryland and Nico both turned to look at Don. Even Gator took his eyes off the faint ribbon of a creek bed he was following to look in the rearview mirror.
For one moment Don's eyes went hard and sharp, then he frowned and shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about."
So it was going to be like that. Kadan kept his sigh to himself. It was no surprise, but he'd hoped for a different outcome. He shrugged his shoulders and kept silent as they bounced through the canyon toward their destination.
CHAPTER 11
Ian McGillicuddy was very tall and heavily muscled, with chestnut hair that gleamed red when the sun hit it. His dark brown eyes were very intense, and as big as he was, Tansy could have found him intimidating, but his infectious smile kept that from happening. He was very gentle and polite with her at all times, even when she was pacing, probably driving him crazy.
Tucker Addison was nearly as tall as Ian, with rich, dark skin, muscles that rippled every time he moved, cool brown eyes that seemed to see everything, an engaging smile, and close, military-cropped hair that didn't hide the springy curls Ian teased him relentlessly about. He seemed very patient and calm, although he often would shoot Ian with rubber bands for some teasing remark.
Tansy liked both men, but it didn't help make the time go by faster. A feeling of dread built, and several times she found herself reaching for Kadan, only to find--nothing. Intellectually she knew she couldn't reach over distance, but that didn't make the fear subside. She probably asked Tucker a thousan
d times if they'd heard anything, and he was always gentle and patient with his answer.
After a while she couldn't take the compassion in their eyes and went into the kitchen on a pretext of making tea. Tucker followed her into the room and perched on the table, folding his big arms across his impressive chest and regarding her with his ever present calm.
"The hardest part of any mission, even when you're the one participating in the action, is the wait. You learn, over time, that everything takes longer than you want it to, to sleep whenever you can, and above all, to not play the odds in your head. You just live in the moment. Action, no action, it's all good. Right now, we need to be living in our moment and let them have theirs."
Tansy filled the kettle. "You can really do that? You don't worry about them? Or yourself when you're going into combat?"
He flashed her a smile, and there was a dangerous edge she hadn't seen before. "No, ma'am, I don't worry so much. It's not going to get me much but lines on my face. I can't change what's happening to them. Anything our imagination conjures up is probably worse than what's actually going on." He waited until she looked up at him, pausing in the act of putting tea in a small teapot. "I have faith in them. In Rye and Kadan and Nico and Gator. I believe in them. They'll do what they say they will do."
She let out her breath and tried to calm her chaotic mind. "They aren't invincible."
His smile widened. "Sure they are. That's where you go wrong in your thinking. You have to believe in them. There is no other outcome than success--total success. Once you believe, you don't spend all your time tied up in knots."
"I let him go to get my parents. It's wrong to trade one person's life for another, as if he's not as valuable. I should have just gone myself."
"You know better than that. Kadan's trained for this work. It's what he does and who he is. He'll go out over and over on missions, Tansy. You have to be okay with that."
"Why does he do it? Why do you do it?"
His white teeth flashed at her. "Why does anyone do anything? We're good at it. We're very good at it. He'll bring your parents back to you."
She ducked her head. "I don't want anything to happen to him."
He drew in his breath sharply. "You're worried for Kadan?" His smile widened. "Man, I'm slow." He slapped his forehead. "All this time I was thinking you had this moral issue going, or that you were all concerned about your parents . . ."
She scowled at him. "I am concerned for my parents."
"It's Kadan. You're all worried about our boy Kadan." Tucker raised his voice. "Ian. Get in here. You have to hear this."
She put her hands on her hips. "You're having way too much fun. I'm not talking to you anymore."
Ian stuck his head in. "What's up?"
"Our girl here is all worried over Kadan. She thinks he might fall down and skin his knee."
Ian hooted. "You're nervous because of Kadan? All that pacing is over that big badass?" The two men exchanged a long look and then burst out laughing. "Honey-girl, you have no reason to think that man is going to get hurt. Feel sorry for the other guy."
"Keep laughing, you hyenas," Tansy sniffed. "I'm not making either of you tea."
"Come on, now," Tucker said. "You can't blame us for laughing. Kadan's like the hound from hell."
Ian nodded. "The devil himself."
She made a face at them. "You're both awful. You know you don't have to stay with me. I can look after myself."
She'd been considering trying to put some more pieces of the murder puzzles together, but she needed to be alone to do it. She was certain Kadan hadn't told his friends anything. They were suspects, although Kadan didn't suspect them for one moment. She couldn't imagine that she wouldn't have some reaction even through her gloves if they were serial killers, but one never knew. She placed a mug of tea in front of each of them.
Tucker drew back, looking at it as if it might bite him. "Ma'am?"
"You're supposed to drink it."
Tucker exchanged another long look with Ian before delicately picking up the mug as if it might bite him.
"You too," Tansy demanded when she caught Ian smirking at his partner. "It's good for you. I carry a special blend in my backpack. It will soothe your nerves."
Tucker screwed up his face. "I have nerves of steel. I don't need this sh . . . stuff."
"Maybe we can find some whiskey to dump in it," Ian suggested, staring down at the brew with evident apprehension.
She was fairly certain their outrageous reactions to a cup of tea were meant to distract her, and she let them, teasing both men about being such babies.
"Are either of you married?"
"Nope," Ian said. "Women just don't appreciate my particular charm."
Tucker shook his head. "Got no problem with the charm, but they're too danged high-maintenance for me." He winked at her. "Course now that Kadan's taking the plunge . . ."
Her head went up. "What do you mean he's taking the plunge?" It would be just her luck that Kadan would be engaged. The moment the thought entered her head, she realized just how much the possibility of her parents betraying her with Whitney really had shaken her. She'd been in Kadan's head numerous times. There was no doubt his feelings, confused though they might be, were still genuine, still raw and strong and true. He couldn't fake that; no one was that good. She would have known.
Tucker hooted again and slapped his thigh. He even took a healthy swallow of tea.
Ian nearly spewed his. "Getting married. Hitched. The old ball and chain."
"Are you implying that Kadan's getting married to someone? Just who would that be?" She knew now; how could she not? It was so like Kadan to tell everyone but her.
"You, of course," Tucker said.
She noticed his eyes had gone cool and watchful, as if he was waiting for a sign from her that she wouldn't let his buddy down.
"He told us you were his fiancee and he planned on snapping you up the moment this is all over. Said he'd do it before, but he couldn't chance the paperwork."
"He said that, did he?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"How odd that he forgot to say it to me."
Tucker shrugged his massive shoulders. "Not so odd when you might rip his heart out. He'd be smarter to just get the deed done before you think too much on it."
Yeah, that sounded like Kadan, although it surprised her that Tucker could see into his soul like that. But then Tucker was an interesting man. All of Kadan's friends were. She felt a little guilty making small talk and waiting for them to leave the room so she could wash up, but she was leaving these men to guard her parents while she went off hunting a killer. She had to be absolutely certain she wasn't leaving the killer with the people she loved. She filled the sink with soapy water, carefully watching the door until they were gone, before peeling off her gloves.
Tansy sank into a chair and studied Tucker's mug from every angle before cupping her hands around it, palms not quite touching, hoping she wouldn't have to actually touch the thing to gain impressions. She closed her eyes, allowing the energy to wash over and through her. He'd been lying to her--he was worried about Kadan and the others and wished he was there, guarding their backs. He was very uneasy that he wasn't with his team, at his usual place, watching over them, protecting them in the middle of a firefight. He worried that Kadan might be in over his head with her.
She had an immediate impression of strong loyalty; this was a man who stood by those he loved, his friends, and was honor bound and very patriotic. Flashes of his past ran through his mind, missions that had gone sour. The Congo. Colombia. She saw images of Kadan, streaked with blood, crashing through a door, face grim, guns blazing, shouting hoarsely. Smoke curled around them, thick and dark. Tucker, a man draped over his shoulder, ran through a gauntlet of flames and gunfire while Kadan and Nico, providing covering fire, ran on either side of him. Ryland led the way, automatic stuttering, and behind Tucker and the wounded man were Gator and two others she didn't recognize.
Tucker wasn't a serial killer, and she didn't need to know anything more about his past. She forced her hands away from the energy field and curled her fingers in her lap, waiting for her mind to clear. The familiar throbbing at her temples warned her she'd been using her gift too often and too close together, but, although she was certain she would find that Ian wasn't any more guilty of murder than Tucker, for her parents' sake, she had to be certain.
She took another deep breath, blew on her palms, and leaned forward to surround Ian's empty mug. His energy was fainter than Tucker's, and for a moment her heart jumped, afraid she might have to actually grasp the mug. That would plunge her in far deeper than she wanted to go. She inched her palms closer, until she was a hairs-breadth away. Then she was in the wave of energy, and impressions raced into her mind.
Like Tucker, Ian was worried about his unit, particularly Kadan. The man rarely shared personal information, and Ian was certain a lot more was going on than Kadan was telling them. Ian didn't like the fact that he'd never heard of Tansy and that he had the feeling she was one of the "lost" girls; that was bad news because it would mean Whitney would be hunting her.
That sent a shiver down her spine. She forced herself deeper into the impression, wanting to get it over with. He wasn't a killer, but he'd certainly killed. There was Kadan again, this time dressed in jungle combat gear. The team was sitting, buried to their noses in mud, down in a swamp with alligators and snakes, barely breathing, sharing telepathic communication that Kadan and Ryland seemed to maintain together for the rest of the men. Saw grass waved above their heads, but even so, they each used a straw to breathe through the mud and few inches of water above their heads.
Ian's disgust was strong. He glared at Gator, who kept poking him. You say alligator one more time, I'm gonna feed your body, piece by piece, to one. There was no real malice in the words; she could even detect affection.
She had the impression of others moving around them, nearly stepping on them. No one moved, everyone stayed quiet, even Ian, when Gator made a swimming motion through the mud with one hand like an alligator, right toward Ian's belly.