Ghostwalker 02 - Mind Game

is Jack Norton, and you should have recognized the name,” Nicolas told the Cajun, then turned his attention back to the agent. “The house is one big booby trap. My men are finding weapons all over the place. You think someone’s after you?”

    “We heard someone took out Jesse Calhoun,” Norton answered easily. “Mind if I put my hands down?”

    “Yes I mind. We’re all safer this way. Take it as a compliment. You have a certain well-deserved reputation. Where’s your brother?”

    “Probably looking down a scope at you right this minute,” Norton said complacently.

    “He’s carrying live rounds, Jack,” Nicolas said. “Tell him to stand down. I don’t want any of my men getting hurt and this turning into a useless bloodbath. We’re on an information hunt.”

    “Ken will just hang back, making sure no one does anything stupid,” Norton replied.
    “You’re not going to find the traitor in this house.”

    “He has information on Jesse,” Neil said.

    “He’s in bad shape,” Nicolas told them. “We’ve got him stashed in the best hospital and he’s guarded around the clock by a couple of ours. Henderson went to see him. They’re not letting anyone else close.”

    “You bring him out?” Jack asked.

    Nicolas nodded.

    “Then I owe you.”

    “Just keep that brother of yours from shooting any of my men. I’d hate to have to kill someone I like.” Nicolas spoke into his radio. “We aren’t going to find anything here.
    Break off and let me know when you’re clear.”

    “Is our computer intact?” Neil asked.

    “You won’t know he touched it,” Nicolas answered. “Make sure you get a doc to take a look at your chest. You’re going to carry a few bruises. Later gentlemen.” He kept his gun steady, dead center on Norton’s chest as he backed toward the window. “I’ll just go out this way and keep an eye on the two of you while my men get clear.” He spoke conversationally, even nonchalantly, but his skin crawled with the idea of the legendary Jack Norton and his twin brother Ken, lying in wait for him. There were few men as good as him in the jungle, but Jack Norton was one of them. And he was just as good at the end of a rifle, maybe better.

    No one had mentioned the Norton twins in the intel he had on the house, or even on the NCIS. He couldn’t imagine Lily missing something like that, which meant Norton had either come in on his own because he’d heard about Jesse Calhoun and Calhoun was a friend, or he’d been brought in by the director to investigate his office because the admiral had come to the same conclusion as Dahlia. Someone in the department was a traitor.

    He kept his gun trained on Norton until each of his men gave him the all clear. He did a small salute and vanished, sliding into the night as quickly as he could, feeling the itch between his shoulder blades as if he were being tracked with a bullet.

    Once away, he breathed a sigh of relief. The Norton twins. Who would have ever guessed they’d come out unscathed in a confrontation with them? He was very lucky to get his men out unharmed. He knew Jack Norton was thinking the same about tangling with him. He let his breath out slowly wishing they were finished for the night. But they weren’t.

    “I’m picking up Dahlia. Will meet you all at the target.”

    Nicolas was thankful to be alone in the car for a few minutes. The responsibility of protecting his men was no small thing. He took it seriously, and he’d known it might all go to hell. They had one day to search the house, and that wasn’t nearly enough time to canvass the place and find a time to break in when no one was at home. They’d been lucky coming out unscathed when the notorious Norton twins had been in residence. He couldn’t blame Gator. No one alive that he knew could handle Jack Norton and come out on top. The only reason Gator wasn’t dead was because Jack was a patient, steady man and didn’t make mistakes. He was sizing up the situation, feeling his way before making a kill. They’d been lucky. Very lucky.

    Dahlia ran lightly across the lawn, dressed in a black jumpsuit, her hair pulled tightly into a thick, intricate braid. She tossed the small bag filled with the new clothes into the backseat and slid into the car beside him. “How’d it go?”

    “They’re clean,” he answered.

    She took a long look at him. “Is everyone okay?”

    “Yes, but we don’t have a lot of time with this, Dahlia, we want