Ghostwalker 04 - Conspiracy Game

courting, bro. You know, actually make nice.”
    “You’re really enjoying yourself, aren’t you?” Jack demanded, giving one last pat to the wood lying on the table. His head jerked up and he suddenly took off running, snatching up the rifle beside the door.
    “What the hell?” Ken snapped, breaking into a run to match his brother’s.
    “Someone triggered the alarm just inside the grove of trees to the left of the house,” Jack said, tossing his brother his rifle as he sprinted past. “The strobe started flashing. Make sure Briony’s safe. Get her into the tunnel and wait for me.”
    Ken picked the weapon out of the air on the run, breaking off to sprint for the house. He burst through the door, shouting Briony’s name, heard the echo ring through the empty rooms, and his heart sank as he turned to follow his twin.
    Not here, Jack. She’s gone.
    For a moment Jack thought a vise squeezed his heart. Pain flashed through his chest—
    real, physical. His gut twisted into hard, cramping knots. Damn it! Briony! Answer me now!
    He kept running, staying in the shadows of the trees, using scent, breathing away fear for her, anger that he hadn’t been watching her close enough.
    What is it, Jack?
    The sound of her voice brushing through his mind like a caress was almost more than he could comprehend. For a moment he didn’t believe it and he kept running, using enhanced speed so that he was a mere blur flashing through the grove. The guns were solid in his hands, so familiar they seemed a part of him, and all the while his mind was working, planning out his strategy to ferret out the intruder and eliminate the threat. Then he comprehended—knew she was alive, knew they hadn’t taken her. His legs actually went weak in reaction—something that had never happened to him before in his life.
    Take cover; go up into the trees and blend in with your surroundings. Stay very still. Ken will come to you. His voice turned hard, as his heart settled. She had a lot to answer for and it wasn’t going to be pleasant. Damn her for making him feel what amounted to terror, for causing him to lose—even for a moment—his equilibrium.
    Briony didn’t ask questions. The icy cold in his voice warned her—Jack was beyond angry with her. She glanced right and left to ensure she was alone, and leapt into the lower branches of a tree, climbing fast to the thicker canopy, changing colors as she did so to blend with the foliage. She wore beige trousers and a soft gray and beige shirt. She hoped the neutral colors helped to camouflage her in the dense leaves.
    It wasn’t that she’d forgotten she was in danger—it was just that she’d felt safe. Stupid, stupid mistake. She’d come to Jack Norton for lessons in survival, and she had the feeling she was about to get one she’d never forget. There was nothing politically correct about Jack; he was quite capable of extreme violence, but never once, not for one moment, did she believe he would hurt her. And where had that trust come from?
    Briony crouched in the tree, trying to figure out how and why she was with Jack. Why were they such a good fit? Because she knew they were—even if he didn’t—and she was going to hold on to that when he came for her, fiercely angry for her stupidity.
    The wind was stronger in the canopy, and she inhaled, hoping to catch the scent of any intruder and to figure out just where Jack and Ken were. Jack, she picked up right away, moving fast toward her. There was someone else, someone who didn’t bathe often and smelled of animals, pungent sweat, and dirt.
    There’s a man just south of you, Jack.
    Her warning wasn’t needed. Jack knew the precise location of the man wandering through his property—and he knew by the smell who it was. He whistled and signaled Ken to circle around and get behind the intruder. Stay where you are, Briony. I don’t want him to see you.
    Ken moved into position, settling into the high branches of a tree, rifle in hand, eye to the scope. It’s old man Brady.
    Jack swore softly. Could be a trap. It would be like the bastard to use a helpless old man. Watch your back, Ken, and keep an eye on Briony.
    I’m watching your back. You be careful. I’ll take him out if I have to.
    Jack snapped his teeth together to keep from swearing at his twin. He took a deep breath and let it go, letting the ice replace the adrenaline rushing through his veins. We do this one by the book, Ken. We have no choice. She’s primary,