Ghostwalker 04 - Conspiracy Game

out.
    “We want them coming after us, baby,” Jack said. “No worries. We have an escape route. Ken, did you call in reinforcements?”

    Ken shook his head. “Thought about it, but we don’t know, other than our team, who we can trust. If I contact our commander, the admiral, and he’s in on this, we’re screwed.”
    Jack glanced down at Briony, assessing the strain on her face. She’d been through quite a bit, and they still had several miles up a steep mountainside to go. She flashed him a wan grin.
    “I’m good, Jack. I want to put distance between them and us.”
    She didn’t look good to him, and if he took her to a hospital—which he intended to do to check the babies—he was bound to be arrested for domestic violence. She looked as if she’d been in a war. He slowed the pace over several ground-eating strides. Ken glanced sharply at him then looked at Briony’s bent head and kept his mouth shut, but he began to drop back where he could protect his brother and Briony should one of the enhanced soldiers come up on them from behind.
    Briony ran for another mile, uphill, her lungs burning and her side cramping. Blood trickled down her hip in a steady stream, and she supported her stomach with one hand.
    Fear was uppermost in her mind, fear that she would slow Jack and Ken down and they wouldn’t be able to escape the men following them. The helicopter had retreated for a little over an hour to get fuel she presumed, but was back, flying low along the trees in search of them.
    Bile rose continually, and she tried desperately to suppress it, but eventually she had no choice. Tears blurring her vision, she halted and bent over, stomach heaving. “Morning sickness. I didn’t eat anything. Sorry.”
    Jack’s rifle went to his shoulder and he watched the surrounding trees. Ken kept his back to her, doing the same, their bodies still while their eyes were restless. The next hour passed with a similar pattern. Briony ran as long as she was able before vomiting, the twins running with her and both instantly protecting her while she was sick. She caught the glint of humor in Jack’s mind and glanced suspiciously at his face and then at Ken. Both looked grim, but she wasn’t buying it.
    “You’re laughing,” she accused.
    “It’s either laugh or cry, baby.” Jack glanced at her. “You have to admit, the situation is different from what we normally do. We should have thought to bring you some crackers.”
    “You probably would have thought of it too.” Briony groused, stopping once again to bend over.
    Jack knocked into her sideways, sending her flying. She hit the ground hard and lay still while bullets rained down around them. Ken calmly knelt down and sited in on the helicopter, taking his time to locate his target. Jack did the same. There was no wild shooting. It was obvious they believed in making every shot count. Ken fired first, and the man at the machine gun disappeared into the interior of the helicopter, knocked back by the bullet. The second soldier with an automatic crumbled straight to the floor, falling half-in and half-out of the copter.
    The pilot veered off quickly, heading out over the canopy of trees to get away from the sharpshooters.
    Jack helped Briony to her feet. “Are you all right?”
    “I need to rest.”
    He glanced at his brother. Ken shook his head.
    Jack handed her the canteen. “We can rest in a few minutes, in a place with more cover.
    Can you make it a few more miles, baby? We’ll slow down and take a few minutes along the way, but we need to get into dense cover. If you don’t think you can, we’ll find a place to make a stand.”
    “I’m just worried.” Briony rubbed her hand over her stomach. “I don’t want to lose them.”
    Jack placed his hand over hers. “We’re not losing the babies, Briony. They’re tough, just like we are. They’ll hang in there and trust us to get them to safety.”
    She touched his face, a light brush of her fingertips, but Jack felt it all the way to his toes.
    His stomach knotted and his heart did some sort of curious melting thing he didn’t want to identify too closely. He glanced at his brother helplessly.
    Damn it, Ken. I’m so fucking in love with her. This isn’t part of Whitney’s experiment; he couldn’t make me feel like this no matter what he planted between us.
    I could have told you that. You’ve got it bad, bro. She’s going to wrap you around her little finger, and you’re going to make a