Ghostwalker 05 - Deadly Game

actually, a couple of his friends were adamant that he shouldn't try to develop mind control. Jacob Abrams often argued against it. I think he was worried about my father having control of that kind of power. People would literally be puppets in his control. No one would be able to stand against him. Jacob didn't like the idea at all, and they would often get into a really heated argument if the subject came up. I was terrified he might actually find a way to do it."
    "He didn't. I had the ability naturally and developed it myself."
    She frowned at Ken. "When did you know you could do that?"
    He shrugged and reached over, trying to look casual as he pulled the edges of Mari's shirt closed. He hated her being exposed to everyone. "I've been able to do it as long as I can remember. When I was a kid I used it mostly on teachers and foster parents, but my control wasn't all that reliable." He grimaced. "Eventually I was able to gain control over it, although it requires complete concentration and if used for a prolonged length of time, or for an intricate task, I'm left completely incapacitated. Also I can't use it on more than one person at a time, or anything really significant, without huge repercussions. I can get guards to look the other way, but all of us have that ability to influence. Real mind control leaves me useless for hours."
    "Why isn't it in your file? You didn't test out for that ability."
    "I figured it best to hold some things back. Put it in my file now as if you've just discovered it. I'm sure Whitney's very interested in both Jack and me right now, and he won't be able to resist looking if he sees you've been pulling us up on the computer. You said he monitors your work, but doesn't realize you're aware of it," Ken said. His knuckles lingered along the swell of Mari's breast as he held the shirt closed. "Put it in there how you've studied both of us and how it's strange that I'm capable of mind control but Jack's not, and you need to further evaluate us. We can figure out a place for him to grab me, without endangering anyone else."
    "No." Jack said the single word in a low tone that spoke volumes. "I won't let you set yourself up so this bastard can grab you. It's not happening, Ken."
    "We can trap him, Jack. He'll come out into the open for me."
    "Lily, don't listen to him," Jack cautioned. "He's a little nutty right now. Meeting Mari has shaken him up and he's in martyr mode. I'm not allowing it, and anyone trying to help him is going to be in trouble."
    Lily continued to work on Mari, wiping her face with a cold cloth, adding another bag of the yellow liquid, and checking the amount of blood Ken had given her. Seeing that Ken couldn't let go of Mari's shirt, she tugged up a thin sheet to add to her patient's privacy while Logan removed the needle from Ken's arm.
    Ken sat up and let his feet drop to the floor.
    "Sit there for a minute and let Ryland get you some juice," Lily cautioned. Her gaze slid to Jack. "You don't need to threaten me, Jack. I have no intention of ever handing anyone over to my father. Whatever Ken's reasons, and I'm certain he has them, nothing is worth that."
    "We can find him," Ken insisted. "Right now he's in the shadows. He's got all kinds of protection, layers of coverage we can't break through. His security clearance raises red flags every time we try to hunt him using a computer. If we go through the admiral or the general, they get the same runaround. Someone very high up is protecting him. The only chance we're ever going to have to stop him is to get him out in the open."
    "And then what, Ken?" Lily asked. "What do you think is going to happen? If we take him prisoner, whoever is protecting him will simply step in and take him away from us."
    There was a small silence. Lily looked from Ken to Jack and then to her husband. She shook her head. "You want to use me to draw my father out into the open so you can kill him? Is that your big plan?"
    "Actually no, Lily," Ken replied. "I was planning on using myself as the bait to draw your father out into the open so we could eliminate him."
    "By eliminate you mean kill," she persisted.
    "What do you think we should do with him? Hand him back over to his friends so they can pat him on the back and give him a bigger budget for his experiments?"
    Lily glared at him. "I've done everything I can to help all of you, but I'm not about to lure him to you so you can kill him. I won't." She backed away from the bed and glared up at