Ghostwalker 06 - Predatory Game

mind, sent them out into the universe to urge his enemies to find him. As if in answer, the door to the basement was flung open.
    Come on, you bastard. Walk on in. Let’s do it.
    He stayed very still, watching as the man crept down the stairs, gun in his hand, his gaze sweeping left to right as he quartered the basement. As he descended, the light from above faded and the man reached for the flashlight at his belt. Jess threw the knife he had strapped to his leg, as accurate as always, so that the man fell hard, gun clattering and head thumping as he slid the rest of the way down the stairs.
    Jess pushed the chair close enough to check his pulse. Finding him dead, he snagged the man’s arm and began to drag the body away from the bottom of the stairs. It wasn’t easy maneuvering his chair while trying to keep hold of the body, but he needed it out of sight fast. The open door, silence, and the smell of blood would lure the others in. As long as they wanted him alive, he had a chance—more than a chance. He’d kill them all, because no matter what else happened, he wasn’t going to let them get their hands on the women.
    After retrieving the dead man’s gun, he parked the wheelchair in the alcove where the heater was located and placed the gun on a shelf facing the stairs. He slipped from his chair and lifted the dead man into it. For the first time in a long while, he was thankful he was physically enhanced. As much as he worked out, he doubted he would have been strong enough to put a fully grown man into his wheelchair from the floor, but with the strength Whitney had given him, he easily lifted the body. He’d already picked out the safest place in the room, the darkest spot with the most cover.
    He’d baited the trap, now he had to wait until they took it. The devil liked to make a man sweat, sending him images of Saber and Patsy in the hands of madmen. They were dead just for what they’d done to Patsy. He’d hunt them down one by one if he had to. And Saber…She’d suffered for him. He wasn’t going to forget that look in her eyes when she’d known she was going to have to kill again.
    The sound of the rain beat down steadily and the seconds crawled by. He heard the first soft footfall and then a second one.
    “Henry? You down there?”
    Jess remained silent, knowing the men wouldn’t fail to smell blood. The open door was an invitation. He remained still, patient. He heard a whispered consultation. He simply lay there waiting. They would come because they had to. They had gone to the trouble of torturing Patsy for information.They would surely want him.
    A figure appeared in the doorway, stepped hastily to the side in a crouch, sweeping the basement with a flashlight. Jess concentrated on the gun he’d left on the shelf. It rose in the air, levitating just about the height of a man’s chest before firing. The flash was bright in the room, and the flashlight clattered to the ground. The man holding it clutched his stinging hand and swore as the room once again was plunged into darkness.

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    “Calhoun. We know you’re in there. Come out into the open and drop your weapon.”The voice came from outside the room.
    Jess glanced at his watch. Saber and Patsy should be clear of the house. If he made a mistake, both should still be fine. He tested his control, felt the concrete under him shift slightly. The walls shimmered uneasily for just a moment. The stairs creaked.
    “Calhoun, don’t make this hard on yourself. Ben just came in and we’ve got your sister.”
    Your sister. Not both women. Saber would never allow them to take Patsy from her. If they had captured Patsy, they’d have taken Saber as well. They were lying. Even with logic telling him both women were safe, his heart still stuttered. He felt the floor quiver, always a problem when he was upset.
    Control was of vital importance when you could shake apart a house.
    “Calhoun. Let’s just talk.”
    The first man, already inside, began to make a cautious move to find cover. The gun hovering over the shelf fired a second warning shot, and the man brought up his gun and sprayed the basement with bullets.
    “Stop! What the fuck is wrong with you, Stan? We need him alive.”
    The gun fell silent, although Jess could hear harsh breathing. The man giving orders stepped to the door’s edge and flashed a light over the basement. He caught the splash of blood and