Ghostwalker 06 - Predatory Game

the open.”
    “Go for it if you think you can.”
    He flicked her one quick glance and then shifted to get into a better position. His hand was shaking.
    Sweat dripped into his eyes.
    Their attacker crouched low, looked left and right, and then ran toward the cars.The sound of his boots hitting the asphalt seemed overly loud in the silence.
    Saber took the gun from Brady’s hand, aimed, and squeezed the trigger. The bullet caught the man low, slamming him backward. The sound of the gunshot reverberated across the parking lot.He yelled and fired off several rounds as he went down, shooting wildly. The barrage of bullets hit cars and trees and went into the dirt, but didn’t come close to them.

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    Saber pushed to her feet. She had very little time. Already the violent energy was rushing to overtake her. Brady tried to catch her with an outstretched hand, but she brushed past him and ran toward the downed man, the gun rock steady on him. She had to finish him before the energy hit her and she went down. There was no one else to protect Brady, and his wound was serious.
    “Don’t!” Brady called sharply.
    She was aware of him struggling to get to his feet, but she couldn’t stay and help. The wounded man thrashed on the ground, cursing aloud, and she gripped the gun harder, her stomach churning. She willed him to turn the gun on her. She didn’t want to kill him in cold blood—like an assassin. She wanted it to at least be self-defense.
    She made noise as she ran, deliberately making her footsteps loud, hoping he’d bring up the gun, but he kept screaming and rolling on the asphalt. Saber skidded to a halt, brought up the gun, and stared down into the face of the man who had violated her sanctuary—her home.
    “Les.” She let out her breath, a little shocked that the day soundman could have been stalking her for the last few weeks. He barely spoke to her, in fact the rare times they worked together, he was surly and mean.
    He spat curses at her, the gun still in his hand, but he didn’t lift it, only drummed his heels against the asphalt and raged as if demented. She could see he’d been wounded in the stomach. The pain had to be excruciating.
    “Saber!”
    If she was going to kill him, she had to do it now, squeeze the trigger and be done with him, but she couldn’t. She stood there shaking, the energy swirling around her in blacks and reds, swallowing her up so that her vision darkened and she went to her knees.
    Brian ran up behind her and the terrible churning in her stomach, the pounding in her head, lessened significantly. When he dropped his hand on her shoulder, it disappeared altogether.
    “Are you all right?”
    “Brady’s been shot. We need to call an ambulance.”
    He reached down and helped her up, removing the gun and tucking it into his belt. “Did he hurt you?”
    “No. But he’s been the one calling and he broke into my house and did disgusting things in my bedroom.
    I don’t understand this.”
    “No? Les was sent by Dr. Whitney to watch you and report back to him.”
    Brian drew a gun from beneath his shoulder and kicked at Les with the toe of his boot while Saber stood there, mouth open in shock.
    “How would you know that? Who are you?”
    “The theory was neither you nor Jess would pay much attention to someone not genetically enhanced.

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    And you didn’t. It was a test of sorts, one you both failed. You even disliked him, but you didn’t bother to find out why. That’s a weakness, Saber.”
    He brought up the gun, aimed it, and fired. A hole blossomed in the center of Les’s forehead. Saber jumped and stepped back, horrified.
    “You should have killed him. You never would have been safe as long as he was around. He’s been deteriorating for months. He obsessed over you.”
    “Brian.” Saber inhaled sharply, trying to keep panic down. He wasn’t close enough to touch. And he didn’t take his eyes off of her. “Do you work for Whitney?”
    “You already know the answer to that and it should have occurred to you why you were so comfortable at work.” There was a definite reprimand in his voice.
    “You’re an anchor.”He was the reason she wasn’t writhing on the ground with jackhammers pounding at her head from the aftermath of violence.
    “And a shielder.” He flashed a quick grin. “One of the rare