Ghostwalker 08 - Street Game

standing.”
    Mack let his breath out. “That’s not funny. I could have shot you.”
    “Yeah, well, take your hand out from under that shirt really slow Mack,” Kane said. “Jaimie, you take a step away from him.”
    Color swept up Jaimie’s neck and into her face. “Are you all crazy? Put your guns away and stop fooling around.”

    147

    “Poor choice of words, Jaimie,” Javier said. “I think there’s been enough fooling around. We aren’t fooling. No one, not even Mack, is going to mess with our sister and get away with it.”
    “No one stopped him when we were living together,” Jaimie pointed out, jerking her head up, eyes narrowing dangerously. Her riot of curls went flying in all directions. Usually that was enough to get them all under control, but the guns held rock steady.
    “We thought his intentions were honorable back then,” Marc said.
    “We just got you back,” Lucas added.
    They all nodded in agreement.
    Kane indicated for her to move with his gun. “Get away from him, Jaimie. He doesn’t get to lead you on and walk away free.”
    “You aren’t going to shoot him,” she said firmly, but she didn’t sound too sure.
    “No, but we’re going to beat the hell out of him,” Jacob said. “Go on upstairs while we take care of this.”
    “Go on upstairs, Jaimie,” Mack agreed quietly.
    “What century are you all living in?” Jaimie demanded. “This isn’t funny. It’s not like any of you . . .”
    “Not with our sister, we don’t,” Javier snapped. “Get away from him, Jaimie. I mean it. Go upstairs.”
    “You’re serious.”
    “He doesn’t get to touch you unless his intentions are strictly honorable.”
    “Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Jaimie stepped in front of Mack. “You’ve all lost your minds.”
    Mack put her gently aside. “You can try to beat the crap out of me, boys, but none of you are that good.” He flexed his shoulders.
    “Put your weapons up right this minute,” Jaimie demanded. When no one did, she put both hands on her hips, trying to be seen around Mack’s large frame. “This is my house and you’re being disrespectful.”
    “He’s being disrespectful,” Kane said.
    “For your information, and it’s none of your business, I seduced him, not the other way around. You’re pointing your guns at the wrong person.”
    The men looked at one another.
    “Is that true, boss?” Lucas asked.

    148

    “It fucking doesn’t matter. You all made one hell of a mistake tonight.” Mack’s voice was ice-cold. “You pulled your weapons with Jaimie in the line of fire. You want a piece of me, come get it, but before you do, holster your weapons, and you can all consider that a fucking order.”
    His low tone carried throughout the warehouse, a lethal intent none of them could mistake. Silence fell. Guns disappeared.
    Jaimie shivered and laid a hand on Mack’s arm, looking up at his face. His jaw was set, his eyes frozen, glittering chips. He wasn’t joking. There was no humor or amusement. The level of tension in the room went up several notches.
    He moved so fast he was nearly a blur, without warning, launching into action. He went vertical, lashing out with powerful legs in a left, right leg kick, dropping the two men closest to him. Lucas and Marc went down hard, the sound sickening, indicating Mack wasn’t holding much back.
    They’d all seen him like this before, usually over Jaimie, and the remaining men tried to scramble out of harm’s way. Mack was already in motion, coming back to the floor and running two steps up the wall and flipping off it, clearing a ten-foot distance, driving Kane, who had been farthest from him, to the floor.
    “Mack, back off,” Javier yelled, crouching low, hands up to face the threat coming from up above. “Someone’s going to get hurt.”
    Mack was moving across the ceiling like a spider, his speed incredible, dropping into the center of Ethan, Jacob, and Javier, his leg sweeping out in a spin, knocking them all on their butts. Javier stood up slowly, facing him, palm out as if in appeasement, but he was in a good offensive position.
    “I’m going to say we deserved that, Mack, but I’m not good at this kind of discipline. Let’s go eat and call it good.”
    “Apologize to Jaimie and we’ll call it good,” Mack said.
    “I don’t need . . .” Jaimie trailed off when Mack shot her a look.
    “Mack’s right, Jaimie,” Kane said, from the floor. “It was a dumb joke. If one of us had stumbled,