Ghostwalker 09 - Ruthless Game

Whitney is after her? Tel me what’s going on, Mack.”
    The infamous Lopez family was notorious for their bloody sieges and brutal retaliation. They’d virtual y declared war on their own government, targeting policemen and their families, wiping them out, decapitating them and leaving their bodies in plain sight for al to see. They had begun going after the politicians recently, ambushing the cars carrying them, kil ing their military escorts, and carrying out their brutal death threats. Bombs were frequent, blowing up police stations and cars on the roadways.
    “Diego Jimenez made a deal with Whitney,” Kane explained. “Whitney supplied Jimenez with guns and ammunition and probably money in order for him to fight the former president. That made Jimenez very unpopular with al of the cartels, but the Lopez family in particular. Apparently they targeted Jimenez’s family, and when he found himself dying of cancer and Whitney was wil ing to do anything to get Rose back, he found a way, he thought, to get the cartel off his family’s back.”
    Kane raked his fingers through his hair and huffed out his breath, a sure sign for those who knew him that he was angry. “Rose nursed the old man through his dying days, but he sold her out to the cartel, trading her life for his sons’. He told the cartel where she was and what she was worth to Whitney.
    They know her identity, and they know she was involved in the deaths of the cartel members sent to acquire her. Damn Jimenez. If he wasn’t already dead, I’d kil him myself.”
    The sound of soft, feminine laughter whispered inside his head. He glanced up and met Rose’s laughing eyes. His stomach did its famous flip, and his body stirred to attention. It took a moment to realize her laughter was for him alone and the intimacy of the moment shook him.
    She pushed herself off the wal . “It was a natural conclusion, Kane. I knew they’d blame me. They had my name and they lost at a lot of their men. They seek vengeance as a rule; it’s how they keep everyone afraid of them. They have to blame someone for al those deaths, and I’m al they’ve got. It was a war zone out there. There’s no trace of any of you. Whitney’s men probably cleaned up their bodies, so what’s left as an explanation? They have to find me and get their answers.” She shrugged her shoulders. “You would have figured it out if you hadn’t been unconscious and recovering for so long.”
    “You might have told me,” Mack pointed out.
    She stood stil for a moment, her dark eyes searching his face. “Yes. I should have. I’m sorry for that. I knew it wasn’t just going to go away, and by being with you al , it would put you in jeopardy as wel . I should have said something.”
    Mack nodded, accepting her apology. “Jaimie is very good at hearing threats in chatter. She monitors everything, and about three weeks ago, we realized the head of the Lopez cartel had reached out to one of the gangs affiliated with them here in the States, and your name came up.”
    “And yet you didn’t mention this to me.”
    Mack’s expression didn’t change as he briefly nodded. “That’s true. Perhaps I should have said something.”
    Kane looked from one to the other. “Are we at war?”
    Mack flashed him a grin. “Not me.” He held up his hands in surrender. “She saved your life, bro. I owe her for that. And she gave me the most amazing nephew in the world. So permanent truce. Although, you know, I expect her to marry your ass. I had Jaimie do the preliminary paperwork.”
    Rose went a little pale while Mack looked whol y pleased with himself.
    Kane grinned at Rose. “Get used to it, sweetheart. He bosses al of us. I guess you’l have to marry my ass. Boss man says so.”
    “Both of you are crazy.”

    “You knew that going into it.”
    “I’m going to ignore both of you.”
    “You do that,” Mack approved. “Just say ‘I do’ at the appropriate moment, and al wil be wel .”
    She frowned, obviously not real y understanding or taking him seriously. Kane knew better. He shot Mack a warning glance. “Paul, is Sebastian healthy?” he asked, changing the subject.
    Paul hovered just outside the door, looking awkward. His face lit up. “Very healthy, Kane. He’s unusual y strong. He’s also alert and aware of what’s going on around him. When I came into the room, he locked onto me right away, without blinking, almost uncomfortably so, like a predatory animal might. I know you