Ghostwalker 09 - Ruthless Game

or the child were injured, it would be up to them to save them quickly.
    They were surrounding the enemy, closing in fast.
    Javier, take the one with the baby, and get him out of there.
    On it, Top. Javier’s voice never changed.
    He pushed hard with his foot, increasing the speed of his skateboard. He had let Whitney’s men see him when they came running out, dismissing him as a kid hanging out with his friends, trying new tricks. He’d studied them careful y, knew they were skil ed and dangerous. The one he targeted held Sebastian in some kind of pack, leaving both arms free to carry his semiautomatic. The trick was not to try to outshoot them but to make certain his enemy never saw death coming.
    He knew they could hear the skateboard coming up behind them, but he sounded like any other teenager, and they’d already assessed and dismissed him as a threat. Rose is unconscious. I can’t tell what they’ve done to her, he warned Paul.
    The baby? Kane sounded dispassionate, completely disengaged and remote, but there was the sound of death in his voice.
    He’s got lungs, Javier reported, a brief hint of amusement in his voice.
    In another few seconds the two men would be on the docks in the midst of a crowd. Smoothly, Javier shoved again, crouching low, surfing over the pitted al ey, coming up behind the enemy holding Sebastian. He swept past, his knife flashing, cutting the throat with one hand as he ripped the pack holding the child away with the other.
    The man gurgled, both hands flying to his throat. Javier turned sharply as he shot out of the al ey into the throng of people, heading for the market where the rows of booths and tables gave him cover. He flashed past Kane and Mack straight toward Paul and Marc. He shoved the bundle into Paul’s hands and swerved away from them, making a show of weaving in and out of the booths to better give Whitney’s man a target.
    Javier made the handoff before the enemy went down, a slow-motion fal , first to his knees, clutching his throat, blood spraying through his hands, and then facedown, his head hitting the wooden slats of the wharf.
    I’ve got the package, Paul announced as he did an abrupt about-face and began to hurry back toward the warehouse, using the thickening fog for cover from sharpshooters on the rooftops.

    I’ve got you covered, Gideon assured. The other two members of their team on the surrounding roofs, Ethan and Lucas, would provide cover for the converging members of their team on the ground.
    Double-time it, Mack commanded. We don’t know how many more they sent.
    The baby ceased crying the moment he was in Paul’s hands, as if he knew silence was paramount for safety now that his team was taking him through enemy lines back home.
    The man with Rose slung over his shoulder halted, staring in horror at his companion. Whirling around in a slight circle, he changed direction, running toward the end of the dock. The fingers of fog had gathered together, turning gray and thick. The sound of his boots on the wooden dock was loud and eerie coming out of the murkiness.
    If you have a shot, take it, Mack said. Jacob, are you on him?
    Roger that, Top. He’s got company. A fast boat running hot.
    Keep them away from the dock, Mack ordered.
    At once a barrage of fire from the rooftops prevented the boat from coming in close to the dock. It veered away and raced back out to sea. Once again, the man with Rose switched directions, this time running down the dock toward the pier. The boat circled back in the distance, apparently in communication with the man holding Rose.
    Kane paid no attention to anything but Rose. He concentrated on the path to her mind. It had always been easy to communicate with her, but perhaps she had been reaching for him as he reached for her. Now he groped blindly, trusting his instincts as he ran. He refused to al ow fear to enter. Emotion wouldn’t do her any good. He had to keep a clear mind and trust his team. Al of them were in on the action. Javier had spotted the SUV and correctly read the situation, alerting the team, and they operated together smoothly, as they had for years.
    Come to me, sweetheart. Open your eyes, but don’t move. Just open your mind to mine.
    He kept the running command up, over and over, pushing deeper into her mind, trying to find her subconscious, trying to reach her. Rose was a force to contend with. The man running with her just didn’t know it.
    “You’ve got nowhere to go,” Jacob’s