Ghostwalker 09 - Ruthless Game

strength was enormous. Adrenaline running added to the impact. His enemy went tumbling over the side of the boat, fal ing backward into the water.
    Kane landed hard and rol ed toward Randy. The boat rocked crazily, tilting sharply, throwing Randy off balance as he fired his automatic, dril ing holes in the side of the boat. Kane hit him hard under the chin as he drove upward, putting his considerable weight behind the blow, and then spinning around to deliver an elbow to the jaw. Randy clung grimly to the weapon, his finger glued to the trigger.
    The sound of the gun spitting bul ets was deafening inside the blanket of fog. Kane trapped Randy’s wrist, stepping in close to keep the man from turning the weapon toward him. He slammed the wrist back over Randy’s shoulder, forcing his body backward and his feet out from under him. Randy went down, and as he did, Kane ripped the gun from him, turning the weapon back toward his enemy. The bul ets created a bloodred zipper up the man’s chest and into his throat.
    The fight had taken seconds, but exhaustion was hitting along with the shivering that signaled his body was too cold. They had to finish this soon. He peered down into the water, looking for the man he’d knocked overboard. He could just make out the outline of two men struggling just beneath the surface. He recognized Jacob and put the gun down, looking around him for anything that might give him clues to where the men had been directed to take Rose and Sebastian.
    Jacob surfaced beside the boat, dragging the body of the man he’d drowned with him. Kane reached down and helped pul the dead man into the boat.
    Jacob swam to the pier where the diver in the red and black suit was stuck against a pil ar. It took a bit longer to get the body into the boat.
    “You okay?” Kane asked. Jacob was shivering nearly uncontrol ably, and the force of the waves had battered him so that his movements were sluggish.
    “Good enough to get the job done. I’l run them out to sea and get rid of them. Javier has a body or two to add to our col ection.”
    Top, we’re cleaning up. Is Rose okay? Sebastian?
    Paul says Sebastian is as happy as a lark. He thought the entire thing was a great adventure. Rose is still out of it. We’re taking her to Paul, hoping he can counteract whatever they gave her.
    They drugged her then. Kane and Jacob pul ed the last diver into the boat and sank back, shivering from the cold water, arms and legs growing heavier by the moment.
    Yes. Mack’s voice was grim. Bring the boat around to the southern pier. Hurry, the wind’s picking up, and we’ve got to dump the bodies before the fog lifts. Javier will take them out. The two of you come in.
    Top, Jacob protested, I’ve got this.
    That’s an order; come in. Mack’s voice was implacable. Brian took a hit. We’re prepping him for surgery.
    Kane and Jacob exchanged a long look and redoubled their efforts at speed.
    What the hell happened today, Top? Kane asked as they slipped across the water toward the southern end of the pier. Does Jaimie know?
    She’s reviewing the security tapes now. We’ll go over everything that went right and everything that went wrong when you come in.
    And Brian? How bad?
    We don’t know yet. Eric and Marc are going to do the surgery. Paul’s staying with Sebastian.
    Of course they would keep Paul away from Eric. Eric wasn’t a GhostWalker, nor was he part of their team, and no one, no one outside of their team could ever have a clue about Paul’s capabilities—and now Rose’s. Both had talents that Whitney would want to spread throughout his soldiers, and to do that, he’d try to understand how the talent worked. He had no qualms about taking apart a person for “the greater good of mankind.”
    Jacob threw the rope to Javier, who tied them off so they could step from the boat. He handed them both a warm blanket, greeting them with a cocky grin, although Kane could see the worry in his eyes. “You two look like hel .”
    “Popsicles,” Jacob said. “Damn cold water.”
    “That’s why you don’t see me in it.” Javier shoved the body of the man who had taken Sebastian onto the deck and watched it rol over, his expression impassive.
    “Thanks for the warning, Javier,” Kane said. “I owe you one.”
    Javier shrugged. “My nephew, my sister. Fuck the bastards. Lucas and I wil take care of this mess.”
    Lucas emerged from the fog with the body of the driver rol ed in a tarp. “Walked him right