Ghostwalker 09 - Ruthless Game

too long ago. The scent of the tobacco made him sick. Kane reluctantly opened the envelope.
    So you have finally won our little game, Kane. Your reward is this apartment building. I have signed the deed over to you. You are indeed worthy of keeping the boy. Eric Lambert betrayed you as he betrayed me. Had he gotten your son’s blood, he would have given it to your enemy, a group dedicated to wiping every GhostWalker from the planet and undoing years of my work. You prevented him from doing so by your vigilance. I commend you. They will pursue you, all of you, but you have the intellect and the training to keep them from succeeding in destroying you. Congratulations on your win. I would like to get Rose back. She did a superb job of producing a child. You must keep me informed of his progress. Rose can be tiresome in her rebellion, but her genetics are priceless. If you tire of her, get word to me, and I will make you a further trade.
    Kane almost crushed the note in his hand. Tire of her? As if Rose had little worth beyond giving birth to a child. Did Whitney despise and loathe women so much? He certainly enjoyed seeing them suffer. He had enjoyed Rose being forced to accept a man.
    “Damn you, Whitney,” he muttered aloud. He looked down at the last paragraph.
    I warned McKinley about Javier Enderman, but he refused to listen. Enderman is a psychopath. If you all continue to trust him, he will be your downfall. Kill him now before he destroys you all. I should never have enhanced him, but his loyalty and protective instincts fooled me into believing he could be useful. He is not. I am not infallible, it seems. I have chosen the best, the absolute best of the genetic pool I could find for my mission. Weed him out so that he doesn’t poison it. He has one weakness that will bring you all down. He can be bought ...
    Javier was looking over Kane’s shoulder, reading the letter. He looked at Kane with flat, cold eyes and shrugged. “He’s right, you know. I do have a weakness.”
    Kane shook his head. “Don’t let him throw you.”
    “It isn’t the first time I’ve been cal ed a psychopath.”
    “ Don’t let him throw you,” Kane repeated. “You don’t break. I’ve known you since you were a child, Javier, and you’re no psychopath.” He knew Javier had been cal ed that on more than one occasion. It had hurt, whether Javier admitted it did or not. He was very careful not to appear sympathetic. “We al have a weakness. Mine is Rose and now the boy. Whitney profiled each of us, and what he perceives as our weaknesses are actual y our strengths. He’s never understood loyalty. He tries to separate us, because he thinks we make one another weak. He’s alone, and he thinks he’s greater and stronger than al of us. He doesn’t understand, and he never wil , that together we’re unbreakable.”
    “Fuck him. I could care less what that monster cal s me.”
    “Rhianna is back, Javier.” If Javier had one weakness, one thing that could make him lose the ice water running in his veins, it was Rhianna.
    Something dangerous moved behind those dark eyes. “When?”
    “I just heard. She has an apartment in this building.”
    Javier shook his head and turned away. “We’l need a cleaner up here.”
    “What the hel am I supposed to do with this deed?”

    “Is it legal?”
    “Looks like. Jaimie can find out for us,” Kane replied.
    “We’ve wanted the building. Jaimie said she was pretty certain Whitney was responsible for the quick sale of the building out from under us.”
    Kane flashed a smal grin. “We’ve got it now, don’t we?” But he didn’t want any part of Whitney’s gift. It made him feel he was being rewarded for taking Rose’s choices from her. He glanced at Javier’s set face. “I’m signing the damn thing over to you. You can figure it out.”
    “What?” Javier stepped back. “You can’t give me the building.”
    “I own the warehouse with Jaimie and Mack. I don’t want this from him, but we need it to secure the entire two blocks. We’l have the bay on two sides of us, and we’l only be vulnerable to the city side. We can set up security.”
    “I’l think about it.” A slow smile took some of the shadows from his eyes. “I could kick Rhianna’s little ass out onto the street.”
    “Don’t start a war with her again,” Kane cautioned. Before Javier could answer, he indicated a sweep of the room. “Look for anything else the bastard might have left behind.