Ghostwalker 09 - Ruthless Game

himself from pul ing her into his arms and kissing her until they both were sated—which would probably be never for him. Instead he grinned at her. “I throw males. I’m damned sure of it. We’re having a boy. I’l be right back.”
    He heard her soft laughter as he swaggered away from her, back to the bedroom. He had to get this done, ensure they were safe for the night, and then they’d have to find somewhere else to hole up until he could get word to the GhostWalkers. He had no doubts that when the political bul shit was gone, Mack and the team would come looking for him. They wouldn’t stop until they found him alive or found his body. They wouldn’t believe the tracker in the ravine. With no evidence of bodies in the wreckage, they would know he had walked away alive with Rose.
    Kane examined the wal s careful y for any evidence of difference. With a subterranean structure, it wouldn’t be difficult to excavate enough dirt to provide a hidden room. There had to be an entrance, and one that was fairly easy to get to in an emergency. It wouldn’t be positioned where anyone bursting through the door could readily see. It wouldn’t be on the wal the bed was against. He ran his hands over the remaining two wal s. Neither felt different. He couldn’t find a crack that might indicate a door. Puzzled, he stood in the center of the room, frowning.
    He couldn’t be wrong. Diego Jimenez was notorious, and the bounty on him had been astounding, in a country where poverty often overcame good sense. El presidente would have sent the entire military at his disposal after the man if he knew his hideout. So there was a back door. He studied the room again, aware of Rose’s restless movements in the next room. He had to make certain there was no enemy in the panic room or waiting in the tunnel.
    There were no cracks, so what did that mean? The door had to be there, so ... He stepped close to the wal he would have chosen. It was situated in the farthest end of the room that, if used, would take them deeper underground and away from the front opening that was aboveground. He ran his fingers along the actual corner seam of the room. It seemed to blend flawlessly, yet when he looked at the ceiling joint, he realized this had to be the door, cleverly blended. There was no heavy furniture to cover anything, just a solid wal .
    He ran his fingers along the edges, looking for a way in. It had to be easy. There would be no time for a combination. Jimenez would want fast access.
    Could it be that easy? A spring-loaded door that fit snugly but was made for a fast exit? The family wouldn’t hide there. They would run. They could barricade the door from inside the panic room. There was no need to do so in the bedroom. Gun in his fist, finger on the trigger, he put his palm flat on the edge of the inside seam and pushed.
    The door swung inward soundlessly. He crouched low and scanned the interior. Inching inside, he took stock of the room. It was built with thick wal s, and one side housed a case fil ed with guns of every caliber, ammunition, and grenades. Nothing had been touched. He frowned over that. If the old man had removed his valuables, why hadn’t he taken the weapons? He could see the metal bars, three of them, that fit across the wal from inside this room.
    An arched doorway led to the escape tunnel.
    Kane fol owed the passageway al the way to the exit point, grateful he had excel ent night vision. It was damned dark, but the tunnel had been formed for a quick escape, and the floor was smooth. Markers, painted in white, gave distance so anyone running could clearly see where they were at any given time. Simple but effective. He was beginning to admire the old man. He didn’t waste time and effort on elaborateness.
    Kane fol owed the winding tunnel about a mile and came out on the other side of the sloping hil . He couldn’t even see the house from where he was.
    Just inside the tunnel, hidden from view, was an army Humvee. He knew the engine would be gleaming. This Hummer was an M1165 with frag armor and bul etproof windows. More, it was outfitted with the latest weaponry, the CROWS system. He sighed. This scenario became worse with every passing moment. How the hel did a man like Jimenez manage to get his hands on that?
    He spent some time booby-trapping the exit, just in case the old man had set Rose up in some way. He had no answers for the why of it, but that didn’t matter so much. Keeping her safe was the