Ghostwalker 09 - Ruthless Game

a woman can have sex without worry.
    He smiled, took a breath, and leaned so he could search the night sky. That’s a good thing to know.
    Well. She paused, taking a breath. Since we’re on the subject, do you think men find pregnant women attractive?
    This man does. At least, he qualified, because he’d never real y thought about it before, I find you attractive. I don’t think I’ve ever really looked at a pregnant woman one way or the other until I saw you that way.
    Far off, he heard a muffled sound, like a distant beat of strong wings. Incoming.
    Are you sure? You sound so calm. Maybe you’re wrong.
    I’m not wrong. Can you do this, Rose? He had to know if she was going to panic. I can kill whoever they send, no problem.
    Of course I can do this. I’m pregnant, not braindamaged. My condition doesn’t change my personality.
    Kane rubbed his chin. Being pregnant might not have changed her personality, but it certainly made her a bit testy. There was a definite bite to her voice. He found himself grinning like an idiot. She had a way of making him feel incredibly happy for no reason at al . In the end, it wasn’t real y Rose who was different, it was Kane. He admitted the truth to himself even as he watched the helicopter appear in the distance, no running lights, settling to the sand about a mile out. They weren’t taking any chances that Rose would hear them. He was the one who didn’t want Rose sitting out in front of the house as bait. He detested that she wasn’t safely out of Whitney’s reach.
    It feels a little like I’m using you to lure them in.
    Warmth flooded his mind. Reassurance. They don’t want me dead. Whitney wants our baby. They might try to take me now, but I’m armed and I’ve got you—my secret weapon.
    The confidence in her voice shook him to the core. She was sitting calmly out in the open, waiting for the enemy to make a move, relying on him to keep her and their child safe. Rose might appear smal and fragile, but she was first and foremost a soldier, trained almost from birth. Whitney and his team of kil ers might have done better to remember that. Whitney didn’t have much respect for the women he’d designed and trained over the years, focusing on their weaknesses and flaws rather than seeing them as human and three-dimensional. It was Whitney’s flaw, that megalomaniac ego that pushed reality into the background.
    Kane’s fingers tightened around the rifle. He was actual y guilty of the same thing. He persisted in seeing Rose as someone in need of protection. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to underestimate you, Rose. I have great respect for your abilities. He felt it needed to be said. He was ashamed of his need to protect her, but it wasn’t going away. If anything, the need was growing stronger.
    Don’t apologize, Kane. You’ve treated me with more respect and better than any other man in my life. Believe me, I appreciate you.
    Kane kept his gaze on the desert. Four men running this way. They’re spread out, standard pattern. All armed, but only two are carrying extra gear.
    Do you think those two are going to hang around?
    He caught the apprehension in her voice. You know they will. They’re going to wait it out and report to Whitney when you have the baby. I can take them out, and we can get the hell out of here if you’re up to it.
    Her hesitation alarmed him. I don’t think it’s a good idea right now, Kane. I’m getting the contractions again. They aren’t as regular as the ones the other day, but they’re harder and lasting longer.
    She was definitely frightened. The word contractions scared the holy hel out of him. He took a breath and fit the rifle to his shoulder, tracking each of the men through his scope. He had taken the rifle from Jimenez’s private arsenal, recognizing his favorite sniper rifle. It felt like an old friend. He’d cleaned it, taken it apart and put it back together, test-fired it several times, and repeated the entire operation until the rifle felt like his own.
    Once he’d seen the Humvee and the CROWS system, he knew he had to tel her the truth. No way could Jimenez have acquired that system without serious backing—and he feared he knew exactly who that man had been.
    Rose, Jimenez left a hell of an arsenal behind. All military issue, all the very latest technology, which meant he was in bed with Whitney.
    That doesn’t make sense. For all his failings, Whitney is a patriot. He wouldn’t put weapons into the hands of