GhostWalkers 10 - Samurai Game

We all thought he killed you.”
    “Apparently I don’t die so easy. He thinks I’m dead, and I’d prefer it stays that way,” Azami said.
    “Ladies.” Ian snapped his fingers. “Do you think we could conduct old home week a little later? We’ve got this little problem happening right now.”
    “Don’t sweat it, Ian,” Flame said. “These guys won’t know what hit them.”
    He glared at her. “Do you plan on talking them to death? Damn, woman. You’re giving me gray hair.”
    She looked him over judiciously. “You could use a little color there, Irishman. You’re sort of bland.”
    Ian’s face went as red as his hair. All the women burst out laughing. He groaned and wiped his hand down his face. “There is clearly a breakdown of discipline in this room.”
    The women burst out laughing again.
    “Once you give women guns, Ian,” Jesse Calhoun pointed out, “all bets are off. You be careful out there. Take a couple of weapons with you.”
    Saber leaned over and kissed him. “You take care as well. Don’t be a hero.”
    “Stay to the north side,” Ian cautioned. “If for any reason you come around to any other side, let us know, so no one accidentally shoots you.” He glanced at Flame.
    She gave another toss of her head. “I don’t know why you’re looking at me. I’m proficient with weapons. Wanna see?”
    “Damn, woman, you’ve been living with that Cajun too long,” Ian said.
    She leaned in close. “It will never be long enough, Ian.”
    His blushed deepened. “Get out of here. And for God’s sake, don’t get shot or anything stupid like that. Gator would slice me into tiny pieces and feed me to the alligators.”
    “He might not do that, but he’d tell his grandmother on you and then no more free meals for you. She’s pretty crazy about me,” Flame teased.
    “Yeah, well,” Ian said gruffly, “all of you stick to the plan and we’ll get through this.”
    Azami smiled at the man. He was surrounded by women and definitely out of his depth. Some men had a deep need to protect their women; Ian was clearly a man like that. He felt affection, if not love, for some of these women, Flame in particular, probably because he was so close to Gator, and he didn’t like the situation much. He couldn’t argue; the women were definitely capable and more than determined to protect their homes in spite of the fact that Whitney’s experiments produced a few negative effects when around psychic energy overload.
    “We’ll be fine,” Lily said.
    Azami and Saber left the room together, falling into stealth mode, almost without conscious thought. They moved in silence, even in the halls, Azami pausing for a moment to retrieve the weapons she’d stashed when Lily had come to talk to her.
    “I’m happy you’re here, Thorn … Azami,” Saber corrected. “I’ve thought about you nearly every day. I prayed you were alive and happy somewhere. I used to make up stories to comfort myself. I’ve had a lot of nightmares,” she admitted.
    Azami glanced at her as they slipped out the door and hurried into the woods. “I did have a great life. I was adopted by a wonderful man. He gave me two great brothers, a home, and a purpose. He trained, educated, and treated me with love and kindness. I’m guessing that’s a lot better than most of the girls had.”
    “I wish I’d been a little older and could have stood up to him better,” Saber said.
    “My father once said to me, there is no use wishing away your past. Experiences shape us and build us into who we are. He always told me that it was my past that made me strong. He told me it is always best to live in the moment.”
    “Your father sounds like a very wise man,” Saber said.
    “He was. I wish Sam could have met him.”
    “Sam Johnson?” Saber stopped, crouching low in the brush. “You and Sam?”
    Azami nodded.
    They’re making their way up the north side, a four man team
, Lily reported.
    Azami heard the whispers in her mind as Lily told each of the groups of defenders where the small four man teams were invading the two compounds. She pushed the sound to the back of her mind so she could be “in the moment” completely. She signaled Saber to her left, and Saber virtually disappeared into the brush.
    Azami listened for the sound of the men moving toward them, fanned out, expecting to come up on a sleeping compound.These were Whitney’s private army, growing smaller with each encounter with GhostWalkers, according to her