'Not unless we got caught and then he'd go into hiding until he could break us out. He's loyal, Lily, and if you're his friend he'll go to the wall for you.'
'He would have killed you had you been the one to give the order pulling the anchors. I saw his eyes, Ryland.'
'I wouldn't have expected less of him, Lily,' he replied quietly. 'Somebody was killing our men.'
She stood up in that quick, graceful way she had, completely unconscious of making his heart turn somersaults. 'You live in a different world, don't you?' This time it was Lily who reached for his hand.
Ryland leaned into her, his body brushing up against hers. 'I'm squarely in your world, Lily, and so are the others. Ghost-Walkers have no choice but to stick together.'
Lily's sudden smile lit her face, drew attention to her enormous eyes. 'Did Nico come up with that name?'
'You're beginning to know the men.' Ryland was pleased.
'I'm beginning to know you.' She rubbed her hand along his jaw. 'You have a way of always making me feel better. I don't know what's going to happen in the future, but if I forget to tell you, I'm grateful you came into my life.'
He kissed the palm of her hand. She didn't know Ryland Miller yet, but she would. Lily was his other half. He knew it with his heart and soul, with every breath he took. He didn't know the future, but he did know wherever it took them, they would be together. And more than likely the other men would be around. His men.
Lily caught his faint grin and her eyebrow went up. 'What?'
'Just thinking about the kids.'
'What kids?' Lily asked suspiciously.
'The ones upstairs.
Fifteen
JEFF Hollister was smuggled back into the house the day of the fund-raiser. Lily spent most of her time working with the men, ensuring they did their mental exercises. She could tell she wouldn't be able to hold them much longer. They were men of action and hiding; even though the training they were doing was necessary, it didn't sit well with them. They groused, albeit good-naturedly, each time she raised the noise level and gave them multiple tasks to do.
'The lot of you are babies,' she teased, looking around Hollister's bedroom where they all tended to congregate. She loved the way they all stuck together, never leaving their fallen comrade alone.
'You're a slave driver, Lily,' Sam said.
She couldn't look at Ryland. She had spent the last two nights waking up in his arms in the middle of the night, crying like a baby. Even in the dark, when they were alone, she hadn't worked up the courage to tell him what she would be doing. She blurted it out in front of the others, hoping he wouldn't go ballistic on her.
'I can't remember whether I mentioned it or not, but I have to go out this evening and I'm already running late.' She glanced at her watch for effect, trying to appear casual. 'I still have to dress. I'm giving a speech at a fundraiser for Donovans.'
There was instant silence. All the men seemed to hitch forward, staring at her as if she had just announced she was pregnant. They looked from her to Ryland. He didn't disappoint them.
'What the hell do you mean, you're going to some fundraiser? You've lost your mind, Lily.' Ryland's voice was very low, clipped between clenched teeth.
Lily felt her heart jump. She would have preferred him raising his voice to her. The sudden tension in the room added to her nervousness.
Ryland took a step toward her. 'Thornton is involved up to his eyebrows in this mess. He can't get to you in this house, so he's luring you out into the open. If you don't start taking your safety seriously, Lily, I'm going to have to do something about it.'
Lily patted Jeff Hollister's shoulder before straightening up and turning to look at Ryland. She tried to appear unaffected by his anger, but she was shrinking against the bed like a coward. 'I think you've been cooped up too long with Arly. Believe me, I wouldn't dare not be aware of safety, he'd draw and quarter me.' She smoothed back Jeff's hair, hoping to change the subject. It bothered her that her hand trembled and Ryland's dark eyes noted it. 'Are you doing those exercises I gave you? I know you're still weak, Jeff, but they're so important. If you can build your mental shield, you can stand being out in public and around other people for longer periods of time. It's no different than pumping up your body by lifting weights.'
'It's a lot harder,' Hollister objected, attempting to look as pathetic as possible. 'I just got back and the trip was rough on me. That brain doctor poked and prodded in my skull. It's not ready for all that muscle building.'
'That muscle building is going to enable you to go home to your family. Stop being a baby,' she ordered. 'Now, if you'll all excuse me, I have to get ready for tonight.'
An instant protest went up. Nico actually rose, a fluid rippling of muscle that caused her heart to beat faster in alarm. She backpedaled toward the door. 'Just keep working and behave. All of you. I'll be checking in later and I'll tell you how it went.' She hurried out of the room. They were all looking dangerous.
Ryland followed her down the hall, his eyes glittering with menace. 'I thought you had a high IQ, woman. Can't you see how risky this could be?'
'The fundraiser was planned months in advance. My father was giving a speech, and I'm going to give it in his place. Has it occurred to you that if I don't continue to act normal and go about my everyday life, I'll come under suspicion and then we'll all be in jeopardy?'
'For God's sake, Lily, you have a military team parked outside your fence, patrolling the parameters of the estate and trying to hear every word said using devices you wouldn't understand.'
She turned to look at him, one eyebrow raised.
'All right, maybe you would understand,' he conceded, 'but damn it, you
Lily took the stairs two at a time, unconsciously trying to get away from Ryland. He was right, of course, and she knew it. There was some danger in doing anything Phillip Thornton wanted her to do, but it was a calculated risk and well worth it as far as she was concerned.
'Lily!' Ryland kept pace easily.
She paused just inside her sitting room. 'I have to go, Ryland. I promised I'd give the speech and, believe it or not, funding is important. Several of the researchers need grants. Their work is important. My father never missed it and he detested parties and just about anything else that kept him from his work, yet he insisted I go too.'
'I doubt seriously if he would think it was important enough to risk your life. You've already been attacked once, Lily.'
'Because I found the recorder.' She stopped dead in the middle of the bedroom. 'There was another disk, Ryland. I slipped it into my lab coat pocket before I crawled out from under the desk. I bet they never even knew it was there. Why would they? How could I have forgotten? It's probably in my jacket pocket right now, hanging in my office.' She looked at him. 'I have to get it.'
'Not tonight, Lily. You're making me crazy. It isn't worth your life. You could have been killed.' His fingers curled into a tight fist. His gut was churning with fear for her. 'Why the hell do you have to be so stubborn about this? If you want the damned disk, I'll break into the labs and retrieve it for you.'
'You will not!' The alarm showed in her eyes. He was certainly capable of doing such a thing. 'Ryland, don't be crazy on me. I have to go to this event. I really do. It's very political. Congressmen, senators, everyone who is anyone influential will be there. Everyone is going to be represented, including the military. Don't you realize what that means? General Ranier will be there. I've known him since I was a child. When I see him I'll know if he's lying. If I talk to him on the phone I won't be able to tell.'
Lily slipped into her dressing room where her dress was already laid out. She stepped into the shimmering gown, a stunning red that clung lovingly to her breasts and waist like a second skin but plunged daringly backless nearly to her buttocks. Along the curve of her hips, the dress began to flare, leaving her room to dance. Sparkling diamonds adorned her earlobes and a small diamond pendant hung nestled just above her breasts.
'The general has come to the fundraiser for the last three years and he's always danced with me. I've known
