Conspiracy Game

anyone.”

“You can bet every cent you have his brother Ken put up those signs.”

“I hope I can trust the SEAL you contacted for Jack’s address.”

“Jess Calhoun was the closest thing to a friend Jack and Ken had.”

She shrugged. “Who knows if what I’m doing is right? I don’t trust anyone I don’t know. None of us can right now, but Jack Norton is the baby’s father. I’m not asking him to take responsibility. I’m not looking for a lifetime commitment, but if he’s the badass you keep saying he is, then, for certain, he’s my best chance of protecting our child. Even Kadan Montague said if he wanted to disappear, no one could find him. That means he can teach me.”

Jebediah shook his head. “He scares the hell out of me, Bri, and the thought of you with him… ” He stopped the SUV right in the middle of the narrow track and turned toward her. “Some men live by their own rules, and Jack is one of them. He’ll never be an easy man, won’t ever fit into society, and he’s dangerous as hell if you cross his sense of justice. The government uses men like him, trains them, hones their natural instincts, and calls them when they need them, but they don’t acknowledge them, because they’re killers. Jack is extremely intelligent, and he’s got more recorded kills than any sniper I know of-unless it’s his brother.” He tapped his fingers in agitation on the steering wheel. “I don’t know if he was born that way, or if Dr. Whitney’s enhancements made him that way; he doesn’t talk much, but didn’t you feel the danger when you were around him? Didn’t you look into his eyes?”

Briony looked away from him. She’d glimpsed too much emotion in those eyes he spoke of. That intensity still haunted her sleep at night. Jack hadn’t looked at her with the eyes of a killer. He’d been all man and he’d been dominant, loving, and frightening all wrapped into one. As inexperienced as she was, she still recognized that Jack could have taken things further than he had. He could have tied her to him sexually, left her craving only him, wanting only him-but he hadn’t-not deliberately. He wasn’t nearly as cold or unfeeling as those around him credited him as being, and that was what she was counting on.

“There’s a chance he’ll want to protect the child. He protects his brother. He’s part of a military unit, and you said yourself he doesn’t leave his people behind. He must have a sense of responsibility.”

“That’s a hell of a big leap of faith.”

“What choice do I have, Jeb?” Briony asked. “If what Montague says is true, and he had enough proof that a madman is after me, where can I go? Especially if Whitney is part of some secret government project. We don’t know one way or the other, but you told me you found enough proof in Mom and Dad’s papers to know I was adopted and Whitney, the same name Kadan Montague used, insisted I be brought up with a very strange training program. Sparks tried to drug me and Luther tried to kidnap me. I don’t think there’s much doubt I’m in trouble here.”

“Don’t sound bitter, Bri. Mom and Dad absolutely loved and adored you.” He flicked her a quick glance. “The money makes sense. They wanted to buy into the circus as partners. They wanted a child, a girl, and they wanted to give you the best education possible. You speak several languages, you’re a genius, and you can kick serious butt when you need to; it wasn’t as if they didn’t genuinely love and want the best for you. They loved you-don’t ever forget that in all of this.”

“I won’t, Jeb.” She put her hand over her already rounded tummy. “But that doesn’t change the fact that we won’t be able to protect the baby indefinitely. I’m not willing to let Whitney, or anyone else, take my child for experiments. I’m a strong person. I’ll do whatever I have to do to keep my child safe. Where else can I go? You tell me and I’ll do it.”

“They offered protection, Briony,” Jebediah reminded her.

“And what do we know about them? That man-Kadan-was enhanced both psychically as well as physically. I not only felt the difference in him, he admitted it. And I had the feeling he was more powerful than Luther. What’s to say he wasn’t sent to bring me back? We don’t know. At least you know Jack Norton. He saved your life. You told me he’s got integrity and that he’ll never stop if he takes on a job. I’m going to ask him to take on this job, to keep me safe until the baby is born. He can teach me how to hide, and once I have the baby, I can disappear. We should be able to figure out a way to make that happen. People disappear all the time.”

“What if he says no?”

“He owes us that much, but if he’s that big of a bastard,” she shrugged, “then I guess we’ll investigate these people and try to figure out who the good guys are.”

“Look me in the eye, Briony,” Jebediah challenged. “Look at me and tell me you aren’t harboring any girlish fantasies about Jack Norton falling in love with you. This is no fairy tale and he’s no Prince Charming. The last thing you want is to try to live with a man like that. I’m terrified of leaving you alone with him.”

She touched her brother’s arm. “I have no silly notions, Jebediah. You know me. I have above-average intelligence; I’m enhanced, and I certainly have more than my share of pride. I read the file on me thoroughly, especially the part where I would react to a certain scent. Jack said I’d be a liability and that he wasn’t the kind of man to have a woman around. Those are almost his exact words. Obviously, whatever it is between us was simply manufactured by this doctor so we’d have a child. It has nothing to do with emotion and everything to do with scent. I was inexperienced and got caught thinking Jack could love me. He made it very clear he can’t. I won’t make that mistake twice.”

“It scares me more that he actually might fall in love with you, Briony. He would take over every aspect of your life. You saw a glimpse of him, a tiny one. He isn’t an easy man. He’s got demons on his back, and they aren’t going to magically disappear. I hate saying these kinds of things to you, but Jack is different. When we’re out there with guns in enemy territory, we’re praying we don’t come up on anyone, and if we do, that he doesn’t spot us, because we don’t want to have to pull the trigger, but Jack… ” Jebediah shook his head. “He doesn’t give a damn either way.”

“Believe me, I respect your opinion, Jeb. If you say he’s dangerous, I’m not stupid, I believe you. But I also see how much you respect him and his abilities.” Her body shook with sudden adrenaline pouring in. “No one is going to take my child away from me. I can be absolutely ruthless if I have to be. And Jack Norton will underestimate me, just like everyone else does. I’ll have the advantage.”

Jebediah hit the back of his head several times against the seat in frustration and slammed the flat of his hand against the steering wheel. “This sucks. I should be able to protect you myself. How could something like this happen, and why the hell didn’t Mom and Dad suspect something was wrong when Whitney demanded all that specialized training for a child? No one makes a child stay under water for long periods of time and do all the crap you had to do.”

“I enjoyed it,” Briony pointed out. “If I hadn’t enjoyed it, they probably would have objected-just like they did when Whitney demanded I go for field training in Colombia.” She flashed him a wan smile. “At least I’m equipped to handle anything thrown at me.”

She looked out the window again, at the surrounding wilderness. She loved the outdoors. She loved the night. But-Briony sighed. Right now, darkness made her feel vulnerable instead of cloaking her in safety as it normally did. The trees and shrubs took on a sinister quality, rising high and dark and ominous, as if lurking in the shadows were monsters ready to leap out and devour her.

“I’ve spent my entire life feeling a coward-always afraid-but this situation is truly terrifying.” She blinked back the sudden tears burning behind her eyes. “I’ve never been without you and the circus. I knew I was different; Mom used to tell me I had to hide it all the time, and maybe that was the appeal of Jack Norton. I finally found someone like me. The moment I laid eyes on him, I knew he was like me. I wanted to belong. Just once.”

“Damn it, Briony, you’ve always belonged with us. Always. We wanted to have a sister as much as Mom and Dad wanted to have a daughter.”

“I know that. It has nothing to do with adoption. You’re my family and always will be. I didn’t feel unloved-just different.” She struggled to make him understand. “I didn’t have to hide who I really am from Jack. He saw me and I saw him. I didn’t have to hide the fact that I’m stronger and faster and can see people in ways others can’t. More than that, I didn’t hurt.” She closed her eyes. “Can you imagine what that was like for me? For the first time I could be around someone and not know what they were thinking or feeling. Emotions didn’t swamp me or make me sick. It was such a relief.”

“I wish to hell we could give that to you, Bri,” he said.

“I know, Jeb. And I know you all love me.”

“That same appeal is going to be there when you see him again,” he warned.

She turned her head to look at him. “I know. But I’m not so inexperienced this time. He was honest with me,