Conspiracy Game

Don’t you fucking argue with me over this. Get to the primary and provide protection.

For the first time in their working relationship, Ken hesitated. Jack bit back another command, still running, until he was within a couple of yards of the intruder. He was wearing the color of the forest on his skin, and his clothes reflected his surroundings so it was nearly impossible to see him. He froze in place, making no sound, waiting for the old mountain man to come to him. Ken had no choice but to protect Briony and leave the target to Jack.

Brady O’Conner had lived in the forest for more than thirty years. He lived mostly in a cave several miles to the east of the Norton property line, and lived by trapping animals and eating roots. He sometimes came to Jack and Ken when he was hungry, mostly in the winter, or if he was injured and needed medical aid. He didn’t talk much, and as far as Jack knew, he had little contact with anyone off the mountain.

If he’s not alone, they’re good. I can’t spot anyone. The forest is quiet; animals and birds going about their business. I say he’s alone, Ken reported.

Jack couldn’t detect the scent of another human through the ripe odor Brady gave off. He waited until the man was nearly on top of him before stepping out of the shadows. “Brady. What brings you my way?”

The older man startled, pulling back with a gasp. “I didn’t see you there, Jack.” The faded eyes darted left and right. “Ken around? He said you had extra from the garden this year.”

Ran into him about three weeks ago, Ken confirmed when Jack relayed the information.

“We’ll fix you a bag of food, Brady,” Jack said. “You see anyone around in the last few weeks? It’s been quiet here.”

The old man shook his head. “Hikers and campers don’t come up this way much. Good thing too. Too many damn people if you ask me.”

Jack’s built-in radar zinged off the chart. Too many damned people, Ken. He shared the answer with his brother. I don’t like the way he said that.

Neither do I. You stay on him, Jack. I’ll get him the supplies.

The blade lay up against Jack’s wrist where it couldn’t be seen. I’m in position. Get it fast and let’s get him out of here. He indicated the ground. “You want to sit and wait for Ken?”

“I’m outa coffee.”

“He’ll bring it.” Again, Jack sent the information to Ken.

“Now you mention it, I did see someone nosing around the falls a couple a days ago. I think they took my supplies. I’d hid ’em in the root cellar.” The old man cackled at his own joke. His root cellar was actually a network of roots in a small cavern just beside the falls.

“Who did you see nosing around, Brady? What did he look like?”

“Big fella, talked real low like you do.”

“Did he want anything?”

Brady shrugged. “He just wanted to know about the elk. Said he was a hunter, but he wasn’t hunting elk.”

“How’d you know?”

“Tracks everywhere, but he didn’t even look at them. I think he took my supplies. Saw a partial track by the cave, and it was his all right. Damn thief.”

Supplies are in the usual drop.

“I’ll look into it, Brady. Meanwhile, you take what Ken gives you and go to your winter place. Ken left the bag for you in the usual place. If the big guy was looking to tell the Rangers where you are, they won’t be able to find you.”

Brady nodded and muttered to himself. They exchanged a few more pleasantries and Brady shuffled off. Jack followed him, careful to stay out of sight, while Ken retrieved Briony.

She jumped down from the branches of the tree, landing in a crouch, her gaze touching on the hard angles and planes of Ken’s face as she straightened. “You’re angry with me.”

He caught her wrist and began walking back to the house, taking her with him. “Damn right I am, but I’m angrier with jughead, so you can breathe easier, I won’t take your head off like you deserve.”

“You’re angry with Jack? But I did this, put us all in this position, not him.”

“No, he just has to make sure I’m tucked away where no one’s going to shoot me while he’s taking all the risks. It’s time he knocked that shit off.”

Her breath hitched in her throat. “I should have been more careful. I’m sorry, Ken. Neither of you should be in danger because I wanted to take a walk.”

Before Ken could respond, Jack came striding into the yard. He moved fast, fluidly, a muscular fighting machine, his face dark with anger.

To Briony’s horror, the men came together, faces hard, jaws set, gray eyes as turbulent as a lightning storm. In that moment they looked exactly alike-raw power-warriors of old, equally matched.

Ken swung his fist at Jack, a hard jab to the face. Jack barely slipped it and slammed both hands hard into his brother’s chest. The blow rocked Ken, but he stepped closer, not away, staring straight into Jack’s eyes.

“Back the hell off,” Jack snapped. “You don’t change procedure in the middle of a mission. We do what we’ve always done; it’s how we stay alive. You know that. Get your head out of your butt.”

“I’m not hiding behind you anymore, Jack. If anything had gone wrong… ”

“What kind of crap are you talking? You’ve been guarding my back my entire life, not hiding behind me. Is the entire world going to hell? And you!” Jack whirled around to face Briony, fury in every line of his body.

He advanced on her, his fingers settling around her upper arms like a vise. “You never forget you’re in a combat situation. Not for one minute. Do you understand me? You could have been killed, or you could have gotten someone else killed.” He punctuated each word with a hard shake. “This isn’t a game, Briony. Someone wants you in a lab where they can experiment, not only on you, but on our children.”

Waves of fear-not anger-rolled off of him. He didn’t even realize he was using his anger, whipping himself into a rage to keep from feeling the terror her disappearance had caused. She felt a shudder go through his body and saw that he was pale beneath his weathered tan; most of all she could see the terror for her behind the icy cold in his smoldering eyes.

“I know, I’m sorry,” she said, meeting his gaze steadily, wanting him to know she meant it. “And I’m sorry for scaring you. I’ll be more careful, Jack.”

He dropped his arms as if she’d burned him, stepped away from her, and shook his head. “Damn you, don’t you do that. Don’t you look at me like that.” He took two more steps away from her. She was looking at him with something far too close to love in her eyes-disarming him, making him feel naked and vulnerable and without an outlet for the terrible fear she’d put in him.

Fear-it tasted like bile in his mouth, churned in his gut until his only recourse was action to remove it. He turned on his heel and left her, heading to the shop and his workout bag, something he could hit until his hands were bloody and he was too damned tired to think anymore.

“Why’d you hit him, Ken?” Briony asked.

“Because he values my life more than his.”

“And you don’t feel the same about him?”

“I don’t have you and the babies. He’s got to consider that now before he stands in the line of fire.”

“I don’t think that’s going to change. And I don’t understand. It was just an old man,” Briony said to Ken. “He shouldn’t be so upset.”

“Think, Briony, you always have to think. The old man comes here often for food or if he needs medical attention. We know him and we let him on the property. He’s not quite right anymore, been living alone too long, but he’s a decent man. If Whitney wants to find out where you are, what better way than to use Brady? He wouldn’t even know they were using him. Plant a vid camera on him and give him the idea he needs to see us, and they’ve got their spy in the enemy camp.”

Her hand went to her throat. “You don’t think they’d actually do that, do you?”

“Whitney’s seen our files, Briony. He isn’t stupid. Why risk sending his men in without insuring you’re here and getting the layout as well? You notice we didn’t bring him up to the house? We never bring him up to the house. We feed him meals and give him supplies, but not up at the house-but they wouldn’t