Conspiracy Game

certain she would shatter into a million pieces. Her head thrashed from side to side and she twisted her fingers into the sheets, trying to hold on, but he was relentless, pushing her further, until she was nearly sobbing for release.

“Jack. Jack.” She was chanting his name. “Please.”

“You can take it, baby, everything. All of it-all of me.” He pressed hard into her, stimulating her most sensitive area deliberately, feeling her body’s instant reaction, the sudden jerking of her muscles all around him, contracting harder and harder, until the fury of her orgasm rocked both of them. It powered through her body, her stomach and breasts, sent shock waves through her thighs and a series of major quakes through her groin, until her muscles squeezed like a vise, forcing his hot release to fill her in hot jetting spurts.

Jack fought to catch his breath, her hips in his hands, body still buried balls deep, exactly as he needed, real peace settling into his heart and mind for the first time that he could remember. His pulse was racing, and he thought for a moment that she might have killed him, might have given him a heart attack, with the pleasure shooting through his body, from his toes to his head. “Son of a bitch, Briony.”

She took a breath. “Yeah. Me too.” She closed her eyes and drifted in the sensual storm of small quakes. She felt him move, sliding out of her, dragging across too-sensitive nerves, so that she shuddered again with another wave of pleasure, and then he was running a wet cloth between her legs.

Jack picked her up as if she were no weight at all, shifting her back to the top of the bed and pulling the sheet and comforter over her. This time he slid under the covers with her, shaping his body around hers. “I think we’re going to have to look up vigorous sex. The book said it was okay, but our sex may not be what they’re talking about.”

She snuggled closer to his warmth, her heart still racing out of control, body still so sensitive that even the feeling of the sheets against her heated flesh caused her muscles to clench with pleasure. “We won’t survive another round like that, Jack; at least I won’t.”

He took her mouth, soft gentle kisses of reassurance. “That was me loving you, baby, and I haven’t even gotten started.”

CHAPTER 16

The window beside Briony’s head shattered, spraying glass all over her. Something hit the floor just as a second and third window shattered. Jack rolled Briony off the bed onto the floor, covering her body with his own as smoke poured into the room from the canister bouncing and rattling on the floor.

Ken!

I’m on it.

Don’t breathe, Briony, keep your eyes closed tight. Don’t take a breath. If you get in trouble, let me know, I’ll help you.

How do they keep finding me? I don’t understand. They shouldn’t have been able to find me.

Don’t panic, baby. We knew they’d come eventually. It’s no big deal.

Jack was so calm. She squeezed her eyes closed and held her breath, wishing she’d managed to take a gulp of air as she hit the floor. She wanted to reach for him, cling, but she heard him moving with purpose around the room.

What are you doing?

We’ll need your clothes, the baby book, a few things. He pushed jeans and a shirt into her hands and pressed her shoes close before shrugging into his own clothes.

The baby book? We’re under attack and you’re calmly packing up the baby book? Jack, you’re nuts! We need weapons.

I’ve got weapons stashed; we’ll be fine. Jack sounded every bit as calm as he acted. Just stay put and keep your eyes closed. Ken? Where the hell are you?

They’re breaking in through the living room. Send Briony into the tunnel.

Jack stuffed the last of the clothes into the backpack and shoved the rug out of the way to lift a trapdoor with a smooth, practiced motion. There was nothing hurried about his deliberate movements. He tapped Briony’s shoulder.

Three steps to the trapdoor and then you’re going to jump straight down. I know you can’t see where you’re landing, but trust me, it’s safe. You can open your eyes once you’re in the tunnel; no gas there yet. When you hit the floor, follow the tunnel. Ken will meet you.

He held her right at the edge of the hole, letting her feel empty space with her foot. She felt his mouth touch her neck, a brush of his lips, and it felt too much like good-bye. Wait! Aren’t you coming with me? Jack, come with me.

He ignored the fear and desperation in her voice. I’ll be there soon. Go, baby. Do what I say. He pulled her tighter against him and kissed her mouth, holding her close. Get out of here before we run out of time.

Briony wavered and Jack dropped her into the darkness. Jack! Her startled protest was more shocked than anything else as she landed in a crouch, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness.

Get the hell out of here, baby. I’ve got work to do.

Stay alive, Jack. For me. You stay alive.

Jack’s heart twisted in his chest at the worry in her voice, the love that washed through him. He couldn’t afford to think about anything but the enemy, and she was turning him inside out. He yanked on night vision goggles and calmly slung a rifle around his neck, tucking two handguns into his belt and adding clips of ammo to the loops. He covered the trapdoor and replaced the rug before stepping to one side of the broken window. Shadows flitted through the trees, surrounding the house. The strobes in his room and probably in Ken’s began flashing as the alarms were tripped. Someone had used the tree branches to get close enough to fire the canisters of gas through the windows, and that told Jack that at least some of the soldiers were enhanced.

He lobbed two smoke bombs into the yard, one right after the other, and followed them out, leaping onto the rail and grasping the edge of the roof to somersault up. The moment his feet touched, he knew he wasn’t alone. He smelled sweat, heard air rushing eagerly through lungs-and he spun toward the sound, firing quickly, blindly, relying solely on his enhanced senses. As he pulled the trigger, he moved fast, a blur of speed across the rooftop, making his way toward the wide chimney, the only possible cover.

The enemy returned fire, ribbons of color streaking in the darkness. Jack dove for the chimney, rolling partway and flattening his body as best he could while he lay still, allowing the shadows to absorb him. He waited, listening, inhaling to track his enemy by sweat and smell, body heat, whatever worked.

Smoke drifted over the house and into the canopy of the trees. Along the ground the smoke rolled in strange shapes, so that the trunks of the trees seemed to emerge out of dark, turbulent clouds. He heard shuffling, the sound of boots running through his home, voices reporting into radios-but not the sounds he needed to hear. He smelled sweat and fear and excitement along with the chemicals of gas and smoke-but couldn’t find the scents he needed to tell him where his opponents were. The rest didn’t matter yet. He had to take out the enhanced soldiers first, and they were trained enough to keep still and try to wait him out.

Ken would be returning as soon as Briony was safe, and he would run into a buzz saw if Jack didn’t get the job done. The hell with it; the soldiers knew exactly where he was. Let them come for him. He lay flat, fitting his rifle with care, scope to his eye and sighting a soldier working his way through the woods, moving bush to bush, tree to tree. Jack squeezed the trigger and sighted the next target.

A hail of bullets fell all around him and he kept his head down. The whisper of movement on the roof tipped him off, and he drew his handgun and fired off three rounds toward the sound.

Talk to me, Jack, Ken demanded.

A curse told him he’d scored a minor hit-still, it was a hit. Whitney must have wanted these yahoos dead, he informed his twin as he calmly turned back to his original target. And they’re fuckin’ idiots for coming after us. They know who we are and their egos are going to get them killed. I can