Conspiracy Game

despair-it seemed impossible to break through their lines-but then Jack lobbed a grenade and took her to the ground, covering her body with his while the world blew up around them. That fast, he was on his feet, firing from the hip and running with her again.

Briony realized both brothers were shielding her body with theirs as they ran, and that they anticipated where the enemy would be and what they would do. Experience counted far more in actual battle than she’d realized when training. By the time she aimed, one of the brothers had already fired. They kept moving forward, lobbing grenades, firing at the soldiers, always in motion. Smoke swirled thickly around them, and men screamed in pain. For the first time in her life, she was in a real combat situation, and it was horrifying.

A man tackled her from behind, and Jack whirled around, knife in his fist, slicing fast across the soldier’s throat as he fell with Briony. Blood sprayed over all of them, but neither man blinked; they simply hauled her to her feet and kept running. She was in Jack’s mind and expected fear for her, horror of what he had to do, but there was only calm resolve, no emotion at all-as if he were the killing machine Luther had called him.

Briony locked her mind into Jack’s in order to follow his lead. Her vision cleared, and she aimed and fired, bracing herself for the backlash of violence. When none came, she chose another target and fired again. The battle raged fast and furious, as they were pinned down.

Getting low on ammo, Ken reported.

Fuck. Me too. We’ll have to conserve and go hand-to-hand. Briony, stay out of the fighting if at all possible. Jack signaled them forward, and they rushed in the direction of the clearing.

To your left, to your left! Ken flashed the warning just as a shot rang out. Beside her, Ken faltered, stumbled, and went down.

Jack turned toward him, but whirled back to face the attack coming from his left side, a big man, moving fast, every bit as enhanced. Luther. He came out of the brush, his body blurred as he sped toward them.

Run, Briony. Get to the edge of the clearing and stay under cover until the helicopter gets here. It was Ken giving the order.

Jack and Luther crashed together hard, hands slapping away weapons as they tried to take each other down. They were like two huge bears, Luther roaring, Jack silent as they fought with fists and feet.

Get Ken out of here. Jack sounded calm, even as he delivered a round kick that drove Luther to the ground. Luther rolled away and came up onto his feet, wiping blood from his temple. He looked at it and smiled.

Briony spun around, reaching for Ken. Screw running. She snagged his shirt and crouched beside him, pushing the loaded gun into his hands. I still have another clip. How bad, Ken?

I’m bleeding like a stuck pig.

We can’t have that. She found the entrance wound, up high on his thigh. It didn’t look good to her. She took a belt and stick and made a quick field tourniquet, twisting tight to cut the flow of precious blood. A few more minutes, Ken, and we’ll have help.

Get me on my feet. I can make it. It’d be embarrassing if Jack had to carry me out of here.

Briony felt a surge of strength-of adrenaline-as she helped him up, but his body crumpled, nearly dragging her to the ground. The gun bucked in his hand twice, the sound deafening. It would be more embarrassing if I had to carry you. On your feet, Ken. We’ve got to go now. She used her sternest voice, feeling him slipping away from her as he wavered toward unconsciousness. Jack was counting on her-trusting her with his beloved brother-and she wouldn’t fail him. She wrapped her arm around him and heaved him to his feet.

Ken made a Herculean effort, leaning on her, gun firing as they half ran, half limped toward the clearing where the helicopter was setting down. Briony took him as far as the tree line, and when she saw the GhostWalker team leaping from the helicopter, she sat Ken down.

“He needs a medic right now. He’s losing blood.”

“Get in the helicopter, Briony,” Kadan ordered.

It was the safest place on the mountain for her and the babies, but she didn’t even consider it. Instead, she turned without hesitation and raced back to Jack.

The battle raged-two strong men well versed in hand-to-hand combat. The fight was the most brutal thing she’d ever witnessed-the two men punching and kicking, making every effort to literally smash each other into pieces.

She was in Jack’s mind and she felt his deadly resolve. He was detached from the fight, but his implacable purpose wasn’t. He was going to kill-there was no other thought in his head. He was going to smash his foot through Luther’s chest-and he did. Briony heard the crunch of bones as Luther went down.

Her stomach lurched at the sound. Don’t kill him-my sister. He can lead us to my sister.

Even wheezing and gasping for breath, Luther was lethal, drawing a long, razor-sharp knife from his boot and driving it up toward Jack’s belly. Jack jumped back, circled, and went in for the kill. Briony closed her eyes, but she heard the punch as Jack drove his fist-with every bit of enhanced strength behind it-through Luther’s skull, shattering it. The second punch smashed through Luther’s face, reducing the nose and eye sockets to pulpy splinters. It was a methodical, brutal, and deliberate kill, and never once did Jack’s mind shout for him to stop.

He knelt beside the body and looked up at her. I’m not apologizing for who I am. You can either live with me or you can’t. But he was holding his breath. Terror robbed him of his ability to breathe. If she left him, his life was worthless.

A soldier ran toward them, leaping over a fallen log. His gun was gone and his shirt torn and bloody, but she suspected he was enhanced. Jack looked exhausted as he knelt beside Luther, looking up at her with a dark, unfathomable expression. Briony didn’t hesitate, reaching past him to jerk the knife from Luther’s fist. She turned and threw it in one smooth motion, using her strength as she never had. I’m not apologizing for loving you. I can live with everything you are, Jack, and then some.

He stared up at her face, there in the midst of blood and death, with his heart pounding and his mouth dry. I absolutely love you, Briony, and I’m on my knees. So we’re getting married-right? But say it fast before we get shot.

Only Jack would ask-if you could call it asking-in the middle of a battlefield, with a man lying dead at his feet. You idiot. Get up and let’s get out of here. I love you too, and of course I’m marrying you. I’m not about to let you get away.

He caught her to him and crushed her mouth beneath his. They turned and ran toward the helicopter and the tough-looking men, armed to the teeth, spreading out to cover them.

“He all right?” Jack asked the medic as he examined his brother lying on the floor, strapped to a board. “How bad is he hit?”

“He’ll live; lost a lot of blood, but we’ve got some plasma going in,” the medic assured him.

“Nice to see you in one piece, Jack,” Kadan said to them. “Lily’s going to be happy to see you, Briony. She considers you a sister.”

Briony made a small sound of despair. Jack sank down, pulling Briony into his arms. She promptly burst into tears. He turned his body to shield her tears from the others. Once they were on board, the helicopter banked and made a wide turn, swinging out and away from the trees to climb a little higher. Smoke clouded the air, and far below them it looked like a battleground. Briony buried her face against his chest, silent sobs wracking her body. His fingers tangled in her hair as he held her to him, looking over her head at his brother.

“We’re safe now, Briony. With all of us guarding you, he can’t touch you,” he murmured soothingly, stroking her hair.

“But she’s not safe-my sister. With Luther dead, there’s no way to find her. She’s totally alone and I can’t get to her.” Briony covered her face with her hands. Marigold might at that very moment be praying for Briony to come-but it would be impossible. Her only hope to find Whitney’s laboratory had been Luther. “I know it was necessary, Jack, don’t get me wrong, you had to kill him-but I feel so lost.”

“Listen to me, baby.” He caught her chin and forced her to look into his eyes-eyes that were flat and as cold as ice-eyes that could warm her like the afternoon sun. “I never break my word-never. It’s a