Conspiracy Game (42 page)

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 smell the blood on one of them now. He’s a dead man if he’s stupid enough to move.
Again he squeezed the trigger, watching his target slump to the ground.
And why would Whitney send these infants after us? It’s like picking off ducks in a pond.

Just don’t let your ego get you killed
, Ken warned.

Two soldiers on the ground opened fire on Jack, but Ken had designed the roof to make it difficult to get a clear shot from the ground. Jack took out both shooters, then set the rifle down, picked up the handgun, rolled out to his left, toward the smell of blood, and fired three shots in rapid succession again, before rolling back to cover just as efficiently. He and Ken had practiced the moves on the roof hundreds of times. He knew every square inch of it, every depression, every place an enemy might think he was safe.

One enhanced down, Ken
, Jack said.
There’s no way I missed. I shot him between the eyes just in case he was wearing body armor. They can get the hell off our property or die here. It’s their choice. Doesn’t much matter to me.

You’re a mean son of a bitch, bro
, Ken informed him.
You recognize the enhanced soldier? I’d kind of like to know who our enemy is.

Didn’t see him, shot by smell. He’s dead, though, heard him drop, and that was a dead man hitting our roof.

Not the roof. Damn it, Jack. I’m not hauling his dead ass down; you can clean up your own mess.

What the hell did you want me to do?
Jack fit the scope to his eye again.

Wait until he stood up near the edge of the roof and shoot him so he falls over. Is that too much to ask?

Jack lifted his eye away from the scope, a small, humorless smile escaping. They had always talked to each other, years ago, as children, long before the death of their mother, using banter to get through the scary moments when their father was home and searching the house for them. Later, it was the same in the numerous foster homes, and then on the street. The habit never left them, the reassuring touch of mind to mind, to know the other still lived, still breathed, that no monster had managed to swallow him.

You’re such a damned wimp, always wanting the easy way out. You can drag his ass off the roof. It’s a good workout for you. And quit messing around and get back here. I’m a little outnumbered.

“
Give
me a gun, Ken,” Briony demanded as she raced toward him. “Jack didn’t make it into the tunnel.”

“Relax, hon; he had no intention of coming into the tunnel. He’ll meet up with us near the mine. He’ll hold them off, give us a chance to get out just in case they decide to torch the house.”

Briony skidded to a halt, sucking in her breath. “You planned this? Without saying anything to me? Why would you let him risk his life that way, Ken?”

“Jack is Jack, Briony. There’s no arguing with him in certain situations, and this is one of them. If he had to, he’d knock you out and have me haul your ass to safety. That’s how serious he is when it comes to your life—and mine.”

“They might kill him. If we help… ”

“We’d distract him. He’s not going to let you near those men, so forget about trying to help him and get moving.”

“Ken, I know you’re a marksman—so am I. I just can’t leave him to fight off however many enhanced soldiers Whitney sent.” She could barely breathe with the thought of Jack in danger. She began to edge away from Ken and back toward the ladder.

“Get over here now, Briony.” His voice hardened unexpectedly, his easygoing façade fading away, to be replaced by the same commanding tone Jack used. “He entrusted me with your life and I take that seriously. You’re carrying his children. Get your ass over here and stop thinking with your heart.”

“This isn’t right,” Briony protested, reluctantly making her way to his side. He looked capable of throwing her over his shoulder like the proverbial caveman. It occurred to her that Ken was every bit as dominant as his twin—he just hid it better.

“Right or not, get moving.” His voice softened even as he gave her a little push. “Right now, everyone Jack comes into contact with is the enemy. He doesn’t have to worry about shooting either of us. He’ll take out as many as possible and disappear.”

“They’re enhanced.”

“So is he, and I’m betting he has far more combat experience than all of them combined. Keep moving straight ahead. Double-time it.”

Briony pressed a hand over her lurching stomach. She’d come to Jack for protection, to protect her baby—babies—but she hadn’t counted on falling in love. She was torn between wanting to keep the unborn children safe and rushing back to help watch Jack’s back. “You should be with him, Ken. You’re always with him. You fight together.”

“I’ll stash you in a safe place and then I’ll join him. But I have to know you’re going to stay put, Briony. No heroics.”

“I’m not stupid, Ken. And I can take care of myself if I have to.”

“Which is why you showed up with bruises and a cut down your arm. Some man does that to you now, and Jack will rip his heart out—or I will. No one touches you, Briony. You fight only as a last resort.”

“I promise, Ken. I’m not looking to lose the babies, or get taken by these maniacs.”

The tunnel began to curve upward, and Briony sprinted, wanting Ken to get back to Jack as soon as possible. “Give me a gun and several clips of ammo if you have it to spare,” she called over her shoulder. “I’m a good shot, Ken.”

“We have a weapons stash in the mine, here in the tunnel, and out in the shop, as well as the house. If anything happens, get to a man named Logan Maxwell or Kadan Montague. You can trust either of them. Don’t go near your family; they’ll be watched.”

She rounded a corner and skidded to a halt. There was a dead end. “How do we get out?”

Ken indicated straight overhead. “Trapdoor. We open it up there. Anyone coming in and not knowing how to get out is trapped. They aren’t going to get us on our home turf, hon.” He handed her the rifle and leapt up to catch a ring painted black to blend in with the darkness. He inverted, planting his feet on either side of the trapdoor and, using toe rings to brace his body, he heaved upward.

Briony realized only an enhanced person could move the door, another guard in place for the brothers. “If they do follow us into the tunnel, they might not be able to find the door,” she said aloud.

“They’ll die if they come in the tunnel. Each section has an activation switch with very precisely directed blasts. Don’t go back in there for any reason until we deactivate the security.”

“This place is a death trap.”

“For anyone coming after us or ours,” he agreed. “Can you make it out, or do you want a hand?”

“That’s an insult.” She leapt up, caught the lip of the doorjamb, and inverted easily, pushing through with her feet and shoving to launch herself out the opening. She did a flip and landed nearly at his feet.

“Show off. I’m carrying the pack.”

Briony looked around her. They were in deep forest, some distance from the house, but she could hear shots being fired. “I’m afraid to distract him even to make certain he’s safe.”

“He’s safe. Worry about the other guy. If this is some kind of test for his soldiers, Whitney must have more than we thought, because these must be expendable.”

“Do you think he guessed that I was here?”

Ken frowned as he shook his head. “Whitney has access to our complete files. He has high security clearance. He’d never send men against us to get killed unless he was certain. Even if they planted a camera on Brady, he was treated the way he’s always treated and sent on his way. He never got close to the house—or to you. They couldn’t have known that way.”

“But they knew, didn’t they?”

Something quiet in her voice alerted him, and he stopped in the act of concealing the trapdoor to look at her sharply. “Whatever you’re thinking—don’t. You aren’t putting us in any more danger than we’re normally in.”

“Yes, because you have enhanced soldiers coming after you all the time. These are
military
men. We can’t tell the good guys from the bad. For all we know, Ken, some of them are soldiers thinking they’re doing a job their commander sent them on. We have no idea what they’ve been told.”

“Whitney isn’t going to chance letting someone else acquire you. These are his men. He may have gotten military equipment using his clearances, and no doubt someone, an admiral, a general, maybe the senator I pulled out of the Congo, is helping him, but these are definitely his men. Don’t do anything stupid, Briony, like try to leave. It wouldn’t be heroic—it would be the dumbest thing you could do. Jack would come after you. You know him now. He’s not going to let you go.”

“I’m going to get you both killed.”

“Have a little faith, woman. And think about my nephews. I’ll be damned if they’re raised in a laboratory.”

Briony turned away from him, into the deeper forest, hurrying along the faint animal trail in the direction Ken indicated, but her mind was working furiously. She had come to them with nothing. Jack had even insisted she get rid of her clothes. She touched her earlobes and felt the rubies—not her mother’s diamonds. Everything had been left behind. So how were they tracking her so easily?

“Shift to your right. I want you to walk along the boulders. The original mining camp is still here along with the original cabin. We’ve never actually done any mining, but we went through it to make certain it was safe and it’s a good place for you to wait for us. You can guard the entrance; no one can sneak up on you from behind, and anyone trying to come in is going to be a large target. I’ll get rid of the tracks leading to the mine and make a few branching off from the trail so anyone tracking us will head in the wrong direction. The stream winds through the property along here for a good four miles.”

Briony glanced at him sharply.

Ken sent her a reassuring smile. “I like to cover all of the bases. If by some miracle Whitney’s soldiers get lucky, you need a route out of here.”

“If you’re not coming back to get me, I’ll be looking for you,” Briony said. “I mean it, Ken. I could help.”

“You can help by staying put so we don’t have to worry about you.”

Where the hell are you? You’d think this was a tea party.

As a matter of fact, Briony and I were just pouring a cup. You can handle it, Jack. I’m still a little sleepy.

“Just up ahead is the shack. See the bushes just to your right, Briony? Behind them is the entrance to the mine. I’ll check it just to be certain.” He handed her a gun and several clips. “Just don’t shoot me.” Ken slid the pack to the ground and motioned her to stand aside.

Briony watched him disappear into the thick shrubbery. All around her leaves were turning red and gold. Deep colors of vibrant green carpeted the ground and adorned the trees towering above her. A gentle breeze brought the first lights of day streaking across the sky. It was beautiful—breathtaking, hardly a day for anyone to die.

Both Ken and Jack exuded confidence and spilled it over to her. She was afraid, but it wasn’t the heart-pounding, gut-wrenching fear she normally experienced. Both of the Nortons were men who knew themselves and their capabilities—and were ready to do whatever was necessary—but most of all they were utterly calm in a crisis. And more than all of that—she didn’t experience a single consequence of witnessing violence. There was no pain stabbing through her head, making her so ill she could barely breathe. With Jack and Ken close by, she could handle even a full-scale assault.

Ken returned to lead her into a clearing, past a shack to the mine itself. It was old, but solid. Briony stood just inside the entrance. “If I have to go back into it to hide, how do I find my way out?”

“It’s not a huge labyrinth like a lot of mines. It has two tunnels. Either has an exit. The left tunnel is your best bet; it comes out in heavy wood, so more cover. You’re good, hon. One of us will come for you. If we don’t warn you ahead of time, shoot anything coming your way.” He handed her the pack with her clothes. “I’ve got to get rid of the tracks and go help my idiot of a brother. He might go psycho on us and I’d have a hell of a mess to clean up.”

Briony nodded, managing a small smile. “Stay safe, Ken.”

Ken leaned in to hug her, in a clumsy attempt to reassure her, and then shouldered his rifle and sprinted back toward the house.

Jack was surrounded, trying to pick off the soldiers one by one, but he was pinned down by the second enhanced soldier. Ken hurried as he wiped out the tracks leading from the mine back to the tunnel.
I’m on my way. Don’t shoot me.