A heartbeat went by. She pushed against his fingers, trying for relief but he didn’t move. “Is my sister there?”

“When we know it’s safe, Jack will bring her there. It’s their home as well, but I don’t want you to come for Briony. I want you to come for me. No matter what, Briony is going to want to see you. She made us both promise to find you and bring you back to her.” He suckled again, feeling the wash of her liquid response over his hand, and his fingers began their slow assault once more.

“I’m terrified of meeting her, Ken.” She couldn’t quite find her breath, but she never, never wanted him to stop. Lying in the dark with his hands and mouth roaming her body made her feel as if she belonged somewhere. This was for her, this slow, gentle wash of pleasure, completely for her and she knew it.

“You shouldn’t be. She wants to love you, Mari. She wants her sister back. And she’ll welcome the rest of your family. Briony is a generous, compassionate woman and courageous enough to take on my brother.” His hand moved in earnest, thumb and fingers stroking caresses over every sensitive spot until she could feel the tension building and building all over again.

“As long as Whitney’s alive, she’ll be in danger.”

“But not because of you. He had her adopted parents killed, and he tried to kidnap her the moment he found out she was pregnant.”

“I can’t believe she’s going to have a baby.” Her breath was coming in gasps.

“She couldn’t believe it either. Whitney’s team of supersoldiers did some damage to the house, but we’ve repaired it.” Now his fingers were truly wicked, exploring and teasing and never quite giving her what she needed.

Mari tried to push harder against his hand, to trap him into giving her release. “He promised me that as long as I cooperated with him, he’d leave Briony alone.”

Ken’s teeth tugged at her nipple in a gentle punishment. “He never left her alone. He kept tabs on her all these years. He outlined her education and insisted on his own doctor treating her for all illnesses. Whitney lied about Briony just as he lied all those years to Lily.”

“I feel so bad for Lily. It’s a terrible thing to find out your entire childhood is built on a house of cards.” His fingers pushed deep, withdrew, then pushed against her cl*t until she wanted to sob with pleasure. She closed her eyes.

Ken leaned down and kissed her belly button. It was so like Mari to be concerned for Lily. Mari who had no childhood, who had been treated like a grown soldier before she could barely walk. “Look at me, sweetheart. Open your eyes and look into mine.”

His voice was low and commanding and Mari’s lashes lifted. Her gaze met his, saw the absolute possession there, the stark need and the stamp of ruthless control mixed with something that could be love. She’d never seen the emotion, so she wasn’t certain that was what she was seeing, but she kept her gaze locked with his when he took her over the edge and had her crying out his name.

Chapter 17

It rained parachutes last night, Jack announced. Our boys showed up, and a beautiful sight they were floating down from the sky.

Who do we have? Ken asked.

Logan, of course, Neil Campbell. Jesse Calhoun is coordinating and arranging backup in case anything goes wrong.

That surprised Ken. Jesse Calhoun was a valued member of the team, but he had been seriously wounded and was in a wheelchair. Mainly he ran the investigations.

Trace Aikens and Martin Howard are here as well. Jack named the last two members of their GhostWalker SEAL team. No one wanted to be left out. You’re a very popular man, Ken.

It took a moment for him to realize Jack wasn’t joking, and it shocked Ken. He had trained with the men and they fought together, worked, and even at times lived together, but he had never realized their loyalties extended to him and his brother. Jack and he had always been a little apart, and often other men were leery of them.

Ken cleared his throat, thankful no one could see him. Emotion was playing far too big a part with him these days. They all in place?

Everyone’s in position.

Has any word come down on the senator? Ken asked.

Senator Freeman asked to have Ryland’s team guarding him when he visited “a high security facility today,” Jack reported. The general did initially give the order, then an hour later rescinded it and gave the assignment to another team.

Son of a bitch. Whitney has even more pull than we suspected. Who could go over the top of the general?

Ken sat in the narrow corridor inside the cement wall. The fourth level was far more massive than he had ever considered it could be. It had originally been built as a secret military base before it had been closed down. Whitney had obviously discovered it and either bought it or persuaded his backers to allow him to use it for his experiments. There were very few in the know about the existence of the GhostWalkers. Whitney’s front men were able to find a way to hide his work from the various committees who would have objected strenuously to his inhumane and illegal experiments.

I don’t know who could countermand one of the general’s orders. The president certainly, Jack responded. The secretary of defense. But I can’t see either of them mixed up with a nutcase like Whitney. He’s too unstable, and the kinds of things he’s doing would rock the nation—the world—if it came out. No president would risk being associated with him if they knew what he’s done to children and women.

That was true. Ken couldn’t see anyone risking their political career. Hell, they’d face jail time, if not the death penalty, right along with Whitney. Mari alone would attest to the rape and murder of several women.

There was no sense in speculating. Ryland would have to approach the general, and if that went nowhere, then it would be up to the members of Ryland’s team to find out whom they could trust.

Rear Admiral Henderson, the man responsible for the SEAL GhostWalker team, was already under investigation—of course he wasn’t aware of it—and if they found no evidence against him, they’d never tell him. Jesse Calhoun was working hard to find out who had betrayed their team and sent them into the Congo.

Ken looked carefully around the walls of his tomb of cement. Ever since leaving Mari, he had been busy, marking the way so Cami could lead the other women out once Mari gave the signal to escape. He had tried to find Whitney’s rooms and private tunnels so he could recover the pictures of the women, but it seemed impossible when the concrete dead-ended so often and was hazardous in most places to get through.

Has Logan got the blueprints on this compound yet? Ken wanted to destroy the pictures of the women Whitney had been taking for years. More, he wanted to put a bullet in Whitney’s head. Since it’s a former military base, he should have been able to access them with the admiral’s clearance. If not, put Lily on it. She seems to be able to get anything she wants. The Whitney name works wonders, Ken said.

Logan tracked them down. They’re studying them now. They’re set up to make the rescue when the senator is here. We’re going to have to push our timetable forward. There’s no doubt that Whitney is going to arrange an accident of some kind for Senator Freeman and his wife.

Maybe, Ken mused. But he wouldn’t want an investigation anywhere near this place. I don’t think he’ll hit the senator here. I think he’ll make his try either before or after he leaves. He’d be stupid to bring a firestorm down on his laboratory, and the one thing Whitney isn’t—is stupid.

He has to make it look like an accident this time, Jack said. Get word to Marigold and tell her if she can warn Violet, to do it.

No. Absolutely not, Jack. Ken was adamant. He crawled on his belly, careful of the sharp rebar sticking out of the walls, dragging his legs up and away from it. It was easy to lose oneself in the labyrinth, and Mari had been working on a new escape plan with the other women, as they feared they’d told Sean too much.

We don’t have a choice. Violet has to know what she’s up against. We don’t have a team in place to protect him. If he’s really Whitney’s enemy . . .

Ken sent Jack the impression of disgust. No. I’m not risking Mari. She’s taken enough risks in this hellhole. If Violet is undercover for Whitney, then Mari’s dead.

And if she isn’t, the senator is dead, Jack reminded him from his vantage point on the bluff. The air was cool. He wished he could send it to his brother trapped like a rat in the walls of Whitney’s prison.

That’s not my problem. Frankly, I’m not risking her life for anyone connected to Senator Freeman. I don’t trust him or his wife. I’m not risking Mari. I’ve gone as far as I’m willing to go for her family. We’re getting them out today, because if Sean doesn’t die today, he’ll be back tonight. I’ll kill him and be done with it, and Mari will know what a bastard I am. That won’t be good, because she’ll decide she doesn’t want me and then I’ll have to kidnap her and try to change her mind.

Jack sighed. You’ve gone caveman on me, bro.

Mari has that effect on me. And, by the way, Briony will be really upset if anything happens to Mari, and that will impact your life, so just get over having Mari warn Violet.

Man, you’re edgy. Chill out.

Ken frowned. He was edgy. He didn’t want to leave Mari alone in that cell, locked up and trapped like a rabbit in a cage, when Sean might come back at any moment. He forced his mind to concentrate on the business at hand. Speaking of the sick, twisted freak, have you caught sight of the bastard?

Jack gave a short, expressive snort. Um, that would a negative. I’ve never actually seen Sean.

I sent you an image.

Tails and horns aren’t exactly the real deal, Ken. You gave me a picture of the devil.

Ken made a rude noise, accompanying it with an even ruder gesture his brother couldn’t see but would know he’d done anyhow. I did my best to nudge Sean into making a try against Whitney. With a little luck, he’ll kill the doctor, and Whitney’s men will do him, and we can just write them both off. Thanks for helping out last night.

Sorry I didn’t step in sooner. I went to higher ground and dug myself in, just in case using that much energy took its toll. You must have been completely wiped.

Ken tried to sit up, and hit his head on rebar. He swore softly and glanced down at his hands. He hadn’t felt the scrapes as he moved over the jagged, unfinished cement, leaving smears of blood behind. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered anymore but getting Mari out of there. For a couple of hours. I couldn’t get to Mari and I thought I’d lose my f**king mind. I didn’t realize I had such a vivid imagination. I lay there scared shitless. The only time I’ve ever been that scared was when Ekabela’s man was cutting my c**k into tiny little pieces. He’d never admitted it before. Never discussed it with Jack—but Jack had to know he couldn’t do without Mari. He had to get her out.

There was a small silence. She all right?

Sean was going to force himself on her. He’d been her friend; they trained on her GhostWalker team together. It’s obvious she had genuine affection for the f**kwad, and for him to betray her like that . . . Ken hit the cement with the flat of his hand, needing to expel his pent-up anger in some physical way. She was pretty torn up, Jack. Ken took a deep breath and forced his mind and body back under control. I’m going to be taking the women out through the corridor the minute you give me the signal. I marked the way to make the run fast, but if you get a shot at Sean, take him out.

You’re certain?

He’ll never stop. Even if we don’t get Whitney, and Whitney gives him a direct order, Sean is going to keep coming after her. In the end I’m going to have to kill the son of a bitch and she’ll have a hard time forgiving me.

She isn’t a stupid woman, Ken. You’re underestimating her. Not that I mind killing him one way or the other.