“You’re not happy, are you?” she murmured aloud.

Kadan edged closer to her, skin to skin, wishing they were both na**d and he could slide against her, distracting her from being sucked too far down the tunnel where the wailing victims waited and the killer grew stronger.

Tansy tried to push past the killer to find the threat she was looking for, but Hawk was upset. He was a careful man and he didn’t like the way the play was laid out. He wanted to contact the referee, usually forbidden unless the murder had to be forfeited. His team members were upset with him, but they weren’t the ones carrying out the details, and it wasn’t fair. He was good at what he did, and he followed every script down to the last detail—until this one. The instructions were just too precise, and he didn’t like it. The ref was probably trying to get Team One back into the game after Stallion screwed up so badly.

The Reaper was especially angry, getting in his face. He wanted to win this round, and when the Reaper insisted they do something his way, the others always went along. Well not this time. This was his game and the play had to be fair.

Kadan stiffened. He knew that name. He’d come across the Reaper a few years back running a mission in Afghanistan. Big man. Competent. Cold eyes and hands like Nico when he held a gun. He started to tell Tansy, but he didn’t want to break her concentration. He could track the Reaper. Marine. A lot of combat experience. What the hell was he doing running with a bunch of murderers? Over the years, they’d fought a few battles together, and the man knew his job. Kadan had respected him.

Had he been enhanced? Kadan didn’t think so, not at the time. That had to have come later. The man hadn’t been a stone-cold killer, not then. So did that mean enhancement could push someone a little twisted over the edge? Jack and Ken Norton had often speculated about that, along with some of the other GhostWalkers. Maybe it wasn’t the same man at all. Kadan hoped not; he’d been a good soldier.

Tansy pressed closer to the hawk figurine, allowing her gloved hand to brush the individual feathers. He refused to let the Reaper intimidate him; he used the Internet, finding the guest book the ref had given them to put a message on. The guest book was a best-selling author’s, and only an automatic reply would get back to him. He would check the next day for the ref’s reply. When it came, Hawk was unhappy. There could be no deviations. Follow instructions exactly or lose all points.

“I’ve got you,” Tansy breathed the words aloud, fighting down excitement. She had to stay calm and not allow any vibrations on that anchor thread that ran to the puppet master. She began a slow, inch-by-inch crawl along the tunnel, desperately trying to ignore the shocked gasps of the victims as Hawk entered the house through a second-story window and, following the dictates of the card he’d drawn, went into the young boy’s bedroom first and made short work of him. The two girls were next.

Tansy closed her eyes, her breath ragged as she tried to slip past without looking in, but it was impossible. One child was around eight, the other no more than five. At least he was merciful, not drawing it out. They were dead before they were aware of the intruder. Hawk crept down the stairs, glancing at his watch, careful of the time. The adults were in the first bedroom. He killed the man instantly, before he woke the woman.

Fear burst over Tansy in waves. He taped her mouth and hands and proceeded to stab the dead male repeatedly while she watched, sobbing and pleading, terrified of him. He didn’t speak, but grabbed her and dragged her back upstairs, first throwing her on the bed with the little girls, allowing their blood to coat her gown. Tansy could feel his distaste for the task, but he dragged her to the little boy’s room and shoved her onto that bed. She was moaning now, in shock, trying to reach her child.

Hawk hesitated, caught the woman by the hair, his distaste for his task growing, but determination won out. He’d gone this far, done everything he was supposed to do for his team. Your fault, lying, cheating whore. Look what you’ve done. He waited until the horror of the repercussions of her infidelity registered, and he took a snapshot of her face, then he shot her between her legs, in both br**sts, and finally in her wide-open mouth. You shouldn’t cheat on your husband, bitch, not when he’s serving his country.

Bile rose, but Tansy fought it down. She was too close to lose now. This had been a hit, pure and simple. She was certain of it. She’d seen hits before, knew what they felt like. Hawk maybe wanted to win a game, but somewhere, someone had wanted this victim, this woman, to suffer for her infidelity. This killing wasn’t random. Someone had chosen her. “The dead man is not her husband,” she murmured aloud, just in case Kadan wasn’t following the information she was trying to share with him. “Check, but I know he wasn’t her husband. She was having an affair and the husband wanted her punished.”

She was looking beyond the murder, focusing on that thread that gleamed like silver, fat and shiny and much thicker than normal. The puppet master had to be in contact with his killers whether he wanted to be or not. He was the “ref.” The man running the game. And he was running it for profit. Contract killings. He had his own team of hit men, and he played them all like fools. He was military, had been in some way part of the testing. Neat freak. Worked for Whitney. She was close to him now.

Clever, clever girl. I don’t usually indulge whims, but you have to learn that bad girls get punished. Mommy and Daddy are going to get a little visit from my friends. The voice was chilling.

Kadan reacted instantly, her safety net, her guardian, standing between her and the man in the shadows. He caught both wrists and yanked her hands outward and away from the hawk, leaving it sitting on the table, a terrible reminder of the killing of an entire family.

“For revenge,” she whispered and buried her face in his shoulder.

She was too weak to stand, and as she collapsed he caught her behind her knees, lifting her against his chest. She leaned over and was sick, staining the floor red. Kadan took her through to the bedroom almost at a run. Her skin was clammy, her face nearly gray.

“Tell me what she needs,” Nico said, coming up behind him.

“I’m afraid to let her sleep. I think the puppet master is a dreamwalker.”

“I have some powder,” Nico said. “An old Lakota remedy. It will keep her in a deep sleep and stop any dreams, good or bad. It’s been in my family for hundreds of years.”

Kadan placed Tansy on the bed and fished quickly for the pills that would help to ease the pain already beating at her skull. She turned away from him, coughing, and there was blood on the pillow.

Nico pushed past him and laid his hands on Tansy’s body. “Pull out my crystals; they’re in my jacket in the hall closet. Let’s make her more comfortable and put her to sleep. No wonder you don’t want her doing this. This is tearing her up.”

“She got important information,” Kadan said, coming back into the room with the crystals, “but the puppet master is definitely tracking her. I have to find a way to guard her dreams.”

“Give me some time to heal her with the crystals, and I’ve got enough powder for a few days. That should give Flame and Lily time to give a direction and we’ll eliminate the threat.”

Kadan sank down onto the bed beside Tansy, where he could watch over her and help Nico at the same time.

Chapter 18

Tansy woke in Kadan’s arms. He was wrapped around her so tight she wasn’t certain where she left off and he started. He was literally sprawled over her. One thigh lay wedged between her two bent legs, and his arm was around her waist, his hand over her breast. She noticed that even in his sleep he seemed to protect the injured side of her, careful nothing brushed against the laceration. Even the sheet was tented with pillows. He’d thought of everything to make her comfortable.

She didn’t remember falling asleep. There had been so much pressure in her head, pain stabbing at her. She couldn’t stand the light or any noises. Somehow she’d gone to sleep, and there’d been no dreams, almost a first for her. She rarely slept at night, and now she was afraid the puppet master might find her in her dreams. She’d been afraid to close her eyes, yet dawn was creeping through the window, she felt fine, and she’d obviously slept with Kadan wrapped protectively around her.

She shifted her body experimentally. Instantly his hand tightened on her breast, his thumb stroking over her nipple.

“Don’t move.”

His voice was a blend of smoky sex and black velvet. His breath was warm on her shoulder and she felt his mouth skim over her back.

Truthfully, she didn’t really want to move. She loved lying in his arms, feeling decadent and lazy, loving her na**d body cuddled so tight against his. Every stroke of his thumb sent ripples of arousal from breast to thighs. It was a wonderful way to wake up.

“Where are the others?”

He licked her warm skin, grazed his teeth over her neck, taking his time just nibbling, his eyes half closed while he just absorbed the feel of her. “Does it matter?”

“No.” Her answer came out a little breathless. His h*ps rocked against her, rubbing the hard length of his shaft along the curve of her bottom. The sensation was delicious.

“They went home to their women. Gator’s wife is researching, and he wants to see what she found for us. They’ll be back soon. I thought it would be better for us to be alone when you handle the other game pieces. I noticed it makes you uncomfortable when they see you afterward, although Nico was a huge help and I’ve asked him to be certain to be back by this evening.”

His hands moved, cupping and kneading her br**sts a little more aggressively, tugging at her ni**les, rolling them between his thumb and forefinger until she was stiff and aching for him.

She closed her eyes, arching into him. “Thank you for being so thoughtful. I can’t help but feel vulnerable afterward, and it is hard to have anyone see me like that. Half the time I don’t know what’s going on around me. And I’m always afraid I might end up fragmented and institutionalized again.”

“You won’t. I’ll always take care of you.”

She smiled at him, aching inside, wanting to believe he would always be with her.

“Stay still, baby.” He levered himself over her so he faced her on his side, keeping her injured hip safe from jarring.

She loved his face, the hard angles and planes, his strong jaw with the dark shadow, his sensual mouth and straight nose. Most of all, his dark blue, almost black eyes. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, positioning himself so he had easy access to her br**sts. “I love how warm and soft you are,” he murmured, tracing a finger along the shape of her lips, down her chin to the valley between her br**sts. “I love the thought of eating you for breakfast.”

Her womb clenched. Liquid heat pooled. She loved the way he wanted her. His focus was always intense and complete. Wholly on her. He could make her wet just by looking at her.

His tongue teased her nipple, first licking, as if she were an ice cream cone, then harder flicks, before his mouth settled, hot and greedy, sucking strongly. She couldn’t stop the ragged cry that escaped, or the way her body involuntarily pushed deeper into the heat of his mouth. He alternated between hot licks, small stinging bites, and sucking, so that her body just kept coiling tighter and tighter and she was left gasping for breath.

She held him to her, cradling his head, stroking his hair, sometimes yanking when another bite sent fire sizzling through her bloodstream. She watched his face, those incredible lashes, the concentration, the lust rising dark, almost frightening in its intensity. She loved that in him—the way he craved her, the way he needed her to give herself wholly to him. He made her feel beautiful and sexy and so wanted. At the same time she was so desperate for his mouth and hands and his body. The mix of emotions was incredibly sensual.

Kadan lavished attention on her br**sts, teasing and stroking, his tongue a sensual weapon, his teeth erotic, his hands magic. He kissed his way down the curve of her breast, licking at the underside and trailing more kisses along her rib cage.