She nodded, her fingers clutching the doorjamb until they turned white. She hated that she was disappointing him. "I'll try." It was the best she could do. For now, she couldn't bear Sebastian to be put into the hands of strangers without her present.
She bit down hard on her lip, more agitated than she realized. It hurt to know that she might be letting him down, but she couldn't bring herself to hand her child over to strangers, even with Kane looking on. He didn't view them as threats, so it would be easy to kidnap the baby. He wasn't watching for it.
Kane padded back across the floor, his bare feet making no sound. She watched him come, heart pounding, until he was looming over her. Up close, Kane was intimidating, yet his hands were gentle as he framed her face and bent to brush a kiss across her mouth. "Sebastian is too important to take risks with. If at any time you're afraid for his safety,
I want you to rely on your instincts. I mean that, Rose. Never be upset because you're protecting our child."
She would have thrown her arms around him and hugged him close, but milk was still dripping, and she'd make a mess. "I'll work on getting to know Jaimie," she promised.
"I know you will." The confidence in his voice steadied her. Maybe he really knew her better than she knew herself.
Kane reluctantly allowed his hands to slip from her face, instead of caressing her as he was inclined to do. Visitors could be a major pain, he was finding, when all he wanted to do was worship Rose's body. And kiss her. He loved her mouth, that soft, shy, velvet paradise he could lose himself in for hours.
He bent over the baby's bed. Jaimie had found a small crib, and the boy slept peacefully, unaware that his mother was upset over company. He touched the baby's hand, aware that Rose watched him without moving, waiting to see if he would pick up Sebastian and take him into the other room. She was naked beneath the robe, not the best garb to follow him out of the room, but she made no move, just held herself very still.
"Mommy is a little freaked out, Sebastian. Until she feels comfortable, you behave and don't be too demanding about seeing visitors." The little fingers closed around his, and he brushed his thumb over the child's tiny knuckles. "Isn't it strange to think we created this little miracle?"
"Yes."
He shook his head over the idea that he had anything to do with such perfection. "Take a long shower, sweetheart, and don't worry about anything. I'm closing the door, and no one will disturb either of you."
Kane left her, strangely proud of her for telling the truth to him about her fears. She wanted to please him, but she didn't lie or make up excuses. He closed the bedroom door softly and went to greet the visitors.
He'd grown up with Jaimie tagging along since she was a little girl. A true genius, she'd caught up with both Mack and him, attending the same school and classes. Her face lit up when she looked up and caught sight of him. Jaimie jumped out of the chair where she'd been waiting and rushed him. He braced himself for the collision. She flung her arms around him.
"Should you be walking without a cane? Are you all right?" She looked past him toward the bedroom and lowered her voice. "Rose won't leave your side. I think she thinks one of us might try to do you in. I'm a little worried that she doesn't get any sleep."
"I told her to watch out for Mack. Was he pissed? He hasn't lectured me yet."
"That you got shot? You have no idea. And as soon as you're a hundred percent, you can pretty much count on him yelling at you. But it's so exciting that you found Rose and the baby."
"I delivered the baby." He'd done it. He may as well have bragging rights.
Her riot of curls bounced all over her head. "No way! Really? Wow, Kane. That's so incredible." The smile faded from her sapphire eyes. "You really scared us, you know. Dr. Lambert kept you in a coma for a while."
"I'm sorry I scared you, Jaimie." He wrapped his arm around her and dropped a kiss on top of her head. "I'm fine now. A little weak, but ready to start real training again. Physical therapy is wimpy, and I need some real work."
"Give it another week," Eric Lambert cautioned. "You nearly died, Kane. You should have died." He glanced toward the bedroom, and just like Jaimie, he lowered his voice. "I'd give a lot to know what she did to save your life. You should have bled out internally."
"But I didn't. And Jaimie, you're making a fuss when you've seen me every day for the past couple of weeks."
"Mostly in bed," she defended. "Or with a cane. Nothing that I can remember has ever kept you in bed. It was scary."
That was going to change. Rose could keep him in bed, but he refrained from saying so. Just the thought of her showering in the next room sent a heated rush through his veins.
Kane forced his mind away from his woman. "I was up."
"Looking like a ghost."
He grinned at her, pretending to sway like a ghost. When she rolled her eyes, he stepped all the way back to allow them inside. "Would either of you care for a cup of coffee?"
"Sure," Lambert said.
Kane glanced at Jaimie. She burst out laughing. "I'll make it, no problem, and, while I'm at it, I'll make myself a cup of tea."
Kane grinned at her and waved his hand at the doctor, indicating for him to sit. The floor plan was open other than the bedroom and bathroom, following the floor plan of Jaimie and Mack's home two stories up. The space was nice, but Kane had already decided a second bedroom would be needed for the baby. By the time he had it built, he was certain Sebastian would be ready for it.
"Your son was born early and yet he appears to be thriving," Eric said. "Even without the help of a doctor," he added pointedly. "He must have amazing genes."
Kane didn't react, although his body went on alert. He reminded himself that Eric was a doctor and specialized in gene therapy. Of course he would be interested in Sebastian and his progress. How could he help it? "He was small when he was born, but with Rose feeding him on demand, he began to gain immediately. We put him in a warmer so we could keep his body temperature constant."
Eric sat back, a pleased expression on his face. "Excellent. Good thinking. Were there any complications that you know of with the pregnancy or birth?"
"Not the birth. Everything went according to the book. You'd have to ask Rose about her pregnancy."
Eric frowned as he formed a steeple with his fingers.
"Rose is not very forthcoming about anything at all, Kane. I've asked her several times, but she simply ignores me."
"She isn't quite ready to trust anyone," Kane said. "Nor should she be. Once she feels safe, she'll be more likely to answer questions."
"I'd like to examine Sebastian and do a few blood tests."
"No." Rose stood in front of the closed bedroom door, her dark chocolate eyes smoldering with fire. "Absolutely not. He's not a guinea pig, and he never will be."
"You misunderstand me, Rose," Lambert protested. "I'm just here to make certain he stays healthy. I need to see what immunities you've passed on to him and ..." He broke off when she resolutely shook her head, appealing to Kane. "It's necessary for his health and safety."
"His blood is not going to any laboratory," Rose decreed.
Kane shrugged. "Sorry, Doc, but Rose has the right to refuse."
"Neither of you understand. Your DNA is not normal human DNA. You both have extraordinary psychic gifts as well as physical talents. In all probability you've passed these traits on to your child. We need to know what we're dealing with."
Before Rose could reply, Kane held up his hand to stop her. "Actually, Eric, that's where you're wrong. Rose and I need to know what we're dealing with. Sebastian is our child. You don't need anything at all. He's a curiosity, no more to you. He's our son. While we both appreciate everything you've done for us, right now, we're opting not to take his blood out of this house."
Eric Lambert frowned, shaking his head. "I don't understand. Suppose something was incompatible. What if Rose had the Rh factor and neither of you realized it. She didn't have prenatal care of any kind. There are tes
ts that need to be run for his safety. For his health."
"Sebastian's healthy, Doc. We thank you for the concern, but we'll take care of him."
Rose leaned against the closed bedroom door, almost sagging in relief. Thank you.
Kane kept his gaze on the doctor. He's our son. If you're not comfortable with Eric, we'll find a doctor you are comfortable with. I know someone I think you'll like.
"How do you know whether or not I had prenatal care? You didn't even ask me."
Kane was startled by the outright hostility in Rose's voice. Eric was unsettling, he would admit that. He didn't have the best bedside manner; he was a surgeon and researcher, not a family doctor, but time and again he'd saved the lives of many GhostWalkers.
He saved my life, he reminded as gently as he could. He didn't pretend to understand women and their peculiarities.
Did he? Rose remained stubbornly where she was, arms crossed over her chest, guarding the door and eyeing Eric as if he was the enemy.
Kane shot her a warning look and held out his hand to her. She hesitated, but her expression softened and she crossed to his side, taking his hand. His fingers closed around hers, and he pulled her down into the chair beside him. Did something happen while I was unconscious?
"I think we started off on the wrong foot," Eric said, leaning toward Rose. "I'm not always the most social person. I've been told many times I should be a little less abrupt in my approach with people. I'm working on that."
He sounded stiff, and Kane felt a little sorry for him. Eric was an intelligent man--an acknowledged genius in his field if the medical journals were anything to go by--but he had a one-track, very focused mind, as most researchers did. It had to be difficult for such a proud man to work with GhostWalkers, men superior physically and psychically, but without his acute, focused brain. Kane also knew it would be extremely mortifying to have to apologize for anything.
I caught him trying to steal Sebastian's blood after I told him no.
Rose lifted her chin. "I have trust issues, so I guess we're both to blame."
There was nothing grudging in her voice. He felt pride in her blossom, spreading warmth through his body. Rose had no problems meeting someone halfway, and she sounded sincere, but after what she'd revealed, he knew she wasn't about to let Eric near their son without constant supervision. He brought her hand to his mouth and nibbled.
Have you suddenly developed an oral fixation?
He glanced at her, startled. She was teasing him with company around. It felt--intimate. He grinned at her and bit down on her finger. Yes.
Jaimie returned with the coffee, handing him a cup and then giving Eric one. "I made you tea, Rose. You seemed to prefer that to coffee."
Rose nodded. "Thank you."
Jaimie returned with the two cups of tea. "I added milk because I saw you used milk the last time, but if it isn't enough . . ." "This is fine."
"This is fine."
Rose smiled up at her, and Kane could tell it was genuine. He felt his belly settle. He hadn't even realized he'd been tense until that moment. He wanted Rose happy, and he wanted her to like and accept his family.
Eric took a sip of his coffee as Jaimie settled into a chair. "Where's Mack?"
Jaimie shrugged. "He's off doing Mack things," she replied with a sweet smile.
Kane frowned and glanced between her and Rose. Something had definitely happened while he was recovering. Jaimie had been enigmatic in her answer, something she would never have done had Kane asked the question. Which also raised the question: just what was Mack doing? He felt a little like Rip Van Winkle, waking up and having no clue what was going on.
Eric sighed. "I really don't have a lot of time. Kane, I have to at least examine the baby before I go, to make certain he's healthy."
Rose shook her head. "I believe you examined him yesterday. Do you think his condition has changed between yesterday and today? He's asleep, and I'm not waking him up to be poked and prodded again."
A flash of anger crossed Eric's face. He threw his hands into the air. "I can see you're not going to be reasonable." Abruptly he stood up, disgust on his face. "I'll come back when you've talked some sense into her, Kane."
He turned and stalked out, slamming the door behind him.
"That went well," Kane said and took another drink of fortifying coffee. He looked from one woman to the other. "You want to tell me what's going on?"
"Not really," Jaimie said and winked at him.
Both women burst out laughing.
Kane glared at them. "I see how it's going to be around here. You two are planning on sticking together."
Jaimie shrugged. "Obviously we're outnumbered. We have no choice."
"Tell me anyway. And where's Mack?"
"Mack is scouting around the neighborhood, looking for anything that might threaten his nephew. He's gone all protective. A freighter came in yesterday, and all sorts of unsavory characters have been frequenting the bars and shops around here. You know Mack. He and Javier are out gathering information."
Kane's warning system went off. Jaimie was being casual for Rose's benefit. Her sapphire eyes met his steadily, conveying her worry. His heart constricted. Things had certainly changed in his life. He would have felt an adrenaline rush at the first sign of danger. Even an eagerness to go meet it, but now he had so much to lose. Rose. Sebastian. He wanted to wrap them up and keep them safe forever.
"You're not going to be ready for action for another couple of weeks, soldier," Rose said.
He had to grin at her. Damn. Nothing got by the woman. "So how bad is the threat, and how credible is it?"
Jaimie threw Rose an apologetic look. "I didn't want you to worry, Rose. You've been through so much."
Rose shrugged. "This is my life, Jaimie. I chose to come here. Kane and I have Sebastian, and we know they're going to keep coming at us to get to him. I'm prepared mentally for that. You don't have to try to protect me."
Jaimie nodded. "Whitney knows Rose is here."
Kane reached down and rubbed the tattoo on Rose's ankle. "We knew he'd track us here. We're hoping you and Javier can do something about his little homing device."
"We've got that covered already," Jaimie said. "But Mack says no matter when we disrupted the satellite transmission, he would have known you would bring her back here. He just can't track her movements anymore."
"He won't be happy about that."
Jaimie shrugged. "It's Whitney. He's strange. He gets all excited when the GhostWalkers are able to outwit him or foil his little attempts to retrieve them. I think he pats himself on the back, and it just reinforces how clever and brilliant he is. We are, after all, his creations."
Kane scowled at her. Jaimie held up her hand. "Hey. That's a quote from one of his reports. I don't hack into his computer often, but Flame found a way in, and she passed it on to me. We're careful, but we monitor him. We just give him a lot of room. We're lucky he doesn't trust anyone, so he does all his own computer work. He's just not as good as he thinks he is with security. He doesn't keep up on the latest and greatest because his entire world has become DNA and psychic research."
"So did your warning come from his computer?"
"He's very anxious to get his hands on the baby. He sent his 'representative' to 'acquire' him. I kid you not. It's right there on his computer. He was furious that Rose and the baby escaped him. He's determined. Apparently he feels we're far more vulnerable here. The stronghold in the
Wyoming mountains has become nearly impenetrable, and he doubts if he will be able to acquire the children kept there. Once again, he seemed pleased that the teams banding together had managed to not only keep themselves but their women and children safe from not only him, but all outside threats. Again, that's pretty much a quote, Kane."
"We're doing the same thing here."
"True, but we're more exposed because we don't have the ability at this time to clean things up as fast should there be an attack on us."
"But
we're getting to that point," Kane said hastily. "We've managed to purchase five of the seven buildings we need to secure the entire area. Rose, if you want to take Sebastian and go to the stronghold in Wyoming, I can arrange it. The teams settling there are excellent. This building is secure, but we haven't set up for street surveillance ..."
Jaimie looked smug. "Bite your tongue, Kane. Javier and I have been working night and day. We've got the street covered down two full blocks, the roof on three of the buildings as well as this one, and the water side."
"I'm fine with you," Rose said. "I'll help out here. I can work."
"Mack's got weapons and ammo stashed everywhere. We could take on an army. We've got a helipad on the roof of this building, and it's got all the necessary permits. That's how we managed to transport you directly here after your surgery," Jaimie added.
"I knew that was in the works, but didn't know it had come through."
"Where is all the money coming from?" Rose demanded.
Jaimie glanced a little apprehensively at Kane. "Lily Whitney-Miller. She inherited billions, and she shares with all the GhostWalkers."
Tell me. It was a demand, nothing less. Rose was naturally suspicious of such generosity.
"She's Dr. Whitney's adopted daughter," Kane explained. "He experimented on her as well. She was raised with quite a few of the girls."
Jaimie leaned forward, staring into Rose's eyes. "Do you remember her? She was with you in the beginning, when Whitney first took you all. You were in a big house, and he kept you in a dormitory. You were never allowed out of the laboratory."
Rose nodded. "It's impossible to forget that time. Lily was always like a mother to the rest of us. He treated her better, and she tried to get privileges for us."
"She put aside money for each of the other women she was raised with as well. You've got that money, Rose," Kane said. There was a hard knot in the pit of his stomach. Money could change things. She might decide to take the money and vanish.
Rose moistened her lips, her little pixie face very sober. "Do you trust her completely?"
"Yes," Kane said. "She's done too much for all of us to be anything but the real deal, Rose. She just had a baby. And Jack Norton and his woman had twins. They have three babies up there in the mountains. Sebastian isn't the only child at risk."