Samurai Game Read online

  "CHRISTINE FEEHAN CONTINUES TO AMAZE READERS."

  --The Eternal Night

  RUTHLESS GAME

  "Will entertain and thrill . . . a fun, escapist read."

  --Romance Reviews Today

  "Fast and furious . . . [an] edgy, scintillating tale."

  --Fallen Angel Reviews

  STREET GAME

  "Will compel readers to devour the book for every last detail."

  --Fresh Fiction

  "Believable, passionate, intense."

  --Night Owl Reviews (Top Pick)

  MURDER GAME

  "A no-holds-barred adventure . . . you won't be able to put this page-turner down."

  --Fresh Fiction

  "Refreshing . . . fans will enjoy this strong thriller."

  --Midwest Book Review

  PREDATORY GAME

  "Boy, did it deliver! . . . This book keeps you rockin' from the get-go."

  --Fresh Fiction

  "Feehan's at the top of her game with this explosive, scintillating novel."

  --RT Book Reviews

  DEADLY GAME

  "I loved this one and I'll bet you will too."

  --Fresh Fiction

  "The fastest-paced, most action-packed, gut-wrenching, adrenaline-driven ride I've ever experienced . . . If you crave a gripping thriller . . . Deadly Game is the rush you've been waiting for."

  --Romance Junkies

  "Wow! . . . Made me hungry for more."

  --The Best Reviews

  NIGHT GAME

  "Suspenseful . . . captivating."

  --Publishers Weekly

  "Packed with adventure . . . Not only is this a thriller, the sensual scenes rival the steaming Bayou. A perfect 10."

  --Romance Reviews Today

  MIND GAME

  "Sultry and suspenseful . . . as swift-moving and sexually charged as her best vampire romances. In short, it is an electrifying read."

  --Publishers Weekly

  "Brilliant. The sexual energy . . . is electrifying. If you enjoy paranormal romances, this is a must-read."

  --Romance at Heart Magazine

  "Explosive! The sexual chemistry is literally a scorcher."

  --Fallen Angel Reviews

  SHADOW GAME

  "Sensational . . . The sultry, spine-tingling kind of read that [Feehan's] fans will adore."

  --Publishers Weekly

  "One of the best current voices in the darker paranormal romance subgenre . . . intense, sensual, and mesmerizing."

  --Library Journal

  "[An] erotically charged romance."

  --Booklist

  MORE PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF CHRISTINE FEEHAN

  "Just as I begin to think the romance genre has nowhere else to run, I get to read something that takes another giant leap down a totally unknown road. Romance, suspense and intrigue, and the paranormal . . . combined to make one of the most delicious journeys I have had the pleasure of taking in a long, long time . . . Definitely something for everyone."

  --Romance and Friends

  "Feehan's newest is a skillful blend of supernatural thrills and romance that is sure to entice readers."

  --Publishers Weekly

  "If you are looking for something that is fun and different, pick up a copy of this book."

  --All About Romance

  "This one is a keeper . . . I had a hard time putting [it] down . . . Don't miss this book!"

  --New-Age Bookshelf

  "Vibrant characters, suspense-filled plot . . . and just the right touch of the supernatural . . . a must-read, especially on those dark, rainy nights, when the wind howls its anger at the world. Kudos, Ms. Feehan, you have penned a page-turner--good to the last drop."

  --Romance Reviews Today

  "Christine Feehan is a magnificent storyteller."

  --RT Book Reviews

  Titles by Christine Feehan

  SAMURAI GAME

  RUTHLESS GAME

  STREET GAME

  MURDER GAME

  PREDATORY GAME

  DEADLY GAME

  CONSPIRACY GAME

  NIGHT GAME

  MIND GAME

  SHADOW GAME

  HIDDEN CURRENTS

  TURBULENT SEA

  SAFE HARBOR

  DANGEROUS TIDES

  OCEANS OF FIRE

  SAVAGE NATURE

  WILD FIRE

  BURNING WILD

  WILD RAIN

  SPIRIT BOUND

  WATER BOUND

  DARK PREDATOR

  DARK PERIL

  DARK SLAYER

  DARK CURSE

  DARK HUNGER

  DARK POSSESSION

  DARK CELEBRATION

  DARK DEMON

  DARK SECRET

  DARK DESTINY

  DARK MELODY

  DARK SYMPHONY

  DARK GUARDIAN

  DARK LEGEND

  DARK FIRE

  DARK CHALLENGE

  DARK MAGIC

  DARK GOLD

  DARK DESIRE

  DARK PRINCE

  Anthologies

  DARKEST AT DAWN

  (includes Dark Hunger and Dark Secret)

  SEA STORM

  (includes Magic in the Wind and Oceans of Fire)

  FEVER

  (includes The Awakening and Wild Rain)

  FANTASY

  (with Emma Holly, Sabrina Jeffries, and Elda Minger)

  LOVER BEWARE

  (with Fiona Brand, Katherine Sutcliffe, and Eileen Wilks)

  HOT BLOODED

  (with Maggie Shayne, Emma Holly, and Angela Knight)

  SAMURAI GAME

  CHRISTINE FEEHAN

  THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

  Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi--110 017, India Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have control over and does not have any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  SAMURAI GAME

  A Jove Book / published by arrangement with the author

  PUBLISHING HISTORY

  Jove mass-market edition / July 2012

  Copyright (c) 2012 by Christine Feehan.

  Excerpt from Dark Storm copyright (c) 2012 by Christine Feehan.

  Cover art by Phil Heffernan.

  Cover photos by Shutterstock.

  Cover design by George Long.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
<
br />   375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  ISBN: 978-1-10158694-5

  JOVE(r)

  Jove Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  JOVE(r) is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  The "J" design is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  For Kylie and Brandi Magner.

  Thank you for coming to FAN;

  I miss our wonderful lunches!

  For My Readers

  Be sure to go to www.christinefeehan.com/members/ to sign up for my PRIVATE book announcement list and download the FREE eBook of Dark Desserts, a collection of yummy recipes sent by my readers from all over the world. Join my community and get firsthand news, enter the book discussions, ask your questions, and chat with me. Please feel free to email me at [email protected]. I would love to hear from you. Join me for a fun-filled time at my FAN convention. Visit www.fanconvention.net for more information. I hope to see you there!

  Acknowledgments

  I could never have written this book without the help of several people. Thanks to Brian Feehan for his extremely helpful advice whenever I'm stuck, and of course to Domini Stottsberry, who always works so hard on research and in every other aspect of helping put a book together. Special thanks to Jason Hutton of the 2/75th Rangers for his invaluable work on the military scenes. I have no idea what I would have done without you. Of course, I take full responsibility for all mistakes and greatly appreciate Jason's aid in helping me with terms and planning missions and escapes.

  Contents

  Cover

  Praise for Christine Feehan

  Titles by Christine Feehan

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  For My Readers

  Acknowledgments

  The GhostWalker Symbol Details

  The GhostWalker Creed

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  Special Preview

  The GhostWalker Symbol Details

  SIGNIFIES

  shadow

  SIGNIFIES

  protection against evil forces

  SIGNIFIES

  the Greek letter psi, which is used by parapsychology researchers to signify ESP or other psychic abilities

  SIGNIFIES

  qualities of a knight--loyalty, generosity, courage, and honor

  SIGNIFIES

  shadow knights who protect against evil forces using psychic powers, courage, and honor

  The GhostWalker Creed We are the GhostWalkers, we live in the shadows The sea, the earth, and the air are our domain No fallen comrade will be left behind

  We are loyalty and honor bound

  We are invisible to our enemies and we destroy them where we find them We believe in justice and we protect our country and those unable to protect themselves What goes unseen, unheard, and unknown are GhostWalkers There is honor in the shadows and it is us We move in complete silence whether in jungle or desert We walk among our enemy unseen and unheard Striking without sound and scatter to the winds before they have knowledge of our existence We gather information and wait with endless patience for that perfect moment to deliver swift justice We are both merciful and merciless

  We are relentless and implacable in our resolve We are the GhostWalkers and the night is ours

  CHAPTER 1

  Congressman John Waters stroked his hand up the silken thigh of his companion until he reached the top of her stocking, where his fingers traced bare skin. He leaned toward her and whispered in her ear so he could be heard above the blasting music. "Would you like one more drink before we leave?"

  Brenda Bennett sent him a practiced smile and turned her face so she could nip his earlobe with her teeth before whispering back, "Make it a Red Bull and vodka. I want to spend a long time tonight with you. I have so many delicious things I've been thinking of doing with you and I don't want to chance falling asleep." She paused, her breath warm against his ear. "Either one of us." Her tongue teased his earlobe.

  "Sounds like a good plan to me," Waters said with what he thought was a sexy leer.

  Brenda playfully touched his leg with the stiletto heel of her sexy red open-toe shoes. "I'll visit the ladies' room and make certain I'm looking my best for you."

  "You always look your best," the congressman assured his favorite companion. He patted her thigh and stood up to make his way through the crowd to the bar.

  Brenda glanced to her left, her eyes meeting the woman seated at the table adjacent to hers, giving the briefest of nods. Both got up and made their way through the crowd to the bathrooms. The Dungeon was the hottest club in town, where only the elite came together for two purposes--making deals and playing bondage games to get laid. Brenda made very certain her clients went away happy and returned often with very large pocketbooks. She was always especially happy to see the congressman because she was always paid double.

  Brenda smiled at the woman who followed her inside, but prudently remained silent while they both checked the stalls to ensure they were alone before they spoke.

  "I got your call, Sheila. Getting Waters here tonight wasn't easy on such short notice. He had some big thing going on with his wife. You have to tell Whitney to give me more of a heads-up when something is this important to him."

  Sheila shrugged. They both knew it didn't matter in the long run how difficult the task was. Their boss made obedience well worth it. "Whitney wants you to make absolutely certain our good congressman goes through with his vote to approve the research on his new weapon." Sheila Benet handed Brenda the thick envelope, retaining possession when Brenda eagerly closed her fingers around it. "Don't fail, Brenda," she warned. "He doesn't accept failure."

  "Have I ever failed him?" Brenda asked, her dark eyes glittering with anger. "I have never failed him. You remind him that every name he's ever given me, I've found a way to seduce or blackmail them into doing what he wants. I can read weakness, and although he hates working with women because we're so damned inferior, he won't find too many men who can do what I do. You just tell him that, Sheila."

  Sheila raised her eyebrow, still retaining possession of the envelope. "Do you really want me to tell him all that?"

  Brenda pressed her lips together tightly, but caution tamped down some of her anger. "I work hard for him. The one time I told him not to press Senator Markus, he insisted, and even then, when I knew what was going to happen, I still found his weakness. Rather than be blackmailed, he killed himself, just like I said he would. Whitney needs to place a little more value on me as a resource, that's all I'm saying."

  Sheila gave her a brief, cold smile as she allowed her fingers to slide away from the envelope, leaving it in Brenda's hand. "That's probably the very reason why he padded your pay, Brenda. Perhaps you might consider that he's a brilliant man who rewards those useful to him. He had no choice but to call you when Waters seemed to be wavering on his vote. Make certain the good congressman doesn't even consider letting him down."

  Brenda pushed the thick envelope into her purse and gave Sheila a smirk. "No worries. I've recorded every single session with the honorable, upstanding John Waters and I don't think he would ever want the things he's done to come to light--not with his uptight wife and righteous, church-loving family so vocal about all things sinful. He'll do whatever Dr. Whitney needs him to do."

  "You have a pretty good thing going h
ere, Brenda," Sheila said. "You get paid by Whitney and by the mark." Her eyes went glacier cold. "Don't blow it." Abruptly she turned and went into the nearest stall, slamming the lock into place to signal she was done. She'd given her warning and if Brenda chose to bitch again--well, that was between her and Whitney. But people who crossed him generally had a way of disappearing fast.

  Brenda hummed to herself, a slight smile on her face. She adjusted her silk blouse so that it was just open enough to reveal the enticing rounded curves. The material fell nicely over her nipples, pushed up by the camisole she wore beneath the silk. She glanced down to get her bright red lipstick from her purse. The water in the sink suddenly turned on. Her gaze jumped to the steady stream of water. She shrugged and looked up, uninterested in why the automatic faucet would have been triggered. In the mirror, just behind her, she was startled to see the face of a woman standing very close to her. There was no sound at all. She had time to register a waterfall of platinum blond hair and Asian features. A hard blow to the back of her skull sent her head forward, slamming her into the edge of the sink. She felt nothing at all as blackness descended.

  Brenda's body slipped to the tiled floor from the edge of the basin. With gloved fingers, the woman threw a handful of water onto the floor around Brenda's feet and the soles of her shoes, crouched to snap one stiletto heel, and jerked the envelope from Brenda's purse, all in one smooth, silent move. As she stood, she removed a tiny camera placed just over the mirror and seemed to disappear in the blink of an eye.

  "Brenda?" Sheila called out tentatively.

  The water continued to run in the sink. Sheila frowned and glanced under the door of the stall. Brenda was lying on the floor. "Brenda?" she said again, her voice cracking. There was no answer, only the sound of the water running.