by Cara Carnes
His fiery heat settled between her legs. A gasp escaped her as he filled her. He kissed her until the turbulent emotions clawing her insides died beneath the desire he commanded. He caressed her cheek, fingering her hair back off her face.
“Look at me, Mary.”
Gazes locked, he slid deeper into her. Her body stretched as she wrapped her legs around his thighs and followed his lead. Pleasure spiraled through her as the desire building within her fanned outward, engulfing everything and everyone. No thought existed beyond the man carrying her toward whatever bliss he created.
“This is what matters, Mary. You,” he whispered against her ear. “Only you.”
“Dylan.” The word was more a plea than a reply. Emotion clogged her throat. She held on as he surged into her faster, as if spurred by the arcing awareness between them. She tasted the need in his kiss, felt the emotion in his eyes.
“I have you, Mary. Let go.” He pumped into her deeper, harder, driving her over the edge, into the explosive pleasure she’d enjoyed moments before.
“Dylan.”
The cry escaped her as she surrendered to the white-hot desire bursting within her. He cried out as he released moments after her. His weight pressed against her, his hot breath fell near her cheek. She relished his heated, sweaty skin against hers.
“Wow,” she whispered between gasps.
“That’s about the only word I can manage, too, sweetheart. You’re amazing.”
“That was all you,” she replied as he flipped them over so she was settled against his side.
“Be right back,” he mumbled as he moved away to dispose of the condom.
Alone with her thoughts a moment, she willed the doubts crawling through her mind away. Dylan was a good man. Tonight had been wonderful. Each happy moment he gave her sliced off a hunk of the insidiousness buried in her.
He kissed her and settled back into position, wrapping a sheet around them both. She sighed in contentment, too spent to offer sage wisdom or do much else except breathe.
“We’re questioning him tomorrow. I know this isn’t the best time to bring him up, but I need to know if you want to be there.” He ran a hand down her shoulder. “I’d stay beside you. He wouldn’t see you.”
“I want to watch. Whatever you do, I want to watch.”
“Are you sure? You know how it has to end.”
Death. Driggs wouldn’t breathe after they were done.
“I don’t want you haunted by what we do to get answers.”
“I’m okay with him not breathing,” she admitted.
“You think that now, but things have a way of changing after. Memories chase you, plague you with doubts. Decisions haunt you.”
She swallowed back the unease. “Are you? Haunted?”
He expended a weary breath. “I couldn’t stare through my sight and end another life, know I stopped another heartbeat with my bullet. Even if they deserved it. I couldn’t kill to live, not anymore. Because I was starting to forget why I bothered living at all.”
God. God. Oh, God. Tears burned her eyes. She buried her head into the crook of his neck and inhaled. What horrid monsters chased him?
“Trust me to handle this for you, Mary. I swear he’ll pay. We’ll get your answers.”
“I swore three-fold. I have to hear why. Who.” She squeezed his arms and dragged in a watery breath. “I have to be there to get closure.”
“Then you will.” He pulled her closer and kissed her temple. “We need to know, sweetheart. Was he one of the ones who hurt you? Do you know?”
“I...” Mary swallowed back the anger and shame. “I don’t know.”
“Do you want to know who hurt you? We’ll get the answer if you want it.”
“I want them caught, punished. I don’t want to look in the faces of operatives, wondering if one of them...” She bit back the angered response. “I need to know.”
“Then you will.” He kissed her mouth. “Don’t bottle up your emotions and thoughts, not here. This is our safety zone.”
“I know. It’s just so raw inside me. It’s hard to find words.”
“Was tonight too much, sweetheart? You can tell me if it was.”
“No.” She ran a hand along his chest, admiring the fiery dragon stretching along his side. “What they did was about power, nothing else. It was a weapon to break me. What we did tonight was so much more. It mattered.”
“Yeah, Mary. It mattered. No matter what goes down, remember that. You aren’t alone. Never again.” He reached over and turned off the light, shrouding them in darkness.
For the first time in a long while, Mary didn’t mind the inky blackness swallowing the environment around her. She nestled into Dylan’s arms. “I read your file.”
“Oh yeah?” he asked.
“You were the elite of the elite. Everyone wanted you on their team. Everything looked like you were poised for career military. You’d retire only when they kicked you out of the field.”
“Then I realized there are better things to live for that I wouldn’t find behind a gun.”
She squeezed his hand. “I’m glad you got out, came home then. You have a lot to live for.”
“You do, too.”
Yeah. She was starting to think so.
“CORD TEXTED ME TODAY, said Dylan looked like the cat who stole the cream this morning.” Riley waggled her eyebrows. “And someone else is pretty darn smiley today.”
Heat rose in Mary’s cheeks as she averted her gaze and ignored the gasps and squeals of the other women with them. They’d headed into Resino, with strict instructions to text every thirty minutes without fail.
Cord was on surveillance, using HERA to track their every second while they were in town. Dylan had spoken with his brothers and reassessed their plans. Driving into Marville was too much of a red flag for any Mason to do, and things were hot with Driggs.
As much as it pained them to admit, they were stretched too thin to handle Rachelle.
They’d headed into town an hour early to stop by Lady’s Closet, a local clothing store run by one of Riley’s friends, Vanessa Noble. The woman was the polar opposite of the outgoing blonde. Quiet and shy, she hovered near them as they perused the clothing.
“I’m not the kissing and telling kind,” Mary responded.
“She’s really not,” Vi added.
“There was a lot more than kissing in that room,” Addy muttered.
“How the hell would you know?” Bree asked.
“Because I was on surveillance last night with Nolan after the party, and those cameras have wicked hearing.” Addy chuckled. “The man laughed himself sick, then fired off texts to his brothers. Your man’s in a world of sibling hell today.”
Great. To say they’d gone a bit overboard after the first round was an understatement. They’d rested a few moments, then a kiss led to a pet here and a grope there. Pretty soon they were like two feral animals going at one another in the zoo.
Her body ached, but she wouldn’t trade a second of last night. She bit her lip and hoped her friends didn’t push her for details. She didn’t want to spoil things by oversharing or breaking Dylan’s trust.
Sex was a very private thing for Mary. She liked the idea of closing a door and having those special moments with someone, ones never mentioned to others. After their last time together, she’d pulled out her journal and done her homework, amused when Dylan did the same.
Her body clenched, remembering the way he looked, glasses on as he scrawled in the notebook. Legs crossed. Chest bare and marked up with her nibbles and fingernail indentations.
Vi and Addy dragged her into the shop’s one changing room as Bree, Rhea, and Riley went around the shop and hauled half the inventory to the back for her to try on. Like some live, dress-up doll.
She grumbled and muttered her way through the first three disastrous outfits, then finally surrendered herself to the retail therapy process. It was more for them than her, anyway. They needed a pulse check of where s
he was.
So, even though this wasn’t remotely close to where she wanted to be, she’d endure. For them. It was what friends did.
“We turned off the sound, by the way,” Addy commented into the silence as she slid on a nightie. “The moment we realized where the sound was coming from, Nolan burst out laughing but turned the sound off.”
“Thanks. I didn’t know we were that loud.”
“I’m glad you had fun. Seriously,” Vi added.
“Nolan didn’t text to be a dick. He rotated shifts so Sanderson and Graves took the late-night hours to give you and Dylan some privacy. He didn’t want the other guys who were supposed to be on watch to hear.”
Wow. That was sweet.
“Dylan’s the monk of the six apparently,” Addy said. “That’s why he’ll catch the shit. They’ve been building it up for years.”
“I’m sure he caught some with Hailey.”
“Not even close. None of them could stand her. Those who were here, that is. Most were away on long-term missions they’d taken on. They didn’t have a lot of operatives working since they were a start-up.”
“You staying on? I know they asked you.”
“Are you and Vi? I go where my geeks are. They’ve got a sweet as hell set-up a couple levels below ground. Their weapons and equipment armory is one level down, then there’s the holding facilities and other rooms on the second. The third was for expansion. Marshall wants to split it up, half to Bree and the other to Rhea.”
Three sub levels? How did they not know about this? Mary stared at Vi, shock registered on her BFF’s face.
“We need security down there,” Vi said firmly. “We’ll insist on touring everything, scoping it out.”
“I’ll probably be down there later. Dylan said I could observe Driggs’s interrogation.”
“You sure you’re ready for that?” Addy asked.
“Yeah.” She eyed the blue nighty in the mirror and smiled. Dylan would like this one. She pulled it over her head and set it in the keep pile. “I’ve thought about it quite a bit. I need the closure. If it’s too much, Dylan will get me safe. He said he’d stay beside me.”
“I’m happy for you, sweetie,” Addy whispered. “He’s a good man.”
“Yeah, he is. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know? Every time I feel the happy, I wait for the bad. It always comes. I’m so happy right now it terrifies me because the bad’s gonna be worse than ever, I’m afraid.”
“That’s not on you, not this time,” Vi said. “Let Dylan and his bad ass brothers handle this. They’ve got tons of commandos ready to go medieval on anyone who messes with you, me, or any of them.”
“So that means you two are staying,” Addy finished.
“I could handle living with hundreds of sexy, muscled bad boys with guns,” Vi commented wistfully. “You?”
“Yeah, though I think one’s all I need.”
“Think we figured that one out for ourselves.” Addy tossed Mary’s shirt to her. “Let’s go. Don’t say anything to Bree and Rhea about the level yet. Marshall wants another few things handled first, then he’ll show it to them, see what they say.”
“I told Dylan about the funds, how we finance everything,” Mary admitted. “I don’t want to keep secrets from him, not with everything so new.”
“He was okay with it?” Vi asked nervously. “It’s not exactly illegal, but it’s definitely not in a manual of acceptable practices, you know?”
“The Arsenal runs in multitudes of gray. I suspect he was more than okay with it,” Addy said.
“Yeah, more than okay. He just wants us to be careful, not siphon from someone with the smarts to track us down and put on the hurt.”
“Pft, like I’d ever be that stupid.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
By the time they checked out the few things Mary picked out and the pile of things everyone insisted she absolutely needed now that she “had a man”, they were late. The guys were expecting them back in a few minutes, and they still had barbecue to pick up.
Riley rolled into Bubba’s parking lot on two tires, spun into an awkward park, and motored inside. Two minutes later, she was back and peeling out. The fit was snug with six women in the truck, but none of them minded much. The smell of barbecue and all the fixings filled the vehicle. They’d chugged along a few miles when Mary noticed how often Riley checked her mirrors.
“Something wrong?” she asked.
“I—I think someone’s following us.”
“There’s only one road,” Addy replied.
“This loops around, and I know every vehicle of every rancher and their relatives in these parts. The red truck with the massive grill isn’t a regular and was in town. Across the street when we were shopping.”
“Fuck.” Addy’s curse filled the tense cab as she yanked out her phone.
“Yeah, we’ve got trouble incoming. A red Dodge truck is following us. Riley didn’t mention until now. Spotted in town while we shopped. Cameras mounted should pull the plate if you get Cord on it.” Addy’s voice stopped a few beats. “Right. On it.”
“What’s the plan?” Riley asked.
“Circle the loop. Give us the grand tour of the Resino farm and ranch land. Jesse and Dylan are coming from the old Burton cutout, wherever that is.”
“Okay that’s three miles around the loop. They’re herding whoever this is. Someone else is probably gonna head out of the main entry once we pass,” Riley said.
“Yep, that’s the plan.” Addy unholstered her weapon. “Bree, Rhea, you two crunch down and stay low. Vi can crunch into the passenger’s seat floor. That’ll leave most of the front for Mary to lie down.”
“Yep, that’s me. Just hanging out on the floor. The little one,” Vi commented sarcastically.
“The trucks are armored, or whatever that stuff is that makes bullets harder to penetrate. I remember Marshall saying so.” Riley looked over at Mary. “It’s okay. They aren’t getting you or anyone else.”
“Cord mentioned a weapons cache.”
“Yeah, behind the seat and under the passenger’s seat there are lock boxes. I don’t know the codes,” Riley said. “Probably my birthday.”
“Idiots,” Addy muttered. Mary and Vi pushed the seat back as far as they could, and together, they got the small compartment open.
Mary dragged out a couple of handguns and more bullets than a small supply store. And grenades. Who put grenades in a truck?
Badass commandos like her man. She chuckled and passed a few back to Addy. The woman assembled a rifle with a mean-looking scope.
“Yeah.”
“I’m locked and loaded. Let me know when I can start the party. Invitation’s ready,” she commented over the phone’s speaker.
“Roger. ETA two minutes. Tell Riley to slow the hell down,” Cord growled through the phone.
The truck slowed a bit. Mary passed a handgun to Vi, then placed one in Riley’s lap. She kept the other for herself even though she and guns weren’t fans.
“Why are they following us now? They’ve known where we are,” Bree said.
“Yeah, but we have Driggs now, and the timetables adjusted yet again. They know he’ll crack and spill whatever he knows like the cockroach he is,” Addy said. “The only reason we haven’t squished him yet is because he’s more fun to play with when he’s twitchy and pissing his own pants before we touch him.”
Ringing sounded on the truck’s overhead speakers. Riley clicked a button on the steering wheel. “Yeah.”
“Tell Mary to lie down on the seat.”
“It’s a little squished in here,” Riley defended as Mary maneuvered herself into a crouch in the seat. “We’re six people. Y’all should think about a bigger vehicle. Something kick ass though, not one of those ugly passenger vans.”
“Can we maybe table buying a new ride until after my woman isn’t being chased by someone?” Dylan asked sharply.
Mary’s heart leaped and fluttered. A couple chuckles
from the backseat made her smile.
“What’s the plan?” Riley asked.
“We’re coming up on you fast from both directions. We’re cutting them off and securing whoever’s inside. When Jesse flashes his lights, swing the truck to the off shoulder. Hard and to the left, okay?”
“Check.”
“Jesus,” Dylan muttered. “It’ll all be over soon, sweetheart. Hang tight.”
“Well, yeesh. I didn’t even get a how are you doing? Are you okay with driving like a mad woman while we shove you off the road?” Riley smirked. “Big brother’s got it bad.”
Mary held her breath and peeked over the dashboard as Riley tensed and gripped the wheel tighter. Lights flashed up ahead. The truck spun, growling and groaning in protest as Riley punched the gas and headed straight across the highway, beyond the shoulder and into the bar ditch.
Everyone went forward as the vehicle slammed to a stop at an awkward angle, the front about forty-five degrees lower than the back.
Metal crunched metal to their side. Mary crawled to the passenger’s side window and peeked out as two black trucks slammed into the red Dodge. Gage, Fallon, and Marshall poured out of one vehicle while Jesse and Dylan had the other one covered.
Guns spewed bullets from the barely open windows of the red truck. The men rolled, maneuvering behind the doors and sides of their vehicles.
“Stay down,” Addy growled as she opened her door and slid out of the truck.
Mary held her breath and continued watching as her friend crawled to where the ditch became shoulder and aimed the rifle toward the red truck.
Dylan and the men drew their attention by returning fire. Addy double tapped the glass of the driver’s side, then the front windshield. Both shattered, and the men closed in, shouting and yelling as screams erupted from inside the vehicle.
Fallon and Gage dragged two men from the vehicle. Blood seeped from one’s shoulder while another held his head. Marshall lugged another man out, but the fact he had no forehead explained why he tumbled to the ground.
Bile rose in her throat, but she fought the nausea and watched as they secured the two men as a sheriff’s car rolled up. Marshall went to talk with the portly man.
