by Cara Carnes
“Mary and Vi looked over his records. We’ve all brainstormed and come up dry from the psychological side.”
“Use Kristof,” she said.
Kristof? Gage looked down at her. The man had slunk away when authorities arrived, but Jud would be able to reach out to him. “How?”
“Ian has a wife and kids. Kristof lost a lot of money tonight. For all Ian knows, the bastard needs a pound or two of flesh in return. Ugh, I’m gonna puke saying this, but make him think Kristof is taking his wife and kids for the next auction if he doesn’t answer our questions.”
“Kristof doesn’t sell kids,” Gage said. “That’s common knowledge, right?”
“He doesn’t sell innocents,” she clarified. “To people like him, with twisted moral compasses, that’s a huge distinction. It’s disgusting, but true.”
“That could work. You’re a genius.”
She sighed and wrapped herself around him. “I have my moments.”
He chuckled and grabbed his cellphone, which he’d set on her nightstand. “I’ve got to make a call.”
“Mm-hmm,” she said, already half asleep. “It’s almost over. You’re way better than my weighted blanket.”
His brilliant little Zoey may have found the key to cracking Ian. There was a lot left to do, but he let her cling to that thought for tonight. He closed his eyes and returned his attention to matching her breathing.
Silence.
For once his brain was at peace.
Dobby jumped up onto the bed and walked the perimeter as if he was on guard duty. Gage quirked a brow as the hairless beast approached. It sprawled out on the bed beside Gage’s head and then licked its crotch area.
Laughter rolled through him. He and Dobby had come a long way, but no man should watch a hairless cat lick his crotch. The fact that it didn’t even faze Gage warned him he was already in deeper with Zoey than he’d realized.
Yep.
The Sanderson hug test didn’t have anything on Dobby’s crotch licking.
“You aren’t shaking me that easily, Dobby. I’m all in. Bring it on.”
18
“Stop pacing. You’re making me dizzy,” Addy groused.
Zoey ignored the order. “How are you just sitting there with all that going on downstairs?”
That was the media firestorm of Cherling’s arrest. The backlash against the congressman had devoured the unfolding events with a ferocity no one could have predicted. Everyone wanted to interview Sara. Thank goodness her location remained a mystery. Quick thinking on Marshall’s part had prevented the need for the young woman to travel and testify.
The Texas Rangers temporarily overseeing Marville’s policing needs had received permission to take Sara’s statement. They’d arrived pre-dawn and spent hours with the young woman.
The testimony had been filed.
Cherling was going down.
“All that?” The redhead crossed her arms and leaned back in the chair Cord typically sat in.
Zoey had been relegated to manning security cameras while Vi, Mary, Cord, Gage, Fallon, and no telling who else were downstairs interrogating Ian Schmidt. There were lots of questions. Even if the plan worked, it’d be a long, long day.
“This is nuts. I’m going to check in with Ellie. Maybe she needs filing or something done. Bree and Rhea don’t need help with the network since the necessary changes to tighten security are done. There’s nothing for me to do. All the commandos will be back in the morning.”
Zoey took a small bit of pride in the fact that there’d only been a few minor snafus in the security. They’d relocated two of the women. The moves had been quick and quiet—exactly what was necessary and no more. The teams had remained under the radar in all the locations and were extracting themselves STAT to avoid rousing unwanted attention from locals. Since most of the assets were in small, out-of-the-way towns, it was a good thing they weren’t hanging around any longer than necessary.
But they’d all left HERA surveillance in place at the homes and near the workplaces of all the people Zoey protected. She’d never considered The Arsenal doing that since the tech was very expensive and classified.
Bree had assured her it was a dumbed-down version of the actual HERA system, but still. They’d invested in maintaining the network’s security in a way that’d make it way, way easier to manage.
“How about sitting your ass down and relaxing?”
Zoey blinked. “I can’t relax.”
“Why not?”
“Yeesh, I’m involved in all this mess. Lots of it is because of me. We’ve had commandos spread all over the country patching up holes I hadn’t even seen in a network I created. Gage and everyone are downstairs interrogating my former boss about his involvement in all that crazy-ass shit.” And no one needed her to fix any of it.
Addy stood. “Let’s go. Ellie usually needs to make a run to Nomad for supplies. We’ll take her and see about getting you and ninja-boy those extra pillows you wanted.”
Shock rolled through Zoey. “How the heck did you know about the pillows?”
“Nolan worked the security cameras last night to give Cord a break,” Addy said.
Uh-oh.
“You and ninja-boy got real loud. Loud enough to set off HERA’s security sensors, since that sector of the building is typically very quiet.” Uh-oh. “Nolan couldn’t figure out how to shut them up and was about to storm your room to shut you two up, but he called me first. He thought all the time I’ve spent with you geeks would’ve rubbed off on me enough to help. Then you two went into the mess hall and were debating the merits of extra pillows when things got way TMI on the visual feed.”
Zoey swallowed. Nolan hadn’t stormed the room, unless Gage had handled it while she was comatose. Her body ached from their lovemaking sessions. They’d napped in between, then woken one another in creative ways to keep going. It’d been the best night of Zoey’s life.
“Whoops.”
Addy chuckled and motioned toward the door. Zoey had ten thousand questions for the female operative, but she didn’t think they’d go over very well. But friends sometimes had to ask the tough shit. “Are you okay? Yesterday got intense.”
The woman froze. Turned. Her expression shifted to…
Blank.
Zoey’s gut twisted. Something had put that blank expression in place.
“I’ll be fine.”
“You’re coms were off a lot.”
The woman’s jaw twitched. “Did Vi and Mary tell you to ask?”
“No. I figured they’d already trudged this road and hadn’t shared with me.”
“I sent them packing for the same reason those coms were off. What went down with Mary is still raw for them both. They didn’t need reminders blasting through the coms.”
Revulsion filled Zoey’s stomach as her anger spiked. “What did the bastard do to you?”
“Nothing I didn’t expect. Kristof is like an operative who’s been in deep, deep cover too long. Whatever drove him there was important enough for him to sell whatever parts of his soul were necessary to keep his pseudo evil persona going. He helped when we needed him, but it had to be on his terms. He needed to walk away from all this with his reputation still intact. That meant treating me like he would anyone else he’d acquired.”
“He doesn’t acquire women very often.”
“No. But I’m a high value target, first and foremost. He needed to demonstrate his power by subverting me for the cameras—for the assholes behind those cameras. Everything he did was methodical and with purpose.”
“He stripped you,” Zoey said, giving voice to her anger. “I saw Gage’s shirt on you. More importantly, I saw how he never looked at you directly except once at first.”
“Vi and Mary see that shit?” Addy asked, hand on her lean hip.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “No one missed the fact that you had on Gage’s shirt since he didn’t have one.”
“You notice things about Gage more than anyone, but you’re right.
The operatives saw. They won’t ask beyond if I’m okay because they’ll respect the boundary I’ve set.”
“You did a lot of deep undercover work for Hive,” Zoey said.
“You have a point?”
“We’ve waged a lot of wars to get Vi and Mary and Bree and Rhea safe. I wasn’t here for it all, but I know it was a tough road to haul that’s finally coming to an end.” Zoey swallowed the emotion lodged in her throat. “The war was for you, too. You’re the ultimate badass, while they’re the brainiacs, but that doesn’t mean all those commandos weren’t fighting for you, too. Vi and Mary have changed since they’ve been here. I’ve heard lots of people say so. They’re calmer. Happier.”
Addy looked away. The blankness vanished for a heartbeat, then returned. The ravaged expression in that lone moment of weakness punched Zoey hard.
“Maybe it’s time you take a page from their book. You’re home. We’re all finally home. Let’s kick off our shoes and relax a while. Unwind.”
“I appreciate what you’re saying, Z, and I know it’s not easy. I’ll be fine. Once the shutters are closed and the house is locked down, that’s when the crew in the field will relax. There’s a long way to go before that happens,” Addy said. “Now, let’s round up Ellie and get to Nomad before I regret suggesting a shopping trip.”
Zoey nodded and followed the woman to the other building and into reception. Ellie’s typically neat desk was piled high with folders and paperwork along one side. The woman wasn’t there.
“Weird. She’s always here.” Zoey looked over at Addy. “I’ll go check the file room. It looks like she’s behind.”
Zoey tromped past the desk and into the small built-out area Burton Construction had made. It was a large closet, for lack of a better description, but the walk-in area housed enough storage and filing space for Ellie.
The woman was on the floor in the middle of the room sobbing. Zoey fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around her friend. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
“I c-c-can’t do this. It’s t-t-too hard. I’m so t-t-tired. It hurts.”
“Is this about Jesse? Did he hurt you?” A flash of anger filled Zoey. While Jesse had been rude to Ellie and outright ignored her whenever possible, he’d never done anything to the woman. Had he?
“N-no. He’d n-never hurt me. I’m t-t-the one hurting him b-b-by b-b-being here.” She sniffled. “I c-c-can’t get Mom’s medicine. I c-c-can’t afford it b-b-because I screwed up and maxed my c-c-cards b-b-buying supplies.”
“Supplies? For here?” A new spike of anger struck. “Why are you using your personal money for Arsenal supplies?”
“How else do I get t-t-them?”
She didn’t have an Arsenal credit card. The realization struck Zoey as she squeezed her friend tight. Everyone had been so busy taking down assholes they’d ignored the woman entirely and booted her into her own private hell where she couldn’t afford a basic need, like medicine for her mother.
Zoey wanted to know if her mom was okay and what the medicine was for, but Ellie was super private and already in an emotional tsunami. Details could wait.
“I c-c-can’t even get home b-b-because I c-c-can’t b-b-buy gas and the c-c-car’s making a weird n-noise. N-noises are expensive.”
“You can get reimbursed for all the stuff you’ve been buying, Ellie.”
“I k-know, b-b-but everything’s so b-b-busy.”
The pile. The anger ratcheted up a notch as Addy entered the small space. She remained silent, but her stance was cautious.
“Who’s a signer on the account?”
“Why?”
“Just answer me, sweetie. There’s a lot going on today that I can’t control, but this is something I can do. Now, who’s a signer on the account?”
“Jesse and his brothers.”
Only Ellie would say Jesse first, like Kamren said Dallas and Mary said Dylan. The Mason world for Ellie revolved around Jesse as the focal point. The rest of the Masons were simply satellites orbiting the one who truly mattered in Ellie’s world.
Did the man even realize Ellie existed?
“Get them,” Zoey ordered Addy.
“Jesse barely got back an hour ago,” the woman replied.
“Good. No one rests until this is done. Get him. Get them all. Cord’s downstairs. Whiteboard room. Twenty minutes. If they refuse, I’m sending drones after their asses.” Zoey rose and hauled Ellie up. “Come on, sweetie. I’ll help you get the files over to the whiteboard room. Is all that on your desk the stuff that needs signatures?”
The woman nodded. “Some can wait.”
“No. Nothing’s waiting.” Zoey breathed a bit better now that Ellie was speaking without the crying stutter. But that didn’t mean things were fine.
They were far, far from fine.
“There’s a cart.”
“Get it. I’ve gotta do something on the computer real quick.” Zoey headed to the desk and bypassed Ellie’s password with the system override code. She called up payroll and dumped the pertinent data into a spreadsheet. Sorted it. Let her anger spike another notch or two as she gathered evidence to the realization her brain had just made.
Ellie was a wonderful woman with simple needs. She drove a piece-of-shit car and wore threadbare clothes. As far as Zoey had seen, the woman never splurged on any extravagance. Not having money for gas shouldn’t have ever been a problem.
The printer hummed as the data showing why it was spewed out.
Her hands froze over the keyboard when she glared over at Addy, who stood on the other side of the desk with her arms crossed. “There a reason you’re still here? You’ve got six commandos to round up.”
“You need to calm down.”
Zoey ignored the order and called up a couple forms on the HR and admin tabs—tabs there because Ellie was severely OCD about organization and had asked Zoey and Cord to create them.
Because there were forms now. Forms Ellie had created so all the i’s were dotted and the t’s crossed in case there was ever an audit. Ellie had The Arsenal’s back even though they hadn’t had hers.
“That’s not happening until this is fixed. Now, go get the badass boss brigade, or I will.”
It took fifteen minutes to get all the files on the cart and get it pushed to the other building. By the time they’d wheeled the cart in, five of the six Masons were present—Marshall, Nolan, Dallas, Dylan, and a very irritated and sleepy-looking Jesse. The latter kept his focus on Ellie and her splotchy, just-been-crying, red eyes and nose.
“Grab a pile from the cart and a pen and sit your badass butts down,” Zoey ordered.
No one moved. Great. They were in the mood to be stubborn. Fine. She was loads stubborn when necessary.
“Do I need to repeat myself? Is there a commando code to get you into motion?”
“You can start with stowing the attitude, Zoey,” Nolan said cautiously.
“Not happening. You see my friend here? See her face? I found her on the floor of the filing room sobbing so hard she couldn’t breathe!”
“Zoey,” Ellie said softly.
“Sit down, sweetie. Give me a minute.” She used a calm, quiet voice and put a hand on Ellie’s shoulder. When the woman was seated, Zoey whirled back to the men. “Now, where was I?”
“We get the point, Z,” Cord said as he entered the room. He glanced at the cart. “What’s all this?”
“Your life until it’s done. No water breaks. No food. You don’t even move to take a piss until this is done. Then we’re chatting about this bullshit. I printed out a copy of her employment data for each of you. Let this simmer in your brains while you sign paperwork and checks.” Zoey closed the distance between her and Jesse. “If I hear even one growl, Addy’s kicking your ass.”
Tears burned Zoey’s gaze as the last of the adrenaline fled her system. Dallas, Dylan, and Cord were already removing stacks of files and folders from the cart and placing them on the table. Nolan and Marshall glanced at one another, then down
at the paper with a grim expression.
Jesse was…
Pained.
His gaze went from the now pale Ellie to the paper to his brothers. She was across the room and wouldn’t hear anything they said as long as they kept their voices low.
To Zoey.
Zoey glanced at Ellie, whose gaze was locked onto Jesse like a heat-seeking missile.
“Riles handled this part,” Marshall said softly. “We hadn’t seen.”
“Well, now you have. Fix it,” Zoey said angrily.
Ellie was barely making minimum wage. By the time gas and time back and forth from the compound to her place in Marville was factored in, she didn’t have hardly anything left.
On top of the fact that she was managing the front-end Arsenal office by herself, she’d taken on the task of educating Dallas’s sons. Two jobs. Busting her ass.
Minimum wage.
Zoey seethed as she lowered her voice. “Backpay. Loads of these requests you’ve avoided are her buying things for this office with her own money. She can’t even afford her Mom’s medicine. Her car’s making weird sounds, and she can’t afford gas to get home today. Fix it.”
“She’ll be good. We’ll make sure she is,” Nolan said.
“He’s okay,” Cord commented into the room. “Gage is okay.”
Zoey’s heart clenched when she looked up at the younger Mason. She chewed her lower lip as her mind shifted into the worry she’d tried to hide.
“Gage is okay. Vi and Mary will pull him if he isn’t. Fallon’s not here, but Jud is. He’ll take over if necessary, but we don’t think that’ll be necessary. They’re going with your plan. It’ll work,” Cord said. “Let’s get to work on this.”
“I didn’t know,” Jesse whispered softly. “She never said anything.”
“Now you do.”
“Why the hell would she work out here for this?”
“She has her reasons. She’s never shared,” Zoey admitted. She looked across the room at Ellie, who was staring at a point on the table as if willing it to open up and give her an exit. “She’s a good woman.”
Jesse’s jaw twitched.
“Leave it be, Z,” Nolan advised.
