Zero Trace

by Cara Carnes

  “We know, Little Bit. Vi and Mary are coordinating with Doctor Sinclair,” Gage said.

  “How do they know?”

  “Kamren,” Addy answered. Zoey blinked and glanced up at her. “She read his lips for us.”

  “I’m glad he’s dead. That shit dies with him. Sara doesn’t deal with that being around any longer,” Zoey declared. “She’s suffered enough.”

  So had Zoey.

  Gage tried to ignore the blood Shep and Doug were cleaning off Zoey’s injuries. He should have set her on the bed and stepped aside, but she’d been shaking so hard.

  He’d needed to hold her and make certain she was okay for himself.

  “Let’s get you to a hospital.”

  “Oh God! Momma Mason! The boys. Ellie.”

  “Ellie and the boys are okay,” Gage assured her. “Ellie got Momma Mason stabilized long enough for Jesse to handle the rest. She was Life-Flighted to Nomad.”

  “Oh God. I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault, sweetheart. None of this was on you.”

  “We shouldn’t have done the maze. I thought Cherling was in jail. It was supposed to be safe,” she whispered. “I should’ve known it wasn’t safe.”

  “We had no way of knowing,” Addy said. “You were smart as hell taking that toy drone. And sending TJ for help. The little cuss ran straight to one of the drone towers and threw rocks at the drones until they tripped HERA’s alarms.”

  “I hadn’t even thought of the drone towers,” Zoey admitted. “I want to go to Nomad. Take me to see Momma Mason.”

  “She’ll likely be in surgery, Little Bit,” he whispered.

  “How bad?”

  “Fractured hip and broken collarbone,” Shep said. “We’ll know more in a few hours.”

  “You need to see a doctor,” Gage said. Zoey leaned her head against him and closed her eyes. “Stay awake for me.”

  “Everything’s spinning, and my stomach…” She grabbed her mouth. Doug held a trashcan out. Gage ran his hand down Zoey’s back as she purged her stomach.

  The cough worried him. How much water had she taken in?

  “See, Loverboy? I’m ready for every contingency.”

  Addy chuckled. “Beast, Cracker, bring the vehicles around. Let’s go home.”

  “Where are we?” Zoey asked as Shep wiped her mouth.

  “The middle of nowhere, a small abandoned town off Interstate 35 too damn near Laredo,” Thunder said as he entered the room.

  Gage looked around at the operatives who’d had his back today. Team.

  Family.

  “Let’s go home, Little Bit.”

  21

  Logan met them at Nomad Memorial. The drive to the small hospital was quick since the local municipal airport was on the same road. The entirety of The Arsenal was in the area leading to the emergency room doors.

  The asshole with the sledgehammer slamming her skull from the inside hadn’t let up. Zoey wanted sleep, but Gage, Addy, Shep, and the other commandos kept checking on her. And her brain refused to rest because a part of her demanded she stay awake and relish the fact she was safe. She’d been rescued. She’d been dragged into a full-on debate about the merits of the new WOW expansion.

  The innocuous, downright ludicrous conversation had kept her awake and given her mind a reprieve from what’d happened. But the dregs of nonsensical debates vanished the closer she got to Nomad Memorial.

  Zoey braced as Bree and Ellie raced toward her. Tears glistened in the two blondes’ eyes as they halted before impacting fully. Gage eased his grip on Zoey and stepped back so she could hug her friends.

  “I was so scared,” Bree admitted as she gripped Zoey tight.

  “Are you okay?” Ellie asked.

  Zoey breathed through the phantom terror and focused on her friends and the man watching them closely. For Gage, she’d remain strong. “I’m okay.”

  She repeated the statement a few times, more for her benefit than Bree’s and Ellie’s. Kamren, Riley, and Rhea appeared. The women hugged her. No one commented on her cue-ball head. No one asked what had happened.

  They knew.

  No Vi. No Mary. They’d be in with Dylan and the others waiting to hear about their mom. Tears sprang from her eyes as she looked at Riley. “I’m sorry she got hurt.”

  “You didn’t run her off the road. You didn’t slam into her and kidnap someone.” Riley grabbed the back of Zoey’s neck and pulled her closer.

  The claws of terror looming within the shadows of Zoey’s subconscious sprang forward as she vaulted backward with a scream. Gage cursed and moved until he was in her line of vision.

  “Little Bit, look at me.”

  Zoey couldn’t. She stumbled backward until she fell on her ass. Pain shot along her palms. Wait. No cuffs. She’d gotten free of them somehow.

  Get away. Run.

  “Look at me!” the voice thundered, demanding her attention.

  Zoey breathed. No water. Warmth. She looked down and realized she was draped in a blanket. Gage. He crouched in her line of vision. Watching.

  Waiting.

  What the hell happened?

  Zoey blinked.

  “You’re okay. You’re safe, Little Bit. Deep breaths.” Gage didn’t touch her, didn’t hold her close like she craved. She surged forward and demanded the contact she needed. She inhaled his scent as she obeyed his words.

  Deep breaths.

  “I didn’t know. Shit, I shouldn’t have touched her,” Riley said. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” Gage said as he helped Zoey up from the parking lot pavement. “It’s okay.”

  But it wasn’t okay. Zoey had just freaked out because her friend grabbed her neck. Fear still clawed within her pulse, a hard battering ram beneath her skin. She moved to Riley and hugged the woman close. She’d come out here when she likely wanted to be with her brothers in the waiting room.

  “I’m sorry. I’m still shaken up, I guess,” Zoey admitted.

  “Everybody stop apologizing,” Addy ordered. “We saw this with Mary. Flashbacks. It’s common in PTSD. Doctor Sinclair will help her work through it. Until then, don’t grab her or come at her from behind.”

  The women nodded.

  Zoey froze. Doctor Sinclair. The decision made sense, but Zoey hadn’t ever been a big believer in therapy. She thought it’d done wonders for Mary, Jesse, and a lot of the other people at The Arsenal, but she wasn’t them. She hadn’t been through hell.

  Yeah, you have.

  The thought flitted through her mind, but she sealed it away and focused on what mattered. Momma Mason. Jade. Sara.

  “Sara. How is she?”

  “She’s good. She’s at the house with the boys,” Kamren said. “Marcus and his team are there.”

  Translation—she was secured with a sense of purpose in babysitting the boys. Zoey nodded her gratitude and moved to the next bullet point. “Jade?”

  “In medical,” Rhea answered, “bitching up a storm because he wanted to come here and meet you, see for himself you were okay. Logan said he needed rest more than he needed peace of mind.”

  Zoey was a bit surprised Jade was already at The Arsenal, but the Masons didn’t mess around. Her friend was safer at the compound, so he was there. Emotion clogged her throat as she looked around at the solidarity surrounding her.

  Commandos shoved each other to get closer, but kept a respectful distance, as if gauging for themselves if she was okay or about to lose her shit again. She took another deep breath and gripped Gage’s arm as he guided her into the double-doored emergency room entry.

  The stench struck her first. Tension tightened her limbs as she froze in the entry.

  “The smell,” Gage said softly as he ran a hand down her cheek. “Stay with me, Little Bit. You aren’t at Boston General. We’re in Nomad.”

  “Boston General?” Bree asked in a whisper.

  “Later,” Rhea said.

  Zoey hadn’t ever told her friends about
her dad, but Gage knew. He remembered.

  “Let’s get you to Logan. He’s waiting in an examination room.”

  “Not yet. I want to wait for news on Momma Mason,” Zoey argued. Belligerence overrode the other emotions vying for control. Her gaze swept to the left where a massive lobby was filled to capacity with Arsenal and Resino residents.

  The Mason men all stood and made their way toward her. The other emotions churning in her gut seeped out in fat, hot tears that trekked down her face. Their mom was hurt because of her troubles. Addy and the others could argue away the fact as much as they wanted, but reality had taken root and festered deep in Zoey.

  She knew the truth.

  Jesse was the first to arrive. He’d tended his mom’s injuries. He’d seen his mom in a way no child should ever see a parent. Hurt. Bleeding.

  “I didn’t want to leave her,” she whispered. Her lower lip trembled as the dam of emotions engulfed her.

  Gage wrapped his arms around her and drew her against him. Tenterhooks of fear clawed at her, but his warmth seeped in and chased them away.

  “None of what happened is on you, sweetheart,” Jesse said. “You got Ellie and the boys hidden. No telling what would’ve happened if things had gone down differently. He could’ve killed them all. You did right by Mom. Ellie. The boys. You saved them.”

  She didn’t try and argue. They needed to believe whatever tough commandos believed to see their way through the latest strike against them. They’d persevere because the Masons were some of the strongest people she’d ever met.

  “She’s in recovery,” Marshall said. “Brant said she made it through the first surgery well. The vascular surgeon repaired the bulk of the damage sustained from the wreck. He’ll likely have a second pass, then they’ll determine which route is best for her hip damage.”

  Gods. Multiple surgeries. She squeezed her eyes closed and breathed through the grief. This wasn’t about her. She wouldn’t dare make it about anything but Momma Mason.

  Mary and Vi swept in between the men and hugged her. Fresh tears streamed down her face. Zoey clasped the women tight. “Are you okay?”

  The two women pulled away, confusion etched on their faces.

  “Why are you asking if we’re okay?” Vi asked, her voice low and gentle.

  “You saw,” Zoey whispered. “I shouldn’t have turned the drone on. I should’ve been strong and taken it so you didn’t see. I fucked up.”

  “Jesus,” Dallas said.

  Zoey tracked the intense gazes as the men looked at one another, then at Gage, whose arm tightened firmly around her.

  “You know I don’t ever shoot any way but straight,” Mary said.

  Zoey nodded, gaze riveted to the woman, who rubbed her belly. Dylan wrapped an arm around her and rubbed the other side in a slow pattern of circles.

  “You did exactly what I would have done,” the woman said. “You gave us eyes into that room. Kamren gave us the ears we needed. Without that, we wouldn’t have known there were only three targets. We knew there were three at the takedown, but there could’ve been more.”

  “Why would you be worried about us seeing that?” Vi asked.

  Zoey forced her focus on the two women rather than Addy. Worry took root because of the silent redhead watching the scene unfold from a couple feet away. Gage tensed behind her. She glanced back as his gaze flitted to Addy.

  Damn.

  He was far too astute.

  “Let’s get you to Logan,” Gage muttered in her ear. “There’s nothing we can do for Momma Mason right now, and she’d want you seen to.”

  “He’s right,” Dylan said. “Let Doc Logan see to you. The girls brought a change of clothes for you. And my stomach is chewing into my backbone because Ellie has dishes of something in a warming crate over there and glares anytime we get near them.”

  Zoey glanced over at the corner where a warming crate from The Arsenal’s mess hall sat. Her heart swelled as she glanced at her friend. Heat rose in the blonde’s face as everyone’s attention settled on her.

  “Everyone needs to eat. Momma wouldn’t want it any other way,” she replied.

  “No, she wouldn’t,” Nolan said. “Gage, get your woman to Logan. I’ll help Ellie find a spot to set stuff out.”

  “The charge nurse offered us one of the rooms down the hall if we want to get away from everyone,” Cord said. “She thought we might want some quiet time away from the Resino folks.”

  “Someone needs to fill them all in, though. They mean well,” Riley said. “I’ll tackle the horde.”

  Zoey scanned the crowded waiting room. Her gaze halted on Bubba, who sat in the corner looking…lost.

  No.

  Ravaged.

  She squeezed Bree’s arm. “You and Rhea sit with Bubba. He shouldn’t be alone in the corner.”

  “Fuck,” Dallas said. “Should’ve realized he was keeping his distance trying to respect our privacy. I’ll go sit with him, get him to join us.”

  Marshall visibly tightened, as did Nolan.

  “You two need to pull the sticks out of your asses about that,” Mary advised. “After what just happened, there’s no way that man’s biding any more time.”

  “They’ve wasted enough dancing around the obvious if you ask me,” Vi said.

  “Amen,” Kamren added as she roped her arm through Dallas’s. “I’ll go with you and Bree. We’ll gang up on him.”

  Zoey almost felt sorry for the man but was grateful he’d been seen, too.

  “Anyone else you want us worrying about before you’ll see Logan?” Gage asked.

  “Not for now, though someone may come to me,” she answered. “Let’s get this over with. I want a shower. This blanket smells like cat piss. Where did it come from?”

  “Don’t ask,” Addy advised.

  Gage wasn’t surprised Jesse was the first to approach him. He’d hovered hear the entryway to the examination area while Logan assessed Zoey’s injuries.

  “She needs sessions with Doctor Sinclair,” the man said as he crossed his arms.

  Gage glanced down at the long hallway where Bree and Rhea had taken Zoey to shower. Vi and Mary joined the huddle.

  “Why would she think we shouldn’t have seen what happened?” Mary asked.

  “It’s too close to what you went through,” Gage answered. “I’m suspecting that came from Addy.”

  “The broken com,” Vi said as she visibly paled. “It all makes sense now. Shit. Jesse’s right. Z needs therapy. It’ll help.”

  “She’s stubborn,” Gage said. “I’ll get her there, though.”

  One way or another he’d make sure she got the help she needed. The psychiatrist in question turned the corner from the narrow hallway coming from the main lobby. The hospital was set up in a squared O-pattern with a glass-encased atrium in the middle. While it lacked originality, Gage admired the security aspects of the layout.

  “She’s not the only one who needs a sit-down with Sinclair,” Jesse said. “I see it gnawing at you.”

  “Not now,” Gage gritted through clenched teeth.

  “What’s he talking about?” Vi asked.

  “Guilt,” Jesse said. “He thinks you all could’ve gotten there faster. Likely he’s blaming himself for not getting there before some of that fucked-up shit went down.”

  Vi and Mary paled.

  Son of a bitch.

  Gage didn’t need the man psychoanalyzing him, especially with Vi and Mary standing right there. They didn’t need to hear that shit.

  “It’s not your fault any more than it was hers,” Mary said. “I swear I’m going to round every last one of you up and sit you down in the mess hall for a giant it’s-not-your-fault seminar. What is up with badasses always blaming themselves? You aren’t superheroes. We can’t stop the bad shit one hundred percent of the time. That’s part of the job.”

  That was easy for her to say. She and Vi had a one-hundred-percent success rate on their missions.

  But Zoey wasn’t a mis
sion. She was the woman he loved, and he’d do anything to keep her safe. He grunted when Doctor Rebecca Sinclair arrived at the group and looked around as if assessing everyone’s emotional state. He’d seen her do it hundreds of times.

  “How is she?”

  “She apologized,” Mary said, clearly bothered most by that lone fact for some reason. “She was sorry she turned on the drone because we saw what happened.”

  “She wanted to protect you,” the woman said. “That’s admirable, but I’m sure it didn’t feel that way to you?”

  “No.” Mary shook her head. “I think I need to talk it through with you, Doc.”

  The admission startled Gage. The woman had become much more open with her emotions since arriving at The Arsenal. Both she and Vi had. He admired the hell out of them.

  Doctor Sinclair touched Mary’s shoulder. “Let me check in on Zoey, then we’ll talk. Will that work?”

  The woman nodded.

  “How about you, Vi? Are you okay?”

  “No. She’s our friend, and she got hurt. We couldn’t stop it. We accept risks every day, but I never thought they’d strike Zoey. She’s our charge. My minion. That’s what she calls herself, and I brought her into The Arsenal.”

  “You’ll both likely feel some measure of guilt that you couldn’t prevent what happened. That’s normal. Giving voice to those feelings and sharing them will weaken their hold on you. Just remember you were there for her. She knew that. Marcus ran the footage for me before I arrived. I saw her reactions shift before the second dunking in the water. Why do you think that was?”

  The two women tightened. Gage did as well.

  “The tapes,” Jesse said. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked in on Zoey studying whatever you two gave her. She was a sponge that sucked up everything. You may not have physically been there, but she was as strong as she was because you’d armed her for it, just in case.”

  “And she knew you were on the way,” Sinclair said. “The fierceness in her face when she looked into the drone. The way she declared Gage would skin him alive because Jud would show him how. You kept her focused on what mattered. She could survive anything because she knew she wasn’t alone.”