by Cara Carnes
Oh my God. They’d possibly found Dallas’s son.
Vi whistled, long and loud, until all the operatives gathered around the blind turned to look at her. “Wheels up in thirty. We’ve got a hit. Pack a bag, Kamren. You’re going with them. We’ve been in touch with your friend, Tanner. He was on standby for the hit. Now that we have it, he and his partner are meeting us there. We’ll form a plan en route, but you’re part of it.”
“I am?”
“Yeah, no way in hell they’re going without you. If you’re tracking is half as good as your ability to lay traps, we’ll need you in the field. Tanner said you’re a natural, one of the best he’s ever worked with.”
Whether the admiration her ex-boyfriend offered was real or not, Kamren appreciated it. She just hoped she could live up to expectations. More than anything, though, she hoped they’d find Dallas’s son.
“You’re good.” The voice startled her almost more than the compliment.
Kamren turned and watched Jud prowl toward her. He reached down and unstrapped one of the sheaths on his thigh. “Addy suspects you’re as good with knives as you are guns. She noticed you were drawn to them.”
She swallowed, unsure what to say or do. Leaving the small room wasn’t an option since he blocked the lone exit with his massive frame. She’d gone to the supply area to fill her bag in case she needed supplies. She wasn’t sure what to anticipate, and even though Tanner was often prepared for anything, he wasn’t a thinker like her. He relied on luck more than she cared for, and The Arsenal had some seriously slick gear.
“I’m hoping you don’t have a reason to need this, but if you do, I want you to have it.” He held out the weapon. “When we get back, I’d like to train you on hand-to-hand, assuming Dallas agrees. I’ve been working with Riley.”
“Thanks, but there’s not much need for hand-to-hand when I’m tracking deer.”
“These days, you never know,” he said. “Besides, the way things are going, I suspect you’ll be around here a lot more. Sooner or later my Viviana will hit you up to join a team. Sharp shooters are hard to come by.”
“Oh, I’m not trained, not former military or anything.”
“I’m not former military. Think about it. Either that or you can help Riley and me. You have a gift. It’d be a shame to waste it.” He settled the knife into her hand.
She withdrew it from the sheath and lost the ability to breathe. It was…magnificent in its simplicity. The perfect survival knife. The fixed blade was a plain, single-sided, thick drop point belly. It was lighter than she expected, but durable enough to last a long, long time, even with rugged use. She swallowed back the emotion in her throat. The man was a total stranger and he was offering her a knife so gorgeous it defied belief. The etched hilt drew her attention. Though it was a simplistic style, nothing about it was without precision quality.
“I can’t take this.”
“I insist. I’ve heard the plan and know you’re going on a different team than me. Addy’s gut’s never wrong and she says you’ll be as good with knives as you are with guns. If that’s the case, I want you well armed with the best.” He held out a second sheath. Two hilts emerged from double pockets. “These are the twins. I’ve got more than a few sets, but these are the best. Custom made to my specs, but they should do.”
Do? The man was a loon. She withdrew one knife and immediately noted the differences between them and the first weapon. The blade narrowed on both the sharpened side and the spine, then flared out again, only to curve inward on itself at the end. This weighted the weapon’s profile toward the tip. Throwing blades. She swallowed.
“I hope there’s no reason to use these,” she whispered into the room.
“The fact you say that proves she’s right. You know knives.”
“Dad met a few people who showed me some stuff along the way,” she commented. “Survivalists who did stints here and there, mostly up north.”
“You run into anyone who means you or anyone in your group harm, don’t hesitate. There’s nothing you’ll do my woman can’t cover if needed. We get that boy home, but we do it sending a lesson. No one messes with The Arsenal.”
The weight of his words powered through her. Everyone else was likely already on board with a declaration like that. How many times had she said she needed to send a message to whoever was messing with her? The Arsenal had done exactly that for her. She sheathed the weapon, setting it beside its twin.
“Thank you. I’ll return them when we bring him home,” she said.
“They’re yours. Think about what I said.”
She nodded, unsure if she could form more words in her throat. She had a lot to think about.
16
“Stop glaring at my man, or I’ll dart your stupid ass,” Vi warned over the com. “It’s knives, Dallas. Get over it.”
“She hasn’t stopped messing with them. It’s…” Dallas didn’t know what the hell it was. “Unsettling.”
“It’s sweet,” Mary said.
“It was uncalled for,” he argued as the man currently on the top of his shit list smirked from across the aisle. He was one laugh away from an ass kicking at ten thousand feet.
Dallas looked over at Kamren, who’d sat next to Addy a few moments ago to show off her new knives. If he’d known she wanted new knives, he would’ve gotten her some. And really, who the fuck gave anyone throwing knives? That was like giving a sniper a…
Fuck.
He was losing it.
“Deep breath, brother,” Dylan said from The Arsenal, where he’d remained to protect the facility while all the other team leads had gone wheels up. “This isn’t about knives, Jud, or even Kamren, even though I do find your jealous streak amusing.”
“Stay out of this.”
“Afraid that’s a no can do. Get your head on or I’ll have to narc you out to Marshall.”
“This lead feels different than the others.” He gave voice to his biggest fear and rubbed at his chest as the plane began its descent. He peered out the window but saw nothing aside from rugged wilderness. “My kid’s out there somewhere. I feel it in my gut. This is it, and I’m fucking terrified.”
“We’ve got this. More importantly, you’ve got this. I’ve got a vested interested in bringing your son home. He’s my kid’s cousin. He’s coming home with a huge responsibility to teach my kid shit he shouldn’t know.”
Dallas couldn’t help but chuckle. Dylan and Jesse had used to teach him shit that got him in trouble with their dad every single time. Then the fuckers would feign innocence when he tried to rat them out, which he rarely did. Brothers never snitched on brothers.
“Bring him home, brother,” Dylan said.
The com clicked off into wait mode as the plane made its landing on a makeshift runway carved out of the thick forest. Kamren was at his side before he’d gotten the seatbelt unbuckled. She grasped his hand and squeezed until their gazes locked.
“We’ve got this, Dallas. I won’t let you down.”
“I never thought you would, sweetheart.” He settled his forehead against hers. “Sorry I’ve been a jealous dick.”
“I kind of went a bit gaga, probably too much so.” A cute blush rose in her face as she leaned in and whispered, “It’s the first gift I’ve gotten from anyone.”
Shock kept him mute because, honestly, that made it worse. He cupped her face and squeezed the ugly emotions rising in him until he’d choked them out. Jud had given Dallas’s woman a memory, something that tied her to The Arsenal in a way she’d never forget. She needed more memories like that to burn away the bad ones. He kissed her lips and groaned his frustration.
“If I don’t get you in a bed soon, I might combust.”
“Please don’t. We’d start a forest fire, and those aren’t good.”
Laughter rolled through him at the seriousness in her voice, but it was her smile that killed the last of his worries. No way in hell the team with him wouldn’t find his kid. Failure wasn’t an option. Eve
rything they’d studied from HERA’s initial findings indicated this area was it. Ground Zero.
Mary and Vi had established contact with Tanner and his crew. The ugly jealousy monster reared its head as Dallas made his way out of the plane. Although Kamren remained at his side, hand in his, a tall, muscular man with close-cropped dark hair closed the distance quickly. Fucker dragged her into a tight hug. A rumble rose from Dallas’s throat. When the hug tightened to the point that her tits squished against the man’s chest, Dallas contemplated a hundred ways to end the bastard.
“Play nice,” Vi said in the com. “Don’t kill the guide.”
They didn’t need a fucking guide. They’d reconned the other areas just fine without Tanner.
Jesus. He needed to get his fucking head on straight. The man was an expert tracker and had done work for a lot of the same agencies The Arsenal worked for. He took in veterans and gave them sanctuary within the wilderness in a non-profit meant to help PTSD survivors. On paper he was a hell of a man, and so were the men he’d employed, one of whom watched the reunion between Tanner and Kamren with amusement.
“Buddy, I’d take a couple steps back before you get your ass handed to you,” the man said with a chuckle. “Though I’m thinking he’d whack a piece of you off at the front first. A lot more painful.”
Tanner broke contact and glared back at his friend. “Get your ass over here and greet Kam. What’s gotten into you?”
“I’m more worried about what’s gotten into her. I’m good right here. Thanks.” The man waved. “Hey, Kam. Welcome back.”
“You’re still as crazy as ever, Brace.” Kamren tossed her backpack down and ran over to the other guy, who got bonus points for keeping the hug short and loose. His icy blue gaze never left Dallas. Kamren separated quickly and returned to Dallas’s side.
“Tanner, Brace, this is Dallas, and his brothers Marshall, Jesse, and Nolan. We’ve got his other brothers Cord and Dylan on coms, along with Mary and Vi. Over here we have Fallon, Addy, Gage, and Jud.” She smiled at everyone. “Tanner and Brace are a couple of the best trackers I’ve met.”
“Except you; never could touch your natural talent,” Tanner stated as he crossed his arms and glanced at Dallas. “We’ve worked some of the same circles as you all. I’ve heard good things about your operation. Glad to help you out on this. We just went through one of the most thorough briefings I’ve ever gotten. Your operations team is good.”
“Vi and Mary are the best,” Dallas said. “So you know the plan.”
“Yeah, we went through the details, switched them up a bit. They’d organized two teams of five, but we’ll cover more ground splitting into three,” Tanner said. He glanced at Kamren. “Sorry, Kamren. Vi and Mary wanted me to take the lead, but I threw you under the bus and said you’d be better. I’m man enough to admit your better than I’ll ever be. They’re keeping Dallas on your team. Nolan’s on mine and Jesse’s with Brace. That’ll give us two trackers per team. Addy and Fallon are with Brace. Marshall and Jud are with me and Nolan. Gage is with you and Dallas. Three’s a bit short size-wise for the swaths we’re running, but with you handling the tracking, Dallas and Gage can handle security and clearance.”
Translation—the man trusted Kamren to miss nothing and not require a second set of eyes in a forested area he and Brace likely knew better than her. As if sensing the direction of his thoughts, the man looked at him.
“We got out of the service and decided to start this operation up. My family was connected with a tracker down in Texas. We made some calls. This chick showed up with her dad. I took one look at the two of them and shook my head. No way in hell they knew more than what we’d already learned.” Tanner chuckled. “Her dip-shit dad made us do an escape and evade exercise against her. All we had to do was find her.”
“How long did it take?” Addy asked with a grin.
“They didn’t find me,” Kamren answered. She glanced up at Dallas. “Guess it’s a small world, huh?”
“Yeah, guess so.” Then again, some worlds were small because people remained connected. Spec ops teams were like that. He could see trackers, survivalists and the like being the same way. She likely knew every tracker in the country worth knowing.
“Nightfall’s soon. We can crash here, get started in the morning. We brought what gear we had, supplies and the like. I know you all did the same. We’ll run an inventory and split stuff up as needed,” Brace said. He winked at Kam. “Assuming Kam shares.”
“I’ll run inventory,” Kam offered quickly.
“I’ll help,” Fallon offered. “I’ll make sure our toys get in each set of packs.”
Dallas nodded. That’d leave the rest of them to go over the plans a few more times with Tanner and Brace. Clearly Mary, Vi, Cord and Dylan had been busy while they’d been en route.
“Gotta admit I’ve got a concern with this breakup.” Tanner looked around at them all.
“What’s that?” Marshall asked.
“The trio team’s short a medic,” Brace said. “Jessie and Tanner are the only certified ones we’ve got. I’m a little nervous, too.”
“Mary? Vi?”
“We’re clear,” Mary said.
“We’re clear,” Vi confirmed.
“We’re clear,” Dallas repeated for Tanner and Brace.
One by one, everyone from The Arsenal affirmed their belief Mary and Vi could get them through any tight spots. Most of them could handle rudimentary field patches. God knew Dallas had done more than his fair share over the years. They likely all had.
“All right, then let’s go over the plan,” Nolan said.
“Here,” Fallon handed her a small zippered kit that resembled a sunglasses case. “Put one of these in each team’s gear pack. We’ll make sure we have it all back when we re-board.”
Kamren looked at the ordnance expert and gulped the inquiry perched on her tongue. Did she want to know what he was sneaking into the packs like a ninja? Nope. Nowhere close to wanting to know.
“It’s from Rhea, just in case it’s needed,” Vi said.
“Okay.” She dragged out the word because that seriously didn’t answer anything, it only added a question to the list.
What serious shit could a biochemical weapons expert concoct to go in a field gear pack? Kamren shoved one in each of the packs she was inventorying. Fallon added C4 and an assortment of other explosive stuff she didn’t want to contemplate, much less carry. Things that went boom weren’t her thing.
“You’re on Brace’s crew. Who handles ordnance for the other teams?”
“Jud for Tanner’s. Dallas for yours. Or Gage. You’re double covered. All three teams are since Jesse and Nolan are qualified, too.”
“Okay.”
“I’m more worried about traps. You can make them, so you can undo them. I’m not sure about Tanner’s crew. Jud could probably do it; any of them could with instruction.”
“I taught Tanner,” she said. “Dad and I did.”
“Your man’s strung tight,” Fallon said. “Advice?”
Kamren wasn’t sure she wanted his advice but nodded anyway. Arguing the point of Dallas being her man was moot. In man land, she was.
“Keep close to Dallas tonight; stay away from Tanner and stow the knives.”
She mulled the “advice” over, more than a little aware of the fact the knives were apparently an issue. She hadn’t ever assumed they would be. Jud was with Vi. It was a nice gesture, one Vi herself had loved. She let the knife issue go, though. And Tanner? Dallas had no reason to worry in that regard. She and Tanner had ended things somewhat amicably, but the divide was there. He’d wanted her to pick him over family, which proved he’d never truly known her. He’d actually expected her not to return home when her father said he needed help making ends meet.
What kind of daughter would she have been if she’d refused to help her starving family? Tanner hadn’t understood, though.
You can’t keep living for them, Kamren. Stay. Make us the priority,
not them.
But she hadn’t been able to do as Tanner asked. There was never any picking someone over blood.
The Arsenal packs were beyond perfection. They knew exactly what to pack as far as she was concerned. They had just about every scenario covered in duplicate while also maintaining a tight, as light as possible pack. It was still damn close to seventy-five pounds for each one, but that was to be expected. No telling how long they’d be out. She had no intention of leaving if she saw even one sign of a kid out there.
She added assorted thicknesses of string and rope to the packs along with snare wires. There was a metric ton of MREs, but in a pinch they’d need to trap food. Flints. There were matches, but they weren’t exactly easy to replace after use. Shoelaces. Ponchos. Extra paracord. She grunted as she rifled through her pack. Where the heck were all the zip ties? She added some to each bag.
Grrr.
She powered toward the clustered group and glared at Tanner. “Your packs don’t have hatchets.”
“Damn it. Sorry, we’ve got a noob. He must’ve forgotten to pack them.”
“You should’ve checked. He also forgot shovels and vaseline. We had shovels and vaseline.”
“We had vaseline?” Addy asked. “I’m admitting I have no idea, so I’m just gonna ask. What’s that for?”
“Ointment,” Brace said.
“Fire starter,” Kamren added as she turned and headed back to the bags.
Dallas snagged her by the arm and dragged her into a hug. “We’re okay with the hatchets, sweetheart.”
“I didn’t bring any welding kits. I should’ve thought of that in case we have to cut into a bunker or something.”
“I’m thinking Fallon packed enough explosives to blow half the state, so we’re covered,” Dallas said.
“What if we forgot something and your son needs it? What then?”
“Then Vi, Mary, Cord, and Dylan talk us through a workaround.” His voice lowered. “You aren’t alone.”
“You were a wreck earlier, and now you’re calm.”
