by Cara Carnes
Because men like Jud and Dallas made it so.
And now one of their operatives wanted to stand between her and them. God. She wanted to shove her head in the sand and ignore the fact The Collective was probably behind everything. The contract. Mary’s kidnapping. Hiring Peter.
Everything.
A thousand questions listed in her mind, but the haunted depths of Dallas’s eyes warned her she wouldn’t get answers, not tonight. She reached out and grasped his hand. “Thank you.”
“Did…” Dallas cleared his throat when his voice broke. “Did he say they’d issued the contract?”
“No, but Jian was pushing him to take it. He said the man thought he was the best one to fill it.”
“He is.” Dallas squeezed her hand. “The Collective operates in layers. I started off on the outer shell, sank a couple layers deeper over the years. No one ever penetrates to the center, the core of who makes the decisions and runs the organization. Rumor within the group was that the Judge was their personal henchman, the one they trusted to do whatever they needed. He served the core.”
That didn’t sound good. Vi swallowed and nodded.
“I didn’t know him very well, obviously. My last operation was a disaster. The operative I was paired with was out on a personal vendetta and set me up to take the fall. Jud was dispatched to handle the situation. To handle me.”
“The core ordered a hit on you?” Anger raised her voice. Oh hell no.
“He assessed the situation and reversed the decision.” Dallas snapped his fingers. “Just like that. He told me I was clear to walk away.”
“He gave you an out.”
“You don’t get it, Vi,” Dallas said. His voice lowered. “There is no out, not with The Collective. But in the space of an hour I went from being in their sight lines to breathing free, all because of Jud.”
Wow. Vi added another hundred or so questions to her mental tally and took a couple deep breaths. Jud was the real deal then, the veritable monster in the shadows.
And he wanted to protect her.
“I guess you don’t have a full name or anything to offer about his family.”
Dallas chuckled. “I’m surprised he has family. The Collective doesn’t operate in the light of day.”
“Thank you for trusting me,” she said.
“Don’t dig, not into his mud pit. Leave the still waters alone, Vi,” he warned.
She nodded, though she suspected he knew the impossibility of his command. Digging was tantamount to breathing for her. She wasn’t happy if she wasn’t mired in muck. “Get some rest. We’re white boarding the dad’s abduction, then Jian.”
“I’ll let everyone know to be there,” he said.
“That’s not necessary. We’re more productive working alone.” We meant her, Mary, Bree, and Rhea. Addy and Riley assisted by keeping them sufficiently hydrated and supplied with whatever they needed. They were a female brain trust jokingly called The Pentagon, but they’d recently expanded to six, which made the name even funnier. Dylan was the token male, mainly because he enjoyed watching Mary work. They didn’t need all the rest of the Mason squad involved.
“If Jud’s there, we’re there,” Dallas announced. “No option on this one, Vi. He said he’s here to help, but six million is a lot of reasons to change someone’s mind.”
Whatever. She’d sort out the chaos in the morning. “Let Marshall know we’re postponing application testing tomorrow.”
“He won’t be happy.”
“That’s why you’re telling him and not me.” Vi waved. “See you in the morning.”
The Collective. Vi had a name. With a name she could bring down anyone and anything if given enough time. She had all night to dig. She should have asked for Danny’s last name. Hell, she should have asked for Jud’s full name. And Jacob’s. At least he was in town and not under the same roof for now. Trusting a veritable stranger—one who fully admitted to being the best assassin to fulfill the contract on her—was a huge risk, one she wasn’t necessarily okay with. But she’d learned long ago the best way to handle the enemy was keeping them close.
Vi called up HERA when she arrived back at the small cottage she now called home. Though the hour was late, Addy had left a lamp on in the corner. Vi sat and called up the surveillance cameras they’d put up in Resino a couple weeks ago. The small bed and breakfast was a new addition to the town, a welcomed one everyone hoped would bring tourists to the area. She didn’t think there was much to draw tourists to the area, but she admitted she hadn’t exactly nosed around with a tourist mindset.
A rental vehicle sat out front of the small establishment. She ran the plate, and hacked into the rental company’s records.
Judson Jensen.
Talk about a fake name. Ha. She smiled at the screen as she started her search. No matter how good someone was, there was always, always a footprint. It might not be anything more than a whisper in the wind, but it would be there. And she would find it.
Someone was out for blood and Jud was an unknown.
Not for long.
“Kabul, Afghanistan is sixteen and a half hours from San Antonio by plane,” Jacob offered. “Flights are pretty limited.”
Jud looked over at his nephew. He’d started a master’s program at MIT a few months before, which had spurred his dad’s decision to take the contract gig overseas. Danny’s sole focus was providing for his son, making sure he had everything he needed to continue his trek toward a bright future.
Gotta take this contract, man. It’s only a couple weeks over in the sandpit. I’ll show the newbies what’s what and be back with enough bank to get Jacob through graduate school.
Jud remembered the conversation well—it’d been the last one he’d had with his brother-in-law. The only time they’d ever argued. Danny left the next day.
Jud and Jacob had spent the morning going over whatever intel they could get on Danny’s disappearance, but information was sparse.
“I’m thinking they’ll use different means to get there than commercial flights, bud.” He turned the vehicle into the entry road leading to The Arsenal. Two armed guards flagged him through without conversation. Unlike the previous night, he was expected.
Dallas and one of his brothers stood outside a patch of parking spaces cordoned off for visitors. He took the one nearest the building. Jacob had his backpack in hand and jumped out before he could stop him. To say he was a bit excited to be in the hallowed work area of the Quillery Edge was an understatement. Add that to his determination to find his father and Jud worried the kid would have a panic attack any moment. It’d been a few years since he’d had them, but they’d been an ongoing problem since Danny’s capture the first time fifteen years before.
He left the keys in the vehicle and placed himself between Jacob and the Masons. Dallas’s jaw twitched as he tracked the move.
“We aren’t thrilled about you being here, but we wouldn’t hurt a kid,” Dallas said.
“I’m not a kid,” Jacob argued. “I’m nineteen and working on a master’s at MIT.”
The kid puffed his chest up and met Dallas’s gaze dead-on. “I’m gonna be just like the Quillery Edge in a few years.”
“That’s good,” the man beside Dallas said. “They’re the best in the business. I’m Jesse, let’s head inside so you can meet everybody. Vi and Mary are going to be along in a bit.”
Jud let Jesse guide his nephew into the building since there was clearly a divide and conquer mission of some sort going down. Jacob looked over his shoulder.
“You good, Uncle Jud?”
“I’m fine, bud. Head on inside. I’ll be there in a bit.” The lanky kid plodded alongside Jesse, matching his long-legged stride easily.
“What’s your play here, man?” Dallas asked. “Vi and Mary are off limits.”
“I’m not here to fill the contract if that’s what you’re wondering,” Jud said. “No one’s going to mess with them as long as I’m around. Beyond that, we’ll know soon
enough.”
“They involved with the hit?”
“Probably, but they’d be stupid to take Danny. The only thing I have is that kid and his dad, my family. Them still in my life was a reward I earned a few years ago, one I protect fiercely and they know that. The Collective also knows I’ve got a connection to the Quillery Edge through Danny. Them messing with those connections wouldn’t be smart, but they’ve done dumber things.”
Jian was neck deep the contract, but he was the middleman for a lot of people. The situation stunk.
“You care to explain that connection?”
“I figure it’ll come out in a few minutes. The kid’s been through enough. I’ve gotta get inside, see to him. Panic attacks are in his history.” He glanced at the doors Jacob entered moments ago. “Whatever beef you have with me, contain it around him.”
It was the only warning he’d give. Dallas grunted, but motioned toward the building. Jud followed the operative he’d put his ass on the line to save once. Apparently what’d gone down back then wasn’t a bullet point on the agenda today, which was fine with Jud. He never cared for trips down memory lane anyway.
So far The Arsenal was impressive. It was set far enough from town to spotlight strangers wandering where they shouldn’t. Drones circled in seemingly randomized patterns overhead, something he’d noted from his reconnaissance mission a few days previous—one he did via long distance across the highway. Smaller drones lurked in the corners of the hallways when they entered. None of the doors were labeled and all hallways resembled one another to the point a layman would get lost in the winding mess.
Slick.
Jud followed Dallas down a shorter hallway then followed him left. The area opened up into a series of what he assumed were meeting rooms. The doors weren’t as close together. The one on the right was a frosted glass offering a hint at shadowed bodies in the interior. Dallas opened the door and motioned him inside. A rumble of disapproval rose in him as his gaze swept over the crush of people—fifteen including him and Jacob. The large standing style table had a dozen high-backed leather stools around it. Addy stood with two men book-ending her in the far corner.
“Okay, everyone. Grab a seat, we’ve got a lot to go over,” Vi ordered. “For anyone who hasn’t met him, this is Jud, aka The Judge, and his nephew, Jacob Ralters.”
He froze hearing his nephew’s last name, one he hadn’t shared yet. A grin spread on his face. She’d been digging. The woman avoided eye contact as she introduced everyone in the room. He expected most of them to be present, except for Addy, Gage and Fallon—who were apparently Arsenal team leads—and Bree and Rhea. He made a mental note to dig up some more background on them as he sat beside Jacob at the table.
His nephew drew his laptop out of his backpack. Jud doubted he’d have reason to use it, but knew it was more of a security blanket in a group of strangers than anything. Cord smiled at him and offered a connection across the table. Jacob’s grin was a mile wide as he plugged into The Arsenal like a part of the team.
Fuck. This was going to go sideways fast and he couldn’t control the spin, not on something like this.
Jacob glanced at him. Wariness reflected in the kid’s eyes, but Jud didn’t have much in the way of comfort to offer. He’d never been in a situation where this many people were discussing or debriefing anything. He operated lone wolf style most of his career. Team was a foreign, four letter word.
Vi caught his gaze, moving her own between his and Jacob as if reading his worry. Her lips pursed, but she kept going with her conversation.
“We have several notable bullet points for today. First, and not on the agenda for this meeting other than this mention, there’s a two-million-dollar contract for my and Mary’s termination. It goes up to six if HERA is secured in the process. Compound security is advancing two levels. Nolan and Dylan will have more on that in a sidebar meeting with you all. For now, we progress to the second and third agenda items. Item two came as a result of said contract. Jud arrived last night offering his…” The pause was obvious and tense. “Protection. We have some information he’s provided, which we’ll review in the final agenda item. Jacob’s father was taken to coerce him into taking the contract, but he’s chosen to approach us for assistance in handling the situation instead.”
All attention settled on him and Jacob. His nephew cast his gaze on the computer in front of him and folded his shoulders and body inward. Jud settled a hand on the kid’s back and took the lead. “Daniel Ralters is my brother-in-law and works for a private contractor offering services in Afghanistan. He stopped field work almost fifteen years ago after being captured. His employer, on occasion, asks him to go overseas to either meet with clients, facilitate new deals or train new personnel. The latter was why he went over recently.”
Vi and Mary were both typing on their laptops. The two froze, looking at one another. Color leeched from Viviana’s face.
“What did we miss?” Marshall asked.
“I…” Viviana stared at the screen. “I hadn’t connected the dots. Sorry, we need a minute. We’ll be right back.”
Jud watched as the two women rose and left the room. Dylan was hot on their heels.
I’ve got a boy, a brilliant, beautiful boy who scares the crap out of me, Quillery. He’s smart, way too good to have an old man like me. He’s only four, but so smart. It scares me. I know he can light up the world just like he’s lit up my life. I’m so scared of screwing him. What the hell do I do with a little genius?
Don’t feed him the fear. Fuel the genius, let him soar. Be there if he falls, but don’t hold him down. Teach him it’s okay to stumble as long as you get back up and keep trying. Show him courage doesn’t come from winning the battle, it comes from looking impossible in the eyes and kneeing his nuts.”
Vi squeezed her eyes closed. God. God. God. It’d been years. So, so many years. The conversation was one of many that looped in her brain, when the darkness of the night creeped into her thoughts and spread like a virus. He was one of her personal failures, one of the missions that’d gone wrong along the way. It’d been hailed a success because there were no casualties, but Vi knew better. She may have succeeded in the mission, but she’d failed one man that day.
Danny.
“You okay?” Mary asked.
“No. I…” She looked down and paced in the narrow nook leading into the large war room. “I can’t believe this.”
“What am I missing? What’s wrong?” Dylan asked.
Concern filled his gaze as it settled on her. He wasn’t out here solely for Mary. He was genuinely worried about her. Vi took a deep breath and drank in the calm he exuded. “Ghosts from the past. We helped rescue Danny and his convoy back then. I still remember the conversation, how I failed to keep him safe. I should have put the dots together, but I hadn’t.”
“No.” Mary squeezed her arm. “No, that’s not on you. You did nothing wrong. At all. He was already blown up by the IED before we were even on the com to help with an exfil. It’s like you weren’t even in the same theater as me. All these years and you still think you failed him? You kept him breathing. Alive.”
Alive. What a crock of horse shit. There was a sliding scale of what alive meant. He may have been hauled away from hell “alive”, but he wasn’t the man he could’ve been if she’d reacted faster, done more.
“I should have done more,” Vi whispered. “Sorry, it all hit me again when I glanced at my notes from the mission. It was like I was there again.”
“There’s a kid in there chomping at the bit to figure out if we can help him find his dad.” Mary grinned. “Again. I love you, but you need to shake this off.”
Mary was right. It was why she was The Edge. She never quit, never surrendered to the overwhelming emotional fallout of mission after mission after mission. Though they’d done hundreds of ops, Vi couldn’t shake some of them loose. Ghosts. Danny was one of hers.
“I know.” Vi forced back the memories and focused on the current
situation. “Let’s get back in there and figure out what the hell’s going on.”
“If this gets to be too much, let me know and we’re done. Nothing and no one is more important than you and our new crew here.” Mary motioned toward the room. “Let’s go.”
Vi followed her friend and Dylan back into the room and sat down. “Sorry, I needed to take a breath for a minute. Some missions feel like they just happened yesterday, and this was one of them.”
Jacob’s gaze was watery. Son of a bitch, she hadn’t handled that well. The kid needed the calm, quiet confidence she and Mary offered as the Quillery Edge. He didn’t need an emotional mess, not with his dad missing again. She called up the mission records from the last time, hacked her way into the organization’s database and pulled up the data they had on Danny’s last orders.
“He works for Palmetto,” she said.
“Of course he does,” Mary muttered.
“There a problem with that?” Jud asked.
“Palmetto is on the up and up for the most part,” Vi replied. “They have a side division called Palmetto Pointe that operates in the grayer areas. It was partially owned by Martin Driggs, one of our former bosses at Hive.”
Several of the pieces clicked into place as to who orchestrated this mess. Someone was dishing up a big stew of coincidences. Clearly whoever took Danny was also behind Peter and Martin betraying them and trying to steal HERA. Now that she and Mary had dismantled and systematically destroyed the two bastards, they’d put out a hit on them.
Now that they had the why, Vi wanted the who.
“It’s dirty,” Jud said.
“No way, no way Dad is dirty,” Jacob shouted. “No way. You’re wrong.”
“Easy, bud. They aren’t saying he’s dirty. The contract was likely issued because they took down Hive and everyone associated with…” His gaze darted to Mary, who tensed beside Vi. “The recent incidents. That takes someone with a lot of clout to pull off.”
