by Cara Carnes
“His name’s Joe,” she offered.
“We’re here to help, Joe. I have someone here wanting to talk to you. She’ll explain what’s going on while I tend to Danny.”
“Don’t get near him,” the other man warned.
“My name’s Jesse. I was in a hole a lot like this one not too long ago. Let me get you out. Talk to Quillery.”
“Where’d you hear that name? Are you bugging us?” Joe demanded.
“Talk to her and find out.” Jesse held the com out.
The man’s eyes widened. He snagged the com. “Who is this? Danny mentioned a Quillery, said she was an angel heaven sent.”
“I’m no angel, Joe. My name’s Quillery. My partner Edge and I are leading this operation to get you and your men to safety, sir. I’m sorry it took so long to locate you and your convoy.”
“They separated us, Quillery. I don’t know where the others are.”
“We have secured the other two camps. I need you to stand down and let my men work on yours.”
“Pat, William and Jay didn’t make it. I wouldn’t let them burn their bodies. They deserve a proper burial. It’s been a couple sunrises since the last one went. I’m afraid a couple others aren’t gonna make it.”
“We aren’t losing any more men, not today. Not ever, Joe. Now I want you to stand down and let Jesse work, okay?”
“Are you really Quillery?” The man’s voice cracked. “Heard lots of stories about you and your girl.”
“I’m sure you have. I’m thinking your pal there made some stuff up to make time go by.”
“There was mention of a cape.”
“I’ll have to add that to my costume. Are you okay to let Jesse take over from here? We’ve got another couple of camps to help out.”
“I’ll trust him since you do,” Joe supplied.
“I look forward to meeting you soon, Joe.” She waited as the man returned the com to Jesse. The second he was back, she finished. “None of the convoy has any known drug allergies. Get them injected and get them out. Medical is standing by at the rendezvous point.”
She typed out an encoded message to the SEAL team waiting a half click away. It must’ve been hell for them to not engage when gunfire ripped through the sky. But they’d done as requested and hung back, just in case.
Although she wanted to remain focused on Danny as Jesse assessed his condition, she had other teams needing her help. She took over drones in Dover, swept the grounds for any abnormalities. Heat signatures in a distant corner on the lower level in the kitchen looked off. “Team two, we need someone to walk the lower northeast sector, kitchen area. Heat signatures look off on the drone.”
“Roger,” Addy said. “Sideline package is secure.”
Right. Sideline package. She looked over her shoulder and froze. Jud was gone. Jacob’s widened gaze regarded her as the chimes from his displays drew her attention.
The Arsenal was under attack.
“Uncle Jud and I have this under control, Quillery. Get Dad and the others home. We’ve got this.” The young man turned his attention back to the monitors. “I’m sounding the warning, Marcus. Jud wants everyone in the mess hall.”
Vi’s gut soured. The Arsenal was under attack. She needed to help.
She looked at the monitors. Adrenaline surged. A calm swept through her. No. Jud would handle whatever messed with the compound. She and Mary had teams to bring home.
“Team seven, this is command. Come in.” Mary paced.
Vi noted the movement as her mind processed the statement. She studied the feed data from camp three and realized Fallon’s team never arrived. What the hell? Dread settled into her gut and churned. She did a cursory check of the other teams and camps. Dover was done. Camp one was clear of baddies, but the teams would be there a while assessing injuries and preparing for exfil. Camp two was clear and flagged as moments from heading toward their exfil. Camp three was neck deep in baddies.
The external com line dinged on her headset. She glanced at the number flashing across the display monitors and clicked it on. “I’m a little busy, Zero.”
“There’s a training camp one point three clicks northwest of the third camp. You need to kill the supply line or you’ll never clear that camp.”
“Satellite images and recon didn’t note a camp,” she argued.
Data streamed into her feeds as she allowed Zero remote access into a shared hub.
“It’s a pop-up camp, moves every few days. This one came from the eastern region you weren’t reconning and set up a day ago,” Zero explained. “I only know because we’re watching the other group your target’s joining forces with. They struck a deal a few days ago.”
“Appreciate it.”
“Quillery, get your men out and get gone. The group your hitting is connected, the kind of connected I can’t talk about.” Translation—someone stateside was funding operations or involved somehow. Someone stateside with enough weight to push the alphabet agencies around.
They were neck deep in bullshit and she didn’t have time to swim to shore. “Appreciate the head’s up, but I gotta cover my teams. If you want to help, find my missing team. Team eight on the data you were sent was en route to camp three and never arrived. I’ve given you access to HERA’s system and the trackers we have on the equipment and the team members. Get me a location and intel.”
“On it.”
Fuck. She’d just let a stranger into HERA, probably not the wisest decision she’d made but they needed more hands on deck. Mary had to keep the other teams moving toward exfil with wounded in tow. Oh, and she’d also taken over most of the drones in camp three.
Vi forced a deep breath. Mary had assumed control of the exfil on the other camps while Vi had been on the phone and running drones in camp three. She typed in the coordinates of the training camp and sent them to Dallas and Dylan’s wrist devices. She studied the satellite images HERA was processing and determined where the biggest payload for explosive ordnance. Weapons caches. A fuel truck.
“I need one of you at those coordinates with ordnance. Team eight is MIA. Intel indicates reinforcements are coming from those coordinates. Neutralize with ordnance at the three zones indicated. I’ll guide two zapper drones with whoever goes, but we need to go now.”
“I’ll go,” Dallas replied quickly. “En route.”
“I didn’t agree to that,” Dylan growled.
“You’re older and slower, brother.”
Vi let the banter go back and forth as she extracted two drones from the firefight and followed Dallas’s path to the new zone. Until they got the troop supply neutralized, camp three wouldn’t get cleared. Right about now was when she wished they had access to a kick ass military chopper with enough payload to make the freaking camp a sink hole. Sadly, that wasn’t on her available armament list today, so they’d make do.
“Camp two is at exfil, two minor injured personnel. Camp one en route with SEAL team accompaniment for medic evac,” Mary offered.
Vi kept focused on Dallas’s progression through hell. It was the only word that described the brutal pace he’d set, the wake of death he carved out in his path. “I didn’t realize you were so good with a knife.”
“I took a lesson a long time ago from the best around,” he commented. “Someone you just met, actually.”
Jud.
Vi held onto the nugget of information as she swept her gaze over to Jacob’s monitors. The compound was under attack.
Focus. Keep Dallas breathing. That’s your objective.
Neutralize the supply line.
Close camp three.
Find Fallon’s team.
Get everyone home. Alive.
11
They’d found Danny. Beaten, tortured, half dead. Rage mottled his vision a moment. Jud took a deep breath and slipped into the mental zone where all bets were off, he’d do whatever necessary to obtain the objective. Today that was keeping The Arsenal secure.
“Uncle Jud?”
&nbs
p; “I’m here, bud. Get Marcus to sound the signal. We need everyone secure in the mess hall before I start cleaning house.”
“Okay. He’s on it. Erm…the weird blonde is on her way up to the roof. Should I let her up there?”
Good question. Bree was a bit stranger than the average person, probably because she had so much genius and not enough brain to fit it all into. “Yeah, let her up. Is she wearing a vest?”
“She’s mummified in Flak.”
Jud chuckled as he unsheathed his knives. “How many are the drones picking up, bud?”
“Ten so far, I can probably get a couple with the drones if you want. I’ve been watching Vi and Mary fly them.”
“I need you high level, bud. You’re my eyes. Let me know where the threats are. I’ll neutralize.” He thought about the battle ahead. “It won’t be pretty, bud.”
“War never is. They’re after Quillery and Edge. They started it. You end it.”
Jud loved that kid. He settled the headgear on, giving his eyes a couple moments to adjust as data streamed by. “I don’t want it all, bud. Give me locations and counts. I’ll handle the rest.”
“Right. Is this better?” A grid of the compound appeared. A huddle of green dots in the mess hall. Red dots moved inward. A few blue dots appeared. Marcus and the others.
“That’s perfect, bud. Get Marcus and the others working to clear the ones near the Mason house and the cottages.” Jud didn’t like the idea of those bastards near where Viviana and the others slept. Where Momma Mason lived. “Keep them out of my way.”
Jud studied the other red dots, moved silently through the vacant corridors and waited. Ten operatives was an insult. First phase, the sacrificial lambs. He chuckled into the com as he headed outside and inhaled the fresh air. The scent of death would permeate it soon enough. A knife in each hand, he prowled toward the first set of red dots. The first kills would set the tone—lob the first statement over the bow for whoever watched from a distance, waited.
They’d been warned.
The two men’s attention was drawn to the drone circling overhead. He slipped behind the first and thrust a blade into his jugular. The gurgle of blood was music to the raging beast in him, the one that demanded more. He struck the second man, not bothering to catch either as they died where they stood. Too quick. Too painlessly.
“Incoming,” Jacob said. “Fuck! Get down.”
Jud ducked as a concussive boom thundered from overhead. Blue light struck outward like a ball of wicked lightning. It blasted an area toward the fence line. A feminine whoop echoed from overhead. Jesus, the woman was a certifiable loon. “I think she’s got the perimeter handled, bud. Let me know if that changes.”
“Right. Okay.”
He continued, focused on the next four red dots appearing nearby. Another set of six appeared from the same area. “Need drones over in the southwest zone. They’re coming in from over there. Get Bree’s toy focused in that area.”
“Roger.”
A red haze settled over Jud’s vision as he struck the group of four. A momentary flash of reality offered one beat of data—he knew these fuckers, recognized the team leader. Jud thrust a knife into his femoral artery and growled. “Warned you to back off.”
The man’s eyes widened as he fell. One woman managed a kick to his side, but he tossed both knives forward, striking her two teammates as he twisted her neck. The Collective knew better than engage him in hand-to-hand. Idiots.
“HERA’s sounding alarms all over. Bullets. I think we have snipers.” Sounded about right. Jud went around the corner of the building and crouched as the concussive boom of Bree’s toy sounded again. The blue ball shot out, toward the direction Jud had wanted.
Screams filled the air.
“Get more drones out there, give us visuals on what the second string is, bud.”
“Roger.”
Jud plowed through three more operatives. Blood sprayed, bodies fell. Pain radiated from his ribs. Blood oozed from his side.
“Incoming friendlies from your six,” Jacob said. “Marcus and a couple others are moving to help.”
“Get them inside. Guard where you are.”
“Roger.”
Jud worked best alone. Anything with a pulse was a target that way. The only color he saw right now was red. He leaned down and yanked his knives loose, pausing long enough to wipe the blades. Movement from the side drew his focus. He fired off both. Grunts echoed as he moved on. The HERA headset was the perfect companion. It didn’t boss, just offered targets. Locations. Numbers.
He fell into the zone, losing track of time as he hunted. He took a deep breath, inhaled the stench of death. His gut soured. He’d dirtied The Arsenal with his carnage.
“We’d appreciate it if you’d leave one alive for questioning.” Viviana’s voice soothed the raging beast within him.
“No need. They’re Collective, recognized the shady bastard leading them.” He looked around, noting he’d lost track of time along the way. No red dots appeared in his headgear. Blue hovered around and inside the primary building—well away from him.
Drones flitted about around him. It’d been too simple. The Collective had a massive hoard of teams. Why send so few for a six-million-dollar payday? The situation stunk. “We need to sweep the compound, the grounds and at least two miles around. This was too easy.”
“That was easy?” Bree asked into the headset. “I never want to see your definition of bad.”
“We took out the second phase, too, Uncle Jud. Drones aren’t picking up anything.” Jacob’s voice rose with excitement. “They underestimated us. They went against the Quillery Edge and the Judge and got punished. Hard.”
“Rule one of back office is we never celebrate a perceived victory, not when our teams are still in the field. We assess what’s unfolded and predict what could befall them around the corner. It’s not a celebration until everyone’s home and secure.” Viviana’s voice tumbled through the com, calm and almost seductive. Confident and cautious. “Let me know when you’re clear, Jud. Marcus is inbound.”
She knew he wasn’t clear, had likely handled men like him a while. Men who embraced the rage and slipped into the killing zone as easily as taking a breath.
“I’m clear.”
“Head to the visitor parking area. We’ll converge there and assess,” Mary ordered.
“And the teams?”
“We had a complication I’m handling right now,” Viviana replied. “Mary will help you and Jacob with the compound.”
Jud didn’t ask about Danny and the others. He needed to keep Jacob focused, in case the next hammer fell. He stepped over the bodies and made his way toward the designated zone, which was marked with a big, green x in his display. He didn’t bother hiding the smirk when Mary exited the building with his nephew in tow. The kid’s eyes were wider than saucers and he was firing off commentary at a thousand miles an hour. Mary was tapping her handheld tablet. Bree flounced out behind them. Her hair was disheveled as if she’d gone ten rounds with a monster and lost.
“You okay?” Mary asked her.
“Peachy,” the woman replied. “I had a few issues with the new toys, but we worked it out. They’re listening to Mommy now. We’re good.”
Mary’s gaze narrowed, but she didn’t comment.
“It’d be better if we did this debrief inside,” he said.
“Sheriff Patterson’s on his way with his deputies. I’ve also alerted the alphabet soup, but I’m not sure which will show up to slap a classified sticker on our party before Nomad sends their crime squad and collects the bodies.” Mary put a hand on a hip. “You’re a messy one.”
Amusement glimmered in her gaze as it settled on him, then swept downward. “Looks like you need a trip to medical.”
“I’m fine.” For the first time in a long while he realized the words rang true. He was fine. The few hours after a mission were always the roughest, when doubt fed guilt and they chewed away at every move he’d made, every
life taken.
Neither moved in and settled in his gut this time. He’d warned everyone to stay away from Viviana and Mary. They hadn’t listened.
“This isn’t over,” he warned the women.
“No. The war just started.” Mary crossed her arms and looked around. “You’re right. This was too easy.”
“You didn’t even see the fight. Have you seen how many bodies our one-man army here piled up?” Bree asked.
“They would’ve known he would,” Jacob said.
“Vi, I need your eyes on the situation here. Something’s off. You at a holding point?” Mary asked into the headset. “Right, okay. Well I need your eyes on this for two minutes. You’re better at assessing scenarios than me.”
Mary reached over and pushed a button on the side of his headset. Vi’s voice filled his ear.
“One second,” Vi said. “I need you farther away before you blow this, Dallas. You’re too close.”
“She’s a bit busy,” Mary replied. “Okay, so first and second wave were taken out. Drones aren’t picking up a third wave anywhere close. Maybe they’re waiting.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Vi replied into the com. “Dallas, I said farther away, not closer. I’m knocking you aside the head when you get back. So, Jud, I hear you taught Dallas how to use a knife. He’s pretty handy.”
“Pfft, she clearly hasn’t seen your handiwork out here yet,” Mary replied.
Explosions sounded through the com line. Jud’s insides clenched as silence descended.
“I’ll stay here and pick off stragglers,” Dallas said. “Get everyone exfiled from camp three. I’ll rendezvous with them at exfil.”
“Roger,” a voice replied.
“Okay, let’s look at the compound problem,” Vi said. He could almost hear her brilliant mind processing the scenario, running what-ifs. “Call Patterson. Get him and his deputies to back off, stay far away from here.”
“Why?” Jacob asked.
“Because they are the third wave,” Vi said.
