by Cara Carnes
“Kamren is Dallas’s wife?”
“And a natural shooter.” Admiration filled Addy’s words. “Once you have a target identified, a green arrow will appear for the kill shot. It’s marked with triangles. Yellow squares indicate a non-lethal shot.”
“You sure you’re up for sniper position?” Lexi asked.
“It makes sense for me to take it. I haven’t trained with the teams aside from the op we did in Russia. I’d be more of a hindrance than an asset,” Kristof admitted. He had no problem admitting he was the weakest of the makeshift team around him.
Raul and his team would arrive eventually, but Addy expected trouble before their arrival, which meant it was up to him, Addy, Levi, and Lexi to help extract Spade and whatever mysterious person he may or may not have with him.
Unease crawled beneath Kristof’s skin. Addy did this sort of op all the time. While he admired The Arsenal’s incredible teamwork and perfection-level skillsets, he couldn’t help but worry about the woman he…loved.
Kristof cleared his throat and let the word roll around in his brain a couple moments. Yeah, he’d come to the conclusion easily days earlier. He was in love with Addison Rugers and would do anything to keep her safe and happy—even if it meant he worried. The work she did with her team was important to her and those their organization helped. He wouldn’t ever stand in the way of her passion, which meant he needed to either find a way to stand on the sidelines and cheer her on or man up and work his way onto a team.
Or work for Jud.
Drones flitted back and forth within the scope’s visual field. Beeps and clicks sounded on the com in his ear, but so far no one in the Operations area at the compound had spoken. Tension filled the awkward silence around him.
“Movement in the southeast, fifty yards from the house,” Mary said. “Sending drones to intercept. Move in.”
Addy pushed a button on her wrist apparatus. She, Levi, and Lexi sprinted from their makeshift blinds beside him and made their way toward the house. Levi went left while Lexi and Addy went right. When the two women were nearer the house, Addy went farther right, which meant she’d likely intercept whoever was approaching the house first.
“Kristof, it’s Bree,” a voice sounded in his com. “I know you’re new to the tech, so I figured I’d mentioned a few things that the others may not have. If you hit the red square on your wrist apparatus, it’ll activate the automation I programmed into the scope. That’ll give HERA permission to assess the targets based on the other data coming in from the field.”
“Okay.” Kristof clicked the button, then looked through the scope. Green replaced Addy, Levi, and Lexi as they made their way toward the house. Two yellow body-shaped masses appeared within range, but farther back.
Nighttime swallowed what little daylight remained as the three Arsenal operatives made their way toward the other two bodies. He swept the scope toward where the two unknown persons likely came from. Red blobs appeared in the scope.
“Good work,” Jesse said in the com. “Confirmation of unknown targets two thousand meters out and closing in fast.”
Kristof’s pulse quickened as the need to move closer consumed him. Blue dots swirled near Addy and Lexi then darted out. Drones.
More red appeared.
“We need you to get closer and circle around those red indicators,” Edge said, her voice calm.
“Roger.” Kristof stood and made his way through the thick wooded area. He kept the rifle aimed forward but relied on the headset visor instead as an arrowed path appeared. “You have some seriously cool tech.”
“We try,” Zoey said. “I’m not liking this whole waiting-in-the-van thing.”
“You’re the getaway driver,” Cord said. “Standby. You may need to drive closer if this goes sideways.”
Sideways was an understatement. Kristof counted the sea of red blobs. Twelve, perhaps more. Several appeared larger than the others, which likely meant more than one person. How many could the drones take down?
He wouldn’t let any of them get near Addy.
His breathing sounded in his ears as he sprinted toward them. When he was close enough for the shapes in his visor to turn bright red, he found a position behind a large tree and switched the visual to the rifle’s scope.
“In position,” he whispered.
Drones appeared beside him. “Confirmed. You’re clear to fire.”
Respect filled him. They trusted him to draw the enemy’s fire away from who he assumed was Spade and the mystery passenger. And away from Addy and her makeshift team. Aiming at the target nearest to Spade, he waited until the green arrow flashed. Fired.
Aimed.
Fired.
Kristof breathed through each shot as he’d been trained and didn’t waste time confirming if the shot killed. He rarely missed with a regular rifle, and the one he’d borrowed from The Arsenal could almost do the job without him.
The awkward silence on the com unsettled him, but he had to trust Operations to feed him what he needed to know. Addy had explained that he wouldn’t hear everything going on. He’d know what was necessary to keep him focused on his part of the mission.
When the last red target in the scope fell, he took a full breath and clicked the green button on the wrist apparatus.
Objective complete.
“Great job,” Edge said. “You’ve got a new set of coordinates. There’s a secondary strike team in play from the northwest. They have intercepted our team and our extraction target.”
Damn.
Kristof headed that direction. Thankful for the visor’s nighttime mode, he vaulted over downed trees and navigated his way toward the all-out war ahead of him. Gunfire echoed within the wooded area. Labored breaths sounded in his ears as he sped up.
Maybe Maksim was right. He needed a better cardio routine.
“You’re close enough,” Jesse said in the com. “Get into position.”
Kristof didn’t hesitate. He fell to his belly and pulled the rifle into position. Green blurred in front and around some of the red blobs. The yellow… Shock rolled through him at the speed of one of the yellow bodies. Its position moved so rapidly the scope barely kept track.
“This isn’t going to work,” he commented. “Clean shots aren’t going to be possible.”
“Agreed,” Edge said.
“I’m going in,” Kristof said.
“Agreed,” Edge said.
A woman of few words. Kristof chuckled and secured the rifle into position along his back. He wasn’t about to leave something that high-tech in the wilderness unsecured. He drew the Sig Sauer and moved in.
Gunfire echoed from the north. Levi crouched behind a large tree and fired at three targets behind a large boulder. Lexi fought with two enemies but seemed to be holding her own. Addy…
His Addy was powering through a group of three.
Although he wanted to help her, he knew he needed to help secure Spade and his companion, which meant moving past Levi and drawing the enemies’ fire toward him so that the yellow bodies between Levi and the enemy could move into a more secured location.
Kristof assessed the area, then slid into the wilderness to Levi’s right. A drone flitted beside him, then darted forward. Green arrows appeared in his visor. He quickened his pace, then halted when he approached the two extractions.
The man cursed as he stood. His right knee buckled a moment, but he maintained a fighting stance. “This isn’t a fight you want. Leave us be and you’ll live. My team’s here. My real team.”
Kristof chuckled. “You’re Spade, I assume.”
The man tightened. “Who the fuck are you? Wait. You were there at the Russia compound.”
“I was. I’m Kristof. Addy and I were in the area. Levi and Lexi are here too. Let’s go.”
Spade scowled. He leaned down and helped the woman up. The visor view shifted so their faces were visible despite the darkening area around them. Blood covered both their faces. Both of them favored a leg.
&
nbsp; “Get them back down. The targets are moving in on your position,” Edge said.
Fuck. “Get down. Incoming. Get ready to run. I’ll cover you.”
“Like hell you will,” the woman growled. She closed the distance and drew the KBAR from his pocket. Then she drew his second weapon and handed it to Spade. “Can you shoot?”
“Fuck you,” Spade said. “Jesus, you’re a piece of work, woman. I save your fucking life and you’ve been nothing but spitfire attitude.”
“Shut up and shoot,” she ordered.
Kristof shook his head and shifted to the rifle. Red targets ran forward. He aimed and fired.
Missed.
Damn.
“Trust the tech, Lavrov,” Bree said in his com. “Aim ahead of your targets. HERA will predict where they’ll land and give you a firing solution. Not all will hit, but some will and that’s all we need.”
Kristof obeyed without comment as he crouched in front of Spade and the woman. Both remained still, their gazes on where he aimed. He focused his breathing and aimed.
A green arrow appeared. He fired. Then another. And another.
He chased the red targets as they darted behind a cluster of trees. He aimed. Yellow squares appeared. Fuck.
He shot anyway.
Three blue balls appeared in his scope. Drones.
The red targets fell.
Kristof stood and turned. He looked down to where Spade and the woman were and found emptiness. “Where the hell did they go?”
“Apparently our extractions want to fight,” Jesse said. “Return to the team’s position. All targets are down.”
Kristof tromped through the wilderness and approached the team. Levi, Lexi, and Addy looked around as Spade and the woman stood within their makeshift circle.
“We’re clear,” Edge said. “Pack everything up and move to the extraction point.”
“Roger,” Addy said.
She removed her headset. Lexi and Levi followed suit. Kristof followed their lead. Levi tossed his to his sister and hugged Spade. The two men clapped each other on the back hard a few times, then separated.
“Fuck, I’m glad to see y’all,” Spade said. “I didn’t think Z would get anyone here that fast.”
“You were lucky we were nearby on another gig,” Addy said. She hugged Spade, then pulled away and focused on the woman who watched everything without moving.
Unease moved through Kristof when he noted the woman’s focus, the way she kept her gaze darting between them all. KBAR at her side, she remained alert. Ready.
Dried blood caked the side of her mouth. Her left eye was partially swollen shut. Long black hair hung loosely from what’d once been a braid. She was short, likely five-three at the tallest. Small.
“You’re the one who helped us at the bunker,” Addy said as she approached. “I’m Addy Rugers. Arsenal.”
“I know,” the woman said, her voice low. “Your team helped my sister, so I returned the favor. Now I owe you again.”
“That’s not how we operate,” Levi said. “Reciprocity isn’t our motto.”
“It’s mine,” the woman growled.
“Let’s move out to the van,” Kristof said. “We can figure the rest out when we get there. I don’t want to leave Z alone any longer than necessary, and I’d rather not run into anymore assholes.”
Addy chuckled.
“You’re going to fit in just right,” Lexi said. “Man’s got a point. Let’s move out.”
Addy leaned back against the van’s seat and expended a relieved breath. Kristof had not only held his own but had done extremely well. Relieved that he was as trained as he’d promised, she waited until the vehicle was in motion along the highway to speak.
“You kicked ass,” she whispered.
“You kicked more,” he said with a chuckle.
“Jesus. I’m gone for a few weeks and Red’s hooked up,” Spade said. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Kristof Lavrov.” Kristof glanced over his shoulder to where Spade sat. “And I believe Addy doesn’t like that nickname. Only her team calls her that.”
Levi laughed.
The woman beside Addy tensed.
“I’m thinking it’s time for some introductions,” Addy said. “Who are you?”
“Mia,” Zoey answered. “You’re Angie’s sister, right?”
“I am.” The woman’s chin lifted. “Father said she is well, thanks to you and Counterstrike.”
“She’s been worried about you,” Addy said. “I’m assuming you’re done with whoever your previous employer was.”
“She was tied to Mandrake,” Spade said. “Got in a bit of trouble from what I gathered. They didn’t appreciate her showing back up without the interrogator. It took me a few days to return to headquarters, so they’d had her a couple days before I could intervene. I wanted to gather more intel before I squirted.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t land out in a cell right beside her,” Levi said from the passenger’s seat.
“I made my escape look reasonable.”
“Yeah, Jesse and the others aren’t too happy with you,” Addy said.
“I’m really not happy,” Zoey said from the driver’s seat. “You stabbed and shot yourself. What the hell were you thinking?”
“That I needed to be way more damaged than I was if they were going to believe I escaped The Arsenal,” Spade said with a laugh. “I only needed to buy enough time to dump what I’d pulled from their main system for Z.”
“Anything we should know?”
“They have an abscess in the main Mandrake, but we’ve excised most of it. The main guy has no clue what these assholes have been up to. They’ve expanded so much he has no clue what the hell is going on within his own operation.” Disgust filled Spade’s voice. “It’s fucking sad.”
Addy suspected there’d be more to the data than that. She was more interested in what Mia had been doing for Mandrake and what she had to say. Relieved that everything was handled for now, she rested her head against Kristof’s shoulder and took his hand.
“You did good today.”
“So you said.” Kristof roped an arm around her shoulder. “I have to admit that after I got over my initial fear for you, I enjoyed it. You have some very slick toys.”
“We do.” Addy closed her eyes. “Think you’ll want to be on a team?”
“Not sure. Jud’s offer may be more my style,” he admitted.
“That works too.” Addy looked up at him and smiled when he threaded his fingers in her hair. “We’ve got time to figure it out.”
Early morning debriefs were a serious pain in the ass. Addy inhaled another sip of coffee and stretched the soreness from her muscles. She’d spent most of the night with Kristof. They’d showered and had the most incredible sex of her life.
Then they’d eaten with Olaf and laughed.
Then Kristof had dragged her to his room and made love to her. All. Night.
Yeah, that was a routine Addy could definitely get used to. A smile overtook her whenever she thought about him. Their time at her sanctuary cabin had been almost as magical as the time they’d shared in Russia. She anticipated many retreats to the Hill Country hideaway in her future. She entered the whiteboard room and angled toward her usual position along the wall.
Wait.
She froze, glaring at the occupants. No testosterone present.
“What is this?” Addy looked around at Mary, Vi, Zoey, Bree, Rhea, Kamren, Ellie, and Riley. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s okay,” Bree said. She patted the seat beside her. “Sit. You already know most of this.”
Damn. She’d been so caught up in Kristof she hadn’t checked on Bree when they’d returned.
“So, I know some of you have been worried about me,” Bree whispered. “And I’m sorry I haven’t been very open to hearing all that. I am now. I mean, I kind of have some troubles I need to work through.”
“Bree.” Zoey hugged her. “We’re here for you. Whatever you
need.”
“Do you want to tell us what’s wrong?” Ellie asked.
Bree glanced over at Addy. Hesitation and fear reflected in her gaze. “Addy, can you…”
Addy leaned forward and set her cup down. Attention shifted to her. She caught Mary’s gaze. Concern and awareness resided within her calm demeanor. Sinclair had likely shared enough with Mary for her to get the gist of Bree’s trouble. Heck, did Addy even know?
“We’ve all been worried about Bree for a while now,” Addy started. “We’ve all been through a lot since we came here. Everyone’s been impacted by a quite a few blows and we’ve all kind of dealt with it in our own way. I think Bree’s starting to see she needs some help finding a better way to cope with her anxiety and the impact of everything since we’ve gotten here.”
“Are you okay?” Zoey asked, her voice low with concern.
“I’m going to be okay,” Bree said. “I’m sure you all know I kind of go to extremes whenever I get something in my head. I was really scared and freaked out when we first got here. I mean, Mary had been taken. And hurt.”
Bree hesitated, flashing a worried look to Mary. “Then Vi’s stuff happened, and the compound was attacked. Like, I didn’t even think an alien invasion would be that scary.”
“But you helped us get through that,” Vi said.
“Yeah, but clearly I caused just as much trouble as I prevented because I’d sort of underestimated the boom of my new baby, you know?” Bree shrugged. “I got more determined and worried about doing my part around here. Finding my niche.”
“Then my problems started,” Kamren said. “Then Zoey’s.”
“Things kind of snowballed in my brain when Z—” Bree halted and forced a deep breath as tears formed in her gaze. “You were so damned strong and brave. And when I saw what those assholes did to you and what all you went through after, I knew that if it ever h-happened to me I…”
“Bree.” Rhea moved from her seat and wrapped her arms around Bree from behind. “Honey, you aren’t alone. You should’ve talked to us about this.”
“I know. I just…I didn’t want to worry anyone. I didn’t realize how deep I was getting into my head until…” She glanced over at Addy. “Addy sort of set me straight and made me realize I needed some help. So, I went to Doctor Sinclair and chatted.”
