by Cara Carnes
“We have. That’s why we scraped them off and went our own way,” Dallas said. “There’s no excuse for being an asshole. Edge, why are we here?”
“Because as much as we might dislike the operational methods Knightwind uses, they’re the best international spy organization around,” Mary said. “They actually saved a mission Vi and I were running when we first started working at Hive. They warned us off a hotbed we were about to send a team into.”
“Hive was on our radar back then as being a potential threat to international security. They took any assignment if the paycheck was large enough,” Gavin said. “It only took us a few months to realize something had changed, though. They had more success than usual. Then we discovered the reason.”
“The Quillery Edge,” Ram said.
Gavin nodded. “It didn’t take them long to surpass our success and become the true powerhouse for intel gathering. I’m here to repay some of the debt Knightwind owes you both, along with Bree.”
“How does she play into your past?” Marshall asked. “From what Addy has said, we owe your group an ass kicking for how she was treated.”
“Perhaps.” Gavin shrugged. “She signed her contract quickly enough.”
True enough. Back then, she’d been looking at her future through rose-tinted glasses. She’d trusted that elite organizations like Knightwind were good. She didn’t understand operational gray, not back then. “Let’s focus on why you’re here now. Regurgitating the past won’t help.”
“For what it’s worth, I sincerely apologize for my part in what happened.” Gavin’s gaze shifted to concerned. “You’re the reason I agreed to come here. I owe you a larger debt than anyone else. I should’ve had the guts to ignore my orders and help you leave when you wanted. I’m just glad you had someone like the infamous Addison Rugers on your side.”
“Me, too.” Bree swallowed. “Why are you here? Stop stalling and start talking.”
“The Arsenal did a good job subverting the threat to Rhea and stopping the biochemical weapons component of the threat, but there are formidable opponents behind the veil you aren’t ready to take on. No one is.”
“Who?” Vi asked.
“They have no name, not formally. To give them a name gives them life, and they operate so deep within the shadows that they’re never seen,” Gavin said.
“That’s bullshit,” Dallas said.
Ram tightened beside her. “Talking about them isn’t smart.”
“It’s necessary.”
“Are you sure they’re behind this?” Ram asked.
“No, but we have well-placed sources who assure us they’re somehow involved, even if indirectly.” Gavin thumped the table and looked around. “I see Mr. Zapatero has not shared what he knows of them.”
“How the hell do you know his name?” Bree asked.
“Intelligence is my job, and I’m very good at it. I may not know a lot about everyone employed here, but I know enough about the main players,” Gavin replied with a smug grin. “Besides, he and his two friends hit our radar several times before they arrived at The Arsenal.”
Bree didn’t like Gavin knowing anything about her friends.
“He’s shared what we needed to know,” Mary said. “Quillery and I know his history. No one else needs to.”
Damn. Bree understood most of the elite operatives working at The Arsenal had shady pasts. Heck, any good commando would because wars were often fought in the shadows, where the civilian population never saw the real battles. She’d suspected there was more lurking behind Ram and his two friends than most of the other commandos. What the heck was it, though?
“You’re okay not knowing?” Gavin looked over at Marshall.
“I trust Edge and Quillery to run Operations for a reason. I don’t need all the minutia of my operatives’ pasts. I trust them to give me what I need to know and no more,” Marshall said. “My men and women deserve what privacy I can give them.”
“That’s an admirable stance, but might get you and your teams killed.”
“You should know better,” Mary warned. “We wouldn’t let that happen. Give us what we need to know.”
“As you know, Knightwind focus on information gathering, as does the mythical group we’re mentioning. Our objectives have clashed on more than a few occasions. None have ended well for us.” Gavin’s expression turned solemn. “When my boss realized you were about to clash with them, he sent me here with a warning and an offer.”
“So don’t go against them is the warning,” Zoey said. “What’s the offer?”
“We have multiple resources deep within the U.S. government,” Gavin said. “Most have been undercover for years, working their way into the various cliques. We’re prepared to use those resources to find those you seek.”
“Why?” Vi asked.
“You’d be a powerful ally,” Gavin said. “Our objectives are not that different. We could both gain significant ground working with one another in the future. Consider this an olive branch, a test of what we could do together.”
“I’d like to rewind and chat about this mysterious group we’re up against. Is this another screwed up version of The Collective?” Dallas asked.
“Table that discussion,” Ram said. “Not now.”
“Agreed,” Mary said quickly. “While your offer is very thoughtful and perhaps in both of our best interests, I’m not sure The Arsenal is prepared to ally itself with anyone. I’m sure you understand where we’re coming from. We’ve spent a lot of time and resources taking out more than a few powerful organizations. We don’t trust anyone at this point.”
“You have done more in your short life as an elite organization than Knightwind has in decades,” Gavin said. “You’ve become the bar we must all aspire to hit. The new leaders of Knightwind recognize that and are prepared to overhaul their approach for future missions, but that will require your assistance.”
“How so?” Vi asked.
“We lack the advanced tech you have,” Gavin said. “Ours is good, but nothing compared to HERA. If we ramp up our endeavors, we’d need your assistance with information.”
“You’re information powerhouses. You said that earlier,” Bree said.
“Yes, but it’s old school,” Mary said. “They likely have significant delays between data obtainment and disbursement. A few hours or days could translate to immediate mission failure.”
“The older the intel, the deader the team,” Nolan surmised.
“So you want us to agree to an alliance in exchange for a one-time assistance with our current issue,” Marshall said.
“We wouldn’t expect an agreement. Our assistance with your current problem is a gift,” Gavin said. “No strings attached.”
“Bullshit,” Bree said. There was always a string. “What are you really wanting for this? Forget the so-called alliance and all the pretty promises you’re throwing at the wall. It’s not going to stick. What. Are. You. After?” She punctuated every word of the question and willed her breathing to calm.
Ram ran his hand down her back. “Talk it out with us, Bree. You know them better than we do.”
“There’s always a string. A condition. My work was supposed to be a quick, one-month assignment, but they dragged it out, adding parameters that were supposedly integral to my original objective. A month turned into two. Then three. On and on.” She glanced at Addy. “I got a coded message to Addy four months into my so-called one-month contract and begged her to get me out.”
“I don’t know this prick, but whoever’s running Knightwind isn’t trustworthy,” Addy said. “Not based on what we saw when I was extracting Bree.”
“We have a new owner, someone who’s worked hard since then to put Knightwind back on the right path,” Gavin said. “It doesn’t excuse what happened back then, but I assure you we have changed.”
“None of that matters,” Jesse said. “Not now. Answer Bree’s question. What are you after in exchange for your help with our issue? What will th
ose assets you have cost us?”
Gavin’s jaw twitched. “Nothing. If you don’t wish to assist with our request, it won’t be an issue.”
“But there is a request,” Bree said. She shook her head. “You’re talking out of both sides of your mouth and contradicting yourself.”
“When we came under new ownership, there was a significant civil war of sorts within our organization. Some high-up leaders who were about to be terminated betrayed Knightwind,” Gavin said. “Their inside intel gave what our enemy needed to take over a detainment facility we ran.”
Bree held her breath. No. Hell no. She shook her head and focused on the table. She didn’t want to think about that horrible place, the one she’d been forced to make impenetrable. God, this was not happening.
“You want our help to get it back,” Vi said. “Why would we be able to do that if you can’t?”
“We have focused on the informational side of the arena while you’ve already made yourselves known as being formidable in all aspects,” Gavin said. “Only one operative has ever broken into that facility and extracted someone. I have it on good authority she’s now an Arsenal employee.”
Mia. It had to be Mia. Right? Or Addy. No, they would have known if Addy broke into that vile place. She’d gotten Bree out of Knightwind after she’d left that facility.
As if reading her mind, Addy said, “I didn’t break into any detention facility.”
“No. You didn’t.” So it was Mia they were talking about. Damn.
The private paramilitary arena was small. Everyone knew everyone else. Bree had accepted that long ago, but all these horrible pathways converging left her wishing she’d stayed at Grams’ cabin.
“And all the impenetrable defenses of this facility were created by Bree,” Gavin said. “If anyone can break them, it’ll be The Arsenal and whatever tech she’s created for you.”
Damn. Damn. Damn. She hadn’t wanted anyone to know about the work she’d done for Knightwind. Addy hadn’t ever asked. Neither had Mary, Vi, or Rhea.
“No,” Addy said quickly. “She’s not working with you ever again. I’ll personally hunt every last one of you down before that happens.”
That’s why Bree loved Addy. She was the protective big sister. Okay, she was apparently younger than Bree, but still. Vi shut her laptop and glanced at Mary, who shook her head.
“This is your call, Bree,” Mary said.
“How do we know your assets are who we need?” Bree asked. Focusing on The Arsenal’s mission to find the financial backers behind Carlisle Industries kept her brain from spiraling. “We need proof you can help.”
“Fair enough.” Gavin pulled out a thumb drive and tossed it to Vi. “That should be a good start. You’ve been looking into the secretary of defense. We’ve been unable to figure out exactly what is happening with him, but we suspect he’s in trouble. That’s surveillance footage from the past week, taken within his home and office—both of which you’ve been unable to get coverage of so far. No one can.”
The large overhead screens along the walls came to life, as did the monitors on the table’s surface. Images of a bald man with Bob filled the screens.
“We’ve been unable to identify him, but this man has become a daily part of his routine. Our asset only sees the secretary of defense a couple times a day, but this individual is with him often, yet is not part of his official entourage.” Gavin motioned toward the screen. “We suspect your HERA system will find his identity even though we’ve failed to do so.”
“So a test within a gift,” Zoey muttered. She, Vi, and Mary all typed away on their laptops.
Bree heard the distinctive chime of an identity match through the room’s speakers, but no visual appeared. She smiled. They weren’t sharing that HERA had already found out who the asshole with Bob was.
“Will that suffice as proof?” Gavin asked.
“Perhaps,” Mary said. “It’s up to Bree.”
“If we agree to this, Edge and Quillery command your assets. They are solely within their operational governance while this operation takes place,” Bree said. “We will allow one Knight asset to work with our teams, but The Arsenal will have full control of the mission.”
“That’s preposterous,” Gavin argued.
“Take it or leave it,” Vi said. “What else, Bree?”
Damn. They wanted more. Okay… She took a deep breath. “We have full access to your databases, both those online and those tucked away while we’re working together on this mission. In exchange, we will agree to run facial recognitions through HERA for you, but no more than six. That will include locating the targets, if we choose to do so. We’ll require the full mission debrief on why you’re seeking them, though, since we don’t trust your moral code.”
“If they even have one,” Addy muttered.
Mary grinned.
“In exchange for this mutual cooperation,” Bree said with another deep breath after, “we will review your mission file on Facility Six. Full disclosure on your objective and who you are specifically wanting to extract will be required. We make no promise to assist, but we will review the material you provide, and I will make recommendations on approach regardless of The Arsenal’s decision.”
“Add in recommendations from the operative who’s been successful, and I can make this work with my superiors,” Gavin said. “When did you become such a ballbuster?”
“When you chained me to a wall and told me my work wasn’t done until your bosses said it was,” Bree shot back.
“What the fuck?” Ram stood.
“Sit down,” Gage ordered. He glared across the table. “There’s a room across the hall. Make your call to the people with the balls to make a decision before we change our mind.”
5
He chained her to a wall. Ram glared at the door where Gavin had departed and willed himself to remain with Bree. “This is bullshit.”
“It is,” Gage agreed. “What’s everyone thinking beyond that?”
“Their intelligence gathering abilities is what inspired Vi and I to broaden HERA’s initial designs,” Mary said. “We hadn’t contemplated linking to every database in the world and doing instantaneous facial recognitions and information analysis until we heard about Knightwind and what they did.”
“Even though their technology is way, way behind,” Vi said. “They have assets deployed everywhere, though. If anyone has an in with the higher-ups we need, it’ll be them.”
“Do we want to rattle that cage, though?” Dallas asked. His gaze settled on Ram. “I’ve been in the deep with The Collective. If there’s even a slight chance we stir the waters of this third party we aren’t talking about, I think Ram should have a bigger say on this.”
Fuck. “What he said was true. They have no official name, but everyone refers to them as Probus. It’s a bullshit name. The organization has run for centuries, with leadership within its group passed from generation to generation. Most are forced into the positions through familial duty and honor.”
“And torture and manipulation. Threats,” Doug added. Intensity resonated within his gaze. “You got out, man. Nothing is worth getting back on their radar. If there’s even a slight chance, it’s not worth the risk.”
But it was if it got Bree and the other women safe. Finding whoever was behind Carlisle Industries would eliminate the threats against them and the brilliant tech they’d designed. They’d be safe because The Arsenal would have proven they would take out any threat against them.
“How many of these covert groups exist? It’s mentally exhausting to keep up with this web of bullshit,” Zoey said. She rubbed her temples.
“There are thousands,” Mary said. “We’ll likely never run across anyone else of importance. Knightwind and Probus are the only two I’d be concerned with other than the ones we’ve already taken out.”
“So, what’s the plan?” Nolan asked.
“Bree?” Vi asked. “Talk to us. You did great, by the way. You put more on the tabl
e than I would have, to be honest.”
“I figured you’d want access to their uber secret databases,” Bree said. “I’m more worried about Ram and this other group, Probus. How big of a threat are they?”
“To us? Not much,” Ram said. “They’re manipulators. They are the puppet masters behind political leaders and world governments. Crime syndicates. If someone has power, it’s because they have either blessed it or made it happen. It’s all about their perception of power and balance. They supposedly work for the betterment of all of mankind, but the ancient objectives got skewed by their own thirst for power.”
“Okay, so they’re the puppet masters behind some of this government’s leaders, which means we’ll cross paths with them when we start hunting,” Zoey said. “Is it worth the risk?”
Silence descended as everyone looked at Ram. Fuck. “They can’t touch me. I’m protected.” Or should be.
“Are you sure?” Pierce asked. “You never told Doug and me how you finally got out.”
“I’ll explain this once, but I’d appreciate it if we never discuss it again,” Ram said. “My family has been part of that group since its inception. My mother and father are both high up in the Spanish government. They assumed I’d take the reins. They were wrong.”
“How did you get out?” Gage asked.
“Attempts to run away only ended with me being dragged back and punished. Assimilated again,” Ram said. “I finally got smart enough to play the part. They dispatched me into field operations, intelligence gathering. That’s how I met Doug and Pierce the first time. I was seventeen. We struck up a friendship. They’d both just enlisted in the military and were stationed nearby.”
“It went that way for a couple of years. We’d see him on occasion, but not often,” Doug added.
“I turned the intelligence gathering against my parents,” Ram said. “That’s how I got out. I gathered enough about them and other leaders and their greedy maneuvers, actions that countermanded what the organization supposedly stood for.”
“So you blackmailed your way out,” Addy said.
