by Cara Carnes
“Miniature drones like we’ve used before, armed with sleepers,” Bree said. “Why?”
Ram followed Spade’s thoughts, or hoped he did. “Can we use the skins from the micro drones on these and leave one in position in here?”
“You’ll need to cover it with two, maybe three since the blue case drones are larger, but yes. They’d work. The skins stretch enough to accommodate them.”
“Great idea, Spade,” Gage said. He and Ram made quick work of getting the skins on the defensive drone. Ram hoped to hell The Arsenal would get the woman out quickly. The fact she hadn’t stirred despite their presence indicated she was probably drugged. Anger chewed his insides as they slipped out of the room and made their way down the stairwell and out of the house.
Gage detoured around the side and to the small building beside the massive home. Gardening equipment and other tools filled the area. They put a drone into place, then exited.
“Exterior drones are in position along the front and east side,” Doug said.
“West and back are covered as well,” Spade added.
“Move out,” Edge ordered.
“We have miniature drones on the exterior of surrounding houses,” Levi said. “Just in case.”
“Good idea,” Jesse said.
None of that got the woman out of the cage, though. Ram hoped she wouldn’t be in there long. The need for answers had just hit critical.
Five minutes later, they were in an SUV and heading back toward the small airstrip outside of town.
“Fuck.” Gage yanked his headgear off. “Moments like that make me hate what we do.”
“And love it in equal measure,” Ram added. “We’ve gotta trust Operations. We did our part.”
“Not enough,” Pierce growled.
“Curveballs like that suck,” Spade said. “But Ram’s right. Operations will do right by her when we have what they need. We don’t know enough to safely extract her.”
“You couldn’t even get enough for facial recognition to work without alerting her to your presence,” Pierce said.
“The drones will get it,” Bree whispered. “I know they will. You helped her. It doesn’t feel like that now because having to leave was horrible, but Mary is right. As disgusting as it is, leaving her there was safer than getting her out right now.”
Her words were met with silence as Ram and everyone in the SUV reconciled themselves to what they’d just done. He’d done far worse in the past, but he knew what had just happened would haunt them all until the woman was safe. Free.
“Come home. We’ll figure this out,” Bree said.
“Thanks, sweetheart. We needed to hear that,” Ram said. Thanks to her, they had eyes and ears into Bob’s house and office. They were closer to answers. He just hoped what they found out would help.
Damn. Bree pulled the com out of her ear and tossed it on the table. She leaned forward and willed her riotous stomach to behave. Puking wasn’t an option, not now.
“That sucked,” Zoey said into the thickening silence.
It had. Bree had been a bit surprised to find out Spade was with Gage’s team, but she couldn’t help but be relieved. He seemed to fit in well. Thank goodness he had asked about the miniatures. While they were larger than the micro drones, they also had more power, and therefore had more things they could do—which meant Gage and Ram had left an offensive weapon in the room with the woman.
The Arsenal could defend her if necessary. Bree hoped it was enough. It had to be. For now.
“Those drones are our priority until we’ve identified her.” Anger bled into Mary’s words. She’d been calm and determined with Gage’s team, but Bree noted the woman’s emotional thunderstorm rolling in.
She’d been that woman. What if Dylan and The Arsenal hadn’t swept in and saved her? What if they’d walked out and left her there? Shit.
Bree pulled out her cell and typed out a message.
Bree: Bad shit just went down with the op. Mary needs you.
There was no immediate response, but she knew Dylan would be on his way.
Bree: We had to leave a woman caged in Bob’s house. FYI.
Jesse squeezed her shoulder. She glanced up as he mouthed “thank you” and left the room. Fuck. That’d been him, too. She repeated the message to Ellie but left out the details she’d shared with Dylan because Jesse would share what he needed to. He wouldn’t want her knowing the gritty specifics. Should she message Jud as well? Yep. She added the details to his because, seriously, the man was a former assassin. He’d seen way worse than that.
Her friends had loving people in their orbit now, constant presences who kept their dark away and helped them work through whatever horrible nightmare they’d just experienced. They’d always been there for one another, but Bree knew what Mary had with Dylan, Jesse with Ellie, and Vi with Jud transcended that bond.
She wanted that. Someone to whisper her secrets to as he held her. Someone who’d chase away the nightmares. Squeezing her eyes shut, she vowed to be there for Ram however she could. No one had expected what they’d found in Bob’s house.
She made her way toward the cottage she apparently now shared with Mia and hoped the dark creeping into her thoughts would go away. Could she have done more to help the woman? Could the team have saved her tonight? Should they have?
Mia’s gaze narrowed when Bree entered. Curled up on the sofa, the woman sat up. “You look like someone just killed the puppies.”
“It was worse. Trust me, way worse.” Bree froze. “Wait. I thought you were on Levi’s team. Why weren’t you with them?”
“Because I was temporarily assigned on a solo mission to shadow Gavin. Care to share any pertinent details?”
“He’s an asshole.” Bree plopped down in the chair. “I guess that’s why Jesse asked for a few extra micro drones.”
“Yep. They’re all in place, and I’ve cloned his phone. I’m hitting his laptop tomorrow while he’s in a meeting with Mary and Vi.” Mia motioned toward a bottle of vodka. “I don’t drink often, but figured I’d partake tonight. Do you want one?”
“No, though I need an entire bottle.”
“What happened?”
“Everything went perfectly until Gage and Ram got to the third floor and found a woman in a freaking cage.” Like an animal. Anger chewed Bree’s insides. “Mary ordered them to leave her.”
“Tough call,” Mia commented. “The right one, but it sucks.”
“It does. They put drones in the room, along with a small defensive one they used the skins off the micro drones to mask. I hope it won’t be needed, but at least it’s something.” Not enough, but it’d have to do. “How do you deal with this stuff?”
“Everyone finds their own method. Some opt for fighting and fucking. Others drink.”
“And you?” What did Ram do?
“I’ll show you one day, but not tonight.” Mia leaned forward. “I heard Addy’s been teaching you martial arts.”
“Yeah, she was until I went away. I’m hoping she’ll have time to keep it up.”
“She’s focused on self-defense?”
Bree nodded. “She said it was smarter to hit hard then retreat.”
“It is.” Mia took a sip of her drink. “She’s good. Very good. Our styles differ, though. If you want, I’ll show you a few more…aggressive moves.”
Bree blinked. Mia was a certified ninja. She’d overheard Mary and Vi saying she was more lethal than anyone else at The Arsenal, which in itself was astounding. “Seriously?”
“Yep, though we should probably keep it to ourselves. You’re Addy’s and I’m not encroaching on her turf.” She took another sip. “But sometimes a situation demands more than self-defense, and I’d rather give you the tools you’ll need just in case.”
“What sort of tools?” Bree’s curiosity awakened.
Mia shrugged. “The lethal kind.”
Holy cow. She blinked as the statement settled in her brain. “Yes! Are you for real?”
“Yep. I know
Dallas spread the message far and wide to keep you away from the weapons. The Masons mean well in protecting you from field training. That’s not your world, but you do delve into it for all of us. It’s only fair you learn what you want.”
Bree agreed, even though the reasonable side of her realized Dallas was right. She had no business firing automatic weapons or blowing things up apart from her enhancements of said weapons. She didn’t need to know how to use them to do that, though. “I don’t want to be a commando. I know that’s not for me, but I…” She swallowed. “I feel out of control sometimes. I thought knowing more would fix that.”
“It might. Then again, it might exacerbate whatever is making you feel out of control. That’s more Sinclair’s ground than mine. I agree with Dallas on the guns, though, so I’ll show you how to take someone out if they’re in your personal space. Hand-to-hand and maybe knives.”
“Kamren said she’d show me knives, but she’s so busy.”
“I heard she was damned good with them and guns.”
“She’s amazing. I should show you the HERA footage from the one versus one hundred battle we did. We dragged her out of bed early in the morning. The commandos had just gotten started with their training.” Bree smiled as the memories assailed her. “The thing was, Mary and Vi were both pretty annoyed because the operatives had gotten lax with their security. Most didn’t carry their weapons around the compound. They lacked situational readiness and awareness. That’s what Mary said.”
“Oh boy.” Mia set her drink down. “What did she do?”
“She activated our secret weapon. Kamren.” Bree laughed. “She was in her jammies. We dragged her up to the roof of the building, and I gave her an automatic rifle that shot paintballs. It was perfect. She killed everyone. Only one gave her trouble. I’d screwed up and forgotten that Marcus had been upgraded to a team leader and was way better than we’d initially realized.”
Mia chuckled. “It’s the quiet ones you have to worry about. I definitely want to see that footage.”
“Oh! And the one of when she first came to The Arsenal.”
“Now that I’ve seen. Dallas showed it to me.” Mia grinned. “It was brilliant. I doubt I could’ve taken that shot.”
“Many have tried and failed. Before she was preggo, they used her to cull the mass of applicants. If they couldn’t shoot as good as her, they were tossed.”
“I bet it also gave them a good indication if they’d be okay with working with women. Surprisingly, many aren’t.” Mia shook her head. “You’ve got a solid crew here. You’re a huge part of that. I can’t tell you how many operatives whisper about you. How incredible your drones and weapons are. I bet you don’t hear much of that.”
“I don’t.” Knowing the operatives she worked hard to help protect respected her work was huge. “Thanks for telling me. How are you acclimating?”
“You’re the first to ask, aside from Levi. I figure he has to ask since he’s technically my team leader right now.” Mia cracked her knuckles. “It’s been…interesting. Most operatives steer clear, likely because they’re still figuring me out. There are more gaps in my operational history than they prefer.”
“It’s not their business. Operations knows what they need to. Some of the commandos need to grow the hell up. I mean, look at Spade.”
“What about him?” She leaned forward again.
“He’s…having issues. Some of his team doesn’t want him around anymore because he should’ve told them what he planned.”
“That’s not how black-in-black works.” Mia shook her head. “Fallon needs to know if he doesn’t already. Most of his team should be culled. They aren’t Arsenal quality when it comes to team dynamics.”
Bree agreed, but it wasn’t her business. “I was going to talk to Jesse about it, but then I figured I should talk to someone else.”
“Like Ram?” Mia teased.
“Maybe.” Heat crept up her cheeks. “He’d have good insight into the operative side.”
“He would. So would the hundred others you could chat with.” Mia grinned. “You two are cute together, the way you circle one another like you aren’t sure which is the prey. So adorable.”
Bree narrowed her gaze. “We aren’t chatting about Ram. As for the whole Spade issue, I think it’s already being handled. He’s somehow on Gage’s team now. Gage mentioned something about Ram spotting the problem.”
“So cute. Your whole face lights up when you talk about Ram.”
Heat filled her cheeks. “He’s got enough shit to deal with after tonight. He doesn’t deserve to be picked apart.”
“You should go and wait for him. The Triple Threat are a force within themselves, extremely tight. Anytime they have a mission that hits them hard, they retreat to their supposedly secret man cave.”
“Supposedly secret man cave? I didn’t know they had one.”
Mia shrugged. “I may have followed them a few times. I don’t trust the judgment of others when it comes to operatives I’ll be working with. I make my own mind up.”
“And?”
“And they’re solid, more so than most. Too bad there are a couple of loose cannons running around here who have stayed off the radar.” Mia took a long pull of her drink.
“Care to share who?” If there was a problem, Mary and Vi needed to know.
“I’ll let Mary and Jesse know if there’s an escalation. Nothing I can’t handle for now.”
Hmm. Interesting. That implied someone was either threatening her or making trouble. Bree didn’t like knowing the woman was having a problem, but Mia could handle herself—a fact she’d proven in Russia when she’d saved Addy and Kristof from a killing squad.
“Thanks for what you did in Russia, by the way. I don’t think I ever said that.”
“It was the right thing to do.”
“Gavin mentioned you’d broken into Facility Six,” Bree said, shifting the conversation to something she’d been curious about. “Have Mary and them talked to you yet?”
“They did. I know you’ve got a friend there. I’ll help however I can when the time comes.” Mia’s gaze softened. “That won’t be anytime soon. What I did back then might not be repeatable.”
“What did you do?”
“That’s for another story time.” Mia grinned. “Now, let me tell you exactly where the Triple Threat’s man cave is. I think you need to be there as much as Ram needs you there.”
8
Exhaustion plagued Ram by the time they’d stowed their gear, showered off the mission, and made their way to the house they’d commandeered as their private sanctuary. He suspected more than a few of the Masons knew about the spot, but no one had commented, and Ram, Doug, and Pierce all needed the routine they’d fallen into.
Doug flicked on the lights and headed into the living room they’d decked out with a sofa, a large screen television and all of his gaming gear. Pierce’s crap sat in a trunk that served as a coffee table. Ram’s personal laptop and notebooks cluttered the small table behind the sofa.
It wasn’t much, but it was as close to a home as they’d had. Their sanctuary, a place they’d retreat to and work through whatever mental landmines were blown by whatever mission went down.
“What the hell?” Pierce’s gaze landed on the sofa.
Ram froze. Bree lay curled on the surface under one of the many quilts Pierce had done. Although most of his cross-stitching ended up as throw pillows or framed artwork, a few of the intricate ideas that involved more than one set of sewn works resulted in beautiful quilts the man had never shown anyone outside of their team.
Bree stirred beneath the dark blue and pale gray quilt. His blood surged within him as she nestled her head into the matching throw pillow. Ram crouched between her and the trunk as he looked up at his friends.
“I swear I didn’t tell her,” he said.
“Doesn’t matter. She’s yours. We all know it,” Doug commented as he picked up an open bag of chips that hadn’t been there the last
time they’d used the house. He took a chip out and ate it. “This is as much her space as ours as far as I’m concerned.”
“He’s right.” Pierce’s gaze swept the sofa.
Ram grunted. He loved the man like a brother but seeing her nestled under Pierce’s quilt and resting her head on his pillow? The caveman within Ram wasn’t happy. He ran his fingers along her cheek and smiled when she stirred immediately.
“Hey,” she whispered. “You’re back.” She reached out and touched his wet hair. “You okay?”
“No, but we will be.” The honest reply slid out before he could think of anything beyond giving her the truth. “As much as I love seeing you, sweetheart, what are you doing here? You should be in your bed and asleep. It’s three in the morning.”
“Half past, actually,” Doug said.
Bree sat up. “I was worried about you. Mia mentioned you had a routine, that you’d probably come here. So, I decided to wait. I hope you don’t mind.”
“You’re always welcome here,” Ram said. He sat beside her on the couch and draped his arm around her. She leaned against him and draped the quilt across their legs.
Pierce made his way into the kitchen and returned moments later with cold beers, which he passed out. It’d take hours for them to unwind enough to sleep.
Doug sat on Bree’s other side and flicked the TV on. “Hope you don’t mind. We sort of have a routine we go through.”
“That’s awesome. What can I do to help? Are you hungry? I’m not a great cook, but I can throw something together.”
“Pierce’ll get it. We take turns,” Ram said. “And being here is all you need to do, unless you can help this dumbass level up his character, or whatever he’s trying to do.”
“Shut it. Don’t disrespect what you don’t understand.” Doug batted the back of Ram’s head. “You game?”
Bree’s eyebrows rose as her gaze moved to the screen, where Doug had started up the multiplayer online game he obsessed over after every mission. “Maybe. It’ll depend on how good you are. I have a rep to maintain you know.”
Pierce guffawed from the kitchen. He peeked out. “Them are fighting words, Bree. No one challenges my bud’s game.”
