by Cara Carnes
There was no telling how expensive the computerized table was. Ram didn’t think Marshall gave a damn right now. Ram knew the man had served with the president’s son—a fact that’d been recently shared.
“How the fuck did you get him to admit all that?” Nolan asked.
“She’s that good,” Bree said. “Trust me. I was there and could’ve sworn she was serious.”
“We’ll begin our strategy session on Facility Six in the morning,” Mary said. “I’ve spoken with Liam, who agreed with my assessment that Homeland should take the lead on detaining the Carews. We’ve turned over all the evidence to them. We’re taking a backseat on that phase for now.”
“Just like that?” Doug asked. “We’ve been hunting those shits for months.”
“And we’ve found them,” Vi said. “The arena we’re playing in has changed. Homeland has the ability to drag people in just as easily as we can. There’s a lot less red tape to cut through when it involves terrorists and potential threats to national security. I don’t care who takes the win as long as they never see the light of day again.”
“Agreed,” Mary said. “We’ll get a crack at them both to ensure this doesn’t go any deeper, but our focus needs to be Facility Six. We now know of seven people who need an immediate extraction. There could be more.”
“Vi and I have sent another encoded message to Shelly via the hole she left for us.”
“Any contact back yet?” Bree asked.
“No, but there’s a time differential. We’re hoping we’ll get something back in a few hours.”
“Where is Facility Six?” Dallas asked.
“In the middle of the ocean, south of China,” Bree said. “A manmade island.”
“Fuck.” Marshall slammed the table again.
“There should be assets we can use in the area,” Mary said. “One of us will need to speak with the president to secure those. Quietly. Too much movement could raise a flag. The people running Facility Six are heavily embedded everywhere.”
“Are we helping Gavin’s side then?” Nolan asked.
“No,” Vi replied. “We’re going in to get those who shouldn’t be there. Anything beyond that is not our problem unless we’re asked to make it our problem.”
“Agreed,” Jesse said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the president decides to take custody of the facility if we’re already penetrating. We’ll know more in the morning.”
“We’ll be ready,” Levi commented. The quiet team leader grinned. “Now, can we see the takedown Bree’s so excited about?”
Zoey chuckled. “We should’ve brought popcorn, but I would’ve had to loop this shit a hundred times or more. It was that fast. Watch close, boys. This is how a real ninja handles shit.”
Everyone laughed. The footage began. Ram tightened as he listened to the twisted shit being revealed, but he couldn’t help but admire how calm Mia had remained. And Bree…
Fuck. She’d been brilliant. She’d fed off Mia’s confidence.
Then Mia struck. The move was so fast he almost missed it entirely. One minute she was sitting on the picnic table and the next she was on the ground with Gavin sprawled out, arm broken.
“Holy fuck,” Pierce muttered. “Remind me to never piss you off.”
“No shit,” Zoey said. She rewound. The moment before Mia moved played, slower this time. “Think this should be in the training from now on.”
“You aren’t wrong,” Nolan commented. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone move that fast. Whoever trained you was good.”
“I’m training Addy and Bree,” Mia said. “If anyone else wants in, let me know, but my girls are the priority.”
“Riley will want in,” Dallas commented. “She’s always wanting extra training.”
“I’ll let her know,” Addy said. “You teaching us that move?”
“If you want.” Mia shifted in her seat. Ram noted the unease in her face. The woman hated attention. “Gotta admit, I thought all of you would go nuclear.”
“We will,” Nolan said. “But none of us want to piss off Edge.” He offered a thin smile. “We’ll form a plan in the morning. Are we still using outside assets?”
“Yes, because these are good,” Mary said. “Better than most of our team operatives in extraction situations. Someone needs to chat with Lexi. We’ll need more than one pilot. She’ll know who we can trust. Marshall and I will phone the president and read him in on this.”
“How many of those gas bombs do we have? Those might come in handy,” Doug said.
“I made a dozen. They’re quick to make. I just need more knockout gas,” Bree replied.
“I’ll get some going tonight. Nikki and I can help you make more in the morning,” Rhea said. “Anything else we should build? Any ideas, Bree?”
“A few. I need to find my notes from Facility Six to verify what I’m remembering. With Mary’s, Vi’s, and Zoey’s help, we might be able to use what I did to our advantage. I could take the power source offline easily enough. Or, they could once I show them the loophole I left. I need to study my notes first, though.”
Bree’s shoulder’s slumped inward when she finished talking. She’d spent most of the meeting cycling between energetic and withdrawn. He didn’t like either option because he was worried she wasn’t processing what she’d learned from Gavin.
“What are we doing with Gavin? What about the agreement with Knightwind?” Rhea asked.
“He’ll remain in our detainment area for now,” Vi said.
“He’s made substantial threats alluding to Knightwind knowing more about HERA than we realize,” Mary added. “We’ll need to determine how much of that is a valid problem versus posturing.”
Fuck. That was the last thing anyone needed right now.
Vi nodded, her expression grim. “We’ll be reaching out to his superiors once we have a firmer grasp of how we’ll be addressing this issue. Given what we know about the facility and their involvement in knowingly detaining U.S. soldiers, they’ll have no choice to go along with what we decide.”
“That goes for both sides of Knightwind,” Jesse said, his arms crossed. “It’ll be the president’s call.”
“We’ll huddle tomorrow, first thing,” Mary said. “We’ll get them out. We can’t undo what they’ve gone through, but they’re Delta. They wouldn’t want our pity, only our action.”
Almost everyone shuffled out of the room. Ram remained along the wall, his gaze on Bree.
“Let us know if we can help,” Doug said.
Ram grunted his response. Yeah, they’d seen her reactions and were also worried. By the time most of the room had cleared out, he’d made his way to where she sat.
Her expressive, beautiful gaze moved to him. “Hey. Wild, huh? Can you believe that move Mia did? I swear I didn’t even see her move. She freaking vaulted from sitting to around his neck in a second. And she’s going to teach me. Can you believe that?”
“You’re wired.” He ran a hand through her hair as he guided her to standing. “Talk to me, sweetheart,” he whispered against her mouth. “You’re focused on Mia, but I think your mind’s somewhere else.”
“I-I can’t talk about that yet.” She licked his lips. “Make me forget. Please. I don’t want to think about my tech being used to imprison good commandos like Marshall.” She kissed him softly. “Like you.”
Jesus. He deepened the kiss until she relaxed against him. “I’ll always help you work through your troubles, but sometimes talking them out is the only way they’ll go away. None of this is your fault. You know that, right?”
“I guess.” She looked away. “How many like them are there? I made it impossible to get out of there and never considered someone would use it to…”
He palmed her chin and traced his thumb along her lips. “You were hired to do a job. We don’t always get the luxury of asking why. We’re going to get them out.”
“Months,” she whispered. Her expression turned haunted. “They’ve been
in that hell for months. Because of me.”
“No.” He gripped her hair. “Not because of you. Because of the assholes who captured them. That’s not on you.”
“He’s right,” Mary said. She pulled Bree into a hug. “This isn’t on you. Go get some rest. We’ll figure out a plan in the morning.”
“Love you,” Zoey whispered as she hugged Bree. “You did good today, girlfriend. We’ve got this.”
Ram’s gaze cut to Marshall and Nolan as they approached. Ram sensed the emotional war within both men, but neither spoke. He’d been on that precipice enough times to recognize when someone was hanging on to the last thread of their control.
The rest of the Mason brothers huddled near the door. He suspected they’d have each other’s backs tonight and get through the emotional upheaval of what they’d just learned. They’d all been Delta. Those were their brothers-in-arms.
“I know we’re talking about this tomorrow, but I need to make sure we’re on the same page,” Mary said. “I want you running the primary strike team, Ram. You, Doug, and Pierce, with the ghosts from the Scythe MC. Gage will run the other team.”
His gaze cut to the two Masons. Neither looked surprised by Edge’s declaration. “Why me?”
“Because they’re compromised.” Mary pointed to Marshall and Nolan. “The Triple Threat will work well with the Scythe’s ghost operatives. Think about it tonight, but that’s where we’re likely going tactically.”
“We’ll do whatever we can to get them out.” And they would. “We’ll chat in the morning.” For now, all he wanted to do was spend time with Bree.
They headed toward the exit.
“Bree,” Marshall called out.
“Yes?” Her voice was soft, hesitant.
“It’s not your fault,” the man said. “Remember what I said earlier. This is exactly the sort of situation I was talking about.”
Bree smiled. “Thanks. I needed to hear that. We will get them out.”
“What’d he say earlier?” Ram asked as they exited the building and headed toward her cottage.
“That I was the lethal solution, the real final Hail Mary. More or less,” Bree said, letting her mind process what he meant. “He said everyone thinks it’s Edge, but that I’m the real weapon. I guess he’s right.”
“He is, but you’re more than what you do. Everyone knows that,” Ram whispered. He kissed her temple. “You’re also our shield. Those drones protect us on every op. I remember Addy saying something one day about you wanting to be a badass commando. You already are, sweetheart.”
“You’re right. My drones and bombs make a pretty good army. But, you’re my favorite commando.” She grinned up at him. “You’re pretty amazing.”
“I’ll show you amazing.” Ram lifted her into his arms. She squealed her surprise. “I think it’s tickle war time.”
“No. No, it’s never tickle war time.” She swatted at his chest as he took the final steps to her cottage. “Seriously, Ram. No.”
Amusement rumbled from him as they entered the small house. Anticipation pebbled along her skin as he headed toward her bedroom. He tossed her on the bed, then yanked his shirt off and pounced. Their mouths collided, alternating between soft licks and voracious delves.
“Being with you is like coming home,” he whispered against her throat. He tossed her shirt beside the bed. “I’ll never get tired of tasting your sweetness.” He tickled both sides along her ribs.
She yelped in surprise and pushed away, but he pinned her to the bed. Shock and arousal flared, quickening her pulse. “No fair, Ram. You distracted me with your sexiness.” Emboldened by his heated gaze, she removed her bra and tossed it aside. “Two can play that game.”
She’d never felt sexier, more alluring. The comfort and security she had with Ram was… amazing. Much like the man himself. He kissed a trail down her neck as his hands massaged and played with her breasts. Her nipples hardened beneath his deft touch.
“So responsive,” he whispered against her chest. “I love how your body reacts. I’ll never get enough.”
He continued stroking, kissing, and licking his way around her body, as if on a mission—one she was more than ready for. He stripped her pants off, then teased her as he slowly removed her panties. By the time he settled between her legs, her entire body ached with the need to feel him inside her.
“Ram,” she whispered.
“I’ve got you, sweetheart.” He feasted on her, driving her closer and closer to release.
Eyes closed, she lost herself within the sensations. All that mattered was Ram and the plunge of his fingers into her, the sweep of his tongue along her clit. The worries vacated as she cried out her release.
“You’re beautiful when you come,” he whispered against her mouth. “Let’s see how many times you can do that.”
Challenge accepted. She kissed him, pulling at the belt securing his pants. “Off. Get them off.”
“Commanding little general,” he teased. He rose from the bed and stripped down. She could enjoy the show that was Ram shucking his clothes every night. Complete bliss.
She leaned forward and kissed his stomach. Muscles bunched and flexed beneath her touch. Wrapping her hand around his thick length, she licked the precum from the tip of his cock and moaned. “My kind of dessert.”
Arousal pooled between her legs as she licked and sucked him. Fingers threaded in her hair, Ram moaned. She gazed up into his eyes as she worked his cock. The look of pure love and desire emboldened her.
“I want to finish inside you, sweetheart.” He pulled her away. “Fuck, I feel like a teenager right now.”
“That really turns me on,” she admitted. “I love the way you look at me when I’m going down on you. I feel like a goddess.”
“You are. My goddess,” he said as he settled above her. “I love you, Bree Geissinger. So much it’s fucking terrifying.”
Her heart warmed. He loved her. “I love you, Ramon Zapatero, so much I can’t imagine my life without you in it. Now fuck me. Your goddess is needy.”
Emotion clogged her throat as they kissed. Legs wrapped around him, she moaned when he entered her in one hard, powerful thrust. Their movements turned frenzied. He shifted to sitting up. She gasped as she started riding him, relishing the way their bodies melded.
Hands on her hips, he growled and flipped them once again. Her legs went up, knees at his shoulders. The position deepened his powerful thrusts. He powered into her as they kissed.
“So close,” she whispered.
“Come for me, sweetheart,” he said. “I love you.”
“I love you.” She cried the words out as the climax consumed her. She clung to him and moaned when he surrendered to his own release.
They collapsed into one another. Her breathing evened out a few moments later. Ram kissed her and pulled her into his arms.
“That was amazing,” she whispered. “Gets better every time.”
“It does.” He ran his fingers through her hair.
Her thoughts drifted a few moments, then she took a deep breath. “I need to go on the mission. Too many things could go wrong. I should be there in case something goes wrong.”
“Not sure that’s a good idea, sweetheart.” Concern filled his face when she looked up at him. “I get what you’re saying, and I’ll support whatever you want to do, but I’m not sure Edge will agree.”
She loved that he’d support her decision. He wasn’t trying to talk her out of it, even though she suspected he didn’t want her anywhere near Facility Six.
“I know it’ll be an uphill battle, but there’s so much that could go wrong.” She swallowed. “I don’t want to be watching from Operations knowing I could’ve done something faster if I’d been there. If you or anyone else was to get hurt…”
“We’re pretty good at this mission stuff. Edge hasn’t ever failed.”
“I know.” She smiled up at him. “She wants you leading a team. Are you going to?”
“If she thi
nks that’s the best play, yeah.”
“You didn’t seem too surprised.”
“I wasn’t.” He sighed deeply as she rested her head on his chest. “We did a lot of retrievals. Just the three of us. Well, four. One of us didn’t come back from a mission. Losing John… fuck. It gutted us.”
“Is John the one who taught Doug to play?” Bree asked.
“Yeah. What you said about you and your brother, that is a lot like it was between John and Doug,” he said. “That mission ended with one of them in a body bag and the other in therapy for months, recovering from an injury that would’ve killed him if…”
“John saved him, but died in the process.” Bree ran her hand down Ram’s stomach. “I can’t imagine going through that.”
“It wouldn’t have happened if the intel had been solid. We got out after that. Used the time to recover. Then we came to The Arsenal.” He tugged her hair. Their gazes locked. “Best decision we’ve ever made.”
“I can’t imagine life around here without you,” she admitted. She closed her eyes and sank into the feel of his fingers moving along her scalp. “Love you.”
“Love you, too.” The glide through her hair halted. “Her name was Rene. The marriage was a farce, an arrangement to politically connect our families. Hers sought a higher position within the organization.”
The fiancée he’d killed. Bree remained quiet as she stroked his chest. Pushing him wasn’t an option. He deserved whatever time he needed to process what’d happened. She kissed his chest and waited through the silence. A slight tug on her hair drew her gaze to his.
“We tolerated one another on the best days, which weren’t very often. We attended social functions together but were never intimate or personal in any way.” His thumb glided along her lips. “Back then I was close to getting out but still needed a few pieces of evidence, so I played the game and was the dutiful son.”
“You couldn’t rock the boat too soon,” she whispered. He nodded.
“She became suspicious. I still don’t know how, but she knew I was up to something.” A heavy sigh escaped him. “I think I was too quiet. Too obedient. I’d finally gathered what I needed and there was a gala for the organization’s leaders that night. I planned to meet with the King Maker and turn over what I’d discovered.”
