by Cara Carnes
“I remember we did more kissing than stargazing,” he said with a grin, but his eyes were closed.
She relaxed and basked in the warmth of his body near hers. “I was always worried we’d get caught out there and you’d get in trouble. I was terrified your parents would call my mom and tell her I was over there instead of wherever I’d told her I was going. Remember what you’d say?”
His muscles flexed as she rubbed his chest, then stroked his face. And waited. He’d remembered the scent of her shampoo. She had no doubt he remembered everything they’d shared beneath the tree.
“Nothing can come between us. We face everything together, head on,” he whispered.
She interwove their fingers once more and relaxed against him. “Nightmares can’t come between us if we face them together. You aren’t the only one afraid of sleep.”
“He’s not gonna hurt you ever again, Peanut.”
“And those bastards aren’t ever touching you again, honey. I’ll kick anyone’s ass if they even breathe wrong around you.” Ellie grinned at the thought. She was a short, curvy woman with no ninja skills while he was one of the most well-trained operatives at The Arsenal.
Everyone needed a champion in their corner because there was no such thing as on-duty twenty-four seven. Her head throbbed from the thoughts rolling around. Jesse was too important to not consider. She closed her eyes and evened out her breathing but remained alert.
The early morning hours were rife with constant ins and outs from the door, but shift change wasn’t for another couple of hours. With a bit of luck, Jesse would get an hour or so of rest before Nurse Grumpy came on duty and threw him out of the bed.
A brief shaft of light splaying across the floor was the only signal she got that someone had entered. Her pulse quickened when she realized she faced away from the door and couldn’t see who. Some operative she was.
Tension coiled within her. She remained locked into place alongside Jesse, who slept as though he were comatose. How long had he been awake? Levi prowled into her line of vision and sat in the chair beside the bed. Though silent, his assessing gaze spoke volumes, as did the nervous tick in his jaw and the quick widening of his eyes.
Ellie locked gazes with him and drew the hand interlocked with Jesse’s closer. Levi was one tough operative, but she’d go toe-to-toe with him if she had to. He wasn’t waking Jesse up or pulling him away from her. No way. No how.
Levi’s grin fractured the tension hanging between them. He stretched his long, muscular legs out, leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Although Ellie didn’t want him intruding on the moment she and Jesse were sharing, she wanted the man she loved safe more than anything. Until she fully understood how to handle the nightmares, flashbacks, and terrors he experienced, Levi and anyone else more familiar with how to handle everything were a necessary part of Jesse’s sleeping routine.
She waited a few moments before she surrendered to sleep.
Jesse glared at Levi. The bastard had spent most of the day grinning or outright laughing. He hadn’t made a comment, though. Nolan and Dallas were crouched in the same locations as yesterday while they waited for the meet time to come around. Lookouts from both gangs were already in position and heavily armed. Two transport vehicles were parked near one another in the open field near the water tank.
None of that bothered Jesse.
Levi’s humor, however, pissed him off.
“Say it,” he growled.
“Nothing to say,” Levi said.
Nolan and Dallas looked at one another. “We miss something?”
Levi remained silent but raised his eyebrows. The silent dare hung between them a moment. Times like these made Jesse wish the man wasn’t such a good friend. Killing him was way simpler than admitting what’d happened. Though it seemed like nothing on the surface, Jesse recognized its importance.
“I fell asleep with Ellie at the hospital,” Jesse said.
“That’s not a surprise. You’ve been running on fumes,” Nolan commented.
“We’re entering a new phase of life, man.” Levi settled on his belly and peered through the sites of his rifle. “That woman would’ve gutted me had she had a knife. No one was gonna get close to you, much less wake you.”
“I might know someone with a knife or two to spare,” Dallas said with a grin. “We need to get her trained in hand-to-hand and basic weaponry. She’s alone at the main office entry a lot. We’ve got security and defense drones there, but it’ll give her peace of mind to know she can take an asshole down if needed. Plus it’s hotter than hell when your woman can handle herself.”
Jesse grinned. His woman. He was liking the sound of that more and more.
“First time I didn’t worry,” Levi said. “I could’ve turned around and left because there was no way she was letting anything you dreamed or did hurt you.”
“If I have an episode, she can’t control me.”
“You slept like the dead. Didn’t move once,” Levi said. “Her in your arms, pressed snug against you. I’m thinking that’s the best medicine to keep those nightmares away.”
“Getting her ex behind bars will help, too,” Nolan said. “We can talk with Logan and Sinclair, see what they recommend. Maybe one of the cottages. We can put defense drones in. They can knock your ass out if there’s a situation.”
“I don’t want to hurt her.”
“You won’t,” Levi said. “That woman is fierce. Bandaged up like a mummy, likely drugged out of her mind, and she stared me down like a lioness. She would’ve figured a way to hand me my ass if I’d tried waking you.”
Nolan grinned.
“She’s good for you,” Dallas said. “Whatever comes of it, she’s good for you.”
Jesse kept the what-ifs to himself. He wasn’t ready to share that he might be able to have sex. He wasn’t sure how to navigate his way down the path—if it was even possible.
A comfortable silence fell among them as they waited for the meet to go down. Both gang leaders arrived at the same time with the rest of their crews. They fanned out farther than Jesse had expected.
“They’re preparing defenses in case Flores goes after them,” Mary commented. “Everyone expand your perimeter.”
Jesse noted the new perimeter formation on the headgear they wore. None of the changes affected him, so he kept his attention focused on the readout displaying where everyone was. Darkness had descended and cast the area in shadowy darkness. The sliver of moonlight did little to help visibility.
The grumble of a large engine sounded from the road as a large semi pulled off the paved highway and slowly wound its way down the narrow strip of terrain carved out from the overgrown shrubbery and weeds. Mesquite tree limbs scraped the sides of the semi-truck as it exited the road and came fully into the field near the water tank.
The two gang leaders stood beside one another with armed men behind them. Raul exited the truck, then made his way to the dark blue Escalade that’d parked alongside the truck. Phil exited the driver’s side and made his way to the gang leaders without pause.
Raul helped Carla from the car and followed behind the woman with his weapon drawn. His gaze swept the area, but he didn’t bother scanning with the surveillance device like he had the night before.
“Gentlemen,” Carla greeted. “I see you came prepared for transport. Very good.”
“Let’s talk about our cut,” Paco said. “It costs to feed and secure these assets.”
“Yes, it does, which is why you are getting the amount we agreed on up front.” Carla walked across the field in her high-heeled shoes as though she were on a runway. “Once the sales have gone through, you’ll receive fifteen percent. That’s your incentive for taking care of the cargo.”
The leaders looked at one another and grinned. Idiots.
“That’s too much. Five’s more than enough,” Phil said.
“They’re taking the risk,” Raul said. “You get five percent, they get fifteen. Take it or leave it.”
>
Phil glared at Raul, then Carla. Tension coiled within Jesse as the situation played out. He’d spent the afternoon reading the intel the women had gathered on the Flores cartel. They left a body trail wherever they went—far more now than when the husband had been in charge.
“Primary directive is to secure the asset,” Vi said.
The asset. Raul.
Jesse remained silent as the transaction got underway. Raul and two gunmen who’d exited the truck opened the back. Two other men exited the back and shouted in rapid Spanish as women and children were moved out of the vehicle. Their clothes and appearances were far cleaner than he’d seen with most of the traffickers they’d been taking down, but their captivity had likely been brief at this point.
Revulsion locked all thoughts beyond freeing them aside. The children wrapped themselves around the women. Tears streamed down their little faces, but they remained quiet as the men herded them into two groups.
One of the men handed one backpack to each of the gang leaders. Carla smiled at them both. “Three days, gentlemen. Care for them as though your lives depend on it. We’ll be in touch with each of you with a drop location.”
The men nodded. Neither opened the backpacks.
“The other product you’ve purchased is here,” Carla said as two large duffels were deposited at their feet. “Prove you can handle this, and we’ll increase your supply.”
“And mine?” Phil demanded. “Where’s my fee?”
“Jesus, he’s an idiot,” Dallas mumbled.
“Right. Raul?”
Raul tossed a smaller pack to Phil. The man caught it with a malevolent glare, but he remained silent.
“We’re a go,” Mary said.
“DEA. You’re under arrest.” The broadcast statement thundered through the area.
Panic ensued as gunmen drew their weapons and frantically searched for a target. Drones, which had already honed in, darted them. They crumped to the ground where they stood. Carla, Phil, and Raul ran toward the Escalade, but Gage’s team had already swarmed the area.
Marcus’s team moved in on the trucks as Dallas separated from Jesse and instructed his team to assist with the women and kids. There’d been more than expected. Jesse remained at a distance as he’d promised, but his rifle remained sighted on Phil.
Gage shoved the bastard to his knees and zip-tied his hands behind his back. Raul and Carla were secured a few feet away. Anger radiated from the woman as she watched the takedown unfold. The Arsenal had provided the tech and the backup, but everyone hung back as the DEA agents took control of the arrests.
A tall brunette with a DEA vest walked up to Phil. “Phil Perskins?”
“I want a lawyer.”
“Come with me, sir.”
“Why is he being separated?” Carla asked, rage evident in her voice. “You sold us out.”
A slight smirk appeared on Raul’s face as the female agent dragged a screaming Perskins away from everyone and placed him in an SUV that’d just arrived on scene. The moment he was in, she got into the driver’s seat and left.
“Damn,” Nolan commented. “That was slick.”
“Definitely put a target on Phil,” Jesse said, not the least bit sorry. “That should loosen his tongue nicely. What about Raul?”
“He’s not our problem. They’ll untangle him when the time is right. They’ll want his cover maintained for use later if needed, but from what I see—he’s done,” Mary said.
15
The Nomad Police Department was the nearest detention facility available and nowhere near prepared for the shitstorm that rolled into its small building shortly after midnight. Carla, Raul, and everyone associated with the Flores cartel had been taken away by the DEA and FBI, who’d been briefed about the operation because of the human trafficking angle.
While Jesse was relieved the headache was not an Arsenal problem, he’d hoped to get a few moments alone with Phil Perskins before he lawyered up like the pretentious prick he was. None of the alphabet soup was interested in Perskins or anything he might know because the cartel had been caught red-handed.
They’d relegated his detention to local authorities until the alphabet soup got around to him, which would likely be tomorrow at the earliest. Nolan and Dallas remained Jesse’s appointed handlers as he paced the small patch of Chief Lyon’s office.
The middle-aged man entered with a huff as he shoved past a stack of paperwork that nearly toppled as his large belly scraped against it. Jesse fisted his hands and noted the closed door. Confined spaces sucked.
“You boys must be something else. I thought I’d have to send half my officers home because everyone was hanging around to see what brought the mighty Masons in. I would’ve been here sooner, but I got stopped at least five times between here and holding so people could tell me what they knew about The Arsenal.”
Tension struck the room as Jesse froze in position and braced for the man’s surly attitude as he fumbled with a file on his desk.
“I’m gonna shoot straight because I was told that was best with you boys. This isn’t the military. And this isn’t the FBI, CIA, NSA, or whoever else you’re used to steamrolling over. This here’s Nomad County, and we don’t have time to deal with the Marville messes you’re uprooting.” The chair creaked as the man leaned back and ran his dirty fingers across his mustache. “I’ve had calls from a lot of my constituents protesting Mr. Perskins’ incarceration. More than a couple of them mentioned an altercation out at the country club.”
“He was caught with a drug cartel and two gangs—one of which operates here in Nomad,” Dallas said.
“I’m aware of the gang arrest. We’ve had to assist in executing search warrants on their houses and their headquarters,” the man said. “You boys really should’ve brought us into the loop on this.”
“He’s tied up with the attack at the hospital,” Jesse said. “He hired the bastard who attacked Ellie Travers.”
“You have evidence?”
“Funny, I thought that was your job,” Nolan commented.
“There’s pressure to arraign him quickly,” the man admitted. “All evidence I’m seeing is circumstantial at best.”
The man was nuts. No, he was in Perskins’ pocket. Son of a bitch.
“He’ll be arraigned in a few hours and will likely make bail.” The man shut the file. “You don’t have jurisdiction to question him, so go on back to Resino where you belong. Stay out of Nomad. I don’t take kindly to local vigilantes getting in the way of real police work.”
The man wouldn’t know real police work if it knocked him in the face. Jesse pulled out his cell to contact the girls and see what strings they could pull, but the door opened and the brunette DEA agent from the scene entered.
“You can’t just walk in here,” Lyons said.
“Sorry, Chief. I’m Special Agent Moana Rice. I’m here to pick up Phil Perskins.”
“On what grounds?”
“He’s a material witness on more than one federal investigation. As such, he falls outside your domain and within mine. Notify whoever’s in detention that I’ll be taking him into custody immediately.” The woman thumped a piece of paper down on his desk. “There’s the paperwork you need. Now, should I make the call myself or can you handle it?”
Jesse rocked back on his heels. Nolan chuckled. Dallas covered his mouth as his shoulders shook. Red rose in the police chief’s face as he glared at the woman. He picked up the phone and made the call.
Moana left the office. Jesse and his brothers followed. A text arrived on his phone.
The old rest stop. Twenty minutes.
He left the building and his brothers followed.
“There a reason we’re leaving?” Nolan asked.
Jesse tossed his phone to his brother. “I’m thinking someone pulled a string for us.”
“Looks like,” Dallas said as he read the text when Nolan passed it to him. “You wanna call the girls? Verify?”
“No. They’ve got enough
crap to deal with thanks to the cartel and the gangs,” Jesse said.
The old rest stop was ten miles east of Nomad on the highway to San Antonio. Though the place had been closed down by the state, the building remained. Jesse parked behind a burgundy SUV and noted the license plate, just in case.
Dallas exited and headed to the west of the building, while Nolan went around the back. Jesse unclipped his weapon, but kept it sheathed as he approached the woman leaning against the entry to the men’s bathroom.
“Special Agent Rice.”
“You’re surprised,” the woman commented.
“I am.”
“My asset refused to cooperate with us or his CIA handlers until we secured Perskins. He didn’t say why, but here I am. Securing Perskins.” She crossed her arms. Anger rolled through her small frame. “You want to tell me why?”
“You knew he was CIA?” Nolan asked.
“Not until night before last when they steamrolled through years of work,” the woman spat. “You’ve got twenty minutes, then I’m hauling Perskins to the federal facility.”
Jesse cracked his knuckles and entered the men’s bathroom. Phil was handcuffed to the first urinal. The man’s eyes widened. “Hello, Phil. I think you and I need to have a conversation.”
“I want a lawyer.”
“No, you don’t. Besides, I’m not law enforcement. I don’t give a shit what you want.”
“She is. I’m gonna sue.”
“No, Phil. You won’t because you’re likely gonna be dead in a few hours anyway. In case you didn’t notice, the Flores cartel thinks you’re the one who sold them out.”
The man paled. Eyes wide, he yanked on the wrist manacles attached to the pipe. “No. I didn’t. She’ll know.”
“How? You’re the one who was gonna walk without so much as a blip on your jacket by the time Daddy got through greasing palms. That’s what you expected, right?”
