Impact Zone

by Cara Carnes

  But that didn’t mean Fallon had wicked intent. Not with Rhea.

  They arrived at the cottage. Bree motioned toward the hallway bathroom. “Go now, or I drag you in there. It’ll get awkward if I have to summon a commando to help me.”

  Rhea froze. Her best friend would totally try. Bree was much like Rhea while in her lab—analytical, focused, driven. Outside the lab? Well, they couldn’t be any more different. Bree lived life to its fullest, as if expecting it to end at a moment’s notice, while Rhea preferred to remain lost in her thoughts about whatever work she’d left behind.

  But Bree was way more headstrong—stubborn—than Rhea, which was why she stepped into the shower and ignored the fact her best friend was now typing on her cell as though the hounds of hell were chasing her ass. Whatever.

  Rhea grudgingly agreed to pale pink lipstick. She’d left her hair down, though she’d been sorely tempted to throw a couple mechanical pencils into the mix just to see what Fallon would do.

  The pale pink blouse and beige capris she’d donned matched the sandals she wore perfectly. It was as fancy as she’d dressed since Ellie’s and Jesse’s wedding. Nervousness crawled along her skin as she walked out of the cottage and found Fallon leaned against a large Arsenal truck.

  Zoey, Vi, Mary, Kamren, Ellie, and Addy were all congregated near a second one.

  Along with Dylan, Dallas, Jesse, and Jud.

  Christ. Beers with Fallon and Bree had turned into a full-out Arsenal style happy hour. Great. None of the happy hours they’d attempted so far had ended well. Masons were pretty much either war heroes that came close to walking on water or the vilest scum on Earth, depending on the audience.

  “He coming?” Jesse asked.

  “Doubtful. I tried,” Dylan said.

  Rhea came to a halt as the two brothers stopped talking. Heat rose in her cheeks when she looked at Fallon. “I’m thinking this is more than a relaxed beer now.”

  “Yeah.” Fallon grinned. “Come on, Doc. Let’s go.”

  “One sec. Let’s try one more time,” Dallas said. “Hell, call Marshall. Demand he drag his ass out.”

  “That’d mean Marshall slowing down long enough to have a beer. You think that’s happening?” Dylan asked.

  “It would if we get Riley to call,” Bree said. “She’s on her way. She was just checking in on your mom.”

  “Mom’s thrilled she’s on babysitting duty. She damn near dragged me to a calendar to mark off more happy hours,” Jesse said with a grin.

  “Slow down. Damn it, I said I’d go.”

  Rhea turned and saw Riley dragging her two eldest brothers behind her. Determination filled the woman’s face as she closed the distance between herself and the rest of her brothers. She didn’t stop until she stood directly in front of Dallas and Dylan.

  “Okay. My sisterly duty is done. They’re here. They’re going. Any of you give me or anyone who asks me to dance shit and I’m taking you down. Don’t think I don’t know how. Jud’s showed me more than a few moves, and I’m pretty much a natural.”

  Jud chuckled. “She is.”

  “No grief, Riles,” Dallas promised. “Come on. Let’s get going.”

  “This is so cool!” Bree declared as she practically skipped toward one of the trucks. “Can I drive?”

  “No.” The cacophony of responses made Rhea laugh outright.

  “You wreck one truck and suddenly you get a reputation. That’s so not fair. It wasn’t even my fault.” Bree crossed her arms. “I swear the deer just appeared.”

  “That happens in the country when you’re going seventy at night,” Cord commented as he appeared at the huddle. “Gage’s team just landed. All clear. He’ll meet us there.”

  “Where are we going?” Marshall asked. “We show up at Bubba’s and he’d have a coronary trying to seat everyone.”

  “Not Bubba’s,” Zoey declared. “You all need a break from the Mason fandom. Fallon, Rhea and Bree had already decided on the Sip and Spin. It’s the middle of the week.”

  “No way,” Nolan growled.

  “Sip and Spin,” Dallas declared as he swatted his brother on the back. “It won’t be an issue.”

  Rhea empathized with Nolan. Kamren’s BFF, Dani, had once hated the Masons. Since she’d started therapy, her hatred had gone from full-on rage to a less toxic scorn. To say there were unresolved issues was an understatement.

  “Is she working tonight?” Mary asked.

  “I dunno,” Kamren said. “It’ll be fine. I’ll schlepp the drinks. It’s not like I can drink them.”

  The woman smiled as she rubbed the slight baby bump. Vi did the same.

  Pain spread through Rhea as it always did whenever babies became the predominant topic. She shoved the unwanted thoughts aside and headed toward a vehicle. The sooner she got to the Sip and Spin, the sooner the night would end and she could crawl into bed and forget everything.

  Fallon entered and sat beside her. Heat spread through her where their bodies touched. He draped his arm along the seat behind her as Bree crunched in on her other side.

  “Relax,” he whispered in her ear. “If this is too much, say the word and we’ll strike out by ourselves. Head into Nomad. Spade and Walker mentioned a small bar outside town.”

  From the rumors Rhea heard on the compound, the two men spent most of their downtime trolling the bar for women. The Masons had warned all the operatives to steer clear of women in the tri-county, mainly because they’d personally experienced more than their fair share of drama because of said women.

  Apparently, if you had the last name Mason or Burton, you were marriage material and therefore on the most-eligible bachelor list whether you wanted to be or not. Rhea remained quiet as Nolan and Marshall climbed into the front seat.

  Tingles ignited along Rhea’s left temple. She reached up and froze when her fingertips touched Fallon’s. He was rubbing her head. The contact was hesitant as they locked gazes. She leaned into the touch and closed her eyes.

  Fallon pulled her head until it rested against him. Hot breath fanned her forehead as he ran his hand down her head and whispered, “I’m sorry, Doc. I know that was rough on you.”

  It’d been so long since anyone outside her tribe of women friends had hugged her. Offered comfort. She sucked up the opportunity like a starving organism. “Seventy-Two didn’t deserve any of this.”

  “No, but because of you and the work you did today, we’re closer to taking Carlisle down. He’ll pay for what he did,” Fallon said. He settled his hand on her upper arm. “He’ll pay.”

  “Yeah. He will.”

  She let the silence around her calm the turmoil in her brain. Hitting pause had always been hard on her. She’d recently discovered Vi quilled to shut her thoughts off. The hobby of making intricate designs by curling strips of paper into beautiful shapes enthralled Rhea, but she didn’t have a creative bone in her body.

  Other than music.

  Music had always been her escape. Hopefully, the Sip and Spin’s jukebox wasn’t broken. That’d suck the fun out of the night real quick.

  Fifteen miles separated Resino and Marville. The Arsenal compound was a solid eight miles outside Resino, which meant they had a good twenty-minute drive at the very least.

  “Here.” Fallon pulled out his phone and a pair of wireless earbuds. “I figured you’d forget yours. Use mine.” He turned it toward him to face scan past the security screen, then handed it over.

  Rhea thumbed her way to his playlists and held up one of the earbuds. “We can both listen, assuming you can hang with my choices.”

  “Seeing as it’s my phone, I think I can manage. Though, since you’re seeing mine, I should see yours.”

  “You want to see my playlists?”

  “I’m thinking I’ve heard enough of them to have them all figured out,” Fallon said. A sexy grin spread across his face. “I’m not scared of your music. It’s one of the things that fascinates me.”

  “Oh?”

  “One da
y I hear you playing Beethoven. The next day it’s Mongolian throat metal. Gotta admit, not many could swing that far both directions.”

  Rhea suppressed the explanation rising in her. Maybe later she’d share the why, but it felt awkward to do so in a truck full of people. She lifted the phone up. “Show me your favorite playlist.”

  Fallon studied her a moment, as if questioning if it was smart to share something as important as his favorite music. She understood. She was about to recall her request when he scrolled and tapped on one.

  The popular rock music filled the earbud she’d put in. She peered up at him, more than a bit surprised Fallon Graves, infamous ordnance expert and commando extraordinaire, even knew who Graveyard Justice was. They’d been around for a while, working their way up like typical starving artists, but had recently gained momentum and they had “broken out.”

  Rhea wanted to ask why he liked them. They were on quite a few of her playlists. Their style swung from slow, heart-crushing ballads to grungy metal and everything in between. Eyes closed, she let the music carry her away as it always did.

  For now, she’d pretend everything was okay.

  “Did she fall asleep?” Nolan asked as he glanced in the rearview mirror.

  “Yeah, I think so,” Fallon admitted as he pulled the earbud out of his good ear so he could fully hear the men up front.

  “Wow, she must be exhausted,” Bree said. “Though, she’s famous for her power naps.”

  “Power naps?”

  “She rests in twenty-minute spurts.”

  Jesus. Fallon cursed. The woman needed a keeper because she always put everyone and everything as a priority above herself. Had she even eaten since they returned? Why the hell had he thought a beer at a bar was a good idea?

  Because it was.

  Until everyone was suddenly tagging along.

  Now a simple, relaxed beer had turned into an epic event. Fallon shifted, but the woman remained curled into him, arm around his waist. Her beautiful face was relaxed, fully at ease against him as she listened to Graveyard Justice.

  Of all the music he could’ve played, why had he chosen them?

  Because he wanted to share a piece of himself with the woman who’d become important. Fallon couldn’t deny he was drawn to her from the moment they met even though they couldn’t be more different. None of that mattered tonight, though.

  She needed a break from the chaos that’d choked out The Arsenal the past several months. It’d been almost nonstop problems since they’d arrived at the compound. Fallon glanced up at the brothers. The Masons had taken it all on without hesitation.

  One hell of a family.

  “She doesn’t wake up, I’ll take her back,” Fallon offered.

  “She’ll wake.” Bree made the declaration with more force than he liked. “She needs time out more than she needs sleep. Trust me.”

  Nolan drove slower than Fallon expected. The man’s gaze darted to the rearview mirror frequently. Dallas glanced over his shoulder a couple times. Rhea never stirred.

  When the truck pulled into the mostly-empty parking lot, Fallon paused the music. Rhea jolted awake. He touched her face when she looked up at him, confusion evident in her sleepy gaze. “We’re at the Sip and Spin now. You want, I’ll take you back to the compound.”

  “No.” She shook her head and ran her hand down her face. “No. I’m good. Sorry, you’re apparently a tempting pillow. You must’ve induced a power nap.”

  “Not sure what that says about me. You’re in my arms, listening to my favorite tunes and you fall asleep.”

  “You know what it says,” Rhea whispered. “Thank you.”

  “Are you okay?” Bree asked.

  “Yeah, I feel much better now. Why?”

  “Just asking. You don’t ever power nap with people around. Except me.” The blonde cocked her head as she unbuckled her seatbelt. “That’s interesting.”

  Red tinged Rhea’s cheeks as she looked around as if seeking an escape. A rumble rose from Fallon when he glared at the blonde woman on the other side of the truck. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. He’d intended to make Rhea feel more comfortable by including Bree.

  And in all honestly, the blonde needed a break just as much as Rhea. Hell, everyone did.

  As if sensing the tension, Bree scrambled from the back. Cool air swept into the cab of the truck. Fallon extricated himself, then reached in to help Rhea down. Everyone converged at the door but waited for Dallas and Kamren to make first entry.

  The jukebox cranked out a country song when they entered. A couple tables of patrons halted their beer drinking and watched as the massive entourage gathered at the tables. Dallas and Kamren headed toward the front, where Dani froze, her gaze wide.

  “What the fuck?” The woman’s voice rose over the music. “It’s a Resino invasion.”

  “No. It’s an Arsenal invasion,” someone said. “Their first round’s on me. First damn time I’ve been out of my house in over a year without worrying.” The man held up his drink.

  “How about your round’s on us,” Marshall said.

  “Thanks,” the man said with a toothless smile. “Much appreciated.”

  Fallon waited until Rhea was settled at a table, then made his way toward the bar to help Dallas and Kamren with drink orders. Fuck. What did Rhea drink?

  “There a reason you’re all here?” Dani asked, her voice more concerned than annoyed.

  “Just need a break from the bullshit,” Fallon said. “I’m Fallon.”

  “Right. You’re with them?”

  “Yep.”

  “You haven’t been around.” The woman’s dark gaze narrowed.

  “They don’t let me out much.”

  Dallas chuckled. “He’s cool, worked with Mary and Vi before they came to us.”

  “If this is a problem, we’ll leave,” Kamren offered.

  “You gonna cause trouble?” Dani asked Dallas. “You gonna threaten anyone?”

  “Don’t plan on it,” Dallas replied with a grin. “The night’s still young.”

  “And you? You gonna threaten to skin my patrons if they look at your man wrong?” Dani asked Kamren.

  “That was once and she deserved to be skinned!”

  Fallon agreed. From what he heard, the bitch had date raped Dallas while she was engaged to Dylan.

  “And you? You gonna start any fights?”

  “I’m more likely to blow shit up, but I left the C4 in my other pants.” He crossed his arms and offered the brunette a smile. “I won’t blow any joint up till I’ve been there a couple times, especially if the beer is cold.”

  She smiled back and shook her head as she started filling glasses with ice. “I’m loco, but whatever. This’ll be good practice for Margie. She’s new, so don’t scare her off. Though, to be blunt, if she gets through a night of serving your crew, she’ll do just fine here.”

  Fallon chuckled as he glanced at the massive group. He didn’t think a new waitress should be serving so many, but he kept silent.

  “You good?” Dani asked Kamren. “You want orange juice? I’ve also got grapefruit and pineapple.”

  “Grapefruit.” Kamren wrapped her arm around Dallas. “And limes. I have a craving.”

  “Still? Woman, you cleaned me out of limes last week.” Dani shook her head. “Weirdest ass craving. Are you even far enough along to have cravings yet?”

  Dallas laughed outright as the two friends gave one another shit. “Beers all around.”

  “I’ll have Margie bring ’em out, take the rest of the orders.” Dallas and Kamren turned, headed back toward the table. Fallon waited until the bartender noticed he hadn’t left.

  “There a reason you’re still here?”

  “You know Rhea.”

  Dani blinked, glancing at the table. “She’s the brunette, the science one. Right?”

  “Yeah. What does she drink?”

  “Hell if I know. She’s tried a few different things, doesn’t finish them thoug
h. There a reason you’re asking?”

  “She’s had a shit day. I’m trying to make it better.”

  “Right. I’ll make something special, one I drink when the mood hits me.” Dani leaned her palms on the bar. Her gaze cut to the amassed group. “I’ll get your girl sorted if you keep the Masons from trolling my space.”

  “I’ll run interference. Though, just saying, they aren’t here to cause trouble. Not for you, not for anyone. Everyone’s had a shit time the past few weeks. They just need a space to forget their troubles, same as everyone else.”

  The woman’s jaw twitched. A curt nod was the only reply Fallon got, but he figured it’d do. He pulled out his wallet and tossed four hundreds on the counter. “This should cover us. I’ll settle up at the end, just to make sure.”

  “Appreciated.” The woman snagged the bills and shoved them into the register. “I’ll get that drink made. If she likes it, I’ll keep ’em coming.”

  “Appreciated.” Fallon turned and headed toward Rhea. One way or another he’d make sure she had a good night.

  8

  “Oh. My. God.” Bree breathed the words into her straw as she inhaled the last of her drink. Eyes wide, she peered out at the dance floor where Dylan, Dallas, and Jesse had dragged Mary, Kamren, and Ellie. “Those Mason boys can move.”

  “Jesus.” Marshall snapped the statement as he looked at the makeshift dance floor toward the back area of the Sip and Spin. “I think you’ve had enough of those drinks. What’s in them? Octane?”

  “I dunno, but I want the recipe so I can make huge batches of this,” Bree declared. “Right, girlfriend?”

  Rhea laughed as her friend wrapped an arm around her and hugged tight. She cast a silent plea to Fallon, who sighed and separated them as he’d done multiple times. To say everyone was relaxed was an understatement.

  Hair down, shoes off, drinks consumed, Rhea and her friends were having a blast. The men sipped their second beers of the evening, their gazes on a constant roam. Margie kept everyone stocked with waters and drinks.

  “I didn’t know Dani made these. I dunno what they are, but I love them,” Bree said.