Impact Zone

by Cara Carnes

  “I do. All my brothers do. We’ve seen the impact it’s had on Jesse. I want my boys and our future kids to know it’s okay to ask for help when you need it. That includes emotional and psychological support.” Dallas reached over and rubbed Kamren’s belly.

  “Come with me tomorrow. What Stan did was a huge betrayal to you too. He stole from you too.”

  “He did.” Bree sniffled. “I guess I could go.”

  Bree calmed by the time the vehicle pulled into the Sip and Spin’s parking lot. Rhea wasn’t sure if going into the local watering hole was a smart idea, but Nolan was on his way to Russia so it wasn’t like Dani could complain about seeing the man again.

  Not that she’d ever complained.

  Fallon approached, eyes on Bree as she headed inside with Kamren and Mary and Zoey.

  “That girl’s got trouble lurking,” Dallas commented. “Get her in to Sinclair. If you can’t, let me know and I’ll have a word with Mary. She’ll get her in.”

  “Bree?” Fallon asked.

  Rhea nodded. “We’ll get her in to Sinclair.”

  The place was packed with locals. Tables had been dragged together by the time Rhea entered the Sip and Spin. Dani shook her head from her place behind the bar. Rhea headed toward where Bree and Zoey stood with Kamren and Dallas.

  “You’re back again. This is becoming a bad habit,” Dani commented.

  “Just in the neighborhood, righting a wrong,” Dallas said.

  Dani froze. Her gaze softened. “Ellie and Jesse are home.”

  “They are.”

  “Her mom?” Dani asked.

  “Brant’ll help get her there later today,” Dallas said with a wince.

  “Still nursing that grudge I see. Sometimes you’ve gotta let sleeping dogs lie, Mason.” Dani slammed a beer on the counter. “He’s a good man. He deserves a second go.”

  “Funny,” Dallas said as he took a sip of the beer and locked gazes with the woman. “I could say the same to you.”

  The woman paled but didn’t reply. Rhea was about to put an order in when a commotion from the entry drew the entire bar’s attention.

  Her breath swooshed from her lungs as Dani’s brothers entered. Raul’s and Dom’s gazes slid across everyone, letting them know they weren’t deemed a threat. The DeMarco brothers could take anyone in the bar down without a problem.

  Except for The Arsenal crew.

  The two brothers locked gazes with the gathered group. Riley stood, flipped her blonde hair to one shoulder and headed toward the bar, seemingly indifferent to their entry.

  Dani’s gaze narrowed. “What’d you do to piss him off?”

  “Piss who off?” Riley asked, her tone filled with mocked innocence Rhea knew all too well. The youngest Mason was trouble with a capital T. “Give me a beer. Wait, better make it two.”

  “Dom’s killed with looks less lethal than that,” Dani commented as she set a beer on the bar then glanced at Dallas. “You’d best intercede. She can’t handle him pissed.”

  “I certainly can,” Riley said. She took a sip of beer and coughed when Dom slid to a halt behind her, hand on her hip.

  “There’s the little thief,” Dom said.

  “Oh, get over it.” Riley wiped her chin and set the beer down. “You act like I stole your kid or something.”

  “What did she do?” Dani asked.

  “She stole my ride,” Dom said, amusement in his voice. “Then stole it again when I showed up at the hospital to get it back.”

  “First, I didn’t steal anything. I borrowed. Then I continued the said borrow to put gas in your ride and put it back exactly where I found it.”

  “With a pink rose scented air freshener hanging from the dashboard,” Dom said.

  Dallas and Kamren chuckled.

  “Oh shit,” Dani commented.

  “I was just freshening up the interior,” Riley said with a shrug. “Not my problem if you’re emasculated by a little pink and some floral scent.”

  “And the glitter-farting unicorn dangling from the mirror?”

  Dani laughed. Her entire body shook from the force. She turned and walked away.

  Rhea stifled her laugh as Riley and Dom faced off. “He reminded me of you.”

  “Careful, Riles,” Dallas warned. “Dom has a short fuse and an even smaller sense of humor.”

  “Well, then. Consider me warned.” Riley picked up the second beer and walked away. “Have a good day, Dom. Let me know when you find that lost sense of humor. In case you haven’t noticed, you’re in Arsenal country most of your days. That means you either laugh or go crazy. Shit’s too intense to take the little things seriously.”

  Dom’s gaze slid over Riley as she sauntered away. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “Don’t,” Dallas warned.

  “Not even if she was the last woman on Earth, man.”

  Fallon hated guacamole. Rhea filed the newest information and grinned at him. They’d shared a massive plate of nachos with the hottest salsa she’d ever eaten. It was hands down the best bar food she’d ever had. Belly full, everyone had returned to The Arsenal.

  And ground to a halt at the gated entry, where the guard on duty was on his knees, arm tugged behind him by a tall brunette. Sunglasses hid her eyes, but her head went up when the trucks arrived. She loosened her grip on the guard and stood to her full height, which Rhea put at a solid five foot eight, possibly nine. Legs spread apart like she’d seen Fallon and the other operatives stand, she crossed her arms behind her back.

  And waited.

  “There a problem?” Cord asked.

  “Depends,” the woman answered.

  “Manny? You good?” Dallas asked.

  “Yeah. Sorry, she took me by surprise. My fault. I grabbed her when she refused to get back in her vehicle.” The man stood. “My apologies, ma’am.”

  “I’m Cord Mason. This is my brother Dallas. Can we help you?”

  “Lexi,” Mary said as she approached the woman. “You’re early.”

  “Things wrapped quicker than expected. I was going to fly the new girl onto the compound, but figured I’d give you a heads-up first. I phoned Marshall, but he didn’t answer. Figured I’d try the direct approach first,” Lexi said. Her gaze landed on Rhea.

  Rhea’s insides clenched. Lexi. She was the chopper pilot who’d rescued her. She closed the distance and hugged the woman. “Thank you. Thank you for saving me.”

  “I was at the right time, at the right place because of everyone around you. The Arsenal’s one hell of an operation with some great teams.” Lexi pulled away. “I’m looking forward to being a part of it.”

  “Lex?” Levi’s startled voice came from the other side of the gate, which started opening.

  The operative ran to his sister. The two hugged. Their hushed whispers left Rhea blinking back tears.

  “You’re out? You’re really out?”

  “Thanks to Mary and Marshall, yeah. I’m Arsenal now.”

  “Finally.” Levi’s gaze locked with Dallas. The man mouthed a thank you.

  “Come on,” Fallon said. “I’m in the mood for dessert.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah, you.”

  Rhea laughed as he picked her up and carried her to the cottage. “Let me go!”

  “Never,” Fallon said. “I love you, Rhea.”

  Bonus Scenes

  I hope you enjoyed Impact Zone. One of the painful parts of the writerly process requires cutting scenes that either don’t fit the pacing or somehow detract from the current focus. As we get deeper and deeper into The Arsenal series, the potential scenes left on the cutting floor have become rather painful at times.

  I’ve decided to share a couple of these scenes with you all here. If this is something you’d like to continue seeing in the future, feel free to let me know. In the meantime, happy reading.

  Vi’s delivery – Jud’s POV

  Author’s Note: This scene was so hard to cut, but its tone didn’t fit with the rest of the s
cenes around it. As you are all likely aware, Jud is used to being in firm control of his emotions. There’s never a situation he can’t handle.

  Until now.

  This scene takes place when he takes her to Nomad Memorial Hospital.

  * * *

  “Make it stop.” Jud growled the order to the room at large. One of the two nurses was bound to have something to make Viviana’s pain stop. He ran his hand down his face and willed control over the riotous emotions assailing him.

  Helpless.

  He’d rather fight off the entire Collective than handle this.

  “Judson, don’t yell at them.” Viviana’s voice edged with pain as she squeezed his right hand with hers. Her left gripped the bed on the other side.

  Machines beeped and squawked. Two nurses flitted in and out as though Viviana wasn’t screaming. Didn’t they hear her? Wasn’t there something they could do?

  “It’ll be soon, dear. Why don’t you go get Vi some ice chips?” Momma Mason patted his cheek and smiled. “I believe they’ll have some at the nurse’s station. Dylan can show you where.”

  Right. Jud expended a weary breath and caught his wife’s gaze. Sweat dampened her brow, but her entire face beamed. Despite the contractions, joy burst from her smile and beautiful eyes.

  “I love you, Viviana,” he whispered.

  “I’m okay, Jud.” She gripped his face in her hands, kissing his mouth. “Momma Mason is right. Ice chips would be great.”

  Jud rose but looked about the room. Lost. Should he go? What if something happened?

  “I’ll sit with Vi,” Jud’s mom said. She ran a hand down Vi’s hair and smiled. “She’s doing great. It won’t be long now.”

  Right.

  Ice chips.

  Jud kissed Viviana and then left the birthing room. What twisted fuck thought it was a good idea to let the father-to-be and family observe the delivery? He’d spent his entire life extracting information from enemies. Nothing he’d done was half as savage as listening to the woman he loved screaming and knowing there wasn’t anything he could do to help.

  Get your shit together. This isn’t about you.

  Nurses migrated toward a back room when he stormed his way toward their station. Yeah, he supposed he hadn’t been the friendliest person in the ward. He ran his hand across his aching chest and forced a deep breath.

  Fuck.

  Was he having a heart attack?

  His pulse pounded hard in his ears.

  “Deep breaths.” A firm hand on his back followed the stern, elderly voice. “That’s good. Keep going. Deep breaths in, slow breaths out.”

  “Is he okay?” Dylan’s inquiry made Jud’s gut tighten.

  “He’s fine. Every daddy-to-be works through it in his own way. Your friend here is a worrier. I’m betting he’s used to solving every problem. He doesn’t like his wife hurting.”

  “No husband does,” Dylan commented. “Thanks for helping him, ma’am. Could we bother you for some ice chips?”

  “Certainly, I’ll be right back.” An elderly nurse smiled as she headed toward the back room where the nurses congregated. Watched.

  “She’s going to be fine,” Dylan said.

  “They had it right, back in the old times.”

  “Where men went off and got loaded?” Dylan laughed. “Not sure that’d go down with our crew.”

  No way in hell would he be anywhere but by Viviana’s side. Where was the nurse? He needed to get back. She needed him. Jud rubbed on his chest. “I hate this shit, man. She’s been miserable for weeks now. Months. Her back. Her feet. Everything.”

  The man smirked. Arms crossed, he made no comment. A growl rumbled from Jud.

  “She and Mary work through things differently than most. Vi’s likely been in labor for a large part of the day.”

  But the Cuba op took priority. His wife had been having contractions while running an Arsenal op. Fuck. Jud rubbed his chest. “She asked about the op.”

  Dylan’s mouth tightened. “It’s being handled. That’s all she needs to know.”

  “Here you go.” The elderly nurse held out a small cup of ice chips. “You need more, you let me know.”

  “Thanks.” Jud took the small cup, turned and headed back to his wife.

  He was halfway to the room when Riley turned the corner, Kamren in tow. The latter was pale, far more so than usual. Jud froze.

  Riley hovered near Kamren.

  “How is she?” Kamren asked, her voice soft.

  “What’s wrong?” Jud glared back at Dylan as the man closed the distance.

  Dylan moved past Jud and drew Kamren into a hug. “He’s okay. They’ll find them.”

  Fuck. Jud locked gazes with Riley, who chewed on her lower lip. Dallas had gone to Cuba with Fallon and his team. Rhea. What the hell had happened?

  “Viviana can’t know about this, not right now,” Jud declared.

  “Dylan’s right. Mary and Zoey and Jesse will find them. We can’t do anything about that,” Kamren said as she pulled away from Dylan and wiped at the tears on her cheeks. “How’s Vi?”

  “The boys?” Dylan asked.

  “They’re with Ellie,” Riley answered. “Can we slip in, see Vi?”

  His wife and child had become a diversion—one the two brave women he’d come to see as little sisters needed. “Sure.”

  Rhea’s HALO Jump

  Author’s Note: Wondering what it was like tandem jumping from an airplane for the first time? Oh, and it is one of the most dangerous jumps too. Welp, this scene obviously takes place when Rhea tandem jumped with Donovan. I ultimately chopped this scene out to preserve pacing, but my editor thought I should include as a bonus.

  * * *

  Rhea ran through the things Donovan had shared. They all matched the frantic Google education she’d given herself before leaving The Arsenal compound.

  “You okay?” Donovan asked, his voice loud in the com link they shared.

  They were close to go time. Rhea forced a deep, calming breath and nodded even though she was far, far from okay. Her adrenal glands had knocked into overdrive and her muscles had tensed—which meant she desperately needed to pee. Not that she’d ever share that with Donovan.

  What-if scenarios assailed her thoughts. Hypoxia and decompression sickness were the two greatest risks with HALO jumps. What if she got one of them? God, what if she puked?

  “Go ahead and ask.” Donovan chuckled.

  “What?”

  “Whatever you’re thinking. You’ve got an expressive face,” the man replied. “Graves trusts me to get you through this. Ask whatever you’re thinking.”

  “What if I get hypoxia? What if you do? Or decompression sickness?” She swallowed. “What if I puke? What if you pass out for some reason, and I don’t know when to deploy the chute? What if it doesn’t work and the reserve doesn’t either?”

  The man’s eyebrows rose. His lips upturned into a grin that she’d consider sexy if her entire body wasn’t preprogrammed for Fallon only. “None of that shit’ll happen. Most of us on this plane have done this more times than we could count. We’re jumping toward the front, but behind three other experienced jumpers. Something happens, one of them will have our backs and help us out.”

  “How do you know?”

  “That’s what team does.”

  Right. Rhea nodded.

  “Though, just to say, I’d appreciate a heads-up if you need to puke.” He smiled and motioned for her to stand.

  Moments later, a loud buzzer sounded. Lights near the back end of the plane changed colors. Damn. It was time.

  Her pulse quickened as her adrenal glands did their thing and dumped yet another shot of adrenaline. She bounced on her feet and looked up at Fallon when he approached.

  “Hey.” She hoped the new com she’d given him worked well. She’d meant to check-in with him about it earlier, but Donovan had gone through the jump plan longer than she’d expected—likely because she was still in panic mode.

 
“You’re looking like a paratrooper,” Fallon said. The sexy grin knocked back some of her worry.

  “I look ridiculous.”

  Fallon’s gaze slid down her. Appreciation glinted in his eyes. “Donovan’s got you. Just listen to him, do whatever he says.”

  “I will.” She’d be superglued—quite literally via straps—to the man.

  Pleasure rolled through her when he kissed her. She sank into his arms, the sweep of his tongue into her mouth. For a few seconds, nothing existed beyond Rhea and Fallon.

  “That’s some sendoff.” Walker slapped Fallon’s back. “Donovan needs to get her hitched up, boss.”

  Fallon offered a confident smile as he walked away. Her heartbeat thudded hard in her chest as Donovan reappeared and hitched them up. She put her helmet on.

  “It helps if you breathe,” he teased in the com.

  “Sorry.” Rhea was pretty sure she’d be repeating the apology multiple times before they were safely on the ground.

  How could any rational human being justify jumping off a perfectly good plane and plummeting to the ground below at well over a hundred fifty miles an hour? Surprise registered when she noticed Fallon ahead of them.

  “Why is he jumping before us? I thought you said experienced jumpers would be in front.”

  “He’s jumped before,” Donovan said. “But the jump master queued us so we’ve got veteran jumpers around the less experienced. You’re the virgin. Graves, Spade, Sanchez, and Walker aren’t veterans. Everyone else is.”

  Right. Donovan moved them forward as someone disappeared into the cavernous sky beyond the plane’s open belly. The engine’s sounds and the roar of the wind almost deafened Rhea. Her pulse quickened as everyone before them disappeared.

  Our turn.

  Rhea squeezed her eyes shut.

  “Open your eyes, Doc. Relax, and trust me. I’ve got you,” Donovan said into the com. “You’re too important to risk. I’ve got this.”

  One second they were at the edge of the plane, and the next they were…

  Falling.