by Cara Carnes
Vi couldn’t believe he’d chewed them out. “I-I’m not sure what to say. They didn’t even say anything that bad.”
“Honey,” Riley whispered. “Seriously?”
“It’s been too shitty of a day to dreg those waters,” Vi said honestly. “But thank you for showing this to me.”
“He’s got your back,” Mary said.
“He’s not the only one. I guarantee there’s no way anyone will let you be alone with them,” Addy stated.
Vi was glad in a lot of ways. Things between them grew worse ever since her sophomore year at MIT, when she mistakenly invited them to a special awards ceremony dinner thrown in her honor. The entire night had been a train wreck of epic proportions. She and Mary had bonded, gotten even closer after the horrid night. They’d declared themselves the misfits of MIT. She smiled at the memory and hugged her friend close. “I love you all.”
“Okay, tomorrow we’ll conquer the list.” Bree narrowed her gaze. “Don’t give me that look. We all know you have one and it’s probably massive.”
She didn’t bother denying it. “HERA should be done by then. Marshall has a debriefing early in the morning.”
“Do you want to talk about the paperwork?” Mary asked.
“What paperwork?” Rhea asked.
“Jud filled out the profile sheets for us,” Mary explained as she pulled them from her bag. “I haven’t looked at them.”
Unease filled her as she took them. She couldn’t explain why, but she didn’t want to share the piece of himself he’d offered up. It felt wrong.
“I think our girl needs rest more than she needs to mull over what we already know. Jud is a hell of an operative, one who’d do anything for her. That’s all I need to know,” Addy said as she stood. “Now y’all get ready so we can watch a movie, eat more crap than we should and drink ourselves into a new day.”
Vi hadn’t realized how much she needed the support of her friends until she’d already gotten it. Seeing her parents after so long had been a blow, but she’d done the right thing by bringing them here. She might never be the daughter they wanted, but she still loved them. And that’d be enough because she had started to realize it didn’t matter if they never returned the love she offered. She had a new family forming at The Arsenal.
Someone was in her house. More specifically, someone was in her bedroom. She remained frozen in place, curled underneath the covers and contemplated her options. One loud scream and Addy would handle the rest.
Excellent idea.
She flung the covers back, sat up in bed and…
A hand covered her mouth, stifling the scream rolling from her. She kicked and punched, but an arm wrapped around her, locking her into place with a laughable ease. She blinked, adjusting her eyes to the dark as she heard her name in a husky whisper near her ear.
“It’s me, Viviana.”
She punched Jud and shoved away. Her breaths rushed in a ragged tempo as he flicked a light on. His half-hooded gaze slid down her briefly, then returned to her face. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I came to make sure you were okay.”
“You were worried enough to check on me, so you break into my house in the middle of the night and sneak into my bedroom? You’re scaring the shit out of me to make sure I’m okay?”
“Now that you put it that way…” He stroked her face and offered a faint smile. “Didn’t think much past wanting to make sure you were okay.”
Okay, that was way sweet. Her anger melted away beneath the quiet honesty layered within his words. “I’m guessing you don’t usually do things without thinking ten steps ahead.”
“It’s not smart,” he admitted. “But I did say I was coming, Viviana. Remember?”
“Oh. I didn’t believe you,” she whispered. She was suddenly too aware of the thin spaghetti top and shorts, the same ones she’d worn in the kitchen when he’d tasted her sass for breakfast.
Was he here to taste her sass again? She licked her lips and remained silent, unsure what to say. Sexy, muscled bad asses didn’t drop in to check on her in the middle of the night.
“Viviana.” Her name was more of a warning than a plea.
“Sorry, I’m nervous. I’m not sure why. I didn’t expect you just to break in and check on me. It’s sweet in a totally stalkerish kind of way.” She smiled. “You okay?”
“That’s my line,” he replied.
“I’m better than expected. Seeing my parents again was a shock,” she admitted. “I saw what you did. Mary sort of snagged the footage and shared it.”
“I figured she would. I was hard on them, probably should’ve been easier on my delivery.”
“No. They don’t listen. You were effective, which is way more than I’ve ever been.” Failure. The word summarized her entire existence as far as her parents were concerned.
“You’re a beautiful, brilliant woman, Viviana. Don’t ever let their stupidity make you think otherwise.” He ran his thumb across her lips. “Mom and Dad loved you.”
Her pulse quickened. Something in her unfurled at the notion his parents had liked her. The time she’d spent with them had been a bit awkward at first, but once she realized they weren’t judging her every little action, looking for reasons not to like her, she’d basked beneath their curiosity and interest. “They’re awesome.”
He smiled, a full-on smile that hit his eyes. “Yeah, they are.”
“Your mom and Momma Mason have a lot in common. If we aren’t careful they’ll take over the compound, turn it into the world’s largest kitchen and feed the universe.”
“I heard they started that endeavor,” he said. “Mom’s got the lay of the land now, understands she can interact with people here, but needs to keep her distance, too. She’s good at reading people.”
“Is that where you got it from?”
His eyes glimmered in the pale light coming from the bedside lamp. “You’re easy to read when you’re outside Command Central, Viviana.”
“Oh? What am I thinking?” She licked her lips.
“You’re thinking it’s time for me to take another shot of sass. You’re damn near brimming over with it, aren’t you?”
“It has been hard keeping it contained. I wouldn’t want your parents to think badly of me.” The admission tumbled from her. Why their opinion mattered made perfect sense to her, but it wasn’t something she wanted to explain to anyone.
She’d already failed one set of parents.
“That’s impossible,” he declared softly.
“Right, of course. I’m Quillery, the woman who saved Danny.”
“No, you’re Viviana, the woman who has their son twisted up for the first time in his life.”
“You’re twisted up?” Her gaze settled on his t-shirt, a snug hunter green number that brought out the gray in his eyes. “Is that good, or bad?”
“I’m thinking it’s good.” His lips feathered against hers. “Now about that taste.”
She grabbed his head and sealed their lips. Mint with a hint of whiskey. She moaned and flicked her tongue across his lips. He opened, took control of the kiss in a carnal fusion of tongues. They wrestled tongues, then bodies as he sprawled her onto her back. His weight against her ignited an ache within her.
It’d been too long.
The kiss turned slow, playful. She growled and grabbed at his shirt. Heat greeted her palms when she settled them beneath the material. All that existed was the fiery kiss and the commanding way he guided the moment, kept her wanton for more while giving her exactly what she needed.
Vi couldn’t think, couldn’t function beyond relishing the way her skin tingled beneath his fingertips as they ran down her neck, across her shoulders. Heat suffused where he kissed along the same trail.
“So beautiful,” he whispered against her shoulder.
She growled her frustration and yanked at the shirt again. “Off.”
He chuckled and took it off. She memorized the wounds along his torso. Long gouges along h
is ribcage. Bullet wounds. Stab wounds. “Shit.”
“Viviana.” The guttural plea spurred her desire, made her almost believe she really did have him twisted up. She kissed the first wound, just above his right nipple. She meandered south and suckled the bud. She craved his mouth on her in the same way. Would he graze her with his teeth, nibble firm enough to make her gasp? She laved the nub and peeked up through half-hooded eyes as she gave him the contact she craved.
The hungry look on his face almost made her lose focus. Pupils dilated, he ran his fingers through her hair and dragged her away.
“Hey, I wasn’t done.”
“I see you’re part minx,” he teased.
“Told you I was a cat person,” she shot back. She yanked and tugged, but he pinned her against the bed.
Amusement flickered in his gaze as it settled on her. Breathing labored, she remained still as his fingertips continued the meandering path they’d set upon earlier, the one she’d waylaid with her own exploration.
“I’ve fantasized about having a taste of you there a long time, Viviana.” He tugged the material covering her chest down. Agonizingly slow.
She held her breath and grasped at his hand, suddenly too aware of her imperfections, the bulges of fat on her where only sinewy flesh was on him. The pudges where he had none. The playful glimmer in his gaze stifled the doubts. This once she’d not worry, live in the moment rather than in her head.
“Don’t move, minx, or I’ll have to tie you up,” he taunted.
Pleasure pooled between her legs at the thought. He chuckled, a low rumble of knowing that made her too aware of the barely-there material between her and him. Thank goodness he had jeans on or he’d know how aroused she was.
The wandering hand pulled the material over her breast, fully exposing her. He kissed and licked around her breast, the swell, the side, everywhere but where she wanted the heat of his mouth. She writhed and shifted beneath him, but his other hand worked in tandem with his body to keep her pinned into place, at his mercy.
Heat encompassed her nipple as his mouth laid claimed to her. A moan escaped her. Foreplay hadn’t ever ignited her desire. It’d always been a grope here, a pinch there. Nothing spectacular. He repeated the agonizing homage to her other breast. He cupped and massaged while he nibbled and sucked her nipple.
“Judson.”
He groaned and dragged her down the bed. Their mouths collided. A battle ensued, one she was too lost in sensation to fully understand. He severed the contact with a lick on her lips. He smiled down at her. “So beautiful and passionate.”
Shocked, she watched as he pulled her camisole top back up and stretched out behind her. Spooning? Too confused to speak, she lay there a moment. Her entire body throbbed. Ached for…she squirmed. His hand locked around her waist. Hot breath fanned along her neck.
He’d stopped.
“I hear your beautiful mind spinning a million miles an hour,” he whispered in her ear. “Settle down, babe. You need rest.”
Rest? Was he serious? Her entire body was a live wire, one he’d turned on and then abandoned. Rest?
He chuckled.
“You’re a little hellcat, so passionate.” He nibbled her earlobe until she leaned against him, deepening the contact. “I’m not gonna rush this, not with you. You’re a gift I’m going to unwrap slowly, savor.”
Okay, that was hot. And sweet. Unsure how to respond, she laid in his arms and enjoyed the moment. Being held rocked.
17
Judson looked around at the filled room. They were two hours into the debriefing and he was a minute away from dragging Viviana out. She rubbed her temples and stared at the streams of data coming from HERA. She, Mary and Cord were working to keep up. Jacob had even offered his assistance, assistance quickly accepted.
“I understand Gage has run into a few hiccups securing your new employee,” Marshall commented.
“Zoey, aka Zero, was working for the NSA. Her intervention helped Fallon’s team, as we all know from the debriefing. Unfortunately, her employers aren’t willing to let her go easily. The situation is a bit…problematic,” Mary said. “Vi made a call to Bob.”
“Right,” Marshall said. “Bob called, assured me they’d be wheels up within the hour. Zoey’s officially clear and I have assurances from very high up the food chain there will be no backlash from her exit.”
“We’ve completed the first round of Jian’s interrogation. The hard drive retrieved from his domicile has been more helpful than him, but we have managed to get some names, locations and account information from him,” Vi said. “We should probably hold him a little longer, and try again.”
“Agreed,” Mary said. “The last item on the agenda is The Collective, specifically kicking their ass for trying to kick ours.”
“For the record, before we get in the weeds, I want a say a couple things.” Marshall’s voice boomed within the room. “Judson, Marcus and Jacob, you three stepped up and did a hell of a job keeping this compound secure against incredible odds. Y’all made a hell of a team.”
Jacob beamed. Red rose in his cheeks as everyone smiled. Cord slapped his back and grinned real big.
“Marcus, get with Dylan after the meeting. We’re giving you a team. Once we get things down to a dull roar here, we’ll move forward with application testing and operative vetting. You can help us if you want, pick your own crew. Dylan and I will have final approval, but I’d prefer you pick your own team.”
“Appreciated,” the man replied. “Though Jud’s the one who should get the bulk of the praise. He was a one-man squadron.”
“Yes, he was.” Marshall pinned him with a gaze. “If you’re willing to pull back those lethal instincts and color within the lines a bit more, there’s a place for you here at The Arsenal if you’re interested.”
“We’ll chat,” Jud said.
The offer was unexpected, out of nowhere. He’d love to settle down, put his knives away for good and color within the lines. He could almost see himself doing that with Viviana. Here, at The Arsenal. If they’d hire Jacob on…damn. It was almost too much of a good thing to contemplate. Good hadn’t had a place in his work world in a long, long time, if ever. He was sorely tempted to accept on the spur of the moment, trust the gut instinct in his head screaming yes. It was the same voice demanding he explore things with Viviana—give normal a shot.
Not that the beautiful and brilliant woman across the room could ever be normal.
“Right. Vi, read us in on what we’ve gathered about The Collective so far.”
“We have lots of data between…” Vi swallowed, glancing at him. “We have a lot of data from two data sets. We’ve pieced together what we think is a relatively decent chain of command, one with a good chunk of the major players identified.”
Images appeared in a hierarchy. Jud nodded. “I recognize a lot of them. How do we take them down?”
“Slowly,” Mary replied. “Vi and I went over the options and we think hitting them where it hurts is the best route. Weaken their position by taking their money, a shot of poison to the roots will kill the tree. That’s the assumption at least.”
“Cutting the money will cut their power,” Dallas said. “Most of the lower tier won’t work without an instant payday afterward.”
“Upper ranks won’t either,” Jud said. “What do you need to make that happen?”
“Account numbers, the more the better. We got some from Jian. The other data we have had a few.”
“I’ll give you what I know, but it’s old, probably too outdated to use,” Dallas said.
“Lots of organizations this massive get lazy, complacent. They likely don’t close down their accounts often, just reroute funds. Either way, we can follow the trail, wherever it might lead. There’s a digital footprint, even for closed accounts.” Vi smiled as she looked at Dallas, then him. “HERA was built on doing exactly this, pulling money from assholes. Once Zero is here, she can help. She’s helped me with stuff like this a lot.”
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“I know someone I can reach out to, get more info from if we need another data source,” Jud said. “Kristof has worked with The Collective a while, for some of the blacker ops.”
“Let’s hold off and see what we can do with the data we get from Dallas. Keeping this in house would expedite the process,” Vi said. “It’ll be less dangerous for you that way.”
She was worried about him. Something inside him stirred, a restlessness born of surprise and curiosity. It’d been a long time since he’d had anyone in his work world worried about him. Concerned for anything aside from the monetary bottom line.
“Dallas is going to San Antonio for supplies. We’ve been talking with Marcus and reviewing the security footage from the compound attack.” Dylan pinned Jud with an intense gaze. “We’d all appreciate a training session from you on hand-to-hand if you’re up for it, Jud. Especially with close quarters and knives. You’ve got some moves we haven’t seen, and that’s saying quite a bit given our backgrounds. We respect whatever decision you make.”
Jud sensed the test within the request. He was either vested enough in securing the compound and Viviana to train them or not. If he wasn’t one hundred percent into the objective, he wouldn’t expose himself, neutralize his strengths in hand-to-hand by training other operatives to be as proficient as he was. He smiled at the man across the table and nodded. “Okay, though we might want to contain the lessons to everyone in here at first, branch out to the other team members after you feel proficient enough to assist with training.”
“Agreed,” Dallas said. “I’ll hold off on the supply run until tomorrow if you’re up for doing it this afternoon. I can probably help with some of the moves, but I’m a little rusty.”
Jud doubted the man could ever be rusty. He’d been far better than most everyone Jud encountered. He nodded his approval, realizing he’d taken one more step closer to the light, the clean. He glanced at Viviana, who offered a knowing smile.
HERA was still working on the bank account hacks. Jud had taken everyone outside to start the hand-to-hand training. She glanced down at the keys on her laptop, the ones which activated the remote video feed. She wanted to see how the training was going, watch Jud in motion, in his element.