Hostile Ground

by Cara Carnes

  “I’m not.” Zoey squeezed her hand. “You’ve got some of the best instincts of anyone I know. You haven’t said much about him, but I know you see more than we do because of whatever history you share. I’m seeing that.” She motioned to the table. “With this. With everything he’s shared. I’m seeing that. Everyone else will too.”

  “Hate’s hard to let go of.”

  “Not sure hate’s the right word for what everyone feels for Kristof. They love you, Addy. You’re family. It’s like you have a hundred big brothers. I kind of feel bad for Kristof. That’s a big hill to climb.”

  “You’re assuming he’s going to climb it.”

  Zoey laughed. “I think that hike’s already started. You know it has.”

  Addy took a deep breath and picked up the phoenix. “I don’t know why. A part of me thinks it’s not worth the effort. Our worlds are too different.”

  “You aren’t a quitter. Don’t pretend for me or anyone else. We’ve got your back.” Zoey touched her arm. “We always have. You’re so busy protecting us you haven’t noticed. It’s not a one-way road.”

  She’d been alone so long she couldn’t imagine being in a relationship of any kind, much less one as loving and deep as the ones Mary, Vi, Zoey, Kamren, and Rhea had. Could she have that with Kristof?

  Yes.

  The immediate response silenced Addy’s doubt.

  “You never hesitate to take a stand for what you believe in,” Zoey said.

  Her team didn’t like him. They were her brothers, closer than any family she’d ever had. She’d never doubted her abilities to handle any situation, but this wasn’t an op. This was Kristof.

  “Talk to me,” Zoey whispered.

  Addy took a deep breath and forced the words in her brain out. “I’m scared. I don’t want to fuck things up with my team and all of you. But I…I can’t walk away from what I feel for him without giving it a chance.”

  Zoey hugged her tight and pulled her onto the floor. Addy let the tears flow. When was the last time she’d cried around anyone?

  “You’re always such a badass I forget that even superheroes have feelings.” Zoey sniffed. “You aren’t going to lose any of us. You know that, right? We love you. You aren’t ever getting away from us.”

  But she’d lost her parents and Peter. Hell, she would’ve lost Mary and probably Vi if it hadn’t been for The Arsenal. Talk about an emotional mess.

  “Hey.” The booming voice startled Addy. She swiped at her wet face, then glanced over her shoulder as Gage entered the shed. His gaze swept the interior, seeing everything in crystal clarity like he always did.

  Working with badasses was a serious pain in the ass.

  He remained silent as Zoey stood. The “are you okay” question she hated didn’t get voiced, but it coiled in the man’s body, notable tension in the way he held himself.

  “Saw you head out this direction and wanted to see what was up.” He wrapped an arm around Zoey’s waist and swiped a thumb along her wet cheek. “Jesse called for you a few minutes ago.”

  “Oh.” The woman’s eyes widened when she looked over at Addy as she stood.

  “Go. The mission’s priority,” Addy said.

  “It’s not.” Zoey darted over and hugged her again. “We’ll talk in the morning. Okay?”

  Addy nodded, but wouldn’t go down this road again. Once was enough, thank you very much. Silence ticked by as Zoey exited the shed. The door slammed shut behind her. Gage prowled forward, his gaze on the table.

  Addy held her breath as he picked up the turtle, then the phoenix.

  “Hell of a talent,” he said. “Guess I don’t have to ask who got this for you. Not sure any of us even knew you did this.”

  Addy tightened. Gage set the figurines down and approached. He grasped her face. “Look at me, sweetheart.”

  “Think I’ve hit my lifelong limit on heart-to-hearts, Sanderson.”

  “Don’t pull that last name shit with me. Don’t push me away cause you’re feeling scraped raw.” Addy’s gaze swept to his. “You know I’ve been down that road. You had my back. And Jesse’s. Dallas’s. Should I keep listing everyone you helped?”

  “No.” Her gaze cut to the table.

  “Your team loves you. We all do. There’s no road or war we won’t follow you into if you’re willing to stand your ground and fight for what you want.” Determination settled in his voice. She glanced up at him. “Stand your ground and they’ll have your back. We all will.”

  Gage had taken her back more than any of the other team leaders. He’d kept her team from seeing her at her most vulnerable during the last mission they’d been on with Kristof.

  “Protective shits like us aren’t ever going to welcome anyone into a sister’s life with open arms. I’ve got three sisters, a lot more now thanks to The Arsenal. You’re at the top of that list,” Gage said. “I figure you’re right at the top of every Mason’s list too. Just because we aren’t welcoming someone with open arms doesn’t mean we won’t let him in. It just means he needs to earn the right to be in your life. He needs to prove he’s worthy.”

  Addy took a deep breath. “Wow. You’re more of a brother to me than Peter ever was. All the guys are.”

  “That fucker died too quick,” Gage growled.

  Addy nodded.

  “Don’t hide what you’re wanting, not for us. It’s time to put yourself first for a change and trust us to get our shit sorted and have your back.” He clasped her face. “Figure this is going to be a good test run for whenever some unfortunate asshole tries to snag Riley.”

  Addy raised her eyebrows. “You lost me.”

  “We’re all more protective of you than anyone else at the compound, except Riley.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “It is.” Gage smirked. “We protect the other women, but they aren’t in the field with us, kicking ass, and taking down anyone who tries to hurt us or them. You’ve had their backs right alongside us from the start. And you’ve had theirs too. You’re the bridge.”

  “The bridge?”

  “Between us and them. You navigate those waters between their brilliance and our brawn and somehow have all of our backs. You stitch us together.”

  God. Addy blinked. Unsure what to say, she let the silence loom.

  “I don’t envy him,” Gage said. “Not sure anyone will ever be good enough for you, not when all of us are judging him. All I can promise is to have an open mind. I’ll trust your instincts until I see for myself if he’s good for you.”

  Addy nodded. “Thanks. For everything.”

  “Anytime.” Gage headed toward the door. “Don’t stay out here too long. We’ve got a rough day ahead of us tomorrow.”

  18

  Darkness cloaked the area outside the harsh perimeter lighting of the compound. Kristof noted the high walls and guard stations at the corners. Two searchlights swept back and forth. A few small, black objects floated in the air, barely visible within the lit area above the buildings.

  Drones.

  No one around him seemed concerned by what they saw. The Arsenal was ready for whatever they encountered. He took a deep breath and pushed back the worry rising in him.

  “Your pulse is skyrocketing,” Edge said in the com. “You’re worried. We’ve done this a few times before.”

  “I have no doubt you’ll take this compound down and get the missiles.”

  “We’ll get your cousin, too,” Addy said. She squeezed his arm. “We’ve got this.”

  “I should’ve mentioned Olaf can’t speak.”

  “We figured that much out when you mentioned his tongue had been removed,” Beast said. “He can hear, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then we’re good,” Addy said.

  “He knows sign language. I bribed a couple of his night guards to teach him,” Kristof said.

  “Okay, good. Shep and Thunder both know sign language,” Edge said. “He’ll be in good hands.”

  Right. The men
didn’t hide their dislike of Kristof, but they were solid soldiers. And Addy would be there.

  “There’s a matter we should discuss,” Maksim said as he arrived at the huddle. All gazes swept to him. “Gavriil. We should make contact now, let him know when we’re striking the camp.”

  Silence descended. A few of the operatives gathered around their leaders looked at one another, but no one spoke.

  “Why would we do that?” Zoey asked in the com.

  “He’s right,” Kristof said with a sigh. “I was worried I’d forgotten a critical part of tonight. I should’ve discussed it with you earlier, Maksim.”

  “Okay, let’s rewind,” Nolan said. “What are we missing? Does he know about this op?”

  “No, but he should.” Kristof looked at Addy. “Taking this compound will have immediate consequences elsewhere. Part of my original plan was to strike Father’s largest clusters at once. Gavriil was part of that plan.”

  “Not sure there’s time for that to happen,” Edge said. “We have two hours before we hit this compound. This is something we should’ve discussed yesterday.”

  “It’s not worth the risk,” Marshall said. “Even if we trusted Gavriil, his men haven’t been vetted. We can’t risk one of them alerting Kostya.”

  Kristof nodded. The decision made sense. “I hate not circumventing unnecessary deaths if possible.”

  “Who would Kostya go after?” Zoey asked.

  “Everyone,” Maksim said. “Families of those closest to Kristof would be hit first. Most have likely done as I ordered and hidden their loved ones, but not everyone had enough time. Even more have no idea we are moving tonight since we have told only those with us here.”

  “How many families?” Edge asked.

  “That depends on how much Father found out from Ivan and Dima and anyone else who spied for him. It’d extend to Gavriil’s organization and a couple others at the most. Several hundred of Father’s men are spread out enough and have sufficient warning,” Kristof said. “That’s the worst-case scenario, one likely mitigated by the fact no one outside this group knows.”

  “Anything else that may have not been mentioned?” Jesse asked.

  “No. I should’ve mentioned this before, but this compound will be difficult enough to handle.”

  “Can Gavriil mobilize his men that quickly? Does he have the manpower to make a difference?” Zoey asked.

  “He does,” Edge said.

  Kristof shouldn’t have been surprised the woman had already investigated Gavriil and his organization.

  “Most of the men we’ve recruited to our cause were within Gavriil’s purview the past couple of years,” Maksim said. “I trained with them, vetted his leaders. There was less visibility to their existence if they were hidden within his syndicate.”

  “Maksim has trained most of Gavriil’s men himself. I have as well. They are formidable, more so in many ways than our men that are here tonight,” Kristof said.

  “That’s smart,” Gage said. “What’s the play for that, Edge? Anything?”

  “I’ll contact Gavriil half an hour before we strike the compound,” she said. “Hopefully that will suffice.”

  “We could take the power grid down earlier than we originally planned,” Zoey said. “Power failures happen all the time.”

  “We can’t risk making them nervous,” Edge said. “We’ll intercept communications, though, and monitor the situation. If we get wind of a leak, we’ll strike early.”

  Everyone nodded.

  “Okay, let’s get into position and surveille our surroundings. Everyone stays on high alert,” Marshall said. He glanced at Kristof. “You two remain with Addy and her team until we have a better idea where your target is.”

  Kristof nodded.

  He followed the men as they headed south. Addy fell in step alongside him. Maksim smirked and increased his pace to offer them some privacy.

  Beast glanced back and scowled but didn’t slow their progression. Amusement rolled from Kristof.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Your team. They don’t like me, but they’re growing on me.”

  “They don’t know you,” Addy said.

  “I won’t ever get between you and them. I know how important they are to you.” The urge to take her hand pressed heavily on him, but he kept a respectable distance between them.

  Blood surged southward when his gaze swept down her attire. The black commando pants she wore hugged her firm ass, one that’d fit perfectly in his hands last night. He’d wanted to bury himself deep in her, but she deserved better than a quick rutting in a shed.

  “I have something for you,” she whispered as she reached into the pocket on her left thigh. Heat spread through his hand when she took it.

  “It’s nothing big. I…I just wanted you to have it.” She looked down at the ground and increased her pace.

  He remained in step with her as he glanced down at what she’d settled in his hand. He reached into his pocket and turned on the small flashlight he’d been given.

  He froze as the small beam of light glinted off the figurine.

  A phoenix.

  Small beads of green glinted from the eyes. Long streams of red fanned out along the wings and interspersed with the clear glass. Thinner strands of yellow divided the two colors.

  “This is beautiful.” He breathed the words, too moved by the small creature to say more. She remembered.

  He swallowed and studied the creature that’d once been the hero within their woven dreams. Futures they spun like strands of gold. He’d never expected them to come true, and he’d always doubted she bothered to remember their naive imaginings.

  “He reminds me of you,” she whispered. “Tonight, we burn your past to the ground so you can finally become whatever you want when you rise from the ashes.”

  “Addison.” He breathed her name on an exhale.

  “What the fuck are you two doing?” Beast thundered. “We’ve got to get into position.”

  “Give them a second, man.” Shep thumped the man on the back and forced him to turn around.

  “I probably should’ve waited.” Addy chewed on her lower lip. “I-I just thought you should have it before we go in there. It’s not going to be easy.”

  “Nothing worth having is,” he said. He grasped her face. “Thank you. This means more to me than you’ll ever know. You remembered.”

  Kristof was thankful they were far enough away from the compound to be heard. Beast was right. They shouldn’t be talking, much less stopping to chat. But nothing mattered in that moment except Addy.

  When everything was over and Father’s empire was dismantled, he’d get a tattoo of the phoenix Addy had created. She was his phoenix in every conceivable way.

  He feathered a kiss across her lips. “Thank you. We’ll talk after this is done.”

  She nodded. “Yeah. Just…”

  “Just what?”

  “Remember the phoenix. You aren’t your father. Don’t let him take you down in the fire.”

  “I won’t.” Kristof pocketed the figurine. “I got lost in my hatred a lot of years, but you’ve renewed my strength and honed my focus. I’m more ready than I’ve ever been.”

  “Good. Let’s catch up before Beast kicks my ass.”

  The compound was unlike the camp, yet so similar. Addy could retrace every crevice of the area blindfolded, but none of the buildings remained. Locked in what’d once been while thrust within the unknown left her unsettled as she waited beside her team.

  Kristof and Maksim remained on the left with one of their teams while Beast, Thunder, Cracker, Shep, and Johnny all lay on their bellies to her right. Divided with her between them. Would that ever change?

  “It’s all gone,” she commented.

  “The evil core remains,” Kristof said.

  Red brick accentuated with black replaced the old, crumbling buildings she remembered. Mandrake drones, electrified fences, and armed guard towers separated those within its co
ntained area from the outside world. No, nothing had changed. It’d simply catapulted into a new level of evil.

  Chatter sounded on the com. A concussive boom exploded from the southwestern and northern sections of the compound. The shockwave shook the ground beneath them. Had the catacombs beneath the area been compromised? Would Nolan’s team be slowed down freeing the prisoners because of damage?

  Not your problem. Let Edge, Jesse, Zoey, and Cord handle that.

  “We’ve got control over their systems,” Zoey said. “Perimeter fencing is down. Drones are under our control. Tracking Kostya now.”

  Gunfire echoed within the area as the compound’s men warred against the computerized machine guns remotely controlled by Cord. He and Bree had used drones to raise the weapons into position moments before they’d struck. She assumed Nolan’s team had assisted with the maneuver since they were the closest boots-on-the-ground team.

  “Teams One and Two and Blue making entry,” Marshall said on the com. They’d enter the northwestern corner of the facility while everyone was combatting the perceived threat elsewhere. Their objective: secure the biochemical missiles.

  Kristof’s four teams had been added to the mission using colors rather than numbers. The one with Kristof was Red. Orange and Green would patrol the Phase II zone and eliminate targets as needed.

  “Phase I in full play,” Edge said.

  “Team Three prepare for entry once Phase II begins,” Jesse ordered.

  A single click sounded through the com. A fiery inferno blazed from the northern and southwestern sectors. Addy and her team wouldn’t enter until Phase II was well underway and would be winding through the bottommost level of the catacombs along the eastern perimeter to free Olaf.

  “We need Kostya’s location,” Edge said. “Helo One, you’re clear for Phase II.”

  “Roger.” Addy smiled. Lexi was The Arsenal’s latest edition. The chopper pilot was Levi’s sister and extremely smooth under pressure from what Addy had witnessed so far.

  Screams and angry shouts echoed amidst the gunfire as the distinctive sound of a helo sounded from above. The black beast rained down in the central section of the compound, where the majority of the enemy combatants had been corralled thanks to the computerized machine guns.