by Cara Carnes
Baby Jessie laughed and reached for him.
“Who’s your favorite uncle?” Jesse plucked the little girl from Dylan’s arms and kissed her cheek. He leaned down and brushed lips with Ellie. “Where’s our angel?”
“I was going to bring her out so she could play with Jessie and Destiny, but your mom wasn’t about to give her up. She’s in the corner behind the salad bar if you want to go commando and exfil her.” Ellie swatted his arm when he looked over at Dylan. “Don’t you dare.”
Exfil. Addy smiled. Ellie had picked up The Arsenal’s jargon quickly since arriving at the compound and now ran the front office so efficiently she rarely required any of the Mason brothers to help.
“Hold my niece,” Jesse said as he handed the baby over to Mary. “We’ll be back. Come on, brother. Time to secure my kid.”
Dylan laughed and fell into step beside his brother. Addy couldn’t help but smile. God, she’d missed the camaraderie of this place so much the past few weeks. Ellie wiped her hand down her face and sat at the table. Dark circles stood out in stark contrast to the woman’s pale complexion.
“You okay? You look exhausted,” Addy said. “You did way too much for this lunch.”
“It was fun. Honestly, it feels good to have everyone back home. Jesse’s been so worried—not that he’d ever admit it.” She picked up the pile of plates beside her and started filling each with the meat near her.
“Dylan was too,” Mary said. She added potato salad and beans to each plate as Ellie passed them to her. “Neither of them is used to being the ones left here when we’ve got a mission. He’ll adjust.”
“I just hope he doesn’t regret giving up the team.” Ellie looked at Addy. “You don’t think he does, right?”
“There’s no way he’d rather be anywhere than right here with you and Ariana. Heck, he wouldn’t even let his mom keep her for an hour so he could eat.” Addy ran her hand down Ellie’s back. “You should go back home and get some rest after we eat.”
“Yeah. I think I need a power nap,” Ellie admitted. “A real one, not the kind you and Dylan take.”
Addy smirked. Dylan’s not-so-subtle commandeering of his wife for “nap time” was infamous on The Arsenal compound. He always found a way to pull Mary away from whatever troubled her for a while.
Olaf hit the green button on the pad and grinned as it translated what all they’d just said. None of it would make sense yet because he hadn’t met everyone, but Addy was glad to see him willingly interacting with the strangers.
Ellie and Mary introduced themselves as they handed out plates. Kristof joined in with the conversation and loaded down a plate for Olaf, then another that he passed to Addy. He leaned over and kissed her lips. The soft caress spiked her pulse.
Mary and Vi both raised their eyebrows. Ellie grinned wide. Great. She sensed a conversation with the female contingency once the meal was over. She was surprised she hadn’t been cornered at the airstrip.
Jesse appeared with Ariana in his arms. Love shone in his face when he looked down at his daughter. He kissed Ellie and sat beside her.
“I take it there weren’t any casualties?” Ellie asked, amusement in her voice.
“Ha. Mom didn’t stand a chance. We entered, fully intent on a stealthy exfil, but Nolan and Marshall both kept her attention on them. She didn’t even see us come or go,” Dylan said. He sat beside Mary and kissed her mouth.
“Such a hero. Stealing a tiny baby from her grandma,” Mary teased.
“She’s had plenty of baby time the past few weeks. It’s our turn,” Jesse said. Ariana reached for her mom but kept her gaze on Addy.
She likely didn’t recognize her with the blonde hair. “I need to dye my hair back, a temporary color until it grows out.” Kristof loved her red hair, had mentioned it several times since the mission began. That was definitely a priority.
“Riley will know a good hair person. We can ask her,” Ellie said.
Addy looked over at Olaf, who was frozen, his gaze on the full plate in front of him. Tears streamed down his cheeks. She moved to sit beside him and wrapped an arm around him, leaning in until their heads touched. “Hey. It’s okay. You’re safe.”
“I wanted this. Kids. Family. Love.” He signed the words then fisted his hands in his lap. “I won’t ever have that. Because of him.”
“Olaf,” Kristof said as he stood.
“No.” Jesse shook his head. “This is mine.”
Kristof froze. Addy tightened as the man moved to stand behind Olaf.
“Come on. Let’s you and I go sit over here on the end and talk while we eat,” Jesse suggested.
“No. Be with your woman and kid. I’m not worth the time.” Olaf’s shoulders slumped forward.
“Let’s go.” Jesse squeezed his shoulder. “Grab your plate. I’ll get mine. Leave your tablet here. I can use the app to understand your sign language and I’ll speak Russian so you can understand me.”
“I’m okay,” Olaf said.
“No, you’re not,” Addy said. Shock filled the man’s eyes. “But you will be. Jesse can help with that. We all can. Trust him to help see you through.”
Unease reflected in Olaf’s gaze when he stood and lifted his full plate.
“He’ll need a translation on what all this food is,” Mary said. “He’s likely never had any of it before.”
“I didn’t think of that,” Ellie paled. Her gaze swept to Kristof. “I’m so sorry. I should have. Momma Mason will be horrified.”
“He’ll love it all because it was made with love,” Kristof said. “He’s had very little of that in his life.”
Addy reached out and squeezed his arm. “It’s going to be okay. We’ve all been down this road, Olaf. There’s not a single person here who hasn’t fought their way from a hell of some kind and had to work their way back to the happy life that was taken from them. You aren’t alone.”
He looked around at everyone then nodded and followed Jesse, who’d picked up his own plate and a couple of unopened sodas. Addy doubted the man wanted to have the conversation he was about to have, but he would.
A comfortable silence settled around the group for a moment. So many of her friends had bonded because of their harrowing ordeals. None of them should’ve suffered the way they had, but at least they had one another now.
Family.
“I’m sorry,” Kristof said. “I know he was looking forward to a meal with family and…”
“Don’t,” Dylan said. “Helping your cousin helps him. He’s paying it forward. It’s one of the main reasons we started Warrior’s Path—to help people overcome the horrors of war and return to their normal lives and their loved ones.”
“Addy mentioned the program. It’s a remarkable endeavor. I’d like to help however I can,” Kristof said.
“That’s appreciated,” Dylan said. “We’ll talk after you’ve settled in.”
“If you need help with anything, let us know,” Mary said. “I’m sure there are a lot of things left to do in Russia. We may have left the area, but that doesn’t mean we’re done.”
Addy suspected there was still a lot left to do.
“Actually, there is one matter I’d like to discuss with you when you have time,” Kristof said. He set his fork down and wiped his mouth. “Maksim is trying his best, but I fear he’ll need help.”
“With?” Vi asked.
Kristof glanced over at where Olaf sat with Jesse. “I don’t want to mention this in front of my cousin, but I’d like to find my mama’s and uncle’s bodies.”
Mary set her silverware down. She took a sip of her tea. “You don’t know where they are buried.”
“No.” Kristof’s grim expression filled Addy with sadness. “They deserve a peaceful resting place. All I know is he ordered Ivan to bury them like the animals they were.”
“We’ll find them,” Jesse promised.
“We’ll go through what you remember from back then and get HERA working on property records and known inte
l from that time period,” Mary said. “It’ll be a difficult search.”
“Likely an impossible one,” Kristof said. “Too much time has passed.”
“Nothing’s impossible,” Vi said. “We don’t back down from a challenge. It sounds like the perfect project for Jacob. He’s been begging for a side project.”
Addy wrapped her hand around Kristof’s waist and smiled at him. Her friends would help him find his loved ones. Peter may have been a worthless psychopath, but he’d at least buried their parents properly. She couldn’t imagine not knowing where her mother’s final resting place was.
“I bet you have all sorts of interesting stories about Jud,” Vi said with a smirk. She sipped her soda. “Care to share any?”
Kristof laughed when Jud growled. “Afraid you don’t scare me, comrade.”
Jud cursed and shook his head. Kristof winked at Addy then started regaling everyone with a recount of their most embarrassing mission ever.
27
Kristof spent two and a half hours at the picnic tables with Addy and her friends. They’d welcomed him and Olaf with open arms. He’d never eaten so much in one sitting, and the food was spectacular. Ellie’s pies were the best dessert he’d ever had.
Whatever sadness and twisted thoughts Olaf had earlier had vanished by the time he and Jesse returned to the group. He looked over at his cousin, who was laughing and sharing a story about when he and Kristof had been kids.
He followed Jud away from the picnic tables. He paused at the corner of the building.
“What’s with the private chat?” Kristof asked.
Jud smirked. “I was ordered to find out what your intentions were however necessary.”
Amusement filled him as he glanced back at Jud’s wife and Mary. They’d asked a few pointed questions the past couple of hours, but they’d all been bookended with innocuous ones that kept the mood light. “They can ask themselves.”
“They will, but this’ll be easier on us both.” Jud crossed his arms. “You’re serious about her. I don’t need answers. I already know.”
“Then why are we doing this?” Kristof had no intentions of talking about Addy with anyone except Addy when she was ready—assuming she’d ever be ready.
What little she’d shared about her time at Hive and with Peter left him livid. He’d had no idea she’d endured so much and doubted anyone else in her life had a clue. A protective crew like The Arsenal would’ve weighed in long ago to get her sorted.
Which meant it was up to him to remain patient and give her the space she needed while also making it clear he had zero intentions of walking away. He’d spent two decades destroying his father. Addy was worth whatever time it took.
“You’re quiet.”
“I have a lot on my mind,” Kristof said. “Why are we doing this?”
“I don’t work here at The Arsenal. I have a side venture, an investigative business. I’m helping Riley Mason get her investigative license, and we’re solving problems and helping folks in the Tri-County. That’s Resino, Marville and Nomad. We’re outside of Resino. Kamren’s from Marville and still lives there with Dallas and her brood. Ellie’s also from there and lives there with Jesse and their daughter. Nomad’s a bit bigger and up north. That’s where we go for groceries and other shit.”
“Okay.” Kristof wasn’t sure why he was getting a geography lesson.
“There’s a lot of shit to deal with. If things get complicated, I can pull in an Arsenal team or the brainiacs to help dig. But I’m not using Vi and Mary and them much because I want Riley trained on how to use HERA so we can operate without The Arsenal as much as possible.”
“Because they’ve got enough on their agenda.”
“Exactly.” Jud uncrossed his arms. “I want you with us. The shit you dealt with in your underground and with The Collective gives you a knowledge base that’s wider than mine. It’d help Riley. It’d be you, me, Riley, and Jacob. He doesn’t know that yet, but he’d be a perfect addition to our team.”
Kristof looked forward to spending more time with Jud’s nephew. The young man had kept a relationship with Jud even when he was in the Collective, a feat few managed. The offer was ideal in many ways.
And give him a reason to hang around Resino for Addy without needing The Arsenal’s permission. Kristof grinned. “Right. Riley.”
Jud chuckled. “Look, fucker. We can do this however you want. If you want to be on one of the teams so your time is fully at the compound, say the word. I’ll get you vetted.”
“I’m not sure the Masons will go for that.”
“They don’t know what you’re capable of. I watched the compound takedown. You let their teams take the lead. Maksim stepped in when necessary, but you hung back.”
“I wasn’t at fighting strength. I didn’t exactly make a great impression when I got taken.”
“Guess we’ll agree to disagree on that. From what I saw, you and Addy handled yourselves well. You kept the attention off her while she was out. Not many in your situation would’ve done that. It’s not like you had any allegiance to her or The Arsenal.”
“You know that’s not true.”
“I do. But they don’t. Not yet.” Jud shrugged. “They’re getting the idea now, but either way. If you want to prove you can be on a team, I’ll help. They also need a hand-to-hand combat trainer full-time so those who are doing it now can focus on their teams and missions.”
That’d be perfect for Maksim.
“You’ve got options. I’ll make sure you’ve got a place here as long as you want it,” Jud said. “We started this conversation earlier, so I figured we’d end it. You’re out of that world. I want to help make sure you don’t go back.”
“I’m not.” Kristof looked over at Addy. “Even if things don’t work out with…I’m not going back.”
“Good.” Jud followed his gaze. “She’s worth the fight. She’s a lot like us, but you already know that. Don’t give up. She’ll come around in her own time. The others will eventually start helping her get there.”
“Once they make sure I’m worthy of her.” Kristof chuckled. “I’m not sure I am.”
“We aren’t ever sure of that.” Jud grinned when Vi stood and started toward them. “You’re worth it. One day you’ll see it, too. Until then, I’ll kick your ass whenever you steer the wrong direction.”
“That’s the second time you mentioned fighting me. I’m sensing a theme.”
Jud laughed outright and slapped him on the back. He greeted his wife with a kiss on the mouth.
“Is everything okay?” Vi wrapped her arm around his waist.
No, but it would be. Kristof wanted what Jud had carved out for himself. He wanted a family. Kids.
Love.
He took a deep breath. Jud smirked. Yeah, the bastard knew exactly what he’d done just now. He’d detonated any reasons Kristof had for not hanging around. He’d shown him why it was worth the risk, then assured him he’d have help.
Jud turned and headed back toward the picnic area with Vi.
“Jud.” His friend turned. “Thanks.”
Darkness cloaked The Arsenal by the time Addy had handled everything on her to-do list. Her team was settled back into their rooms and everyone was full thanks to Momma Mason and her brood of helpers.
With no action steps currently available for Mandrake or the weaponry, she was free to relax and enjoy being home. With Kristof.
Anticipation surged within her as she took the two steps up and halted on the small cottage’s porch. Had they put Kristof and Olaf in the cottage next to hers and Bree’s intentionally, or had it simply been a convenient mistake?
She smiled and knocked on the door. Her stomach churned as nervousness crawled beneath her skin. Some ops hadn’t incited such a heightened response.
The door opened. Kristof stood there, chest bare. Cotton, drawstring shorts hung loosely around his waist. She swiped her tongue across her lips as she recalled the taste of his skin, the heat of his cock
when she’d grasped it. The flavor of him in her mouth.
Of her.
“Hey.” Drowsiness deepened his voice as he stepped back. “Come in.”
“I woke you up. I should’ve realized you’d be sleeping.” She should have been asleep hours ago.
“Come inside, Addy.” He stroked her hair. She definitely needed to restore her original color soon.
She stepped inside. Her pulse quickened when he closed the door and locked it. Why the hell was she so nervous?
“Hey.” He splayed a hand on her upper back.
Pleasure sparked within her when he claimed her mouth. The slow, sensuous fusion calmed her nerves but incited the desire she’d fought all day. Seeing him here, at her new home with her friends, had awakened something in her—a primal need she couldn’t explain.
She settled one hand behind his head and the other at his waist. Heat rolled through her hands from his bare skin. They were alone. For the first time since they’d arrived, nothing existed except him.
Severing the kiss, she drew her shirt above her head and tossed it to the ground. Kristof’s gaze swept down her as he grinned. Tingles marched along her skin wherever he looked. Emboldened by the hunger etched on his face, she toed off her shoes and unzipped her cargo pants.
“Green lace suits you.” He traced the lacy edges of her bra, then angled downward along her ribcage. “I should’ve known you’d wear something sexy beneath your operative uniform.”
She didn’t always, but the feminine underwear was her rebellion—a reminder that she was more than what she did. She hadn’t always worn sexy bras and panties, but she’d embraced their existence within her wardrobe more since arriving at The Arsenal. Kristof had reinforced that reminder in Russia.
Their first time together the other night entrenched itself as one of the best nights of Addy’s life. She wanted more of those. With him.
She splayed her hands on his chest and peered up into his intense gaze. “I’ve been wanting to do this since we arrived.”
“Me too.” He wrapped his arms around her and kissed along her neck. “It’s been a long day. You’re tired.”