Lethal Echo

by Cara Carnes

  Donovan’s face reddened more as he took a step backward. The slight hobble on his injured leg was noticeable but didn’t deter the man’s movement much. “I’ll talk to Fallon. You should’ve gone to him, not me. I’m operational, but out of the loop on shit. Sorry, man. It’s been a shit day. The sadistic hellion over there put me through the ringer.”

  “It’s my job,” the woman said, seemingly undeterred by Donovan’s growly persona.

  Ram took the final few steps to put himself into the conversation. “I’d ask how it’s going, but it’s obviously not good.” His gaze focused on Spade rather than Donovan. “What shit are you dealing with? Talk to me.”

  “I’ve already talked too much. Bree tagged me for advice, and I offloaded on her even though it wasn’t her problem. Thanks though, man. I’ll get it sorted somehow.”

  “She okay?”

  “She will be. I suspect she’ll fill you in.” Spade grinned. “You square?”

  “Yeah.” Ram hesitated a moment. “I know Fallon’s crew is still sidelined another couple of weeks.” His gaze cut to Donovan, whose attention remained on them. “I’m reading between the lines when they aren’t mine to see, but I’m thinking you could use a solid crew at your six while yours sorts their shit.”

  Spade crossed his arms. “They’ll get themselves sorted. I get where they’re coming from because I did keep shit from them, but we haven’t ever been as tight as you and your group.”

  Few were. It’d taken more than a decade fighting together to form the bond he had with Doug and Pierce. And now Gage. “You put your ass on the line for everyone here. If they can’t see that, they shouldn’t be here. Edge was clear when she read everyone in on what you did. So was everyone else in command.”

  “So now you’re poaching from my team?” Donavan asked. He clucked his tongue. “That’s low, man.”

  “No lower than you getting in his face about it not being your problem, even though the operatives causing it are yours to command.” Ram took a step toward Donovan. “You know I’m in your corner, man. Recovering from an injury isn’t ever easy. Pierce and I helped Doug through when he was there. We’ll help you, too, but you’ve gotta stop shoving us and everyone else away. You’ve worked your way back to field ready, but your mental shit is still off point. Sort it out, or I will.”

  “How would you do that?”

  “By flagging in Command. They’ve been covered over with work, so whatever shit you’re hiding has escaped their notice, but it hasn’t fallen off my radar,” Ram said. “Get the help you need. I’m not talking about the physical therapy. You’ve been all over that.”

  Donovan’s jaw twitched. He offered a quick head nod. “I’ll get it together.”

  “Good. Until then, Spade’s with us. I won’t let a damned good operative who put his life on the line for The Arsenal get cut up by those who are supposed to have his six. If you won’t do anything about it, then I will.”

  “Ram…” Spade’s voice lowered. “You don’t have to do this. You don’t even know if Gage would be on board with me being on his team.”

  “He made the Triple Threat all second in command. We make decisions together, a democracy of sorts, when it comes to the team. Gage is our leader, but he trusts us to make important choices, like who we’ll have at our back.” Ram stared Spade down. “There’s not a one of us who wouldn’t trust you to have our six. Go get your shit. We’re wheel’s up in forty.”

  His gaze shifted to Donovan. “You and I are having a long conversation when we get back. How that goes down is up to you.”

  “Understood.” He looked over at Spade. “Sorry, man. I was out of line.”

  Spade clapped Donovan on the shoulder. “We’ll get through this. That’s what team does. We’ll talk later.”

  Ram left the two men and made his way toward his gear. The sooner he had words with Gage, the better. He, Doug, and Pierce were already at the hangar. Lexi was going over the plane.

  Gage stood upright. His body tightened when his gaze cut to Ram. “There’s a problem.”

  “Not ours, but I put us in it. Until Spade’s team gets their shit sorted, he’s on ours, assuming you’re okay with that.”

  Doug and Pierce both nodded their agreement. Gage noted their assent and sighed. “I take it some of his team isn’t cool with him. Why the fuck not?”

  “No clue. He mentioned something about him not telling them.”

  “Like they would’ve shared if it’d been them,” Doug commented. “Did you tell him we’re outbound?”

  “I did. His skillset is well-rounded from what I’ve seen and heard.”

  “It is,” Gage said. “He’ll be an asset. Fallon will have my ass, but I doubt he knows much of whatever bullshit is going on between Spade and the others. Donovan typically handles all that.”

  “Donovan has his own problems he’s got to get sorted or I’m flagging in Command,” Ram said. “He’s physically ready for the field, but he’s overly aggressive and volatile. I’ve seen it more than a few times. I walked in on him getting up in Spade’s face saying the problem he was having with his other teammates wasn’t Donovan’s problem.”

  “He’s their second,” Pierce argued.

  “Yeah, but he sure as fuck isn’t acting like he is,” Ram said. “I’m having a conversation about that with him when we return.”

  Gage smirked. “You’re sounding like a second.”

  Ram shook his head. “We had this conversation. You’re the only leader we need. Everything else we’ll handle as a unit.”

  Command, i.e. the Masons, had all offered Ram, Doug, and Pierce either a team of their own or second in command, but none of them wanted to separate. They’d fought alongside one another so long the idea of being on a team without the other two was like losing a limb.

  He suspected Addy and her team were the same way. They’d all been together too long to consider separating.

  Spade entered the hangar with his bag slung over his shoulder. His progression was confident, but his gaze swept between Gage, Doug, and Pierce rapidly.

  “Welcome aboard,” Gage said quickly. “Let’s have a quick chat. We can fully brief you on the plane.” Ram watched as the man pulled Spade aside. He suspected the quick chat would be focused on whatever struggles Spade had been enduring and not tonight’s mission. It was the reason he, Doug, and Pierce had wanted to be on his team.

  He was a damned good leader, but more importantly, he was a hell of a man—one who’d always protect and empower those he commanded. He led by example.

  7

  Breaking into the secretary of defense’s office should’ve been more difficult, even though it was after hours. He and Gage had donned military uniforms and walked right through the front door thanks to forged identifications Zoey had provided. They’d only had a couple of ball-shrinking moments. Thank fuck.

  The woman had definitely been planning this mission for a while. She had caches all over the area around his office and home in case there was trouble. Ramon chuckled to himself as he remained in position outside Bob’s home. The man was rarely at home in the evening because of parties or other commitments, which meant they had at least a two-hour window to get in and out once he left.

  “In position,” Gage said via the com. His west side location would prime him for direct entry through the patio door once Mary and Zoey green lit the final phase of tonight’s mission.

  Ram would enter through the back door while Pierce took overwatch across the street, which left Doug at the front entry and Spade at the side of the mansion near the street to handle any issues they might face. Lexi had remained at the airstrip in case a hot exfil was necessary. Levi’s team was strung out around the perimeter. In all, Ram was confident they’d taken every feasible problem into account and were ready.

  “Anyone care to share how Spade is on your team?” Mary asked.

  Ram was surprised the woman hadn’t already asked. Operations hadn’t offered comment when Gage informed them Spade
was temporarily on their team. They’d simply inserted him into tonight’s mission and reassigned tasks for entering Bob’s office.

  “Fallon’s team is nowhere near field ready,” Gage said. “We can discuss when we return, but there are multiple issues he’ll have to address.”

  “Damn. That sucks,” Zoey said.

  “It happens,” Mary said. “They went through a lot. I’ll pull Fallon in, and we can discuss the concerns and outline a plan for handling whatever they are.”

  “We’ll need Ram to be a part of that,” Gage said, his gaze cutting to him. “He’s the one who recognized the issue and got Spade out of it and into a safe environment.”

  “Understood. You’re green lit,” Mary said. “Let’s make this fast, but use your entry wisely. Intel we need might be in that house.”

  “Understood,” Ram replied as he moved from behind the shrubbery. Adrenaline surged as he made his way over the high stone fence surrounding Bob’s property.

  Darkness cloaked the area at the far back, but lampposts spread throughout the rest of the sprawling backyard made backdoor entry a challenge—one he was more than okay with. The bigger the hurdle, the better the reward.

  “038351 is the security access code,” Zoey said. “Rearm the system once you’re both inside. Vi and I hacked into the company’s feed, but we don’t want to alert them to any abnormal activity.” And Bob likely kept his system armed at all times.

  Ram made his way toward the double-doored back entry quickly and typed in the code. The electronic lock clicked open. Darkness enveloped the sparsely decorated interior. “In.”

  “In. Arming system,” Gage said.

  Ram made his way up the narrow stairwell leading to the second floor. Gage would handle the first floor, and they’d both tackle the third. The team discussed potential locations for the microdrones en route and had decided on the more is better option.

  “Are we sure these won’t affect the interior cameras already in place?” Gage asked.

  “I’m positive,” Bree said.

  Good enough for Ram. He placed the first one at the base of the security alarm atop the second story’s landing and continued forward. “First in position.”

  “The feed is live,” Mary said.

  Time ticked by as he and Gage worked their way through the house quickly. Zoey told Gage to move one he’d put too close to a clock in the living room because “it ticked too loud.” Ram grinned. Bree’s audio quality was damned good if that was an issue. He made a mental note not to make that mistake as he entered a filthy bedroom.

  Clothes and trash filled the wooden floor. Sweat and stale food scents permeated the area. Two laptops sat atop a cluttered dresser. He opened both up and powered them on. “Need your brain, Z. Talk me through this.” He paused and took a still picture of the images on the password screen. One showed a team of armed men. “This isn’t Bob’s computer.”

  “That’s likely the bald man’s room,” Zoey said.

  “Alex Roush,” Mary added. “High level merc.”

  “Not that high level if he has pictures of his friends on the background of his laptop,” Zoey commented. “Okay, Ram. Let’s do this.”

  She rattled off instructions. Although clear and concise, he barely kept up with the rapid pace she set. “I need to up my computer knowledge, Z.”

  “I’ll get Jacob on that,” Jesse said. “Z’s in on both. Leave them on and she’ll handle the rest. Get to work on the drones.”

  Ram added one against the crown molding in the corner across from the bed and another in the large bathroom. Disgusting as it seemed, he knew many high-level operatives took their calls in the shower or other “private” areas most groups wouldn’t bug. Unfortunately for them, Ram didn’t have any qualms about violating an asshole’s right to privacy.

  “Ewww, really? The shower?”

  “Sorry in advance, Z.” He let his gaze sweep over the shelf inside, where a cellphone and notebook sat. He opened the latter and thumbed through it slowly. HERA would provide a readout of the contents via his headset’s visual display. “Got anything for the phone in my pack, Bree?”

  “The small purple case. Plug it into the cell’s power charge port. Z and Vi supplied the coding.”

  Excellent. He popped the case open and found the right one. “How long?”

  “A few more seconds. HERA is cloning the phone and downloading content,” Vi said. A few seconds ticked by before her voice returned. “Done.”

  Ram removed the small device and shoved it into his pocket. The laptops were finished, so he shut them down and moved to the next room. The second story had more rooms than he’d anticipated, but thankfully they had more than enough drones. By the time he arrived at the end of the hall, he’d kitted the second floor with eleven drones. He didn’t envy whoever would have to go through HERA’s downloads of the data they gathered. Talk about a mind-numbing job.

  He entered the last room. Yes. Bob’s office, or a secondary one, since he knew floor plans indicated there was a much larger one on the first level. He rifled through the filing cabinet, pulling out several folders and thumbing through the content for the visual display to record.

  “You’ve got a future career in this if the commando gig doesn’t work out,” Zoey said. “You should take notes, Gage. I don’t even have to tell Ram what to do.”

  “Where’s the fun in it if you don’t boss me around?” The man’s quick retort was met with chuckles through the com. “Love you, Little Bit.”

  “Yeah, yeah. More flipping. Less chatter.” Zoey paused a couple breaths. “Love you, too.”

  Ram wanted that deep connection with someone. He’d spent years telling himself otherwise because love was a risk, a potential heart-ravaging wound he’d barely survived once. Could he take that dive off a cliff again?

  Bree. The simple thought awakened his insides. He wanted to explore their attraction, see where it went.

  He sat at the desk and scanned its surface. Finding nothing of importance, he started on the drawers. “So, while we’re here, Bree, what do you say to dinner in Nomad tomorrow night? We’ll tour Resino with the family, then drop them off and head into the big city for a night out.” Nomad was not a big city, but at roughly twelve thousand people, it was way bigger than Resino.

  “Are you seriously asking her out on a date while on an op?” Zoey asked.

  “Why not?” Pierce asked. “We can multitask, you know. Say yes. He was a bear while you were away.”

  “A bear who needs something sweet, and you’re the only jar of honey he wants,” Doug added.

  “Say yes,” Spade said. “You know you want to.”

  Assholes. Spade had acclimated well to their personalities. He bantered with them as though he’d been a part of the team for years, rather than a few hours. Ram thumbed through another file as he waited out the silence on the other end of the com.

  “He’s waiting for an answer,” Jesse whispered.

  “Oh, right,” Bree said. “Sure. I just figured that was a given. Of course I’ll have dinner with you.”

  Yes. Anticipation filled him as he pulled out another laptop. He powered it on and started the process Zoey had already walked him through once. “Tell me I did that right.”

  “I wouldn’t have asked her out while on an op, but sure. Good job, big man.”

  Spade’s laughter sounded through the com, followed by Pierce’s. Then Doug’s.

  “Zoey, he meant the laptop,” Mary said with a heavy sigh. “I miss those boring ops before you showed up.”

  “No, you don’t,” Vi said with a chuckle. “This is fun.”

  Zoey corrected one of the last lines of code. “Not bad. Do you have like an eidetic memory or something?”

  “Years of field work,” Gage said. “We all remember more shit than we’d care to.”

  The man wasn’t wrong. Ram got the computer doing its thing for Zoey and continued on. He found another cellphone and used the plug in his pocket again. He adhered a dro
ne to the interior corner of a bookshelf facing the desk and another against the dark crown molding.

  “These color skins are genius,” Ram said.

  “Heading to the upper level,” Gage said.

  “On my way.” Ram took another look around the room, then headed toward the main stairwell leading to the third level.

  Gage met him and they made their way toward the lone room on this floor. Darkness filled the interior as they made their way in. He went left while his team leader went right. It took only a couple minutes to get the drone in place.

  Pulling out his flashlight from a pocket, he flicked it on and cursed as a large metal cage appeared. He flicked the light off and switched to night vision mode. “We’ve got a problem here.”

  “No shit,” Vi muttered.

  A thin mattress filled the cage’s interior, but it was the slight body curled up on it that forced the air from Ram’s lungs. The woman’s long, dark hair covered her face.

  “Fuck,” Gage whispered. “Edge, I cannot leave her here.”

  “We have no choice,” Edge replied quickly, her voice calm and filled with confidence. She’d morphed into her Edge persona, the lethal back-office operative who made the tough calls few would. “If we exfil her, they’ll know someone was there.”

  “She’s right,” Jesse said, regret heavy in his voice. “We’ve got eyes on her. We’ll observe and make an informed decision later.”

  Translation—he and Gage had to leave a woman caged in Bob’s house. What the fuck was going on?

  “Understood,” Gage said.

  “Bree, what’s in the blue cases you gave us?” Spade asked. “Sorry, I didn’t ask before and intended to.”