by Cara Carnes
Bree nodded, but Ram noted the tension vacating her body. Her shoulders relaxed. Her stance turned less rigid. Yeah, those words had made an impact—a much needed one.
“And we all want to observe what goes into building one of the full-sized drones. I imagine it’s more complicated since there are weapons on them,” Ram commented. “We can’t help if we don’t understand, and it’s time we get that education.”
“It is. More importantly, if we understand how they’re designed, we can have someone on every team capable of doing in-field repairs. Not that we have a need for that often, but if we ever do, we’ll be more ready for you to talk us through the process,” Nolan said as he approached. “Ram’s right. You all need to take a break. Grams and Momma Mason are up and in the mess hall. We’re expected for an early breakfast at dawn, which is an hour from now. Then we’ll crash.”
“And reconvene to discuss a few things,” Marshall added.
Bree’s gaze swept the table. She nodded. “An hour will work. How’s the testing going? Any issues?”
“None after the first few. We got our wiring issues sorted after the first batch,” Ram said. “I’ll go grab everyone something to drink. What do you want?”
They called out their requests, mostly caffeinated beverages. Ram waited as Bree looked up at him. “What do you want, sweetheart?”
“Water. I’m already too wired from the coffee Riley’s been filling us up with.”
Ram glanced over at Riley, where she stood beside Dallas as he tested the latest micro drone. She’d shuffled around the most tonight, moving between tables and the testing area while also fueling and feeding everyone.
“Has anyone found out the details of whatever she’s doing?” Nolan asked.
Marshall shook his head. “We’ll get the details over breakfast, after the tech is finished. She’s proven she can handle herself, but that doesn’t mean we can’t offer our support.”
“You’re doing that tonight,” Bree replied, her focus on whatever she was working on.
Mary glanced up from her laptop. The woman’s grim expression didn’t settle Ram’s unease about Riley’s case. Whatever the woman knew wasn’t good. Damn.
The Arsenal was already juggling a lot of objectives right now, but he suspected they were about to throw another one into the air. Multi-tasking at its finest. If anyone could make it happen, it was Arsenal Operations.
Ram walked back to the assembly line and got to work. The sooner they got this done, the better. Everyone needed to rest and recover because things were about to get intense. He took Levi’s spot and got to work.
Bree scrunched her nose at Nolan’s sunny-side up eggs. How could anyone eat that? She took a bite of her pancakes and couldn’t help but smile despite the exhaustion. Thanks to everyone congregated around her, there were forty-one micro drones ready for Riley’s mysterious case.
“Time to explain, Riles,” Cord said. “We aren’t crawling down your throat about this or lecturing you but read us in so we can coordinate a plan with you, Jud, and Kristof.”
“Jud and Kristof aren’t convinced it’s an issue, but my gut tells me it is. You have always told me to trust my gut, and I am.” Riley set her fork down and looked over at her brothers, who’d all sat across from her at the long line of tables they’d dragged together.
“I didn’t say it wasn’t an issue,” Jud amended. “I said we needed more evidence.”
“And that’s what I’m hoping to get with these drones.” Riley wiped her mouth. “A couple of people in Marville expressed their concerns about a potential pedophile at the church.”
Several people cursed. None of Riley’s brothers reacted. Bree admired how far they’d come since her first case. From what Zoey had shared, they hadn’t responded well that night. None of The Arsenal’s commandos had at first.
“First, how the hell are you getting anyone in Marville talking to you?” Dallas asked. “I live there and they still avoid me.”
“That’s because you’re commandos,” Riley said. “Before that, you made it your mission to kick everyone’s ass as a warning not to mess with me. So, you brought that on yourself. I’m different. I’m not a threat.”
“Everyone has always opened up to Riley,” Marshall said. “Who’s the threat?”
“I have it narrowed down to two possibles,” Riley said. “Again, this is still information gathering. I’d share more if I could, but we need to go gentle at this stage.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Jud said. “I’ll help you get the drones in position. I’ll let you do the work so you get the experience, but I will be there as backup in case anything goes wrong.”
“I’d prefer if a couple of the unteamed operatives assisted, too,” Nolan said. “Just to be safe.”
“Agreed,” Jesse said.
The seven Mason siblings chatted with Jud a few moments and firmed up a tentative plan. Bree was glad she’d helped with the upcoming case however she could and hoped they’d get the answers Riley sought.
“You did good,” Ram whispered in her ear. “Real good. You ready to get some rest?”
Bree nodded. “I’m pretty tired. It’s finally hitting me.”
“Then let’s go.” Ram stood. He motioned to their plates as he looked over at Doug and Pierce, who both nodded. “They’ll get everything cleaned up.”
“I can help,” Bree argued.
“You need to sleep. A lot has happened in a short amount of time, and even more is about to go down.” Ram guided her toward the exit. Bree wanted to argue, but she was too depleted. He was right. She needed to bring her A game when the teams went out.
The walk to the cottage didn’t take long, but each step hastened her exhaustive state. By the time he’d guided her into the living room, then down the hall to her room, she was a walking zombie.
Ram cupped her face. “You want me to help you get ready for bed?”
Bree nodded. “No hanky panky, though. I’m too tired to enjoy the ride.”
“Fuck, sweetheart. You’re killing me.” He rested his forehead against hers. “Now all I can think about is you riding my dick. That wasn’t very nice.”
“Sorry, not sorry.” She unzipped her pants and yanked them down. Then sighed heavily when she realized she hadn’t taken off her shoes. “Shoot.”
Ram chuckled as he stooped down and removed her shoes, then gently removed her pants. Awareness beaded along her skin as his fingertips glided along her legs. Heat spread through her. She closed her eyes and drifted into the contact, relishing the lick of heated awareness.
“Bree.” The firm word made her blink. She peered into his intense gaze. “Brush your teeth and get into your nightshirt.” He handed her the shirt she always slept in. The faded white lettering of “Zombie Mode Activated” still stood out against the hole-ridden black material. It’d been her first present from Addy. How did he know?
He laughed. “You mentioned it one day.”
“I did? Wait, how did you know I was thinking that?”
“You spoke out loud.” He kissed her softly, then pulled away. “Go. You’re about to crash hard.”
Bree shuffled into the bathroom. She did what she had to. The threadbare T-shirt slid on easily. She flicked off the light and headed toward the bed. Ram tucked her in.
“Stay with me.” She reached up and ran her hand along his lower arm. “Hold me.” She’d never asked a man for this, but she didn’t want him to leave.
“Of course.” He slipped his shirt off. Talk about a visual feast. Her gaze roamed his corded abdominals and muscular arms. A zing of need shot through her. Amusement rumbled from him. “You can look and touch anytime you want, but not tonight. We’re sleeping. Nothing more.”
“Damn your adulting.” She motioned toward his pants. “You should take those off, too. You won’t be comfortable like that.”
“And we’d both be uncomfortable if I don’t keep them on. You’re too much of a temptation.” He kissed her throat. “Especially
since I keep thinking about how sweet you taste and how gorgeous you are when you come.”
She’d spent a lot of time thinking about their time by the river, too. It’d been one of the best moments of her life, and she couldn’t wait to do more. Feel him deep inside her. A moan escaped her when he moved away.
He kicked off his boots and climbed into the bed. Warmth surrounded her when he cocooned her against his body, serving as the big spoon to her little.
“This is awesome. I always wanted to have someone to hold me in the dark.” The whispered admission rolled from her before she realized. Somehow, sharing it with him felt right, though.
“You’ve had boyfriends. Right?” He ran a hand down her arm as he kissed her neck.
“Yeah, but they were more for convenience than fringe benefits like this. I always kept it surface level because I couldn’t talk about my worries or the frustrations of the day. Everything was classified.”
He ran his hands through her hair. “You have me to listen whenever you want.”
“Back at you,” she whispered. “I’m thinking you haven’t had anyone to whisper stuff to either.” And she loved the idea of having that with him. Was that how it was with the other women and their men? Probably.
“I haven’t.” He kissed her throat. “But I do now. Sleep, sweetheart. You’re safe.”
13
Ram grabbed his duffle from the floor next to the seat. Leaving Bree’s bed without waking her felt wrong, but she needed the rest and he didn’t want her worrying about him or anyone else as the next phase of the mission unfolded.
“Cord and Jacob are helping Riley out with her case. They’ll be the brains while Jud and Kristof are the brawn,” Doug said. “Bree’s okay?”
“She’ll find her way back to okay. She’s stronger than anyone gives her credit for, even herself.” He followed the rest of his team off the plane and offered a chin lift to Levi’s crew as everyone gathered around the three vehicles. The plan was simple—a shock and awe style entry into Alex’s base of operations while the other teams covered Bob’s home and the other two potential targets HERA had identified from financials.
Translation—the simple takedown to secure the woman in the cage’s freedom had turned into a four-pronged strike that required perfect timing and a damned lot of luck. No, not luck.
Teamwork.
The Arsenal had that in spades. Speaking of spades, Ram looked over at the man who’d quietly shadowed him, Doug, and Pierce when they’d boarded. Although he hadn’t spoken much on the plane, Ram suspected Spade hung on every word.
Doug caught Ram’s gaze and nodded. Yeah, his friends had likely sussed out the need to include the man more. Somehow. Sometimes an operative needed to be hauled into a group before he found his way.
“Spade’s with me,” Ram said.
Gage nodded. “Figured it’d be you or Doug. Edge located our soft entry point—a routine delivery we’ll be hijacking.” He spread a map out on the hood of the SUV and marked a route in red. You could give an operative all the fancy tech, but sometimes an old-fashioned map worked best. “A locally positioned operative for the underground network made entry into the company’s facility a couple hours ago and tagged the vehicle. HERA will track its progression around this route. Potential strike points are here, here, and here.”
Ram studied the route and the areas Gage identified. “Which is the most rural?”
“Here,” Gage said. “It’s also the closest to our target zone.”
“Then we do it here,” Pierce said, pointing to the middle option. He thumbed through something on his tablet. “Satellite imagery Edge forwarded to us indicates there are a lot of trees in that area. A sniper perch will be easy enough.”
“As will taking cover in the deep gullies along the road,” Spade said as he studied his own tablet. “Two on each side of the road. We can use the new EMF drones, or whatever we’re calling them, to shut the vehicle down. With any luck, they’ll assume it’s a routine mechanical issue.”
“There won’t be any calls out for assistance,” Ram said with a grin. “The drones will prevent that.”
“What’s being delivered?” Doug asked.
“Uncertain. The company provides a delivery service. They round up orders from other places and deliver them all together for a fee,” Gage said. “It could be anything from munitions to general supplies like food. We won’t know until we’re in the truck.”
“Strike zone is five miles away,” Spade said. “We’d best get into position.”
Ram glanced over at the other teams, who were huddled around their vehicles making out their own plan. He suspected Operations was listening in on everyone’s decisions. He was thankful they left the boots-on-the-ground crews with the ability to plan their own operation whenever possible. Most organizations wouldn’t trust their teams to do that, but The Arsenal was the best for a reason.
“Did you get all that, Little Bit?”
“Yep.” Her voice came over the com. She must’ve followed along with the visuals offered by Gage’s headgear, which he’d already donned. “I’m going to be the traffic police two miles down the road. That should prevent most looky-loos, but I can’t guarantee a few won’t show up.”
“Understood.” Gage folded the map and motioned toward the vehicle. “Let’s move out.”
They were within a mile of the potential strike zone when Doug pulled the vehicle off the road. Wilderness encased the area. Everyone got out and got to work masking the vehicle with foliage. With any luck, no one would spot it.
Sweat dampened his brow by the time they were finished. Humidity was a bitch, but they’d been in worse. No one spoke as they hauled ass toward the strike zone. Pierce made a motion toward a large tree a short distance away when they arrived at the location. He’d already spotted his sniper position. Damned good operative.
Doug and Gage made their way across the street while Ram and Spade got to work getting the EMF drone they were responsible for into position. They figured two of the little buggers would be better than one, even though they all knew one would be more than enough.
“Let’s add a bit of insurance in case something goes sideways,” Spade said. He pulled a standard drone from his bag and a couple strips of Velcro, followed by a clamp of some sort. “Hey, Bree. You there?” Amusement twinkled in the man’s eyes.
“Yeah. I’m here. What’s up, Elroy?”
“Nope.” Spade chuckled. “Give it up. You’ll never guess my real name.”
“Oooh, can I guess?” Zoey asked.
“No, that’s cheating,” Edge said. “What are you up to, Spade?”
“Field experiment. I promised our scientist I’d do it back before Russia happened.” Spade paused. “Not guaranteeing we’ll get a chance to use this, but which one do you want to try first?”
“Blue. Definitely blue.” Excitement bubbled in Bree’s voice. “We should be able to focus the laser if we position the drone fast enough.”
“What is this?” Edge asked.
“He’s strapping the colored grenades to the bottom of the drones. I designed a clamping mechanism to hold the payload,” Bree said. “He came up with the idea when he heard about them. I promised we could field test it.”
“That will likely be more shock and awe than we were anticipating,” Edge said. “Great idea, though.”
It was brilliant. The com went silent as Spade got the blue grenade adhered to the drone via a clamping mechanism he’d secured to the underbelly. It flitted off, a bit wobbly at first as though stabilizing itself with the new weight load.
“Thanks for remembering that,” Ram said, making sure his com was off.
“She’s a good woman. Brilliant.” Spade looked over at him. “You’re good for her.”
Keeping the conversation from anything personal, he shifted gears. “I didn’t realize you talked with her about her work.”
“My team,” the man paused. His jaw twitched. “Fallon’s team is sent on a lot of dark mis
sions. The ones most groups wouldn’t want to undertake.”
Ram knew about the assignments Fallon’s team sometimes went on. It’s why they’d been called The Kill Squad for a long time. “Bree helps with those.”
“She doesn’t get the details, but yeah. We relied on her and Rhea. Mostly Rhea, but yeah. B’s more into the fiery shock and awe. We usually preferred the silent death.”
Ram noted the man’s tension as he talked about his team. And Fallon’s crew was definitely the one Spade identified as his. “We’ll get that sorted, man. Until then, you’re ours. We’ve got your back on this.”
“Appreciate it.”
“Hey, Fritz?”
“Nope,” Spade said into the com. “What’s up?”
“Once you get to headquarters, lay out the rest of the stock in a row somewhere accessible to the drone,” Bree said. “If we get a crack at using the first, I want to experiment with reload.”
Ram chuckled. Of course she did. It never ceased to amaze him how many steps ahead her brain was. If the drones could handle doing this, they could serve as explosive ordnance during a heavy battle. Heck, they could deliver any of the sophisticated weaponry Bree designed.
“Damn. That’s freaking good,” Zoey muttered. “I think our girl just leveled up our toys.”
Doug’s amusement sounded in the com. Yeah, he’d picked up on the gaming reference. Ram grinned.
Everyone fell into a comfortable silence as they waited for go-time. The single chime on the com sounded a few minutes later. The rumble of a diesel engine increased as the vehicle entered the strike zone. A soft hum filled the air.
Silence descended a few moments later as the truck died in the middle of the road, perfectly positioned. Cursing sounded from the cab as the doors opened.
“Damn it. I told you to make sure the truck was good. Fucking idiot. You ain’t no mechanic!” The passenger slammed the door shut and came around to the front of the truck.
“Like you’re any better.” The driver made his way toward the passenger. “And nothing was wrong before we left. Shit happens. We’ll deal. We always do.”