by Cara Carnes
“Basically. Again, I didn’t have a choice. I do the assignments given to me.”
“Understood. Fast forward to the new assignment. Why Bob?” Indecision harshened the woman’s face. “Knightwind put you in that situation and didn’t do shit to rescue you, Melanie. That was us. We got you out even though we had no clue who you were.”
“Knightwind has been watching all the key players for a while, including Carlisle Industries. They got on the radar when that former Mossad told them the secretary of defense had been meeting with Carlisle. Before everything went down between Carlisle and The Arsenal. That’s what I was sent in to prove—that Bob was in bed with Carlisle before they were exposed.”
“Son of a bitch.” Vi’s curses streamed in the com a moment.
Ram suppressed his own rage. “Why? What did you find out?”
“It’s all tied to Mandrake. The contingency plan,” Melanie’s voice lowered. Gunfire sounded from the distance, indicating the firefight had shifted where Edge wanted.
“The one where Mandrake takes out The Arsenal,” Ram finished. “They wanted Carlisle to supply drones so the new crew would be operating with the same tech we do.”
“That’s what I found.” Melanie shivered. “But I got caught. I still don’t know how, but Alex threw me in that cage, said they’d deal with me later. That was two weeks ago.”
“And the proof?”
“They think it was destroyed, but I’d uploaded a copy to a shadow drive I keep. One not even Knightwind knows about.” Melanie’s gaze locked with his. “I’ll give it to you in exchange for help. Get me off the radar.”
“Done,” Edge said. “Give her your phone. Start a text thread. Have her send the login info to that drive. We’ll get her in the underground. We should have the situation cleared soon.”
A concussive boom sounded from the other side of the hangar. Ram chuckled. “Is Bree playing with her toys?”
“Yeah,” Bree whispered on the com. “Though, this was more Mary’s idea than mine.”
Ram felt like a lazy slug as the firefight continued a few moments, but he knew Melanie was the high value asset for this mission. The information she’d shared was critical, which meant keeping her breathing was extremely important.
It took less than five minutes for the battle to end. He escorted Melanie back to the plane, which had thankfully been far enough away from the gunfire to not sustain damage. Not that Lexi was taking any chances. She’d already warned everyone it’d take her longer than normal to be ready for departure.
He hoped The Arsenal intended to hire more pilots with her background. It’d go a long way to have one pilot on every team.
“What now?” Melanie asked.
“We take you to The Arsenal, where we’ll make sure you’re safe. We’ll probably have a lot more questions for you.”
“Is that where Gavin is?” Fear filled her words. “He won’t be happy when he sees me.”
“He won’t see you,” Gage said as he came to a stop on her other side. “He didn’t see you getting exfilled. You’re off the radar and will stay that way.”
“Thank you.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t know why you’re helping me, but thank you. I’ll tell you whatever I can. I just want out of all this.”
Ram hoped she got what she wanted. Too many got trapped in black ops.
“Facial rec is running on the targets,” Edge said. “Most are affiliated with a merc for hire organization. Not Alex’s crew. HERA’s digging, but we suspect whoever is behind Alex gathered more forces.”
“What are our orders?” Gage asked.
“Homeland is on the way to take them into custody. We were originally going to have you pick up Bob as well, but we’ve decided to leave him in play. Let’s see what we can find out from the interior drones,” Vi said. “Get Melanie back here.”
“How the fuck did they find us?” Doug asked.
“You expected a problem, Edge. That’s why you sent us to pick her up,” Gage said.
“I was concerned there could be a leak in Homeland. They brought in additional assets we didn’t get a chance to vet.” The woman cursed. “Our timeframe for stashing her was too narrow to move her out of the area like we normally would.”
“Which means someone could’ve tapped a Homeland resource to use satellite surveillance to track movements of our teams from Bob’s house,” Vi said. “Why not attack the safe house, then?”
“Because it was a condo in a heavily populated area,” Medina said. “They knew she was still in the area but not exactly where. All they would’ve known was a rough zone.”
“He’s right,” Edge said. “Either that or someone inserted a tracker into her.”
“We checked her,” Medina argued.
“Ours are undetectable,” Vi said.
Fuck. Ram looked at Melanie. “Could they have put a tracker in you?”
“Maybe. I don’t remember if they did, though,” the woman said. “How can we find out?”
“Fuck,” Medina cursed. “I think I found the problem. There’s a noob on my team I’ve been training. Walsh Greene. The idiot turned on his cell phone right after we left the safe house, which he shouldn’t have fucking had in the first place.”
“That would’ve been enough time for someone to track his location since your drive was two hours,” Vi said. “That still doesn’t explain how they knew to look for his phone.”
“Either he’s involved or someone he knows is,” Edge said. “Get Greene’s phone and bring him to the compound. We’ll need to investigate him before we cut him loose.”
Tension filled the air as the coms went silent. Bree breathed a deep, relieved sigh. Ram and his team were okay. Anger returned a few beats later. Someone had targeted them, though. They’d walked into a trap.
Her mind skipped over that particular fact. She wasn’t ready to go down the scary what-if trail. Unease pricked her skin. The temptation to backslide consumed her thoughts a few seconds, but she recognized the spiral thanks to Sinclair.
You’re strong enough to fight the urges.
Gavin was Melanie’s handler. The son of a bitch hadn’t told them about the woman. He must’ve known she was in trouble. Was she why he was really here? Or had she been expendable?
“Get HERA digging into Greene’s background again. Either we missed something, or someone got to him after we vetted him,” Mary said. “As a matter of fact, dig into everyone here.”
Bree really hoped there wasn’t a mole at The Arsenal. They’d suspected one a while back. “Did Greene work here while we were in Russia or when Carlisle was happening?”
“No,” Vi replied. “He just started. I’d bet someone he’s in contact with is the problem.”
“Now that that’s in process, what do we do now?” Bree asked.
“We’ll see what we get from Bob’s house now that the supposed threat against him is neutralized,” Mary said. “Let’s make the call. Homeland has his location secured. They’re calling in the rest of the alphabet soup.”
The phone rang three times before Bob answered. “Thank you. Thank you for helping me. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you. They had my kids! Wait. Did you get them back?”
“Not yet,” Vi said, her voice curt. “You have a lot of explaining to do. What’s really going on?”
“I-I…” Breathing sounded on the speakers.
An intentional pause to create a plausible story? Bree fisted her hands. Confronting him with what they suspected would be easy, but she had to trust that her friends knew what they were doing. Knowledge was power, and they didn’t have enough substantiated yet. They would, though.
“Bob,” Mary said. “Who took your kids?”
“Alex! It was all him.”
If that were true, the kids would’ve been at one of the sites The Arsenal hit. Right?
“Why?” Vi asked. “What did he want?”
“What didn’t he want? Access to troop movements, intel on black-ops missions being run. Contact
with a few leaders in the Middle East. God, Vi. This has been a nightmare.” Bob sniffed, as though he were crying.
Images flashed onto the monitors. The interior of his home showed him pacing and running his hands through his hair. Eyes wide and clear of tears, he sniffed again.
“I bet,” Vi said. “You’re smarter than that, Bob. Negotiating with terrorists or whoever Alex is was a stupid decision. They never would’ve let you go. Why didn’t you come to us?”
“The longer you waited to read us in, the colder the trail to your kids,” Mary added. “You know better.”
“Like you would’ve stopped your hunt to help me,” Bob spat. His face reddened on the displays. “You had one focus—finding whoever was backing Carlisle and taking them down. You have no idea how hard this has been. Please. Find my kids.”
“You’ll need to give us details. Everything you’ve done for Alex. Anything about him and anyone he’s been chatting with,” Vi said. “The more you give us, the quicker we’ll find them.”
“Of course. I’ll type up everything I know,” Bob said.
“Tell us about the woman in the cage,” Mary ordered. “Who was she?”
“Woman in a cage? What are you talking about?” Bob fisted his hand and squeezed his eyes shut. He ran up the stairs. “Edge? Are you there?”
“I’m here. Our team found a woman in a cage on the third floor of your house,” Mary said. “I find it hard to believe you didn’t notice her being there.”
“I swear I had nothing to do with that. You don’t understand. I’ve been a prisoner in my own home. I haven’t been up there in months.” Bob opened the door to the third-floor room and flicked the light on. “Hell, I’m sitting in the living room right now alone for the first time in weeks.”
Bullshit. Bree chewed her lower lip and watched as the man paced the area near the cage.
“What has she said? Who was she?”
“She’s semi-catatonic,” Vi said. “HERA is running facial rec on her. We should have her identity soon. Then we can speak with her and get some answers. Let’s talk about Alex. Who is he working for?”
“I-I don’t know,” Bob whispered. “I assumed it was the same person you were looking for. Maybe not. Honestly, I’ve been too worried about my kids.”
“Get some rest. Put together everything you know,” Vi said. “We’ll chat in the morning. We will figure everything out, Bob. Rest assured we won’t stop until we do.”
The warning veiled as an assurance hovered in the silence a moment. Bob’s panicked expression loomed on the monitor as he spoke. “Thank you.”
Silence descended around Bree as everyone watched Bob dart down the stairs and enter the second-floor office Ram had found. Two minutes later, he was on the laptop and typing out a message to the vet.
Bob: We have a situation at the shelter. The shepherds have taken in the stray wolf. All the mutts are penned. I might need your assistance. Can the Rottweilers help?
Vet: Why should they? You were warned to pen your pets properly. The wolf should’ve been euthanized. Adding it to your shelter was stupid.
Bob: I’m sorry. Please. The shepherds are turning feral. I’m scared.
Vet: They aren’t feral. They’re pissed because you’ve turned against them. Animals sense intentions better than you realize. You had their loyalty and betrayed them at every turn. Playing with the wolves wasn’t smart.
Bob: I had no choice! You told me to protect the Mastiff. What else was I supposed to do?
Vet: Pitting the shepherds against the wolves would’ve been smarter than them possibly aligning their packs. Your association with the Rottweilers could be exposed if this continues, which makes you a problem.
Bob: I’m not a problem. I protected the Rottweilers when I found out about the stray collie. I’ve even released mutts to mask the Mastiff. If the shepherds find him, then the other pack could be exposed. The Rottweilers wouldn’t want that.
Vet: No. You wouldn’t want that. The only tie to the bulldogs is you. You were foolish enough to think they were strong enough to go against the shepherds—another warning you failed to heed. Then you thought those stupid poodles could offer what the shepherds did and work with the bulldogs. Poodles are a selfish, ignorant breed. You knew better.
Bob: I did. You’re right. It was stupid. But the poodles are gone. The feral bulldogs are out of the play yard. There’s no reason for the shepherds to suspect I had any involvement. There are no links to the Rottweilers. Please. I need help containing them. The entire play yard is at risk here. You have to help.
Vet: That’s where you’re wrong. Not our yard, not our problem. Honestly, I’d choose the shepherds over any of your other animals. At least they fight with honor.
Bob: I never should’ve trusted you. It wasn’t worth all this.
Vet: Oval play pens aren’t meant for a week breed like you. Your vet failed to realize that, which is why I’m now your new vet.
Bob: What does that mean? You aren’t…
Vet: Who I am doesn’t matter. Not to you. Do as I say and we won’t have a problem. Many vets have been terminated recently for failing to abide by our moral code. We govern a different play yard—one focused on balance through collective power. Too many have put that objective at risk by venturing into your play area.
Bob: That’s absurd. The shepherds would never be contained within one yard. If they discover another, they’ll attack.
Vet: LOL…you don’t know them as well as you think they do. They are a formidable, brilliant breed. I admire their tenacity. They will realize the Rottweilers pose no threat to their yard, nor do we pose any great risk to other yards. We keep our pens clean, unlike anyone else.
Bob: Then what do I do?
Vet: Pray they never find out you were aware of everything. If they discover your involvement with the mutts, poodles, and bulldogs…well. Let’s be honest. They will find out. All you can hope is they are forgiving enough to be merciful.
Bob: Please. There has to be something you can do.
Vet: Very well, but you will owe me several significant favors, ones you will likely not be in a position to fulfill soon. You have my permission to give them the Mastiff they seek. He was never worth the risks you foolishly took.
Bob rested his head near his laptop a moment. He wiped his hands down his face.
Bob: Thank you.
Vet: Don’t thank me yet. The Rottweilers are likely exposed now because of this. A war with the shepherds is not acceptable. Should that happen, YOU will be the one who pays the toll. Not us. Consider this your notice. You are no longer a protected pen.
Bob: There’s no reason for them to know. I swear.
Vet: You should play more chess. I assure you they already know. What they choose to do with that knowledge will determine your fate.
The chat window went dead as the vet severed the link. Bree took a shallow breath. What the heck had they just witnessed?
“Holy shit,” Zoey whispered into the silence. “That was…”
“Intense,” Rhea said. “This vet is higher up in Probus.”
“I’d suspect significantly higher,” Jesse replied. “They have no interest in us if we stay out of their business.”
“That’s good, right?” Bree asked. “He even sounds as though he admires us.”
“He does, which means that could have been the King Maker himself,” Mary said. “It’d make sense, given what Ram has told us.”
“Definitely either the King Maker or someone close to him within the organization,” Vi said. “I vote we set that aside and work on Bob. Whoever this Mastiff is, that’s who we’re really after. I can’t believe he’s been behind all of this from the beginning.”
“I’m just glad we’ve got a lead to figuring this shit out,” Zoey muttered. “I’m gonna add more simplistic decryption into HERA’s key database. That chat hadn’t been put through yet because we’d considered it a nonissue, but we need to start assuming everything has value.”
; “Agreed,” Mary said. “We haven’t had this much data to cull through since we’ve been here. There were millions of files in Alex’s headquarters alone.”
Damn. No wonder HERA hadn’t spit more stuff out. It was still running everything.
“As for Bob, he’s possibly not behind it as much as involved or aware,” Mary argued. “There’s a fine line between the two he’s likely crossed a few times. We could cover up his involvement with most of this, but I’m not sure we should.”
“Agreed. That’ll be the president’s call, not ours,” Jesse said. Arms crossed, he glowered at the overhead monitor. “We could’ve lost a team today if Cord and Jacob hadn’t acted so quickly. And if Gage’s team wasn’t so competent in the field.”
Ram could have died. Her mind turned dark as the compulsion she fought expanded. She couldn’t let it control her. She’d learned the hard way that wouldn’t help. She’d hone the anger and fear into a weapon. Somehow.
“Does anyone else think it’s weird how forthcoming the vet was? I mean, he basically laid everything out and confirmed all of our suspicions on who was which breed,” Zoey muttered.
“He knows we’ve figured out Bob’s involvement,” Mary said. “He likely suspected we were monitoring that thread, so he used it as an opportunity to let us know where Probus stands. This wasn’t a chat for Bob.”
“It was for us,” Vi whispered. “That makes sense. Z and I masked our hack, but anyone with half a brain would suspect we know at this point. We did just take down Alex’s crew.”
“We were also in Bob’s home during the takedown,” Jesse commented. “Any smart handler would assume it was compromised at this point. Whoever this new vet is, he’s very smart. Let’s hope Bob wizens up and gives us what we need.”
Bree’s mind reeled. There was a lot to process, but she focused on Gavin. He was still at the compound and an imminent problem. “What now?”
“Now we wait,” Mary said. “HERA’s shadowing all the active players. Gavin will likely reach out to someone and shine light on that web. We’ll have a longer chat with Melanie tomorrow. By then, Bob should be primed to spill what he knows.”