Lethal Echo

by Cara Carnes

  Ram’s ears rang from the blast. He blinked rapidly to clear his vision. Fuck. That’d been close. Gunfire echoed around him, barely audible from the high-pitched ringing in his ears.

  Someone slapped his cheek. Hard. A growl rolled from him. Knight stood and dragged him up. Then turned and aimed toward the end of the hall.

  “Status,” Edge clipped.

  “Rattled but operational,” Ram said as he assessed his team.

  “How did he even see that grenade coming in? The drones totally missed it?” Zoey asked.

  “Was looking in the right place at the right time,” Knight replied. “Your drone spread has a hole down the center. Angle the back one to the right. This corridor isn’t straight on.”

  “Shit,” Jacob said. “I missed that. Shouldn’t that display?”

  “Yeah. You’ve gotta hit the F5 key, though. Then F12. That’ll give HERA control to maneuver the drones so you don’t have to,” Vi explained. “Deep breath. You’re doing good. It happens.”

  Rarely, but Ram didn’t comment. They needed all hands on deck in Operations today. Given how new Jacob was, he was doing good. He’d learn.

  “Eight targets extracted,” Marshall said.

  “HERA has eight additional targets identified. Locations incoming. You’ll need the injectors. Their area was hit by the bombs,” Jesse said. “Two Mossad, three CIA, two SAS, and one JSOC Intelligence Officer.”

  “Copy,” Gage said.

  “Shit. That’s a lot of targets,” Doug commented as the gunfire on the other end of the hall died down.

  They continued forward and entered a large area via double doors. Everyone fanned out. Shock rolled through Ram as his gaze swept over the piles of bodies in the corner. Emaciated people sat in cages on the edges of a torture chamber. There was no other word to describe the horrors within the center of the room. Blood coated the floor.

  He forced back his emotions and focused on the objective. “We have ten potential targets. Need intel to proceed.”

  “You’re American,” someone whispered from the corner cell. “Please. Help.” The man’s voice was low and thin as he gripped the short, narrow cage’s bars. “Please.”

  “Sorry, I thought you’d duck,” Mia mumbled as they crouched in front of the power panel.

  “It’s okay.” Really, what was Bree supposed to say? The woman had just severed someone’s artery. The blood hadn’t splattered on Bree. No. It’d freaking gushed. She looked like an extra from The Walking Dead.

  “Wet wipe?” Addy held one out.

  “Seriously?” Bree shook her head. “Go ahead and laugh. I know you want to.”

  “Hey. At least you didn’t puke.”

  “No. I got too much of the gross and gory in school,” Bree commented. “I dabbled with forensics a couple semesters, then decided it wasn’t for me. It was mainly to keep Rhea company.”

  “That’s real friendship,” Mia said with a sigh. “Carving up bodies together.”

  The woman was deranged. Bree focused on the wiring in front of her. The sooner she got the power grid online and hooked to HERA, the better.

  Mia and Addy stood, their attention on the many rows around them. They were tucked away in a maze of pipes, cabling, and other stuff. To say they didn’t have good visual security was an understatement. Drones hovered in the area, but Bree doubted they could see everything.

  Unease pricked her skin as she replaced the power source’s internal components. A few more steps, and HERA would be in control. She put the last chip into place and attached it to the new grid.

  “It’s done,” she whispered. Relief filled her.

  Gunfire sounded from Bree’s left. Her pulse quickened.

  Addy.

  Bree stood. A hand wrapped around her throat. A click sounded near her ear. “Who the fuck are you and what did you just do?”

  Screams and gunfire continued from Bree’s left. It increased in intensity, which meant Mia and Addy were likely very busy. Where the hell had the bad guys come from? They had cleared the area twice before letting her start the work on the power source.

  “It’s too late,” Bree said. “Surrender now and maybe you can work out a deal, assuming you are just a flunky taking a paycheck.”

  “Real funny.” He gripped her hair and shoved the gun into her temple. His sour breath filled her nostrils. “Start talking or I’ll find a better use for you, bitch. Who the fuck are you?”

  Fear crawled through her a moment, followed swiftly by anger. She wasn’t about to let some asshole kill her. Hell no. Mia had trained her. Sure, it was only one lesson, but she could do enough damage to get away and get one of the drones’ attention. One drone was all she needed.

  Wait. The com. The Arsenal already knew she was in trouble, which meant someone would come and help. Where the hell were the drones?

  “You’re surrounded, you know. Not sure where you crawled out from to still be awake, but we’ve taken the facility,” Bree said. “Surrender now.”

  “That isn’t happening, bitch. And what do you mean still awake? Me and the other guards just came on shift. The tunnel was clear. You haven’t taken over shit.”

  Fuck. What tunnel?

  “You’re doing good, Bree. We have a drone inbound coming behind him. Keep him talking,” Zoey said. “Mia and Addy were overrun by a large group. We had to move all the drones to help them. Fuck.”

  “Deep breath, Z,” Mary said. “You’re her calm right now. Remember that.”

  “Right. Right.”

  The man yanked her hair again. “Are you listening to me?”

  Fuck this. Really. Fuck him. She reached down and tapped the button on her vest. Hopefully it worked well on this asshole. She’d cranked it up a couple notches before putting it on.

  She took a deep breath. “Hopefully this works.”

  “Bree, no. We’re seconds from having the drone in place,” Zoey argued.

  Too late. The vest powered up. The gun shook as the man behind her twitched, then fell. Bree rolled forward and away as the gun fired. Her heart thudded hard in her chest.

  Shit. Okay. Breathe. You’re okay.

  A drone appeared from the back of where the man had been. It whirled angrily in the air. “Sorry. I got scared.”

  “You did good.”

  The drone darted the man.

  “Mia and Addy. Are they okay?”

  “A bit banged up, but they got them all down. Drones are out of juice, though,” Cord said. “Sorry, Bree. We should’ve left one with you. It’d been quiet down there and there were no visibly entry points from that direction.”

  “He mentioned a tunnel,” Bree said. “We need someone to find it and make sure we don’t have another hidden site on this island.”

  “Good point,” Cord said. “I think the girls may have left at least one of the combatants breathing. We’ll get answers.”

  “Systems are operationally ready and in HERA’s control,” Mary said. “Gage, your team is clear to enter the identified block and secure the identified targets.”

  “Copy,” Gage said.

  “Did we get everyone? Shelly? The Deltas?” That was one bad thing about being in the field. She didn’t know nearly as much as she would if she were sitting in the Operations room observing. Yeah, that was way better than this live action shit.

  She’d learned a few things, though. First, the drones weren’t perfect. Operational assumptions created holes. Dangerous ones. She’d have to chat with Operations about that, though she suspected they’d already had that conversation.

  It honestly felt good to know that The Arsenal wasn’t perfect. Mistakes happened. What made her group thrive was that they learned from them, improved, and moved on. The drones and the tech she created were tools, assets to be used in the field as a strategic advantage. The operatives were the pulse and heart of the missions. Nothing would ever replace their experience and skillsets.

  She really hoped Ram was okay.

  Footsteps sounded behind
her. She turned. Mia and Addy appeared, weapons in their hands. Blood coated each of them.

  “You okay?” Addy asked.

  “I wasn’t the one who just took out however many you fought.”

  “Thirty-one, not that we counted,” Mia said.

  Holy hell. No wonder all the drones were in use.

  “Sorry about leaving you alone. We assumed you had a drone on you and shouldn’t have,” Addy said. “It won’t happen again.”

  No, because she had zero desire to go back in the field. Her superpower was in the lab. That’s where she could contribute the most to the team. She wasn’t a weak link there, or anywhere. There were no links. The Arsenal was a team. Family.

  “Come on. I’m taking you up while Mia finds that tunnel.”

  “We should all go. No one should be alone down here. What if there’s another nest of baddies?” She noted the worried expression on Addy’s face. “I’d feel better if we stay together. Seriously.”

  “Let’s go,” Addy said. “Edge, we’re heading to where the tunnel supposedly is. We’ll need drones to surveil in advance.”

  “They’re already going in. Standby,” Mary replied.

  “Wait! If we’re out of juice, we should put sleeper bombs on the drones. I have some.” She opened her backpack and showed Addy and Mia. “I stole them from the chopper. There’s six.”

  “Those would’ve been useful,” Mia commented.

  “Sorry.”

  Addy chuckled. “Fly the drones our way. We’ll arm them in case there are combatants at the end of that tunnel.”

  Moments later six drones appeared. Bree, Mia, and Addy got to work loading them all with a gas bomb. Hopefully they’d be useful.

  “Sorry I forgot to mention I had those,” Bree said.

  “It’s okay. Now you know. We can’t use an asset if we don’t know we have it,” Jesse said.

  It took half an hour for the drones to clear the compound-like structure they discovered. Sleeping quarters for the guards not on shift.

  “I thought we’d identified an area for the guards,” Bree said.

  “We had, but this makes more sense,” Mary said. “We have way more guards than beds in that area. They’re all knocked out. We’ve sealed the entry for the tunnel, so they aren’t going anywhere.”

  “Who is handling this afterward?” Addy asked.

  “That decision is still in process. There will likely be a unit dispatched soon,” Jesse said. “It won’t be us. We’ve pulled anyone HERA identified, so they’re secured. We’ll do another run through to make sure no one is left there that shouldn’t be.”

  Good. Bree hated the idea of anyone being in this vile place. It was worse than she remembered.

  “Ready to head up? Both teams are finished and waiting,” Addy said.

  “Yes.” Bree bit her lower lip. “I guess you two don’t have an extra set of clothes on you. They might not handle seeing you like that very well.”

  “She’s not wrong,” Mia commented.

  Oh boy.

  23

  “I’m okay. I’m not the one who got a concussion.” Bree wrapped her arms around Ram.

  “It was only a mild one,” Ram argued. He’d had worse. “Fuck, I’m glad you didn’t get hurt.”

  “I’m definitely leaving all future superhero related field work to you. I’ll be your lab geek.” Her hands wandered down his torso.

  Water poured over them both as they kissed. It’d been a long debrief and eleven grueling hours since the Facility Six mission ended. They’d flown back to Germany, where most of the rescued prisoners would remain under heavy security.

  None of them were in good condition. The list of injuries and ailments were extensive and almost as horrifying as what they’d been subjected to. Nolan and Marshall had both remained behind to listen to their statements and ask questions.

  For now, Facility Six was officially under U.S. control, though almost everyone expected that to change. Too many wanted access to the site, which made it a political powder keg.

  Bree’s friend, Shelly, was the only one who’d remained off the list of rescued people. Mary and Jesse had secured her in a safe house, where she’d remain with un-teamed Arsenal operatives as a protective detail. She’d eventually be debriefed, but everyone had agreed her emotional recovery should be the primary focus. Jesse was coordinating that effort with Tanner’s group up north since the safe house was near their location.

  Bree stroked his cock and nibbled his lips. He’d intended for them to shower, then crash, but he couldn’t combat the desire she incited.

  “I’ve never had shower sex,” she whispered against his throat.

  “Challenge accepted.” He claimed her mouth as he stroked her body.

  Her nails sank into his flesh as their kiss deepened. Yeah, his girl was just as needy as he was. He slid two fingers into her wet pussy and teased her clit. She writhed against his hand, then tugged it away.

  He slid the tip of his dick along her clit and chuckled when she growled her frustration.

  “In me now, commando.” She bit his earlobe. “Fuck me hard so I sleep for days.”

  Ram hauled her up. Her legs wrapped around him as he pressed her against the shower’s wall. A groan escaped him when he entered her. He fucked her hard, powering each thrust with the shockwave of emotions consuming him. Love, relief. Joy.

  Her breaths turned labored, matching his. Arms wrapped around his shoulders, she cried out her release. Pleasure coiled within him as he fought his own release.

  “Ram.” The breathy plea dragged him over the edge.

  He kissed her softly. “Love you so fucking much, Bree. I never thought I’d have this.”

  “Me neither. I love you. So much it scares me.”

  They took turns washing each other off, then toweled off. She collapsed face-first in the center of the bed. He chuckled. It’d taken a lot of years for him to acclimate to grueling days with little sleep and even he was exhausted.

  He went back into the bathroom to shave. A knock sounded at the door.

  “Ugh. I’ll get it. It’s probably Addy or Mia. Nosy bitches gotta make sure you haven’t concussed yourself.” Bree sighed heavily as she tromped to the door, bathrobe barely on. “This had better be good. I’m pretty darn happy right now thanks to my commando. All I want now is some sleep and a couple repeat performances.”

  He chuckled as she opened the door.

  She gasped. He edged back into the room and froze.

  Amusement flickered across the president’s face as he smiled. “I assume you didn’t phone ahead.”

  “Afraid not,” Marshall said. He laughed loudly. “Is this a bad time?”

  Ram closed the distance, reaching around her to tie the robe tighter. She gasped like a fish out of water. Her face reddened. Ram kissed her cheek. “Deep breath, sweetheart.”

  “I’m… I’m so sorry,” she stammered.

  “Quite all right.” The president stepped into the room. Marshall closed the door behind them. “I was in the area visiting my nephew and the other…” The man’s face hardened. “I’m sure Edge will be debriefing you soon, but a mission they were on uncovered Bob’s involvement with certain individuals.”

  The president’s gaze cut to Ram, who tightened. Why was he visiting Bree?

  “T-that’s why they were there. So they couldn’t tell anyone,” Bree whispered. “I-I don’t know what to say.”

  “I asked Marshall for a status update on my request. He didn’t have an answer. Forgive me for pushing this issue, but I’m sure you understand it’s become a priority.” The president fisted his hands and looked away.

  “I understand. Believe me, I do.” Bree smoothed out her wet hair. “It’s done. I finished it before we left the compound, though there’s not really any way to test it.”

  “Good.” The president touched her shoulder. “Thank you. You all have my sincerest gratitude for what you’ve done. The world should know all the good you’ve accomplished, but
they likely never will. Just know I will never forget.”

  Marshall’s gaze cut to Ram. “Of course, this conversation never happened. This visit never happened.”

  “Of course,” Ram said quickly.

  “How is your nephew?” Bree asked, her voice hesitant.

  “He’ll recover. He has significant scarring and some long-term damage to his kidneys, but the doctors have assured me he’ll recover.” The president glanced at Marshall. “I believe he and his team will be staying at The Arsenal for a while as part of the Warrior’s Path Program. Marshall recommended either that or another group up north. We both spoke with them and they all agreed The Arsenal was a better fit.”

  “Good. It’s a great program. One of our friends, Danny, he… he’s been captured twice. Long story. Horrible, in fact,” Bree said. “He’s found a lot of really good people to help everyone.”

  “The world needs more good people like all of you.” The president smiled. “Have a good evening.”

  “One thing before we leave, Mr. President,” Marshall said as he crossed his arms. “What Bree’s done with Bob is a one-time thing. What we’ve done with this investigation is not the norm, nor will The Arsenal allow it to be. We’re a private paramilitary organization, not judge and jury. None of us enjoy being put into positions such as these. We’ve fallen deeper into the operational gray than we’ve ever wanted to delve recently. Once this is over, you and I need to sit down and have a long conversation about you finding other means to address political and military arena issues. We didn’t start The Arsenal to police people, Mr. President.”

  The president heaved heavily. “I agree, one hundred percent. I’ve been briefed on the other work your organization does, Marshall. That’s where your priorities should be. I’m grateful you have all stepped up and helped when there was no one else I could trust to do so, but I assure you this is not the norm, nor will it ever be. I won’t run my presidency without the system of checks and balances this country was created to uphold.”

  Bree was relieved Marshall had addressed the president about this. While she was okay with doing whatever was necessary to protect her loved ones, she didn’t believe anyone should be given that power, nor should it become an operational norm.