Lethal Echo by Cara Carnes

12

“Are you sure you should be here?” Rhea asked for the tenth time.

“I’m positive. I even called Sinclair to confirm what Ram said.” She turned to face her friend. “I know I scared you earlier, but she said it was a breakthrough. I-I have abandonment issues, okay?”

“What? Why?” Rhea blinked as she sat at the long table they’d set out for tonight’s work.

Riley and Zoey hovered nearby. Bree motioned them over because she knew they were worried. When they sat, Bree continued. “I know it’s crazy, but a part of me is worried you’ll abandon me if I’m not strong enough. If I get too weak, you’ll cut me loose and I’ll lose you.”

“Bree, that’ll never happen.” Rhea hugged her. Bree loved having her friends back, especially Rhea. “I’ve given you the space I thought you needed, but I’m here when you’re ready.”

“I know. Thank you.” Bree appreciated how understanding Rhea was being. It wasn’t her fault Bree had the meltdown. None of it was anyone’s fault. “I love you. You know that, right?”

“I do. I just wish you’d talk to me. Let me help you through this.”

“I will. You have kiddos to care for,” Bree argued.

“I will always have time for you,” Rhea said, her tone firm. “Whatever you’re hanging on to, promise we’ll have a chance to talk through it soon. I’ve been patient because I love you, but I’m about to go into fighter mode.”

Bree laughed. “I’ve rubbed off on you.”

“We’d never abandon you. That’s nuts,” Zoey said.

“It is. Most of me knows it, but a part of me doesn’t. Not yet,” Bree admitted. Telling her friends the truth was hard, but she did trust them to be in her corner no matter what. The time she’d spent away from them made her see that.

“Who caused that? I want to throat punch them,” Zoey said, her voice tight.

“Sinclair and I need to talk it through more, but it’s pretty obvious to me it has to do with my parents. You know my relationship with them is…strained.”

Rhea offered a tight smile. Understanding glinted in her eyes. She’d seen it more than anyone. “I get that. You know I do.”

“I should’ve been there for you,” Bree whispered. “If I’d known about…” She swallowed the rest of the words when Rhea nodded.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve trusted you with that,” Rhea admitted. “I wasn’t ready to open that wound. I thought I’d sealed it closed and moved on. I hadn’t.”

“I hate that you had to go through that without my help. I keep asking myself what I missed seeing. I should’ve seen how much you were hurting.” Bree wiped away the tears. “I wasn’t there when I should’ve been.”

“You were.” Rhea stroked her hair. “Every time the pain threatened to drag me down you were right there. Smiling and laughing. Coming up with zany ideas that dragged me into the present. That’s exactly what I needed. You were always the one who pulled me out of my dark thoughts. You may not have known, but you were there.”

Wow. Bree hugged Rhea. “I’m glad. I would’ve done so much more if I’d known.”

“You did exactly what I needed you to,” Rhea whispered. “Don’t ever doubt that. Now, tell us about your parents. I’m thinking we’re missing a few things.”

Bree took a deep breath and shared some of her darker thoughts with her two friends. Huddled in the corner of the lab, she vented about their constant jabs concerning the sacrifices they made for her. How everything bad that happened was her fault. Never theirs.

Letting it out, sharing it with two of the most important people in her life, lessened the pain. Why hadn’t she done this before?

“I had no idea it was that bad.” Rhea’s eyes were wet with unshed tears. “God, B. You know it’s all bullshit, right? None of that is your fault.”

“I know. Or, at least, I’m starting to understand. That’s what I’m working through with Sinclair now,” Bree admitted.

“They’re the ones who need their head sorted. That’s fucked up.” Zoey growled. “You aren’t going to let me throat punch them, are you?”

“No.” Bree shook her head, but grinned. “But thanks for wanting to.”

“You don’t need them,” Rhea said firmly. “They don’t deserve space in your world. You’ve endured enough of their bullshit. If they can’t fix themselves, that’s not on you. It’s their loss.”

“She’s right,” Zoey affirmed. “You’re awesome. To hell with them and their crazy.”

They were right. Bree should’ve stood her ground better a long time ago. Placating their beliefs had been easier, though. “I’m going to do better when dealing with them. I’m not ready to cut them out fully. I do love them, and I know they love me. They aren’t toxic to me like Mary’s and Vi’s parents were with them.”

“You’re right,” Rhea said. “But they do say toxic things from what you just shared. You have to defend yourself from those wounds. If you don’t, I suspect there’s a commando who will.”

The glimmer in Rhea’s gaze made heat crawl up Bree’s face. There was zero doubt Ram would stand between her and them if given a chance to. “Ram’s pretty great.”

“He is,” Rhea said. “How’s that going?”

“Great. Really great.” She winced. “How’s Fallon? I feel terrible for how things are going with Spade and Fallon’s team.”

“He’s better. Nolan and Jesse have been talking with him a lot since Spade moved over to Gage’s team temporarily.” Rhea squeezed her hand. “He’s glad Ram helped him out. Fallon’s always been a lone wolf until he came here to The Arsenal. Leading a team wasn’t ever something he’d planned to do.”

“He’s done great,” Zoey said. “He’ll get better. He tried giving them what they all thought they wanted. Distance.”

“She’s right,” Bree said. “They all took some major hits with what happened in Cuba. Donovan’s injury. Fallon’s surgery afterward. Spade going dark for The Arsenal. It was a lot. I doubt any team could’ve withstood all those hits any better.”

“That’s what I told Fallon,” Rhea said. “He couldn’t be everywhere when all that went down. Then we got the kids and things spiraled even more. He feels guilty for putting his personal life above his team’s welfare.”

“That’s nuts,” Zoey said. “It’s not like they went to him with any of this. I doubt anyone except for Spade even tried to talk with Fallon or Donovan about it. That’s on them. Not Fallon or Donovan.”

“Ram thinks they should all be put on other teams to see what real teamwork is,” Bree said. They’d chatted about that the other night. “They’ll get it sorted. We need to let the commandos deal with it all.”

“Fine. You’re right,” Zoey muttered. She looked around the empty lab. “So, what are we doing, and where is everyone else?”

“They’re here,” Nikki said as she entered the large underground area. “Sorry, I needed muscle to help me carry everything from the lab.” The brunette entered with Sol on her heels, a large grin in place.

Bree couldn’t help but grin. The two were perfect for one another. Bree had spent the past hour in the lab chatting with the new assistant they’d hired. She’d work mostly with Rhea but would also be helping Bree with quite a few things. She’d gotten familiarized with their work thanks to Stan—aka the asshole of all time—kidnapping her and forcing her to work at the facility in Cuba.

Jesse and his team had saved Nikki. Then they’d had to keep her in protective care for a bit, which was where Nikki and Sol’s romance had budded. Bree was happy for them both.

“Rhea, Nikki, and I are going to construct the innards of the micro drones while everyone else puts them into their shells, inserts the power supply, and then field tests them in the next room.” Bree motioned toward the room. Riley snickered, likely because the word innards had been used. Bree didn’t use a fancy vocabulary if a simpler, more fun word existed. Why bother?

“How many do we need?” Rhea asked.

“I want at least thirty-six,” Bree said.

“I don’t need that many, do I?” Riley asked, her eyes wide. “That’s too many.”

“I don’t know, but it never hurts to be prepared. Look at how many we’ve already used.” The argument settled within the room. Bree’s gaze swept toward Riley’s brothers, who all wore matching expressions of frustration and worry.

But none made comment on Riley’s need for the drones, which meant they’d either turned that corner of trusting her themselves, or someone had shoved them around it. Bree suspected it was mostly the latter but figured it didn’t matter.

“What can we help with?” Vi asked, as she and Mary came and sat at the table.

“I was hoping you two, along with Zoey and maybe Cord or Jacob, if they are here, could upload the programming onto the chips. That’ll free Rhea, Nikki, and I to deal with the drone tech only.” Bree glanced around and realized Cord and Jacob were both standing behind her. “Great. You’re both here. This’ll be perfect.”

“There are more ready to help if we need them,” Nolan said. “Word spread you were building. Everyone wanted to help.”

Bree smiled. Happiness filled her. They wanted to help her build the drones. How cool was that? She hadn’t expected so many commandos to volunteer their downtime between ops. Those precious moments were few and far between these days. “This should be enough. I’m going to show everyone how to do each step, then turn you loose. We can go from there.”

Everyone nodded.

“Advice?” Marshall asked.

“Of course.” Bree faced the eldest Mason. He was super smart and often thought of things she didn’t. She still considered him the most intimidating of the brothers, mainly because he was all business and a freaking vault the rest of the time. He hovered on the periphery of groups when there was something going on, but he rarely interacted with anyone outside of his brothers and the team leaders. “Hit me.”

“Choose two of us for the assembly after tech. They’ll show the others.”

Okay, that wasn’t what she’d expected. Bree blinked. “Sure. But, out of curiosity, why?”

“Because we don’t talk tech,” Nolan said with a smirk. “They can ask the questions we’ll want to and it’ll go quicker for you. They’ll also get a better view of the assembly if we aren’t all grouped around you.”

Yeah, she’d worried about everyone seeing what they needed to. Marshall’s suggestion made total sense, and she was glad they were okay with having appointed leaders for the section of work. Hmm…now came the awkward part. She wouldn’t ever consider Marshall or Nolan as the ones to be in that role. Neither of them were particularly tech savvy.

“Perfect. That makes a lot of sense.” She looked at Marshall. “Thank you. Any recommendations?”

“Doug and Addy,” Gage said quickly. “Doug is already half geek but won’t admit it, and Addy’s been around you the longest. Geek seeped into her a long time ago.”

Kristof and Jud both chuckled. Addy glared at them both. “I’m in.”

“Show us what to do,” Doug said with a grin. “And I embraced my inner geek long ago.”

Ram entered, along with Lars. He clapped her brother on the back and grinned. “I figured Lars could help us with this. He’s been wanting to see what you do.”

“That’s great.” Bree cleared her throat. She hadn’t even considered asking her brother to help tonight but should have. “Lars can watch with Addy and Doug. He’s always been good at putting stuff together, but he thinks more like a commando than me.”

“Great,” Marshall said. “Welcome to the assembly line. It’ll likely get crazy in here.”

“I’m okay with crazy.”

* * *

Could eyes bleed? If they did, Ram’s were close to that point. He took a step back from the assembly table and shook his hands out. Everything they’d been working with was so small. Not even the magnifying glass worked well after the first two hours.

“I knew what she did was amazing, but this…this is next level,” Ram said. “And she usually does all of this. Alone.”

“Never had a clue how much was involved,” Nolan admitted. He set the tweezers down and glanced at the test area. “I definitely didn’t know she tested everything once it was completed.”

“Of course she does,” Pierce said. “I’ve always known she does more than we realized. She needs help.”

“She does.” Marshall’s jaw twitched. “Nikki’s here now, but Bree and Rhea need more help if we’re going to rely on this tech even more in the future.”

“I never had a clue this is what she did,” Lars said. He looked down the long table, where micro drones in assorted stages of completion lay. “This is amazing.”

“It’s also a weird crossroads,” Dylan admitted. “It’s easier for us to say we don’t need the tech, but I can’t imagine going out on missions without it.”

Ram nodded as he stretched his arms over his head. How did she do this for hours every day and not have an aching back? Hunched over a table for that long wasn’t healthy. Was it? He glanced over at the first table, where she, Rhea, and Nikki had worked alongside Cord and Jacob without a rest break yet even though it’d been more than four hours since they’d started.

Vi and Mary had both taken small breaks, but they’d used them to walk the assembly line and check in with everyone, so that wasn’t much of a rest. Ram had a newfound respect for the brainiac crew—which was saying something because he’d already admired everything they did.

Fallon and Medina took Ram’s and Marshall’s positions in the assembly line so the work would continue. They’d rotated the tasks between all the operatives who’d shown up to help. But Bree didn’t have anyone to tap in so she could rest.

He wandered over to her area, making sure his approach was loud enough not to startle her or the others. Cord glanced up first, followed by Jacob. Ram offered both a chin lift and set his hands on Bree’s shoulders. A soft moan escaped her as he massaged her shoulders.

“Don’t spoil me, commando. I could get used to this.” She leaned back into the contact as she peered up at him. “Hey.”

“Hey.” He kissed her forehead. “You need to walk around, sweetheart. You all do.”

“We will. Soon,” Nikki said. “We only have five more to finish.”

“Thank you for letting us help down here,” Marshall said as he approached. “Tonight was good for us all. We have new insight into what it takes to get the tech we use up and going.”

“No shit,” Cord replied. “I didn’t have a clue, and I’m in their crew. Sort of.”

“You’re definitely in our crew,” Bree said. “You and Jacob have been kicking coding butt over there. You two, Zoey, Mary, and Vi have only had one drone not programmed right—and that was at the start.”

“Jacob and I can keep helping with this coding in the future. So can Cord,” Zoey said. “We’ll need to coordinate schedules, but I’m in for helping with this in the future because you shouldn’t have to do all this work alone.”

“I agree,” Marshall said. “You, Rhea, and I will sit down and discuss getting more bodies down here to help you. We’ve got enough tech savvy operatives around here. They can help with a lot of this.”

“The good thing is once drones are constructed, we can typically reuse them. That limits how many times this entire process is necessary.” Bree heaved a loud sigh. “The trouble with these little buggers is that we won’t always be getting them back. Thus, the need for a lot of them just in case. I don’t ever want to not have the tech you all need for a mission on hand.”

“And we appreciate that,” Marshall replied. Warmth filled his gaze. “More than you’ll ever know. Thank you.”

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.”