Lethal Echo by Cara Carnes

19

Ram didn’t want to be at the rehab facility right now, but he’d been warned to steer clear of whatever the fuck Mia and Bree were doing. Tracking down Donovan and having a word seemed like a decent use of his time.

The man’s attention moved to him when he entered. Donovan set the weights down and walked toward him. “Figured you’d track me down. I’m sorry about the other day. I was out of line. I’ve already talked to Spade again.”

“Good. He’s a good operative. He deserves a leader who’ll have his back.” Ram studied the man’s eyes. “You square?”

“I’ll get there.” The man reached for his water bottle. “There’s a new guy coming in next week. I’ve already booked time with him. Sinclair will be there.”

Finally. The woman needed the help. “Talk to me until then.”

“I fucked up, man,” Donovan whispered. “I knew better, but I still fucking did it.”

“Did what?” Ram sat beside Donovan when he collapsed on the bench.

“Not sure I should say. You’ll go straight to Command, which you should. Hell, I’d go if I were you.” Donovan sighed loudly. “Got hooked. Knew better than take those fucking pain pills the surgeon gave me. I should’ve had a word with Logan, gotten something else. I didn’t.”

“Fuck, man.” Ram wasn’t sure what else to say. Too many soldiers got hooked on pain pills, either chasing away pain from the injuries or phantom pains from what they’d done. “Says a lot about you that you recognize the problem. Too many don’t until they’re in deep. Have you chatted with Logan about it yet?”

“No.” Donovan glanced over at him. “You think I should?”

“You already know the answer to that. He’ll see you through it. Everyone here will.” Ram slapped him on the back. “Let’s go do that now. Then you need to have a word with Fallon. He deserves to know where your head’s at, man. Not sure about some of your other crew, but he’s solid.”

“Most of them are. They just haven’t settled into the team environment. Fallon’s right. They will.” Donovan stood. “Thanks, man.”

“We’re here whenever you need us.”

Donovan nodded. They fell into a comfortable silence. Although the conversation had been briefer than Ram wanted, the man had surprised him with how truthful he’d been. He’d known he was in trouble and only needed help taking the first step to fixing it.

Logan glanced up from his chair when they entered his office. “Hey. Something wrong?”

“You want me to stay or go?” Ram asked.

“Let me get the words out so you know I didn’t turn tail and run, then you can go,” Donovan said. “I know shit’s going down right now.”

It was. Ram was itching to find out what. He nodded.

Donovan pulled a bottle of pills from his pack and tossed it onto Logan’s desk. “I filled that two days ago. I’m popping them like candy. I need help breaking out of this, Doc.”

Logan opened the bottle and poured the few pills remaining out. He glanced at the label. “Wish you’d told me what he put you on. I never would’ve advised that.”

“I know. That’s why I didn’t tell you when you asked the other day. By then I knew I had a problem.” Donovan ran his hand down the back of his neck. “I wasn’t ready to admit it.”

“But you are now. That’s good.”

“I am because Ram and Spade have been in my face about my attitude and the way I’m shoving people away.” Donovan sat. “So what’s next?”

Ram patted the man on the back and exited. Logan would get him through.

The walk back to Operations took longer than he wanted. Where was Bree? Was she okay? What had Marshall wanted?

He entered the whiteboard room and let his gaze roam the room until it landed on Bree, who was seated between Zoey and Mia. She offered a small smile when their gazes locked.

“Good. Everyone’s here,” Mary said, her voice tight. “I was going to delay reading everyone in until tomorrow, but given the information Mia and Bree obtained, I think everyone will need tonight to get their heads sorted.” The woman’s gaze cut to where Marshall sat. “Please try and remain operationally in control until we’ve finished sharing what we’ve learned.”

“Like we didn’t lose our shit when we found out,” Zoey muttered.

“Mia,” Mary said.

“I’ve been baiting Gavin at Mary’s request since he arrived. Given my background, leading him to believe I didn’t fit in here was simple enough. A few disagreements with operatives while he watched. That kind of thing.” The woman leaned back in her chair. “I’ve also been moving things around in his room so he knows someone’s been in there.”

“Upping his paranoia,” Nolan said.

Mia nodded. “Today, with Bree’s help, we escalated that. We had Mary’s permission to reveal that we had Melanie. Instead of going for that approach, we opted to start off with a softer one. We led him to believe The Arsenal wanted nothing to do with breaching Facility Six, that we’d abide by our agreement and offer strategy options, but we didn’t want to take the risk of entry. Bree’s friend wasn’t worth the risk.”

“Fuck, that’s cold,” Dallas commented. “He believed that?”

“Our girl’s a good actor,” Mia said with a grin.

“Or you are just that fucking terrifying,” Bree replied. “Seriously, Z, you’ve gotta show the takedown.”

“Let’s get the intel out first,” Mary suggested.

“Right. The short summary sucks, so I’m ripping this shit off quick so you can all go gonzo.” Mia took a deep breath. “Knightwind was selling cells in Facility Six, no questions asked. They’d use the detention to interrogate the people brought in and collect intel they could use. The money also helped them fund their facility. Shortly before the ‘war,’ Mandrake brought six captives to them. The payday was too big to refuse.”

Ram tightened when Mia paused. Anger flashed in her gaze as it swept the room, which electrified with tension immediately. Whatever she was about to say wouldn’t be good.

“A Delta team,” she said.

Cursing sounded around the room as everyone reacted a few moments. Jesse whistled. Silence descended as the loud, shrill noise he emitted ended.

“Gavin didn’t give a damn about getting them out. He wanted one of the team members to auction off to the highest bidder. He’s apparently a hot commodity.” Mia’s gaze cut to Marshall. “The president’s nephew. He’s still in.”

“It was his team,” Mary added.

“Fuck.” Marshall slammed his fist on the table. Vi winced.

There was no telling how expensive the computerized table was. Ram didn’t think Marshall gave a damn right now. Ram knew the man had served with the president’s son—a fact that’d been recently shared.

“How the fuck did you get him to admit all that?” Nolan asked.

“She’s that good,” Bree said. “Trust me. I was there and could’ve sworn she was serious.”

“We’ll begin our strategy session on Facility Six in the morning,” Mary said. “I’ve spoken with Liam, who agreed with my assessment that Homeland should take the lead on detaining the Carews. We’ve turned over all the evidence to them. We’re taking a backseat on that phase for now.”

“Just like that?” Doug asked. “We’ve been hunting those shits for months.”

“And we’ve found them,” Vi said. “The arena we’re playing in has changed. Homeland has the ability to drag people in just as easily as we can. There’s a lot less red tape to cut through when it involves terrorists and potential threats to national security. I don’t care who takes the win as long as they never see the light of day again.”

“Agreed,” Mary said. “We’ll get a crack at them both to ensure this doesn’t go any deeper, but our focus needs to be Facility Six. We now know of seven people who need an immediate extraction. There could be more.”

“Vi and I have sent another encoded message to Shelly via the hole she left for us.”

“Any contact back yet?” Bree asked.

“No, but there’s a time differential. We’re hoping we’ll get something back in a few hours.”

“Where is Facility Six?” Dallas asked.

“In the middle of the ocean, south of China,” Bree said. “A manmade island.”

“Fuck.” Marshall slammed the table again.

“There should be assets we can use in the area,” Mary said. “One of us will need to speak with the president to secure those. Quietly. Too much movement could raise a flag. The people running Facility Six are heavily embedded everywhere.”

“Are we helping Gavin’s side then?” Nolan asked.

“No,” Vi replied. “We’re going in to get those who shouldn’t be there. Anything beyond that is not our problem unless we’re asked to make it our problem.”

“Agreed,” Jesse said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the president decides to take custody of the facility if we’re already penetrating. We’ll know more in the morning.”

“We’ll be ready,” Levi commented. The quiet team leader grinned. “Now, can we see the takedown Bree’s so excited about?”

Zoey chuckled. “We should’ve brought popcorn, but I would’ve had to loop this shit a hundred times or more. It was that fast. Watch close, boys. This is how a real ninja handles shit.”

Everyone laughed. The footage began. Ram tightened as he listened to the twisted shit being revealed, but he couldn’t help but admire how calm Mia had remained. And Bree…

Fuck. She’d been brilliant. She’d fed off Mia’s confidence.

Then Mia struck. The move was so fast he almost missed it entirely. One minute she was sitting on the picnic table and the next she was on the ground with Gavin sprawled out, arm broken.

“Holy fuck,” Pierce muttered. “Remind me to never piss you off.”

“No shit,” Zoey said. She rewound. The moment before Mia moved played, slower this time. “Think this should be in the training from now on.”

“You aren’t wrong,” Nolan commented. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone move that fast. Whoever trained you was good.”

“I’m training Addy and Bree,” Mia said. “If anyone else wants in, let me know, but my girls are the priority.”

“Riley will want in,” Dallas commented. “She’s always wanting extra training.”

“I’ll let her know,” Addy said. “You teaching us that move?”

“If you want.” Mia shifted in her seat. Ram noted the unease in her face. The woman hated attention. “Gotta admit, I thought all of you would go nuclear.”

“We will,” Nolan said. “But none of us want to piss off Edge.” He offered a thin smile. “We’ll form a plan in the morning. Are we still using outside assets?”

“Yes, because these are good,” Mary said. “Better than most of our team operatives in extraction situations. Someone needs to chat with Lexi. We’ll need more than one pilot. She’ll know who we can trust. Marshall and I will phone the president and read him in on this.”

“How many of those gas bombs do we have? Those might come in handy,” Doug said.

“I made a dozen. They’re quick to make. I just need more knockout gas,” Bree replied.

“I’ll get some going tonight. Nikki and I can help you make more in the morning,” Rhea said. “Anything else we should build? Any ideas, Bree?”

“A few. I need to find my notes from Facility Six to verify what I’m remembering. With Mary’s, Vi’s, and Zoey’s help, we might be able to use what I did to our advantage. I could take the power source offline easily enough. Or, they could once I show them the loophole I left. I need to study my notes first, though.”

Bree’s shoulder’s slumped inward when she finished talking. She’d spent most of the meeting cycling between energetic and withdrawn. He didn’t like either option because he was worried she wasn’t processing what she’d learned from Gavin.

“What are we doing with Gavin? What about the agreement with Knightwind?” Rhea asked.

“He’ll remain in our detainment area for now,” Vi said.

“He’s made substantial threats alluding to Knightwind knowing more about HERA than we realize,” Mary added. “We’ll need to determine how much of that is a valid problem versus posturing.”

Fuck. That was the last thing anyone needed right now.

Vi nodded, her expression grim. “We’ll be reaching out to his superiors once we have a firmer grasp of how we’ll be addressing this issue. Given what we know about the facility and their involvement in knowingly detaining U.S. soldiers, they’ll have no choice to go along with what we decide.”

“That goes for both sides of Knightwind,” Jesse said, his arms crossed. “It’ll be the president’s call.”

“We’ll huddle tomorrow, first thing,” Mary said. “We’ll get them out. We can’t undo what they’ve gone through, but they’re Delta. They wouldn’t want our pity, only our action.”

Almost everyone shuffled out of the room. Ram remained along the wall, his gaze on Bree.

“Let us know if we can help,” Doug said.

Ram grunted his response. Yeah, they’d seen her reactions and were also worried. By the time most of the room had cleared out, he’d made his way to where she sat.

Her expressive, beautiful gaze moved to him. “Hey. Wild, huh? Can you believe that move Mia did? I swear I didn’t even see her move. She freaking vaulted from sitting to around his neck in a second. And she’s going to teach me. Can you believe that?”

“You’re wired.” He ran a hand through her hair as he guided her to standing. “Talk to me, sweetheart,” he whispered against her mouth. “You’re focused on Mia, but I think your mind’s somewhere else.”

“I-I can’t talk about that yet.” She licked his lips. “Make me forget. Please. I don’t want to think about my tech being used to imprison good commandos like Marshall.” She kissed him softly. “Like you.”

Jesus. He deepened the kiss until she relaxed against him. “I’ll always help you work through your troubles, but sometimes talking them out is the only way they’ll go away. None of this is your fault. You know that, right?”

“I guess.” She looked away. “How many like them are there? I made it impossible to get out of there and never considered someone would use it to…”

He palmed her chin and traced his thumb along her lips. “You were hired to do a job. We don’t always get the luxury of asking why. We’re going to get them out.”

“Months,” she whispered. Her expression turned haunted. “They’ve been in that hell for months. Because of me.”

“No.” He gripped her hair. “Not because of you. Because of the assholes who captured them. That’s not on you.”

“He’s right,” Mary said. She pulled Bree into a hug. “This isn’t on you. Go get some rest. We’ll figure out a plan in the morning.”

“Love you,” Zoey whispered as she hugged Bree. “You did good today, girlfriend. We’ve got this.”

Ram’s gaze cut to Marshall and Nolan as they approached. Ram sensed the emotional war within both men, but neither spoke. He’d been on that precipice enough times to recognize when someone was hanging on to the last thread of their control.

The rest of the Mason brothers huddled near the door. He suspected they’d have each other’s backs tonight and get through the emotional upheaval of what they’d just learned. They’d all been Delta. Those were their brothers-in-arms.

“I know we’re talking about this tomorrow, but I need to make sure we’re on the same page,” Mary said. “I want you running the primary strike team, Ram. You, Doug, and Pierce, with the ghosts from the Scythe MC. Gage will run the other team.”

His gaze cut to the two Masons. Neither looked surprised by Edge’s declaration. “Why me?”

“Because they’re compromised.” Mary pointed to Marshall and Nolan. “The Triple Threat will work well with the Scythe’s ghost operatives. Think about it tonight, but that’s where we’re likely going tactically.”

“We’ll do whatever we can to get them out.” And they would. “We’ll chat in the morning.” For now, all he wanted to do was spend time with Bree.

They headed toward the exit.

“Bree,” Marshall called out.

“Yes?” Her voice was soft, hesitant.

“It’s not your fault,” the man said. “Remember what I said earlier. This is exactly the sort of situation I was talking about.”

Bree smiled. “Thanks. I needed to hear that. We will get them out.”

* * *

“What’d he say earlier?” Ram asked as they exited the building and headed toward her cottage.

“That I was the lethal solution, the real final Hail Mary. More or less,” Bree said, letting her mind process what he meant. “He said everyone thinks it’s Edge, but that I’m the real weapon. I guess he’s right.”

“He is, but you’re more than what you do. Everyone knows that,” Ram whispered. He kissed her temple. “You’re also our shield. Those drones protect us on every op. I remember Addy saying something one day about you wanting to be a badass commando. You already are, sweetheart.”

“You’re right. My drones and bombs make a pretty good army. But you’re my favorite commando.” She grinned up at him. “You’re pretty amazing.”

“I’ll show you amazing.” Ram lifted her into his arms. She squealed her surprise. “I think it’s tickle war time.”

“No. No, it’s never tickle war time.” She swatted at his chest as he took the final steps to her cottage. “Seriously, Ram. No.”

Amusement rumbled from him as they entered the small house. Anticipation pebbled along her skin as he headed toward her bedroom. He tossed her on the bed, then yanked his shirt off and pounced. Their mouths collided, alternating between soft licks and voracious delves.

“Being with you is like coming home,” he whispered against her throat. He tossed her shirt beside the bed. “I’ll never get tired of tasting your sweetness.” He tickled both sides along her ribs.

She yelped in surprise and pushed away, but he pinned her to the bed. Shock and arousal flared, quickening her pulse. “No fair, Ram. You distracted me with your sexiness.” Emboldened by his heated gaze, she removed her bra and tossed it aside. “Two can play that game.”

She’d never felt sexier, more alluring. The comfort and security she had with Ram was… amazing. Much like the man himself. He kissed a trail down her neck as his hands massaged and played with her breasts. Her nipples hardened beneath his deft touch.

“So responsive,” he whispered against her chest. “I love how your body reacts. I’ll never get enough.”

He continued stroking, kissing, and licking his way around her body, as if on a mission—one she was more than ready for. He stripped her pants off, then teased her as he slowly removed her panties. By the time he settled between her legs, her entire body ached with the need to feel him inside her.

“Ram,” she whispered.

“I’ve got you, sweetheart.” He feasted on her, driving her closer and closer to release.

Eyes closed, she lost herself within the sensations. All that mattered was Ram and the plunge of his fingers into her, the sweep of his tongue along her clit. The worries vacated as she cried out her release.

“You’re beautiful when you come,” he whispered against her mouth. “Let’s see how many times you can do that.”

Challenge accepted. She kissed him, pulling at the belt securing his pants. “Off. Get them off.”

“Commanding little general,” he teased. He rose from the bed and stripped down. She could enjoy the show that was Ram shucking his clothes every night. Complete bliss.

She leaned forward and kissed his stomach. Muscles bunched and flexed beneath her touch. Wrapping her hand around his thick length, she licked the precum from the tip of his cock and moaned. “My kind of dessert.”

Arousal pooled between her legs as she licked and sucked him. Fingers threaded in her hair, Ram moaned. She gazed up into his eyes as she worked his cock. The look of pure love and desire emboldened her.

“I want to finish inside you, sweetheart.” He pulled her away. “Fuck, I feel like a teenager right now.”

“That really turns me on,” she admitted. “I love the way you look at me when I’m going down on you. I feel like a goddess.”

“You are. My goddess,” he said as he settled above her. “I love you, Bree Geissinger. So much it’s fucking terrifying.”

Her heart warmed. He loved her. “I love you, Ramon Zapatero, so much I can’t imagine my life without you in it. Now fuck me. Your goddess is needy.”

Emotion clogged her throat as they kissed. Legs wrapped around him, she moaned when he entered her in one hard, powerful thrust. Their movements turned frenzied. He shifted to sitting up. She gasped as she started riding him, relishing the way their bodies melded.

Hands on her hips, he growled and flipped them once again. Her legs went up, knees at his shoulders. The position deepened his powerful thrusts. He powered into her as they kissed.

“So close,” she whispered.

“Come for me, sweetheart,” he said. “I love you.”

“I love you.” She cried the words out as the climax consumed her. She clung to him and moaned when he surrendered to his own release.

They collapsed into one another. Her breathing evened out a few moments later. Ram kissed her and pulled her into his arms.

“That was amazing,” she whispered. “Gets better every time.”

“It does.” He ran his fingers through her hair.

Her thoughts drifted a few moments, then she took a deep breath. “I need to go on the mission. Too many things could go wrong. I should be there in case something goes wrong.”

“Not sure that’s a good idea, sweetheart.” Concern filled his face when she looked up at him. “I get what you’re saying, and I’ll support whatever you want to do, but I’m not sure Edge will agree.”

She loved that he’d support her decision. He wasn’t trying to talk her out of it, even though she suspected he didn’t want her anywhere near Facility Six.

“I know it’ll be an uphill battle, but there’s so much that could go wrong.” She swallowed. “I don’t want to be watching from Operations knowing I could’ve done something faster if I’d been there. If you or anyone else was to get hurt…”

“We’re pretty good at this mission stuff. Edge hasn’t ever failed.”

“I know.” She smiled up at him. “She wants you leading a team. Are you going to?”

“If she thinks that’s the best play, yeah.”

“You didn’t seem too surprised.”

“I wasn’t.” He sighed deeply as she rested her head on his chest. “We did a lot of retrievals. Just the three of us. Well, four. One of us didn’t come back from a mission. Losing John… fuck. It gutted us.”

“Is John the one who taught Doug to play?” Bree asked.

“Yeah. What you said about you and your brother, that is a lot like it was between John and Doug,” he said. “That mission ended with one of them in a body bag and the other in therapy for months, recovering from an injury that would’ve killed him if…”

“John saved him but died in the process.” Bree ran her hand down Ram’s stomach. “I can’t imagine going through that.”

“It wouldn’t have happened if the intel had been solid. We got out after that. Used the time to recover. Then we came to The Arsenal.” He tugged her hair. Their gazes locked. “Best decision we’ve ever made.”

“I can’t imagine life around here without you,” she admitted. She closed her eyes and sank into the feel of his fingers moving along her scalp. “Love you.”

“Love you, too.” The glide through her hair halted. “Her name was Rene. The marriage was a farce, an arrangement to politically connect our families. Hers sought a higher position within the organization.”

The fiancée he’d killed. Bree remained quiet as she stroked his chest. Pushing him wasn’t an option. He deserved whatever time he needed to process what’d happened. She kissed his chest and waited through the silence. A slight tug on her hair drew her gaze to his.

“We tolerated one another on the best days, which weren’t very often. We attended social functions together but were never intimate or personal in any way.” His thumb glided along her lips. “Back then I was close to getting out but still needed a few pieces of evidence, so I played the game and was the dutiful son.”

“You couldn’t rock the boat too soon,” she whispered. He nodded.

“She became suspicious. I still don’t know how, but she knew I was up to something.” A heavy sigh escaped him. “I think I was too quiet. Too obedient. I’d finally gathered what I needed and there was a gala for the organization’s leaders that night. I planned to meet with the King Maker and turn over what I’d discovered.”

Bree tightened. “She found out?”

“Rene was good at her spy craft. She played her part of dutiful daughter well, so I didn’t realize she suspected I was up to something at first.” Ram looked away, staring at the wall near the door a moment. “She confronted me at the hotel, right before we were to depart for the event. I was nothing more than a steppingstone and she wasn’t about to let whatever I had planned ruined her opportunity to climb the ranks.”

What a bitch. Bree tightened her arm around Ram’s middle. He’d gotten out. That’s what mattered. She kissed his stomach.

“She threatened to tell my parents. When that didn’t bring me to heel like she expected, she threatened to inform the personnel manager. He was the highest up she had access to and reported to the King Maker. I warned her that wasn’t a good idea, that she had no idea what was going on.” Ram caressed Bree’s cheek when she looked up at him. “She made her call. I made mine.”

“The King Maker,” she whispered.

Ram nodded. “I hadn’t seen him in a couple years, but he still considered me the brother of his heart. He was mine as well.” He cleared his throat. “I’d intended to get his attention at the party but knew Rene’s contacting someone changed the timetable. I called. He came.”

Bree’s gut tightened. “Whatever happened wasn’t your fault. She should’ve stayed out of it.”

“She was obedient, doing what her parents trained her to do. Observe. Report. Protect.” Ram shook his head. “She was a sheep. She never doubted her parents or mine. They were power hungry and no longer serving the organization’s best interests. My parents were higher up within the ranks, which afforded them more protection.”

“But hers weren’t.” Bree moved up in the bed and rested her head on his shoulder. “What happened?”

“The man she’d called arrived with the King Maker. I said nothing and offered no excuses or explanations as she spewed her accusations. She had nothing but suspicions and a personal account of my movements for the past few days. I knew it wasn’t going well and finally asked her to be quiet. She slapped me, spat in my face, and called me a traitor to our families.” The chuckle rumbling from Ram was pained. “She didn’t say the organization. She said our families. She’d put them above everyone.”

Bree held her breath.

“When she was done with her accusations, the King Maker looked at me. I saw death in his eyes, but not mine.” His voice lowered. “I didn’t offer an explanation or defense. I simply turned over the file and thumb drive I had. It was the longest fifteen minutes of my life as I stood there watching the most powerful man I knew reading through what I hoped was sufficient evidence against my family, Rene’s, and two other key families. Only Rene’s was expendable in the grand scheme. They were killed that night as a warning—an example of what would happen if anyone betrayed the organization’s moral code. She died at my hand. I earned my freedom that night with her death.”

“You earned it by having your friend’s back,” Bree argued. “We do whatever it takes to survive. You got out.”

“I did.” He caressed her cheek. “She was not a good woman. I wish I could tell you I regretted what happened that night, but I don’t. The only regret I have is that my family didn’t earn the same fate as hers.”

God, Bree couldn’t imagine living that life, being raised in a viper’s nest. “They weren’t punished?”

“They were too high up in the ranks. They lost their seat at the King Maker’s table, so their reputation suffered. He assured me I’d never have problems with anyone, and I haven’t.”

“Thank you for telling me.” She kissed his cheek. “I’m glad you got out.”

“I wish he could have as well. He’s not a nice man, but he’s an honorable one who was born into a life he won’t ever be able to leave.” He deepened the kiss. “He’s surrounded by an army yet has no one he can truly call a friend.”

“You were his friend, though,” she argued. “His brother.”

“At one time yes, but I abandoned him.”

“I can’t imagine he wanted you to remain. You are a great man, Ram. He helped you escape when he couldn’t.” Bree would always admire the King Maker for that. She didn’t understand his world, but she appreciated what he’d done for Ram. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. More than you’ll ever know.”

She rested her head on his chest and let the feel if his fingers caressing her skin lull her to sleep.