Lethal Echo by Cara Carnes

5

He chained her to a wall. Ram glared at the door where Gavin had departed and willed himself to remain with Bree. “This is bullshit.”

“It is,” Gage agreed. “What’s everyone thinking beyond that?”

“Their intelligence gathering abilities is what inspired Vi and I to broaden HERA’s initial designs,” Mary said. “We hadn’t contemplated linking to every database in the world and doing instantaneous facial recognitions and information analysis until we heard about Knightwind and what they did.”

“Even though their technology is way, way behind,” Vi said. “They have assets deployed everywhere, though. If anyone has an in with the higher-ups we need, it’ll be them.”

“Do we want to rattle that cage, though?” Dallas asked. His gaze settled on Ram. “I’ve been in the deep with The Collective. If there’s even a slight chance we stir the waters of this third party we aren’t talking about, I think Ram should have a bigger say on this.”

Fuck. “What he said was true. They have no official name, but everyone refers to them as Probus. It’s a bullshit name. The organization has run for centuries, with leadership within its group passed from generation to generation. Most are forced into the positions through familial duty and honor.”

“And torture and manipulation. Threats,” Doug added. Intensity resonated within his gaze. “You got out, man. Nothing is worth getting back on their radar. If there’s even a slight chance, it’s not worth the risk.”

But it was if it got Bree and the other women safe. Finding whoever was behind Carlisle Industries would eliminate the threats against them and the brilliant tech they’d designed. They’d be safe because The Arsenal would have proven they would take out any threat against them.

“How many of these covert groups exist? It’s mentally exhausting to keep up with this web of bullshit,” Zoey said. She rubbed her temples.

“There are thousands,” Mary said. “We’ll likely never run across anyone else of importance. Knightwind and Probus are the only two I’d be concerned with other than the ones we’ve already taken out.”

“So, what’s the plan?” Nolan asked.

“Bree?” Vi asked. “Talk to us. You did great, by the way. You put more on the table than I would have, to be honest.”

“I figured you’d want access to their uber secret databases,” Bree said. “I’m more worried about Ram and this other group, Probus. How big of a threat are they?”

“To us? Not much,” Ram said. “They’re manipulators. They are the puppet masters behind political leaders and world governments. Crime syndicates. If someone has power, it’s because they have either blessed it or made it happen. It’s all about their perception of power and balance. They supposedly work for the betterment of all of mankind, but the ancient objectives got skewed by their own thirst for power.”

“Okay, so they’re the puppet masters behind some of this government’s leaders, which means we’ll cross paths with them when we start hunting,” Zoey said. “Is it worth the risk?”

Silence descended as everyone looked at Ram. Fuck. “They can’t touch me. I’m protected.” Or should be.

“Are you sure?” Pierce asked. “You never told Doug and me how you finally got out.”

“I’ll explain this once, but I’d appreciate it if we never discuss it again,” Ram said. “My family has been part of that group since its inception. My mother and father are both high up in the Spanish government. They assumed I’d take the reins. They were wrong.”

“How did you get out?” Gage asked.

“Attempts to run away only ended with me being dragged back and punished. Assimilated again,” Ram said. “I finally got smart enough to play the part. They dispatched me into field operations, intelligence gathering. That’s how I met Doug and Pierce the first time. I was seventeen. We struck up a friendship. They’d both just enlisted in the military and were stationed nearby.”

“It went that way for a couple of years. We’d see him on occasion, but not often,” Doug added.

“I turned the intelligence gathering against my parents,” Ram said. “That’s how I got out. I gathered enough about them and other leaders and their greedy maneuvers, actions that countermanded what the organization supposedly stood for.”

“So you blackmailed your way out,” Addy said.

“That would’ve gotten me killed,” Ram said. “I turned what I’d found out over to the leader. For centuries, one family has always run the organization. The leader has no name and is raised from birth simply being known as his title. The King Maker. I know this sounds crazy and totally out there, but they aren’t the only group like this out there. They’re simply the biggest.”

“Okay, so this King Maker got you out?” Marshall asked.

“He did,” Ram said. “We’d grown up together. Friendships weren’t allowed amid the ranks, but we’d grown close, as close as he could get to anyone. He trusted me enough to accept the intel. I was out a week later with an assurance from him that I’d never have trouble from them again.”

“Do you trust him to maintain his promise?” Mary asked.

“I do.” He had to. “He was the closest thing to a brother I ever had until I met Doug and Pierce.” And everyone else at The Arsenal.

“Okay, so, that means this group should be an outlier,” Zoey said.

“Correct,” Ram said. “If we run the mission and contain Knightwind’s involvement, this should work.”

“For what it’s worth, Knightwind is the European version of us,” Mary said. “The governments contract them whenever their own elite organizations can’t be involved.”

“So having them as an ally if Bob doesn’t pull his head out of his ass would be good,” Nolan said.

“Probably, but thanks to Bree, we don’t have to make that decision right now,” Jesse replied. “We can make our own judgment of them after this mission.”

“So it’s a go,” Gage said.

“We can always pull back and sever ties,” Vi said. “They’ve given us more than they realize already. The man is a high-level merc. We should be able to track his trail easily enough.”

“We need eyes on Bob,” Addy said. “Why is it so hard?”

“He is the Secretary of Defense,” Cord said. “Even we have lines we shouldn’t cross.”

“Why can’t we put drones in place near his house, but not on his property?” Bree asked.

“We’ve already hacked into everything in the area,” Zoey said. “The problem is not having eyes on him when he’s inside his house. The man is almost a ghost online. He’s such a luddite he rarely accesses anything, except his emails on occasion. I managed to get a virus onto his system through an email, but if he has anything on a secondary laptop or tablet, I wouldn’t see it.”

“So if there was a way to get surveillance he wouldn’t spot in place, that would be a good thing.” Bree shifted in her seat.

Pierce grinned and Ram couldn’t help but chuckle. He recognized that shift in movement. “What do you have?”

“What?” Bree looked up at Ram. “Nothing. Why do you say that?”

“Because we know you well enough to spot that tell,” Doug commented. “That’s your I-have-an-idea-and-the-tech-to-pull-it-off shift.”

“It’s also her but-they’ll-lecture-me move.” Ram glared at Marshall. “For the record, you all need to take a few steps back and let her talk out her idea when she has one. From what I’ve seen in how you handle her bringing up new stuff, it’s no wonder she doesn’t share shit with you.”

Mary and Vi gasped. Zoey guffawed as she nodded. “I’m so getting Ellie to make cookies for you, Ram. You are so right. I’ve been telling them this since she left.”

Marshall and Nolan exchanged glances. The latter shifted forward in his seat. “For the record, Bree, I’m sorry I haven’t handled your new tech well. I’ll be the first to admit your ingenuity terrifies me in its lethal sophistication. I promise to handle it better from this point forward. You’re a vital part of this team, and I want you to feel comfortable bringing anything to the table.”

Bree nodded and looked down. She grabbed Ram’s hand under the table. He squeezed hers. Whatever she was about to say, he suspected it would be important. “Sinclair wanted me to tell you all I don’t appreciate being lectured about my recklessness. Or being teased when something doesn’t work. Not everything will, you know. It’s disrespectful and I don’t deserve it. I know the drones are a big part of why we’re all at risk, and I also accept that Mary, Vi and Rhea didn’t want to add them to HERA, but they did because I insisted. So, I own that a lot of this is my fault, but if I’m important to this team, I deserve to be heard.”

Holy shit. Ram draped his arm around Bree as silence filled the room. Everyone looked at one another. Zoey’s mouth gaped open.

Mary was the first to find her voice. “Bree, none of this is your fault. If we hadn’t listened to you and added those drones, everyone at this table would’ve likely died months ago. They’re the reason we’ve been so successful on our missions. I’m sorry you’ve felt as though you’ve lost your voice. You haven’t. I swear you have never lost it, even if we sometimes don’t agree with what you suggest.”

“Bree, look at me, sweetheart,” Jesse said. Intensity resonated within his gaze. “My brothers and I grew up in a large and loud family where we all had voices, often drowning one another out. The military beat a lot of that disrespect out of us, but this crew we have here is still a large and loud family. We’ll argue and disagree at times, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love and respect everyone in it. I’m sorry you’ve felt that way, and I wish you would’ve trusted one of us with this.”

Ram suspected there was more she was feeling, but he doubted she’d share more than she already had. He stroked her hair and waited until her gaze shifted to him. “Tell me what your idea is. Ignore that they’re here if it’s easier but tell me. You know Doug, Pierce, and I are always down for whatever you create.”

“I finished the new micro drones,” she whispered, her voice so soft it was barely audible within the silent room. “They’re about the size of a housefly and have different colored skins so they can blend into almost any wall or surface. Their power source can manage two zaps when fully charged, so they can be semi-defensive if necessary. I was thinking maybe we could put them in Bob’s home and office.”

“Those sound perfect,” Jesse said, his voice calm and low-toned. “When did you finish them?”

“While you all were in Russia. I…” She glanced around. “I finished a lot while you were there. I needed something to do, to feel like I was helping.”

“Fuck,” Gage muttered under his breath. “I wish you’d see how much you’ve helped us, Bree. If you could spend a day in my brain, you’d see that you’re one of the first calls my team always makes. Fallon’s crew always trusted Rhea with the boom when they needed to blow shit up. They knew she’d never judge them. But you, Bree, are the call every team wants to make because you go beyond giving us what we need. You think so far outside the box you drag our asses out of the fire in ways we could not ever dream up. If a way to help us doesn’t exist, you build it.”

“He’s right,” Rhea said. “Bree, those compounds in the drones only exist because you suggested it. Remember? You were the one who asked, ‘what if we could put darts in these?’”

Ram’s gaze moved around the table and froze on Dylan, who was crouched between Mary and Vi. Both women were both visibly shaken by what Bree had said. His heart ached for them, but he remained firmly on Bree’s side. She was the one who needed things set straight, even if it hurt the others to realize they’d lost her need for validation somewhere along the way.

“You matter more than anything we do or create,” Mary said. She swiped at her stray tears. “I’m sorry we haven’t told you enough. I see now that things have been so crazy we’ve lost sight of what matters. Each other.”

“We have,” Addy said. “When Mary and Vi joined Hive, they only had one request. Protecting you and Rhea was all they cared about. Not because you couldn’t protect yourself, but because you were the two most important people in their lives. Their sisters. None of what they do would’ve been possible without you. None of what any of us does would be.”

“It’s true,” Rhea said. “I may have created some crazy compounds over the years, but you were my courage. You always pushed me to think outside the box.”

“Thanks,” Bree whispered. “I… I know this timing sucked and this isn’t about me. I just needed to say that so Sinclair would stop asking me about it.”

“Don’t belittle the courage you showed by standing your ground,” Nolan said. “You should’ve gotten in our faces with this a long time ago. Hell, we may have given you shit about blowing a quarter of a mile of property wide open with that laser cannon, but there’s not a single one of us who wouldn’t love to do it ourselves. We’re proud of what all you’ve done.”

“And we respect you for what you do,” Marshall said. “I’m sorry you couldn’t see that. I should’ve made sure you did.”

“This is a good lesson for us all,” Jesse commented. “As we add more people to the fold, we should all be cognizant of the fact they’ll each react differently to situations. Each unique personality needs to be taken into account and acclimated properly. When the women arrived at The Arsenal, we treated them all the same.”

“We shouldn’t have,” Dylan whispered. “You are each your own unique person, just like we are.”

“Yeah, but we got most of that knocked out of us in the military,” Nolan said. “We forget that not everyone here comes from the same background we do.”

Damn straight. Ramon admired them all for giving Bree what she needed. Silence descended for a few moments.

“So, we have micro drones we can use,” Dallas said. “I’m always up for Bree’s new tech, especially after those color-coded bombs she gave Rhea.”

Everyone laughed.

“What’s the plan?” Cord asked.

Jesse glanced at Gage. “Is your team up for a little breaking and entering?”

“Always.”

Hell yeah. Ramon chuckled.

“Should someone go on record as noting this might be pushing the boundaries of our new agreement with the president a bit too far?” Vi asked.

“Nope.” Zoey shook her head. “He said very clearly we could do anything within operational reasonableness to get the answers. He doesn’t want any assholes in his government.”

“She’s right,” Mary said. “Besides, I happen to know you’ve wanted to do this for weeks now.”

“I have.” Vi shrugged. “I figured I’d play devil’s advocate for a moment.”

“No.” Jesse touched her shoulder. “You’re wishing we didn’t have to do this because we all trusted him, you more than anyone else. This is hitting you deep.”

The woman didn’t deny the statement. Bree’s cellphone chimed. She glanced at the screen and grinned.

“Something you want to share?” Ram stroked her hair. She smiled up at him.

“Actually, yes. I sent a text to my friend, Jay. He’s high up in the FAA. I forget his title. Anyway, I asked him what we could do to our not-so-nice pilot. He said I couldn’t kill him, but to give him a few minutes. He just got back with me.”

“And?” Dallas asked, a smile on his face.

“He’s losing his license for a year, and his company will be investigated by the FAA.” Bree pocketed her cell. “I think we should let Lexi tell him.”

Marshall laughed. “Great move. Though, knocking some sense into him would’ve been more fun.”

“How long are you all going to need to formulate our mission?” Gage asked.

“About ten minutes,” Zoey replied quickly.

“Little Bit…”

“What?” She looked over at him. “You know Jesse and I were investigating him. Of course I already have his house plans, office layout, and everything we need to break in. I’ve been wanting to do this since before he showed his asshole to us. No one with any power over us should be trusted.”

“She’s not wrong,” Ram said.

“Wheels up in an hour,” Jesse said. “Levi, your team is secondary.”

“Understood.” The quiet operative slid out of the room. Ram hadn’t even realized he was there.

“I’m gonna go check in with Donovan. Did you want to come with?” Ram asked.

Bree nodded quickly. “Yes. Zoey mentioned he was finally back and operational.” The man’s injury had taken longer to recover from than expected. Physical therapy was a pain in the ass Ram hadn’t personally battled, but he’d helped Doug through a few months before they’d come to The Arsenal.

“Are you okay?” Bree asked.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I don’t know. The whole past with the shadow group may have rattled you a bit. Maybe. Ignore me.”

“Hey,” he whispered. He caressed her cheek. “Thank you for asking and caring. I’m not used to anyone outside of Doug and Pierce giving a damn. I’ll admit having to dredge those waters wasn’t fun, but I worked my way out of them and am not looking back.” Even though he likely should.

Jesse’s words from before looped in his thoughts. He hadn’t been wrong. Ram hadn’t dealt fully with what he’d gone through. Maybe a trip to Sinclair was a good idea. She’d know how to handle this, because he didn’t want to hide what he’d gone through from Bree.

Whatever they had was worth exploring, which meant he needed to do his part to be all-in, even if that meant opening up and facing his screwed-up past. But it’d wait until after tonight’s mission.

“You’ll be in Operations for this, right?” Ram asked.

“Sure.”

“Maybe we can take your family into Resino and show them around tomorrow.”

“They’re really looking forward to Bubba’s. I may have told them the jukebox was a time machine.” She chewed her lower lip. “Should I warn him?”

“No.” Ram laughed. “This’ll be fun.”

The door opened. Gavin walked in and locked gazes with Mary. “They agreed to your terms, with a couple of slight modifications. They want your assistance with one mission in return for this one, of our choosing and per your approval, of course. And I need to speak with Bree. Alone and unmonitored.”

“No.” Mary stood from the table. “We’ll agree to the mission, but not you alone with Bree.”

“That will never happen,” Addy added.

“I’ll do it.” Bree stood. Her gaze locked with Addy’s, then Mary’s. “I’m not afraid of this asshole. I’ll talk with him. Ten minutes, then come and get me.”

Fuck.