Storm Gathering

  For the briefest of moments, he paused and watched as headquarters, his mansion, where he'd fallen in love with Maureen…fell.

  Merc territory had burned to the ground.

  Chapter Forty-One

  It's amazing to have found love after the apocalypse. All in all, I'm feeling pretty fortunate.

  —Maureen Shadow, Notes

  Even the air above Los Angeles was filled with smoke from the Santa Barbara fire. Two contingents of soldiers had arrived at the Bunker that morning with orders to escort Maureen and Vinnie to Vanguard for a strategy meeting. They sat in the back of a fortified SUV. Sami was coming as well, but she took point with the other soldiers. The petite brunette was fun to watch.

  As they drove past downed semis and tires, the first barrier to Vanguard, Maureen's blood started to pump faster. Apparently the president and his Elite Force had attacked Merc territory last night, skipping the Bunker and Vanguard. They'd known somebody was getting attacked. But she hadn't seen Greyson since he left to rescue Damon, and she had to wonder. What now? For them?

  The soldiers hadn't told her much. She knew that Greyson had survived a battle on the beach, but she didn't know any details.

  Lynne craned her neck to see out the window. “They've rebuilt the outside perimeters pretty well. Quickly.”

  Yeah, but if Moe remembered right, the interior buildings were in trouble. She missed the ocean and wanted to go back to Merc headquarters at some point. “How bad do you think Merc territory got hit?” Maureen asked.

  Lynne turned, her eyes concerned. “We're about to find out.”

  The soldier drove them through the interior gate, ending up in a former parking lot in front of a two-story, brick building. Vanguard headquarters. Many of the bricks had been blown off in the last fight with the Elite Force, but most of the windows had been repaired.

  Maureen stepped out, her legs shaking. Nausea smashed into her, and she paused, swallowing until it passed. The morning sickness seemed to be getting worse. She tried to take that as a good sign.

  “You okay?” Lynne asked, pausing.

  Moe nodded and started for the door again. “I'm fine.”

  The door opened, and Jax strode out, straight at Lynne. He tucked the scientist close, breathing in her hair, his expression the softest Moe had ever seen it. She almost wanted to gape in surprise, but she kept going, wanting to give them privacy.

  She'd almost reached the door when it opened, and Greyson stepped out. Going on pure instinct, she jumped for him.

  He caught her, his strong arms easily holding her up. Then he let her slide down. Once her feet hit the pavement, he cupped her face, looking deep into her eyes. “Are you all right?” he asked, his voice grittier than normal.

  She swallowed and nodded. There was blood on his shirt. Was he shot? “You?”

  “Fine. Minor injury not even bleeding any longer.” He glanced over her head and surveyed the area, quickly turning her into his side and pulling her inside. Cool air brushed over her. “Your brother is safe. Merc territory was destroyed. If we ever want to get back to the beach, we'll have to rebuild.”

  In Santa Barbara? Unlikely. The loss washed through her, surprising in its intensity.

  He kissed her nose. “I know. I'm with you.”

  She blinked. “Is Damon okay?”

  Grey nodded, his jaw tightening. “Yeah. We lost fifteen men between the fires and the Elite Force.” He pulled her into Vanguard's conference room and held out a chair for her. “Atticus is healing up from a knife wound and will be fine in about a week or so. Also, Tall Tree Farm was attacked and burned. The survivors are here at Vanguard.”

  Thank goodness Damon and Atticus were okay. But pain slid through her for her other friends. “The farm is gone? How many survived?”

  “A lot of them, baby.” He ran his knuckles across her cheek. “You can talk to them shortly. For now, do you need anything? Hungry or thirsty?”

  She numbly shook her head. There was so much to process, but she had to focus on him. He was acting so professional. Casual. Sweet but somehow distant. “What's going on?”

  He cleared his throat. “When I left you at the Bunker, both times, you know it was to keep you safe, right?”

  It hit her then. Right between the eyes. He'd been abandoned by his mother, and that hurt never went away. Her heart swelled in her chest, plain and simple. He was worried that she'd felt abandoned by him. “I do understand, Greyson,” she murmured, meeting his gray gaze. “Honest. I'd do anything for this baby, too. I get it.” She did.

  His lips curved just as Jax and Lynne moved into the room, followed by Tace, Sami, Raze, Vinnie, Damon, and a pretty brunette with blue eyes.

  “This is April,” Damon said, wincing as he sat.

  “Hi,” April and Maureen said at the same time.

  Maureen looked at Damon. “Are you all right?” She leaned over and patted his hand, relief flushing through her to see him healthy and talking.

  “Yep. Just a few stitches,” he said, the bruise above his eye making him look like a pirate.

  Everyone took seats, and Jax held Lynne's hand as he started speaking. “Grey and I have reached an agreement regarding our two, ah, entities.”

  Greyson nodded. “We're going to combine Vanguard and the Mercs, and Damon will head the interaction here at Vanguard while I coordinate the movements at the Century City Bunker and plan an attack and takeover of the Reno Bunker.”

  Jax tapped his fingers on the table. “We also need Damon and April to infiltrate the Pure group and make sure the women and kids are there voluntarily.”

  Damon winked at April. “You up to an undercover op, sweet thing?”

  April blushed a pretty pink. “I've been undercover for two weeks, sugar lips. Let's hope you can keep up.”

  Moe coughed to cover a laugh. The woman was a fun one. It'd be interesting to see Damon land on his too-handsome ass over a woman. “I'm assuming I should continue my work to find organic farms in the meantime?”

  “From the Century City Bunker,” Lynne said. “In case we need to monitor your pregnancy. As soon as we take control of the Reno Bunker, we'll want to check out their data. Zach Barter mentioned using zinc and omega threes with B12 as part of his research, and that makes sense. Those work on brain development, which is where Scorpius localizes.”

  Moe tried to banish the constant fear for her baby. Greyson reached over and took her hand, enfolding it in his with heat and strength.

  The moment caught her and held. Safe. She felt safe with him.

  Sami cleared her throat. “I'm close to duplicating the file Greyson took, and I can tell you it's Bunker related. I think it's a map to them all. Maybe even schematics.”

  “And the president has it,” Greyson said grimly. “Damn it.”

  Sami's eyes gleamed. “Yeah, but the encryption is impressive. We might crack it before he does.”

  Grey frowned. “I thought when I took the file that it'd all disappear.”

  Sami snorted, her chin lifting. “Nothing ever completely disappears from a hard drive, Grey. Ever.”

  Jax cleared his throat. “We also need a long-term plan that includes moving about six to seven hundred people from Los Angeles up north to Willamette, if that's where Moe still thinks we should go.” He waited until she nodded before continuing. “I don't think we have a year. We might want to strip the Bunker here and move it all north.”

  Lynne looked around the room. “I've only been here two months, but it'll be hard to leave.”

  Had it only been two months since Lynne and her blue heart had reappeared in society again? Maureen couldn't believe what had happened in such a short time.

  “We have to find the Brigade,” Jax said. “To beat the president and Elite Force, we're gonna need them. It's time to send out scouts specifically for that.”

  “They could be mounting an attack against the president already,” Greyson mused.

  Tace grinned. “At least Atherton doesn't have VP Lake with
him anymore. That'll throw him.”

  Maureen looked around, surprise taking her. “Lake is gone?”

  Everyone went quiet.

  Greyson pushed back from the table. “Good meeting. Damon? Get some sleep before you fall down. I'll show Moe our quarters while we're still here in Vanguard.” He drew out her chair, not giving her much choice but to rise.

  She stood, butterflies suddenly flapping in her stomach.

  Raze cleared his throat. “If it matters, I kind of like the guy. Just saying.”

  Maureen grinned, amusement warring with tension inside her. “Good to know. Maybe I'll keep him.”

  Greyson took her hand and led her out of the war room and up a dingy flight of stairs to a landing.

  Marcus Knight sat across from a doorway, his legs stretched out, his hawk-like gaze watching them. “Penny's sleeping,” he muttered.

  Maureen swallowed. If they woke the doctor up, would Marcus attack? Man, the guy needed help.

  Greyson nodded. “All right. We're going to catch some sleep, too.” He walked all the way down the hall, keeping his body between Marcus and Maureen when they passed the soldier. Finally, he nudged open a door. “I think this is us.”

  Us.

  She followed him inside a small studio apartment that was missing a fridge. Not that they could use one. Instead, a bookcase took up the area where one had been in the corner that had once been a kitchen. Socks were stuffed into the bookcase.

  A ripped orange sofa with a short coffee table made up the middle of the room, and a bed was neatly made against the corner. The floor was peeling linoleum without any rugs.

  “We should get a rug,” Greyson said, watching her gaze.

  “We're going back to the Bunker anyway,” she said, already wishing for a hot shower, even though it was so warm outside. “But this is, ah, quaint.”

  He drew her inside to the middle of the space, his gaze a soft gray, his mouth curved. “A couple of things. First, I killed the vice president. He burned down the farm.”

  She blinked. Murder should be wrong, right? “I'm glad you did it.” Whoa. She really meant it. “He was too dangerous, and now we're safer.” She could always count on Greyson to keep them safe.

  His eyes darkened. “I also took a shot at the president.”

  Her chin dropped. “You missed him?”

  Grey lifted his head and then barked out a laugh. “That's what surprised you?”

  She faltered. “Well, yeah. You're supposed to be this awesome sniper. How did you miss Atherton?”

  Greyson shook his head and kissed her, his thumb caressing her jaw. He nibbled a bit and then leaned back. “Bulletproof glass. Or rather, bullet-resistant glass.”

  “How the heck?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “Doesn't matter. I'll get him next time.”

  Why were her knees knocking together? Her breath sped up for some reason. “Okay,” she said, looking around.

  “Second,” he continued, “it's you and me and this baby. No matter what happens. With the Mercs, with Vanguard, with the Bunker. It's you and me.” He pulled his necklace over his head, unclasped it, and slid the ring off.

  Then the deadliest man she'd ever met, ever even imagined, dropped to one knee. He barely had to look up to meet her gaze, he was so tall.

  “I love you, Maureen Shadow. From the first second I saw you, from the first time we talked, from the moment you stood up to me…I knew it was you. I'll love you forever, and I'll keep you safe. Somehow.” He slid Miss Julian's ring onto her finger.

  Tears filled her eyes. Maureen couldn't speak. The pretty diamond sparkled in the daylight, promising her the world. Giving her him.

  “Will you marry me?” he asked, his voice the low and gritty rumble she loved.

  She nodded, tears falling down her cheeks. “Yes,” she whispered. “I love you, Greyson.” In the uncertain world, with a frightening future, she had this and now. Him. Love and something real.

  He stood and kissed her, going deep, promising himself only to her. For eternity in that one kiss. She took it, leaning into him, trusting him to hold her.

  Forever.

  Winter Igniting - Coming Early 2018

  An excerpt:

  This was crazy. Even in a world already gone to insanity, her going under cover was nutballs. April Snyder kept her face stoic even though her body rioted with a tenseness that made her neck ache with knots. “I can do it,” she said quietly, lying her ass off.

  Jax Mercury, the leader of Vanguard, sat across from her at the executive style conference table, his brown eyes soft. Which was incredibly rare. “You don’t know the plan yet.”

  It didn’t matter. Whatever the plan, she was in. “I have nothing to lose,” she said quietly. Now that was the truth.

  Jax sat back and crossed impressive arms. At the early hour, Vanguard headquarters, and especially his war room, was quiet. After Scorpius had infected and killed most of the world, Jax had created this somewhat safe haven in the middle of Los Angeles for survivors. Vanguard territory took up seven complete blocks of old apartment buildings, a couple of ex-drug houses, and bankrupted businesses. Jax ruled them all. “I’m concerned this will be too much for you.”

  She blinked and glanced at the empty chairs surrounding a table that must’ve belonged to a law firm at some point, considering the inlaid design in the middle. This was where Jax and his top lieutenants often planned how to survive. She didn’t belong here, and she knew it. “Nothing is too much for me,” she said, meaning it. She’d lost everything. Her husband, her daughter, her friends. Scorpius had killed them all. “You need me.”

  Jax’s gaze narrowed as he studied her. “I’m not looking for somebody to go on a suicide mission.”

  She settled back in her chair. After her teenaged daughter had died, everyone had treated her with a soft touch, including Jax. But he’d never acted like she’d been destroyed. “I’m not looking to die, Jax. I don’t want to die. But I don’t really care if I do.” She owed him that much of a truth. “I might be able to help some folks before I go, so why not?”

  He didn’t like her answer. By the tightening of his jaw, he definitely wasn’t pleased.

  The door opened, and Damon Winter strode inside, munching on a Twinkie. The world might’ve died, but preserved pastries lived on.

  Damon winked at her.

  April’s breath caught. Damon was everything she was not. Big and tough and dangerous. Even before the world had basically ended, he’d been a cop in Los Angeles. Fighting bad guys. And he had that electric charisma she’d only seen in movie stars before now.

  He pulled out a seat at the end of the table, finishing his breakfast. “What’s the plan?” His voice was a low rumble.

  Jax looked his way. “Did Tace release you medically?”

  Damon rolled very brown and deep eyes. “Yes. I’m fine. The ribs have already healed, and Tace took stitches out of everywhere he’d slid the needle in. I’m ready for the Op, mom.”

  Jax grunted. “You’ve only been here a week, and I’m already regretting aligning with the Mercs.”

  Damon grinned. “We are a handful.”

  The Mercs were military soldiers, all men, that had taken over Santa Barbara before it had burned to the ground. Now they were integrating into Vanguard territory.

  April cleared her throat. “How’s the integration coming?”

  “Not well.” Damon lost the smile. “It’s a bit rocky.”

  “Good,” Jax said.

  April’s shoulder’s jerked. “Good? Why is that good?”

  “We need internal strife for your mission,” Jax said. He looked at her and then at Damon. “The Pure church has been courting you for months, trying to get you on board. But Damon’s going to be the prize for them.”

  What? April shook her head.

  Damon nodded. “Yep. I’m a prize. It’s nice to be appreciated.”

  Jax rolled his eyes. “They want members and women, and we need to find out why. But they’r
e also low in soldiers, and I’m sure they’d love to gather Damon into the ranks. So you’re going to be the key to him, April.”

  Okay. She was starting to understand the strategy. The Pure church had set up inside Vanguard, and the members had not been infected by Scorpius. Neither had she nor Damon. “They’ve been slow to recruit me,” she murmured.

  Damon tapped his fingers on the table. “Catch me up to speed about this church. I don’t have any details.”

  Jax twirled his knife on the table. “We don’t know much, which is a problem. They’ve taken over an apartment complex in the western corner, and they have food and ammunition. No members have contracted Scorpius, thus The Pure.”

  Damon eyed April and then Jax. “What’s the problem? The Scorpius bacteria is deadly, and they should be protected from infection if possible.”

  Jax lifted a shoulder. “Agreed. But we don’t know how many kids are in there or if the members are there willingly. It’s too secretive. Creepy, actually. Pastor Zachary King won’t let us talk to any of them, and armed guards cover the complex. In my territory.”

  April leaned forward. “Just The Pastor. No name. He said God spoke to him and has decreed him The Pastor.”

  “Jesus,” Damon muttered. “Sounds like a cult.”

  Jax sighed. “That’s what I’m afraid of. Okay. I’d prefer to call him Pastor King so we don’t get him confused with a prisoner I have at the Bunker named Zach Barter. So far, the name ‘Zach’ is causing me problems.”

  April winced. “We know there are at least five pregnant women in the Pure, and we have to find out if they are voluntary members. I want to do this, Jax.”

  “You’re our best option,” Jax said, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “They’ve been slowly making a move on you for a while.”

  “Only a few meetings and a lot of chance encounters,” she said.

  “They’ll step it up if they think they can get Damon through you,” Jax said, wincing and then pulling a knife from the back of his waist. “Forgot this was there.” He plunked it on the table.