“True that,” Raze returned, his focus remaining on point outside the window. “Either way, we’d better get prepared for war.”
Jax eyed the area for threats. “I’ve been doing that ever since Scorpius hit.” Now he had even more to lose.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Courage is facing a fear down, even when the sight burns.
—Dr. Franklin Xavier Harmony
Lynne tried to concentrate after Jax had been gone for nearly an hour. Bret was smooth and charismatic, and he knew how to lie. Would Jax believe him? God, she hoped not.
She finished reading through the Myriad files, her mind spinning. “They were on to something.” Her heart began to beat rapidly against her rib cage. “This experiment, the blue one, has serious possibilities.”
Tace glanced up from across the small lab, his gaze focusing. “So it’s still looking good?”
“Yes,” she murmured, standing and crossing the empty room. “I was right—Myriad was a huge payoff. There’s data about permanent B as well as pregnancy protection, but I’m not sure how far they took the research. But this is great.”
Tace stilled. “Do we still need your earlier research?”
“If possible.” Her shoulders slumped. “No way will Bret give that up.”
Tace patted her arm. “Jax can be very persuasive.”
Yeah, but Bret was bat-shit crazy. “I know, b—” An explosion ripped through the peaceful day, jolting the building. Lynne grabbed on to the counter to keep from falling. Papers and a couple of vials rocked to the floor.
Tace yanked the gun from his leg holster and started for the door. “Stay here.”
Lynne fumbled for the gun stuck in the back of her waist and tripped behind him. They were down Jax and Raze, so another gun wouldn’t hurt, as long as she stayed out of the way. “Do you think it’s Twenty again?”
Sami ran from the rec room, gun in hand, eyes wild. “Sounded like it came from east of headquarters.”
People screamed, soldiers geared up, and civilians rushed kids down the stairs to the basement. Tace nodded grimly. “Lynne, you stay behind the door. If it’s Twenty, they know you’re here and want you.”
They reached the doorway, and smoke billowed from a demolished minivan. The gate hung open with a hole blown in the center.
Lynne jerked back. Where had Twenty gotten explosives strong enough to throw a minivan across the road?
“Lynne Harmony? We know you’re here,” a male voice called out calmly.
Lynne blinked. Terror stopped her heart.
Tace stood in front of her. “Who the fuck are you?”
Two men stepped out from behind a van, both dressed in camo, fully armed, stances sure. One with a razor-sharp buzz cut held Jill Sanderson in front of him, a towel around her shivering body, a gun pressed to her neck. It was Greg Lake, the man who’d come into the Oval Office right after Bret had killed the president. Lynne would never forget his face. They’d waited until Jax and Raze were gone before attacking.
“I have something of yours,” Lake said.
Lynne stopped breathing. How the hell had he gotten to Jill? Soap suds slid from the pregnant girl’s hair. So the soldiers had gone around back, somehow secured Jill, and then returned to the front to make things explode? They were obviously well trained and had a plan. Bret had set the attack in motion while Jax was still traveling toward Nevada. Bastard.
“Let the girl go,” Tace said, settling into a shooting stance.
Lake smiled. “No.”
Tace calmly plugged the other guy in the leg.
He cried out, going down, his weapon skidding across the asphalt. “Lake. Help.”
Lynne wiped her eyes free of the smoke.
Lake glanced with disgust at the fallen man. “You get shot, you’re on your own.” He shoved the gun harder into Jill’s neck, and the girl cried out. “We know Lynne Harmony is here, and unless she comes out right now, my sniper across the way will start shooting, and I’ll kill this pretty girl.”
“No!” Byron ran out of the building, and only Sami’s grabbing his arm halted him. “Let her go.”
“I’d love to. Send Blue Heart out,” Lake said.
Byron faltered. “Lynne Harmony isn’t here.”
Lake sighed and gave a signal. A gun fired, and Byron hit the ground with a low groan. Blood pooled around his leg.
Panic rippled through Lynne. “Byron.”
Sami ducked and grabbed his shoulder, dragging him inside. She glanced down at his leg. “That was a warning.”
Lynne scrambled for him, yanking his belt free of his pants to tie around the wound. He’d gone pale, his lips tight with pain. But he still grabbed the wall and pulled himself up to stand, reaching for the gun he’d dropped. Civilians and soldiers both took position inside, guns trained on Lake.
“The next one goes through somebody’s head,” Lake said conversationally. “The men with me are trained, and they’re ready to kill. We also have forces of hundreds ready to descend upon your little community here, and we’ll take you all out without blinking. We know Blue Heart is here because we’re in contact with Twenty and somebody named Cruz Martinez. Ham radios all around.”
Lynne sucked in air. There was no reason to hide. Hell. If Bret knew she was with Jax, he might just kill Jax in Nevada. What should she do?
“All right. I guess I start shooting,” Lake said.
“Wait.” Lynne stepped into the sun, squinting. “Let her go.”
Sami scrambled to grab Lynne and shove her back inside, but Lynne held firm.
Lake’s head went back, and his jaw tightened. “Walk over here, and I’ll let the girl go and call off the soldiers headed this way right now.”
Tace stepped directly in front of Lynne. “No.” His back visibly vibrated. “Get back inside, Lynne.”
She slid to his left. “I have to go or they’ll keep shooting. They have explosives, and he’ll definitely kill Jill.” Lynne took a step forward. “When Jax gets back, he’ll come for me.” Her body settled into that truth. Whether he made it in time was another matter. “Tell him, no matter what, that I wouldn’t trade my time with him for anything.”
“Jax walked into a trap, obviously. We don’t know if he’s alive or if he’s injured.” Tace manacled her arm. “I can’t let you go.”
She shrugged free. “There’s no choice. This is our only chance. I’ll try to stay alive as long as I can.” She could handle any amount of torture from Bret if there was a chance to see Jax again. She should’ve told him all the words she’d been trying not to say. If he’d walked into a trap, if he was dead, then there’d be no rescue, and she’d join him soon. “Please, Tace. This is all we’ve got.” They couldn’t fight forces of trained soldiers coming their way, and she had to prevent the attack. Only she could do so.
He said something low and released her. “Fucking stay alive.”
She straightened her shoulders and walked straight for Lake, trying not to note the tears falling from Jill’s terrified eyes. Lynne tripped over a series of rocks and quickly righted herself to keep moving. A foot away, and she stopped. “Let her go.”
Lake tossed Jill to the side and grabbed Lynne, dragging her into his muscled body. He pressed the gun beneath her chin and turned. “Anybody moves, I’ll blow her head off.” He peered down at his fallen comrade. “Get moving.”
A shot echoed, and Lynne jumped. Blood spurted across the downed soldier’s chest, and his eyes fluttered shut. She looked to the side to see Tace’s gun pointed and his gaze direct. Whoa.
Lake chuckled. “I could use a guy like that.” He turned and maneuvered quickly toward the Mack trucks.
Lynne coughed and tried to keep up without tripping. If she fell, he might accidentally pull the trigger.
Fear filled her, and her vision hazed. She’d known at some point she’d come face-to-face with Bret again, but she hadn’t figured on having so much to lose, or having regained a strong will to live. Jax had to still be alive.
Aft
er long hours on the road, Jax smelled the smoke before seeing the demolished soccer-mom van smoldering ten yards from where he’d placed it outside headquarters. Several soldiers bustled around, rebuilding the barrier. Tension rode down his arms, and his hands tightened on the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. Silence reigned in the box van for a moment.
He shut off the ignition and bulldozed out of the van, barreling for the front door.
Tace met him, blood splattered across his neck and white T-shirt. “They took Lynne, and we don’t know where,” he said without preamble.
Anger, raw and hot, thrashed through Jax. “When, how many, and which way did they go?”
“It was Lake.” Tace wiped his chin with the back of his hand. “Two for sure, probably a few more, just an hour after you left this morning, and they went east.”
So Atherton had just been fucking with him and keeping him busy for the ambush. Damn, the Ripper was good. Jax frowned, calculating whether to take a car or a bike. He was way too many hours behind her. “Are you hurt?”
“No. Greg Lake shot Byron in the leg, but it was a through and through.” Tace nodded in acknowledgment to Raze as he maneuvered closer. “The blood’s from one of Lake’s men. I shot him in the leg and the shoulder.”
Jax rocked back on his heels. “You’ve been operating on him?”
Tace’s eyebrows drew down. “No. I patched the holes and have been questioning him, trying to find out where they took Lynne.”
Raze coughed. “You, ah, have been torturing Lake’s man?”
Tace’s eyes hardened past blue. “Yeah. Isn’t that what you’d do?”
Jax breathed out, studying his friend. “Yeah, but I’m not a doctor, and I’m trained to withstand torture, thus understanding it.” The bacteria had definitely changed the medic.
Sami rushed from around the building, her eyes wild, dried blood on her jeans. “The south is secure, and soon the front will be resecured.” She swallowed. “I’m sorry about Lynne. Greg Lake had Jill, and Lynne went out to trade herself. It was the bravest thing I’ve ever seen. She was terrified.”
Everything inside Jax revolted. “Has the prisoner told you anything?”
Tace frowned. “Lake’s taking her to a mansion in Vegas at 2111 Putter Drive.”
Jax didn’t hesitate. If he had a chance to save Lynne, he had to move now before Atherton could get more soldiers in place. So when he turned, the last thing he was prepared to deal with was the myriad of people, soldiers and civilians, spilling outside beyond the courtyard and waiting for him. He swallowed.
Tace shrugged. “Everyone wants to go with you.”
He blinked. “Huh?”
A pretty teenager stepped forward, her chin quivering. “They took one of us, and we want to help get her back. We’ve been practicing shooting and stuff.”
And stuff. God. Jax wiped a hand over his forehead. “Thank you, but Raze and I are quicker on our own.”
Tace shook his head. “I’m going.”
“Me too,” Sami said.
“No. I need you here, just in case.” Jax tried to step to the side.
Everyone pushed forward. About a hundred people faced him, giving their allegiance to Lynne. So much emotion roared through him, it burned. They were his people. All of them.
He took a moment and let the reality hit him hard. Exchanging a glance with Tace, he jumped up onto the hood of a car and held his hand up for silence. The people, a ragtag group of different ages, experiences, races, and nightmares, all looked up to him.
How the hell had he ended up here? Standing with gasoline staining his shirt, his mind rioting, his gut aching.
He cleared his throat. “Thank you for offering to go, but this is a fast op, and it’s dangerous. There’s no time for training, and I can’t worry about anybody.”
Byron limped forward. “It’s the president, and he has soldiers. You can’t go in alone. If the worst happens, we’ll be okay with it.”
Jax blinked.
Sami lifted her chin. “We’re going regardless, Jax. You can’t take on trained men just the two of you, especially with the weaponry they probably have.”
Jill Sanderson slid her hand into Byron’s, her other palm on her still flat stomach. “Your best chance for saving Lynne and returning safely is to take backup. We can handle things here.”
An emotion, full and pure, vibrated through Jax. The people, the ones he barely knew, were giving him their faith and possibly their lives. They were right about the odds. “All right. We can afford to take twenty-four soldiers, led by Raze, Sami, Tace, and me.” That would leave enough trained soldiers to protect the community on all sides, but it was thin. Really thin, and he hated to use that much fuel. They’d need three trucks and a few bikes.
Lynne had been right—the people needed him to lead. Not just shoot and fight. He cleared his throat as he looked around, really looked at the people he’d been shielding. “Thank you for your support and for being part of this community. I, ah, have been a soldier of one type or another my entire life. I’ve dealt with life and death on a daily basis, and I’ve known many different survivors. We, here, as a group are the strongest I’ve ever seen.”
A rumble went through the crowd.
“Scorpius has scarred us in ways we never imagined, taking almost everything from us. But we’re here, and we’re standing up, as only human beings can. We’re small in number, but we’re fierce in our fight to survive.” His voice cracked on the end. “I’m proud to know all of you, and I’m honored to lead you.” He jumped down, his voice rising. “We will return, and we will rebuild.”
The group exploded into clapping.
He stalked for the doorway.
Raze paused as they walked outside. “What the fuck was that?”
Hell if Jax knew. He’d finally given in to his position, and he’d needed to leave them with hope. “Pep talk.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Evil is evolving as fast, if not faster, than good.
—Dr. Franklin Xavier Harmony
Anxiety fluttered through Lynne with heated wings, and she tried to remain focused. After traveling for about six hours, they reached an oddly tidy Vegas residential neighborhood after a too-silent and too long drive. With no water, the lawns of the stucco houses around them had turned brown. Greg Lake had promptly tied her hands, shoved her into an empty gardening shed, and locked the door. Hours ago. She’d tried everything possible to get loose, finally sitting in the cool dirt with heat swirling around.
Finally, he opened the door.
She blinked and stood, kicking straight for his balls. He pivoted and yanked her into the night.
“Sorry about the delay, but we had a bunch of preparations to make for what should be quite the battle later tonight,” Greg said, dragging her over a weed-covered concrete walkway to a sprawling mansion.
“What battle? With Jax?” She had to hold on to hope that he was still alive. He had to be.
After staying in the shed for so long, she was more than a little parched. Plus, menstrual cramps ached through her back, and she’d start her period within hours. Just great. A thought, unbidden and sad, slipped through her of the unprotected sex she’d had with Jax. Sure, she’d figured nothing had probably happened, but still, the oddest sense of loss pricked her as she now knew for sure.
The sun had gone down, so at least she wasn’t hot any longer. She tried to kick Lake, but he kept moving past the mansion to a smaller house, a pool house, where he opened the door.
Bret Atherton stood just on the other side, his sandy blond hair swept back from his cleanly shaven face, dressed in dark jeans and a white shirt.
She tried to swallow.
A smile, slow and scary, lifted his lips. “Lynne.”
Her stomach turned over. She tried to yank away from Lake.
Bret shot a hand into her hair and pulled her into a room filled with floral couches, a quiet plasma television, and a pool table empty of balls. “Please set up o
utside like I asked, and we’ll debrief in the morning,” he said to Lake, shutting the door in the man’s face.
Pain clicked along Lynne’s scalp, and she stopped struggling. Several lanterns lit a room holding a sofa and chair as well as a massive marble desk.
Bret dragged her over to a settee and shoved her down. “How was your trip?”
She tried to regain her balance, her hands tied in her lap, her eyes gritty. “Are you joking?”
“No.” He tugged his pants up and sat in a matching chair. His blue eyes gleamed in the muted light. “I told Lake to take good care of you. You’re important to me.”
“I’ve been in a fucking shed,” she spat out.
“Yes, sorry about that. We had preparations to make, and I wanted Greg to concentrate fully on those.”
Fear settled like a rock in her gut, yet she kept her face stoic. “So he’s a Ripper like you?”
Bret leaned forward. “Neither of us is a Ripper. I’m enhanced, and believe it or not, Lake has never been infected. He’s just incredibly focused.”
“So are you,” Lynne shot back.
Bret studied her like a bug under a scope. “I could feel you drawing away, even before Scorpius changed everything.”
She faltered, trying to glance around nonchalantly for a weapon. Any type of weapon. “That’s not true.”
“Sure it is. I think you thought you were smarter than me, and you probably were . . . before I survived Scorpius.” His head tilted to the side. “Why wouldn’t you move in with me?”
She tried to remain still. “We only dated a few months.”
He drew a USB drive secured by a cord out of his shirt. “I filmed you sleeping. Did you know that?”
“No,” she whispered. “You have me on that flash drive?” Her heart kicked into gear.
He nodded. “Films of you, pictures of you, everything of you.”
“Even my research?” she asked, her hands digging into her thighs.
“Everything. I really cared for you and thought we had a future, but you wouldn’t even think of committing to me.”