Mercury Striking

  She broke first, his name a cry on her lips. The vibrations clawed into him, and he pushed deep, coming hard.

  They panted against each other for the briefest of moments, their heartbeats slamming to the same rhythm.

  He fell to the side, his gaze captured by the blue glow. Holding his hand over her heart, he counted the beats. “Amazing.”

  She shut her eyes and struggled for air. “That’s one description.”

  “I’ve heard rumors of how the blue happened, but what’s the truth?”

  She rolled over onto her stomach and stretched her arms above her head, revealing her long, smooth back. “I don’t want to talk about it.” The pillow muffled her voice.

  He had to get to work, but instead flattened his hand between her shoulder blades. Blue glimmered between his fingers. They should start at the beginning. “Did the Scorpius bacteria really come from a meteorite, or did the government create a biological weapon?”

  She sighed and turned her head to face him. “Meteorite. A group of Stanford students went meteorite hunting in the Nevada desert, which was quite common. They found a meteorite that had probably fallen after the Scorpius comet passed by, and they cut it open, letting loose the bacteria.”

  So the CDC had been telling the truth. “The story seems impossible.”

  She shrugged against his hand. “Not really. NASA had been worried we’re sending bacteria into space with every shuttle mission, and we’ve successfully experimented on bacteria living in space.”

  “Yeah, but really? Bacteria from outer space.”

  She snorted. “Everything on our planet came from outer space, Jax. All the bacteria here. It’s totally plausible.”

  When she put it like that, he guessed it made sense. “The strain was instantly deadly? Without any mutations caused by the government?”

  “Yes. Scorpius killed 99 percent of the people infected.”

  “Did you create the Scorpius strain that turned your heart blue?”

  She shut her eyes. “Yes. My team at the CDC took the original strain and mutated it in an effort to find a cure—colored it blue. The mutated strain was special and one of a kind, and no matter how hard we tried to copy it, we couldn’t.”

  “Why not?”

  She sighed. “We used DNA from a rare squid, and it appears the little monster had a mutation of its own, and we were never able to find another one. Well, we didn’t have a chance to find one before all hell broke loose, you know? I’m sure there are more out there somewhere, but now, how will we ever find them? And do we care? I mean, I’m not immune, and I don’t seem to have any gifts except for a blue heart.”

  He nodded. “I guess. It seems like you have to be different, even if we haven’t figured out why yet. So, what happened after you created the mutation?”

  “A lab aide, not even my aide, purposely infected me before going on a rampage to spread the contagion.”

  “Was he crazy?”

  “Yes. He’d been infected, was one of the people who’d become a sociopath. I mean, if he wasn’t one already.” She sighed. “Scorpius is capable of stripping the frontal cortex of a victim and turning him or her into a serial killer. We tried to figure out who and why, but as with any illness, it affects different people differently.”

  “Where is the guy who infected you now?” Jax asked softly.

  “I have no clue. Zach was captured and secured somewhere to be studied by the government, and I don’t know what happened to him when everything went south.”

  Jax caressed down to the small of her waist. Small. Definitely delicate. “Is Zach the person you want me to kill?”

  She opened her eyes and seemed to stare through him. “If you ever run across Zach Barter, microbiologist, feel free to cut off his head. But no, he’s not the one you bargained to end for me.”

  End? “Kill.”

  She blinked. “Excuse me?”

  “If you’re contracting for me to take a life, then you’re not allowed euphemisms. Kill. You want me to kill.”

  Fire lit her eyes. “Yes. I want you to kill.” No hesitation, no regret in her tone. But fear? Yeah, enough fear filled her eyes to amount to terror.

  He pressed against her tailbone, his fingers extending across her waist. “I won’t let anybody hurt you, Lynne.” It was as close to a personal promise as he could make in his current situation, but he meant every word.

  “I know,” she said softly.

  Even if they hadn’t slept together, he’d protect her as one of his own. Sex did create a deeper motivation, and a smart woman would know that. He moved his hand. “Is that why you slept with me?”

  She angled her head to better study him. “I’ve made it this far and this long without bartering my body, Jax. I slept with you because it felt good, and you intrigued me.”

  He grimaced. “Before the world disintegrated, no way would somebody like you and somebody like me end up naked together.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You don’t know that. When I worked for the CDC, I met a lot of soldiers.”

  Yeah, but not one from the streets who’d done more killing by the time he’d turned twenty than anybody he’d ever met. “Nah. I would’ve asked you out, and you would’ve told me to get lost.”

  She bit her lip. “You would not have asked me out, and you know it. I would’ve been a little too, well, boring and studious for you.”

  Nope. He would’ve wanted her on sight, just like he had the day before. “Who did you date?”

  “I didn’t date.”

  Lie. The first lie she’d told him, and it was about whom she’d dated. Interesting. His back stiffened. “Please tell me you want me to kill somebody dangerous and infected by Scorpius and not some ex who betrayed you.” Jax couldn’t have read her that badly, could he?

  She met his gaze levelly. “Everything is about Scorpius these days, isn’t it?”

  Good damn point. “Have you slept with the person you want dead?”

  She didn’t answer.

  Well, shit.

  A sharp rap on the door jerked up his head. “Saved by the door,” he muttered. He maneuvered over Lynne and yanked on jeans he couldn’t fasten with the semi hard-on still torturing him. Padding barefoot to the door, he glanced back to make sure Lynne was covered.

  She lay in the bed, the covers at her neck, her hair mussed, looking like a woman who’d been well loved to within an inch of her life.

  He grinned.

  She rolled her eyes.

  He turned to the door. “What?”

  “Jax? It’s Sami. I have news.”

  Jax slid open the door to one of his top soldiers, Sami, his only female lieutenant, handed him a hastily drawn map. “C Team was out scouting near Pacific Palisades and found another food depot controlled by some unknowns.”

  He took the map and frowned, studying the rough lines. “We should get more intel before deciding what to do.” He focused back on her.

  Sami stared at his chest, her tongue darting out to lick her lips. About twenty-five years old, the former LAPD rookie had pinned her thick black hair in two braids hanging down her back. She had deep brown eyes and sassy freckles spattered across angled cheekbones.

  This was the first time he’d seen her blush. “You okay?”

  She swallowed. “Ah, yeah. Just never seen you right out of bed.” Her gaze rose. “Want to go back?”

  He stilled. “Um—”

  She stiffened her shoulders and nudged open the door. “I’m serious, Jax—” Her voice caught as she took in Lynne. “Who the fuck are you?”

  Lynne, naked and wearing razor burn on her chin, lifted an eyebrow like any three-star general questioned by a subordinate. “I’m unaware of that being any of your business. Who the hell are you?”

  Sami sputtered and rounded on Jax.

  He took a deep breath. At least two guns and three knives showed along Sami’s fit form. “Can we talk about this later?”

  She planted both hands onto trim hips. “No. Let’s
talk about it now. There’s a strange bitch in your bed, and considering I’m in charge of take-ins, I’d like to know who the hell she is and why she’s here.”

  Amusement, dark and annoyed, filled Lynne’s eyes. “I’d get out of bed and introduce myself, but that would just piss off handsome here. And according to him, I don’t really want to piss him off. You know. The whole ‘you won’t like me when I’m angry’ kind of thing.”

  Jax shot her a look that would’ve immediately made a recruit piss his pants back in the service. While he appreciated her keeping the blue heart hidden, he didn’t like the fury emanating from her well-kissed skin.

  “Now, Jax,” Sami ordered.

  Oh hell no. He pivoted until her back was against the door. “She’s none of your fucking business, Sami. When I want her properly taken in, I’ll let you know. Get back to work.”

  The soldier opened her mouth to argue, and he stepped even closer, erasing all expression. She gulped. Her skin lost color, and she shot Lynne a hard look. Lifting her head, Sami sidled past him and stomped down the hallway. He shut the door and crossed his arms. “Was that necessary?”

  Anger, bright and obvious, nearly succeeded in hiding the wounded look in Lynne’s eyes. “I take it you fuck your way around your people?”

  Shit. He truly didn’t owe the woman an explanation, and having her believe he was a complete asshole suited his plans. But that hurt look did him in. “You’re the only woman I’ve had sex with in the last year.”

  A frown furrowed between her eyebrows. “Bullshit.”

  He sighed and rested his head back against the door. “Listen, Lynne Harmony, and listen good, because I ain’t saying it again. I haven’t fucked anybody else and have no intention of doing so, because it creates an issue I can’t afford right now. However, what happened between us already happened, so there’s no going back. I like you, I enjoyed the hell out of being inside you, and I’d like to be there again. But the decision is yours.” He lowered his chin to meet her gaze.

  She studied him, her eyes clearing. “You also don’t go around spanking people, now do you?”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “No.”

  “You wear dominance like most guys wear boots.” She rubbed her reddened chin. “Were you all into that BDSM stuff before Scorpius hit?”

  He barked out a laugh. Damn. He’d smiled more in the last day than he had in months. “No, I wasn’t into that BDSM shit. Labels have never worked for me. Although if I was with a woman, and she needed her ass reddened, I took care of it.”

  She sputtered.

  Yeah, he liked that expression. A lot. With a brain like Lynne’s, probably not many people had the ability to catch her off guard.

  She shook her head. “You’re unbelievable.”

  He shrugged. “Probably. Again, the decision on whether or not to continue this is yours.”

  She swept a bare arm around the small apartment. “Right. But I’m pretty much a prisoner here.”

  He grabbed a shirt from the counter and yanked it over his head. “Stay here for an hour or so while I talk to my lieutenants before announcing your arrival to the group at large.” Too many people already knew about Lynne, and he needed to get out in front of the story. “You can look at research afterward.”

  She blanched. “They’ll riot and want me kicked out.”

  “You stay.” He softened his voice as he slipped into his boots and buttoned his jeans. “If they want to leave, they may do so. Period.”

  Her chin lifted. “What if I want to leave?”

  “No.” Keeping her against her will went against all the standards he was trying to establish, but she was valuable, and she was vulnerable. So she stayed put. “Sorry.”

  “You don’t look sorry.”

  He gave a half nod in acknowledgment. With her knowledge, he finally had a chance of deciphering all the confiscated research, and with her in his bed, he had a chance to stay human. Maybe. She brought out dueling parts of him, but maybe she could help him remain sane. “We made a deal, Lynne.” Although she still hadn’t told him who his target was.

  She pulled the sheet up closer to her neck. “I’ve escaped meaner guys than you, Jax Mercury.”

  Man, she was cute. Naked and fragile, spitting fire at him. He grinned. “Fair enough, and since we’re being so honest here, feel free to make a break for it.” He opened the door and tossed over his shoulder, “Only one of us is gonna like the result of that decision.” The door closed on the echoes of her hiss.

  Chapter Ten

  Peace rarely comes about peacefully.

  —Dr. Franklin Xavier Harmony

  She had to get to those records, and now. After pacing all morning and trying to figure out a way to escape from Jax’s room, Lynne tried to do yoga and create a plan. What in the hell had she been thinking sleeping with the man? Even as her mind rebelled, her body finally felt human again. There were health benefits to good sex, and she needed all the help she could get.

  But time was working against her, and she had to find Myriad, even if it meant escaping Vanguard first. There was always an armed soldier in the hallway, so that route was out. The window, on the other hand . . .

  She finished the Downward Dog pose just as the locks disengaged on the door. She had to fight to stay still. Man, she was a klutz.

  Jax stepped inside and paused. Stress cut harsh lines into the sides of his mouth. “Yoga?”

  “Yes.” Heat flushed into her face, and she stood, trying to keep her balance. “Helps with brain activity, heart health, and general well-being.” She sounded like a damn commercial. “Shut up.”

  He held out both hands. “I didn’t say anything.”

  She tugged down the T-shirt over the yoga pants that had been left outside the door earlier. “Thank you for the clothes.”

  “Weren’t mine.” He glanced down at her ragged tennis shoes. “We’ll go shoe shopping tomorrow.”

  Funny. She looked up to his face, and was swamped again by vulnerability, wanting the focus off her. She glanced at the picture on the wall and edged closer to the door. “Your brother?”

  Jax rocked back on his heels. “Marcus. Four years younger than me.” Pain. Definite pain echoed in his low tones.

  “He’s gone?” Lynne asked softly.

  “Yeah.” Jax’s expression smoothed out into . . . nothing. “We called him ‘Slam’ because he was an amazing baseball player.”

  “He looks like you.” Handsome and already strong at a young age.

  “We had the same mom. Different dads and no clue who they might’ve been.” Jax rubbed his chin. “When I went into the service, I wrote when I could and promised to come back for him. I failed to protect him.”

  Lynne shivered. “Nobody saw Scorpius coming.”

  “Marcus didn’t die from Scorpius.” Jax eyed her, the hard set of his jaw not inviting questions. “Want to get out of here?”

  Yes. God, yes. Her body stilled. “And go where?”

  “I thought I would take you to the nearest lab to meet Tace so you can start going through documents, after a slight detour.”

  She studied his veiled expression. “What detour?”

  He gestured her into the hall. “Rumors about your arrival have surfaced, and I want to update my head soldiers now. Seeing you is the best way.”

  She gulped and wished for a power suit with high heels. Her heart beat faster. Finally. She could finally get to those damn records and find Myriad. Hopefully before the people after her found where she was hiding. “Fine.” Sweeping by him, she turned down the hallway toward the stairs.

  He slipped his hand over hers.

  Shock caught her breath. He wanted to hold hands? Because they’d slept together or just to keep her in line? Warmth engulfed her hand as if they were a normal couple walking together. She should probably tug free, but she didn’t want to be cold and alone. Perhaps a few moments of feeling safe and normal wouldn’t hurt, so she left her hand in his, uneasy with the pleasure it provided.
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  He led her down two flights of stairs, through a twisting hallway, and into an empty room littered with overturned milk crates. She only tripped once. Several industrial safes lined one entire wall, and boards covered the windows.

  “This is my war room. It used to be attorney offices. I took out all of the walls except for the back office, which is where we use the ham radio.” Jax tilted his head toward the safes. “Guns.”

  “Oh.” Lynne followed him to what appeared to be the front of the room.

  He kicked a milk crate closer. “Have a seat.”

  She turned and gingerly sat, biting the inside of her lip to keep from wincing.

  He grinned. “Sore?”

  “Fuck you,” she retorted without enough heat.

  “You already did.” He pointed to the hand-drawn map on the far wall. “We have seven blocks of territory, and the soldiers are housed along the perimeter.”

  Lynne squinted and began memorizing the layout. “Most folks would have put the main headquarters dead center.”

  “If we’re attacked, I need to get there fast, and if any enemy infiltrates to the center, we’re fucked.” He stepped partially in front of her as men and women filed into the room, all armed, all wearing dark and torn clothing with a multitude of guns and knives strapped to their bodies. A vigilante uniform.

  Sami swept inside, next to a broad blond man, and immediately lost her smile. Her glare lasered past Jax to Lynne, and Lynne met her gaze evenly. If the small soldier thought she could intimidate Lynne so easily, gun or not, she was mistaken.

  Jax waited until about twenty people had filed in. The last one, the huge black guy who’d covered Jax’s back in the firefight, shut the door.

  Everyone seemed to ignore Jax and focus on her. Her hands dampened, and she wiped them on her borrowed yoga pants.

  “You’re my head soldiers, and you get the information first. If you decide to stay, it’s your job to relay the same information to your squads.” Jax cleared his throat. “Listen up. I’m going to say this once, and then you have a decision to make. This is Lynne Harmony, she’s under my protection, and she’s staying here. You can stay, you can go, and you have one night to make your decision.”