Mercury Striking (The Scorpius Syndrome #1)(102)

“Fair enough.” Jax shoved open the door and reached the truck without mishap, driving nearly a mile before catching sight of Raze waiting by the road. Was the man even human?

Raze jumped inside, and Jax gave him and Ernie a rundown of the meeting.

“Did you see anybody besides soldiers around?” Raze asked quietly.

Jax glanced his way. “No. Why?”

“Just asking.” Raze kept his gaze outside the window.

“Someday you’re going to level with me,” Jax returned.

Ernie snorted. “Neither one of you is an open book, you know.”

Jax swerved to avoid a partially decomposed body in the middle of the road. “Lake wasn’t here, and that concerns me.”

“You’d think meeting you would be of top importance. If Lake isn’t here, then something bigger is going on.” Raze kept his gun pointed out the window. “What now?”

Now? Now Jax needed to talk to Lynne and feel her out. Atherton had admitted the killing, and he might still be the best bet to run the country. And Lynne had forgotten to mention a few details. “If I don’t at least get Lynne in touch with Atherton, he’s sending soldiers our way.” The last thing in the world Jax wanted was to fight the legitimate U.S. military, considering he was army himself. “We don’t have much time.”

He hadn’t considered that his meeting with the president might result in having to choose between his duty and his woman. Where would that leave Vanguard? The people who trusted him, who needed food and medical supplies? “This sucks,” he muttered.

“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.”