Mercury Striking (The Scorpius Syndrome #1)(47)

Sami threw back her head and laughed, the sound almost contagious. “Well, then it’s a good thing you’re banging Jax Mercury. That doesn’t seem complicated at all.”

Lynne snorted. “Shut up.”

“You shut up.” Sami sobered. “Seriously. You show up, offer to help, ask Jax for a favor, and then what?” Wisdom far beyond her years glowed in her eyes. “You done at that point?”

Lynne swallowed. “That’s an odd question.”

“That’s not an answer.” Sami played with a sliver on the makeshift table. “I know more than a couple of people who couldn’t handle this new life and checked out. They had the same look in their eyes as you did last night.”

Lynne blinked. “I hadn’t really thought I’d make it this far, to be honest.”

“Yeah, I get that.” Sami rubbed her nose. “But you’re here now.”

Yes, yes she was. The idea of hope and a real future hurt, so she banished them. “What did you do before this?”

“Com . . . cop. I was a rookie here in L.A.” Sami glanced down.

Lynne paused, her mind clicking. Interesting. “What’s a com . . . cop?”

Sami laughed, the sound a bit more forced. “I burned my tongue.”

Lynne leaned forward and waited until Sami met her gaze. “Whatever your secret is, I don’t care.”

Sami blinked. “I don’t have a secret.” She pushed her chair back from the table to look down. “I have to ask you—is there any truth to the rumors? That you’re carrying a more deadly strain of Scorpius?”

Lynne dropped her head and then looked back up, frustration welling in her. “No. I promise—there’s no deadlier strain.”

Sami nodded. “That’s what Jax said. You know, at some point I wonder if we’ll have to separate people. You know, survivors from folks who haven’t been infected.”

Lynne shrugged. “I bet it’ll get to that point, but even then, Scorpius will remain on surfaces. I think everyone will be infected someday, and only the survivors of the contagion will live on. But I could be wrong.”

Sami rolled her shoulders. “Something to worry about for another day, right? I’ll get us some water. With the rain last night and today, we can drink all we want.”

Lynne watched as Sami strode across the room to a barrel of water, saying hi to people on the way. In society as it was now, who didn’t have a secret or two? She turned and glanced out the square industrial windows out back. Rain still pattered down, turning an already depressing landscape gray. Jax and another soldier, one she hadn’t met, strolled into her view.

Her stomach tingled.

Jax stood in the mist, ignoring the cold, tall and broad. Droplets caught in his thick hair and slid down the sharp angles of his face. The streets had stamped him hard, but he stood erect, like a soldier. Such an intriguing mixture in the man. The other guy tugged a gun from his waistband and pivoted to jog out of sight.

Jax stuck his hands in his pockets and stared across the empty street to a long building and beyond into the heart of his territory.

A little girl, with blond hair so light as to be white, and wearing a wet pink dress, danced up from the shower area, ragged doll in hand, to grab his pants leg.

Lynne’s breath caught, and she rose from her chair. The girl was so tiny.

Jax’s face, even in profile, was transformed by a look that stuttered her heart. His dimples flashed and he dropped to his haunches, eye to eye with the little girl.

She held out her doll.

Appearing serious, his attention on the girl, he took the doll and turned her over. Then he put her to his ear. Finally, he grinned and handed the doll back. Whatever he said had the little girl smiling widely.

Tingles scattered throughout Lynne’s entire body. Jax Mercury, on his own with no witnesses, was a sweetheart. Now what the hell was she supposed to do with that information?

The girl handed him something, and he placed it in his pocket. A female redheaded teenager ran up and grabbed the girl’s hand.

Jax stood and turned to point inside.

The girls ran inside, bringing the scent of fresh rain, and hurried toward the soup station. They must’ve run out of food in the center. Or maybe the girls were visiting somebody at the main headquarters.

Suddenly, the blonde turned and stared right at Lynne, her eyes so dark as to be black. She smiled, jerked free, and ran toward Lynne to stop right in front of her.

“Hi,” Lynne said.

The girl reached into her pocket and pulled out a smooth, round rock to hold out.

Ah. A present. Lynne took the rock. “Thank you for the gift. You must be Lena?”

The girl nodded and then turned to run for the soup counter. Lynne turned the rock over to see a rough 4 scratched into both sides. 44? Interesting. She glanced back toward the window.

Jax’s gaze caught Lynne’s and heated. She blinked, captured.

Then Wyatt jogged up, gun in hand, obviously coming from the rear exit of the infirmary. Jax turned toward his friend. Wyatt’s lips were tight, and anger was carved into his face. Whatever he said to Jax cooled the expression in Jax’s eyes until, yards away, Lynne shivered.

Jax took a deep breath, his gaze going out to the tumultuous day.

Lynne swallowed just as Sami returned, her eyes glimmering with tears as she left a whispering group over by the soup. “What?” Lynne asked.