Mercury Striking (The Scorpius Syndrome #1)(62)

Jax nodded. “Yeah. Who’s in charge of that?”

Wyatt turned, and heat glimmered in his eyes. “You are.”

Jax blinked. “No—”

“Yes, man. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Whether you like it or not, you’re in charge of everything, and you have to know people to do it right.” Wyatt inched the hat back on his head.

“I know my soldiers.” Jax hunched his shoulders.

“I know, and that’s why our soldiers are still alive. But you haven’t taken over the rest of the camp. The entire group needs a leader, not just the fighters,” Wyatt said.

Jax’s throat tightened. “Wyatt—”

“I know.” Wyatt flicked a rock away from his hand. “It’s hard. Getting to know people now, caring about them, it’s hard. Because most of us aren’t going to make it.”

Jax exhaled slowly. “You think I’m a pussy.”

Wyatt grinned. “No. I think you’re the toughest guy I’ve ever met, and I owe you my life. Without question. But I think you need to step up fully, to take over the entire group, for us all to survive. It’s time.”

Jesus. Why couldn’t somebody else cater to the civilians and scouts? “Tace is usually the one trying to get me to open up.”

“Tace isn’t here.” Wyatt leaned his head back against metal. “We should talk about him. He’s worried.”

“If he’s worried, then he’s fine.” Jax stretched his legs out. Something poked his thigh, and he reached in for the newest gift from Lena.

Wyatt’s eyebrows rose. “That’s an odd rock.”

“Yeah.” Jax twisted the heart-shaped rock around in his hand. Blue dots, made by markers, formed a heart within the heart. “She’s always giving me rocks with a heart somehow cut or drawn on them.”

“Blue hearts?” Wyatt asked.

Jax stilled. “Sometimes.” No. No way. He shook his head. “Doesn’t mean anything. She’s a little girl who likes hearts, most do, and her favorite color is blue.” The girl had never spoken a word, and he truly had no idea who’d named her. “It’s a coincidence.” A chill skittered down his back.

“If you say so.” Wyatt stretched his neck. “She always gives me watches or clocks. All broken.”

Jax shuddered and glanced toward his buddy. “That’s kind of creepy.”

“Maybe, maybe not. Perhaps I remind her of a guy she knew who wore a watch.” Wyatt picked up a pebble to toss across the vacant area. “Or Scorpius messed with her brain and those rumors about possible psychics are true.” He grinned.

“You’ve never had the fever?”

Wyatt shook his head. “Nope. Not yet, anyway.”

All right. So. Jax cleared his throat. “How is April Snyder doing?” He couldn’t imagine losing a kid.

“Not good, but she’s trying. Is working at organizing the scavenging parties.”

“Good. Um, did you have family? Before Scorpius?”

Wyatt chuckled, the sound deeper than the storm. “This is you trying to connect?”

“Fuck you.” Jax glared at the darkness.

“Sorry. Okay. Yeah. I was raised by my mom, who was a paralegal. Smart as heck. The fever got her.” Wyatt rubbed his chin. “Before that, she was so damn proud when I graduated from Stanford and went to the NFL.”

Stanford? Man. Jax had fought next to the man for months, and he hadn’t known he’d gone to Stanford. “I figured you more for a Michigan State or Notre Dame guy.” Both had great teams.

“Yeah, but I wanted to stay in California close to my mom.” Wyatt shifted his feet.

“No wife or kids?” Jax glanced sideways at one of his friends and a man he should know a lot better than he did.

“Nope.” Lines cut into Wyatt’s face. “I was dating this woman, a cheerleader, and she was pretty cool. Gorgeous and smart.” He cleared his voice, and his chin dropped. “She, ah, got pregnant.”

Jax stilled. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” Wyatt grasped another rock and side-armed it across the pavement. “I was, unsure, you know? Worried about how a kid would affect my life.” He shook his head. “I was an asshole.”

“I doubt that.” Jax shook his head.

Wyatt breathed in. “One day, I met her at the doctor’s office for one of those ultrasound things? Saw a baby move.” He rubbed his chest. “My baby.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Wyatt smiled, his lips trembling. “I thought it was a girl, but Margie thought a boy.” He swallowed several times. “We never found out who was right. She caught Scorpius, and neither of them made it.” He rubbed his eye. “I wanted that kid. After I saw her on that screen, I wanted her.” He shrugged. “Although now I wonder. If I’d been more sure, if I’d—”

“No.” Jax slapped an arm around his friend. “There are no ifs. Scorpius took them out, and there’s nothing you could’ve done. You know that.”

“Yeah.” Wyatt shuddered. “I would’ve liked to see my baby girl.”

Jax sighed. “Let’s hope she would’ve had her mama’s looks.”