Mercury Striking (The Scorpius Syndrome #1)(94)

“All the time,” Tace and Raze said in unison, while Sami just nodded.

Jax shook his head. “Whoever’s working with Manny on the kids, make sure there’s a box of the condoms we just found available to them. Somewhere they don’t have to ask or be embarrassed.” All he needed was another teen pregnancy. He lifted an eyebrow at Raze. “Speaking of soon-to-be fathers, how did the kid do on the mission?”

Raze grinned. “Kid did great. When we had to speed away from Rippers, he shot out the window and actually nailed a tire. Explained the shot in mathematical terms, but he’s got good instincts. We should train him in more than the ham radio.”

Jax thought of plans for the kid. “Good. You need an apprentice.”

“No,” Raze said.

“I’ll take him,” Tace said.

“Yeah?” Jax asked.

Tace kicked back in his chair. “If Byron is that smart, I could train him in medical procedures as well. We need as many medics as we can get.”

Good idea. “Sami, any report on Twenty?”

Sami straightened. “Yes. We scouted their territory, and they’re regrouping. They’re focused on you and on Lynne. They know she’s here.”

“Even if she wasn’t, we killed several of their members, and Twenty needs to avenge those deaths. It’s the code, and Scorpius or not, they’ll follow it.” Jax’s neck muscles ached from tension.

Raze reached for Sami’s gun. “You need something lighter.” He glanced up at Jax. “We took out at least fifteen of their members. How many more do you think they have?”

“A lot,” Jax said. “They were the first to regroup when the riots started, and several other surviving members of other gangs joined Twenty.” When he’d burned bodies after the last fight, he’d seen a multitude of different gang tats. “Cruz has the gift of recruitment.”

“Great,” Sami said. “We could use their forces. Any chance we can split them and then convert a few soldiers?”

Jax eyed her. The woman was smart and had an eye for strategy. “I like the way you’re thinking, even if you don’t sound like a cop.”

“I was a cop,” Sami snapped.

Touchy, wasn’t she? Jax looked back at the map. “After Lake and his Elite Force contact me, maybe I should go alone. I can’t afford to lose any of you, just in case it’s a trap.”

“I’m backing you up with the Elite Force,” Raze said, no expression on his face.

Jax shook his head. He needed Raze to help secure the compound. “No.”

“Then I follow you.” Raze shrugged. “Your choice.”

Jax glanced at Tace, who was frowning. Yeah. The guy had good instincts, and right now, Jax’s were flaring to life, too. “The EF interests you, Raze?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Raze shrugged. “If there’s a government out there, I need to know.”

Jax swallowed. Could he trust Raze? The guy hadn’t told the truth since he’d arrived. Of course, he hadn’t lied, either. He just didn’t talk much. “Do you know anything about the president? If he’s a Ripper?”

“No.” Raze slid Sami’s gun back to her. “The president doesn’t interest me, but I said I’d have your back, and I will.”

Jax studied the soldier facing him. In a fight between the two of them, it’d be close. “We come up with a plan, and you stick to it.”

Raze stood, his height putting them eye to eye. “You have my word.”





Chapter Thirty-Two





Humans relate to each other. Spend time with evil, true evil, and those forces rise within us all.

—Dr. Franklin Xavier Harmony




Midmorning, in the small combat infirmary, his home base, Tace Justice finished organizing the meager antibiotics Jax had found on the Myriad raid. Since Scorpius, he couldn’t stop organizing everything by height and weight. He only had two pairs of shoes, and if they were out of order, he couldn’t sleep.

Fucking Scorpius had given him OCD.

Lynne had been busy all morning trying to set up the microscopes and new equipment. Most of it was useless without a generator, but the woman set up the pseudo lab as if she still worked at the CDC. After muttering to herself, she’d gone in search of tape.

Time was short, and they both knew it. The threat of Lake and the president hung over them all.

He continued to put things in order, his movements smooth and fluid. Smoother than before the fever, actually.

Footsteps alerted him of Sami approaching the room. Even his hearing had sharpened to the point he could discern individual footsteps from the next room. He turned and tried to smile.

“You smile differently,” Sami said, a Lady Smith & Wesson in her hand.

He quit trying. “I feel a smile differently.” Hell, he didn’t feel a smile at all. “You listened to Raze and found a lighter gun.”

Sami shrugged. “Yeah. I figured he knew what he was talking about. For once. I mean, since he said actual words.” Her grin was genuine. She’d secured her black hair into two sassy braids, making her look about eighteen. With her sparkling dark eyes and creamy skin, she could’ve easily been a model. Well, a short one.