Tace frowned. “Lake’s taking her to a mansion in Vegas at 2111 Putter Drive.”
Jax didn’t hesitate. If he had a chance to save Lynne, he had to move now before Atherton could get more soldiers in place. So when he turned, the last thing he was prepared to deal with was the myriad of people, soldiers and civilians, spilling outside beyond the courtyard and waiting for him. He swallowed.
Tace shrugged. “Everyone wants to go with you.”
He blinked. “Huh?”
A pretty teenager stepped forward, her chin quivering. “They took one of us, and we want to help get her back. We’ve been practicing shooting and stuff.”
And stuff. God. Jax wiped a hand over his forehead. “Thank you, but Raze and I are quicker on our own.”
Tace shook his head. “I’m going.”
“Me too,” Sami said.
“No. I need you here, just in case.” Jax tried to step to the side.
Everyone pushed forward. About a hundred people faced him, giving their allegiance to Lynne. So much emotion roared through him, it burned. They were his people. All of them.
He took a moment and let the reality hit him hard. Exchanging a glance with Tace, he jumped up onto the hood of a car and held his hand up for silence. The people, a ragtag group of different ages, experiences, races, and nightmares, all looked up to him.
How the hell had he ended up here? Standing with gasoline staining his shirt, his mind rioting, his gut aching.
He cleared his throat. “Thank you for offering to go, but this is a fast op, and it’s dangerous. There’s no time for training, and I can’t worry about anybody.”
Byron limped forward. “It’s the president, and he has soldiers. You can’t go in alone. If the worst happens, we’ll be okay with it.”
Jax blinked.
Sami lifted her chin. “We’re going regardless, Jax. You can’t take on trained men just the two of you, especially with the weaponry they probably have.”
Jill Sanderson slid her hand into Byron’s, her other palm on her still flat stomach. “Your best chance for saving Lynne and returning safely is to take backup. We can handle things here.”
An emotion, full and pure, vibrated through Jax. The people, the ones he barely knew, were giving him their faith and possibly their lives. They were right about the odds. “All right. We can afford to take twenty-four soldiers, led by Raze, Sami, Tace, and me.” That would leave enough trained soldiers to protect the community on all sides, but it was thin. Really thin, and he hated to use that much fuel. They’d need three trucks and a few bikes.
Lynne had been right—the people needed him to lead. Not just shoot and fight. He cleared his throat as he looked around, really looked at the people he’d been shielding. “Thank you for your support and for being part of this community. I, ah, have been a soldier of one type or another my entire life. I’ve dealt with life and death on a daily basis, and I’ve known many different survivors. We, here, as a group are the strongest I’ve ever seen.”
A rumble went through the crowd.
“Scorpius has scarred us in ways we never imagined, taking almost everything from us. But we’re here, and we’re standing up, as only human beings can. We’re small in number, but we’re fierce in our fight to survive.” His voice cracked on the end. “I’m proud to know all of you, and I’m honored to lead you.” He jumped down, his voice rising. “We will return, and we will rebuild.”
The group exploded into clapping.
He stalked for the doorway.
Raze paused as they walked outside. “What the fuck was that?”
Hell if Jax knew. He’d finally given in to his position, and he’d needed to leave them with hope. “Pep talk.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Evil is evolving as fast, if not faster, than good.
—Dr. Franklin Xavier Harmony
Anxiety fluttered through Lynne with heated wings, and she tried to remain focused. After traveling for about six hours, they reached an oddly tidy Vegas residential neighborhood after a too-silent and too long drive. With no water, the lawns of the stucco houses around them had turned brown. Greg Lake had promptly tied her hands, shoved her into an empty gardening shed, and locked the door. Hours ago. She’d tried everything possible to get loose, finally sitting in the cool dirt with heat swirling around.
Finally, he opened the door.
She blinked and stood, kicking straight for his balls. He pivoted and yanked her into the night.
“Sorry about the delay, but we had a bunch of preparations to make for what should be quite the battle later tonight,” Greg said, dragging her over a weed-covered concrete walkway to a sprawling mansion.
“What battle? With Jax?” She had to hold on to hope that he was still alive. He had to be.
After staying in the shed for so long, she was more than a little parched. Plus, menstrual cramps ached through her back, and she’d start her period within hours. Just great. A thought, unbidden and sad, slipped through her of the unprotected sex she’d had with Jax. Sure, she’d figured nothing had probably happened, but still, the oddest sense of loss pricked her as she now knew for sure.
The sun had gone down, so at least she wasn’t hot any longer. She tried to kick Lake, but he kept moving past the mansion to a smaller house, a pool house, where he opened the door.
Bret Atherton stood just on the other side, his sandy blond hair swept back from his cleanly shaven face, dressed in dark jeans and a white shirt.
She tried to swallow.
A smile, slow and scary, lifted his lips. “Lynne.”
Her stomach turned over. She tried to yank away from Lake.
Bret shot a hand into her hair and pulled her into a room filled with floral couches, a quiet plasma television, and a pool table empty of balls. “Please set up outside like I asked, and we’ll debrief in the morning,” he said to Lake, shutting the door in the man’s face.
Pain clicked along Lynne’s scalp, and she stopped struggling. Several lanterns lit a room holding a sofa and chair as well as a massive marble desk.
Bret dragged her over to a settee and shoved her down. “How was your trip?”
She tried to regain her balance, her hands tied in her lap, her eyes gritty. “Are you joking?”
“No.” He tugged his pants up and sat in a matching chair. His blue eyes gleamed in the muted light. “I told Lake to take good care of you. You’re important to me.”
“I’ve been in a fucking shed,” she spat out.
“Yes, sorry about that. We had preparations to make, and I wanted Greg to concentrate fully on those.”
Fear settled like a rock in her gut, yet she kept her face stoic. “So he’s a Ripper like you?”
Bret leaned forward. “Neither of us is a Ripper. I’m enhanced, and believe it or not, Lake has never been infected. He’s just incredibly focused.”
“So are you,” Lynne shot back.
Bret studied her like a bug under a scope. “I could feel you drawing away, even before Scorpius changed everything.”
She faltered, trying to glance around nonchalantly for a weapon. Any type of weapon. “That’s not true.”
“Sure it is. I think you thought you were smarter than me, and you probably were . . . before I survived Scorpius.” His head tilted to the side. “Why wouldn’t you move in with me?”
She tried to remain still. “We only dated a few months.”
He drew a USB drive secured by a cord out of his shirt. “I filmed you sleeping. Did you know that?”
“No,” she whispered. “You have me on that flash drive?” Her heart kicked into gear.
He nodded. “Films of you, pictures of you, everything of you.”
“Even my research?” she asked, her hands digging into her thighs.
“Everything. I really cared for you and thought we had a future, but you wouldn’t even think of committing to me.”
“Perhaps I had commitment issues,” she said, not seeing even a stapler on the desk. He was bigger and definitely stronger, but she was a survivor and could fight. There had to be a weapon close by.