He glanced back at Lynne.
Her eyes flashed open, directly meeting his gaze. The pupils contracted while her chin lifted. Devoid of expression, she just stared.
He stared back.
A light pink wandered from her chest up her face to color her high cheekbones. Fascinated, he watched the blush deepen. When was the last time he’d seen a woman blush? He certainly hadn’t expected it from the woman who some thought had taken out most of the human race.
Around them, off-road vehicles kept pace. Some dirt bikes, a four-wheeler, even a fancy Razor confiscated from another mansion.
They drove into the inner bowels of Los Angeles, skirting abandoned vehicles and weakened buildings. Climbing vines attacked brick, while many places had been burned in the riots. Most storefronts gaped open from broken windows or trashed doorways. The first survivors had looted quickly, not knowing that the bacteria hadn’t finished spreading.
Most of the looters were dead . . . or worse.
Tension rode the air, and some of it came from Manny.
“Say it,” Jax murmured, acutely, maybe too much so, aware of the woman in the backseat.
“This is a mistake,” Manny said, his hands tightening on the steering wheel. “You know who she is. What she is.”
“I doubt that.” He turned to glance again at the woman, his sidearm sweeping against the door. She’d turned to stare out at the night again, her shoulders hunched, her shirt hiding that odd blue glow. “Are you going to hurt me or mine?” he asked.
Slowly, she turned to meet his gaze again. “I don’t know.” Frowning, she leaned forward just enough to make his muscles tense in response. “How many people are yours?”
He paused, his head lifting. “All of them.”
She worried her lower lip between two teeth. “I’d heard that about you.” Turning back to the window, she fingered the glass as if wanting to touch what was out of reach.
“Heard what?” he asked.
“Your sense of responsibility. Leadership. Absolute willingness to kill.” Her tone lacked inflection, as if she just stated facts. “You are, am I correct? Willing to kill?”
He stilled, his eyes cutting to Manny and back to the woman. “You want me to kill somebody?”
“Yes.”
He kept from outwardly reacting. Not much surprised him any longer, but he hadn’t been expecting a contract killing request from Lynne Harmony. “We’ve lost 99 percent of the world’s population, darlin’. Half of the survivors are useless, and the other half are just trying to survive. You’d better have a good reason for wanting someone dead.”
“Useless isn’t an accurate description,” she said quietly.
“If they can’t help me, if they’re a hindrance, they’re fucking useless.” Months ago, he’d turned off the switch deep down that could see a gray area between the enemy and his people, and there was no changing that. He’d become what was needed to survive and to live through desperate times. “You might want to remember that fact.”
Her shoulders went back, and she rested her head, staring up at the roof. “I’d love to be useless.”
He turned to the front. Her words had been soft, her tone sad, and her meaning heartbreaking. So the woman wanted to die, did she? No fucking way. The blood in her veins was more than a luxury, it might be a necessity. She didn’t get to die. “Tell me you’re not the one I’m supposed to kill,” he said, his body on alert.
Silence ticked around the dented car for a moment. “Not yet, no.”
Great. All he needed was a depressed biological weapon in the form of a sexy brunette to mess with his already fucking fantastic daily schedule. “Lady, if you wanna eat a bullet, you should’ve done it before coming into my territory.” Since she was there, he was making use of her, and if that meant suicide watch around the clock, he’d provide the guards to keep her breathing and helpful.
“I know.” Fabric rustled, and she poked him in the neck. “When was your last injection?”
His head jerked as his neurons flared to life. He grabbed her finger before turning. “Almost a month ago.”
She tried to free herself and then frowned when she failed. “You’re about due, then. How many vials of B do you have left?”
He tugged her closer until she was leaning over the front seat, his gaze near to hers. “Doesn’t matter. Now I have you, don’t I? If we find the cure, we won’t need vitamin B.” This close, under the dirt and fear, he could smell woman. Fresh and with a hint of—what was that—vanilla? No. Gardenias. Spicy and wild.
She shook her head and again tried to free herself. “You can have all my blood you want. It won’t help.”
They drove past structures, and for the briefest of moments, empty lots full of decomposing fast food wrappers and broken beer bottles bracketed them on both sides. “Stop the car,” he said to Manny.
Manny pulled over as if he’d been waiting for the order. Jax released Lynne, stepped out of the vehicle, and pressed into the backseat next to her.
Her eyes widened, and she huddled back against the other door.
He drew a hood from his pocket. “Come here, darlin’.”
“No.” She scrambled away, her hands out.
With a sigh, he reached for a zip tie in his vest and way too easily secured her hands together. A second later, he pulled the hood over her head. He didn’t like binding a woman, but he didn’t have a choice, since she just might be working for an enemy. While the location of his territory was generally known, the weaknesses of entry and exit were not. “In the past year, as the world has gone to hell, hasn’t anybody taught you to fight?” he asked.
She kicked out, her bound hands striking for his worn bulletproof vest.
He lifted her onto his lap, wrapped an arm over hers and around her waist, manacling her legs with one of his. “Relax. I’m not going to hurt you, but you can’t know our route or see our defenses.”
“Right.” She shoved back an elbow, her warm little body struggling hard.
Desire flushed through him, pounding instantly into his cock. God, she was a handful.
She paused. “Ah—”
“You’re safe. Just stop wiggling.” His voice lowered and was hoarse. Jesus. When was the last time he’d gotten laid? He actually couldn’t remember. She was a tight handful of energy and womanly curves, and his body reacted instantly. The more she gyrated against him, trying to fight, the more blood rushed south of his brain. He had to get her under control before he began panting like a teenager.
“No.” Her voice rose, and she tried to flail around again. “You can’t manhandle me like this.”
If she had any clue how he’d like to handle her, she’d be screaming. He took several deep breaths and forced desire into the void, where it belonged. He wanted her hooded, not afraid. “If you were mine, you’d know how to fight.” Where that thought came from, he’d never know.
She squirmed on his lap, fully contained. “Good thing I’m not yours, now isn’t it?”
He exhaled and held her tighter until she gave up the fight and submitted against him. The light whimper of frustration echoing behind the hood sounded almost like a sigh of pleasure. When she softened, he hardened. Again.
Then he released his hold and whispered right through the hood to her ear. “That’s where you’re wrong, Lynne Harmony. The second you crossed into Vanguard territory, the very moment you asked for my help, that’s exactly what you became.”
“What?” she asked, sounding breathless now.
“Mine.”
Chapter Two
We teach our children to work hard and believe in the unbelievable. It is by fostering such hope that we may all somehow survive.
—Dr. Franklin Xavier Harmony
Lynne tried to hold still and ignore the very solid body surrounding her. Heat emanated from him, and for so long, way too long, she’d felt nothing but a constant chill. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t help but relax a little into his warmth.
“Ther
e you go,” he murmured, his mouth near her ear. “Sorry about the hood. If you’re claustrophobic, it’ll pass.”
As long as she wasn’t submerged in water, her one phobia, she was fine. But she sure as hell wasn’t going to reassure him of that fact. So she stayed silent.
He sighed and seemed to stretch out a little, taut muscles relaxing. “I have six soldiers around us¸ and we’ll make it back to the base before dawn arrives. Even though we have a partially cleared route through debris, we have to keep to alleys and side roads to avoid attack.”
“So?” Her voice emerged muffled from the damn hood.
“So take advantage of the moment and get a quick nap. You’re not going anywhere, and I promise nobody will hurt you on my watch. Take the moment, Lynne Harmony.” He moved enough to jostle her, resettling her in place, and she would’ve bet her only pair of socks that he’d lain back his head and shut his eyes.
She considered her options.
“If you even think about going for the knife strapped to your calf, you won’t like my response,” he whispered. One hand banded around her neck and drew her face against his upper chest.
“I hadn’t,” she protested without thinking, her cheek against his shoulder. “I have an IQ well into the triple digits, Mercury. Killing you right now surrounded by your people would be incredibly stupid. I’m not stupid.” Plus, she needed him. Needed not only his protection but his resources. So he’d noticed her knife. It was a little insulting that he’d let her keep it, obviously not fearing her ability to use it on him.
His breathing evened out.
On all that was holy. She carried a blade, was feared by half of the remaining world and hated by the rest. Against all logic, Jax Mercury had just fallen asleep holding her.
Of course, she’d known he was well trained. Didn’t soldiers learn to catnap whenever there was a brief break in the fighting? But she wasn’t a soldier and never would be, so sleep was out of the question.
The car jumped and hit several potholes before leveling out. Her nails dug into his chest to keep her upright. She could push back up and sit like a stiff board, or she could keep her face against his broad chest, where he’d put her. Where for the briefest of moments, it felt safe.
While she couldn’t relax enough to sleep, considering she had no clue what he was going to do to her once they arrived at his headquarters, she could at least concentrate on loosening her neck muscles and diminishing her constant headache.
The unthinkable idea that she was snuggled up to Jax Mercury, rebel leader of Los Angeles, showed just how bizarre reality had become.
Jax held the woman close as Manny barreled through a devastated area of Los Angeles. A surprising amount of greenery had started poking through concrete and climbing crumbling slum buildings. Some of the greenery was edible, so the homeless and crazy were probably close by. The number of Rippers in the area concerned him, and the really insane ones wouldn’t hesitate to attack a moving vehicle.
Manny swore and skidded around a tangled mess of what appeared to be a massive motorcycle accident. “Need lights.”
“No,” Jax whispered, stretching his damaged arm. When the atmosphere changed, right before a storm arrived, his scarred flesh ached. “The sky is bright enough even though the sun hasn’t risen.” Thank God. Thunder clamored in the west as clouds over the ocean gathered force. They had to hurry, damn it.
Lynne Harmony didn’t move. Finally, she’d fallen asleep—a testament to how exhausted she must be to finally lose consciousness on his lap while hooded. Jax removed the hood from her face so she could breathe, and she snuggled her nose into his neck, igniting a wave of protectiveness that pissed him right off.
Manny glanced in the rearview mirror. “Do you think she’ll tell us about the outside world? What she knows?”
Jax nodded. “She’ll tell us. Although it’s doubtful she knows about specific people.”
“I understand.” Manny turned back toward the road.
Jax sighed. The man had family in Florida, and he hadn’t heard from them in months. Chances of their survival sucked. “I’ll ask her after she gets some sleep.”
“She’s prettier than I thought,” Manny said quietly.
Yeah. She was. “The cameras didn’t do her justice.” Jax shifted his shoulder to rest against the door. “She’s also younger than I expected, considering her job at the CDC.” She had been the head of infectious diseases, and when she’d gotten infected, she’d been up front with the news as soon as she’d come out of the coma. Until somebody in the government had stopped allowing news out.
“Do you think she knows a cure?” Manny asked.
“I don’t know.” Jax forced his eyelids to remain open. With a warm, snuggly woman in his arms, his body wanted to rest and enjoy the moment. “I think she has information we need about the current status of the government and hopefully a possible cure for the plague. Or maybe a way to find a cure.” Almost absently, he rubbed his chin against the top of her soft hair. “Though I’m struggling to figure out her agenda.”
“Agenda? You mean why she just walked into Vanguard territory?” Manny jerked the wheel to the left to avoid a downed bread truck.
Jax tightened his hold so Lynne wouldn’t awaken. “Yeah.”
“For protection. The world either wants her dead because they blame her for not stopping the illness, or they think somehow there’s a cure in her blood since she’s the only one with a blue heart. She came to us for protection,” Manny said.
“No.” Jax leaned back his head again. “When we decided to take L.A., we sent out news and rumors, warning the world to stay the fuck away. This is not where a woman would come for protection, especially this woman.”
“You’ve heard the other rumors about her, right?”
“Yes.” Refugees from different camps had whispered of tales that Lynne Harmony carried a more dangerous form of the Scorpius bacterium and wanted to infect the entire world. The Mercenaries, a deadly group from the north, were known to be ferociously hunting her because of a reward posted by the government for her return. “I don’t listen to scary stories told around campfires,” Jack said evenly.
“What if they’re true? Maybe she’s a Ripper and she’s crazy,” Manny whispered, his shoulders stiffening. “I mean, not one of them disorganized Rippers, but one of them supersmart genius ones. There’s two main types, right?”
“Yeah.” Jax inhaled the scent of woman. “If she’s a genius serial killer, I still don’t see why she’d walk into my territory.” He could break her neck with minimal effort if she tried to infect anybody with a new contagion. “She definitely has an agenda, and it has something to do with either me or our land. My guess is that it’s the territory, but I could be wrong.” The woman had asked for him by name, and the desperation in her initial plea had rung true.
“I think we should’ve left her on the side of the road.” Manny shuddered.
Thunder bellowed louder, obviously creeping closer.
Jax glanced down as very weak light slid over the delicate features of Lynne Harmony’s face. They had a distance to go before he needed to hood her again. Hopefully he hadn’t made a colossal mistake in letting her live.
He’d find out soon enough.
Chapter Three
Alliances ebb and flow with man, and sometimes, true friendships emerge.
—Dr. Franklin Xavier Harmony
What had she done? Lynne had actually fallen asleep on Jax Mercury. She awoke, blinking inside the stifling hood, just as he lifted her into the cool morning air and easily strode over uneven ground. A slight change of temperature hit her, and his steps leveled out.
Inside. They were inside somewhere. The smell of dust and burned tomato soup tickled her nose, but no sound provided a clue as to their whereabouts. All but blinded, she tried to tune in to her other senses. Jax’s boots clomped heavily across a hard surface, and his heart beat steadily against her shoulder.
His stride didn’t hitch as he climbe
d stairs, turned, walked in a too-quiet area, and opened a door. The world tilted, and he placed her, gently actually, on what felt like a fake leather sofa.
He yanked the hood off.
Light from halogen lamps assaulted her wide pupils, and she winced, her eyes tearing. “You’re an ass.”
Silver flashed, and he cut the zip ties. “So it has been said.”
Heat climbed into her face. The man had carried her easily and didn’t seem winded a bit. Even so, the legends whispered around campfires and refugee camps across the country had to be exaggerated. Nobody was that tough. “We need to talk,” she gritted out.
He yanked a kitchen chair toward her, turned it, and straddled it. Now, in the light, she was struck by how young he really was. Maybe midthirties, black hair, dark brown eyes, and rugged facial features. Handsome in a pissed-off kind of way. A scar cut under the left side of his jaw, white and deadly. “So, talk.”
She swallowed and tugged her backpack to her chest, glancing around what appeared to be a small apartment. A kitchenette took up one wall, an unmade bed the other, with dented furniture in between. Sofa, metal coffee table, wood-laminate kitchen table, paint peeling pink kids’ dresser, and mismatched kitchen chairs. Maps covered the table, spread out haphazardly. “Where am I?”
“You don’t get to know that.” He rested his arms on the top of the chair, muscles flexing.
She bit her lip. Men’s clothing littered the unmade bed, and the smell of musk and male filled the atmosphere. “Whose place am I in?”
“Mine.” He lifted a shoulder, his gaze unwavering. “And yours now, I guess.”
She pushed back into the torn leather. “I’m not, I mean, I—”
One dark eyebrow rose. “You’re here because I’m keeping an eye on you and making sure you don’t infect anybody else.”
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