“Blue?” Jax asked.
Lynne sipped her coffee. “Tace and I are about three-fourths through the newest research, and it’s confirming two things. First, with the right concoction of the mutated squid that turned my heart blue, combined with several substances, we can make an inoculation of sorts so we won’t need injections any longer. With the right lab, which I do not have.”
“And second?” Jax asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
“I think the Bunker does exist. There are too many references to it in the lab documents, and there are shipping manifests where important samples came from a place just called ‘TB.’ It’s out there, and it probably has not only a working lab but samples of the mutated squid.” Lynne tapped her fingers on the table. “Our prime mission has to be finding the Bunker. Period.”
Raze tugged on Vinnie’s hair, and she jerked her head free. His eyebrows lifted of their own accord.
Jax nodded. “Noted. Sami?”
The pretty brunette twirled a knife in her nimble hands. “We just finished training a new group of scouts. They’re all older than sixteen, but man, some of them are young. New missions will focus on food, weapons, and medicine. Like usual. The self-defense training is going well, but the Pure group has backed out of all involvement.”
“Raze?” Jax asked.
Raze breathed out. “Ripper attack last night, as I already told you. These were rough and tumble—crazy with the drive to kill. I’m concerned there are more organized Ripper groups out there being led by smart, logical, calculating sociopaths, and they’re going to hit us from a surprise direction.”
“I agree,” Jax said. “Right now, the president is the Ripper I’m most concerned with, but we need to keep our ears to the ground for other threats.”
“What about sending out scouts to encampments?” Raze asked. “When I was traveling west, I stopped often to get news. You’d be surprised at how many nomads out there are going from camp to camp, trading wares.”
“Come up with a strategic proposal, and we’ll work on it,” Jax said. “Any news on the Mercs?”
“No,” Raze said, nudging Vinnie’s chair with his knee.
She kept her back to him and her face to Jax.
Jax eyed the two. “Vinnie? News?”
She jerked. “Um, I’ve been meeting with people and trying to help. No threats to report.” She cleared her throat. “Except Lynne and I had a run-in with Reverend Lighton as well as a few of his men. And I emphasize the word men for a reason.”
Raze grabbed Vinnie’s chair and spun it in his direction. “You did what?”
Jax’s gaze slashed to Lynne. “What?”
Lynne cleared her throat. “Vinnie and I decided to take a walk because it stopped raining, and we ended up in what’s now considered Pure territory. The reverend nicely told us to leave.”
Raze’s body clenched, and he rolled Vinnie’s chair flush against his. “Did he threaten you?”
Vinnie shook her head, tried to turn her chair around, and gave up with a muffled curse. “Not really. I mean, he said not to come back, but it wasn’t exactly a threat.”
“It was a threat,” Lynne countered. “He tried to intimidate us with talk of purity and survival, and he had four other guys with him. Only guys. He said Pure women know their place.”
“That’d be convenient,” Raze snapped.
Both Lynne and Vinnie turned harsh glares on him.
He ignored Lynne and met Vinnie’s gaze evenly.
Vinnie lowered her chin in pure defiance. “We need to get inside that group to see what’s going on. If there are women or kids being abused in this new world order of his, we need to stop it.”
Jax cleared his throat.
Raze reluctantly allowed Vinnie to turn her chair. Oh, they were nowhere finished with this discussion.
“I created Vanguard to be a safe place for its citizens,” Jax said. “There should never be a threat inner territory, and you should all be able to freely move around. This is a problem.”
“What do you want to do about it?” Sami asked. “I think we should kick the reverend and his flock out.”
“Not with women and kids, if they want to stay,” Jax said. He drew out a chair and sat. “Suggestions?”
Vinnie leaned forward. “We need to meet with the members of the Pure individually to see what they want to do. Make sure nobody is being coerced.”
Jax nodded. “I agree. We still don’t have any idea who’s involved and what kind of weaponry they’ve accumulated. I know what’s missing from the storage units, but these folks might have been scouting and hiding weapons for months.”
Tace nodded. “I have no clue who has been infected and who hasn’t, so I don’t know who’s in the flock. Many of his so-called order could be our soldiers. They’re armed, and they know how to fight,” Tace said.
“So even if I decided to kick them out, we don’t know how spread out they are or who the members are. Damn it.” Jax slammed his fist on the table. “It’s bad enough what’s left of the government is going to launch an attack on us, not to mention Twenty and other rogue gangs and the fuckin’ Mercs up north, but now I have organized resistance inside Vanguard?”
“We need a mole,” Raze said.
Jax clasped his hands on the table. “All right. We move forward on both fronts. Who’s close to April Snyder?”
Vinnie nodded. “I’m not close to her, but she was one of the people who came in yesterday.”
“Did she mention Pure?” Jax asked.
“No. She talked about loss and pain.” Like most people. “She seemed so alone, I don’t think she’s part of any group.”
Jax wiped bruises on his knuckles. “Okay. Tace? Set up a meeting with the good reverend here at headquarters to happen tomorrow after we have more information. He comes to us. Raze? Please find April Snyder and send her in right now. We’ll meet with her to see if she’s up to working with us. Doc Vinnie? I’d like you to stay here and profile her while we chat. That’s different from meeting with her as a shrink, right?”
“Definitely,” Vinnie murmured. She straightened in her chair.
Raze could almost see the wheels in her head turning as she realized that Vanguard needed her. She’d finally found a calling in this new world. Her small smile lifted his heart and warmed him throughout.
“What about me?” Lynne asked, dropping her plastic cup in the garbage.
“Keep researching. I don’t want you near the reverend with that blue heart. Not right now anyway. We might put you two together later and let the doc watch and profile.” Jax kicked back. “Raze? I believe we have a meeting around suppertime?”
Raze pushed away from the table. The meeting where he was supposed to confess all to Jax. “Yep. See you then.” He had to figure out a way to put Jax off for the night, so he could go find Maureen and bring her home. For now, Raze had another woman to deal with. He pulled out her chair. “Vinnie? We need to talk.”
“I need her here,” Jax said levelly. “As soon as we’re finished with April Snyder, you two can chat.”
Vinnie turned then and looked at Raze for the first time that afternoon. To call her gaze chilly would be a gross understatement. “You can count on it.”
Raze paused. Why did that sound like a threat?
The room temporarily cleared, leaving only Vinnie and Jax. “Thank you,” she said as he slid a full cup of coffee between her hands. A battery-operated warmer had kept the coffee warm all afternoon. “Can we afford the battery usage?”
“Byron says we can,” Jax said, blowing on his cup and retaking his seat. “Have you met him? Brilliant seventeen-year-old nerd who’s going to be a father. Hopefully. He can create batteries out of nothing, but he can’t remember to sheath his dick. Knocked up a sixteen-year-old girl.”
Vinnie nodded. “I’ve seen them around. Cute kids. Besides, since when do teenagers remember condoms? Really.”
“Good point.” Jax straightened as April Snyder walked into the r
oom. “Hi.”
April hovered near the doorway, a pretty woman with sad blue eyes and classic features. She appeared to be in her early thirties. “You wanted to speak with me?”
“Yes.” Jax’s voice gentled. “Would you come in and sit down?”
April sat down and crossed her arms in a clearly defensive posture.
“It’s okay,” Vinnie murmured, keeping her voice soothing. “Jax just has a couple of questions and a job for you to do, but only if you’re interested. He needs some help.”
April’s arms uncrossed, and she leaned forward just a little. “Oh. I’m glad to help.”
Jax glanced from Vinnie to April, his gaze thoughtful. “Are you familiar with Reverend Lighton and his, ah, group?”
April straightened, and a tinge of pink colored her high cheekbones. “Um, well, I know who they are.”
Jax’s gaze narrowed. “Have they approached you?”
Vinnie leaned back to draw his attention. He needed to be gentle with April.
April swallowed. “Yes, the group has approached me.”
“When and how?” Jax asked.
April glanced at Vinnie.
“It’s okay, April. You haven’t done anything wrong.” Vinnie reached out and patted April’s arm.
April’s head snapped up. “About three weeks ago, before my daughter passed, a woman named Violet struck up a conversation with me about Scorpius. She hadn’t been infected, and neither had I, and we talked about how likely it would be for us to catch the bacteria.”
“Go on,” Jax said quietly.
“Well, that was about it. Just a conversation, you know?” April drummed her trimmed fingernails on the table. “Then a few days after my daughter’s funeral, the reverend approached me and offered to pray with me for her soul.”
“Was he alone?” Vinnie asked, distaste for the man filling her mouth. How dare he prey on a grieving mother?
April nodded. “Yes. He was very comforting, and praying for my baby did make me feel a little bit better. Not really, but I felt like I was at least doing something, you know?”
A muscle ticked in Jax’s jaw.
Vinnie gave a minuscule nod. Taking advantage of the woman’s grief had been a rotten and manipulative thing to do. Unless maybe the reverend really had been trying to ease April’s pain. Who knew? “So he was of help to you?”
April frowned. “I thought so.”
“But?” Jax prompted, anger etching into the hard planes of his face.
“I’m not sure,” April said slowly. “At first, we prayed for Haylee. Then his prayers turned to those people who haven’t been infected by Scorpius and a plea to keep them, ah, pure. It was a little odd.”
“He made you uncomfortable?” Jax asked.
April lifted a shoulder. “I’m not sure. Just breathing hurts some days, you know?”
Vinnie studied her. Clear eyes, sad but smart. Good posture, steely spine. But she’d been through so much; asking her to do more might break her. Or it might help her to survive.
Jax leaned forward. “Has the reverend invited you to any of his sermons?”
“No, but Violet has mentioned their support group. She says the reverend preaches to them, and it gives her hope. Anything that gives hope these days has to have value.” April faced Jax bravely. “Why, Jax?”
“I need somebody to infiltrate the sermons and see what the hell is going on,” Jax said.
“Why?” April breathed.
Vinnie tried to measure the woman’s strength. The last thing she wanted to do was cause more pain for April. “We’re not sure all of the reverend’s members are there willingly. We don’t even know who the members are, and we’re concerned.”
April frowned. “Why can’t you go to a sermon?”
“Only folks who haven’t been infected with Scorpius are invited,” Vinnie said.
April bit her lip. “Oh. What information exactly do you need?”
“How many kids are involved, and are the members, or whatever we’re calling them, there willingly? Finally, I need a list of names. Who exactly am I dealing with here?” Jax muttered.
Vinnie leaned forward. “This is optional. If you’re not up to the task, then there’s no obligation for you to attend. You’ve been through a lot, more than I can even imagine, and you certainly don’t have to put your neck out there right now. The job you’re doing with the organizational schedules is more helpful than you know.”
April rubbed her chin. “Do you really think the church is hurting people?”
Jax flattened one hand on the table. “My fear is that people are being coerced into joining, especially women and kids. I have to know they’re safe and free. My plan is to send in someone to observe and then also to meet with the leaders and any members I can find.”
April’s blue eyes hardened. “You think the reverend is forming some sort of cult that harms women and kids?”
“We have no clue what he’s doing.” Jax studied her. “He wants to be separate from Vanguard, and if we let him go, I have to make sure everyone who goes with him wants to do so.”
April swallowed. “I’ll do it.”
“Wait a minute,” Vinnie said. “Really think about it.”
“Why? If people are in danger, and all I have to do is attend a sermon or two, why the heck shouldn’t I?” April’s chin lifted. “It’s too late to save my child, but there are other kids out there who might need help. So I’ll help.”
Admiration welled through Vinnie. “Fair enough.”
Jax kicked back. “All right, April. If you do this, it’s your Op. What’s your plan?”
“Um.” April blinked several times, thoughts scattering across her face. “I’m supposed to help with the second dinner shift tonight inner territory, and I think Violet is on the schedule, too. I’ll bring up the topic of God and church with her and see where it goes.”
Jax frowned. “Violet is still working with Vanguard?”
“Yeah, but now that I think of it, she spends time finding out who’s been infected and who hasn’t.” April shoved tendrils of hair from her face. “Do you think she’s recruiting for their group?”
“That’s exactly what I think,” Jax said. “Are you sure you’re up to this?”
April pushed back from the table. “I don’t have anything to lose, Jax.” With a sad smile aimed at Vinnie, she turned and strode gracefully from the room.
Jax sighed. “Fuck.”
Vinnie lifted an eyebrow. “She’s strong.”
Jax shook his head. “Nobody is that strong. We may be making a colossal mistake sending her into that group. What if the sermon makes sense to her?”
“Then we’ll help her at that point.” Vinnie pressed her thumb into her aching temple. “How long has the good reverend been putting his little group together?”
“Three months tops. Does that matter?”
Vinnie rested her chin on her hand. “Yeah. Three months is more than long enough to create a cult atmosphere, especially when hell has descended all around us. Who would know more about him and his group?”
“Wyatt.” Jax sighed. “Unfortunately, he’s dead.”
Vinnie had arrived at Vanguard after Wyatt had already passed. “Is there anybody Wyatt spoke with or worked with much? Somebody has to know more about the reverend.”
“I don’t think anybody does and that’s my concern. The guy has built a following by staying under the radar, which makes me wonder about his agenda.” Jax grimaced and reached behind himself to draw a Glock out of his waistband. He placed the deadly gun on the table with a thunk.
Vinnie eyed the weapon. “What’s our best-case scenario?”
“We don’t have one,” Jax said wearily.
Interesting. Vinnie relaxed back in her chair, her gaze on the Vanguard leader. His face was rugged, his body hard, and his right arm scarred. Slashes, white and rough, cut down from his upper arm and over his hand. “What happened?” she asked.
He looked down at the old scars.
“Punched through glass and burning metal, trying to save a buddy when a land mine took out our vehicle.”
“Did you save him?”
“No.” Jax’s honey-brown eyes turned darker. “He’s one of many I failed to save.”
If that didn’t speak volumes about Jax Mercury’s internal struggle, nothing would. “Is that why you created Vanguard?” In a world where the strong overcame the weak, and too many people were forced into victimhood, creating a safe haven took unbelievable conviction.
“No.” Jax pushed back from the table. “I created Vanguard because it needed to be created.” He turned and strode for the doorway. “Please keep an eye on April. She trusts you.”
Vinnie stared at the empty doorway. Great job, there. One personal question, and she’d made the Vanguard leader all but run away. Had she owed him a report on Raze’s letter? Probably. But Lynne had given her the day to speak to Raze, and she was going to take it.
What she was going to say, she had no clue. Her heart hurt, and her temples ached with unacknowledged anger. It burned inside her, getting hotter and hotter. She’d never been known for her temper.
Until now.
Before the world had disintegrated, she would’ve dropped Raze Shadow like an old pair of shoes. But now, well, she still trusted him. She believed he wouldn’t really have betrayed her. Was she nuts? Or was this love?
Or had the world changed so much that his actions weren’t a true betrayal?
Jax poked his head back in. “I have to go talk to Lynne right now, but we can touch base later about April and the plan. For now, I’m not sure if Raze has talked to you about my ultimatum, but I meant it. He’s out if he doesn’t come clean about his motivations and priorities. I suggest you talk to him as soon as he gets back from his scouting.”
Her smile even felt angry. “I fully plan on it.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
One doesn’t need a coffer of advanced degrees to understand why opposites attract.
—Dr. Franklin X. Harmony, Philosophies
Lynne Harmony awoke with a start and turned over on the sofa, sending papers scattering and finding Jax staring at her. He stood above her, a dangerous man in combat gear, focused solely on her. “What?” she mumbled.
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