Shadow Falling

by Rebecca Zanetti

  Lynne poked him in the chest. “You are my business.”

  Vinnie cleared her throat but didn’t move an inch. “This entire situation is my business, considering the Mercenaries are willing to kidnap women and blackmail soldiers in order to get me. The question is, why do they want me?”

  Raze paused. He’d spent more than one sleepless night trying to figure that out. “You were with the president for weeks. Maybe the Mercs think you have information.”

  “What info—” Tace asked, turning around. “The Bunker. Everyone is looking for the Bunker, and it’s not unthinkable to believe the president knows where it is. He did travel from DC to Nevada. Maybe visiting LA was just a pit stop to acquire Lynne, and then he planned to move to his prime objective. Perhaps he’s heading to the Bunker.”

  Raze’s shoulders settled. His lower back hammered with pain. “Are we done fighting?” He looked over Vinnie’s head.

  Jax glanced over his shoulder. “I could go a few more rounds.”

  “Me too,” Raze drawled.

  Sami shoved off the mat. “Enough testosterone. You both have big dicks—let’s stop comparing them.”

  “They both are big dicks,” Tace said.

  Sami grinned. “Yeah. That.”

  Raze looked down at Vinnie. “I told you to stay in the apartment.”

  Pain rippled up his shin. He blinked and looked down. She’d kicked him. His mouth dropped open.

  She put both hands on her hips.

  “Vinnie,” he murmured.

  Pain. Sharp and right in the same spot. She’d kicked him again. He moved into her, his hands wrapping around her elbows and lifting.

  “Wait a minute.” Jax sighed. He shook out his hand, and blood sprayed. “Everyone needs to cool off before we deal with the personal shit. Put the shrink down, Shadow.”

  Raze’s shoulders tightened, and he met the Vanguard leader’s gaze evenly, keeping his hands where he damn well wanted them. “I’ll deal with my woman as I see fit, Mercury.”

  “Your woman? I don’t think so.” Vinnie’s gasp should’ve warned him, but he was too busy playing chicken with Jax. She moved, just enough to jerk her knee up, and his balls exploded. He dropped her and bent over, gasping for air and trying not to puke. Bile rose in his throat, and his intestines spasmed right up through his gut.

  Fury swept through him so quickly he forgot, very briefly, about the pain.

  Vinnie sprang into action, turning and running full bore for the stairs.

  He moved to follow her, and Jax stopped him with one hand planted on his chest.

  “She kneed me in the nuts,” Raze growled, his voice a little wheezy.

  Jax snorted. “I saw. The doc has a mean streak.” He glanced at Lynne. “Go make sure she’s okay, and meet us in the conference room with the ridiculous table in fifteen minutes.”

  Lynne’s brow furrowed, and she looked from Jax to Raze and then back again. “I can’t let you guys kill each other.”

  Raze’s body pulsated with the need to go after Vinnie and let the beast living deep down inside him loose. The rational part of him, the civilized man he’d tried to become, whispered to calm down before he found her. Fuck reason. He shoved against Jax.

  Jax returned the shove, and Raze braced his back. “We’re going to shower, and then we’re going to have a calm meeting about how to deal with the Mercs,” Jax said through gritted teeth.

  Raze shifted his shoulders, fully intending to punch the Vanguard leader in the head again.

  Tace clapped both hands, edges in, on Raze’s biceps. Pain ricocheted deep. “No more fighting. I’m fresh, and neither one of you wants to take me on,” the medic murmured. “Shower time, and let’s figure out the Mercs.”

  “I don’t need your help with the Mercs,” Raze snapped.

  “Too fuckin’ bad.” Jax nodded to Lynne, and she turned to go after Vinnie. “We need to come up with a plan, just in case you survive the next couple of hours.”

  Raze stiffened. “You’re going to take a shot at killing me?”

  “Oh, hell no,” the Vanguard leader said almost cheerfully through a busted lip. “I bet fifty to one odds the good doc rips off your dick and beats you to death with it. Anybody want to bet?”

  Both Sami and Tace shook their heads.

  Raze bit back a sharp retort and moved with the group toward the stairs. The overwhelming sense of camaraderie settled around him again. These soldiers and this time . . . they were his. Oh, he and Vinnie were going to have one hell of a discussion that night. It was time the good doc met the real him.

  She’d kicked him. Three times. Never in her life, not once, had Vinnie Wellington resorted to violence. When she’d seen the look of retribution in Raze’s eyes, she’d finally found caution and had run for her life. The problem was, she had nowhere to go.

  Footsteps tapped behind her, and she stopped, whirling around.

  Lynne grinned. “Oh, you’re so gonna pay for that one.”

  “I know,” Vinnie whispered.

  Lynne shrugged. “He deserved it, and man, was it funny.”

  “He’s going to kill me,” Vinnie said, her hands shaking.

  “Nah. He might make you pay, but he’ll let you live.” Lynne slid her arm through Vinnie’s and tugged her around the landing to the next flight of stairs. “The guys are showering off the blood and sweat, and then we’re meeting in the conference room to discuss the Mercs. You don’t have to be there, but considering you’re the prize . . .”

  “I definitely need to be there.” Vinnie’s head swam.

  Lynne tripped, and Vinnie helped her to remain upright. “Sorry. I’m a little clumsy,” Lynne said as they reached the second level.

  “I hadn’t noticed,” Vinnie lied, her legs moving of their own accord.

  “That’s kind of you.” Lynne shoved open her door and pulled Vinnie inside. Her apartment had the same configuration as Raze’s place, but touches of whimsy and decoration warmed the area. Lynne opened a cupboard and pulled out a bottle of silver tequila.

  Vinnie shook her head. “I don’t think—”

  “Girl? You just kicked one of the most highly trained soldiers in the current world right in the nards.” Lynne grabbed two shot glasses and poured. “One shot will give you courage for the meeting we’re about to have.” She handed over a glass.

  Vinnie eyed the clear liquid. What the hell. She tipped it back, and the alcohol burned down her throat. She coughed. “That is not the good stuff.”

  Lynne took her shot. “Not even close,” she agreed, her eyes watering. “Whoa. Man. That stuff might destroy our livers, but at least then you won’t have to face Raze.”

  Warmth spread throughout Vinnie’s belly. She wanted another shot, but it had been so long since she’d had alcohol, she didn’t reach for the bottle. “I’m not afraid of Raze.”

  Lynne wheezed twice. “Really?”

  “Sure. Why would I be? He’s been mostly kind to me during my time here.” Sure, that was before she’d kicked his balls. Hmm.

  Lynne shook her head. “Um, yeah, but he’s been secretly planning to kidnap you and turn you over to the enemy. The kindness and the charm? I’m thinking initially it was used to disarm you and gain your trust, and then he felt guilty.”

  Vinnie cleared her throat. Her tongue felt like she’d swallowed boiling mints. “So?”

  “So? He’s no longer trying to gain your trust, and now that he’s come clean, he’s not feeling guilty.” Lynne shook her head. “I know you. Hell, I kind of am you.”

  The room swayed just a little. “Huh?”

  Lynne sighed. “You’re with him, right?”

  “Well, kind of. I mean, we have had sex, but we’re on equal footing.” She was educated and trained, damn it.

  Lynne snorted and then quickly covered her nose. “Oh man. Then he belted you to a radiator so you’d stay where he put you.”

  Vinnie opened her mouth and then closed it again. Good point. “That doesn’t mean anything. He w
as ticked, and he needed to face Jax without interference.” Man, that sounded lame.

  A knowingness lightened Lynne’s eyes. “The old world and the old rules are gone. I mean, if guys like ours even followed those rules in the first place, which I kind of doubt.”

  Vinnie pressed both hands to her hips. “You’re okay with being tied to radiators? I mean, the famous Dr. Harmony, educated and brilliant, is just fine and dandy with dating a Neanderthal?” She shook her head. “I don’t believe it. Not for a second do I believe you’re all right with being manhandled.”

  Lynne breathed out. “Of course not. Well, unless there’s something kinky involved.”

  “It’s odd, though. I mean, they’re over-the-top bossy when it comes to safety. We should be burning our bras and shooting these guys.” Vinnie worked through the issue in her mind. “Yet they have no trouble working side by side with female soldiers.”

  Lynne nodded. “I’ve analyzed that as well. When there’s time for thought and debate, fairness and reason win out. But in crisis situations, their atavistic sides trump everything else.”

  “So the more backward they act, the more they care?” Vinnie grinned.

  Lynne snorted. “As wrong as that sounds . . . yeah. In a crisis situation, anyway.” She waved the issue away. “Society will rebuild, and we’ll be stronger than before.”

  “Good.” At least they were on the same page.

  “But right now, we’re in limbo, and I’m just saying that kicking a guy like Raze in the nuts, in front of his friends, might be an unwise move with repercussions.” Lynne reached for a leather-bound journal on the counter.

  “He won’t hurt me,” Vinnie said. “I won’t let him.”

  Lynne smacked her arm, her hand glancing off. “Good on you, sister. That’s the spirit.”

  Vinnie faltered. “What would Jax do?”

  Lynne sniffed. “We’d talk it out like rational adults, but we’ve made a commitment to each other.” Her eyes didn’t quite meet Vinnie’s. “Though he has a long way to go with the whole sharing of feelings and not being a throwback.”

  Vinnie chuckled. “I do hope we don’t have to go through the entire suffrage movement postapocalyptic.”

  “Ha! Well, considering three out of Jax’s five elite lieutenants are women, you, me, and Sami, I’d say we’re going to be fine.”

  Vinnie straightened. “I’m not one of Jax’s lieutenants yet.”

  “Sure you are, or you wouldn’t be invited to the big meetings.” Lynne smiled.

  Vinnie grinned, and warmth bloomed in her chest. “I’m a lieutenant.” She belonged. “You’re right. Those big bad men do treat women as equals. Well, ones they don’t date.”

  Lynne shuddered. “As opposed to the creepy way the Pure seems to be treating women.”

  “That’s true.” Vinnie tapped her lip. “Very true.”

  Lynne handed over the journal. “This was my father’s journal, and he has some terrific insights into science, love, and the combination of the two. Why don’t you read it for some fun and relaxation?”

  Vinnie felt the worn leather. Her friend had just entrusted her with a prized possession, and surprising tears pricked the back of her eyes. “Thank you. I’ll take good care of it before bringing it back.”

  “I know.” Lynne tossed an arm over Vinnie’s shoulders, wobbling slightly. “Let’s go meet our men.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The camaraderie found amongst soldiers gives strength to get the job done.

  —Dr. Vinnie Wellington, Perceptions

  Raze cut Tace a killing look across the conference table. “I do not need ice for my balls. Stop offering.”

  Tace grinned and drew out a chair to sit. “Just tryin’ to help, pard.”

  Sometime in the very near future, that Texan accent was going to get the medic punched in the face.

  Jax waited patiently at the head of the table, taking turns between glaring at the empty doorway and glowering at Raze. Bruises mottled the left side of his face, while his right side sported a darkening black eye. A small cut near his chin had stopped bleeding but still looked red and painful.

  Raze grinned and then winced when his busted lip protested.

  Vinnie and Lynne stumbled through the doorway.

  Raze leaned back. Vinnie’s hair cascaded wildly over her shoulders, and a very pretty pink blush colored her classic features. Her blue eyes were watery and a little unfocused.

  He stood and grasped her arm, leading her to sit next to him before she could take a seat across the table. To his surprise, she followed easily and sat, both hands holding a leather bound journal.

  The smell of tequila wafted up.

  Jax yanked out the chair to his right. “Lynne?”

  She inched across the room and dropped into the seat, turning a brilliant smile on the Vanguard leader.

  Raze turned Vinnie’s chair so she had to face him. “Have you been drinking?”

  She shook her head and hiccupped. Damn, she was adorable. Sexy and adorable.

  Sami snorted from the end of the table, where she had her boots firmly planted as she kicked back in the executive chair. “It’s not nice to drink alone.”

  “Just one shot,” Lynne slurred, her eyes nevertheless alert. “It has been so long, I guess it really affected us.”

  “We’ll talk about it later.” Jax shook his head. “Raze? Tell us everything you know about the Mercs.”

  Raze left his hand on Vinnie’s chair, wanting to explore this new aspect of her later—now was the time to work. He needed to trust Jax and his guys with the Mercs. So he took a deep breath and related everything Ash had told him, as well as what he’d picked up on his own through the last few months. “I don’t think the Mercs want to harm Vinnie, but I don’t trust their long-term plans after they get the information they want from her.”

  “There’s only one way to find out,” Vinnie mumbled.

  Raze shook his head. “No. Now that I finally know where the exchange is supposed to take place, I’m going in to get Maureen, and you’re staying here. It’s too risky to turn you over. It’s not going to happen.”

  Her eyes widened. “You’ve agreed already. It’s the only way to find your sister.”

  “No,” Raze said.

  Jax nodded. “Agreed. You, Sami, and I will go in fast and stealthy.” He stood and walked over to where a bunch of pictures showed the Civic Center.

  Raze eyed the pictures. “What I wouldn’t give for an air attack.”

  “Amen to that,” Jax said absently.

  Vinnie slapped her hands on the table. “I should go to the rendezvous point, and we should negotiate from there.” She turned her gaze on Raze. “Greyson Storm wants information from me, and I’m happy to tell him what I know, which isn’t much. I can convince him of that, he’ll turn over your sister, and then we can all live safely behind Vanguard walls.”

  Raze barked out a laugh, with Jax not far behind with his own chortle.

  Vinnie’s lips turned down, and her chin jutted out. “What is so funny?”

  Lynne elbowed Jax in the gut, and he stopped laughing, cutting her a warning look. Then he focused back on Vinnie. “Doc? Greyson Storm ain’t letting you go if he gets his hands on you. Like it or not, you’re a valuable commodity with your knowledge of sociopaths and the president.”

  Vinnie sat back, her frown deepening.

  “In addition, I’m thinking Shadow here has figured out the same thing about his sister. Does she have value to Greyson?” Jax drawled.

  Irritation clawed through Raze. “Yes.”

  “Why?” Sami asked from behind her boots.

  Raze sighed. “Maureen is one of the top agriculture and food growth specialists in the world. She was working at the university on a research grant to grow food for undeveloped countries.”

  “Food. Well. That’s not very important,” Jax said, a snap in his voice.

  Raze couldn’t blame him for the anger. “I know. She’s valuable as
more than a bargaining chip. Even if we pretend to trade Vinnie, no way will Greyson let Maureen go. It’d be like you letting Harmony go.”

  Lynne lifted an eyebrow. “That’s because he adores me.”

  Raze shook his head. “Adoration or not, there’s no way the Vanguard leader lets Blue Heart leave, even if she wanted to go.”

  Lynne glowered. “That’s not true.” She twisted to face Jax. “Right?”

  He met her gaze. “We’ll discuss it later.”

  Her head lifted, and awareness dawned. “You bet your ass we will.”

  Jax gave Raze a killing look. “What do you know about Greyson Storm?”

  “He’s ex-military sniper. I knew of him, and he knew of me, but that’s about it. I believe he was one of the best,” Raze said.

  “How did he get your sister?” Lynne asked, scooting her chair away from Jax’s.

  “She stayed at the University to continue her work, knowing the country would need viable new food sources. Greyson captured her there, I believe.” Raze forced fear out of his gut. His sister was fine. She had to be.

  Jax yanked Lynne’s chair back in place. “He took your sister, knowing of your ability to hunt and track anybody. He figured you’d be able to get your hands on Vinnie.”

  Raze leaned back and fingered the pounding bruise on his forearm. “That and the fact that I worked with the FBI right when Scorpius started making serial killers. I was reassigned, and I took care of some of the worst.” He didn’t need to go into details. If there was somebody to hunt, he was the guy, and the government had known it. “There’s a good chance Greyson believes Vinnie and I crossed paths.”

  “But we hadn’t,” Vinnie said.

  “That you knew of,” Raze drawled. “I took point in Charleston when you were trying to capture the Ripper who’d killed all of those roller hockey players.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “We didn’t catch him. He ended up dead.”

  “Yeah,” Raze said softly.

  She leaned back, her eyes widening as she must’ve realized he’d taken the shot. “Did you see me?”

  “Yes. Part of my orders were to ensure your safety. Then I got called to work with the Brigade in Colorado, and I left. Next thing I heard, about two months later, was that the president had you and Greyson wanted you.” At that point, his entire focus had changed.