Justice Ascending

by Rebecca Zanetti

  Sami jumped up and put her body between Tace and Jax before one of them went crazy. “Stop it. He didn’t yell at me.”

  Jax shoved to his feet, and glass fell all around him. “She was crying about you, asshole.”

  For a guy with a temper, Jax seemed surprisingly all right with being thrown through a glass door. Sami looked from one to the other, her knees wobbling and her head aching. Her nose kind of hurt from crying, too.

  Tace glared down at her. “You were crying because of me?”

  She faltered. “No.”

  “Yes,” Jax countered, stomping by them. “Clean this mess up, Justice. You’re in charge of finding a replacement door. Sami, you go assist Vinnie, and Tace, you and Raze get back out there and find me explosives.”

  Tace reached out and ran a knuckle down Sami’s swollen face. Her insides quivered.

  Jax half turned. “You two have ten minutes to get the personal shit ironed out right now, or I’m shooting you both and leaving you for the Twenty gang to find.” He kicked glass out of his way and disappeared inside, muttering about motherfuckers and glass doors.

  Sami swallowed.

  Tace breathed out and looked at the bloody glass on the ground. “So. Guess we should talk.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Love makes phenomenal soldiers act like morons. I know . . . I did.

  —Jax Mercury

  Glass still tinkling down from his jeans, Jax leaned his head around Lynne’s door. His woman sat muttering to herself while sketching out the Bunker. “If the labs are here, then supplies for the labs should be here and here.” She made notations as she talked.

  “Blue?” he asked.

  She jerked and looked up, welcoming him with a smile. “Jax.”

  That smile kicked him in the chest every time. “Do you mind stitching me up?”

  She jumped to her feet and was at his side in a second. “Oh my. What the hell?” She gently pulled his hand away from the bleeding wound on his upper arm. “Is that glass?”

  He winced. “Yeah. I walked away like a badass, but the glass has to come out.” It was starting to really hurt, but that just meant he was healing.

  She yanked off her flowery shirt to press against his wound. The blue of her heart glowed through her plain white bra.

  “Put that back on.” He tried to pull away and make sure nobody was around.

  She faltered. “Oh. My heart. Sometimes I forget the blue bothers people.”

  He didn’t give a shit about the blue tone or if it bothered anybody. “No, your tits. Those are mine and mine only.” He ushered her toward the one remaining examination room and shut the door. “I’m happy to prove it to you right now if you wish.” He kept his voice low and direct.

  She rolled her pretty green eyes. “Okay, tough guy. Sit on the table, and I’ll get Tace. He’s much better at stitching people up.”

  “Tace punched me through the glass door.” Jax jumped onto the table.

  Lynne paused. “Is he still breathing?”

  “Yes,” Jax sighed. “He thought I made Sami cry, and he reacted, which was probably a good thing so they can get their shit figured out. So I didn’t kill him. See? I’m growing as a person.”

  Lynne hustled to the counter and yanked out surgical stuff that looked pointy and painful. “You really are.” She returned with a syringe. “Can I give you a local?”

  “No. Save it for when we really need it.” He tugged off his shirt and barely kept from wincing as the material pulled against his wounds.

  Lynne frowned but leaned in and picked glass out with a pair of huge tweezers.

  He drew in a breath and centered himself, allowing the pain into his body. “I sent more drawings of Marcus out with scavengers and scouts earlier this morning, telling them to tack them to trees and leave them in various places.”

  Lynne bent her head closer to dig out a stubborn piece of glass. “That’s good.”

  “I’m starting to think I’m just crazy.” Jax kept still so she could do the job right. His enemy, the one he’d killed weeks ago, had hinted that his younger brother was still alive after Scorpius. Jax had held on to that one possibility with both hands, when it probably was just another lie in a world full of them. “Do you think I’m crazy?”

  She lifted up and pressed a kiss to his mouth. “No. We all need hope.”

  Yeah, and it didn’t hurt anything to send out drawings, now did it? He sucked in air when Lynne pressed the needle into his flesh.

  “Please let me give you a local,” she whispered.

  “No.” They needed to hoard what few drugs they had. What if one of the kids got hurt and needed a local? “I’m fine, baby. Just finish up, and then I’ll show you how much I like your tits.”

  “You’re impossible,” she said, biting her lip as she continued stitching.

  The door opened, and Tace poked his head in. “I’m sorry, Jax.”

  Jax glanced down to make sure Lynne’s back was to Tace before answering. “I’ve been there, and I understand. Take care of it so neither of you gets dead during the next mission.”

  Tace nodded. “Sami went to provide backup for Vinnie, and I’m heading out with Raze to find explosives. I promise Sami and I will reach an understanding tonight, whatever that may be.”

  Jax lifted an eyebrow. So they were going to act like morons for a little while longer. He didn’t have time for this shit. “I thought you were reaching said understanding last night when furniture was broken, somebody got spanked, and you ended up with a black eye.”

  Tace’s head jerked back.

  Jax smiled, finally feeling better about the entire situation. “The walls are thin, buddy.”

  Lynne slapped a bandage over Jax’s stitches with a little more force than was necessary. “Jax. Geez.”

  He grabbed her arm before she could turn around. That bra concealed absolutely nothing. His mouth watered. “Go away, Tace.”

  The door shut with a soft click.

  Lynne’s mouth dropped open. “Are you joking?”

  Jax hopped off the table, grasped her hip, and put her right back on it with his good arm. “Isn’t the examination room one of those kinky fantasies people have?”

  Her eyes widened, and that had to be horror filling them. “God, no. Definitely not. Ewww.”

  “What about you and me in a private room all by ourselves that happens to double as something else?” He tugged down the middle of her bra and dipped in to see her pretty pink nipples.

  She slapped his hands without much force. “Jax. It’s the middle of the day.”

  He paused and then looked at her, humor attacking him so quickly he threw back his head and laughed. The middle of the day? Seriously? God, he fuckin’ loved her. “It’s time to explore a little, Dr. Lynne Harmony.”

  “Explore?” she burst out. “Are you kidding me? We’ve explored nearly every possible way there is.”

  True. He flattened his good hand between her breasts and pushed down. She fought him, but without any leverage, she was soon flat on her back.

  Finally. His day was looking up.

  * * *

  Sami slipped into Vinnie’s office and looked around. Vinnie glanced up from her desk. “Zachary had to run back to his church to get records, but he should return any moment.” She gestured toward the sitting area. “Let’s chat.”

  Sami sighed and dropped into one of two seats. They’d let Zachary take the sofa. The second Jax had started trusting Vinnie, he’d ordered all of his soldiers to get one-on-one time with the shrink to work on feelings and stuff. Sami had managed to avoid doing so up until now. “What do you want to chat about?”

  Vinnie smiled and moved to take her seat, crossing her legs beneath a green pencil skirt.

  “What’s up with the skirts lately?” Sami asked. The post-apocalyptic world called for jeans or yoga pants, not fancy clothes.

  “Raze found a bunch of skirts on a mission a few days ago, and he likes it when I wear them.” Vinnie smoothed down
the skirt. “Plus, I’m trying to be a shrink to people, so I figure looking the part is a good thing? Who knows.”

  Sami tapped her cargo pants. “All right.”

  Vinnie’s eyes sparkled in a classic face. “How are you and Tace doing?”

  “Considering I lied to him from day one? I’d have to say that we are not doing all that well,” Sami said quietly. Although Tace had just put Jax through a glass door on her behalf, so that had to mean something.

  “Yeah, well, men feel like fools when they’ve been lied to, but a good night of sex when they get their own back usually helps. It kinda sounded like that happened last night.” Vinnie pushed long blond hair away from her cheeks. “Right?”

  Heat blossomed into Sami’s face. “You heard us?”

  “Thin walls, sister.” Vinnie leaned forward. “Tace looks like he’d be a champion in bed, you know? Is he?”

  Sami choked. “Is a shrink supposed to ask that?”

  “Hell if I know.” Vinnie tapped her fingers on her bare knee. “I’m not really a shrink. So is he all hot and sexy?”

  “Is Raze?” Sami shot back.

  “Oh my, yes. Raze is over-the-top dominant, sweet, and sexy all at the same time. In fact—”

  Sami held up a hand. “I work with the guy, Vinnie. Let’s leave it at that.” Geez. Raze was a fellow soldier, for Pete’s sake; she’d just wanted to throw Vinnie off balance. Since Vinnie was pretty much off balance anyway, clearly it had been a miscalculation. Although, settling in for girl talk filled Sami with a few warm fuzzies. She’d missed her sister, and Vinnie had a way of drawing her in.

  “So. Tace in bed?” Vinnie asked.

  Sami sighed. “Fine. He’s very good in bed. Hot and sexy. A little scary last night, to be honest.”

  “Yet you enjoyed it.” Vinnie lifted her eyebrows up and down.

  “Yes.” Sami frowned. “I shouldn’t have, but I did, so life is just all sorts of screwed up.”

  “Eh.” Vinnie reached for a pencil and pad of paper. “Sounds like you guys are getting back on track. What do you want from him, anyway?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “That’s fair.”

  Sami eyed the small office. “I don’t want a shrink, Vinnie.”

  “How about a friend?” Vinnie tapped her pencil end over end. “I like you, and we can be friends. Do girl talk and stuff.”

  “Isn’t that what we were just doing?” Sami asked.

  “Yep.”

  Sami nodded, and her throat clogged. “I’m scared, Vinnie. I’m scared we won’t be able to find the enzyme for Tace and he’ll die. Worse yet, I’m afraid that if I had spoken up earlier, we’d have that cure now and it’s my fault it’s too late.” The words burst out of her.

  Vinnie sighed. “I understand, but the second you realized what was wrong with Tace, you came clean. You sacrificed your safety here, your position here, the very minute you thought you could help him. That means something.”

  Sami let the words sink in, but her chest still ached. What if?

  Vinnie stiffened, and then Pastor Zachary King strode into the room like he owned the entire building. His nose was swollen and his left eye purple from Tace’s attack.

  Vinnie smiled. “We’re not finished talking, Sami. As you know, Jax would like a determination as to duty fitness, so we’ll continue later.” She sounded all official, which was probably a cover for Zach.

  Sami played along and scowled. “I had not known that fact.”

  Vinnie smiled. “Yep.” She looked up. “Zachary? Please take a seat on the sofa.”

  Zachary looked from Sami to Vinnie, each in her own chair. There was no doubt the sofa was not the power center of the room. Yet he moved by Vinnie and gracefully sat. “It was kind of you to meet with me, Doctor Wellington.”

  Oh, he was smooth.

  “I’m so happy we have time to speak,” Vinnie said easily. “Did you bring me a list of your church members?”

  Zachary’s lip twisted. “I did not. I do apologize, Doctor, but the church elders have decided that our list is private, just like it would have been in years past.”

  “The world has changed, Zach,” Sami interjected.

  Vinnie leaned forward, her face set in sympathetic lines. “Pastor King, surely you understand Jax’s concern about people being coerced into joining or staying with your church. He has a duty to all of Vanguard, and those are Vanguard citizens. He must make sure they’re all right.”

  Zachary nodded. “I do see his dilemma, but my hands are tied. If people don’t want to be part of the Pure, then they’re free to leave. That’s all the assurance I can give today.”

  “Are you planning on leaving Vanguard?” Sami asked.

  “We have not decided at this point. Best-case scenario would be for us to remain in place, safely behind Vanguard walls. I do understand this isn’t a fair request.” Zachary spread his hands out as if helpless.

  Sami kicked back. “I have a list of your church members, Zachary.”

  He glanced her way. “Excuse me?”

  “Oh, it took important time I could’ve spent elsewhere, but we’ve conducted housing checks on every Vanguard member, cross-checked those against intakes from the beginning, and we now know exactly who is living in the three Pure apartment buildings.” Sami watched the pastor carefully. No flinch. He didn’t care.

  “Oh then.” He smiled. “I guess the meeting is over.”

  “No. Are there any Pure members living outside those three apartments?” Sami asked.

  He shrugged. “Maybe a couple, and definitely potential members are living outside our quarters, but not many.”

  “Good. So now we know.” Vinnie made a notation in her book. “We’ll need to schedule one-on-one appointments with each member to ensure they’re willing participants, and then we can put all this to bed.” She tore out a sheet of paper with times listed on it. “Have folks sign up.”

  He took the page. “I’ll have all my men sign up today and bring the paper back later tonight.”

  Vinnie faltered. “That’s a great start. Women and children sign up tomorrow?”

  Sami’s body tensed.

  Zachary neatly folded the paper in two. “I’m sorry if I wasn’t clear. Our women and children must be protected from Scorpius. Few of them are willing to leave the safety of our compound.”

  “They’re the ones we’re worried about, Zach,” Sami said evenly.

  “Pastor King or Zachary, please.” He finally turned to face her directly. “As I hear it, you’re no longer in the inner circle, so please mind your own business.” He angled his head toward the door. “Your psychotic bodyguard isn’t here to defend your honor this time.”

  She pushed to the edge of her chair, her chest heating. “Oh, Zach. If you think I need Tace around to kick your ass three ways to Sunday, you’re sorely mistaken. I can make what Tace did to you look like a first date.”

  Vinnie pressed her lips together, and her eyes twinkled. She cleared her throat. “Pastor King, we need to interview every single member of the Pure. How can you make that happen?”

  “I can’t,” he said.

  “What are you afraid they’ll tell us?” Sami asked, naturally countering Vinnie’s respectful tone. Who said she couldn’t be LAPD? Here she was already mastering good cop–bad cop. “You seem more scared of the truth than of Scorpius.”

  Vinnie leaned forward. “We can make provisions for their safety, and you know it.”

  His chin lowered, and he barely touched the shiny bruise beneath his eye. “Can you?”

  “Yes, and you’re the only one who can make these meetings happen, so please do so. Jax Mercury won’t let kids or other vulnerable citizens leave without an interview, and as impressive as your forces may be, you won’t win in a battle with him or the Vanguard soldiers. Especially since the Mercs are now our allies,” Vinnie said gently. “Work with me, Pastor.”

  Sami kicked back. “You don’t have a choice.”

  Chapte
r Twenty-Three

  I think I’ve had worse ideas . . . maybe?

  —Tace Justice

  When he strode into the war rooms close to midnight, Tace was pleased to see Sami still included with the Vanguard soldiers as they sat around the conference table, all looking at a drawing of the Bunker.

  Jax waited until he’d sat. “Before we get started, anybody want to hit Sami for lying?”

  Tace stiffened.

  Nobody moved. “All right. It’s over, we’ve moved on, and Sami is forgiven. If there is any personal crap between any of you and Sami, get it taken care of within twenty-four hours, or I’m slicing you open like a trout.” Jax fingered a bandage covering his upper arm.

  Lynne opened a notebook. “I would like more information on Scorpius survivors’ rejection of vitamin B.”

  Sami shook her head, lines fanning out from her eyes. “All I know is that some enzyme or medicine took care of it. The information is at the Bunker, as is the enzyme.” She kept her gaze on Lynne, looking exhausted. Tace should’ve made sure she’d gotten some sleep the night before.

  Lynne bit her lip. “How bad can it get?”

  “The condition leads to death if not treated, which is why I’ve come forward,” Sami said, her voice catching.

  Tace’s heart thumped twice. She’d exposed herself to save him. “I appreciate it.”

  She turned even paler. “I wish I knew more about the actual science, but that wasn’t my job, and I didn’t pay any attention. I’m sorry.”

  He wanted to reach for her hand, to touch her somehow, but she was all the way across the table. Next time he’d arrive early and sit closer to her.

  “Moving on for now.” Jax looked around. “Who’s next?”

  Vinnie leaned forward. “After meeting with Pastor Zachary, Sami and I have interviewed twenty of the Pure men, and they all fanatically want to stay with the Pure and follow Zach.”

  Sami nodded and gave a mock shudder. “Was kind of creepy, really.”

  Vinnie patted a notebook in front of her. “I think Zach sent his most ardent followers to meet with us first. We’re still trying to figure out a way to meet with the women and children.”