She reached for his hand and patted his knuckles. “You can talk to your brother if you need to talk. How about that?”
“I never need to talk.” He flipped his hand over and captured hers. “How did you know about my morning, anyway?”
“Larry needed stitches and came in and told me.” She caught his reaction and shook her head. “I don’t think he was actually trying to cause problems, to be honest. He just said that you said things were casual and asked me to dinner if I was free.”
She was definitely not free. Marcus made a mental note to make sure good ole Larry went on the mission up north with him. The last thing he needed was Larry dogging Penny while he went to Portland. “Oh.”
“You’re not mad?” she asked.
He rubbed his thumb along her hand, holding the fragile bones lightly. “Not mad but confused. How am I supposed to tell Larry to back the hell off my woman when I can’t tell people that we’re together?” This relationship issue was getting complicated.
“Your woman?” Her grip tightened on his hand and her voice slightly rose.
Probably barbaric words. “That’s how I feel.” He shrugged. Lying to her wasn’t an option.
“You’re feeling?” Her tone hushed and she leaned toward him.
“Maybe?” His gaze dropped to her smooth lips. “I think so. Maybe. I don’t like that Larry asked you out, and I’d like to punch him in the neck.” He lifted his gaze and caught the narrowing of her eyes. “Although I won’t.”
She took another bite of her eggs with her free hand. “Where were you last night?”
His gut chilled. “Searching the territory with Jax.” That was the truth.
“Find anything?”
“A lot of drugs and guns.” He’d lost his appetite, although had he really had one? Penny became sad whenever she found out about Rippers, and knowing about the ones he’d killed just hours ago would give her that look again. Should he spare her from that? So far, he hadn’t lied.
“Did you get any lead on those Rippers?” She finally pushed her plate away.
Darn it. “Yes. We found where they were being kept, but we don’t know who was keeping them.” He leaned toward her, lowering his voice. “It’s a secret only the top lieutenants know right now until we catch the person who was torturing them. Okay?”
She swallowed. “How many were there?”
“Seven.” He wanted to pull her around the table to sit on his lap, but since she didn’t like folks knowing they were having sex, she probably wouldn’t like that. “Did you get any sleep last night?”
She nodded. “Lynne, Tace, and I took turns with the ill Pure members, so we all got some sleep. I missed you, though.” Vulnerability shone in her eyes for a brief moment.
That was it. He didn’t give a crap what people thought. He leaned over, plucked her from her seat, and settled her smack dab in his lap. When she opened her mouth, either to admonish him or laugh, he kissed her, going deep and seeking warmth.
She kissed him back, her hand cupping his jaw.
He released her when he figured she needed to breathe. “I’m not good at keeping things under wraps.”
She coughed deep in her throat. “I noticed.” Apparently also giving up the battle, she snuggled her nose into his neck and went soft in his arms. “I’m sorry you had a rough night, and I won’t ask you any more questions about it.” Of course she knew what he’d had to do.
“Thank you.” He warmed even more. “I like it when people don’t make me talk.”
She chuckled against his skin, spiraling warm tingles through his body. “I’ve noticed. For the record, I’m not asking you for anything except discretion.”
He kissed the top of her head. “This probably doesn’t count as discreet.”
“No. It does not.”
Well, he’d done his best. Besides, shouldn’t she be asking for something? She was sharing herself with him, her apartment and herself, and she could have anybody in the world she wanted. Did he want her to ask for something? To demand something? If so, what did he have in him to give? While he might have experienced a feeling or two, there was no doubt he was different. What if he never felt anything else? She deserved better.
She lifted up, her eyes sleepy. “You are thinking so hard right now, I can feel it.”
Huh. He usually wasn’t much of a thinker—more of a doer. “Yeah. I don’t like it.”
She smiled and shook her head, leaning up. “All right. Before I get busy in the clinic, when are we leaving for Portland? I need time to put a few things together.”
He paused. “We? You’re not going to Portland.” Who knew what kind of resistance they’d face at the Bunker, not to mention the roving killers they’d encounter on the way. “I’m leaving tomorrow at dawn, since Jax had some stuff he needed to get done here first. You’re staying here.”
“The hell I am.” She pushed on his chest to stand up.
So much for peace.
27
The man is nuts if he thinks he can’t feel anything. He’s a walking possessive Neanderthal. That has to mean something, right? For Pete’s sake. This journal is supposed to be about work. Until we get to that Bunker, I don’t have interesting things to write. Except that Marcus definitely has feelings, damn it.
—Doctor Penelope Kim, Journal
Penelope met Lynne in the war room just as dawn began to crack across the sky outside. Rain fell lightly, spitting off the pavement. “You ready?”
“Yep.” Lynne slung a backpack over her shoulders and settled it into place. “Did Marcus give you a nice goodbye this morning? By that, I mean, plenty of lecture on staying safe while he was off fighting?”
Penelope smiled. “Yes. Pretty much all of that.” Both of them had been so exhausted last night that they’d dropped into bed, falling instantly to sleep. Marcus had awakened her with a kiss on the nose and a goodbye before launching into said lecture. “I take it that Jax had a similar litany of orders for you while he took off?”
“Yes,” Lynne said, straightening as the brothers strode into the war-room and stopped cold. “Hi. Are the vehicles ready?”
Jax frowned, and darn if it wasn’t a scary sight. “Blue? What are you doing up?”
Marcus grasped Penelope’s arm and pulled her around to face him. “You need more sleep, and I already said goodbye. You don’t have to be here.”
She tried to concentrate on her argument and not the sight of him in black cargo pants, black boots, and a dark T-shirt that stretched across his wide chest in a way that could only be described as mouth-watering. “I’m here because I’m going to Portland.”
“No. I already said no.” Again, he sounded confused. “Remember?”
“Yes, Marcus. I remember.” She patted her chest and looked over her shoulder to make sure Lynne was holding her own with a pissed-off Jax Mercury. She partially turned so she and Lynne stood shoulder-to-shoulder. “Lynne and I decided that we had to go to Portland with you.”
“No,” Jax bit out.
“Why?” Marcus asked.
Penelope jumped on the opening. “Time really is working against us, and we have to see what’s there. I need the medical records and Lynne needs the research. Do you guys even know what you’re looking for in a lab?”
Marcus shook his head. “No, but we’ll grab everything and bring it back to you here, where you’re nicely guarded.” He still sounded reasonable, but a muscle ticked right beneath his jaw. Or bulged. Yeah. It bulged.
Jax cleared his throat, looking deadly. “You both are needed here. Period.”
Lynne rolled her eyes, and Penelope fought a gasp as Lynne started to talk. “Jax, I’m not needed here. I’ve gone through all of the research I can, and there’s nothing new. I was the head of infectious disease with the CDC, and I’ll know better than anybody if there’s valuable research at the Portland lab. It’s silly to make me wait days while you clear it out, just in case there’s something helpful there.”
“Agreed,” Pen
elope said, standing tall. “I have Tace covering the clinic here, and the pregnant women are losing too much time. If there’s a possibility of a cure there, I have to find it.” She went in for the kill. “More importantly, if the Bunker is still operational, there will be much better machinery there. We may need to do our research there, anyway.” A box of blood samples from the pregnant women sat by the door ready to go.
Lynne nodded. “We both are armed and can shoot, and we’ll do our best to stay out of the way in case of a fight. The bottom line is that we are going to Portland.”
Jax’s lids half-lowered.
Penelope swallowed quickly. “Agreed. Either we go with you guys, or we go later today when you’re already gone.”
“Huh,” Marcus said, cocking his head and studying her with those deep eyes. “I believe you’re pissing me off.”
Her mouth dropped open.
“Yep. That’s anger. I’m wondering who to ask to untie you from the bed after I’ve gone,” he mused, the hardening of his jaw something new. Something that stole her breath and ticked her off at the same time.
“Now wait a minute,” she said, bracing her feet out of instinct.
Marcus crossed his arms. “The parameters of this relationship are clear, remember? You keep safe and I try to have feelings. Well, guess what? I’m having a shitload of feelings right now, and you’re making yourself unsafe in the process. Think about if you really want to go down this path.”
Oh, he did not.
Lynne snorted. “Yep. They’re definitely brothers.”
Jax pinched the bridge of his nose as if trying to stave off a horrendous headache. “Listen, you two. Before either one of you goes right into the zone of calling me a chauvinist, I’d like to remind you that one of my top lieutenants, hell, the best fighter we have, is Sami Steel, and she’s a woman. You two do not have her training or skills.” The scar stood out down the side of his face. “You have other training and skills, and you’re the best in your fields. I need you to do your jobs.”
Marcus nodded. “Nicely said. We have no idea what kind of fight we’ll find at the Bunker, and as much as I like sharing my feelings with you, I’d prefer you didn’t see me go nuts once I’m back in that place.”
Oh, he didn’t get to be vulnerable with her as a guilt tactic. “You might need me,” Penelope said calmly. “Either as your girlfriend or as a doctor. We’re going, Marcus. It’s up to you if it’s with you or not.” She had a job to do, too. “I’ve promised those women that I’d do everything I can to help them, and that means we go.”
Byron kicked open the door with Jill in his arms. The girl was bent over, clutching her stomach. “Doc Penny? We have a problem.”
Being helpless wasn’t in Marcus’s skill set. He paced the reception area of the clinic as Penny and Tace worked furiously in the examination room with Jill, who had to still be in her teens. Byron was in there, and Marcus couldn’t imagine how helpless he felt. Jax leaned against the doorjamb, looking even angrier than he had earlier.
Lynne sat in a chair, staring off into space.
The rest of the team waited in the war rooms, double checking ammunition and gear. He wanted to go help them, to do something, anything, but he waited to help Penny if she needed him.
Finally, Penny emerged from the room, her eyes wary and her shoulders down.
Lynne stood, wringing her hands. “How is she?”
Penny took a deep breath. “We stopped the contractions with Terbutaline, and the baby’s heartbeat is still steady, so I’m hopeful.” She pushed a stray piece of hair away from her eyes.
Lynne frowned. “Terbutaline only stops labor for a few days—at the longest.”
“I know,” Penny said, looking at Marcus. “We have to get to that Bunker. Now.”
Well, that was that, then. “All right.” He couldn’t very well force her to stay there when she might be able to help Jill. And Maureen. And the other pregnant women he didn’t know as well. “We need to double the number of soldiers going, Jax.”
Jax shook his head. “We still have somebody here trying to hurt us, and I need everyone on patrol. We have the force necessary to get to Portland safely, and breaching the Bunker will take a small team. This is what we’ve got.”
Well, shit. All right. They had a squad of twelve, plus Penny and Lynne, and that would have to do. He’d chosen the team on purpose and spent half the night preparing them. Now he didn’t need Larry to come with them, but the team was set. Plus, the surfer dude could shoot.
“Penny rides with me,” Marcus said. “I’ll take Raze’s truck, and he can take the motorcycle and scout ahead.” Marcus had preferred to ride the bike, fast and loose, but not with Penny’s safety at hand.
Jax shook his head. “Let Raze take the bike, but you two ride in my truck with us. I’ll have it positioned dead center of all vehicles, so we can protect the doctors easier.”
Marcus nodded, mentally calculating what additional weapons he’d need since he wouldn’t be on the bike. His brother looked tense, and he could relate. This could be a total disaster, but he didn’t see an alternative. “We don’t even know for sure that I remember the right place.” It was possible one of the different Bunkers had been at a golf course, and his memories were just clashing together.
“All we can do is look,” Jax said grimly. “I thought we could swing by the proposed settlement place, but we’ll have to do that once we get this pregnancy issue taken care of.”
One thing at a time. Marcus looked at Jax, his mind spinning. How the hell had his brother shouldered all of this responsibility, all of these lives, during the pandemic? He was stronger than Marcus could imagine, and they were brothers. “I’ve got your back,” he said quietly.
Jax blinked. Emotion darkened his brown eyes. “Ditto.”
All right. Had to be said. Marcus took Penny’s hand and walked with her out of the clinic. “You said you are armed. With what?” He walked through the cafeteria to the war rooms, nodding as she listed the Lady Smith and Wesson. “Good. Let’s get you another, smaller gun and a couple of knives.” He paused. “Do you know how to fight with a knife?”
“Um, you just stab, right?” she asked, glancing at the rain outside.
Okay. Maybe not a knife. “Let’s stick with guns. Please tell me you really have been trained.”
She nodded. “I have, and I’m a pretty good shot.”
That was fantastic, but would she shoot a person? He didn’t have time to worry about it, because they had to get on the road and now. “Remember the rules for danger?”
“Yep.” She lifted a small box off the floor, a sense of urgency in her jerky movements. “We don’t have ice, but I need this to stay in the coolest place in the truck. Since it’s cool outside, maybe in the back, beneath the lid?”
“Sure.” He moved to the glass door of the vestibule and opened it for her, eyeing the darkening clouds. “The storm might be helpful if the Rippers out there take shelter.” As far as he could tell, they didn’t like getting wet. He tried not to think about the ones he’d had to kill. What a sad ending to what might’ve been good lives. “Hop in the back, Penny.”
She did so, taking her pack with her.
Jax emerged from the building, his sunglasses on his face, even though it was cloudy. He looked at the team and their vehicles before reaching his brother.
“We’ll take turns driving,” Marcus said, not liking being out of control.
“That’s fine,” Jax agreed. “It’s my truck, so I’m driving first. You’re on point. Shoot anything that moves once we’re out of the territory.”
Not a problem. Marcus shoved his hair back with one hand. “Have those Rippers been identified?” He lowered his voice so the rest of the team couldn’t hear.
“No,” Jax said. “These Rippers were destroyed and it was hard to identify any humanness in them.” He coughed several times as if trying not to throw up. “The other Rippers we put down were from outside territory, and I have no clue who f
ound them and brought them in.”
They’d find out soon enough. “Did you get the list of people who don’t live in headquarters or the other apartments?” It should be easy to whittle this down.
Jax shook his head. “Not yet. We apparently haven’t kept very good records of who lives where. So I’m only taking soldiers from headquarters on this mission today.”
“Who’s on the house waiting for our bad guy?” Marcus looked over the motorcycle Raze was checking out.
“Right now, Damon and Quincy,” Jax said. “They’ll rotate with Byron and Greyson. Just the four of them know.”
Marcus opened the back door so he could sit by Penelope. “I’d rather Grey and Damon were with us.” He wanted their firepower.
“I know, but I need them here in case we all die,” Jax said, turning away.
Marcus jolted. Everyone thought he was too honest. “Good plan,” he muttered. The wind increased, whispering no secrets. He looked at the small doctor sitting quietly in the back, studying something in a notebook. Her gun lay uselessly on the seat next to her.
This was such a mistake. The president was gunning for them, and at some point, he was going to actually win one. It couldn’t be this time. Not when Penny’s life was involved.
He stretched into the seat next to her, took her notebook away, and handed her the gun. “If you want to come, you’re a soldier on the way and not a doctor.” For the first time since he could remember, he had something to lose. His gaze caught on his older brother as he and Lynne jumped into the front seats.
Hell. Marcus suddenly had a lot to lose.
28
When did we get to a point where good fortune was something to be wary of? It probably doesn’t matter, because we’re here now. Good fortune fled long ago.
—Doctor Penelope Kim, Journal
“I always thought California would succumb to the big earthquake and fall into the sea,” Penelope mused, sitting in the front seat with Marcus driving. “Never imagined it’d be fire.” They’d driven all day through the storm, seeing the decimated forests and towns along the way, having to take back roads several times and adding hours to their trek. The fires had been brutal. “Is it true that the president and his Elite Force set the fires on purpose?”
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