“Well, I guess we’re on our own, then,” Penelope said, chills springing up along her back.
A figure hovered in the doorway. “Hey, gang. Doctor Penelope?”
Dread filled Penelope as she partially turned to face Maureen Shadow. “Hi, Moe. What’s up?”
Maureen, her blue eyes wide, held a hand against her stomach. “I’m having bad cramps and maybe labor? It’s too early, even for Scorpius, right?”
There was no too early. Penelope sprang out of her chair.
Marcus finished outlining a plan on the white board in Jax’s main war room, his mind clicking and his emotions at bay again. It was odd to be having them, and frankly, they got in the way. He stood back and crossed his arms, looking over the schematics. Yeah, the scouts had done a good job of looking for cleared roads as well as still functioning gas stations, because they’d need both.
He didn’t like having six hundred people counting on his plan. The pressure was intense, and he was a guy who didn’t give a shit about pressure. But his brother did, and that mattered.
“Well?” Jax strode into the room, a fresh bandage across his forehead. He’d been cut in the blast the day before and had stupidly ignored the injury until he’d needed stitches this morning. “You about done?”
“Yeah.” Marcus took a step back. “We go in a caravan, all at once. Before the pandemic, the drive would’ve taken a vehicle slightly longer than fifteen hours. It’ll take us probably around twenty-five, and I say we go and don’t stop except for gasoline and bathroom breaks.” He moved to the one other board, where he’d used the only marker available, making it all bright pink. “If we rotate drivers, then we should be okay.”
“What’s the advantage gained by taking the risk of using lights during the night?” Jax asked.
Marcus nodded. “Moving this many people at once isn’t going to be subtle, anyway. Might as well go for it. This saves us the time and pain in the ass of trying to bed six hundred people down for a night and keep them safe. If we’re going to do this, let’s do it.” He’d thought through every scenario, and this made the most sense. “The Pure folks will have their own bus and rotate their own drivers, so they won’t fear infection.”
“It’s a good plan, Slam,” Jax said, leaning back against the table. “I wish we could stay here.”
“The security is good here,” Marcus agreed. “Except for the Rippers. I take it the person keeping those Rippers hasn’t shown up yet?”
Jax shook his head. “Not once. It’s possible that whoever was with us at the Bunker and called the president is the same person keeping the Rippers here. But I only chose soldiers who live in headquarters, and I’ve spent all morning interviewing each one of them, including Raze just to get his perceptions.”
“Somebody could live at headquarters and still keep those Rippers in that house.” Marcus clicked through facts. “My money is on Larry. He seems shady to me.” In fact, maybe Marcus should take a turn interviewing people.
Jax sighed. “You don’t like Larry because he’s a cool surfer dude who has the hots for Penny.”
“Yeah. Doesn’t mean I’m wrong. I get a bad vibe from him.” It totally made sense that Larry was the one keeping Rippers. There was something off about him.
Jax chuckled. “Keep telling yourself that. The sad truth is that Raze and Larry were together the entire time we searched the Portland Bunker. Not for one second was Larry out of Raze’s sight, and vice versa.”
Marcus crossed his arms. “You trust Raze completely?”
“Like a brother,” Jax said. “He’s tough and there’s no way he’d set a Ripper loose on anybody, much less defenseless women and children in the Pure headquarters.” He took the marker and made some notations to the schedule beneath the series of vehicles listed on the board. “Sorry, brother. Larry wasn’t the one who betrayed us at the Bunker.”
Marcus read the notes and nodded. Okay. More motorcycles were needed. That worked for him. “You haven’t interviewed me.”
“Did you see anything suspicious?” Jax asked.
Marcus had been overwhelmed at that damn place. “No.” He should’ve paid much better attention. None of this was about him, and he needed to remember that fact.
“Did you contact the president?” Jax asked.
Marcus snorted. “Of course not.”
“Okay. You’ve been interviewed.” Jax prodded at the bandage over his eyes. “It looks like Quincy, PJ, and Louise were all alone at some point in the Portland Bunker. They’re all good soldiers, and I can’t see any of them working with the president.”
“A spy is supposed to give that impression,” Marcus murmured.
“True.” Jax handed the marker back to him. “Vinnie and Tace are taking a crack at those three right now, because I needed some space. Quincy and I almost came to blows. If he’s innocent, then I don’t blame him. If he’s not, then he’s never going to break. I’ve never had anybody tell me to go fuck myself in such a perfectly Southern accent before.”
Marcus flipped the marker in the air and caught it on the way back down. “I wouldn’t mind a chance at him. If he’s working with Atherton, he’ll tell me if I want.” Sometimes being able to shove all emotion away was a handy talent.
“If he’s telling the truth?” Jax asked.
“Then he’ll hate me until the day one of us dies,” Marcus said thoughtfully. “Probably longer than that, really.”
A shadow crossed the door, and Larry walked in, a Sig in his left hand. Bruises covered his left arm and the side of his face, and he was moving with a slight limp. Apparently the blast had knocked him sideways into a tree. “I’m out of lubrication for my pistol rails. Do we have any in the storage room?”
Marcus straightened.
Jax gestured to the other room. “On the far left shelf. Take as much as you need.”
“Thanks.” Larry nodded at Marcus and then moved around the table toward the back storage room, the limp obvious with his left foot.
Marcus eyed his brother. “I still don’t like him.”
33
The more I let myself relax, the more danger we seem to be in. Life was easier before I found my feelings. Damn it.
—Marcus Knight, Journal
Penelope rubbed her eyes and opened her door, walking right to her bedroom, where Marcus had already crashed on his stomach. She kicked off her shoes and jeans before pushing him to the side. “Scoot over.” Her entire body wanted to shut down.
“How’s Maureen?” he mumbled into his pillow.
Penelope rubbed the ache in her neck. “She’s doing better. The contractions have stopped, and I’m hopeful. Greyson is with her now.” Penelope had done everything she could to halt whatever had been happening, and so far, so good. She had to figure out a way to save that baby. “Did you come up with a good plan with Jax?” She pulled the covers up and slipped inside, not caring that Marcus was on top of the other half.
“Yeah,” Marcus mumbled. “Night, Penny.”
“Night.” She closed her eyes and let herself fall into a dreamless sleep, diving right in.
A sound, deep in the night, awoke her hours later. She opened her eyes, instinctively stilling. Moonlight spilled in through the open window, highlighting a man standing at the edge of the bed. Her body jolted, and she reached out for Marcus.
His side of the bed was empty.
She swallowed and her vision cleared. “Marcus?” He stood, staring at her.
Then he turned and walked toward the living room, his movements jerky and not his usual graceful stride.
“Marcus.” She said his name more forcefully, slipping from the bed and dragging her jeans on while moving for him.
He silently walked to the door, wearing only his jeans and a pair of boots. Without looking back, he opened her door and walked into the silent hallway.
Penelope swallowed and followed him, grabbing the flashlight she always left on a table by the doorway. The hallway was pitch black, but Marcus moved forward in
the dark as if he could see. Or as if he didn’t need to see.
What the holy hell was happening?
Penelope stumbled and caught herself, switching on the flashlight and aiming it at the floor. “Marcus,” she whispered, jogging to keep up with him. Was he sleepwalking? She wasn’t an expert in sleep disorders, but she remembered something from medical school. The best thing to do was nudge him back to bed.
He started walking down the stairs.
What the heck? Shouldn’t he be falling or something? She followed again, waiting until he’d reached the bottom landing before trying to turn him. As gently as possible, she grasped his arm and tried to turn him around so she could lead him back to bed.
He shrugged her off.
Definitely not what she’d expected.
She crept along as he walked past the vestibule for the building and then moved into the cafeteria. Where was he going? The room was dark and empty at this hour, with a lone lantern lit on the food counter. She only had one option. So she hung back until he made it across the room and then clapped her hands. Loudly.
Nothing. He didn’t so much as pause.
“Marcus,” she said louder, clapping again. As his girlfriend, she wanted to run and hug him awake. As a doctor, she knew the dangers of awakening somebody that deadly if he was having some sort of episode. It was likely his fight or flee instincts would kick in, and Marcus was a fighter. “Wake up.” She clapped again.
He walked into the clinic and turned.
Jax hurried out of his offices, his hair standing up like he’d fallen asleep at his desk. “Doc Penelope? Did you just yell for Marcus?”
Thank goodness. Penny grabbed Jax’s arm and pulled him toward the clinic. “Marcus is sleepwalking and I can’t awaken him.”
Jax launched into motion, jogging into the clinic without asking for more details. Penny ran after him, and they both stopped at seeing Marcus pause at the first examination room. Lanterns were already lit in the clinic, so somebody must be working. Then he continued walking, turning into the storage room.
Lynne emerged from her lab, her hair in disarray and her eyes bloodshot. “What’s happening?” she asked.
Jax shrugged and stared at the doorway where Marcus had disappeared. “You two stay back.” He walked toward the doorway and paused. “Slam? You have to wake up, bud. Now would be a good time.”
Nothing. No sound.
Penelope inched toward Jax and then leaned to see around him. “I’ve never heard of somebody who won’t awaken. Be careful. When he does wake up, he’ll be disoriented and might think he’s being attacked.”
Jax hesitated, his gaze concerned. “Marcus? Wake up.”
Marcus crouched in front of the safe and began to turn the dial.
“What the fuck?” Jax breathed.
Penelope shook her head. “That kind of motor function shouldn’t be possible. There’s no way he can open it.”
Marcus expertly twirled the dial, and the safe unlocked with a soft snick.
“Holy shit,” Jax muttered.
Marcus reached inside and pulled out a vial of the Vitamin B concoction. Turning, he smashed it onto the ground with his hand, spilling blood with the precious vitamin.
“Get back,” Jax ordered, ducking his head and going for his brother. He slipped his arm around Marcus’s neck, and Marcus flipped around with a ferocious roar, clocking Jax in the side of the head. Jax fell sideways and scrambled up fast, trying to take Marcus down in a tackle.
Lynne ran out of the clinic, yelling for help.
“No,” Jax grounded out, just as Marcus nailed him in the mouth with an elbow. “I’ve got this.”
Tace was the first one through the door, reaching Penelope in seconds, dressed only in a pair of threadbare sweats. “What’s happening?” His Texas twang came out in full force as he looked over Penelope’s head. “Oh.” He grasped her arm and drew her to the side. “You’re gonna want to stay out of the way here, Doc.”
“No. I can reach him.” She winced as Jax tried to secure Marcus from behind, his legs wrapping around Marcus’s body and his arm going for the throat again.
Marcus reached back, grabbed Jax’s hair, and pulled him right over his head, the strength in that move unbelievable.
Jax smashed into the safe with a muffled curse.
Tace braced his shoulders. “I’m coming in, Jax. Let’s do this.”
Something heavy was on Marcus’s chest. He tried to move, and flames burned from inside his lungs when he couldn’t get himself free. He opened his eyes, striking out, grunting like an animal.
“Slam. Fucking stop it,” Jax barked.
Marcus blinked. What the hell? He was in the storage closet at the clinic with Jax pressing half of him against the safe and Tace the Texas guy covering his other side. Both men were bleeding, bruised, and panting out breath. “What is happening?”
“Go limp,” Jax ordered.
Marcus frowned. “Not in my nature.” Even so, he relaxed his body and stopped fighting them. “I don’t understand.”
“Marcus?” Penny whispered from the doorway.
He looked up at her. Tears fell from her pretty eyes to slide down her face. “Penny?” He shoved at Tace, who didn’t relent. “What’s wrong? What has happened?” Why was she crying? “Let me go, Jax.”
Jax paused and leaned back to look at his eyes. “Are you awake?”
“I think so.” Black dots skipped across his vision, and Marcus blinked to clear it. “Who beat you guys up?”
Tace released him, taking a step back. “That’s a good question.” His bottom lip was swelling at the same rate as his black eye.
Jax released him more slowly before stepping away. His nose was red and bleeding, and his upper lip had split open.
Confusion blanketed Marcus like a faulty umbrella. He shook his head. Was this a dream? “Did you guys get into a fight?” Why was he in the storage area of the clinic? Last he remembered, he’d passed out on Penny’s bed.
Concern glowed bright in Jax’s eyes. “Slam? You don’t remember anything?”
The truth was like a freight train to the brain. “Wait. I did this?” The damage to Jax’s face alone would keep him up at night. He swung his focus to the door. “Penny? Did I hurt you?”
“No.” She clutched the doorframe, her knuckles turning white. “Of course not. I’m fine. What’s the last thing you remember?”
“You climbing into bed next to me.” A storm brewed inside him, and he forced his expression to go blank so he didn’t freak everyone out. He was more of a danger to these people than he’d thought. “Why are we in the storage room?”
Penny looked away to Jax.
“You opened the safe and smashed one of the Vitamin B vials,” Jax said, his voice hoarse.
Marcus looked down at the small shards of glass on the floor. “It was me? I’m the one who poured out the other vials?” It didn’t make sense, but considering his brother was bleeding right now from Marcus’s hands, the truth was obvious. He looked down at his hands, and the knuckles of his right hand were bruised. From hitting his own brother.
“Marcus.” Jax’s sharp tone brought Marcus out of the fury that kept trying to consume him. “Stay with us now. Take a deep breath.”
If one more person told him to breathe deep, he was going to lose his fucking mind. More than he had, anyway. He sagged against the iron-hard safe. “I’m the traitor. I was alone at the Portland Bunker, Jax. In the cells, for a while. I was alone.” His eyes stung, and he dropped his gaze. No way could he look his brother in the eye. “It had to be me. I contacted the president.”
“We don’t know that,” Penny protested from the doorway.
He sighed, his chest aching like he’d taken a blade through the ribs. “Yeah, we do. It’s the only thing that makes sense.” His head pounded and his stomach felt too light. “I need to leave, Jax.”
“No,” Penny said. “That’s not the solution.”
Marcus forced himself to look his brothe
r in the eye. “I’m a danger to everyone, and you know it. Worse than we feared. I have to leave here before something really bad happens.” Besides bombs and death. “Those soldiers who died, that’s on me.”
Jax shook his head. “No, it’s not. We don’t know what happened to you in the cells, and whatever this is, it isn’t your fault.”
This was what good people looked like. Unfortunately, that kindness would just get them killed. Marcus planted his hand on his brother’s shoulder. It had been nice to get to know him a little bit in this small amount of time. “Your job is to delete all risks. I know you can’t kill me, but you can show me the front door. It’s time, Jax.” He’d been fooling himself that he could live here with these people. With any people. The thought hit him, and his head snapped back. “I’m the one keeping Rippers?”
“No way,” Jax said. “I don’t believe that.”
Why not? He’d definitely been the one to empty the vials, and he more than likely had contacted the president from the Bunker, alerting the lunatic of their location. It wasn’t much of a stretch to realize he’d been the keeper of the Rippers. Marcus would do the right thing for once. “That would explain why nobody has shown up to feed the Rippers. It’s me.”
“No,” Jax said. “That doesn’t make sense. Neither does this. You can’t leave.”
Marcus let his hand drop. “There’s no choice.”
“At least give us a chance to figure this out,” Penny said, looking small and defenseless with her tiny feet bare on the concrete.
Vinnie peeked around the corner. “I’d love to dig into your head. There is obviously some buried programming in there.”
The risk was too great. Marcus leaned toward his brother, who he was actually going to miss. “It took two of you to take me down in that state. What if Lynne had been near and tried to stop me?” Yeah, he went for the throat, but it was necessary.
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