“Yep.” She gestured him inside. “You get to sit in the other chair this time, across the somewhat new table from me. We found it in a storage room. Jax can take the sofa.”
“Where’s Lucinda?” Marcus asked. He always felt like he was sitting right on Vinnie’s dead mother-in-law.
Vinnie gestured toward her desk. “She’s in my desk chair, singing about getting lost in the rain.”
Marcus walked around her chair and over to his. “She’s supposed to help me?” he muttered, dropping onto the soft leather. “Where are the restraints?”
She sat and shook her head. Then she reached for a notebook and opened it, almost rolling a gold pen to the floor. “I don’t want you restrained. Based on our previous sessions, I think that would be counterproductive. If you get violent, we’ll deal with it.”
Marcus looked for the right words. He’d dreaded being restrained, but he didn’t want to hurt the sweet shrink.
Jax leaned down and repositioned the newish coffee table in front of Vinnie, leaving his legs free if he needed to get to Marcus. “I won’t let you hurt her.”
Marcus swallowed. Fair enough. “Don’t let me hurt you, either.”
“No problem,” Jax said, sitting on the sofa.
Marcus crossed his ankles, giving Jax a better chance if he had to take him down. “Will you talk to Penny later, Doc? She’s upset she had to shoot Barter.”
Vinnie clicked her pen. “Did you speak with her?”
“No. I saw it in her eyes,” Marcus said.
Vinnie wrote in the notebook. “I’ll talk to her later, although she’s a badass, Marcus. Totally took out that asshole.” Vinnie smiled and looked at Jax. “Before I forget, I need you to write down later exactly what the president said through that speaker. Something triggered Marcus to go destroy the vitamin B concoction his first night back here, and we have to figure out what word or phrase was the trigger.”
“All right,” Jax said. “I’ll do that tonight.”
“Good.” Vinnie switched her focus to Marcus. “All right. Let’s get started. Close your eyes and remember the Portland Bunker before it blew up.”
He shut his eyes and followed her directions, taking note of his heart rate and breathing like she’d told him to do last time. When he started telling her about his time in the cell, a piercing pain shot through his brain. He coughed, gasping for air and opening his eyes.
Vinnie watched him carefully. “All right. That hurt, and we have to explore around a little to make that pain go away. I want you to count down from ten and imagine yourself relaxed and at peace.”
He followed her orders exactly. They needed to find out what he was supposed to do next for the president, and this was the only way to do it. He relaxed and remembered the button he’d pushed in the cell, right under his old bed, much faster than he’d thought. It was coming back to him.
Hopefully Vinnie would find success before Marcus did whatever he’d been sent here to do.
PENELOPE SAT still as Lynne finished checking out her cheekbone, even though the light pressure made her want to scream because it spiraled pain through her entire head. Her mandible was loose and kept cracking, but at least it wasn’t broken.
Lynne lifted up. “I don’t think your zygomatic is fractured. The lovely purple lump here is tissue and will go down with the swelling. I’d give anything to have some ice for you, but cold metal will have to do.”
Penelope sat back. “Can you imagine living farther north where’s there snow and a chance for some ice? We need to find books on ice chests and cellars and all of that once we move.”
Lynne ducked her head to examine Penelope’s hyoid. “Want to talk about what happened?”
“Not really. He attacked me and I had to shoot him.” Penelope winced when Lynne prodded her clavicle. “I’m sure I’ll have problems later, but right now, I’m just glad to be alive.”
Lynne finished and stepped away, studying her eyes. “Your pupils are normal. How’s the headache?”
“Not great but not as bad as during the aftermath of the explosion the other day.” Penelope double checked her vision by looking over at a worn poster on the wall. “Vision is good, memory excellent. No sensitivity to light. If I have a concussion, it’s minor.”
Lynne nodded. “I totally agree, and your neck should feel better soon. This sounds silly the way we live, but your brain needs a break from trauma. No more concussions for a while.”
Penelope rubbed the back of her neck. That sounded like a good way to live for all of them. “I keep that in mind and do my best.”
Lynne snorted. “Want to talk about Marcus?”
“Why would we talk about that jackass?” Penelope asked, her face heating.
“Ah. So you’re fine with the breakup?” Lynne sat on a rolling doctor stool and spun around.
Penelope chuckled. “I hope you get dizzy, and no, I’m not all right with the breakup. He’s being a moron, but I understand he’s freaked out, so I’m giving him space.”
“How much space?” Lynne asked.
Penelope felt along her bruised collar bone, pleased the bone hadn’t fractured. “One week. He has a week to get his brain in gear, and then I’m finished with being patient.” She hopped off the table. “In other news, it’s time for us to try and recreate the inoculation that turned your heart blue.”
Lynne stood. “That’s fine, but we don’t have a decent lab. Even the Century City Bunker is out of juice. No more power, and it’s unfeasible to cart gasoline in for the generators. Tace said they’re done, anyway.”
“I don’t have another solution,” Penelope said. “We have to come up with something. Between you and Nora, we have the best researchers in the business, and we can create some sort of tests with tissue and crossing through.” She opened the door and walked into the hallway. “If Maureen is having problems this early in her pregnancy, other women will, as well. We have to figure out at least something to give them a chance.”
Raised voices came from Vinnie’s office.
The door swept open, and Vinnie dodged outside, her silk shirt half out of her skirt like she’d tried to stop a fight. Jax and Marcus wrestled inside, smashing the coffee table to bits. Marcus swung at Jax, and Jax pinned him, both grunting and fighting.
“Marcus, wake the hell up,” Jax yelled, dodging a punch and slapping his brother, obviously trying not to hurt him.
Marcus stopped moving and blinked. His eyes were a wild brown with just a hint of green, furious and animalistic. Slowly, the life came back into them. Marcus came back into them. “What the hell?”
Both men straightened and backed away, breathing heavily. Jax was bleeding from a small cut on his neck, and Marcus had blood on his nose.
Jax shook his head. “You went under. Fast.”
Marcus caught sight of Penelope in the hallway, his gaze colder than she’d ever seen it. Then he turned back to his brother, dismissing her. “This isn’t going to work, and we’re wasting time. Go figure out how to get your people to Oregon, and I’ll go hunt Rippers on the outside.”
Jax picked a piece of wood out of his arm. “I’m thinking this might be progress?”
“Definitely progress.” Vinnie stepped back inside and kicked part of the table away from her chair. “Looks like we found a trigger. That’s good. Everybody sit back down and let’s go at it again, but let’s work on breathing exercises and a way to wake up faster when you start to slide into programming. This is good.” She waved to Penelope, her hair hanging out of a ponytail. “Shut the door, would you, please?”
Before Penelope could reach the door, Jax leaned over the back of the sofa and shut it.
Penelope swallowed. “Maybe I’ll give him two weeks.”
36
I’ve been as patient as any woman could be, and I’m done. I’m just fucking done.
—Doctor Penelope Kim, Journal
It had been nearly three weeks. Penelope had thrown herself into work with Lynne and Nora, waiting each day
for her brief meeting with Vinnie to discuss Marcus’s progress. Not once had he reached out to share with her. No. She had to get all of her news from Vinnie, who wasn’t even supposed to talk about her patient. Dr. Vivienne Wellington didn’t subscribe to rules.
So once again, Penelope sat at the chipped orange table in Lynne’s lab, which also hid a secret stash of granola bars and instant coffee along with a jug of water they tried to keep replenished if rations weren’t too low.
Vinnie swept inside, having changed into purple yoga pants with a black top after her day of work. She sat and reached for the steaming cup that Penelope had placed on the table. “Bless you.” She lifted the mug and took several deep drinks, humming. Even that sound seemed exhausted.
Penelope sipped on her coffee, missing Starbucks. A lot. What she wouldn’t give for a real pumpkin spiced latte. “How was your day?”
“Raze is cranky,” Vinnie said, keeping her cup in her hands. “We move in two days, and he doesn’t think we’re prepared security wise.”
“We’re as prepared as we can be,” Penelope said. “I’m sorry you have to deal with everyone’s fears.”
Vinnie shrugged. “It’s my job. Of course, it’s terrifying to leave here for the unknown. How are you doing?”
“Good. A couple of the kids have ear infections, but I’m treating them with antibiotics. We need to find new stashes of them on the way north, I hope.” She’d figure out what to do without antibiotics if that ever happened. Right now, she could only proceed day by day, and her tension kept giving her headaches. She couldn’t wait on Marcus forever. “How did your sessions with butthead go?”
Vinnie wiped at temporary stress lines near her mouth. “Well, I didn’t call him a butthead, so I’ll take that as a win.”
“How is he?” Penelope asked softly.
Vinnie nodded. “He’s good. We never identified the actual triggers in his brain and had to go around them, but I think we succeeded. His memories of his time in the Bunkers has cleared, and he remembers everything he’s going to, I think. Some of it will always be a blank because of the drugs, but he’s solid.”
“Any memories of his childhood?”
“Not really. A glimpse once in a while, but nothing concrete. It’s doubtful that will ever come back, but the brain is a mystery, so you never know.” Vinnie took another sip of her drink. “He remembers the other Bunkers, but he wasn’t told their locations, so right now we have no map to find another one.”
Considering the last two Bunkers had blown up, Penelope wasn’t sure she wanted to find any more. “So he’s cured?”
“No.” Vinnie coughed. “He’s as solid and strong as he can get on his own without knowing the triggers. When he starts to slide, he can pull himself out. The only way to know for sure is to trigger him, and we don’t know how to do that. But I’m confident. Well, pretty confident. All right. I’m hopeful.”
Penelope sighed. “Meeting with you every day has saved my sanity, you know?”
“I know,” Vinnie said. “I like the routine, too. Once we set up in Oregon, we should continue this. It’s like meeting with a colleague who’s your best friend at the end of every workday.”
Penny’s heart warmed. “I agree. We’ll definitely keep this going.”
“How are the experiments coming?”
Penny shrugged. “We have several conceptions, but no test subjects. I can’t very well just inject pregnant women and hope for the best. Lynne and Nora are amazing, and they’ve done everything they can, and we have three viable drugs that are a mixture of Lynne’s blood, antibiotics, and other substances, including some that are probably too risky.”
“If it comes to it, which one do you use?” Vinnie’s eyes widened.
“That’s the question,” Penelope admitted. “I don’t know.”
Vinnie winced. “Our jobs aren’t easy.”
Nothing was easy. “Does Marcus talk about me during your sessions?” It was a question she’d never asked.
“Yes,” Vinnie said simply, holding up a hand before Penelope could ask a follow-up question. “I can’t talk about that with you. There has to be some confidentiality, and you two will have to figure out things on your own.”
That was fair. “Is he ever going to make a move?”
Vinnie pursed her lips. “No. He’s a stubborn butthead, like the rest of them. If he’s something you want, you’re gonna have to push it. That’s all I can say. Plus, I’m guessing. Relationships aren’t my strong suit when it comes to therapy. I’m lucky Raze knows what he wants, and it’s me.”
Wouldn’t that be a nice place to be? Penelope was tired, her limbs hurt, and her patience had threaded into pieces. At least her face and neck had healed. “Well, I’m off to bed. I’ll figure out what to do with Marcus tomorrow. Or maybe the next day.” She was getting good at avoiding the issue.
Vinnie stood and reached for Penelope’s cup. “I’ll put these away. Get some sleep.”
Penelope hugged her and moved for the door, nodding at the guard waiting just outside the clinic in the cafeteria. “Hey, Larry. How’s the arm?”
“Just another bruise,” Larry said, striding with her across the now vacant cafeteria to the building vestibule and stairs leading up. He and Greyson had run into a Ripper while out scouting the best routes away from Vanguard when they moved. “If we didn’t have bruises, we wouldn’t be alive, right?”
She couldn’t fault his logic. “Right.” They reached her hallway and she turned down the way. “Have a nice night, Larry.”
“You too, Doc.” He waited at the end of the hallway until she reached her door and unlocked it to step inside.
Man, everyone was tired. Even Larry hadn’t bothered flirting with her. Or maybe she looked like hell. She certainly felt like it. Her mind spinning and her heart aching, she leaned back against the door. All of this would be so much easier if she and Marcus worked together, instead of him freezing her out.
Who did he think he was? She could protect her own feelings and life.
What a jackass.
Her hands shook with temper, and she finally let it loose. It had been more than two weeks, and she was done waiting. It was time to give Marcus Knight a wakeup call.
The pounding on his door had Marcus jumping up off the floor, where he’d been on his third set of pushups for the night. Sometimes he went all night, keeping his body busy so he couldn’t go to Penny. He had to stay away from her. “What?” He yanked the door open, more than ready to fight with whoever stood on the other side.
Except a pissed-off, pint-sized Korean doctor.
He swallowed. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” He barely stopped himself from reaching for her.
“No.” She pushed him in the abs hard enough that he took a step back. Then she pushed him again, walking inside and shutting his door.
He took several steps back this time. “Tell me what’s happening. I’ll take care of it.” Had Larry made another fucking move? It had all but killed Marcus each night when somebody else had escorted her to her door, and stupid Larry usually tried to flirt his way inside. Unsuccessfully so far.
“That’s a fine idea.” She put her hands on her hips and glared up at him. In her jeans and white T-shirt with the Wonder Woman logo on the front, she looked delectable and adorable at the same time. “It’s time you yanked your head out of your ass and stopped this nonsense.”
He shook his head, trying to get his bearings. What was happening? “What nonsense? Tell me what’s happened, and I’ll fix it. Is somebody bothering you?”
“Yes,” she snapped, her brown eyes lit with anger and her skin a peachy hue. “You are bothering me.”
Huh. All right. Then why was she in his apartment? Being near her filled his senses with raspberries, and his body sprang wide awake like it had been slumbering for weeks. “Was I being too loud?” Doing pushups was usually a quiet activity, but who the hell knew?
“No.” She poked him in the stomach. “You haven’t been loud enou
gh. In fact, you haven’t made enough sound. Like a lot of sound. Like talking to me.”
Was she concussed? She poked him again, and irritation swept along his skin. “Stop it.”
“No.” She poked him again, her finger going between two ribs. “I’m not going to stop it. Make me.”
He grabbed her hand. “All right.” Had she completely lost her mind? It was after midnight, and she should be asleep. “What the hell is wrong with you?” He tried to keep his temper at bay, but it wanted to roar free.
“Wrong with me? You’re what’s wrong with me, you butthead.” Her eyes spit fire at him.
Had Dr. Penelope Kim just called him a butthead? “What are you doing?” he snapped, his control unravelling.
“Not you. I’m not doing you because you’ve turned into a total pussy.” She poked him with her other hand, her fingers digging unerringly between the same damn ribs.
His mouth dropped open and he almost took another step back. The classiest and most educated woman he’d ever met had just called him a pussy. Penny Kim was in front of him, all five feet of her, calling him a pussy. The world had just turned upside down. “Have you lost your fucking mind?” he repeated. His voice shook with the effort to contain his temper, since hers had obviously taken over any judgment she might have once had.
“Yes. I have lost my mind. You have made me lose my mind.” She poked him again, her bony finger sending pain right to his spleen.
That was it. That was fucking it. He grabbed both of her biceps and lifted her off the ground, walking smoothly to the door and putting her ass against it. He leaned in, his nose nearly touching hers. “I have no idea what you think you’re doing, but I strongly suggest you knock it off and get your sweet butt back to your apartment and safety.”
“There is no safety in this world,” she exploded, knocking her forehead against his. “I have been supremely patient for more than two weeks, and I’m done letting you be a big baby about all of this.”
A baby? A big baby? His head was about to explode. Worse yet, this close to her, lust consumed him head to toe. “Penny. You are asking for it.” He had to grit his teeth to keep his voice close to a normal decimal.
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