That quickly, the peace fled her eyes. “He’s crazy, Jax. Don’t trust him.”
“I won’t.” Hell, Jax wasn’t even sure he was dealing with the real Atherton. “Tace and Sami are in charge until I get back, and if anything happens, follow their lead. We have escape routes in three directions.”
“I know.” Lynne pushed papers out of her way. “We’ve already had drills.”
Good. His people were doing their jobs. “I’ve left you two guns on the counter in our apartment, and I want them with you at all times. You stick close to Tace or Sami for now.”
She nodded. “If you get the chance, Bret has my research somewhere. All of my notes and formulas, as well as Nora’s, I hope. We need them—just in case the Myriad research isn’t as complete as it looks.”
“My guess is that he won’t bring much but guns and men to meet at the border.”
She looked both delicate and delicious in her own environment with lab equipment and documents surrounding her.
There was so much he wanted to say, but he couldn’t find the words. He’d always been much better with action than with speech. “I need you here and safe for when I get back.”
She smiled, her lips settling into an enticing curve. “You mean a lot to me, too.”
He didn’t have time for emotion, and he didn’t have the need for somebody in his life, but it was too late. Here she was, and he wasn’t letting her go anywhere. “I’m not good at this.” Taking her hand from his jaw, he pressed it against his heart. “You’re in here. Stay safe.”
A shudder wound through her body. “Sounds serious, Mercury.”
He met her gaze evenly. “It is.”
“Me too.” Her hand remained over his heart. “This doesn’t mean I need to get your name tattooed on my ass, does it? With the former gang affiliation, with the military, and the new group, I’m unaware of the protocol.”
His heart lightened as a laugh rumbled through him. “You’re a smart-aleck, aren’t you?” He leaned in and kissed her again. “I’ll mark your ass later. For now, just promise you’ll stay safe.”
Color fused her cheekbones, and desire hinted in the air. “I promise I’ll stay safe and be here when you get back. You be careful and don’t trust anybody.”
“I rarely do.” Releasing her, he stood. “Weapons at all times.”
“Yes, Jax.” She reached for a different stack of papers.
He strode toward the door and turned around, his muscles bunching. “Last time I left, you were attacked by Red and Joe.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “And I shot them both and protected myself.”
Good damn point. Many of the group had accepted her, but fear still lingered about her blue heart. He didn’t like leaving her. “Don’t hesitate if you need to shoot again.”
“Go on your mission, Jax. You get extra points if you somehow find chocolate out there.”
Extra points. “Now that’s a deal.” He exited the room before striding through the compound and finding Raze loading a box van near the main exit. A minivan had already been moved to the side, leaving a path between two downed Mack trucks. Raze was helping men load empty gas cans into the back.
“I figured we’d fill as we went,” Raze said.
“Definitely.” Jax scrutinized the van. Bare tires, rusty metal, dented sides. An emblem on the side proudly proclaimed SNIDER’S BREAD as the best in the city. The scent of yeast and sourdough wafted around, and his stomach growled.
Raze tossed him a granola bar. “Figured you’d missed breakfast.”
Jax caught the bar. “Are we bonding now?”
“No.” Raze slid his hand through his thick hair, shoving it off his face. “We need to raid that cereal place when we get back.”
“One thing at a time, but I agree.” They needed food. The sun shone down as he crossed to the cab of the truck to see a collection of guns and knives already in place. What he wouldn’t give for an explosive or two. “I see we have provisions.”
Raze shrugged and gestured for a man to draw down the back of the truck. “Couldn’t sleep.”
“Been there.” With the exception of the night before, Jax had slept better with Lynne than he had in his entire life. “You need a woman.”
“A woman is the last thing on earth I need,” Raze countered.
Jax raised an eyebrow. “A guy, then?”
Raze shook his head. “I like women, Jax. Just don’t want the complication right now.”
That Jax understood. He frowned as Ernie ambled out of the building, two fairly small boxes in his hands. Pale and panting, the older man neared. “You okay to go?” Jax asked.
“Yes.” Ernie patted the boxes. “Byron did an excellent job with the portable ham radio, and this smaller battery is charged and will work. We should be able to keep in touch with headquarters as well as reach out to the president.”
Jax nodded. “Okay. You’re going to have to ride in the middle so Raze can scope out the window in case we need to shoot.”
“I figured.” Ernie hitched himself up and into the cab of the van.
Jax turned to find Lynne standing at the entrance, Sami flanking her. He lifted his chin.
Lynne raised a hand and gave him a smile. He returned the wave and jumped into the truck. Now that was a nice sight. Then he sobered and tucked another gun along his boot and ignited the engine. It purred like a lazy kitten.
“Byron tweaked it,” Raze said.
The kid was becoming more and more useful. Jax glanced in the side mirror to see Lynne still watching him.
He’d promised to protect her, and he would, but he needed to discover if there was a military, and what his obligations to it were. Not to mention he had to figure out if there was a president of the United States and if it truly was Bret Atherton, and whether the man really was a Ripper.
Then he’d have to make a plan. At the moment, even without necessary information, he was seriously between a rock and a hard place. Yet he put the truck into DRIVE, maneuvered between vans and trucks, and headed for the I-15. “Watch for Rippers and gangs.”
“Copy that,” Raze said.
Chapter Thirty-Four
To live is to face death daily.
—Dr. Franklin Xavier Harmony
The four-hour drive to the border took nearly six hours. Just getting out of the city had required Jax to prod vehicles out of the way with the van, but when they’d finally gotten out of Los Angeles, the I-15 hadn’t been a problem. If the lanes were clogged, he just went off road and then got back on. Defunct vehicles littered the entire way, and by the time they’d neared the dead casino, he and Raze had started a contest of speed with siphoning gasoline.
Jax inched under an Escalade, pierced his screwdriver into the gas tank, and watched gas flow into the can he’d placed beneath. As soon as the flow stopped, he scooted back out to the warm sun. “Time.”
Raze smacked the ground near a truck on its side. “This tank is full.”
Jax shrugged and carried his can to the back of the truck before returning and going through the vehicle. Most of the abandoned cars had been cleaned out when the owners had left them, but bodies littered the desert around them, so those folks hadn’t taken anything. He’d found several bottles of painkillers, some food, and some water during his quests.
Raze had found other medicine, so they’d cleaned up as scavengers.
Ernie sat quietly in the truck, a little pissed off. The radio had worked during the first hour they’d checked in, and then the battery had gone dead. He was sweating in the warm desert, and his face had taken on a flushed red hue. Yet besides bitching at the radio, he hadn’t complained.
Jax finished his search by claiming several hair ponytail things somebody could use. He tossed them in the van and opened his door. “We’re about fifteen minutes out,” he said.
Raze screwed the cap onto his plastic container. “I’ll go on foot from here.” Stretching his shoulders, he walked around to deposit the can before shutting the door. “Give me a little time.” He checked his weapons and glanced up at the sun.