Jax nodded. “Sami, Tace? I want you back in forty-eight hours, no matter what.” He leaned in to Damon’s face. “If they’re not back, I’m waging war.”
“Got it.” Damon took one last look at April and then shoved open the door.
Sami waved at Lena and turned to face the rapidly heating day.
“It’s odd that Lena gave Damon the star and not you, right?” Tace said quietly, walking right on by her.
Odd? Not really. Lena knew things she shouldn’t, and Sami had never been a member of the LAPD. “She’s a kid, Tace. Who knows why she gives certain gifts.”
He turned and pierced her with his blue gaze. “Someday you’re gonna be honest with me, darlin’. And it’s gonna be sooner rather than later.”
Chapter Three
The dinosaurs probably thought they’d live forever, too.
—Dr. Frank X. Harmony,Philosophies
Tace scouted the old parking lot outside of headquarters and led the way toward the fence, which surrounded the entire seven-block Vanguard territory with metal and wrapped barbed wire. He gave a whistle, and two of the guards opened the gate. Downed trucks, vans, and industrial barrels provided another layer of protection along with tons and tons of discarded tires.
The piles of tires were uneven, and he had to fight a strong urge to go even out the stacks. Damn Scorpius had given him OCD. He maneuvered beyond them, his hands shaking with the need to organize, and stopped short at an ancient yellow Datsun truck. “Nice.”
“We aim to please,” Damon said, striding around the grille. Tension cut lines into his face.
Tace turned and waved at the guards pointing weapons at them. Good ole Damon had a reason to be stressed. Most of the guards were itching to take him out and steal the truck. Tace opened the door. “Get in, Sami.”
She faltered. “You get in.”
Oh, he wasn’t sitting in the middle. While the woman could fight like a demon, she shot like a debutante—a fact she hadn’t quite explained, considering she had been LAPD. “The day you learn to shoot straight, you can take point in a vehicle.” He whispered the words so Damon couldn’t hear.
Sami glared but slid into the truck and moved over.
Tace settled against the ripped seat in the weathered truck. Sami should stay at Vanguard where it was somewhat safe, damn it.
“Why do I have to straddle the damn gear shift?” she muttered as she set her gun on her jean-clad leg.
The words shot images through his head that shuddered right down to his dick. He cleared his throat. “Why use our gas when the Mercs have supplied us with transport?” Although Tace would’ve preferred that he was driving. When had he become such a control freak? Oh yeah. When Scorpius had ripped through his brain and tore him into a new being.
“We set?” Damon shut his door and ignited the engine, which clunked rather than purred.
“Oh, no Rippers will hear us trying to get through town in this piece of crap,” Sami muttered.
Tace leaned over and put his lips near her ear. “The more sarcastic you get, the more I want to strip you naked and make sure you stop talking.”
She stilled and then turned her head until their noses brushed. “Sexual harassment these days doesn’t go to HR, Tace.”
“Oh?” He lifted an eyebrow. If he moved a millimeter, his mouth would be on hers. He swallowed. What the hell was wrong with him? He had to get control of himself and now.
“Yeah. These days you get your dick cut off and shoved in your ear.”
Amusement burst through his chest. He coughed and leaned back. Was that an actual human reaction? A normal one? It had been so long. “I’m sorry.”
She blinked. “Huh?”
He winced. Had he been that much of a jerk lately? “I’m sorry for the harassment. It’s wrong.” The words were correct, but he wasn’t quite sure about the line between right and wrong any longer. Apparently, he’d crossed it, though. If a guy had treated one of his sisters like that, Tace would’ve maimed him. “I’ll do better.” If he thought to appease her with his very nice apology, he’d apparently missed the mark.
Sparks flew through her pretty brown eyes. “Don’t even think of charming me, Texas. I’ll make you pee blood for weeks.”
“You’re an intriguing woman.” The words slipped out of him before he could call them back. Harass her, and she was all fire. Be nice to her, and even though she’d spit venom, vulnerability would darken those stunning eyes.
