Marcus lifted his chin.
Sami nodded. “She didn’t know a thing about the Bunker—only that she wanted to get free to find her family. The Bunker leaders wouldn’t let her. She didn’t know about the jail cells or the human experimentation going on.”
“I know,” Marcus said.
Sami swallowed. “I discovered the truth about the experiments, and the second I could, I opened the doors.”
Marcus just stared at her.
“Your brother has been looking for you since he returned to the States. Jax is a good guy,” Sami said. Was there any way to get through to the man?
Marcus blinked, and something burned in his eyes for the briefest of moments.
Sami retreated. Maybe it would be baby steps with Marcus. “How is Penelope doing?”
“She’ll survive,” Marcus said, turning his focus back to the doctor on the bed. “She has to.” His voice was lower and rougher than Jax’s.
Sami nodded, something in her wanting to ease the tortured pain in Jax’s brother’s eyes. “You and Penelope are together?”
Marcus frowned. “No.”
“Oh.” Sami blinked. “Okay.” Boy, had she read that one wrong. What in the world was going on? Marcus was the most protective guard dog she’d ever met. “You don’t owe me anything, but I’d consider it a favor if you’d at least talk to your brother. Jax has been frantic about finding you.”
Marcus leaned his head back on the wall but kept her in his sights.
She cleared her throat when he didn’t answer. “All righty, then. Good talk.” Turning on her heel, she almost walked into Jax. “Your brother was talking my ear off.”
Jax’s upper lip curled. “Funny. Tace is waiting for you outside the infirmary. He’s finished with the last field dressing, and I want you both to get some shut-eye before returning to work early tomorrow morning.” He moved past her toward Penelope’s room.
Sami fought the urge to salute. “Jax? I still have some files to decode, and they could be important.” Something was nagging at her in one of the encrypted files, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. She’d been working all day, and her eyes stung. “I haven’t found the enzyme for Tace. He’s okay now, but he might not be tomorrow.”
“You can barely stand. Get some fuckin’ sleep,” Jax called back.
Sami bit her lip. They’d had a rough day, had almost died several times, and she could use a break. So she trooped outside and found Tace waiting, leaning against the wall, his eyes closed. His muscled arms were crossed, as were his ankles above his boots. Fatigue all but rolled off the medic. “Tace?”
Those stunning blue eyes opened and focused on her. “We’re done for the day.”
She nodded, her abdomen tingling. “Then I’m back to it bright and early.”
“I have a surprise for you.” He held out a hand.
Curiosity wandered right through her. “Oh yeah?” She slipped her palm against his, her heart aching. Why hadn’t she been able to save him? “Maybe we should go back to the medical files and figure out why that enzyme didn’t work.”
“The last time I passed out, my heart kept beating.” Tace shrugged. “It’s an improvement.”
“Right.” She fell into step next to him. “I get that, but that’s not uncommon, from what I read. The attacks vary in strength, and if you get one strong enough, that’s it for you. I can’t lose you now.”
“You won’t.” He led her down the stairs at the end of the corridor and into a long hallway.
“Where are all the Bunker people?” she asked, nodding at a couple of Vanguard soldiers guarding the stairs.
Tace grinned. “They’re all confined to quarters on C level, while we’ve taken control of all resources on A level and the quarters on B level. I found a nice room for us.” His smile uncoiled a physical burn inside her.
“Your smile is my favorite sight,” she said.
He blinked and stilled. “God, there’s a part of you, a hidden sweet side, that owns my heart and soul.”
She gaped, her chest aching like she’d been punched. “Man, you’re good with the mushy words.” All of her insides felt gooey and warm, and she would’ve rolled her eyes at herself if a mirror had been handy. Instead, she could only feel. “Tace—”
