Oh, Tace wanted to dig into that statement, but now wasn’t the time. Hell. Never was the right time. “I miss feeling good things.” He blinked. Why had he said that?
“You will again,” she murmured. “It takes a while to heal.”
She wasn’t getting it. “Oh, I feel, but not good, you know? It’s dark and dangerous and . . .” He should be scared but he wasn’t, and that should scare him, too. “I’m different.”
“We all are.” She appraised him. “I haven’t forgotten about your little fainting spell, you know.”
He turned and faced her fully, knowing he needed to leave her alone but unable to just walk away. “I’ll tell all my secrets if you’ll tell yours.”
Her mouth opened and closed.
“That’s what I figured.” He straightened as Grey reentered the room with a basket of drugs in his hands. Time to get started.
* * *
Jax Mercury paced from his war rooms and into the soup kitchen, pausing at seeing Barbara Bradley cleaning a weapon on an old wine barrel serving as a table. “Hey.” He moved toward her, noting her careful movements. “Do that in the war room next time.”
She looked up, her eyes bloodshot. “I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“That’s all right.” When he looked at her, he still saw the young paralegal she had been before Scorpius. “Nice job on the raid earlier.” The woman had taken down a crazed Ripper all by herself, saving her entire squad.
She smiled. “Thanks. I can’t believe I’m a soldier these days.”
“You’re a good one.” Though damn, she looked much younger than her twenty-five years. “Why are you still up?” He was trying to mellow out and get to know his people, but it was harder than he’d thought.
She lifted a shoulder. “Boy troubles.”
Ah, shit. Jax took a step back.
She chuckled. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Thank God,” he muttered, shoving a hand through his hair. “Though Tace will be back soon.”
“Not about Tace,” she whispered, her eyes softening.
Jax blinked. “Ah. Well then.” Truth be told, they hadn’t fit in his mind, and he hadn’t liked working the schedule around their romance, if it could be called that. “Good.”
She rolled her eyes. “Thanks for the shoulder.”
“Anytime.” Jax had handled that perfectly. He was getting this whole relate-to-people thing down.
“Oh, we stapled pictures of your missing brother around the east side, mainly on trees, and asked for info on him. Said that the Vanguard soldiers wanted to find him and help him.” She grimaced. “I don’t think it’ll bring too many Rippers out.”
“It might, but we’ll just deal with them.” Jax believed his brother was still alive, but he fought images of his younger brother becoming a Ripper. Marcus had to be all right and just holed up somewhere. “Thank you.”
She smiled. “No problem. Thanks for the talk.”
Enough emotion. Jax gave a curt nod. “You’re on duty tomorrow. Get some damn sleep.”
“Yes, sir,” she murmured, the sarcasm barely discernible.
He grinned and crossed the room into what was now the medical wing of Vanguard headquarters. The area had once been a free clinic for the destitute and desperate, and technically it still was, while the main infirmary was located inner territory and well protected. He headed beyond the reception area, past two empty examination rooms, and to the room serving as a pathetic lab.
Lynne Harmony hunched over a microscope at a cracked yellow table, muttering to herself.
“Blue? You haven’t slept in two days, and I’m done with that.” Jax leaned against the doorjamb, his patience wearing thinner than his worn jeans.
She looked up, and her pretty green eyes focused. Well, they were usually pretty. At the moment, red marred the white parts, and dark circles slashed beneath them. “I’m not tired.” Even her words slurred together.
