Sami went for him just as Jax swept his gun out, looking for threats. “What’s going on?” Jax snapped.
“Tace?” Sami put a hand on his shoulder. “You okay?”
He nodded, his gaze down as he took several deep breaths. “Just lost my balance for a minute.”
It wasn’t the first time—not by a long shot. “When was the last time you slept?” Sami asked.
“Dunno. Been days.” Tace’s jaw firmed, and he slowly stood.
A thought occurred to her, and she almost fell right next to him. “You’re not experiencing numbness, are you?”
He blinked. “No.” Then he looked up at her. “Why?”
“Just asking,” she whispered. It couldn’t be. He couldn’t be having a reaction to the vitamin B concoction. It was so rare. But if he wasn’t going numb, he was fine.
Zachary backed away. “Scorpius is still affecting people even after months of recuperation, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, but Tace fought the fever just a couple of weeks ago,” Jax said, his gaze inscrutable. “He’s still healing. Sami? Get him to bed, please.”
She nodded and tucked her gun in her waistband before sliding a shoulder beneath Tace’s. Her head buzzed, and her chest ached from more than the bullet earlier. She had a duty to tell Jax about Tace’s health, but it was true the guy hadn’t slept in way too long. Maybe sleep would take care of the problem. It couldn’t be anything else. His problem had to do with lack of sleep. “Let’s go, Texas.”
It was a sign of how bad he felt that he didn’t argue with her but instead let her shoulder some of his weight.
By the time they’d tromped through the blocks of Vanguard territory, he was standing on his own and walking easily. “Sorry about that,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “Damn it. How’s your chest feeling?”
“Sore but okay. You need sleep.” She cleared her throat. “Are you sure you haven’t had any weird numbness or tingling?”
He paused. “Why?”
“Just answer.” She held her breath.
“Nope.” He ran a hand through his thick hair. “Just a little bit of dizziness once in a while. I’m sure it’s a sleep issue.”
She smiled and breathed out, her body relaxing. “That’s what I figured. Okay. That’s good.”
They reached headquarters and trudged up the stairs to his apartment. He shoved open the door. “You gonna tuck me in?”
She started to answer when she noticed a lantern on inside. Then she craned her neck to see a stunning brunette sitting on the sofa, legs kicked out, looking more than comfortable to be there. “Oh. Hi, Barbara.” Her stomach clenched like she’d been kicked, and she quickly backed away. “Uh, I’ll see you at tomorrow’s meeting, Tace.” Heat filled her face, and she turned toward her own door.
“Sami, wait—” Tace started, but she’d yanked open her door and quickly shut it, leaning against it.
She’d forgotten—totally forgotten—about Barbara. God, she was so stupid. Tace Justice had been a good ole boy charmer before getting Scorpius, and now he was a bad boy with a gun who liked women.
She had been just one of many.
* * *
Tace sighed and shut his door. “Hi, Barbara.”
Gray yoga pants covered the soldier’s fit legs, and a blue tank top showed off high breasts and nice arm muscles. Her pretty eyes sparkled. “I am so sorry about that.”
“Nothing to be sorry about.” Tace strode into the room and dropped into the chair across from the couch. His head still pounded, and cramps gripped his sides. All he wanted to do was turn around and go erase that hurt look on Sami’s face that she’d tried so hard to hide, but he had to do this first.
Barbara reached behind her back and drew out a tiny kitten with white and black tuxedo markings. “I brought you a friend.”
He blinked. “You brought me a cat.”
“Yeah.” She grinned and pointed to cat food and water in the corner. “There’s a litter in warehouse number eight, so I took him for you.”
