She sniffed again and nodded. “Yeah. Do I look like I’ve been crying?”
“Yes. Your nose is all red and blotchy and kind of big all of a sudden.” Jax rubbed his chin. “In fact, how do you feel about storming out of here in about one minute?” He glanced down at an old Timex on his wrist.
Sami had never been a pretty crier. “Sure. Why?”
“The good old Pastor King should be arriving at Vinnie’s office in a minute. If he asks what upset you, how about you say something about Damon yelling at you about infection? Let’s pour it on thick.”
Sami nodded. “No problem. Where is Tace?”
“Tace and Raze went inner city to find explosives,” Jax said, glancing again at his watch. “I’ll go out the front, you wait one minute, and then storm out of here.”
She gulped. “Okay.”
Jax tweaked her hair and then slid out of the room, silently disappearing.
Damon cleared his throat. “You okay now?”
She nodded.
“It’s understandable. Everything you did and said. If Tace doesn’t understand and forgive you, then he’s an idiot.”
Sami smiled, but her lips still trembled. “For a Merc, you’re not half bad, Damon.”
“I do aim to please.” He sobered. “April is really off limits?”
Sami shook her head. “I can’t speak for her, but she’s a former suburban soccer mom who’s lost everyone, including her teenage daughter a couple of weeks ago. She married her first love at sixteen, and she lost him three months ago.”
Damon winced. “Ah. Got it.”
“Yet you’re kinda hot, Winter. She might want to take the leap.” Sami grinned when the former cop actually blushed. “You asshole,” she yelled, turning on her heel and going through the door, slamming it loudly.
“What a complete dick.” She kept in character, stomping through the infirmary and past Vinnie’s office, where Pastor King hovered in the doorway. “Sorry.”
Zachary glanced behind her. “Are you all right?”
Sami sighed and rubbed tears off her face. “I’m fine. That Damon Winter is an ungrateful dickhead, yelling about Scorpius and infection. We should’ve let the damn Merc soldier bleed out.” Giving Vinnie a wave, she started down the hall.
“Sami?” Jax called from the front of the infirmary as if they hadn’t seen each other all day.
“What?” Sami bellowed back.
Jax came into view. “There you are.” He studied her face. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She pretended to hide her eyes.
“Sami?” Jax asked.
“Fine. Damon is a jerk. That’s all.” She hunched her shoulders.
Jax sighed. “He’s requested asylum from the Mercenaries, and I’m considering it.”
“Why?” Sami pretended to explode.
“He has intel we need, darlin’.” Was Jax trying to sound patronizing for Zachary’s sake? If so, he was doing a bang-up job of it. “I’ll keep him away from you.”
“Thanks,” she gritted out.
Jax nodded magnanimously, amusement darkening his eyes. “No problem. For now, I’d like for you to sit in on the meetings with Vinnie and the Pure members. I want backup for her.” He said the last with a hard look at Zachary.
