Jax lifted his head. “You were a Girl Scout?”
“Till I got kicked out.” She grinned.
He nodded. “I told everyone you were forgiven because I need unity on the mission.”
Her stomach dropped. “Am I forgiven?”
“Yes, but don’t ever lie to me again.” Jax’s expression was edged with somber determination.
“I won’t.” Of course, she was keeping the full extent of Tace’s problems from Jax. She’d made her choice, and her first loyalty was to Tace Justice. Sure it had happened quickly, but that didn’t change the way she felt. If anybody could understand that fact, it’d be Jax, because of his feelings for Lynne. “Thanks for letting me stay at Vanguard.”
Jax checked the clip of his gun. “You’re family, Sami. No matter what you do, that’s the beginning and the end of it.”
Sami paused and warmth infused her. “Ah, Jax.”
He looked up. “That doesn’t mean I won’t ground your ass at base for life if you fuck up again.”
Yeah, he kind of sounded like an older brother. “Right.”
“Are you and Justice on the same page now?”
She breathed out. “Well, if you consider us both lost in the woods along a windy trail with alligators snapping at our heels, then yeah, we’re on the same page.”
Jax tucked the gun away and frowned. “What the hell does that mean?”
The man really didn’t work with analogies, did he? “We’re finding our way.”
“Ah.” Jax unsnapped a knife from his calf. “So long as it doesn’t get in the way of the mission, take your time. There’s no hurry, you know.”
“Says the guy who claimed Lynne as his own within hours of her arriving at Vanguard,” Sami murmured.
He grinned. “She’s mine. Time wouldn’t have changed that fact.”
The air changed just a bit, and Tace came into view with Raze and Barbara. Sami’s shoulders settled, and her focus narrowed. All right. They had been working together for over a month, and there was comfort to be found in that.
Even if they were going on a suicide mission.
Raze crouched and unfolded a map they’d dug up to lay on the dirt. “I say we search the outbuildings before hitting the mansion. Chances are we’ll find plenty of explosives stored close to the mansion but not inside.”
Jax nodded. “Agreed. Each team either has a map or a set of drawings to find the outbuildings.” He glanced up at the waning moon. “We might even have cloud cover for a while. If anybody gets a bead on the president or VP Lake, take them out. No hesitation.”
“No problem,” Tace said easily.
Jax gave a hand motion. “Let’s go.”
They moved through the trees silently, reaching the first of several outbuildings. The scent of pine surrounded them. Jax pried open the door. Old inner tubes and life jackets filled the shack along with spiderwebs and rat droppings.
They moved on. Jax suddenly held up a hand, and they all stopped.
Two men came into view, patrolling and smoking cigarettes. Idiots.
Jax and Raze stepped behind them, using headlocks to knock both guys out without much effort. “Tie ’em up,” Jax said, motioning for Raze to follow him. “We’ll take the five buildings closest to the mansion, and you three take the lake. Tace, if you have a problem, get out of the way.”
“Copy that,” Tace said easily.
Barbara lifted her gun from the holster. “We’ll be fine, Jax.” Her blue eyes were narrowed and determined.
“Agreed,” Sami said. Good. She could keep an eye on his attacks. She helped Tace drag the unconscious Elite soldiers back to the shack while Barbara kept point, her gun sweeping the area for threats. Using fishing line, they tied and then gagged the men, shoving them inside. A spider crawled across Sami’s boot, and she shivered, kicking it away.
