Shadow Falling (The Scorpius Syndrome #2) (14 page)

Now that did make sense. “That’s all there is to the situation?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Tace said, all charm.

“I don’t believe you,” Vinnie said, the hair on her arms rising.

Jax Mercury strode into the room, finishing what looked like a ham sandwich. “Dr. Wellington? Please profile Raze Shadow for me.” He drew out a chair to sit.

Vinnie swallowed. “Where is he?”

“Resting peacefully,” Jax said. “I questioned him, he refused to answer, and then I came here.”

“You, yo-you didn’t hurt him?” Vinnie whispered.

Jax sighed. “That’s a man who won’t break physically. Period. I don’t torture people, but even if I did, it would
be a waste of time with Raze. Which is why I need you to profile him for me. Thank you.” He waited.

She eyed the door. “I find it odd that you’d give thanks after issuing an order. You didn’t ask. You told. Which is fine, I guess, because we all kind of work for you. But I—”

“Vinnie?” Jax murmured.

She snapped her mouth shut and took a moment. “Sorry. I babble.”

“That’s all right. So? Profile?” Jax asked, impatience lining his face.

Well, if Jax and Tace were sitting in front of her, then they weren’t harming Raze in any way. “He’s a soldier because he wants to be one. He’s loyal and ambitious.” She pursed her lips together. “Something is driving him, and he doesn’t like it, but he’s determined to succeed at whatever his mission might be.”

“What else?” Jax asked.

“He likes you. He likes being here and working with the group, and I think he appreciates the order you’ve created. He defends the weak, and the fact that you do the same makes him respect you,” she said.

“Then why doesn’t he trust me?” Jax asked, lines cutting into the sides of his mouth.

Vinnie pushed hair away from her eyes. “He does trust you, but whatever this mission is can’t be compromised. Something more important than you, than trust, is driving him. He won’t take the chance unless you get through to him somehow.”

Jax’s lips thinned into a firm line. “Then I’ll have to get through to him.” He looked at Tace. “It has been about an hour since I left him.”

Tace stood and withdrew a big black gun from the back of his waist.

Vinnie swallowed. “Um, what—”

Tace brought
the gun down on his right knuckles. Blood sprayed.

Vinnie jumped up, her lungs seizing. “What are you doing?”

Tace smashed his hand twice more while Jax watched impassively.

“That should do it,” Jax said.

Tace nodded and turned toward the door.

Jax pointed to Vinnie’s seat. “Please sit back down, Doc. I’d like for you to profile Tace now.”

“No,” she said wildly. “What the hell was that about? Why would Tace hurt himself? What does it have to do with—” She sat back as realization dawned. “You’re a fucking asshole.”

Jax lifted an eyebrow. “Okay.”

“Y-you want Raze to think Tace tortured me,” she whispered, her legs itching to run for the door.

“It’s better than actually torturing you, right?” Jax said, his chin down.

She glared. “You wouldn’t torture a woman, Jax Mercury.” She’d bet every advanced degree she’d earned on that fact.

“Even to save Lynne? To protect her?” he asked softly.

Vinnie’s mouth opened and then shut. Good point. As a last resort, there probably wasn’t anything Jax wouldn’t do to keep Lynne alive. “You’d think of another way first, I’m sure.”

“Which is exactly what I just did,” Jax said. “Now you’re going to stay here until Tace convinces Raze to talk.”

Vinnie’s nostrils flared, and she wanted nothing more than to kick Jax in the balls.

“I wouldn’t,” he said, easily reading her.

She swallowed.

“If Raze
wanted to hide a letter, where would it be?” Jax asked.

Vinnie pursed her lips. Well, he had visited her in her old apartment, and he’d also helped her to move from there. “I have no clue,” she said. Jax wouldn’t get her cooperation against Raze, especially since the Vanguard leader was currently emotionally tormenting the man.

A Vanguard soldier, blond, male, and about forty years old, slid open the back door. “Jax? This reverend guy has been waiting to talk to you for a couple of hours.”

“Reverend?
We
have a reverend?” Jax asked. At the soldier’s nod, he motioned. “Send him in.”

Vinnie pushed her chair away from the table.

“Stay here,” Jax said, his gaze on the door.

She settled back down.

“Give me a read on this guy. Let’s see what you can do, Doc,” Jax said.

The man walked inside. He was tall and thin with dark blond hair swept back from a sharply cut face. Deep green eyes showed intelligence and strength. “I’m Reverend Lighton,” he said, his voice deep and melodious.

“Uh-huh.” Jax pointed to a seat. “You wanted to see me?”

Vinnie watched Lighton approach. Easy gait, calm manner, gaze unblinking. She sat up, her instincts humming. His gaze was too unblinking.

“I’m sorry to bother you, but my main congregation is having concerns, and I promised to speak with you.” Lighton sat and clasped his hands on the table.

Jax lifted one eyebrow. “You’re a reverend?”

“I am now. Scorpius has created new lives for us all.” Lighton crossed his legs.

Jax studied him. “Fair enough. You mentioned concerns?”

“Yes.” Lighton barely shrugged. “Most of my congregation hasn’t been infected by Scorpius, and they’re concerned about staying safe. I’m not sure what to tell them.”

Jax leaned
back. “I suggest you tell them to wash their hands.”

Lighton’s eyes widened. “Is there anything else we can do?”

Jax shook his head. “I’m not ready to run two separate camps. We don’t have the manpower or resources, unfortunately. If folks want to strike out on their own and create their own Scorpius-free zone, then that’s up to them.”

Lighton sighed heavily. “I understand and will pass on that information. Thank you for your time. If you require clergy here at headquarters at any time, please call on me. I have the education, experience, and now the calling.” He smiled at Vinnie, stood, and quickly exited.

Jax glanced at Vinnie. “Where were we?”

She pressed her lips together. It wasn’t her place, but . . . “You can’t trust that guy.”

Jax glanced at the closed door. “He’s harmless.”

“No.” She reached out and grabbed Jax’s hand. “He’s not harmless. He’s on a mission, and he was here to check you out. His body language was slightly off, and you need to keep an eye on him.”

Jax studied her, his gaze thoughtful. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Vinnie hadn’t read Lighton’s mind or anything, not like she’d done the other day when that kid had passed out. But she definitely had some weird stuff going on. Was she becoming psychic? Had Scorpius really changed her mind?

“Doc? You still with me?” Jax asked.

She started. “Yes. Sometimes I daydream.”

“Great. For now, tell me more about serial killers and whether or not I should let the president live. If he’s doing a good job, I may need him to keep doing it, if I can protect you and Lynne from him.”

She shook her head and concentrated on the current conversation. “He won’t ever give up on reclaiming us.” Then
she spent almost an hour going through history, facts, and statistics with the Vanguard leader. After a while, she forgot he scared her.

Finally, the same soldier as before poked his head in. “We have a problem, and it’s about to erupt into a full-out brawl.”

“Shit.” Jax stood and motioned toward Vinnie. “Stay here and guard her. She doesn’t leave this room.”

The soldier nodded. “Understood.”

Jax met
two other soldiers outside the back door, one of them Sami. “What’s going on?” he asked.

She gestured toward inner territory. “Apparently we have a new group called the Pure that wants to be left alone. They’re trying to put up a fence around a couple of the apartment buildings in the southeast quadrant.”

Ah, damn it. Jax moved into a jog. “Tell me they aren’t led by a new reverend.”

She nodded, her black ponytail bobbing. “Yep. Reverend Lighton. The guy was a condom salesman out of Portland before heading south when Scorpius hit.”

A fucking condom salesman? “Jesus.” This was the last thing Jax had time to deal with. The guy had seemed decent, but it sure hadn’t taken him long to cause problems. Dr. Wellington had been correct about him.

Apparently Vinnie knew her shit. He could use her mind for sure.

Jax turned the corner and took in the situation. The Pure group had taken over the three apartment buildings in the far right corner of Vanguard territory. Somehow, during the
night, somebody had placed fences around three-quarters of the apartment buildings, including barbed wire over the top so nobody could climb over. “Were they up all damn night?” Jax snapped.

“Must’ve been,” Sami said.

Six Pure members stood near the fence, all armed, two of them behind a massive gate.

Several of Jax’s soldiers stood on guard and fanned out, facing the fence.

Tension and stress rode the air.

“Did they get that gate out of our western storage warehouse?” Jax asked when he was a few yards from the men.

“That’s the only explanation,” Sami said, halting next to him.

Reverend Lighton strode out the front door of the crumbling brick apartment building. “Master Sergeant Mercury. I’m so glad you’re here. Please tell your men to stand down.”

Jax held a hand up. “Everybody point your weapons at the ground. Right damn fucking now.”

Instantly, his men complied.

The men at the fence looked toward Lighton. He nodded, and they lowered their guns.

That wasn’t good. Not at all. “Take note of who you see on Lighton’s crew,” he whispered to Sami.

She nodded, her brown eyes beyond alert. “Got it.”

“What the hell is going on, Lighton?” Jax asked, crossing his arms.

Lighton moved closer to the fence. “We’re just trying to protect our people. That’s all.”

“Yet you failed to mention the entire fence situation when we met earlier,” Jax said, his temper simmering.

“You didn’t seem receptive to any plan to protect these pure people, so I went ahead with doing it myself.” Lighton
gestured widely. “Scorpius will kill them, so I have to take precautions. It’s my duty, and I’m bound by God.”

The men flanking him nodded, fear in their eyes, determination on their faces.

Ah, hell. “How exactly do you intend to get food and medicinal supplies?” Sami called out.

“We’re part of Vanguard, and we require extra precautions. Many of us will still conduct our jobs out there, including me. But we need a safe place for the women and children who don’t work outside to remain untouched by the bacteria. If you had loved ones who were uninfected, you’d want them to be here,” Lighton said.

Jax shoved anger away as most of the people facing off kept perfectly still. His soldiers were well trained, but he recognized the ones backing Lighton. Also well trained. “This is unacceptable.”

Lighton held his arms wide. “‘The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.’”

“Psalms 146:9,” Jax said. “‘Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.’”

“You’re quoting John. Interesting.” Lighton shook his head. “I’m merely a simple man doing God’s work. Not once have I said I’m a prophet.”

Yet he was acting like one, now wasn’t he? Jax turned slightly toward Sami. “What’s the danger if we go in, guns blazing? How many people are quartered there?” Not that he had a prison cell anywhere. His only recourse would be to kick Lighton and his followers out.

“I don’t know,” she whispered. “That apartment building is where we’ve housed the orphaned children.”

Shit. “Kids, widows, and armed soldiers.” Jax shook his head. “Advice?”

Sami studied the tense soldiers all around. “Schedule a
meeting with Lighton. Let everyone walk away right now so both sides can save face and nobody gets shot. Especially any kids in that building behind him.”

Jax gritted his teeth. “I don’t like backing down.” It wouldn’t set well with his soldiers.

“Then don’t.” Sami shuffled her boots. “Tell Lighton he has one day to tear down the fence and come to you with a plan for his people.”

“You think he’ll tear it down?”

“No. Do you?” Sami asked.

Jax eyed a fluttering curtain on the third floor. “No, but I also don’t want the folks inside to think I’m the bad guy or to be afraid of me. Lighton is capitalizing on fear already.” Fear of Scorpius.

Sami nodded. “I met with him last week and thought he was a nice guy. I missed this.”

“So did I.” Jax counted the guns he could see. Too many. “Vinnie Wellington caught it, though.” The shrink had been correct about Lighton. Jax should’ve listened to her.

“I want to work with you and not against you,” Lighton said gently.