Raze rolled and came up firing, hitting Reverend Lighton dead center. Lighton’s eyes widened, and he fell back, blood bursting from his chest.

Without missing a beat, Raze leaped through the window face-first, slammed into a wooden floor, rolled and jumped up, gun sweeping. Nobody else was in the empty room.

Gunfire pinged from outside the room, and a woman screamed, high and loud.

Lighton stared up at the ceiling, his eyes open in death.

Raze didn’t need to check for a pulse. He inched the door open, his gun ready, his body on full alert.

Another scream echoed from down the hallway.

He edged outside, trying to see through the smoke. Had Jax thrown a flash grenade? “Mercury!” he bellowed. Where the hell was everybody?

“Jax?” a female voice yelled from the next door.

Raze kicked it open and swept inside, going low.

Lynne Harmony sat bound to a chair, a pink scarf around her hands and rope around her torso. Her green eyes glowed dark in her pale face.

Raze hustled toward her and cut the bindings. “You okay?”

She stood. “I’m fine. This building is mostly empty. The civilians are in the two other apartment buildings.”

“Weapons?” Raze asked, drawing her toward the door.

“Lighton has some, and he has two soldiers also armed.” Lynne stumbled, and Raze reached back to steady her. “Thanks.”

Raze nudged the door open to see Mercury stomping down the hallway, his gun on a tall blond guy with a goatee. “Lynne’s here. She’s safe.”

Jax shoved the blond man toward Raze, who pivoted and put the guy into the wall, face-first. The guy struggled, but Raze planted the barrel of his gun at the base of his neck, and he stopped moving. Smart.

Jax kept going right into Lynne and enfolded her. “You okay?” he whispered.

Her arms wrapped around his waist. “I’m fine.” She peered around him toward Raze. “That’s Joe Bentley. He tried to talk Lighton into letting me go.”

Raze decreased the pressure of his barrel into Bentley’s neck. “He wasn’t successful.”

Lynne stepped away from Jax. “No, but he tried. From the little I saw, he has a good grasp on the people here.” She looked around, her gaze wide. “Where’s Lighton? He’ll come out shooting.”

“He’s not coming,” Raze said, whipping Bentley around. “Talk.”

Bentley’s glasses wobbled on his thin nose. “The reverend lost it. All of a sudden, he told everyone to get to the residences. I saw Dr. Harmony, and then I saw the gun at her ribs, so I got everyone out of here.” He swallowed, and his Adam’s apple bobbed.

Lynne nodded vigorously. “That’s true.”

“Then I came back and tried to talk Lighton into letting her go and dropping the weapons.” Bentley shoved his glasses into place. “I was heading out back to try to find Mercury when everything seemed to explode.”

Raze stepped back and let Bentley go. “I guess you live.”

Bentley’s blue eyes widened. “Um, thanks.”

Jax’s soldiers all came into sight. He cleared his throat.

“Bentley? I want a list of every member of your congregation. Tace? Get a crew and take down the fence around this place.”

Bentley held up a hand. “Wait a minute. I don’t agree with Lighton’s methods, but we do want to remain separate for our own safety. We have pregnant women who will lose their babies if they’re infected.”

Jax breathed out. He studied Bentley. “It looks like you’re the new leader of Pure, and I’m fine with that, but no fence. It comes down.”

Bentley opened his mouth to argue, and Raze stepped in again. Bentley’s lips closed.

Jax tugged Lynne to his side. “We can discuss the situation, and I won’t force your people in proximity with survivors, but there’s a lot of work to do before we’re all on the same page. Talk to your people, and make sure they understand that they’ll each be interviewed, alone, within the next week. After that, we’ll figure things out.”

Bentley nodded.

“For now, bring that fence down,” Jax ordered.

Tace turned and motioned for a couple of the soldiers to follow him.

Jax pulled Lynne toward the hallway. “Let’s get out of here and come up with a plan to deal with these people. Tomorrow night, after we get your sister back, Raze.”

Raze breathed in, for the first time in way too long, not feeling alone. “I like having the extra night to plan.”

Jax grimaced as they walked into the bright sun. “I agree, but I wouldn’t have minded a few hours with Damon Winter to get some information about Merc territory. As it is, we’re going in blind.”

Raze looked around at the smoky hallway. “Not our first time.”

Jax shook his head. “Good point.” He strode across the weeds and dropped a kiss on Lynne’s head.

Tace was already using wire cutters to destroy the fence, and they slid through.

Vinnie ran up and flew into Raze’s chest. He wrapped his arms around her, breathing in the scent of calla lilies. “I’m okay,” he murmured, rubbing his chin on top of her head. “So is Lynne. Almost everyone is okay.”

Jax paused. “Tace? Set troops on the fence. We need somebody to . . .”

Tace looked up, his pupils narrowing. “Ah. Yeah, okay. I’ll take care of Lighton.” He tossed the cutters to one of the soldiers and turned to head back inside.

Raze paused. “I’ll help.” Considering he’d shot Lighton, he should help to clean up the mess.

Tace waved over his shoulder. “I don’t need help. Go figure out a plan for us tomorrow night. I want in, and nobody is going to keep me out this time, medic or not.” He kept talking as he entered the building, and his voice faded slowly.

“He’s talking to himself,” Jax said slowly, his brow furrowing.

“Most of us do,” Vinnie said, her gaze somber. “I’m sorry, Raze.”

He blinked. “Huh?”

“Sorry you had to . . .”

Ah. He pulled her into his side. “It’s my job, sweetheart. I’m sorry we had to get you involved.” The pretty shrink shouldn’t have to occupy sociopaths and stand in danger while he did his job. They’d have to work on that later. For now, he wanted her away from the area.

Jax must’ve been of like mind, because he was all but dragging Lynne through the empty streets, past the showers, and into the main headquarters building. “How many people did you see there?” he asked, dropping into a chair in the mess hall.

She shrugged and sat. “Not many. The main apartment building is serving as a kind of corporate headquarters for the Pure. Or at least, it was.”

Vinnie trooped along at Raze’s side, her pallor still a little alarming.

“Bentley seems like a nice guy,” Jax said. “You’re sure he tried to convince Lighton to let you go?”

Lynne nodded. “Yeah. He was mostly worried about the Pure.”

Vinnie pressed a hand to her stomach. “I wouldn’t mind interviewing him later this week. Just to get a feeling for him.”

“You got it, Doc,” Jax said. “For now, we should all eat. Then we’ll come up with a plan to infiltrate Mercenary territory.” He stepped in front of Raze and grabbed him for a hard hug. “I owe you.”

Raze smacked his back and moved away. “It’s all good.”

Jax shook his head, his dark eyes swirling with emotion. “No. You put off your mission for Lynne, and then you went through a window. My loyalty is yours.”

Raze nodded, his chest filling. That meant something. “Ditto.”

Jax settled. “Winter said that the doc has to come, and it’s your call if she does or not.”

Raze lost his appetite. The plan he’d come up with before Winter had shown had included Vinnie staying nice and safe in Vanguard territory. The woman wasn’t bait, damn it. He’d die for either his sister or for Vinnie, and this mission would put both of their lives on the line.

There had to be another way.

“President Atherton?” Lake’s voice carried through the mansion with more excitement than Bret had ever heard from him.

“Just a second.” Bret rolled off the blonde and ignored her murmur of protest. The secretary had long legs and nice tits, and she didn’t talk too much. He gave her a smile as he stood next to the bed. “I have work, but we can continue this later.”

She stretched in the large bed and nodded, covering a yawn with her hand.

“So get back to work,” he said, pulling on his jeans and shirt.

Her glare was kind of pretty as she huffed from the bed.

If the woman thought fucking him would get her anything other than a couple of orgasms, she’d sorely misread him. In fact, she was just a temporary indulgence and apparently didn’t know it. Maybe he should find his fun elsewhere.

There was a time he couldn’t get it up without thinking of Lynne Harmony. Thank God that time was over.

Finished dressing, he forgot all about the blonde in bed and exited the bedroom, startled at finding Lake right outside. “You okay?”

Lake nodded his buzz-cut head. “Yes. We intercepted a Mercenary scout earlier this morning, and it looks like there’s going to be a meeting between the Mercs and Vanguard later tonight.”

Bret finished tucking in his shirt. “Sound like a setup?”

“No, sir.” Lake’s startling blue eyes darkened. “It took three hours of persuasion to get the scout to say a word. This is real, and it’s happening.”

Bret nodded. “That is excellent. What is the meeting?”

“The scout seemed to believe that there was going to be an exchange of Vivienne Wellington for Raze Shadow’s sister.” Lake kept at perfect attention, even in the hallway.

“What do you think?”

“Don’t know.” Lake frowned. “But I know how badly you want Vivienne Wellington back, so we should create a plan.”

Bret’s entire body hardened at the thought of having the profiler in shackles again. This time, oh this time, he’d use her. In every way possible. He smiled. “Fate is finally smiling on us again.” He turned and loped down the hallway. “I’ve never created a torture room before.” There was a shed on the other side of the property that had held rather interesting tools.

He rubbed his hands together. “Can’t wait to see you, Doctor Wellington.”

Vinnie finished rubbing lotion into her arms and nearly groaned at the decadence. A scouting party had found a whole box of lotion and toiletries on that morning’s mission, and one of the women had tossed Vinnie a tube after dinner.

The sense of belonging felt even better than the lotion.

The door opened, and Raze walked in. He’d stopped even pretending he was going to bunk with Tace and had even started mixing his clothes up with hers. Though he’d acted fine with his decision to kill Reverend Lighton, shadows darkened his eyes, and a vein bulged in his neck.

He felt the pain of causing death, even if he wouldn’t admit it.

She smiled and pushed off the sofa.

He lifted his head and sniffed the air. “What is that?”

She smiled and held out the tube. “Lotion. Real lotion. Can you believe it?”

He lifted an eyebrow. “No?”

She shook her head. “It’s a miracle. The world right now smells like roses.”

“I prefer calla lilies,” he said, dropping his bulletproof vest on the chair.

“Um, okay.” She fought the urge to go to him, although the need to soothe him dug deep and took hold. They hadn’t had the talk. The other night had been intense—incredibly so—and something had shifted inside her for him. For them. But she didn’t know how he felt, and considering he was worried to death about his sister, now didn’t seem to be the time to talk about it.

“What in the world is going through your head?” he rumbled, setting his guns and knives on top of the fridge.

She swallowed. “Nothing. Just thinking about the mission.” Yeah, she was a total chicken.

“I still think you should stay here,” he said, turning around, sans any weapons. Well, any metal weapons. The guy was a weapon himself, now wasn’t he? He sure moved like one.

She shook her head. “My staying here would just exacerbate the problem. Only I can convince Greyson Storm that I have no clue where Zach Barter is, you know? The president didn’t even know. Once Greyson has the truth, once he sees it in my eyes, he’ll let your sister go.”

“Maybe.”

“And if he doesn’t, then we’ll go with plan B. My presence is necessary to lull him into our trap.” She sounded like a Bond villain, for goodness’ sake. “I know we’re going on instinct here, but I think he’ll work with us. He’d make an excellent ally against the president.”

Raze nodded. “What else were you thinking about?”

She blinked. “Huh?”

“You have the worst poker face I’ve ever seen,” he murmured, tension rolling off him.

“God, he’s a hottie.” Lucinda popped out of the fridge.

Vinnie gasped and took a step back. She quickly recovered and smoothed down her jeans.

Raze frowned. “What the hell?”

“Although I don’t like his potty mouth,” Lucinda muttered, waving a sparkling wand around. “Look. I’m the good witch.”

Vinnie pressed her lips together. Her chest started to ache. It had been a couple of days since Lucinda had appeared, and she’d let herself believe she’d healed. That the damage to her brain had somehow gotten better. “Nothing. Just jumpy, I guess.”

Raze looked toward the fridge. “You seeing people again?”

Vinnie’s shoulders hunched. “Yes.”

He looked back toward her. “That’s okay. At least you know it’s a hallucination, right?”

She nodded.

“Well, then, you know the difference between reality and fantasy,” he said, kicking off his boots.

“For now.” At some point, what if she lost that distinction? Hell. What if she wasn’t even talking to Raze right now? He could be downstairs with Jax, still coming up with a plan, and she might be—

“Vinnie.” He studied her. “Get out of your head, baby. You’re gonna be okay. I promise.”

“I may be psychic. With all the brain tweaks, I may actually be able to read the thoughts or emotions of other people.” She had to share that fact with somebody.

His eyebrows went up. “Interesting. We’ll have to explore that later.”

His acceptance of her oddities warmed her throughout. “Where are we?” she blurted out.

He straightened. “You, ah, don’t know where we are? In Vanguard territory?”

Heat flushed up her neck and into her face, making her cheeks burn. “Of course I know where we are. What I meant to ask, even though it’s really bad timing, is where are we? It’s odd, and I know we have to save your sister, but last night, something changed for me, and I was wondering if it changed for you. Not a huge change, but more like a shift. You know, the—”

“Vinnie.” He stepped into her and cupped her cheeks. “My entire life shifted the second I carried you out of that storage room in Las Vegas last week.”

Well. now. If that wasn’t the sweetest statement ever. “For the better?”

He chuckled. “Yeah. For the better.” He leaned down and caught her mouth, his lips gentle and firm. The kiss went from slow burn to flash fire, and he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into the long contours of his hard body.

She closed her eyes and allowed herself just to feel. A few moments of forgetting reality wouldn’t hurt anything.

The kiss went on, and he smoothly removed her shirt.

Her eyelids flew open, and she glanced toward the kitchen. Lucinda had taken off. Good.

Vinnie stepped in and grabbed the hem of his shirt, struggling to get it over his head. He ducked to help her out.

The next day would bring fear and possibly pain, but tonight, they had this. They had each other, and she was going to show him what that meant. Words rambled together for her, but when he touched her, she settled. The entire world calmed and once again made sense.

She leaned in and kissed his strong torso. His heart beat steadily beneath her mouth, and she stretched up on her toes to kiss the strong column of his neck. “I’m so glad you found me.”

He tangled his hand in her hair and drew her head back. Those glorious eyes had turned the color of a magical moonlight, deep and blue. “Me too.”

Neither one of them pretended they were talking about Las Vegas.

He bent and lifted her, carrying her easily toward the bed. Her pants hit the floor, and soon his joined them. He sprawled out on top of her, warming her from head to toe.

Her breath caught at the look in his eyes.

Strong and absolute . . . and for her. That look was for her and her only. “Raze,” she murmured, running her fingers through his hair.

He nodded. “Yeah.” Then he leaned down and kissed her again, so much emotion in the taste, tears sprang to her eyes.

Somehow he rolled on a condom, and then he was pushing inside her, filling her almost too full. He took his time, staking more than his claim, each inch a testament to a hopeful tomorrow.

Finally, he paused, his body fully embedded in hers.

He smoothed the hair away from her face and placed gentle kisses on her nose, her chin, and her mouth. “You have to stay safe tomorrow. I need you.”

The words, such simple words from such a strong man, wrapped around her heart and warmed her forever. She opened her mouth to reply, and his descended, cutting off her breath and then her thoughts.

As he kissed her, as he held her, he began to thrust, taking her high and hot. Her thighs trembled, and she clasped her ankles at the small of his back.

He pounded harder, his kiss never losing strength, his body protecting hers.

Energy flushed through her, winding out, and her body arched in an orgasm so strong, she forgot how to breathe. She was just coming down when he ground against her, his body shuddering.

Tears slid down her cheeks.

He kissed them away, a brutal man showing such incredible gentleness.

Her heart burst, way too full.

Tomorrow, they’d go on a mission against an unknown enemy. What if she was wrong, and Greyson was more dangerous than she’d thought? Doubts about her sanity and ability to think clearly assailed her.

This might be their last night together.

Raze ditched the condom and rolled her over, spooning his big body around her. Warmth and security wafted around, providing shelter in a world gone dark and lonely. “It’s not too late to back out,” he murmured sleepily at her ear.

She blinked, staring at the far wall, her body thrumming in contentment while her mind rolled with reality. For the first time since Scorpius had blanketed the world, she had found her place in it. With a soldier, a complex fighter, a man she’d need a lifetime to truly know.

He was giving her a chance to protect herself and wait at home for him. But his best chance for survival was to work with her.

She shook her head, her hair winding across his arm. “No. It’s much too late to back out.”

Once again, neither one of them pretended she was talking about anything other than the two of them. They were bound together, no matter what, and the thought kept her awake for a very long time.

She couldn’t lose him just as she’d finally found him.