Knight Awakening (The Scorpius Syndrome Book 6)

by Rebecca Zanetti

  Marcus shook his head. “What if it doesn’t work? I can’t stay here.”

  “Agreed,” Jax said. “If it doesn’t work, we’ll leave. We’ll have to.”

  Leave? Marcus stilled. “You’re in charge of Vanguard. These people are your responsibility.”

  “You’re my brother. If we have to leave, we will. Any one of my lieutenants could take over this place and do an excellent job.” Jax pulled him in for a hard hug. “I’d rather not leave, so let’s get your brain figured out.”

  Penny stepped forward. “I agree. I’ll help.”

  Marcus stepped out of his brother’s embrace, his heart thundering. “We’re done, Penelope. Period.”

  34

  Why does this world get harder every day? There has to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Now that I think about it, maybe I do have a light. It’s Blue.

  —Jax Mercury, Journal

  Jax Mercury sat at his conference table, staring at the notes his brother had made on the whiteboard. His lip felt ten times normal size, and his left ribcage pounded with pain. His brother had been in a frenzy. How had Jax missed what was happening in Marcus’s brain?

  Lynne walked into the room with two plates of what looked like meatballs, two mugs balanced precariously in her other hand. Not a good look for a known klutz like her. He started to raise up and help her, but she shook her head. “I’ve got it,” she said, moving carefully.

  She slid everything onto the table and dropped onto his lap, cuddling close and sliding her arm over his shoulders. She kissed his neck, snuggling in, the blue of her heart glowing aqua beneath her pink shirt. “I’ve left you alone all day to stew, and you’re done now,” she whispered.

  “I’m not stewing,” he said. “For half the day, I was in with Marcus and Vinnie.” They hadn’t come close to figuring out what was planted in Marcus’s brain. Maybe they really would have to move. “I can’t believe he could control Rippers, even with expert programming.”

  “Me, either,” Lynne said, rubbing a hand across his chest. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

  He tugged her hair until she looked up at him, her eyes luminous in the dusky night. “Do you know anything about programming like that?”

  She shook her head. “No. Definitely outside of my discipline. I work with diseases, not with human experiments. It’s unthinkable, and I can’t even imagine what Marcus went through to get to a point they could mess with his brain like that.”

  Jax settled his weight, holding her secure. “Do you think Vinnie will be able to get into his head?”

  “She has to, right?” Lynne kissed his chin. “Vinnie was one of the best profilers in the country before the fever, and that means being able to tunnel right into brains. She’ll help Marcus. I’m sure of it.”

  Yeah, well, he wasn’t. “They tortured him for months, Blue. With pain and drugs and who knows what else. Did you hear what he said to Atherton about somebody named Georgia?”

  Lynne nodded. “Yes. I asked Penelope about Georgia, and she said the woman was a scientist who tortured Marcus. Sounds like the woman became obsessed with him, and from the way Bret reacted when Marcus said that, I’d guess he was with her? Makes sense, I guess. I don’t know.”

  “If she’s with him, it’s temporary,” Jax said, indulging himself by running a hand through her soft hair. So light and fragrant, even after a long day of working in her lab. “Atherton’s prize is you, and he’ll never stop coming.” It was hard to imagine the guy had been speaker of the House before Scorpius had killed the president and vice president. He and Lynne had briefly dated, and his obsession went over after he survived the fever.

  “I know,” Lynne said. “I agree we need to take him out, and since the Brigade reached the same conclusion, at least we know we’re being logical and not emotional.”

  Jax felt along her ribcage. Was she losing weight again? Sometimes she became so caught up in research that she forgot to eat. “Tell me Atherton was a tool before Scorpius.” It’d help, somehow.

  She nodded. “Total tool. He was creepy and obsessive even then, and now he thinks he’s invincible.”

  The man was going to discover the opposite when Jax put a knife into his heart. Lynne’s safety was more important than anything else, and he’d do what he had to do. She was everything. Jax reached for the food, drawing one paper plate closer. “These smell like meatballs. What are they?”

  “I don’t know.” She looked over her shoulder at the food. “I tasted one, and they taste like regular meatballs. It might be better not to know.” She moved, her butt square on his groin. “Although I guess it’s possible somebody found a cow, right? There are probably many wandering about.”

  Desire took him, like it did all the time with her. He turned her to straddle him. “Works for me.”

  She palmed his chest, and her hair fell down across her shoulders. “This is a much better use of your time and imagination.” Leaning down, she kissed him, sweeping her tongue along his bottom lip.

  Sami skidded into the room, her eyes wild. “Jax? We have a problem.”

  Of course they did. Jax stood and deposited Lynne back in the chair. “Is it Marcus?”

  “No.” Sami took a deep breath. “I took food down to Zach Barter, and he’s gone.”

  Everything in Jax stilled—quiet and dark. “Excuse me?”

  Sami took a step back. “The door was open, and he was gone.”

  Lynne gasped and pushed from the chair, turning to face Sami. “How is that possible?”

  Jax ground a fist into his eye to stem the migraine about to blow his head apart. “The doors lock securely down in the vault, and I needed the guards up here looking for Rippers, whoever is keeping Rippers, and watching my brother.” Fury clawed into him. He turned and punched the wall, sending dust flying. Then he jerked his hand free, leaving a wide hole in the damn thing.

  Sami’s eyes widened. “Dude.”

  Lynne crossed her arms, her pupils narrowing. “The stairs going down are right outside this room, Jax. It’d be an incredible risk for anybody to just run down there and unlock the door.”

  He had several secured rooms down the stairs, but only one had been occupied. “The key is kept down there, so once somebody headed down, they’d be safe.” Unless one of his soldiers had gone down. “It’s somebody who knows our schedules.” Why hadn’t he thought that somebody would let Barter loose? He was getting stretched too thin, and he needed more soldiers.

  Sami cleared her throat. “Could it have been Marcus?”

  “Let’s find out.” Of course, it could’ve been Marcus, based on what Jax witnessed the night before. “First, set up another grid search to find this asshole. Then get the timeline of who last saw Barter in that room, and we’ll go from there. Hopefully Marcus will be accounted for during that time.”

  Jax wasn’t holding out hope.

  Penelope finally gave up on reading the same notes for the tenth time and walked to the center of her office, her tennis shoes squeaking on the old floor. The lantern sent a hazy glow, and she might as well take advantage of it.

  “Hey, Docs?” Byron called out.

  “It’s just me, Bry,” she said, leaning out the doorframe to see the young man at the opened back door. “Is everything okay?”

  He nodded. “Just wanted you to know we were changing guards, and it’ll be me here until midnight. Paul is taking over between the clinic and the cafeteria, so you’ll be covered. Please let us know when you want to go to the apartments, and we’ll have an escort for you.”

  She grinned at the kid. “I know the procedure.” She’d seen both Lynne and Vinnie escorted out when they were done for the day. “I’ll just be a couple more hours.” Why return to an empty apartment and bed? Stubborn Marcus wouldn’t even talk to her, and he’d seemed angrier than ever when he finished working with Vinnie earlier.

  “Copy that.” The kid shut the door.

  The quiet was nice. The place had been bustling all day, and this was her fir
st moment for some darn peace. She reached under her desk for an old mat and spread it out before settling down into the Constructive Rest pose with her knees bent.

  She breathed, observing the feel, and focused on the pain in her neck. Allowing fresh oxygen to wash through her, she searched for more peace and thought of gratitude. Then she moved into the Supine Twist pose, rolling her knees to the right.

  “Hello.” A man lunged out of the cabinet near her desk, and a thin hand banded over her mouth, shoving her back over.

  She struggled, trying to scream behind his hand, terror clawing through her. How had Zach Barter gotten into her office? She’d known he’d gotten free, but everyone thought he’d tried to run.

  “Shhh.” He leaned down, closer to her face. “I won’t hurt you. Just be quiet.”

  She blinked.

  He smiled, his teeth even and still white. “I’m going to move my hand, and you’re going to be quiet. If you scream, I’ll choke you. Got it?”

  She nodded, her heart thundering.

  “Good.” He gingerly moved his hand, his body tense and ready to spring, even as he rested his forearm against her neck.

  “Get off me,” she whispered, shoving his bony chest.

  His blond hair fell forward into his face. “I kind of like it here.” He smiled, flat on top of her. “Do you know who I am?”

  “Yes,” she said through gritted teeth. Why hadn’t she spent more time learning to fight? But when? “What I don’t know is how you got into my office, Zach.” There had been guards at the doors and people around all day, ever since Marcus had sleepwalked into the storage room. Her eyes widened. “Wait a minute. You’ve been here all day?” Her voice rose.

  His blue eyes narrowed. “Yes. I was making a break for it last night when everyone showed up, following that sleepwalking dude. Had to hide really fast in that cabinet, and it’s been a pain all day. Finally had to piss in a beaker when you left the room. Twice.” His stomach growled. “I’m starving.”

  Okay. She was alone with Zach Barter, and the guards wouldn’t check on her for hours. Marcus was avoiding her, and the other doctors had gone to bed. She was on her own with a psychopath.

  He looked around. “Where is Lynne? I’d love to see her right now.”

  “Why don’t you go look for her?” Penelope tried to remember the best way to grapple an attacker from beneath one.

  “That’s a good idea.” His eyes gleamed in the darkness. “I think we’ll have fun first. It has been so long for me.”

  Terror roared through her veins. Her hands shook. She had to get to the gun in her desk.

  He leaned up and put more weight on her neck, cutting off her air. Her lungs constricted. Pain spread out through her head. Her breath was cut off, and she couldn’t fight. She tried to get her hands from where they were trapped between them, but his weight was too substantial. The room swayed and darkness swam around her. Then she fell, fighting all the way.

  She awoke with Zach trying to pull her shirt up over her head.

  “No.” She slapped at him, shaking her head.

  He sat back on his heels, straddling her as she jerked her shirt back into place. “Oh, good. I thought I’d knocked you completely out. Just needed you down long enough to lock both doors.”

  She swallowed, her throat hurting. Good. She’d barely gone under. Wait a minute. “You locked the doors?”

  “Oh, yeah.” His smile gleamed his too white teeth in the faint light. “I haven’t figured out how to get out of here, but I need this first. It’s been too long.”

  Bile rose in her throat. The doors were locked? Her mind was still fuzzed, and she shook her head, trying to focus. Her throat felt like it was on fire. Fear brought everything to the forefront.

  He smiled. “There you go. Be quiet, or I’ll gag you.”

  She just looked at him, waiting for an opening. He leaned down to try her shirt again, and she twisted, poking her finger into his eye and digging with her nail. He howled and sat up.

  She screamed as loud as she could, sitting partially up and digging for his other eye.

  He yelped and rolled off her. Pounding set up on both outside doors. She jumped to her feet and kicked him in the balls. He doubled over and cried out.

  Panting, she leaped over her desk and yanked open her drawer. He was on her before she could get the gun, taking her down. She landed on him and dropped her elbow into his nose. A satisfying crack filled the silence.

  He punched her in the face, and she fell against her chair, her arms flailing. Her hand landed on the drawer and she lunged forward, getting the gun. He pushed her, and she fell back, lifting her arm and pulling the trigger. The sound was deafening, and he fell back, blood squirting from his chest.

  The back door crashed open and Byron ran down the hallway and into the room, his gun out. He panted and took in the scene. “Doc Penelope?”

  She set the gun on the desk and used the chair to push to her feet. Then she fell back into it. “I’m okay, Byron.” She glanced at the dead man on the ground, her ears still ringing, and her gut rolling. “Tell Jax we found Zach Barter.”

  35

  I’m the monster. Who knew?

  —Marcus Knight, Journal

  Marcus grabbed his brother by the arms and shoved him against the wall in the depressing apartment. “What do you mean Penny was attacked last night?” Fury tasted like blood since he’d just bitten his tongue.

  Jax swiped his arms away and shoved him back. “What do you care? You broke up.”

  “We broke up because I’m some mindless robot taking orders from a psychopathic god somewhere.”

  Jax rolled his eyes. “You always were a dramatic son of a bitch.”

  Marcus curled his fingers into a fist, more than ready to plow it through Jax’s face. “You’re telling me that Barter was in her cupboard all fucking day? Do you have a handle on this place or not?” He knew he was being unfair, but Penny had been in danger. That was unacceptable.

  Jax sighed. “Apparently not. Penny is fine. Well, she has a black eye, but other than that, she’s fine.”

  Marcus nearly dropped him to the ground. “She has a black eye?” His voice shook at the rage.

  Jax eyed him warily. “Yes, but she shot Barter, so I’d say she won the fight. He’s dead, Slam.”

  Good riddance, although killing somebody would hurt Penny. She was sweet and kind. Plus, she saved people for a living, and the thought of her having to shoot somebody would harm her. “Is she really doing all right? She’ll need to talk to Vinnie. She can have my time right now.”

  Jax looped his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans. “You know, for somebody who has no feelings, you seemed to be experiencing a shitload of them. Why don’t you pull your head out of your ass and talk to Penny yourself? She might need your help.”

  Right. Like he could help anybody. “Yeah, unless my programming dictates that I break her neck.” The thought that he could hurt her made him want to rip his own heart out and just be done with it. Was he strong enough to survive leaving her alone in this world? “I’m dangerous.”

  “Of course you are,” Jax said. “Although I don’t think you’d hurt her under any circumstances. Regardless, I’m just suggesting you talk to the woman. I don’t think you should go wrestle each other or anything.”

  Wrestle? “Get Penny and take her to Vinnie,” Marcus ordered.

  “Nope. You’re up first. Penelope can meet with the shrink during your lunch or nap time.” The sarcasm at the end of the sentence was unnecessary, and Marcus growled.

  Jax growled right back. “Let’s go.” He gestured toward the door.

  “Fine.” Marcus already had his boots on, so he opened the door and walked into the hallway just as Penny emerged from her apartment. A black eye? The entire right side of her face was bruised, culminating in a purple lump right beneath her cheekbone. “Penny,” he breathed.

  Her eyes were haunted. “How are you feeling?”

  “Fine.” He had to get a
way from her. “I want her guarded at all times, Jax.”

  Jax pushed him farther into the hallway so he could exit and shut the door. “I have guards on the clinic and as escorts for her at all times, until we find whoever was keeping Rippers in the basement.”

  Sounded like a freaky horror film. Marcus shook his head. “I was keeping Rippers.”

  “I don’t think so, Slam,” Jax said.

  Penny swallowed. “Can we talk later?”

  There were bruises across her neck. Marcus stood straighter and tried to avoid the sweet scent of raspberries that tempted him. “No. There’s nothing to talk about.” He turned on his heel and strode away from her, forcing himself to keep his gaze straight ahead and not look back.

  “You’re really a dick,” Jax said mildly, as they reached the stairwell.

  “It’s better for her,” Marcus said, jogging down. “You have to see that. Who the hell knows what I’m programmed to do?”

  Jax gave him a brotherly shove at the bottom of the steps. “We’re going to find out what’s in your head, don’t you worry about that. I’m just saying that it’d be easier if Penny worked with you and helped instead of you freezing her out.”

  Marcus whirled on him at the entrance to the cafeteria. “Were you this much of a pussy when we were growing up?”

  If he’d wanted to get in a fight with Jax, he was sorely disappointed when Jax threw back his head and laughed, the sound echoing off the walls. “You’re the one hiding from your woman.”

  “Whatever.” Marcus turned and stalked through the cafeteria while ignoring the contemplative looks from the soldiers sitting and eating breakfast. “After one of these meetings with Vinnie, I would very much like to spar with somebody.” It was the best way he could put it. He crossed into the clinic and made his way to Vinnie’s office. “Doc? You ready for me?”

  “Yep.” She gestured him inside. “You get to sit in the other chair this time, across the somewhat new table from me. We found it in a storage room. Jax can take the sofa.”