Free Shadow Falling (The Scorpius Syndrome #2) by Rebecca Zanetti Page A

once in a while glancing with longing at the Mustang.
    After twenty minutes of searching, all they found were a couple of hammers, a can of nails, and a box of girlie magazines. Jax loaded them up and headed outside.
    Raze cut him a look.
    “What? We have teenagers, you know. Every teenagershould have a skin magazine.” Jax’s stride didn’t waver as he continued out to the truck.
    Raze shook his head. What a bust. “This was a waste of time,” he muttered, carefully closing the door behind them. Maybe someday he could return for the car.
    Jax nodded and dumped the loot in the back of the crappy truck. “Yep. We have five more businesses like this to hit. The shop was so clean, let’s skip the house. They took everything of value.”
    Raze nodded and slid back into the passenger seat. Unfortunately, the best loot was found at homes with dead bodies. He was so damn tired of dead bodies.
    They worked methodically through the list of home-based construction companies, finding many more tools, some pot, more magazines, cigarettes, and even a generator before reaching Plympton’s Hard Tools on the far side of Compton.
    While they didn’t speak much, they moved in sync, both having been trained well. Jax had been Delta Force, while Raze had been SEAL Team Six. Something else they didn’t discuss.
    Plympton’s was comprised of two metal shops behind a double-wide trailer not nearly as nice as the other buildings. A work truck had been abandoned near the trailer and gave up tools, electrical wire, and cocaine.
    Raze lifted his eyebrows. “Do we want the coke?”
    “Yep. Take all drugs.” Jax squinted toward the first shop. “We can’t be picky when it comes to pain management and bullet wounds.”
    True. “If I get shot, don’t even think of using coke,” Raze said, gathering the bundle to slide it beneath an old tire in the back of the truck.
    “Copy that.”
    They walked side by side toward the first shop, morethan used to entering new buildings together. Before Raze could open the door, Jax moved, smoothly slicing a handcuff over his wrist.
    What the hell? Raze kicked out, nailing the Vanguard leader in the leg.
    Jax grunted, jumped forward, and secured the other cuff to the side of the metal door. Then he backed up, weapon out.
    Raze went still. He’d gotten caught up in the day and had forgotten to watch his back. How the hell had he gotten so damn complacent? “What the fuck?”
    “You don’t sound surprised,” Jax said, his aim steady.
    “I’m not.” If he went for the knife in his boot, Jax would shoot to kill. Raze’s gun was at his waist, and he was fast, but Jax was probably fast, too. “You going to leave me here?” His heartbeat sped up, and he tried to control his breathing.
    Jax slowly shook his head.
    Ah, hell. Jax would go for the sure result. “You’re just going to shoot me and go,” Raze said evenly.
    “That’s the plan.”
    Raze kept his gaze level. If he could talk Jax into just leaving him cuffed, he could eventually get free. If Jax shot him in the head, then nobody would be able to help Maureen. He had to live. “I helped you save Lynne from Atherton. Why are you doing this?”
    “Let’s not play games.” A muscle ticked at Jax’s jaw. “Give me some credit. You had to expect this.”
    “No.” Sure, he’d expected it, but he’d gotten careless in the hunt for explosives. Jax and his crew had drawn Raze right in, and sweet Vinnie was the cream on top. “I didn’t think you had it in you. To kill a guy you’d fought next to.”
    Jax snarled. “Reminding me of lost comrades is a shitty thing to do.”
    “Shooting mein the head is worse,” Raze countered dryly.
    “Tell me the full truth, and I won’t shoot you. Why did you walk into Vanguard territory and offer to help? More importantly, how did you come by the intel about President Atherton that helped us rescue Lynne and Vinnie last week? You knew way too much about him and his troops.” Jax’s aim