A Shot of Red (10 page)

Chapter Ten

Gio’s timing could not have been worse, but he couldn’t wait until after Mia’s appearance to ask her about Brent’s claims on the video and what she intended to do about them.

The color had drained from Mia’s face despite her TV makeup. “Where did you get that?” she asked suspiciously.

“It was on the floor next to the chair in my hotel room.”

She furrowed her brow and searched his eyes. Her scrutiny pissed him off. Didn’t she trust him? Right now, he wasn’t about to ask.

“I haven’t decided what to do about it yet.” She took another nervous glance at her watch and shifted her gaze to the door.

“I’m flying back to DC after your appearance. I can tell your mother and Secretary Dartmouth what Brent suspect—”

“No,” she said, her eyes flashing with panic. “This has nothing to do with either of them. Besides, we can’t risk raising a false alarm that something’s wrong with the vaccine when there might not be.”

“But what if there is? We’re working our asses off pushing a vaccine that might not be safe.”

She sighed loudly—nothing like the satisfied sighs he’d heard from her last night. “Don’t you think I’ve thought about that? I’m getting ready to go on national television and encourage people to get vaccinated. Try doing that in good conscience when you have real questions about it.”

Gio paced the length of the tiny dressing room, multiple reflections of himself and Mia shifting in the angled mirrors. He’d been so blindsided by the video, he hadn’t had time to fully consider the quagmire it put him in. Part of him wished he’d never watched it.

“Regardless of my doubts,” Mia said, “I have to stay focused on saving lives. Promoting the vaccine is the best way to do that. If Brent found out something questionable about it, I have to believe it was resolved in production or distribution—wherever the problem might’ve been.”

“Sounds like you’re more focused on saving your family’s company,” Gio said before he could stop himself.

“I can’t believe you just said that.” She glared at him, her blue eyes icy. “Of course I care about my family’s company, but it’s the public’s trust I’m most worried about. If I reveal Brent’s suspicions about the vaccine, it would probably get pulled, and people won’t get shots. They’re already dying without the vaccine. What if nothing’s wrong with it? More people die, and the ones who don’t, doubt vaccines for who knows how long.” The pain of her struggle was clear on her face. “If I take that path, I undermine everything my grandparents and father worked for.” She shrugged weakly. “If I keep quiet…”

“The same thing could happen, if Brent was right.” Gio grasped her shoulders and leveled his serious gaze on her. “God, Mia, he might’ve been murdered. We have to get the authorities involved.”

She squeezed her eyes closed for a second, then looked at him, determined. “What if it’s not true?”

“Do you believe him?” Gio asked.

She bowed her head and he caught the faint orange-blossom scent of her hair, just as he had so many times last night. How could things have gone wrong so quickly?

“I—”

A sharp rap on the door had them both jerking to attention. Gio took a step back.

“Miss Moncure?” a woman called from outside.

“Be right there,” Mia called. She gave him a pleading look. “I just need a little time,” she whispered. “Please say you’ll give me that.”

Gio dragged his hand over his mouth, so damn confused about what to do. He deliberately looked away from her and said, “It’s not that simple. And I can’t make any promises.”

…

Mia went through her appearance with Matt Lauer and Dr. Ogden in a masked panic, somehow able to stay on message through casual conversation. Matt even got a vaccine on camera, just as Lila had done at the press conference. Gio looked on with a determined gaze, as if he was willing her to toss in some lame talking points that they hadn’t even discussed. Even if it would’ve nudged him to keep the information on Brent’s video to himself as a quid pro quo, she wouldn’t have done it.

She hated that his job happened to be an awkward position in between her and her mother, but it was. If they needed a political mouthpiece, then Mia was definitely not the best spokesperson for the One Shot
campaign, especially considering her suspicions about the vaccine.

The idea that her mother and Richard had been so eager to change the message to defend Moncure and the government had Mia even more concerned about Brent’s claim that something nefarious had gone on somewhere along the line. Should she try to find out what it was—and what really happened to Brent—or should she start playing defense for her family’s company?

Her personal life might be a wreck because she fled from her emotions, but her professional life had stayed on track because she relied on facts to navigate through. Policies, procedures, regulations. The gamble of producing vaccines based on educated speculation by the CDC might weigh on her shoulders in the future, but dealing with facts had served her well. Now what had happened with Brent, and his cryptic warning, had Mia fearing that what she thought of as facts were simply an illusion. How could she continue with this campaign without really knowing the truth?

After the appearance, Mia, Ellen, Gio, and Dr. Ogden gathered in the hallway.

“That went really well,” Ellen said, apparently unaware of Gio’s last-minute demand for a message change.

Mia avoided Gio’s gaze, certain it would be sharp. She squeezed her eyes closed, and rubbed her forehead.

“You okay?” Ellen asked.

Mia shook her head. “Splitting headache.” She crossed her arms and pulled them tightly against her. “And it’s freezing in here all of a sudden.” Covering her mouth, she yawned.

Dr. Ogden narrowed his eyes. “Any body aches?”

Mia pressed her lips together tightly. “I’ll be okay.”

“Did you get a flu shot?” Ellen asked.

Mia shook her head. “Not yet, with so much going on.” She could feel Gio’s questioning gaze on her. Only he knew how little sleep she’d gotten last night. And if Dr. Ogden and Ellen were suspecting flu, Gio should be worried, considering how highly contagious it was. “Maybe I just need to lie down for a while.”

Ellen furrowed her brow and checked the time. “Our plane leaves in three hours. We’ve got to check out of the hotel, and get to the airport and through security.”

Mia exhaled with a hiss. “I might have to take a later flight.” She blinked several times, hugging her arms close. “I really need an Advil.”

“A later flight might work,” Ellen said. “You’ve got
The Tonight Show
tomorrow night, so we’ve got a little wiggle room.”

Mia reached up and massaged the back of her neck as the others watched her carefully.

Ellen looked at Gio. “You’re flying back to DC soon, right?”

Gio nodded and cut a look at Mia. “I’m hoping to make it to the press conference this afternoon. I’ll head out to California in the morning.”

“Any way you could stay here with Mia,” Ellen asked Gio, “and Dr. Ogden and I could go on…just in case?”

“No,” Mia said too quickly to Gio. “I mean, I’m sure you need to go to the press conference. No doubt my mother and Richard will want to have a word with you, too.” Her tone was harsher than she intended and Ellen raised her eyebrows a bit, shifting her gaze from Mia to Gio and back.

“You all go ahead,” Mia said. “I’ll be fine on my own.” She pressed her hand to her forehead as if she was checking for fever. “I’ll take an early flight in the morning. I just need to rest.”

She would’ve sworn that Gio seemed relieved after hearing her plan, but maybe that was her imagination. He still had the same tight-jawed look he’d had when she’d left him in her dressing room.

Ellen nodded. “Then I suppose we have a plan.”

Gio nodded curtly, his perfect lips bunched. Dr. Ogden gently squeezed Mia’s arm. “Let me know if you don’t feel better after you rest. I’ll send a doctor to see you.”

…

Mia faked her flu symptoms during the cab ride back to the hotel with Ellen and Dr. Ogden, thankful that Gio had gone on to the airport. She didn’t need his scrutiny right now—or ever. The ruse alone had her feeling guilty considering how many people were really suffering with the flu, and even dying, but it was the best plan she’d been able to think of to separate herself from the others and buy herself some time.

Back in her room, she packed her suitcase, catching the slightest scent of Gio’s cologne on the blouse she’d worn last night. She sat on the edge of the bed, lifted the blouse to her nose, and inhaled deeply. His scent alone had her light-headed, and parts of her body still tender from last night pulsed with need. After what they’d shared, she couldn’t imagine him betraying her by revealing what he’d learned about Brent’s death and the vaccine. Mia understood his perspective, but there was no clear direction to go in, and more harm could come than good if Brent’s story became public before she’d had the chance to verify it.

Mia had known all along what she was going to do eventually, but Gio’s finding the flash card had convinced her to do it now. She had to go to Switzerland. It would’ve been nice to have gone without the added worry that Gio would blow her cover. She should’ve been more careful with her jacket last night when she’d tossed it over the chair in his room, and grabbed it on the way out. It had been dark when she’d left to go back to her room way too early this morning. She’d been so focused on Gio that she hadn’t even thought to check her jacket pocket for the flash card. It hadn’t occurred to her that it might’ve spilled out.

Or… A chill brought goose bumps to her skin and she shivered. Had Gio searched her jacket while she slept? He’d probably seen her slip the flash card in her pocket when they were in the business center.

What have I done?

Mia inhaled his scent once more. Was he the man she thought he was, or was he involved somehow in whatever Brent suspected?

She stood, folded her blouse, and tucked it in her suitcase. Suddenly she felt so alone, but not in the way she’d enjoyed in Haiti. There’d been no question of whom to trust while she’d been there. No looking over her shoulder or making clandestine plans. The only people she felt remotely close to now were Lila and Claude.
And Gio.
But that was only because she’d been in his bed last night. She didn’t really know him. And after he’d shown up with the flash card demanding answers, she wasn’t sure if she could really trust him, either.

Gio’s job was his life, and that job required loyalty to her mother. Mia would be crazy to question that after their argument this morning over the message change. She couldn’t help but suspect that anything she told him related to Moncure Therapeutics would be almost immediately shared with her mother…then Richard. Gio would be back in DC today. How long would it be before he revealed what he’d learned from Brent’s video?

Time was ticking for Mia. When she was fairly certain enough time had passed for Ellen and Dr. Ogden to check out of the hotel, she headed back to the business center to book a flight to Zurich. No way could she use her laptop. But Gio must’ve watched Brent’s video on his. Heat rushed to Mia’s face. If he was innocent in all of this, he might be in danger because of her carelessness.

Mia sighed. If something happened to him, could she stand having that on her conscience, too? One thing was for sure, she couldn’t sit around and worry. Before she headed to the airport for her overnight flight, she needed to get a new laptop to go with the phone she’d picked up in DC. She’d power off her current electronics before she left the hotel later. If someone were tracking her, the last signal they’d get would be from the Algonquin Hotel. She’d already extended her reservation for several days, so there’d be no reason for anyone to think she’d gone elsewhere—at least for a little while.

Mia massaged her temples while her boarding passes printed. Her emotional whirlwind had turned her fake headache to real. Stress stacked up upon worry. She had no idea how long she could fool people with her plan, but she was getting ready to find out.

Chapter Eleven

Gio made it to his office a half hour before the press conference was scheduled to start. The heat was turned up too high, and the air seemed thick with it. He sat at his desk and rubbed his hand across his prickly cheek. Soon he’d have to face Senator Moncure and explain why Mia hadn’t delivered the message as he said she would. How ironic that he was having a hard time crafting his own message right about now. He hadn’t been able to string two cogent thoughts together outside of debating what to do about the explosive information that had been burning a hole in his brain since he watched Brent’s video.

I just need a little time
. He could hear Mia’s voice as if she were standing right in front of him.
Please say you’ll give me that
.

“You’re back,” Senator Moncure said flatly from behind him. He swiveled his chair and faced her. Spruced up for the press conference, she had on a navy dress with a jacket and wore heavier makeup than usual. Her thin lips formed a tight frown, making her eyes appear even droopier. There was no apparent resemblance between her and Mia, and Gio couldn’t see how the woman could possibly be Mia’s mother. Rapid-fire images of Mia’s gorgeous face played in his mind—her large blue eyes, the perfect line of her nose, the O shape of her full lips after she breathlessly cried out his name. Gio broke into a sweat and shifted in his seat, cursing his mind for hijacking his body now, of all times.

“I just got in.” He didn’t care for her standing in the power position while he was seated. Certain she had no intent of sitting, he stood and leaned against his desk.

“What happened?” Her frown deepened and her grip seemed to tighten on the file folder she was carrying. “I expected Mia to pave the way for the press conference today. If she had done as I instructed, we would’ve had sound bites playing all day on talk radio and cable news.” She shook her head tightly. “But I don’t need to tell you that, do I?” He’d heard that tone from Mia in her dressing room this morning—definitely something they had in common.

“No, ma’am.”

“And I don’t need to tell you that everything is delicately coordinated with the PR messaging, the public service announcements, and even the ambassadors’ program.”

Anyone listening in who wasn’t familiar with all of the moving parts of the One Shot campaign might think she was talking about some kind of foreign relations initiative, but she wasn’t. The government had hired and deployed “ambassadors” in thousands of drug stores across the country to approach customers and encourage them to get a flu shot. Studies had shown that signage alone wasn’t nearly as effective as person-to-person persuasion—especially when the vaccine was free.

And no, the senator didn’t need to school Gio on the synergy the government expected in the communications programs. For months he and Brent had worked tirelessly to make sure everything was coordinated.

“Secretary Dartmouth and I expected you to work with Mia on the revised message, and for her to deliver it. Clearly, that didn’t happen. It’s a missed opportunity we can’t recapture.”

Gio quickly debated his strategy. He could put the blame on Mia, and she deserved it, but was that his wisest move? He chose his words carefully. “I underestimated Mia’s commitment to the established plan.” He set his jaw. “And I overestimated my ability to influence her.”

Mia was living up to her reputation as a strong-minded professional, which he couldn’t help but respect. He’d bet Matthew wouldn’t have blinked an eye at the senator’s request, and followed along in lockstep.

Senator Moncure narrowed her eyes. She had an uncanny way of seeing through people, and he hoped his armor was thick enough to withstand her scrutiny. “So you’re getting to know Mia.”

There he went with the jaw-clenching again. What was he supposed to say to that? A pain shot through his temple. That wasn’t a question, was it? Hopefully the senator had no idea just how much he’d been getting to know her daughter. He hated to even think about her reaction if she found out he’d spent the night with Mia, especially since he’d failed to convince her to play nice politics the morning after. Talk about double jeopardy.

Gio nodded once.

Senator Moncure gave him a wry smile. “And you’re starting to understand why Matthew would’ve been a better spokesperson for the One Shot campaign.”

Relief coursed through Gio. This wasn’t about his relationship with Mia as much as it was about the senator’s preference for Matthew.

“They both have their strengths,” he said diplomatically.

Senator Moncure raised her eyebrows and Gio’s gut knotted. “You’d be wise to keep your eyes wide-open with Mia,” she said.

He shoved his hands in his pockets. Did he really know who he was dealing with when it came to Mia, or was he blinded by who he imagined she was, and how damn good she made him feel when they were naked? Should he risk his job for that? Maybe keeping quiet about Brent’s death and his suspicions about the vaccine wasn’t the best strategy.

Senator Moncure opened the file she carried. “There’s no place for divas working on the One Shot campaign. People are dying, and we’ve got to stop that. They trust us, and they need us to guide and inform them. Communications plans will change quickly as we learn what we’re facing, just like they did today. Flexibility is
not
optional, and Mia has to learn that.”

Gio got the feeling she wasn’t finished, so he stayed quiet.

“This is the last time Secretary Dartmouth and I expect this to happen, Gio.” She pulled a sheet of paper from the file and handed it to him.

A disciplinary notice?

“Here’s the memo,” she said, “with all of today’s talking points. It’s been sent to the entire staff via email, as well as to your counterparts at Moncure Therapeutics, including Mia. You’ll be responsible for disseminating a similar communiqué daily, and for stressing to your staff that deviation from what’s in the daily brief won’t be tolerated.”

Gio scanned the memo. He’d never envisioned himself in a situation like this, and frankly, the feeling sucked. Regardless of whether he was involved with Mia, he couldn’t control her any more than her mother could, but he was smart enough not to voice that right now.

Senator Moncure leveled her piercing gaze on him. “Do I make myself clear?”

Gio swallowed hard, his pulse throbbing in his temples. He was angrier than he’d been in Mia’s dressing room this morning. At her…at her mother…at himself. He’d allowed his loyalty to be split, and look where that had gotten him.

He nodded curtly. “Absolutely.”

It was the only answer he could afford to give the senator. He’d lost her confidence and been duly chastised—unfamiliar territory for him. But he could probably save his ass right now if he told her about Brent’s video.

…

Mia sat on her bed in the hotel room, watching the press conference, amazed by all the time Richard was wasting droning on with information that was useless to the American people, but vital for politics. She would’ve put someone from the CDC at the lectern—someone like Dr. Ogden, who was congenial, relatable, and even quirky with his signature bow ties and white lab coats. Television audiences seemed to love him. He’d even earned his own hash tag, #BowTieDoc, on Twitter.

But Richard had likely demanded his face time in front of the cameras, eager to take credit for saving the nation, if and when that happened. He’d spouted off all the talking points she figured Gio was about to feed her this morning before she’d refused to hear them, with her mother standing proudly in the background with other top-level members of Congress.

Mia couldn’t help but feel a little guilty, having put Gio in an awkward position, but she had to stand her ground. She’d worked with PR people—and been one herself—long enough to know not to dilute a message too early. The basics had to take root first, before anything else got layered on.

“Moncure Therapeutics has produced a potent vaccine fully capable of saving lives,” Richard said with confidence, as if he had more knowledge about the formulation than Mia suspected he did. “It’s already proven effective against the flu. However, it cannot save the lives of you and your children if you don’t get vaccinated. I urge you to take action today.”

The press conference wrapped up and the program broke away to a commercial. Mia wanted to believe that the vaccine Moncure had produced was working against the encroaching epidemic, and she hoped the formula that the company had gambled on was effective. But something about it had “scared the hell” out of Brent—and then he died suspiciously. Mia couldn’t get to Switzerland fast enough and find out what it was. Especially now that Gio could turn kiss-ass on her and tell her mother about Brent’s video. If someone with her power found out about Brent’s suspicions, Mia would never get answers. There’d be whispers and cover-ups and lies—no matter who was responsible. But never the truth.

She grabbed her new phone and dialed the one she’d given Nora.

After several rings, Nora answered. “Mia? Is everything okay?” She sounded out of breath.

“Yes, ma’am,” Mia said. “How are you?”

She sighed. “I’m just tired. Really tired.”

“I hope what I have to tell you will help you get some rest.” Mia clutched the phone tightly. “I’m flying to Switzerland tonight. I’m going to find out what really happened to Brent.”