On the Hunt (16 page)

She kicked and howled.

A Secret Service agent ran inside with zip ties.

“Stay away from her mouth,” Deke ordered. Shit. He was tying up and might have to gag the president’s daughter.

The agent’s eyes widened, and she handed over the ties. “Did she bite you?”

“No.” But she’d hit him hard enough to bruise his shoulder.

“I thought Sally was better,” the agent said.

Deke nodded. “So did I.” Fuck, was he wrong.

The agent lifted both eyebrows. “I just received word.” The atmosphere thickened around Deke. “And?”

She leaned over to whisper in his ear. “The president is dead.”

50 people dead
Likelihood of Scorpius Containment: Probable

 

—R
OBERT
B
URNS
, S
COTTISH POET

 

After days without positive results, Nora had left experiments running and headed to her apartment for a very late dinner with Lynne and Bobbi. They devoured her homemade chicken-surprise dish, and she clicked off the phone after giving directions for Amanda Bison to play first base and July Newcomb to cover for shortstop.

As she slipped her phone back into her pocket, both women stared at her with various expressions of
what the hell
?

She sighed. “Last year, one of my bunko friends needed an assistant coach for a girls’ softball team. The Tigers. I played softball as a kid and somehow ended up volunteering.” She had a blast with the girls and the team. “We won the division last year.”

Bobbi raised both eyebrows. “You play bunko?”

Nora nodded. “Yes. I do have a life outside of my job, you know.” She played bunko with a fun and tipsy group of friends, jogged regularly, and coached softball. “I miss my life.” The calmness and order of it.

“You’ll get back to it soon,” Lynne said, patting her hand.

Would she? Although she’d only been gone a week, she wondered if life would ever get back to normal. Scorpius was spreading. “I hope so.” When the president had died, they’d had to announce his passing to the world, but the government had lied by saying it was a stroke. “We need to cure this thing and now. When will the neurologists from Johns Hopkins head this way?” Nora asked.

Lynne set down her beer bottle and rubbed her bloodshot eyes. “Tomorrow morning.”

Bobbi scratched her head. “Why aren’t they here already?”

“Their medical facility in Baltimore is the best. Now they want a firsthand look,” Lynne murmured, reaching for another scan. “Zach’s brain scan is bright and colorful.”

“He is a genius.” Bobbi snorted, her gaze remaining sober. “But he’s still contagious.”

Lynne nodded. “I know. Any thoughts on that one?” She lifted an eyebrow at Nora.

Nora shrugged. While she’d been watching Zach carefully, he really did seem to be all right. Cheerful, smart, and nerdy as usual. “Being contagious sucks, but it isn’t the end of the world. I mean, there are many carriers of MRSA, and they live normal lives. They can only infect people who have wounds, and it’s rare. But possible.”

“We don’t know enough about Scorpius yet, so I can’t release him from the CDC’s secure facility,” Lynne said on a strong exhale. “I think I’d almost prefer if Scorpius were a virus.”

“No.” Nora flipped open another manila file folder. “With a bacteria, we can create an antibiotic or at least a nanosponge to take it out. Hopefully.”

Lynne yawned until her jaw popped and then glanced at her watch. “Crap. It’s midnight. Let’s all get a few hours’ shuteye and meet in the main lab at four. The enzyme experiments should be concluded by then. Hopefully they’ve done their job and discovered a way to break up the DNA of Scorpius.”

Bobbi groaned and pushed away from the table. “Four a.m.?”

Lynne stood and rolled her eyes. “All right. Five a.m., but everyone be ready to go.” She glanced at the cluttered table. “You need help cleaning up?”

“No.” Nora wanted a few more minutes of work. “You’ll just make it more disorganized.”

“I’d object to that statement if I wasn’t so tired.” Lynne stood and inched toward the door.

Bobbi hovered. “Thanks for dinner, and thanks for letting me work with you two. I really like Zach and want to help him.”

“You bet.” Nora smiled. Ah, young love. She remembered how quickly it could happen.

Lynne and Bobbi took off.

Less than a minute later, a knock echoed on the door. Nora glanced around the table. What had Lynne forgotten now?

Humming and shrugging stiff shoulders, Nora crossed the living room and opened the door. Her mouth gaped open. “Zach.”

He stood in pressed pants and a crisp shirt, looking like a clean-cut superhero. A bouquet of roses filled one slender hand. “I wanted to thank you for staying at the hospital all night, and I figured we should get some things straight.”

Her body stiffened in pure instinct. “Uh, what are you doing here?” She blinked. He hadn’t been released from the CDC.

He wiped a hand across his brow and shrugged. “My key card still works, and I just changed into doctor attire. Nobody expected me to leave, so nobody was watching.”

Well, hell. Good point. “You dropped by your place for fresh clothing?”

He glanced down at the ironed clothes. “Yes. I wanted to look good for you.”

Oh, shit. She shook her head. “You’re not thinking clearly.”

He lowered his chin. “I almost died last week.”

She swallowed. Was his brain going wonky? Had they missed something in the scans? “I know.”

“I think wasting time is a bad idea. Hell. This thing could still kill me.” He sighed.

She shook her head. Fear made her hands tremble. Could she get to her phone? “We won’t let that happen. We’ll figure out Scorpius. In the meantime, you just need to take care of yourself and be vigilant until we find the right antibiotic and vaccine.”

“Life is short, Nora,” he whispered.

Now that she knew. How could she get through to him? Blood roared through her head, making her dizzy. “I think maybe something is going on with you. How about we head into the lab and take a look at your scans?”

Zach stood close—too close—his gaze on her lips. “I know you are hesitant about us because you’re kind of my supervisor right now, but I’ve faced death, so we need to stop playing around. Enough is enough.” A young firmness entered his voice and gave her pause.

“Zach, let me help you.”

“I don’t need help.” In a surprisingly fast move, his hip hit hers, shoving her back into the apartment. He shut the door.

Panic roared through her.

He grasped her arm. “Let’s discuss this rationally.”

Okay. This shouldn’t be happening, but it was, so she needed to deal, and now. “You’re having issues. Use your big brain and slow down.” She planted a hand against his chest. “Trust me.”

“It’s time you shut up and trusted me,” Zach hissed, his face contorting.

Holy shit. Who was this guy? His brain scans had been normal. What had they missed? Nora angled to the side. “Listen, Zach, something’s up with the way your brain is working. Let’s call Lynne and go take additional scans.”

He grabbed her arm and pushed her toward the hall closet. The flowers dropped.

The image of the red petals gliding down and scattering against the white tile skittered a chill down Nora’s back. Her breath caught. She hadn’t realized how tall Zach stood. Now as he looked down, his handsome features held a hardness she’d never seen on him.

“Pack a bag. We need to go discuss this somewhere we won’t be interrupted,” he said.

Possibilities flashed through her brain. She could fight, or she could flee. But maybe she could reason with him. An idea struck her. “Don’t you want to see what’s happening in your brain right now? You’re the most curious I person I’ve ever met.”

“No.” He cocked his head toward the living room. “Get packed.”

Her gaze slid to the side to where her cell phone sat on the kitchen counter.

“Don’t even think of calling the soldier. He’s not right for you.” Zach remained motionless.

Terror trickled through Nora’s gut. “Please let me help you.”

“No.” Zach’s calm expression didn’t twitch. “I thought I had time to court you right, but with Deke in the picture, we need to get a move on now.”

“I’m not leaving with you,” she snapped.

He smiled, and the once charming expression now held menace. “Oh, you are.”

She couldn’t get to the phone, and she didn’t want to get anywhere near the bedroom and bed. So she went on instinct.

And nailed him in the balls.

He doubled over with a shocked
oof
and fell to the side. Her breath panted out, and fear heated the air. She had to avoid his teeth and mouth. She pivoted and kicked him in the hip, throwing him against the coat closet. Then she yanked open the front door, grabbed his hair, and propelled him outside.

Her heart thundered in her chest, and she fumbled locking the door. The second the bolt engaged, she jumped for the phone.

It rang just as she grasped for it. “Hello,” she nearly screamed.

“Nora? What’s wrong?” Deke asked, the sound of movement echoing through the line.

Zach pounded on the front door.

Nora turned her head to yell at Zach. “I’m on the phone with Deke. Just stay there until we can get you some help.” She really didn’t want to go hand-to-hand with a pissed-off Zach now that he was prepared for a physical fight.

“Damn it,” Deke bellowed. “I’m on my way. What’s going on?”

The pounding stopped. Nora eyed the room wildly. “I think Zach is having mental problems. Please send somebody to take him in for tests. Somebody trained and armed. He’s dangerous. But don’t hurt him.”

“Get in the bathroom and lock the door. I’ll be right there.” Deke’s voice lowered to calm and direct.

She breathed out, her head swimming. Pounding footsteps echoed down the hallway. “He’s gone. Damn it. We have to find him.”

“I’ll send out a BOLO and call in my men. Stay there.”

Nora nodded, her gaze taking in the scattered rose petals. What now?

 

 

Nora opened the door on Deke’s knock and let him into her apartment, her hands gesturing, even though she was sucking in air to calm down. Thank God Deke was there. “Lynne and I have called everyone Zach knows, and nobody has seen or heard from him. Bobbi is really upset and is trying Twitter and Facebook to find him.”

Deke shrugged out of his jacket. “I have men scouring the city for him. He’s only been gone two hours, so he can’t have gotten far.”

The guy was a genius and would know how to hide. “This is so bad,” she murmured. “I should go and try to find him.”

Deke lifted an eyebrow. “Where exactly would you look?”

She bit her lip. “No clue.”

“Exactly. Stay here, stay safe, and we’ll get him. Where’s Lynne?” Deke tossed his coat toward the sofa.

“She left about five minutes ago, for the second time, after giving everybody orders to get a couple hours’ sleep—especially me. The poor woman could barely stand, yet she’s worried about me.” Too much energy, probably adrenaline, roared through Nora’s veins. “I think I may head into the lab and get to work early.” None of her results would be ready, but she just couldn’t sleep.

“Absolutely not. You’re staying here and getting some rest, and you’re under guard until Zach is caught. I’m protecting you tonight while my men find him. Period.” Deke’s jaw clenched. “There’s nothing either one of us can do right now, so we’re catching rest.”

Nora’s mouth gaped open and then closed on a snap. There was the bossy asshat she’d once married. Yet instead of ticking her off, she was almost giggly. It must be because she was so tired. “Your time of ordering me around has long past, Deacan McDougall.”

He rubbed whiskers that had grown rougher in the few hours they’d been apart. A black gun nestled in the harness strapped around his right leg, and a polished knife handle gleamed at his belt. In a dark shirt with faded jeans, he looked like a mixture of badass soldier and dangerous warrior from years gone by. “I’ve never ordered you around,” he said.

“Sure you did. Remember when there were those robberies in my neighborhood before we even got married?” She flushed hot.

He blinked, his green eyes narrowing. “That was different.”

Her head lifted. “Oh yeah? How?”

“Jesus, Nora. When it comes to safety, to danger, I fuckin’ know a lot more than you do about survival.” At the outburst, his brogue came on strong. “Right now, you have a guy stalking yer every move. He was alone with you in your own apartment.”

She blanched, and bile rose in her throat. The realization of how easily Zach could’ve bitten her rolled her stomach over. “You don’t need to sleep over.”

Deke grinned, and seeing the tension leave his face was like viewing the sun after a monstrous storm. “I’ll just stay until we catch Zach, and that might even be tonight. All right?”

She paused, studying him. Well, at least he’d asked. Truth be told, she wasn’t a dumbass who wouldn’t accept protection when necessary, especially since she didn’t quite know what she was dealing with concerning Zach. Deke was trained, and he was dangerous. He could handle any threat. So she nodded and gave him what he wanted. “I would very much appreciate your protection while Zach is on the loose.”

At her acquiescence, Deke’s eyes darkened. “Ah, I do so like you sweet and agreeable, Nora McDougall.”

Heat flared down her torso, and she didn’t correct his use of the wrong name. “I wouldn’t know the feeling, Deacan. I’ve never seen you agreeable or sweet.”

His chin lowered, and intent mingled with the amusement in his amazing eyes. “Sassy now, are you?”

Her very blood sparked with the need to challenge him. Life had turned dangerous, and she wanted an escape. Just a moment to be a woman and have some fun. With Deacan. She was way too keyed up to sleep and needed to burn off some energy, and there wasn’t much she could do in the lab until the current experiments were concluded in the morning. Hopefully the charged nanoparticle experiment would work. “Sassy, I am. Think you can handle me?”

His eyebrows rose, and the amusement disappeared. “Yeah. I know I can.” That deep voice lowered even more, rumbling with a masculine truth he made no effort to mask.

Anticipation stiffened her limbs. “Prove it.”