The Agent's Surrender (22 page)

Holden frowned. “Someone’s planning something with that drug. Maybe Miko was on to whoever had put plans into motion.”

“If so, why didn’t he just tell you?” Jane asked, sagging at the enormity of the situation. “Maybe we could’ve helped.”

“I ask myself that question a hundred times a day and I still don’t have a suitable answer,” Holden said, scrolling through the notes, searching for clues. “Every single day.”

Kat, visibly shaken by the realization that her drug was still sought after by the wrong people, said, “Listen, I hate to cut this short, but I have to talk to my boss about this. If someone is circumventing our security, we have to find out how and why.”

“Can you trust your boss?”

Kat nodded emphatically. “Yes. She’s the one who helped take down Miles and Camille, and she shut down The Compound. She’s going to want to know about this newest development.”

“If you feel confident without a shadow of a doubt that you can trust her...” Jane let it trail. If it were her, she wouldn’t trust anyone outside of this room, especially given the history of that drug. It was the scientist’s call, though.

“I do,” Kat said, looking devastated. “I can’t believe this is happening again. I wish I’d never created that stupid drug.”

“Well, think of it this way—you never would’ve met Jake if you hadn’t,” Holden said, trying to cheer her up even though the situation was pretty dire for everyone involved.

Jane suppressed the immediate flood of warmth at his show of kindness toward the scientist. He was such a good guy. Why couldn’t she just forget about her family and let her heart decide?

“Hey, have you ever heard of a winery called Butterfly Bend?” Holden asked Kat, switching gears quickly.

“Um...yeah, I think that’s the winery owned by Penny Winslow’s cousin. He came by Tessara a few times. They were real close, I guess. Why?”

“I don’t know. Miko mentioned Butterfly Bend in his notes and we visited the winery and talked with the owner. He seems like a nice guy. He said Tessara was working on creating a cork that didn’t disintegrate with time and protected the integrity of the wine. Sound familiar?”

“Not really. Then again, I was hyperfocused on my own trials. I don’t doubt that Tessara was doing exactly that for him as a favor to Penny. Like I said, he and Penny seemed really close. Almost like brother and sister.”

Jane pocketed that information. From the expression on Holden’s face, he seemed to find that nugget interesting, too, even if they didn’t know how the pieces fit together. He pulled the thumb drive free from the USB port and tucked it back in his pocket. “Thanks for all your help, Kat,” he said, moving away from the computer and heading for the door. “Remember what I said—don’t trust anyone if you can help it. Keep your circle of trust tight, and just to be on the safe side, go ahead and clue Jake in on this newest development. Wouldn’t hurt to have him keeping an eye on things.”

“He’s going to freak out when I tell him.” Kat grimaced. “But I’m a terrible liar, so he’ll find out sooner or later anyway.”

Holden smiled and thanked Kat once more, then they were escorted from the building.

“Is it just me or does this plot get more and more convoluted by the second?” Jane asked, glancing at Holden wearily. “I can’t make heads or tails of which direction we’re supposed to be traveling anymore. Tessara, MCX-209, fake IDs, hit lists...where does it end?”

“It ends with us finding out what really happened to my brother and who tried to shoot you,” Holden answered grimly, pulling everything back into focus. “All the pieces are there. We just need to put the puzzle together.”

“If you say so.” Jane felt a headache coming on. “I think I need a beer.”

“Now you’re talking my language.” He grinned, and her heart did a funny flip-flop that was entirely too telling for her liking, but what could she do? It seemed useless to fight what was happening between them. She knew without a doubt she could put on a show of keeping him at a distance, though by the end of the night, there was nowhere she’d rather be than snuggled up tight against his side. What a lovely mess they’d created.

“Fine, but I’m buying,” she said almost grumpily, and he laughed.

“Far be it from me to turn down such a charming offer. Now tell me you’re going to throw me down and have your wicked way with me, too, and I’ll be a happy man,” he said with a wink. She groaned.
Lord help us both.

She climbed into the car and barked, “Get in the car before I make you walk.”

“I love a take-charge woman,” he laughed, climbing in beside her. “Especially when you do that thing with your—”

“If you value your life, stop,” she warned, fighting the blush in her cheeks. His laughter tickled her insides, but she refused to give in. She may know the score between them, but damn it, she didn’t have to be happy about it.

Chapter 20

K
at Odgers hurried to her boss’s office, her soft lab shoes making light squeaking noises as she went. She found Michelle on the phone, but immediately went in anyway, shut the door behind her and waited somewhat patiently for her boss to finish her conversation.

Michelle, noting Kat’s agitation, ended the call and looked to Kat with a raised brow. “Everything okay?”

“No. Everything is not okay. In fact, everything is pretty messed up and I don’t know what to think.”

“Okay, calm down. Start at the beginning. What’s wrong?”

“Someone is poking around MCX-209 and restarting the trials.” At that, Michelle paused and leaned back in her chair. Kat immediately felt panicked. “What a minute...you already knew this? How is that possible? You promised me that I would be in charge of MCX-209.”

“Have a seat, Kat,” Michelle suggested, but Kat didn’t want to sit. She wanted answers. Her hands began to shake. When Kat continued to stand, Michelle said, “You are in charge of the initial formula, but there have been some preliminary trials of the modified version of MCX-209 that you formulated to save Jake.”

“What?” Kat nearly screeched, her heart thundering in her chest. “What are you saying? Someone is testing that formula without my involvement? You promised me that wouldn’t happen!”

“And I firmly stood behind that promise, but some things are above my pay grade.”

Kat blinked. “How is that possible? You answer to the president.”

“Yes, I do, and it’s my job to ensure that we are in control of one of the most dangerous drugs on the planet, and we can’t be in control if we don’t understand how it works.”

“It works by erasing memory,” Kat said, wiping at the tears gathering in her eyes. “My husband suffered the most unimaginable horror of losing who he was. You know that! And what about the people who died when Miles forced me to inject them with the first test formula? Their brains leaked from their ears! I’ll never forget their faces and how they trusted me not to hurt them.”

“That wasn’t your fault,” Michelle reminded her, but Kat didn’t want her platitudes. “Kat, I need you to calm down and listen to me. I should’ve told you, but I didn’t want to upset you, which, judging by your reaction, was a wise decision.”

“It wasn’t wise. It was deceptive,” Kat said hotly. “This drug should’ve been destroyed completely. It has no acceptable application, and the fact you lied to me means you’re no better than Miles Jogan, tricking me into working for the very people who were responsible for this horror in my life.”

“You’re overreacting,” Michelle said, losing patience, but Kat didn’t care. She felt betrayed and, worse, terrified that the nightmare was about to start all over again. “The clinical trials are limited and supervised. You have nothing to fear.”

“You’re wrong,” Kat said flatly, wiping at her tears. “This is going to end badly. That drug is evil and it brings terrible things wherever it goes.”

“Kat...please. You’re a scientist. Let’s be sensible. Now that you’re aware of the situation, we’d like to include you in the trials. It goes without saying your expertise in this is invaluable.”

“I need to think,” Kat said, moving to the door. “I thought I could trust you—”

“You can,” Michelle insisted with a subtle frown, as if distressed by the realization that Kat felt betrayed. “Listen, I understand your concerns. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t share them, but this was taken out of my hands.”

“What do you mean?” she asked. “No one is higher than the president.”

“I can’t elaborate more than I have. Trust me when I say MCX-209 will not fall into the wrong hands.”

“Sorry, but obviously, it already has.” Kat held up her hand, halting Michelle; she’d heard enough. “I...I have to talk to Jake. This is...horrible, horrible news.”

Before Michelle could say anything else, Kat bolted. She needed air. She needed clarity. Most of all, she needed Jake. Jake would know what to do.

* * *

Michelle watched Kat leave her office and exhaled a troubled sigh. Truthfully, the drug and its potential ramifications scared the hell out of her—and well it should—but as she’d told Kat, the directive came to her from very high channels. She tapped her fingers lightly on her desk, worried by Kat’s reaction. What had she expected? Kat had suffered grievously at the hands of the drug and she certainly wouldn’t welcome the idea that someone was tinkering with the formula. As much as she didn’t want to, Michelle had to make a phone call.

She dialed the number, heart in her throat. “Dr. Odgers has found out the formula is back in active research,” she said, swallowing the lump in her throat. “And she’s very unhappy.”

“That’s unfortunate. Can you persuade her to get on board?”

“Not likely. She has every reason to hate MCX-209 and its potential ramifications.”

“You like her.”

Michelle didn’t bother lying. “I do. She’s a brilliant scientist and a good person.”

“The world has plenty of brilliant scientists. If you value this one in particular, find a way to persuade her to get on board. Otherwise, she’s a liability.” A beat followed before the person on the other end said, “And how exactly did Dr. Odgers find out about this newest development?”

“Two CIA agents are investigating Miko Archangelo’s death. Somehow they connected the dots.”

“Yes, I’m well aware of those two. They’ve been poking around Tessara. Up until now I didn’t think they had anything of interest. Seems I was wrong.”

“I did as you asked,” Michelle said, curling her fingers around the phone. “I held up my end of the bargain.”

“Yes, we are pleased with your cooperation. We will be in touch.”

“My sister...”

“She’s fine for now, but I suspect her health may decline if you aren’t able to persuade Dr. Odgers to be more helpful.”

Sweat gathered along Michelle’s hairline. “How am I supposed to do that?”

“That’s your problem. You’re a smart woman. You’ll figure something out.”

The line went dead, and Michelle replaced the phone with cold, shaking fingers. She was living in a nightmare. How had this happened? Tessara was the epicenter for all evil. She swallowed and willed herself to stop shaking, to think. Her gaze swept her office, knowing that somewhere a bug was nestled, catching her every word, her every movement. Contact had been made four months ago, soon after she’d busted Miles Jogan and Camille Stephens, shutting down their horror show featuring MCX-209. If only Michelle had known that she’d merely poked the dragon. Miles and Camille hadn’t been the ringleaders. No, whoever was really pulling the strings was far more powerful than she’d imagined. And worse, she had no clue who was in charge.

And they had her younger sister as leverage. Michelle, as tough as they came, former marine, was held hostage by fear, weakened by her love for her sister.

Hang tight, Hilary. Just stay alive.

A plan—reckless and razor’s-edge dangerous—took root.

* * *

Kat couldn’t stop pacing. It was something she did out of nervous habit because it helped her think, but tonight her brain was just too filled with chaotic ramblings and frightened gibberish to be calmed by any amount of pacing. “They’re going to do something terrible with that drug—I can feel it,” she told Jake, nearly hysterical. “And you should’ve seen Michelle...cold as ice. I’ve never seen her so distant and mean. I thought we were friends! But she’s using me, just like Miles and Camille did. But this is far worse than what they did because I didn’t like them. I liked Michelle. I believed in her. I believed in what I was doing for the greater good. What a sap I still am, still trying to see the good in people when I know for a fact—having seen the worst—that people can be totally evil.”

“Calm down,” Jake said gently. “Let’s think this through.”

“Calm down? Haven’t you heard a thing I’ve said? MCX-209 is back in active research. That means somewhere in that government facility, someone is putting their hands all over my research in the hopes of finding the magic concoction for that wretched drug.”

“Did she say how long the research has been going on?”

Kat shook her head. “No. I didn’t ask. But what does this mean? She promised me no one would go near that drug or the research without my permission or authorization, and that was a flat-out lie. She lied to you, too!”

“Something doesn’t feel right,” Jake said, furrowing his brow in thought, remaining chill even as Kat was freaking out. Of course, that was one of the many reasons she loved him, but, c’mon, certainly she shouldn’t be the only one jumping up and down in a total meltdown, right? Jake met her gaze and she stopped pacing for a moment. “Michelle isn’t the kind of woman who goes back on her word. I’ve known her for many years. Something else is going on behind the scenes.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But I’ll bet it has something to do with Holden and Jane poking around.”

Kat nodded. “That’s feasible, though I couldn’t for the life of me tell you how. I mean, they were asking a lot of questions at Tessara, and they found out my old supervisor, Hector, is dead. One thing I’ve learned since hanging out with you and your friends—there’s no such thing as a coincidence, right?”

“Exactly,” Jake agreed, adding, “which is why I asked Holden and Jane to come over tonight.”