Rule Breaker (Project ROOT Book 1)

by Michele, Ryan

  Franks slumped down on the couch in front of the video recorder. “The man Paul Tinsman argued with was Senator Lincoln.” Frank's voice didn't waiver.

  Asher heard him loud and clear.

  Senator Robert Lincoln. Son of a bitch. Lincoln was almost as powerful as his uncle. Almost. Only difference between the two was his uncle had been a respected and trusted advisor of the president. A job Lincoln openly coveted. They'd need more proof than the word of a member of the team who participated in the slaughter of men, women, and children.

  “Boss?” Noah pulled him out of his musings.

  “Yeah?”

  “You have any follow up questions?”

  “None I can think of right now.” His gaze locked with Franks. “If something else comes up, we'll talk.”

  “We have an incoming bird. It's his family. ETA is fifteen minutes.”

  “Go meet them. Get the family checked in, then assign them a house with guards.”

  “Got it, boss.” Noah fiddled with the recording and video device before packing everything and standing. “Ready, Franks?”

  “I can go with you?” Confusion filled his question.

  “Yeah. You and your family will be confined to the base, but you won't be confined to your room or house once it is assigned. Noah will see to it.”

  “Joseph?” Rae stood, rubbing her hands down her pants as she walked over to him.

  Franks’ head ducked down when Rae began to speak softly to him. He couldn't hear a word she said and he had excellent hearing. A quick look at Noah, who just shrugged his shoulders. He couldn't hear, either. Franks placed his hand on Rae's shoulder and a wave of possessiveness washed over Asher.

  He wanted to march over there, pull Franks’ hands from her, and demand to know what she said to him. He suspected if he did, Rae would have his balls in a vise. Franks leaned down, placing a kiss on Rae's forehead before he turned and followed Noah out the front door.

  “What did you say to him?” He hated that his curiosity got the best of him.

  “It was private.”

  “Stubborn woman.”

  “According to you, it turns you on!”

  “It surely does. But we don't have time for that right now. We both need to eat. You'll want to see his daughter's file and I've got work to do. But later is always an option,” he teased.

  Chapter Seven

  Rae stretched as she walked out of Joseph and Sydney’s cabin. From everything the Franks told her about their daughter, Gabby, Rae had a sneaky suspicion the girl had nephritis, a kidney disease caused by the autoimmune system, but she’d have to run the tests first to make sure. The downside, if her assessments were correct, included being put on a transplant list for a new kidney.

  Unfortunately, getting her a new kidney would be a slim to none case. The lists were long and Gabby’s parents didn’t have the funds to pay for the surgery. So, Rae would start with dialysis to clear out the toxins, then she’d wait for the test results she ran to come back. If she could find and treat the underlining factors the other doctors missed, getting the little girl’s kidneys to function properly would be easy.

  Sydney, on the other hand, worried her. The stress of the move, coupled with leaving everything she knew behind and being thirty-six weeks pregnant, wasn’t good for her or the baby. The ultrasound came back normal, though. He measured at a good six pounds, which meant he’d probably be close to nine or a little over when his due date rolled around.

  Mom’s blood pressure, however, bothered her even more. She made a note on her chart to keep an eye on it and left them with, “I’ll be back with answers as quickly as I can.” She stepped out of the small cabin next to hers and descended the stairs.

  “Are you finished here?” Hanover opened the door to the waiting Humvee. “I have orders to take you to the main complex to assist you with anything you might need.”

  “Really?” She really missed having Maria by her side. They worked so well together.

  “Yes. Despite what you believe, we are good guys and we hate seeing kids and women sick or hurting. I can’t do much testing wise, that’s not in my wheelhouse, but I’ll do what I can to make this a smooth process for you.”

  “Then let’s go. I need to figure out which medications to give Gabby.” She slid into the passenger seat while Hanover rounded the front of the vehicle.

  Once he was situated, he pulled away. “Do you think you can fix her?”

  The way he said “fix her” had Rae smiling. “I don’t know. With the condition she has, sometimes there is no known reason for it, other than autoimmune. That makes it much harder to treat, and gives her a less than savory life. Mom concerns me, too. I know my word means less than shit here, but I would prefer whoever is guarding them to also have some medical training.”

  “Is she okay, doc?”

  “It could be her body is beginning to tell us baby Franks needs to come early.” She rubbed her forehead as they neared the entry of the underground facility.

  “I’ll make a note of it and make sure they are taken care of appropriately.” Hanover got out then came around to her side to let her out. “Anything else?”

  “I could really use a shot of tequila if you have it.” She grinned.

  He laughed. “I like you, doc, even though you don’t trust us.”

  “I’m realizing rather quickly I might not fully understand who to trust around here.”

  When they entered the facility, Hanover guided her toward their lab.

  “Everything is waiting for you.” He left her at the door. “Holler when you need me.”

  Looking around at the vacant hall, she realized it would be so easy to walk away now.

  Temptation rushed through her. She knew her way out. Counted the number of turns and knew where the exits were. She could figure it out. Yet, the more she thought about going home the worse she felt. A child and a mother were counting on her to find out what had been wrong with Gabby. She couldn’t pick up and leave them.

  Pushing through the door, she examined the large sterile environment. To the side were biohazard suits for precaution and a decontamination chamber in case of accidental exposure or radiation poisoning—throwbacks to a bygone era. She frowned. This wouldn’t work at all.

  Then she saw the rest of the lab. Though they didn’t have a full-time doctor, they were able to run a full-scale infectious disease outbreak treatment center with biohazard chambers and separate testing centers. Jeez, it was like a doctor-gasm in there. They also had top of the line MRI and CAT scan machines. It would make finding out what was wrong with Gabby a thousand times easier.

  The only reason she’d even suspected nephritis was due to her dealing with children all over the world. Sometimes, it was the little things that got overlooked—deficiencies some doctor wouldn’t suspect in an otherwise normal, healthy child. Plus, dealing with third-world children who didn’t have vaccines or clean water—anything they’d take for granted—made searching for illnesses outside of the box second-hand to her. Once you’ve exhausted the known, try something foreign.

  Rae stepped farther into the space. She took two vials of blood out of her bag when she spotted the machines she’d need first and placed them on the counter. After washing her hands and grabbing a pair of gloves, she donned them. Once she had the samples ready, she placed them into the diagnostic machine and hit start.

  While she waited for the results, she started two charts. One for Gabby and one for Sydney. She wished she’d brought her recorder. It would make taking notes so much easier. Instead, she wrote everything she’d learned from her new patients, not wanting to miss a thing.

  Twenty minutes later, the laser printer engaged as the machine beeped, announcing the analysis was complete. She picked up the paper first. The results didn’t surprise her. Gabby’s blood levels were elevated. Her iron was low. Toxins were high. Even her platelet counts were too low for Rae’s liking.

  There were specific tests she could run for other autoimmune
deficiencies; from there, she’d be able to determine which course of treatment would help the little girl the most.

  After grabbing the necessary equipment, Rae began the painstaking task of dividing the remaining blood for two more tests. It was a shot in the dark, of course. But, while in Colombia, she’d seen a couple kids with symptoms like Gabby’s. Though deer weren’t prevalent in Puerto Nariño, sloths were, and occasionally they could pick up deer ticks that carried Lyme disease. In a good case, a round of antibiotics helped, others not so much. The disease could go from acute to chronic with no real reason why.

  Determining if Gabby had the Lyme infection would come first, then she’d go from there. She knew the risks of false-positives, but as sick as the little girl had been, and as much trouble as her kidneys were giving her, she’d try anything, which could be considered a horrible way of doctoring. She placed the samples in the machine and calibrated for what she needed. It would take a half hour for the results to come in. Ugh. She hated waiting.

  “There you are.” Asher stepped into the lab. “Have you found anything yet?”

  “Are you breathing down my neck?”

  He held up his hands. “I don’t want to argue. I asked because I’m curious.”

  She blew out a breath. “Other than her kidneys are messed up and her levels are out of whack, no. But I’m running more tests. I think it’s treatable and manageable if we get it right.” She tapped her chin. “Do you have a dialysis machine?”

  Asher cocked a brow. “I’m sure we do. Why?”

  “I want to clean her blood. Get all the toxins out. If we can do that, and my assumption is right, when we give her the antibiotics she should start feeling better, but it might take a few days to work.” She glanced up at him. “Are you sure you have what I need here?”

  “Yes,” he grunted. “What do you need?”

  “She’s going to need a specialized diet. High protein, low carbs. Lots of green, leafy vegetables. It’ll get her blood count up to help combat anemia and all kinds of things.”

  “Sucks to be her,” he groused. “She’s a kid. Do you really think limiting her food will help her?”

  “I’m not limiting it. I’m changing it. She can still have her sweets. String cheese, fruit, stuff like that, but I’d rather get the good stuff in there, too. It’s important for her kidney to function.” The machine beeped and she grabbed the paper on the tray next to her. She read over the results and grinned. “Thank God. I can work with this.”

  “What?”

  She smiled and showed him the paper. “It’s Lyme disease.”

  Asher scratched his head. “Doc, how is having Lyme disease a good thing?”

  “Well, it does have some drawbacks and some crippling conditions for some people, but adding it to Gabby’s condition will make her feel a whole lot worse. I think with a course of the right antibiotics and a basic diet change, along with dialysis once a week, she’ll be fine. In the meantime, we could look for a kidney.”

  He grinned. “We, huh?”

  “Don’t go getting cocky.” She poked him in the chest with the edge of her paper.

  “Too late. I already am.” She figured as much. “What do you need now?”

  “I need to get her hooked to the machine but, if it’s possible, I want to do it overnight, so she can sleep through it and be ready for her first dose of meds in the morning.”

  He nodded while rubbing his chin. “We can make it happen. How about the wife?”

  “Mom and baby are good. I am a little concerned about her blood pressure. It’s trending high. My theory is, she’s under a lot of stress right now, so I am hoping when things settle she’ll be back to normal.”

  “If not?”

  She frowned. “We might have to deliver the baby early. However, for his size, I doubt there will be a problem. If we can get her past thirty-six weeks, I’d feel better. I won’t have to worry about Baby Franks’ lungs being underdeveloped.”

  She started out of the lab then turned to him. “Can you give me a lift back to the house to explain what will be happening next for Gabby?”

  “Sure. I have a few questions for you, too.”

  They walked down the hall in silence. Her mind raced with things she needed to do to prep for the night. She’d also need a nap at some point to make sure she could be awake with the little girl. She also wanted to a little more research on the girl’s condition.

  When they stepped outside, she took a deep breath of fresh air. “What did you want to talk about?”

  “I feel like a dick for even asking, but I need to ask you a couple more questions.”

  She rolled her eyes as she got into his jeep. “Of course, you do.”

  “Look,” he replied, getting in next to her. “I am well aware you don’t like me.”

  She sighed. Technically, she didn’t like him, but a part of her did wonder how good he was at the horizontal mambo. “I don’t hate you. I find you irritating and obnoxious. You stomp your way into situations and you don’t care who you step on to get your answers.”

  He pulled away from the bunker and headed for the tree line where her cabin and the Franks’ home were located. “At least you’re honest.”

  She gazed out the passenger window and nibbled on her bottom lip. “It’s a fault I have.”

  “It’s a good way to judge character.” He stopped in front of the house. “Which leads me to my question.”

  “Ask.” She folded her arms.

  “Did you at any point see the man in the suit? If I can get more than one person corroborating with Franks, it’ll be good for him.”

  She hadn’t. “Sorry. No.”

  “You sure?”

  She turned to him. She wished she could lie; however, she wouldn’t say something she’d be forced to regurgitate in a court of law or a subcommittee. “Yeah, I’m sure.” She gripped his hand. “For what it’s worth, I believe him. He’s a good guy. He was stuck in a shit situation trying to take care of his family.”

  Asher laced his fingers with hers and a small thrill went through her. “I believe him, too. This shit runs deep. If I had to compare it to another situation we’ve been FUBAR in, I’d have to say the Iran-Contra affair.”

  She scrunched up her nose. “Really?”

  He nodded. “There are things civilians should never hear or see. After the whole leak of information from that fucking spy everyone wants to lynch in Russia, to the bastard holed up in an embassy in London, people are learning about aspects of our government they shouldn’t. This thing in Colombia could shed a light on us and Barclay. What they find won’t be pretty, however, it is the price paid for security.”

  “Are you telling me you’re not a good guy after all?”

  He sighed as he opened the door of the jeep. “Not at all. Looks as if we’ll have to break down Tinsman, though.” The excited, yet evil gleam in his eyes should have scared the shit out of her, instead, it turned her on.

  Yep, goes to show you’re seriously lacking in the sex department. “Can you wait to do any more questioning until after I explain what Gabby will be going through?”

  He inclined his chin.

  “Thank you.”

  The door opened and Joseph stepped outside. “Did you find something?” The stress lines around his eyes and mouth deepened. His knuckles were white where he gripped the porch railing.

  “Yes.” She started for the porch. “Let’s go inside and I can explain.” She hurried to his side then ushered him over the threshold. Gabby sat on the floor coloring in one of her books while Sydney rested on the couch next to her. “I have some good news and some not so great news.”

  Sydney’s eyes popped open. Fear clouded her hazel gaze. “What’s wrong?” Her hand went to her belly.

  “One,” she pointed at the woman, “you need to calm down. It’s not good for you or the baby. Two, Gabby is going to be fine, but we have to treat each individual thing before we can get a handle on her condition.” Rae explained the tests she ran
and the results, along with what types of treatment she wanted to try out.

  “You want to put her on dialysis tonight, then start her on antibiotics in the morning?” Franks fell into the chair next to his wife.

  “Yes. I think with the Lyme disease it’s only compounding what’s wrong with her.” She glanced at Sydney. “Do you ever remember finding a tick on her?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  Franks ran his hand over his daughter’s head. “Well, there was one time…by the lake. Remember? She was two. We’d gone to the lake for the weekend. Gabby’s first time and all. We went on walks and stuff. Fished. Anyway, a couple of days after we got home, we noticed the little bast—tick on the back of her knee.”

  “She’d been so brave. I didn’t think she’d lie still for Joe. But we put her on the table and he burned it off,” Sydney added.

  “Did she have a bullseye mark?”

  “Yeah,” he replied. “We both thought it was weird, but didn’t dwell on it, you know?”

  “Combining the disease with her other condition is causing her kidneys to have issues. I believe if we get the Lyme under control, we can steady her out with the nephritis. I also want to put her on a transplant list. It’s the one we use for Doctors Without Borders.”

  “What?” Franks sat back. “Why?”

  “She should have been on it already. Since she isn’t, I’d like to get her on. She can live a full normal life with nephritis. However, if something should happen, at least you’ll have the peace of mind she’s on the list.”

  Her mother nodded. “Do it. We have to give her the best fighting chance.”

  “Great. I will start the process tonight while she is on the machine. In the morning, with her breakfast, she’ll start her first dose of antibiotics.” She gave Sydney her full attention. “Which brings me to you.”