On the Hunt

by Alexandra Ivy

  Anger and lingering fear darkened her pretty blue eyes. “Who are you?” she asked.

  “Hi, Mandy. My name is Deke McDougall, and I’m with the police.” He remained on the other side of the room to keep from spooking her, having no problem lying about his affiliation. “An ambulance is coming, and they’re going to take you to the hospital.”

  She shook her head. “I’m fine. Fought the prick off.”

  Deke nodded. “I know, and good job, by the way. You sure it was Zach Barter?”

  “Yes.” She fingered the crack in her bottom lip and winced. “We went to undergrad together and have kept in touch. When he got into D.C. last week, he gave me a call, and I hoped we’d get a chance to meet up.” She flushed. “He’s cute, you know?” Red stained her cheeks.

  Deke lowered his voice. “This wasn’t your fault, and don’t think for a second that it was. Tell me what happened.”

  She patted the couch next to her. “I’m not scared. You can come sit down.”

  He sighed. “Honey, I’m going to tell you something, and I don’t want you to get too worried. Okay?”

  She blinked and her movements halted. “That doesn’t sound good.”

  “It’s not. There’s a possibility Zach is infected with some sort of bacterial pathogen.” Deke tried for reassurance, but as the ambulance pulled into the driveway, panic crossed the girl’s face. “Stay calm. Trust me.”

  She pressed a hand to her chest.

  “You’re probably just fine.” Deke ignored the ruckus behind him. “But we need to make sure, you know?”

  She gulped, and tears filled her eyes. “Okay.”

  Deke nodded. “Tell me what happened.”

  She glanced beyond him and then focused back. “Zach called, and I invited him to dinner. When he got here, he came in, and almost immediately, he grabbed me and kissed me.”

  Fuck it all. Deke nodded. “Then?”

  “He tried to rip off my shirt, and I panicked. Starting fighting back. Hit him in the nose.” A tear fell down her cheek.

  “Good job.” Deke glanced over his shoulder to see two workers from the CDC donning protective gear outside on the lawn. “Did he bleed?” Deke asked.

  “Yes. We fought some more, and then he ran out.” Mandy shrugged. “I don’t understand.”

  Neither did Deke, but it seemed that Zach had tried to infect the girl. He moved to the side. “Thank you. I know this is difficult. I’m going to let the CDC take over, and they’ll get you to the hospital just to run some routine tests. As soon as I can get in to see you, I will.”

  Fear all but cascaded from her, but she lifted her chin. “How bad is this?”

  He shook his head. “I’m sure it’s fine, but we need to double-check. Do you have any idea where Zach would’ve gone?”

  She rubbed her eye. “No. Sorry.”

  He forced a smile, hoping it held some reassurance. His gut was brewing, and he didn’t like it one bit. “Be strong, sweetheart. Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.” He moved out of the way and walked outside as the CDC workers, looking like something from a science fiction movie, approached the house.

  The first one, a short black guy, stopped near him with a plastic bag. “Did you touch anything?”

  “I just knocked on the door.” Deke slid off the gloves to deposit in the bag. “She’s hurt and she’s scared. Be easy with her.”

  The guy nodded. “Not my first rodeo, pal.”

  Deke paused and then moved toward the cop. “Keep the onlookers away from the scene. More FBI should be arriving soon.”

  The officer returned to his squad car with an uneasy glance at the CDC guys before turning around. “We’ve been canvassing per FBI instructions with the picture of the suspect. Two restaurants blocks over said he’d been in earlier.”

  Deke frowned. Jesus. “Did they mention any weird behavior?”

  “Not really. Just said the guy ate from the salad bar.”

  “Fuck. Call them back and shut them down. Then call the CDC and have them go test the restaurants, especially salad dressing or anything he could’ve contaminated.” Deke paused at his door.

  The deputy winced. “You think he spit in the salad dressing?” “Hell if I know.” Deke sighed and jumped into his truck. Apparently the cop had figured out there was a contagion on the loose. Of course, with the CDC stomping around in full suits, it wasn’t a huge leap.

  “Well?” Nora asked, her arms crossed.

  He glanced at her, not liking the pallor of her usually tan skin. They had things to discuss, and now wasn’t the time. “Zach attacked her, but she’s okay. I mean, depending on whether he was able to infect her or not.”

  Nora shook her head. “It’s like he wanted to infect her.”

  “Yes, and it’s interesting he sought out somebody he already knew.” For whatever reason, Zach was fixated on Nora. “He’ll come for you again.”

  She nodded. “Let him come.”

  Now that was Deke’s badass woman. “Right. For now, I have to go coordinate a manhunt. You want to stay with me or go back to the CDC labs?”

  She swallowed. “CDC labs. I want to check on Lynne and see if I can do anything.”

  That’s what Deke had figured. “We will have a serious chat, and soon.”

  She cut him a look. “Uh-huh.”

  He ignited the engine just as his radio beeped.

  “McDougall,” the FBI dispatcher called.

  “Yes,” he answered.

  “We have a report of a rape over on Miller Street, three blocks from your current location. Student from the college was knocked out and just woke up to call nine-one-one,” the dispatch said, her voice crisp.

  A rock hit Deke’s gut. “I’m on my way. Did she mention a suspect?”

  “No. Just said it was a blond guy who looked like a movie star from the fifties.”

  Shit. Zach Barter.

  After dropping by the lab to discover the experiments were still running, Nora was frisked by a Secret Service agent and then escorted through another hallway to find Lynne. A man stood outside a plastic bubble, his gaze on Lynne, lying inside the bubble and all alone. The last round of tests had been conducted, and the CDC health workers had gone to decontaminate and find some answers.

  The extra security made sense, but Secret Service?

  Lynne sat up in her hospital bed, pale and wan, her chest glowing a bright blue. “Nora, meet Bret Atherton.”

  Nora stood up straighter. Aha. The man now second in line to the presidency. “Mr. Speaker.”

  Bret Atherton half turned, deep blue eyes twinkling. “Bret.”

  “Okay.” Tight and trim, he stood to about six-two with thick blond hair and worried eyes. Even with tension cutting lines into the sides of his mouth, charisma flowed from him. She had the oddest urge to study pheromones. “What’s the news?” she asked.

  “None of it good,” he said, turning back to face Lynne. “The country is in unrest, and as soon as the truth gets out, the stock market will plummet. We have foreign enemies gearing up to make attacks because they think we’re weak, and they don’t even know the details about Scorpius yet, although their spies have been pretty effective.” He sighed. “Although at the moment, I’m more worried about Sweetcakes.”

  Nora blinked. Once and then again. “Sweetcakes?”

  He grinned. “She hates that.”

  Yes, Lynne would hate being called that. Nora eyed her friend. “If you two need a moment, I can come back.”

  “No,” Bret said. “I have to get back to work and figure out if we should make an announcement to the American public yet or not. The White House is against it at this point.” His gaze darkened as he studied Lynne. “If you need anything, you call me. I mean it.”

  Lynne nodded. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  Bret turned and nodded at Nora. “It was nice to meet you, Dr. Medina.”

  “You too,” Nora said. “For the record, I think it’s time to announce.”

  He nodded.
“Me too.”

  She waited until he and his guards had cleared the door and had time to walk down the hallway. “What the fuck is with the blue?” she asked through a speaker set into the wall, at a loss for any other words.

  Lynne nodded and glanced down. “I know, right?” Her voice emerged weak, and the monitor to her left recorded a slowed heart rate. “The altered bacteria and experimental antibiotic did something freaky weird to me.”

  Nora tried to smile. “I don’t think ‘freaky weird’ sounds very scientific.”

  Lynne sighed and leaned back against the pillows. Sweat dotted her brow from the high fever. “It’s all we’ve got. So far, the tests show a ramped-up bacteria that’s attacking my cells. If it keeps going like this, I’ll be in a coma within a day or so.”

  Tears pricked the back of Nora’s eyes, but she kept her voice calm. “You’ll be fine. We’ll figure this out.” Guilt threatened to swamp her. “I’m so sorry, Lynne.”

  Lynne glanced her way and rolled her eyes. “Knock that shit off,” she said. “Seriously. Your shy assistant, Zach? Who would’ve thought it?”

  Nora half chuckled. “Not me.” The idea was too crazy to believe. “Anyway, I’m sorry.”

  Lynne glanced down at her chest, glowing a bright blue under the hospital gown. “I should’ve destroyed the green strain the second I saw its power. I thought maybe we could use it to contain the illness somehow.”

  “I was there,” Nora said softly.

  Lynne shut her eyes. “I know. Any news on poor Zach?”

  Nora bit her lip, her chest aching. “Four attacks that we know of right now.” Two rapes and the other two assaults, both with an exchange of bodily fluids. The lunatic was trying to infect people. The idea that the man she’d known and trusted for months was capable of rape nauseated her. Deke, the Metro Police, and the FBI were dropping a net on D.C. in the hopes of catching him. If he got out, somehow made it to another city, things could get bad. Really bad.

  Lynne opened her bloodshot eyes. “Let’s hope they find him soon.” She rubbed her lips with a pale hand.

  Nora nodded. “They will. So Bret came to see you.”

  “Yes.” Lynne coughed. “He’s under a lot of pressure. Don’t tell anybody, but the vice president is fighting heart problems.”

  Wow. So the guy could actually be named president. “Do you love him?” Nora asked. If she could keep Lynne thinking happy thoughts, that wouldn’t hurt.

  Lynne shrugged. “I don’t know. Sometimes I think so, and then sometimes he turns into a narcissistic asshat.”

  “Isn’t that the very definition of a politician?” Nora asked. Heck. “Doesn’t a person have to be a narcissist to want to be the president?”

  Lynne snorted and rubbed her eyes. “Probably.”

  The woman needed to rest. Nora forced a smile. “Why don’t you get some sleep, and if I hear anything, I’ll let you know?”

  Lynne snuggled back against the pillows, and her eyelids lowered to half-mast. “First, talk to me about anything but Scorpius or my love life. Let’s talk about your love life. Tell me about your Scot and if you’re going to screw it up again.”

  The mention of Deke seared heat through Nora’s abdomen. She needed to get back to the lab, but whether she wanted to admit it or not, her friend was running out of time, and this might be the last time they talked. The thought made her chest hurt. So she dropped into a chair. “I’m out of my depth.”

  “Good.” Lynne grimaced and readjusted her blankets. “You love him?”

  Nora frowned. “We just started dating again.”

  “So the hell what?” Lynne whispered, her voice cracking. “I’m beginning to see how short life is. You’ve loved that man since you were sixteen. Why the hell are you waffling?”

  Because she hadn’t really known him. After the previous night, she’d caught a glimpse of the dangerous being she’d always suspected of living inside Deacan McDougall. “He’s too much, you know?” she said softly. “It’s like he was born in the wrong time.”

  Lynne’s eyes glazed. “Maybe he was born in exactly the right time.” Her voice dropped to almost dreamy, almost trance-like. “If not this illness, then the next one. Or the one after that.” Her eyes fluttered closed.

  Nora stood and approached the plastic, a chill trickling down her spine. “What do you mean?”

  Lynne sighed. “At some point, human beings are done. You know that. Just waiting for the right pandemic.”

  Nora gulped down fear. Sure, as a scientist, she knew the human race was due for a natural disaster, be it illness, comet strike, or nuclear bomb. But as a human with hope, she clung to faith that she’d survive it. “What’s your point, Lynnie?”

  Lynne’s eyelids fluttered open. “We’ve forgotten that living and surviving are two different things. They require different skills.” She shut her eyes again and curled onto her side. Her voice, slight and whispery, continued. “Your Scot, dark as he may be, is a survivor. Don’t let go of him.” She fell into sleep.

  Nora’s shoulders trembled, and she clasped her hands together. It was just the fever. Lynne had been talking nonsense from the fever. Yet no matter how hard she tried, how hard she rubbed her arms, Nora couldn’t ban the chill of truth.

  At some point, human beings are done.

  Chapter Twelve

  Week 3

  2,017 people dead

  Likelihood of Scorpius Containment: Poor

  Only the dead have seen the end of war.

  —PLATO

  After four full days of hunting Zach Barter, Deke was ready to kill somebody. He strode inside his temporary office at the CDC and tossed his phone across the desk. Fuck it all to hell. He’d stalked Barter through three states, only to come up empty in Virginia. The bastard was smart . . . and raping his way across the East.

  When he wasn’t attacking women, he was spitting in restaurant salad dressings.

  The determination to infect people might be part of the illness, but Deke didn’t give a shit.

  Barter needed to be taken out, and now.

  Infections were springing up in hospitals throughout the East, and soon the CDC would have no choice but to make an announcement. Hell on earth was about to break out, and although the government currently had a blanket over all news, at some point the truth would get out. Hell, the bloggers were already announcing a new pandemic.

  Sure, he might be overreacting. But his gut had never failed him, and he didn’t figure it was off target right now, either.

  A shadow at his door caught his attention, and he half turned. “Mr. Speaker.”

  Bret Atherton strode inside while two agents covered the door. “I was just saying good-bye to Lynne. They fly her out in an hour.”

  Deke nodded and gestured toward a chair before crossing to a file cabinet and fetching bourbon and two glasses to pour generously. “I spoke to Lynne an hour ago. She’s strong and stubborn.” He’d met the Speaker a few times throughout the last couple of years, and the guy seemed all right. “The hospital in Maryland is better equipped to care for her, and it’s a short jaunt there for you.”

  “I know.” Bret took a chair and accepted a drink. “I just like her closer to me so I can control everything.”

  Deke laughed. “That sounds so wrong.”

  Bret lifted his gaze and smirked. “Yet you know exactly what I mean.”

  “Aye.” Deke grinned because the guy was right. Deke had no intention of allowing Nora out of town until he captured Zach Barter. Guards were now posted throughout the laboratory section of the temporary CDC building. “How’s the president’s daughter? I haven’t had an update since I got back into town.”

  “Same.” Bret took a deep drink of the potent liquid. “As the doctors have described it to me, the bacteria attacked her brain and stripped away her humanity.”

  “We’ll find a cure,” Deke said.

  “Maybe. Lynne’s brain scans are good, though.” Bret sighed. “Although the scientists couldn’t see
anything abnormal in Zach Barter’s scans.”

  “Maybe the scans aren’t a good way to determine anything,” Deke said.

  “They’re not.” Bret shook his head. “Apparently not all brains show a change. Or rather, we don’t have pre-Scorpius scans to study in order to see if there’s a change. Brains differ. Even the brains of psychopaths vary. Some have abnormalities. Some don’t.”

  Deke swirled the amber-colored drink in his glass. “Well, I’m hopeful for Lynne. What’s the latest on the infection?”

  “At least two thousand are dead and ten times that have been infected. Maybe more. The infection is being spread by Zach and maybe others who’ve survived the fever.” Bret coughed. “I’ve convinced the White House we need to go public.”

  “Good.” Deke studied one of the smartest men on the Hill. “Do you think we can still contain the illness?” he asked.

  “No.”

  Deke’s stomach rioted. “Me either.” The noises from outside grew louder. “Sounds like they’re about to take Lynne.”

  Bret nodded and stood. “I already said good-bye, and I can’t go through it again. Call with any updates.” He set down the glass. “We need to secure a copy of the stronger Scorpius strain, the green one that infected Lynne, and send it to the lab up north. Just in case.”

  Deke nodded. “I know.” Boy, would Nora be pissed. For now, he had to make good on a promise. He’d talked to Lynne earlier, and she’d asked him for a favor. One he’d grant without question.

  If Nora agreed.

  Exhaustion weighed down Nora’s limbs and made it difficult to hold back tears. The last several nights, she’d slept alone, when she’d slept, as Deke tried to find Zach. She’d missed him far more than was healthy.

  To think on a normal week it’d be her turn to host bunko, and she’d be worrying about what salad to make. But she steeled her shoulders and spoke softly into the speaker set in the wall, her gaze on her friend in the plastic room. “You’ll be okay, Lynnie. The hospital in Maryland is prepared for you, and I’ll be along as soon as I can.”