by Tanya Stowe
Jacki nodded. “Yeah. We’re family.”
Libby set the case of slides on the table and held her hands out for Keri. “Come on. Give me our precious girl and let’s get started.”
Tears filled Sassa’s eyes and slipped down. She wiped them quickly. “We’re going to do it this time. I know it.”
Matt lined up the samples.
Sassa carefully measured the viruses. She placed them on the tray and slid it inside the glass case.
“Matt, make sure the propane is hooked up. If this does work, I want to be able to kill it.” As he walked away, she added, “Make sure the liquid nitrogen is functional, too.”
Libby bounced a fussy Keri as she stood next to Sassa. “Are you that confident?”
Sassa’s jaw tightened. “Yes.”
Jacki inhaled sharply. Matt turned the propane valve and ignited the burner. Once that was done, he checked the liquid nitrogen regulators. “All set.”
Sassa took a deep breath. “All right. Let’s do this.” She slid her hands into the container’s gloves. She didn’t need to recheck the formula. She had it memorized now. Flexing her fingers in the awkward gloves, she dropped the first sample onto a glass slide.
“Here we go.” She added the second virus to the slide. No one moved. Voices echoed in the hall outside and stopped by their door. Still no one moved. The voices rose in volume. Still no one moved.
“There!” Matt pointed. “It’s growing.”
He was right. The same structure Sassa had seen on Sam’s plate appeared—green tinted, resembling mold, growing exponentially.
“That’s it,” Sassa murmured. “Growing just as fast as when Sam did it.”
“Do you want me to fire up the propane, Sassa?” Matt’s voice sounded tense.
“Yes. Now. Do it.”
Flame shot into the container, directed at the growth on the glass slide, and burned for a long minute. Matt turned off the valve. They waited silently for the flames to die down. All that was left on the slide was black ash.
No one said a word as reality hit them.
Then Jacki grabbed Sassa’s arms. “You did it, Sassa! You did it!”
Sassa closed her eyes for one long moment. When she opened them, Matt pulled her into a hug.
Gripping his waist, she reached for Jacki and smiled at Libby. “We did it. I couldn’t have done it without you three.”
Suddenly the lab door opened. They all jumped, spun and stepped protectively in front of the container. Sassa could almost hear the collective sigh when they realized it was the agent assigned to guard Sassa.
Agent Paulsen paused for a moment before coming all the way in the room. “Sorry for the interruption. Ms. Nilsson, there’s a man here who says he’s Erik Larsen.”
Sassa’s heart fell to her toes. “Erik’s here?”
“He claims that’s his name, ma’am. I’m not letting him anywhere near you until I get clearance. I just wanted you to know.”
Sassa shook her head. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”
“Just doing my job, ma’am.” The agent exited.
Matt turned frowning features toward her. “Do you think it’s really him?”
“I don’t know. But I’m not dealing with him until we finish here.” She shook her head. “Leave it to Erik to show up and ruin a great moment. Let’s get this cleaned up.”
Sassa took Keri from Libby’s arms and placed a kiss on her daughter’s head. Then she checked her phone. Almost two hours and still Jared hadn’t called her. Now that she knew the formula was correct, the hacker’s access to her computer took on epic proportions.
Please, Lord. Please make Jared call me.
She checked her phone twice more while they completed the cleanup and found no response. Sassa was excited to tell Jared the news. He would be so relieved. Something must have gone terribly wrong for him not to call and keep her informed. In the meantime, Keri fell into a fretful sleep. Sassa lay her down in the portable crib and left the office to say good-night to her team.
“Thank you all again. I think tomorrow we might actually be able to take the day off. I’ll text you and let you know.”
Matt hesitated. “What about the man outside? I’ll stick around if you want.”
Sassa shook her head. “Go home. If it is Erik, I need to handle him on my own.”
Libby gave her a quick hug. “Don’t let him bring you down, Sass. You’ve done an amazing thing here.”
Sassa gipped her hand. “We did an amazing thing.”
Libby returned her smile and headed to the door. Sassa followed her friends. Agent Paulsen stood outside. “Did you get your clearance, Agent?”
He nodded. “He checks out. He is Erik Larsen. Agent Kopack said it’s up to you if you want to see him.”
Sighing, Sassa nodded. “Send him in. But stay close. If I call, you can escort him out.”
“You got it. Oh, and Agent Kopack wanted me to tell you they got the Spyder.”
Relief flooded over Sassa in a wave. “Did they get the formula?”
“Officer De Luca is checking that out now, ma’am. Kopack said they’d let you know as soon as they find out.”
Sassa walked back into the lab and slid her hands into the pockets of her lab coat. More good news. Libby was right. She couldn’t allow Erik to steal her sense of victory. Now that she had the formula, she was one step away from finding a cure and this nightmare would be over.
The door opened. Her ex stepped into the room. Still handsome. Dirty-blond hair, short, slightly curly on top. His blue eyes stood out against his dark tan, fake of course. Erik was never outside long enough to tan. His cheeks seemed a bit gaunt. In fact, as he walked closer, she could see the strains of hard living. Lines around his mouth and eyes. Dull skin and shots of gray in his hair. He’d aged. Still, his features bore the same carefree smile. She knew all too clearly what was behind that smile. He really didn’t care. That was the point.
He came closer, almost as if he was going to embrace her, and she stepped back.
His arms fell down. “Well, I thought you might be a little glad to see me.”
She gave a small, bitter laugh. “Those days are long gone, Erik.”
The smile faded. “Yeah, I guess that’s true.”
“I suppose you’re here because you heard about Sam.”
“Yes, I’m sorry, Sassa. I know how much he meant to you. The news isn’t saying much but I know Sam and his dangerous work. All this hyped-up security tells me I was right.”
She closed her eyes. “Stop the nonsense, Erik. We both know you didn’t come here out of concern for me. You came to see what you could bleed out of this situation.”
He let his head dip. After a few moments of silence, he lifted his gaze and the look in his blue eyes chilled her to the bone. “How can you say that, Sas? I’m here to make sure my baby is safe.” He looked toward the office where the top of Keri’s crib was barely visible. Erik moved toward it.
Sassa took two quick steps to block his path. “Never. You won’t use her for your selfish purposes. I’ll never let that happen. I was granted full custody two months ago for reasons of abandonment. You don’t have any say in what happens to her.”
He shook his head. “How is it going to look in court when I tell them I didn’t even know about my baby?”
“You can’t win. I have witnesses and proof.”
“I don’t know. I can be pretty convincing.” He raised his hands and his facial expression changed to one of sadness. “Your Honor, I didn’t even know I had a daughter. I’ve been cheated out of time with my precious girl.”
Sassa’s blood froze. Erik didn’t have a leg to stand on legally. But images of days and days in court, months of lawyers’ bills and years of constant strain flashed through her mind. She could see it all, as if it had already happened. His whole, horri
ble plan came to fruition in her imagination. “You had this planned all along, didn’t you? You wanted me to get established so you could come back and suck me dry.” She shook her head. “It won’t work, Erik. I won’t pay you to stay away.”
“Like I said, I can be very convincing. I was in your way. I wanted my lovely wife to succeed and our constant battles wore her down. So, I left and lost out on time with my child. But everything I’ve done is for my family.” He raised his hands again in that mocking way. “We can’t live together but I still love my wife, Your Honor. I’m just not as successful as her. I’ll need help supporting our precious girl.”
The boy she had once loved had well and truly died. The man who stood before her bore no resemblance to the hopeful, earnest person he had once been. She pointed to the door. “Your threats are not going to work. Get out.”
“Oh, I will, but I won’t go far. I need to keep an eye on my future.”
Another sensation filtered through her. Fear. She hated what Erik had become, but that didn’t mean she wanted to see him dead. “Don’t be crazy, Erik. You need to stay away from us. You don’t know the people who are involved. They killed Sam and June. They’re seriously dangerous.”
He smirked a smile of pure evil. “Baby, so am I.”
SIX
As soon as Kopack told Jared that Erik Larsen had showed up, Jared left the police station. The last thing Sassa needed was that guy sticking his nose into her business, confusing her and stressing her out. He pulled into the university parking lot and took the stairs of the lab building two at a time. The agents nodded as he passed through the doors and Agent Paulsen greeted him in the hall.
“Is Larsen still in there?”
“Yeah, and I don’t like it. That guy is trouble.”
“You’re right about that.”
Jared strode to the door and walked in. Sassa stood across the room, between Larsen and the office... between him and Keri. Her features were ashen. The stricken look on her face made Jared see red.
He glared at Larsen. “Get out. Don’t come around here again or I’ll see to it you end up behind bars.”
Erik didn’t move until Agent Paulsen stepped in behind Jared. The agent’s presence lent support to Jared’s authority.
Only then did Erik move toward Jared. His gaze went up and down Jared’s taller figure as he passed. “So you’re what’s coming between me and my wife.” He looked back at Sassa. “That will look good in court, too.”
Jared didn’t understand what Larsen meant, but by the look on Sassa’s face his words terrified her. Larsen strode past him and out the door. Agent Paulsen followed him and closed the door behind them.
“What was that all about?”
“Something you just made worse.”
“How could I have made it worse? That guy screams trouble without any help from me.”
Sassa’s whole body bristled. He knew her well enough to know she felt trapped, and whenever she felt trapped the snark came out.
“He’s just trying to frighten me.”
“It seems like he did a good job.”
“It’s not your problem, Jared.”
“Not my problem? What’s going on, Sassa? You’ve been shutting me out for two days. What happened?”
“Erik is my problem. I don’t need you to fight my battles for me. I need to take care of it on my own.”
“We’re partners in this, remember? Or at least, we’re supposed to be. Instead, you’re wasting energy fighting me.”
She took a deep breath and finally met his gaze. “I’m not fighting you, Jared. I don’t fight. I confront my problems, meet them head-on. I force myself...and others...to face the truth. That includes you.”
Her words rang true and that gave him pause. She did confront things. Met them head-on with courage and didn’t back down, even if she feared the outcome...even if it hurt. And Sassa could be easily hurt. Jared knew that to be true. When she loved, she loved hard and fought for anyone she cared about. He admired that in her, had even appreciated it once when she showed signs of defending him. She stood across from him now, tired, her hair pulled up in a messy knot at the top with straggles hanging down, gentle reminders of the soft heart beneath her hard exterior.
She met his gaze. “I’m brutally honest with myself. I don’t hide from my fears and I expect others to do the same. That’s why I confront issues...mine as well as others’.”
There was purpose and meaning behind her sentence. He frowned. “What are you trying to say?”
“I’m saying it’s time to be honest with each other.”
“We’re fighting to keep you out of the hands of killers. I don’t how much more brutally honest we can get.”
“We can’t have a relationship, Jared. Nothing can happen between us.”
He rolled his eyes and looked away. “This is because of the kiss, isn’t it? It was just a simple gesture of relief, Sassa. It meant nothing.”
She hesitated then gave him a nod. “I’m glad to hear it. But that makes this a good time to clear the air. I think you’ve been avoiding the truth.”
“I’m avoiding the truth?” Her statement threw him off guard. Wasn’t she the one overreacting to a kiss to the top of her head? A kiss that even now brought to mind the orange-blossom scent that surrounded her...but still. It was just a natural reaction...wasn’t it?
His own confused mind made him unprepared for her next statement.
“Every time you talk about your divorce, you blame yourself. But it was your wife who walked away. Why is that, Jared?”
The turn of the conversation made him uncomfortable so he redirected it. “You’re one to talk. Your past just walked by me and I’m certain he’s here to threaten the thing you love most.” He glanced at the office where Keri slept.
“You’re right. He is here for that but I had enough sense to walk away. I fought him then and I’ll fight him again. But every time you talk about the failure of your marriage, you take all the blame when your ex-wife is just as much at fault. That leads me to believe you’re still in love with her.”
“In love with my wife? Is that what you think?”
He stared at her. He wasn’t in love with Jessica. Hadn’t been since...well, since he’d met Sassa. That realization brought him up short.
Two short weeks ago he would have not believed the righteous words directed toward him. But they were true and he also recognized that her bristling emotions were for him. She couldn’t hide her soft, hurting heart, so she covered it up with smart remarks and brutal honesty. Still...all that emotion was for him...for the hurt she thought he still carried over his divorce.
Standing in front of him, bristling with anger, ready to fight for him... Sassa was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, one he wanted to kiss...for real this time.
Closing the space between them, he pulled her into his arms.
At first, his actions startled her, but soon her hands gripped his waist and she kissed him back. Her lips were sweet from the citrus-flavored lip balm she always used, and she smelled like a warm summer’s night filled with the scent of orange blossoms... Everything he loved wrapped up in this one woman.
It was a kiss he never wanted to end. Their lips felt so right together, as if he’d been waiting all his life for this. Finally, he had to let her go just to breathe. She took two steps back. Her eyes stayed closed and she pressed two fingers to her mouth. That little movement told him she felt the same jolt of recognition he had felt. He almost kissed her again just to make sure it was real, but she took another step back and opened her eyes, those beautiful blue eyes, the color of the Caribbean seas.
“Did you just kiss me to prove that you don’t love your wife?”
“Of course not...” Another lie. No more lies between them. It was time for the truth. He shook his head. “Yes, it started that way. But it didn’
t stay like that. It was a real kiss. Just you and me, with no one and nothing between us.”
She swallowed. He watched the movement of her throat, the way her pulse pounded in her neck, and wondered how he’d ever thought she was anything but perfect.
His phone rang. He stifled a frustrated sound, pulled it out of his pocket and silenced it. But it rang again. It was Kopack.
Gritting his teeth, he answered. “Hello?”
“I need you at the hospital. Now. Our little hacker tried to slash her wrists with a piece of metal she pulled from a table in the booking room. We rushed her here and now she’s talking up a storm.”
“I’ll be right there.” Jared pocketed his phone and looked at Sassa. “I have to go, but this isn’t over.”
She shook her head and the soft curls brushed her face in a way that made it hard for Jared to concentrate on her words.
“Yes, it is. It was over before it began. You’re trapped in your past, Jared. It has made you what you are. It makes you...aspire. You’re constantly reaching for something, an exciting life, a successful career...an accomplished woman.”
She paused and pinned him with her piercing blue-eyed gaze. “I’m not that woman.”
With that, she turned, walked to the office and shut the door behind her. But as soon as it closed, she jerked it open and marched back.
“When you see Kopack, let him know I just did another test. I got it right and the Spyder has the formula.”
* * *
Jared plugged the hospital’s address into the GPS of his vehicle. He kept screwing it up and had to do it three times before he inputted it correctly and was on his way.
That last impetuous kiss kept invading his thoughts. Sassa’s sweet, orange-flavored taste lingered on his lips... He shook his head.
Why did he do it?
It was definitely a stupid move. Now he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Not that Sassa was ever far from his thoughts. She was an enigma to him. Every time he thought he had her figured out, she threw something else at him. If he didn’t duck his head, it would hit him right in the face. Kind of like the punch the Spyder had thrown at him on the roof.
