Hell & Back (Outbreak Task Force)

by Julie Rowe

  “Deploy?” Whiller asked, that cold smile back on his face. “You’re not in the army and haven’t been for some time.” He sounded quite pleased about something, had from the moment he opened his mouth.

  He hated when people tried to use conflict to get what they wanted or a confession. It was disingenuous and a fucking waste of his time.

  Henry looked at Rawley. “So, you’re supposed to be the good cop?”

  The other man had enough of a conscience to look momentarily uncomfortable.

  “Does he know that we know you don’t like any of us at the CDC?” Before Rawley could answer or anyone say anything, Henry turned to Whiller. “The last asshole FBI agent we had to tolerate ended up fired and is now in protective custody because his girlfriend’s terrorist buddies don’t like loose ends.” He let the other man see his teeth in what could, if one really squinted hard, be described as a smile. “Come back when you want to do your job. Until then, fuck off.”

  Whiller and Rawley stared at him for a moment before glancing at each other then at Smoke, who’d stood with one shoulder propped up against the wall, watching.

  Smoke smiled at them, but it was his fucking creepy I’m-going-to-kill-you-while-you’re-sleeping grin.

  Both agents took a step back.

  Dr. Rodrigues and Dozer, who hadn’t let Rodrigues out of his sight for the last few weeks, joined their little group.

  She looked at Henry, Smoke, then at the agents. “What did you say to piss my people off?” she asked them.

  Rawley rolled his eyes and said to her, “Why do you assume it’s my fault every time one of your people looks ready to start indiscriminately killing?”

  “Hey,” Smoke said, sounding insulted. “I’m very discriminating about who I kill.”

  Henry hadn’t thought Smoke knew how to be funny until now. Laughter burst out of him so hard he had trouble taking in any air. He bent over, still laughing and trying to catch his breath. The laughter and the need to breathe battled until his chest hurt and his muscles quivered.

  “Just breathe,” Rodrigues said in his ear. Her hand was on his shoulder, and she pushed him toward a chair.

  He sat, but he couldn’t breathe, his body stuck between two opposing actions. Something wet hit his hand, and he realized there were tears running down his face. Well, shit. He wasn’t laughing. He was crying.

  With a fucking audience watching him.

  Rodrigues got down on her knees in front of him so she could meet his gaze. “Ignore everyone else. Talk to me, Henry.”

  He snorted, and he really should have had a tissue in his hand before he did that.

  She handed him one, and he managed to regain his composure. “Sorry,” he mumbled in her general direction.

  “No need to apologize. I think you’ve needed to have an ugly cry for a long time.”

  He glanced at Dozer, who’d grabbed a chair and parked himself a few feet away. “This”—Henry pointed at his face—“never happened.”

  “Of course it didn’t,” Dozer said with a straight face. “Just like my toenails aren’t painted a lovely shade of red right now.”

  Rodrigues smacked his knee.

  Henry wanted to hit him, too. Or hug him. It was a toss-up which one he’d choose. “If you make me laugh again, asshole, I will punch you in the mouth.” Breathing had gotten easier. He took in a deep breath then another.

  “Okay, let’s start at the beginning,” Dr. Rodrigues said. She glanced at the two agents, who’d backed off several feet, and waved at them to come closer. “You two are going to listen, and that’s all you’re going to do until he’s finished talking to me. You’ll get a chance to ask questions, but not until I’m satisfied I understand what happened. Yes?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Rawley said.

  Whiller nodded.

  She turned back to him. “So, the beginning?”

  “Which beginning would that be? When the FAFO became a problem? Or…”

  “When did you know something was wrong?”

  When he saw Ruby sneak into the containment area on level four and take a sample out of the fucking freezer, but he wasn’t going to tell anyone about that. And if anyone watched the security recordings later, he’d say he’d asked her to do a visual inspection and remove anything that looked compromised.

  So, where should he start?

  He rubbed his face with both hands. “I had a feeling something was going to happen. The FAFO haven’t let up, and after they tried to run Ruby off the road…I knew they weren’t done.”

  “When did you learn her brother had been kidnapped?”

  “After we got to the lab. They were texting her, trying to pressure her into stealing one of the level-four pathogens. She wasn’t herself—distracted and depressed. Once she told me what was going on, I knew we’d have company. There’s no way they would have traded her brother for a pathogen. They eliminate every compromised member of their own group, every witness, and every loose end.”

  “How long had you been at the lab when you realized they’d be coming?”

  “I haven’t slept for longer than a quick nap in thirty-some hours. Ask me that question when I can count higher than my fingers and toes.” He glanced at the hallway, but all he could see was the blood dripping down Ruby’s arm. The more time went by, the more he itched to see her. His whole body vibrated with the need to go to her—his knees bounced and his hands shook.

  Rodrigues studied him then tilted her head to one side. “What’s bothering you most about this situation?”

  Finally, someone with the right question.

  He let out the air in his lungs in a long, slow breath. “It’s like someone handed them the blueprints for the building. They knew where to hit, what to destroy, and where our most dangerous pathogens were stored. They were so well prepared they were able to get through the reinforced exterior walls with just a few expertly calibrated and placed explosives.”

  “Expertly?”

  “No one could judge the force needed to get through those walls that well without inside information.”

  “There are a few mercenary groups who know what they’re doing,” Smoke said.

  Rodrigues glanced at him but didn’t tell him to butt out like she did the agents. In fact, she turned her body so he and Dozer were included in the conversation.

  Good. Maybe Smoke and Dozer could help him dig some answers out of the whole clusterfuck. “Yeah, and those guys are expensive. Where the fuck did the FAFO get the money to pay for that kind of help?”

  Smoke crossed his arms over his chest. “Drugs?”

  A few months ago, Smoke and his partner, public health nurse Kini Kerek, had stumbled upon a drug-manufacturing operation hiding behind a legitimate business run by the local sheriff.

  They’d also found a lot of bodies buried in the desert.

  “I don’t know.” Henry stood and began pacing. He was too keyed up to sit. He glanced at the hallway again. How was Ruby? “It seems like too tight a timeline. They would have had to break into the current players in the drug trade. The local wheelers and dealers wouldn’t take it well if someone tried to muscle into their business.”

  “The FAFO has appeared to plan a fair ways ahead,” Dozer said.

  “Yeah, with an accuracy that’s fucking scary.”

  Smoke and Dozer were silent for several minutes, and Henry hoped one of them could see answers or explanations he might have missed.

  “Who had access to the building’s plans?” Dozer asked.

  “Only a handful of people until Monday, when we had that meeting to outline the security protections for the building.”

  The frown on Smoke’s face deepened. “That’s not a lot of time.”

  “No.”

  “One builder?” Dozer asked, also frowning.

  “No, we used six different compani
es. All of them had excellent reputations and do a lot of business with government. They’d lose billions in government and military contracts if they were connected to this.”

  “So, who is in your handful of people before the Monday meeting?”

  “Homeland signed off on it, so our liaison and his unit chief. Rodrigues, Dozer.” He nodded at them. “The CDC director, the FBI director, the Homeland director, the surgeon general, DS, and myself.”

  “The techs who worked in the building?”

  “Well, yeah.”

  “How many?”

  “Sixty-three, but only a dozen were authorized to go down to the fourth level.”

  “We just did background checks on everyone working for the CDC,” Dozer added. “We don’t want to have another Halverson happen to us.”

  “Did any of the bad guys survive?” Henry asked.

  “We’ve got one mercenary in custody,” Rawley said, stepping closer but staying outside the half circle formed of CDC people. “He’s still being treated for injuries, but nothing life threatening. We’ll be able to interrogate him.”

  “Just one?”

  “We’re still looking for a couple more,” Rawley said. “We’re watching the airports, but so far, nothing.”

  “Do you have IDs?” Henry asked.

  “Descriptions from Nathan Toth. They were involved in his kidnapping.”

  “Where the fuck did the FAFO come from?” Henry demanded, looking at the two agents. “Seriously, what does Homeland and the FBI know about these fuckers?”

  “Not enough,” Whiller said. He nodded. “I understand your frustration.” He glanced at Rawley and Rodrigues before continuing. “When I was assigned to this case, I went over the entire file and noted a distinct lack of information in two areas.” He held up one finger. “Motive. The FAFO doesn’t appear to have a clear goal beyond creating panic. They complain about the government in a general way, but nothing they’ve said falls in line with any particular ideology, cause, or complaint.”

  “And if they’ve brought at least one recognizable international terrorist into the United States,” Rawley said, “could there be more?”

  “The other issue is communication,” Whiller said. “They’re planning multiple attacks, recruiting new members, and responding to us with a speed that should scare the shit out of anyone. How are they communicating with each other? Recovered cell phones have given us nothing, which points to a daunting level of sophistication and preparation.”

  “They either assassinate their own people when captured or hire someone to assassinate them,” Rodrigues said.

  “They hired mercenaries,” Henry said slowly. “Well trained and equipped.”

  No one said anything for a couple of seconds.

  “Where’d they get the money?” Smoke asked.

  Everyone looked at him.

  “From day one, they would have needed a lot of cash,” Henry said.

  “We’re looking for the money trail,” Rawley said. “But we need more information or a starting point.”

  “Then make sure that bastard you have in custody stays alive and has something useful to say,” Rodrigues said, her voice an icy order.

  Irritation flashed across both agents’ faces.

  “We’re not ruling anyone or anything out,” Whiller said. “That’s why we’re here.”

  “Did you talk to Ketner again?” Henry asked.

  Rawley grimaced. “We came here directly after a meeting with him. He’s…broken and doesn’t know anything about this. His dead girlfriend’s family swears they knew nothing about what she was doing. They’re blaming terrorists we can’t find for radicalizing then killing her.”

  “It’s always someone else’s fault,” Henry muttered. “Have you checked into her family’s money situation?”

  “We looked at her finances, but there wasn’t anything unexpected.” Rawley looked about as happy as Henry felt about that. “Her reasons for passing on and manipulating sensitive information died with her.”

  No one said anything for a few moments.

  Finally, Rodrigues stood and addressed the agents. “What more do you need from Henry and the CDC?”

  “An opportunity to go over with each of your people their experiences and thoughts regarding the FAFO,” Whiller said. “We’ve decided to bring in a couple of profilers to help us identify and find the key players, even if they’re already dead.”

  “That’s going to take a few days.”

  “We’re aware.” He glanced at everyone, his cheeks pink. “We’re hoping for your cooperation.” Did he think they’d refuse? Looking at their faces told Henry the answer to that.

  Yes, the agents expected him to refuse.

  “All you had to do is tell us what you’ve just shared and ask me to help.” He didn’t care that the words came out sounding like a death threat. He was so fucking tired of people making assumptions.

  Rodrigues looked more tired than Henry could ever remember, and he’d seen her in some horrible situations. “We’re happy to comply with your request, but you may need to work around our schedules. Some of my team are out of the country right now dealing with health emergencies.”

  “Thank you,” Rawley said. He met Henry’s gaze. “I hope she makes a full recovery.”

  Henry couldn’t speak past the lump in his throat, so he just nodded.

  Rawley and Whiller left, passing a tall, lanky guy who was laser focused on the hallway leading to Ruby’s room.

  Dozer rose and intercepted him. “Nate, Nate!”

  Ruby’s brother. The guy stopped and turned, and Henry could see the resemblance between the two siblings.

  “Where’s my sister?” he asked, sounding out of breath.

  “She had minor surgery,” Dozer told him. “She’s sleeping off the waking sedation they gave her.”

  “Minor surgery?”

  “Stitched up a laceration and a through and through in her arm. She’s getting a couple of units of blood, and they’re keeping her overnight.” He gestured at the small alcove where Henry sat.

  “Which one of you is Henry?” Ruby’s brother asked.

  Henry got to his feet. “I am.”

  Nate came toward him, and at first, Henry thought it was to shake his hand, but as he moved closer, the man picked up speed and his expression turned angry.

  Ruby’s twin slid in like a martial artist, weight balanced, hands low, reaching for Henry’s wrist and shirt.

  Henry didn’t have much room to maneuver with, but he deflected both of Nate’s hands with the sweep of one arm then shoved him back with a hard push from the other.

  “Stop,” he ordered.

  Nate came forward like a pro, anger reddening his face. “She got hurt because of you.”

  “Yes.”

  Nate froze in the middle of taking a step toward him, which made him stumble. “What?”

  “I fucked up.” Henry met the other man’s gaze head-on. “I should have noticed there was something wrong with her behavior. She was tense, distracted, and stressed. I assumed it was a product of almost getting run off the road and the suicide bomber who almost got inside the secure area.” He took in a deep breath. “I was wrong. I took her into a situation I shouldn’t have and put her in danger.”

  The fight with the last man replayed through his head until it arrived at the moment she stepped in, bloody from the bullet wound, and the bastard cut her. Only this time, it felt like he’d taken the strike, not her. His abdomen cramped and convulsed. “She got hurt because of me,” he finished in a whisper.

  Nate stared at him, disgust twisting his mouth. “She trusted you.”

  Henry shook his head. “Not enough. She didn’t tell me about your kidnapping until it was too late to do anything but try to fight off the FAFO’s attack. That didn’t work out so well.”
r />   “Did they get a pathogen?”

  “No,” Henry grunted. “I blew up the whole lab instead.”

  Nate looked at Ruby’s door, then back at Henry. “Fine. I won’t beat the shit out of you. You can go now.” He glanced at Smoke, Dozer, and Rodrigues. “You can all go now.”

  “No,” Henry said. “Not until I talk to her.”

  “You think she’s going to want to see you?” Nate asked, the anger and disgust in his voice making every word he spoke a weapon aimed at Henry’s conscience.

  They found their mark, sending waves of guilt through him. Henry sat before he fell down. “I need to make sure she’s okay and apologize, then I’ll be gone.”

  Rodrigues stepped closer. “Ruby is a valued member of our team, and we care about her.” She checked her watch. “What took you so long to get here and where are your parents?”

  “The FBI and Homeland had a bunch of questions for us. My parents both work for the NSA, so they’re trying to sort out the investigation with the other law enforcement agencies. They know her condition and will be here as soon as they can.”

  “I see.” She shook her head and sighed. “Smoke, stay here with Henry, please.” She turned to Nate and spoke before he could. “We don’t know if the danger is over. Until the situation has calmed down, someone is going to be watching out for your sister. If not Henry or Smoke, then someone else.”

  Nate looked at them. “You two armed?”

  “I am,” Smoke said.

  Henry shook his head. All of his weapons had been in the lab.

  “Fine,” Nate said, sounding less angry and more tired.

  Rodrigues gave Henry a sharp look. “Have Smoke call me when you have news.”

  Henry was confused, then he remembered his phone hadn’t survived the fight on level four, either. “Mine got blown up.”

  “I’ll make sure you get a new one.”

  Smoke waggled his.

  Henry nodded his agreement.

  Rodrigues and Dozer left.

  Nate paced for a few minutes, slowed, then dropped into a chair next to Henry.