Only Wrong Once
Page 32
The interviewer shook her head slightly, her smile remained plastered on her face. An uncomfortable and intentional silence followed.
“Amin, do you have anything you’d like to say about Rick Webster? For those of you who don’t know, Rick Webster is the son of Senator John Webster. He’s the FBI agent who discovered the cure Kareem Sarif carried into the country.”
Amin’s smile was genuine. “Because of Rick Webster, and so many others at the FBI, DHS, and the CDC, I got my life back. I’m immensely grateful. I spent months in quarantine being tested and often wondering if I would ever be able to leave, wondering if I would spend the rest of my life there. I believe the CDC and other scientists would have eventually developed the same cure my cousin did, but it might have taken years. The very first experimental dose of my cousin’s vaccine eliminated all traces of E.C.1 from my system.” He paused. “If you don’t mind allowing a shift in subject, Isa and I would like to talk about the foundation.”
“Did you see Amin Sarif interviewed on the news yesterday?” Stephanie said.
“No, but I don’t need to. I watched hours of his interrogations and interviews last year when you were working on locating Al-Bahil,” Rashid said.
“The interviewer mentioned Rick. He’s gotten a lot of credit for sending a few bottles down to the lab.” Stephanie laughed.
“I’m sure his father’s PR team has something to do with it. It will help with his next election.”
Rashid lifted a section of Stephanie’s long blonde hair and placed it gently behind her shoulder. “You may have already forgotten, but I didn’t—we agreed not to talk about anything work related tonight.” He took hold of her hand and smiled. “Two seats just opened up at the bar. Let’s go, before someone else gets them.”
On Saturday night, Quinn was in the kitchen of his new condominium. It was cozy and small compared to the beach-view mansion he’d recently sold. Two bedrooms, and a yard just big enough for his new dog, a mixed breed who barked to alert him to someone approaching the door.
Quinn reached down to stroke her neck as she walked next to him toward the front entrance. He looked up, through the glass, and stopped short when he saw who was on the other side.
Madeline.
Her hair was longer than the last time he’d seen her. She wore a form-fitting T-shirt and jeans. She looked beautiful.
“Hi. Are you going to let me in?” she said.
“I’m sorry. I just…”
“You weren’t expecting me, I know. I took a chance that you might be home.”
He opened the door and stood aside. “Come in. Please. It’s been a long time.”
The dog’s tail slapped against the wall in her excitement to greet Madeline. “Hey there, fella. What’s your name?” Madeline crouched down to rub between her ears.
“Um…her name is Maddie,” Quinn said sheepishly.
Madeline looked up and narrowed her eyes. Quinn felt heat rising to his face. She lifted the dog’s heart-shaped tag and sure enough, the word MADDIE was etched into the silver metal. Madeline laughed. “Hmmm. I’m not sure what to think about that.”
“Well, um, she’s new. I just picked her up at a shelter a few weeks ago. We’re still getting to know each other. So far, so good.”
“I love that you rescued her from a shelter.” Madeline was still smiling.
Quinn shifted his weight and crossed his arms. “So, what are you doing here? In LA, I mean.”
Madeline stopped petting the dog and stood up. “I’m working on a case.” She took a few steps inside and set her laptop down on the kitchen counter. “I thought you could help.”
“Yeah?”
“Mm hmm, but also—I wanted to see you. Things were really difficult when we last—”
“I know.”
“I guess that’s why I showed up without calling first. Hey, is that—?” She pointed to a bottle of Merlot sitting on the counter. “We visited that winery, remember?”
“I do.” Quinn looked wistful. “Believe it or not, that’s one of the bottles we bought.”
“Seriously?” She picked it up and read the label. “Wow! How about that. Although, we did buy a few cases, didn’t we? Nicely aged.”
“We could open it. Finally. While you tell me about your new case.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Madeline sat on one of the bar stools and leaned her elbows on the counter.
Quinn removed two wine glasses from his cabinet. “I’ll open the bottle and then we’ll get to work.”
Madeline nodded.
“So, what have you been working on?” said Quinn. “Here, let’s sit on the couch.”
Madeline moved over to the couch and began telling him about her most recent project. Quinn handed her a glass of wine and sat down next to her. He asked questions fueled by genuine interest, and shared what he could about his team’s recent work. Wine glasses were refilled. The conversation moved from work to exercise routines, caring for a dog, and movies. Two hours passed quickly with Quinn and Madeline growing more comfortable with each other.
“Can you excuse me for a second?” Madeline stood up. “Bathroom?”
“That way.” Quinn gestured in the direction of the powder room.
Quinn finished the wine in his glass, surprised at how much he was enjoying Madeline’s company. It had been a long time since he’d had a social visit of any sort.
Madeline returned and Quinn said, “So, tell me, what is it you thought I could help with?”
Madeline smoothed her shirt sleeves before sitting back down. “I lied, Quinn. I made up an excuse to come see you. I am consulting on something in LA, but it has nothing to do with bioterrorism. There is no project I need your help with. The truth is… I haven’t stopped thinking about you for the last year and I wanted to see if you were okay. Your new place and your cute dog make me think you’ve moved on with your life. That’s good. It’s really good.”
Quinn reached for her hand and held it. Madeline’s lips slowly formed a smile as she looked down at her hand in his.
“I have moved on,” said Quinn. “I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on things. Tonight, being with you—well, I’m pretty sure of what I want.”
“And what’s that?”
“I want another chance with you, Maddie.”
“Oh.” Madeline laughed.
“Why is that funny?”
“It’s not. It’s just…well…you don’t know how happy I am to hear you say that. I was thinking—”
Quinn cut Madeline off by pressing his lips against hers, catching her off guard and leaving her breathless. He leaned back slowly, their eyes locked together, savoring the perfection of the moment, the memories it stirred and the future it promised.
“Thoughts?” said Quinn. He touched her face, letting his finger trail gently down her cheek.
Madeline smiled, her eyes bright, and finished the last sip of her wine. “I’m wondering if I can get another kiss.”
From the Author
Two ideas sparked the concept for Only Wrong Once. The first inspiration hails from years ago, when I was a graduate student in Epidemiology and Public Health at Yale Medical School. One of the top floors of the building held a secure and restricted room for advanced research. The lab inside was rumored to hold the most dangerous of diseases, including Bubonic Plague, Polio, and hemorrhagic fevers. Studying those samples required the utmost precautions and I remember people actually whispering out of reverence when talking about it. My work never took me inside that room, but just knowing those samples existed, so close to our day to day classrooms, always struck me as wildly disturbing and fascinating.
The second flicker of a concept evolved because of my brother, a DHS agent. Like Quinn, he has a year’s supply of food and water at his house. Though he doesn’t share the details of his career, I do know he’s privy to some frightening intelligence regarding terrorist activities. Just the thought of it makes me nervous, but it also makes me appreciate the agencies committed to s
topping terrorists before they cause harm.
jenruff.com
Note to Readers
Thank you for reading Only Wrong Once. I hope you enjoyed the story. If you did, I would deeply appreciate a review on Amazon or Goodreads. I learn a great deal from them, and I’m always grateful for any encouragement. Every review matters, even if it’s only a few words.
Join my Reader’s Group
Sign up to join my reader’s group for special giveaways and perks. You can get advanced review copies of my new books for free. You won’t hear from me often, probably once or twice a year, but when you do, it should be fun! Click here to get started.
Other Books by Jenifer Ruff
Everett
Rothaker
Full-Out
Copyright
Only Wrong Once is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, places, and events are the products of my imagination. I attempted to be realistic, but I also exercised my creativity.
Greyt Companion Press, Charlotte, NC
Copyright @2017 by Jenifer Ruff
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
ISBN: 1973750716
ISBN-13: 978-1973750710
Edition 1.0
Cover design by Damonza.
Visit jenruff.com for other books and more information.