“That’s our plan. It’s a long drive, so we’ll probably stop somewhere for the night, but we wanted to pack up the rest of our belongings. Well, Michelle’s anyway. I don’t really own anything.” He dug in his pocket and lifted up his cell phone. “A phone. I own a phone.”
Temple laughed. “Well, it’s an important possession.”
Zeke shrugged as he tucked it back into his pocket. “It’s kind of excessive at this point. We aren’t usually separated. And I’m better with the GPS. Why pay two bills?”
“Is he always this cheap?” Temple asked, glancing at Michelle as they reached her office.
“Yes. He’s gotten worse now that he has a regular paycheck.”
“Listen, I’m a thirty-year-old man who the government classifies as forty. I have absolutely no retirement plan and my previous saving went to pay my divorce attorney. I’ll never be able to stop working and live life if I don’t save now.”
Temple pursed her lips, obviously deciding to stay out of this one.
He was right. And Michelle liked that personality trait a lot. She had saved the majority of her salary for the last several years. It was easy to do when you lived in government housing and had few expenses.
But it was a phone. His only expense. So, it made her roll her eyes. It had been interesting to find out he was a bit of a penny pincher. It had been even more intriguing to find out that didn’t extend to how he was with her.
He’d gotten her flowers. More than once now. And he’d ordered interesting items for her from the internet. The day she’d opened a mysterious package to find a new vibrator in pale blue, she’d flushed a deep red before lifting her gaze to find him grinning wickedly at her, eyebrows wiggling.
Shaking the inappropriate memory from her head, Michelle took a seat next to Zeke as Temple rounded her desk to the other side. “Looks like things are getting back to normal around here. But it’s quiet. It’s never been this quiet.”
“Oh, trust me, it was incredibly quiet for several years after the first team was preserved before the next team came in to resume the work here.”
“Thank God Tushar and Trish’s son was so insistent about reanimating us or none of us would be sitting here today,” Zeke confirmed.
He wasn’t wrong. All of them had Ryan to thank for their jobs and their lives. He had started this ball rolling the moment his parents were vitrified when he was only twenty years old. He’d worked his ass off to finish school and develop a cure for AP12 while simultaneously finding a cryonicist—Damon Bardsley—and convincing the government to reopen the bunker.
“Those years were long and boring. Some days I miss them,” Temple joked. She had been working in this bunker and on Project DEEP for over thirty years, from the beginning.
Zeke cleared his throat. “Give us an update.”
Michelle knew Zeke was fishing for information, most of which he already had, but he wanted to know what Temple knew. It wasn’t that either of them didn’t trust Temple. They did. Implicitly. But Ryan told them to be vigilant; a leak from the inside couldn’t be ignored.
Temple sighed. “That bug we found in the conference room hadn’t been there very long.” She set her gaze on Zeke and hesitated before saying what Michelle and Zeke already expected her to reveal. “We think there’s a good chance your ex-wife planted it.”
Zeke sighed. “I guess we already suspected that to be the case.”
Dade had confirmed as much to Ryan even before the bombing, making Michelle wonder if Temple was just now privy to the information or if she’d known for a while.
Temple rubbed her forehead. “She was one of the few people who had access to that conference room table in the right timeframe.”
Zeke blew out a breath. “Well, it wouldn’t shock me. She’s greedy. If someone offered to pay her to place a bug, I have no doubt she would take the money and run.”
“Yeah. I’m sorry to say that’s undoubtedly the case. We’ll be looking into it closer,” Temple added.
“Anything else we should know?” Zeke asked.
Temple smirked. “I’m sure you already realize no one left here with a tracker in their wrist, thanks to quick thinking on Ryan’s part.”
Zeke smiled. “I’m clear on that. After what happened to Emily and then Tushar and Trish, no one was willing to take the chance a hacker could locate us.”
Temple nodded. “In hindsight, I think it was a good idea because everyone is now safe with no chance of being located.” She leaned forward, putting her elbows on her desk. “I’m not sure I like the idea of Ryan making that decision without consulting me first, but things were chaotic that night. The chain of command had gone out the window.”
Zeke nodded. “We did make decisions on the fly. I’m sure everyone did.”
Michelle was relieved to find Temple wasn’t bent out of shape about the trackers. Why would she be? There was a good chance everyone would be in far more danger with the GPS trackers than without.
Temple straightened. “How is everyone else at the New Mexico bunker?”
Michelle smiled. “Doing well. It’s weird, though. Zeke and I are back working on Myasthenia Gravis, which makes more sense now that we know there’s a government employee preserved there who suffered from it.”
Temple lifted her brows. “They already put you to work? I thought that research was on hold while they dealt with the influx of people from our bunker.”
“Yeah, they’re still shuffling us around and trying to make space, but Michelle and I felt like we were standing around doing nothing, so we put our expertise to work,” Zeke responded.
Temple frowned. “There’s still a lot to get up to speed on that disease. Don’t get too bent out of shape if you can’t solve everything immediately. A dozen people have been working on MG for years.”
Zeke waved her off. “Don’t worry about us. We’re scientists. It’s what we do. We’re much more comfortable in the lab than worrying about where all the extra personnel is going to sleep.”
Temple chuckled. “I believe that. How’s Damon doing? Did the other two chambers arrive okay? I haven’t spoken to him for a few days.”
Zeke nodded. “They did. He’s being very thorough to ensure they weren’t damaged in transportation, and then they’ll be ready for use.”
Even though Michelle had known there were other bunkers for a few weeks, she was still shocked by the discovery. The idea that multiple other facilities were involved in Project DEEP was eye opening. And to find out other government officials were held in cryostats…
She took a breath to continue a rundown of the last two people who had been sent to the New Mexico bunker. “Ryan and Emily are settling into a routine. The place is significantly smaller, so we’re on top of each other in the lab. We don’t have enough resources to all be working at the same time yet, so it’s a constant juggle for space. Good thing we don’t need separate living arrangements for each of us individually because there wouldn’t be room for us,” she joked.
“That’s helpful.” Temple raised her eyebrows. “Tushar and Trish aren’t happy with their son and Emily being so far away, but it can’t be helped for the time being.”
“Are Tushar and Trish here, then?” Zeke asked.
“Yes. They returned here a week ago.” Temple didn’t elaborate on where they’d been.
“Hopefully there will come a day when we can all reunite.” Zeke sighed. “Those are my friends. I can’t stand the thought of never seeing them again.”
Michelle could hear the subtle dig in his voice. He wasn’t fond of this current arrangement where everyone from both teams was now spread out into God knew how many bunkers in God knew how many states. They hadn’t even had the chance to say goodbye. They were also temporarily forbidden contact with one another for everyone’s safety.
Temple’s voice was softer when she addressed him. “I’ll do everything in my power to ensure that happens.”
After a few moments of silence, Michelle cleared her throat
, trying to avoid the well of emotion threatening to cause tears. “Well, we should get my stuff packed. It’s a long drive back and I want to be able to see everyone who’s here.”
“Go. Get packed. I’ll find Trish and Tushar to come talk to you while you pack.” Temple stood.
Zeke took Michelle’s arm as she stood. It was impressive how in tune with her he’d become in the time they’d known each other. He had a sixth sense when it came to her emotions. The look of understanding in his eyes when he met her gaze confirmed it.
Trish showed up at the door to Michelle’s suite ten minutes later. After a quick hug, Michelle reassured Trish that Ryan and Emily were fine and safe and working hard. Meanwhile Zeke moved around packing Michelle’s belongings with Tushar’s help. They had several boxes stacked in the hallway and were hauling them out to the SUV when Michelle’s phone buzzed in her pocket.
She pulled it out and glanced at the text from an unknown number.
Get out. As fast as you can without making anyone suspicious. Say nothing.
“Everything okay?” Trish asked.
Michelle smiled as she tucked the phone back in her pocket. “Yep.”
Her hands were shaking as Zeke tucked his head into the main room of the suite. “You ready? We should get on the road.” His eyes were wide when they met hers, and Michelle knew he’d received the same text.
She wasn’t ready. Not even close. Most of her things were packed, but she hadn’t spent as much time in the bunker as she would have liked. She hadn’t even had the chance to speak to anyone else working in the lab. She shot Zeke a forced smile, though. “Yep,” she repeated.
In record time, they pulled away from the bunker. Zeke looked over his shoulder. “What the fuck do you think is going on?”
“No clue, but I don’t like it.” She adjusted the rearview mirror and glanced around, half expecting the SUV to explode. “You think the text came from Ryan?”
“I assume, but who knows. Unknown number.” He twisted around to look out every window, half fearing they might be followed. “I hope we covered our expressions enough and stayed long enough that no one got suspicious.”
She shot him a glance. “I hope the damn bunker doesn’t blow up in a minute, killing our friends.”
He cringed. “Surely the text would have been more specific if that were a threat. At the very least, if Ryan was involved in sending the text, he wouldn’t leave his own parents in danger.”
She nodded. “You’re right. Whatever’s going on has to be specific to you and me, not them.”
“Agreed. Maybe someone heard we were at the bunker and intended to pay us an unwanted visit.”
She chewed on her lower lip. “Well, we aren’t there now, and the only way this car is bugged is if someone did it in plain sight while we were packing.”
He agreed. “Unlikely. I think we’re good now.” He stared at the way her fingers flexed on the steering wheel. “You should let me drive.”
“You should get a license,” she tossed back, forcing a grin.
He scrunched up his face. “I guess I better get motivated. Will you at least share your car? Or do I have to get my own?”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ll share. You get a license.”
“Watch the road.” He pointed toward the windshield.
She let go of the steering wheel with her right hand to take a swat at him. “Dude, if you start telling me how to drive, I’m not only going to not let you use my car, but I’m not going to let you ride in it either.”
He deflected her swat by putting his arms up in exaggeration. Finally, he grabbed her hand and pulled it to his cheek. “I hate that you got yanked from your friends.”
“You did too,” she pointed out.
“Yeah, but no one liked me anyway. I was an asshole.” He sounded like he wasn’t kidding.
She frowned. “That’s not true. Everyone likes you.”
“Not so much. Or they didn’t before we were preserved. My best friend was Dade, and that’s only because he understood me. I hate that I can’t see him.”
“He sounds happy,” she said, “other than the fact that he’s spending countless hours every day trying to solve a crime from the grave.”
“Yeah. It was convenient that Blair was able to use the chaos of everyone’s relocation to inform Temple he had died.” Zeke cringed. “I can’t imagine that phone call. She must be quite an actress. She must feel like shit lying like that.”
“I’m sure she does. She worked with Temple for years. They have a mutual respect that extends far beyond the professional. It’s going to be disastrous when Temple finds out that not only Blair but several of us have been lying about Dade.”
Zeke sighed. “Maybe not. Maybe she’ll understand our reasoning. It has nothing to do with her. Her hands are tied, however. She would have to report his existence to her superiors. As long as she’s misinformed, people above her are too. And it’s working. He’s still alive. There have been no whispers to the contrary.”
“Which means there’s a good chance every insane incident is coming from higher up.”
“Unfortunately, yes. And that is mind-boggling. Why the hell would someone in the government be trying to sabotage our efforts? It makes no sense.”
“I agree.”
They rode in silence for a while and then Michelle pulled off the highway and found a motel where they could pay in cash and get some sleep before continuing.
When they dropped into bed, mentally and physically exhausted from a long day, Zeke pulled her into his arms and kissed her before succumbing to sleep.
Chapter 20
Michelle awoke with a start and then a scream when she realized she’d been yanked out of sleep by a hand over her mouth. The hand tightened, forcing her scream to turn into a muffled whimper.
Her eyes went wide as she was dragged to her feet. One arm was wrapped around her middle, the other hand over her mouth. “One sound and he’s dead.”
She blinked, trying to see in the dark. Through the light coming in under the bottom edge of the curtain, she could faintly make out Zeke. For a second she thought he had been similarly yanked out of his side of the bed and was being held in an equally defenseless position, but then he slumped to the floor.
She screamed again, to no avail, unable to stop herself.
“Bitch. Shut the fuck up,” the man holding her hissed in her ear. He held her tighter, squashing her breasts too tight.
She nodded. Her adrenaline was pumping so fast she couldn’t breathe. She grasped his forearm and tried to free herself as he lifted her too far off the floor. Only her tiptoes were touching. He was tall. Large. Strong.
Focus, Michelle. Focus.
His arm was Caucasian. Dark hair sprinkled down it. No sleeves on his shirt. She twisted to get a look at him and found he was wearing a mask. Black. His clothing was black too.
He dragged her across the room and slammed her onto a chair while his partner painfully yanked her arms behind her and tied them to each other and the rungs of the chair. He was similarly dressed, but with long sleeves that made it impossible to make out his race.
She glanced at the floor to find Zeke awkwardly lying on his side, out cold.
The man holding her mouth hissed at her again. “I’m going to remove my hand. If you scream, Lover Boy is dead. Understood?”
She nodded, eyes wide again. Sweat was pouring down her face from the stress. When he released her, she sucked in oxygen. She needed to stay alert. Figure out a way out of this mess. “What do you want?” she whispered.
“Information.”
“About what?” She blinked up at him. How much did he know? How stupid could she act?
The man who had tied her up kicked Zeke’s body needlessly to the side. He was broader but shorter, and she thought his hands were darker in tone than the other man. Maybe he was Hispanic or black. Or just tan. It was impossible to tell.
She started to scream and stopped herself. “Stop. You don’t have to do
that. He’s not bothering you.”
The sleeveless guy leaned into her face. His exhale hit her in the nose and made her hold her breath. “Lower your voice, bitch.”
She swallowed. Think. Think think think. “What do you want to know? My boyfriend and I are just on vacation. I don’t know what we could possibly know.”
The white guy chuckled sardonically. “Told you she would balk.”
“She won’t balk if I stab him in the gut,” the darker man stated as he pulled a knife out of its sheath at his side and held it up.
Michelle panicked. Oh my God. Fuck. “Jesus. I’ll tell you anything.” She wouldn’t, of course. She would tell them nothing. But maybe if she could stall or convince them she knew nothing…
“Tell us where the rest of your team is?”
“My team?” She needed to buy time. Think. She was shaking, but already she was working on the knot at her back. She also shot a grateful thanks to God that she never went to bed without shorts and a T-shirt after her freak-out night in the bunker. Zeke had teased her about it, but he also wore pants to sleep in. Blessedly they were not currently naked.
“Yes, bitch, your fucking team. Were you on the first team or the second?”
The darker man kicked Zeke again. “And what about him? Is this some sweet romance between a nurse and her patient or vice versa?” He laughed again, his voice grating on her nerves. How did these guys know so much, and who the hell was feeding them information?
“I don’t know where anyone is,” she stated, digging her nails into the rope. Damn, it was tight. It was also scraping her wrists brutally. But that was the least of her concerns. She ignored the pain and continued working on the knot without moving the rest of her body.
The tall, white guy leaned in again. “Liar.” His voice was louder this time. “I’m going to give you about ten seconds to tell me what I want to know and then I’m going to have my partner stab your boyfriend so deep you can do nothing but watch him bleed to death.”
The darker man held the knife up in the ray of the streetlights. It was huge. Zeke would not survive being stabbed with it.
Reviving Zeke Page 21
