by Julie Rowe
“Small brains, big ears,” River muttered. He raised his voice and said, “There was another person who is at least partly responsible for the planning of your homicidal insurrection.”
“No, there isn’t. Everyone was at the chem lab, or dead.”
River shook his head again. “Nope, there’s someone else. Someone who had the Darth Vader ringtone on Sam’s phone.”
All four of the students had confused expressions on their faces.
“There wasn’t anyone else,” Broken Arm insisted. “Honest.”
“Like any of you maggots can be trusted,” Sturgis said. He turned to River with the scariest eyes she’d ever seen. “I bet I can make one of them talk.”
“As much as they deserve it, I don’t think we’re allowed to torture them.” River did sound somewhat disappointed.
“So, call Homeland Security,” Sturgis suggested. “They torture people all the time.”
One of the boys started to cry again.
“Or, let me call the base. I know a couple of guys who could make all four of them disappear.”
That brought a question to Ava’s lips. “I’ve been wondering. Their plan was to set off explosions on the base and release their pet bacteria on the soldiers stationed there.” She had everyone’s attention now. “How were they going to get into the base? I mean, it’s not like they could just walk in. They’d have to scale patrolled fences, then pass for soldiers until they planted and detonated their explosives.”
“They couldn’t,” Sturgis said. “Security’s too tight.” He glanced at the boys. “How were you going to do it?”
“I don’t know,” Broken Arm said. “Sam said it was all taken care of, though. Someone on the inside was going to let us in.”
“In a vehicle?” River asked.
“I don’t know. Sam didn’t say.”
“Any of the rest of you know?”
They shook their heads.
“Someone on the inside…” River muttered.
“A traitor?” Sturgis shook his head. “That ain’t good.”
“The base commander is already infected,” River said. “That’s going to cause some confusion.”
“So, is that the point?” Ava asked. “All we’ve heard is that they want the military to leave the Middle East, but there were no specifics.”
“What are you getting at?” River asked her.
“I’m wondering if this terrorist cell made up of American college students was created for the sole purpose of adding to the confusion. Keep everyone trying to combat the outbreak and find the perpetrators of the explosions off balanced and confused.”
“You’re saying that whoever recruited the first one—this Sam—never told him what the real plan was?”
“Maybe he did,” Ava said, shaking her head. “Sam seemed awfully cagey about what was going to happen next. Kept talking about the big bomb going off and how big of an impact that was going to have.”
“I never signed up to die like that,” Whiner said.
“Me neither,” said another.
“Cowards,” Broken Arm said again.
“So, we haven’t met the architect of all this horror,” River said.
“I don’t know about that, Snowflake,” Sturgis said. “Assholes who think they’re entitled to kill anyone they want generally can’t stay away from the scene of the crime. They want to see the dead, take satisfaction in seeing all the pain their weapons cause.”
Ava stared at Sturgis, with her mouth hanging open. River, however, didn’t look surprised at all.
“Yeah, they do.”
“How do you know that?” Ava asked the retired soldier.
“I knew a drill sergeant a few years ago who took too much pleasure in beating the crap out of recruits. Our job is to toughen them up, get them in shape, and establish a sense of community. That guy, he loved hurting the weaker ones, but he was real careful to keep it just on this side of the line.” The tone of his voice at the end of his story told her there was more that he hadn’t said.
“What happened?” She almost didn’t ask.
“He killed a boy. Broke his neck by stepping on the kid’s back when he was trying to do push-ups.” Sturgis crossed his arms over his chest. “He liked it the same way a normal person likes ice cream.”
Just the idea of causing that kind of pain for another person made Ava nauseated again, but she was going to have to deal with it if they were going to find the person responsible for everything that had happened.
She wanted a couple of painkillers and about twenty-four hours of sleep, but wasn’t going to get either. She’d watched River as he patched her up. He’d favored his left arm and shoulder.
“Your turn,” she said to him as she put her hand down to help push herself off the seat.
He looked at her for a moment, then nodded and sat down. He pulled off his body armor and clothing down to his pants.
She examined the bandage. “Did Sturgis do this for you?”
“Did it myself. Been kinda busy ever since.”
She pulled out a suture kit, put on a pair of gloves, and sewed up the wound under his arm. As much as that bullet hole bothered her, the three large mottled bruises decorating his chest made her stomach clench. Her fingers glided over them, and she caught her breath as his chest expanded to follow her hand as she pulled it away.
Giving him a repressive look, she pressed a little harder, checking his ribs. “Deep bruising, but no breaks.” Her voice was quiet as she studied his chest. Her gaze lifted to meet his. “How are you? How are you really?”
The expression in his eyes was determined. “We’re going to stop this. We’re going to get him.” It was a vow. She could hear it in his voice.
“If he doesn’t get us first.”
“Not going to happen.”
She found her shoulders wilting under the stare of the college students. “We’re pretty beat up.”
“Wars aren’t won with might,” he said, leaning forward and lowering his voice. “They’re won with intelligence, perseverance, and conviction.”
He was right. Giving up was not an option, but the risks only seemed to be getting larger and larger. She took his hand and pulled him to his feet.
River helped by putting a hand around her waist and propping her up against him. “Ava?”
“Let’s talk outside,” she said softly, including Mr. Sturgis in her request.
River helped her limp out of the bus and another ten feet away. “I think this is good.”
She nodded and looked at both men. “We need to figure out who the person responsible for this is. So, how do we do that?”
River gave her a half of a smile. “We go fishing.” He looked at Sturgis. “I could use some bait.”
“You mean, besides these fine young men here?” he asked, thrusting his chin at the bus.
“Yeah. I’m thinking the bait is going to need to be very special if it’s going to work. Something the architect isn’t going to see coming.” River winked. “The last thing anyone is going to predict is you, DS.”
“Stop with the compliments, Snowflake. You’re making me blush.”
“What can I do?” Ava asked. “You’re not going to keep me out of this. I want to help.”
“You,” River said tilting his head to one side, “are going to be our backup, in case not everything goes the way we want it.”
“Another one of your plan for the worst, hope for the best situations?”
“Absolutely. That’s what makes the Special Forces special. Imagining all the ways a plan can go wrong, then making sure there’s a plan for that, too.”
Sturgis opened his mouth, then closed it again. “Nope, not going to get into trouble with your girl, Snowflake.”
“Your politeness is refreshing,” she told him.
“Not being polite, cautious. Any woman who can survive being blown up four times and keep up with Snowflake here, is not someone I want to cross.”
“Wait until you see h
er with in a hazmat suit,” River said, with a laugh. “She’ll scare the shit out of you.”
“So, what do we need to get this plan in motion?” Sturgis asked.
River’s chuckle was full of bad news for someone. “A cell phone.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
1:17 p.m.
There were only so many people in a position to put all this terrorist shit into motion. If Agent Geer weren’t already dead, he’d be at the top of River’s list.
It was the timing of the fucking phone calls. The person pulling everyone’s strings called only when success was in jeopardy. It was someone who had access to what the CDC was doing, as well as what Homeland Security was doing. A very small number of people were in a position to have that information.
It was very likely that he and Ava knew this person.
Geer, with his stubborn refusal to cooperate and his dogged determination to keep Ethan Harris out of trouble, nagged at River. But he couldn’t see how the dead agent connected with the bacteria that was killing people. The guy hadn’t considered the bug a huge threat. There had been no respect in the man for Ava or anyone else with the CDC. Unfortunately, he was dead.
If he was going to go fishing, he needed to bring Dr. Rodrigues into it. He pulled out the cell phone and made the call.
“River?” Dr. Rodrigues answered.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I was worried. There are reports of a large explosion at the university, and I was afraid you might have been involved in it somehow.”
He winced. “I was.”
“What? Again?”
“It’s a long story, ma’am, and I don’t think we have time for it right now.”
“Make time.”
River spent several minutes explaining the situation and what he wanted to do. In the end, Rodrigues grudgingly gave her blessing, and ordered him to communicate his plan to Agent Dozer.
Dozer was even less excited.
“That’s a hell of a leap,” Dozer said. “There’s no one in a position of authority in this mess who could be in charge of a terrorist cell. No one has been in contact with militants in the Middle East. We did deep background checks on everyone.”
“The leader isn’t going to fall into the typical terrorist cell leader category,” River explained. “I think this is a home-grown terrorist. Someone born and bred right here in Texas. Someone who’s taking advantage of the world political climate and the availability of cannon fodder to create mayhem and kill people.”
“What? Like a serial killer?”
“Yes, that. I think we’ve got a science-nerd psychopath who has the perfect backdrop for killing a lot of people and blaming it on some nameless terror group.”
“Shit.”
“This guy is having way too much fun, but he might not know that Ava…Dr. Lloyd was being held by his recruits. She heard enough to figure out none of them are in charge.”
“Homegrown,” Dozer muttered. “It could be anyone.”
“There aren’t too many people in the right position to have orchestrated all this. Your guy, Geer, would have been on the top of my list if he weren’t already dead.”
“Idiot,” Dozer said in an almost pleasant tone. “It’s a good thing he got himself killed. So, who’s next on your list of contenders?”
“No one really stands out. Maybe Toland?”
“No, not him. He’s too new. Could it be someone within the CDC?”
Henry Lee surfaced in River’s mind before he discounted the man. He was a grumpy son of a bitch, but not a guy who killed for fun. If Lee did come across someone masterminding something like this, he’d probably take the killer down on his own. None of the other people he’d met had appeared to have the skills or personality to accomplish the horrendous destruction that had occurred so far.
“No one I’ve met. It could be someone in local law enforcement. Inside the bomb squad could be a possibility, or even a higher-ranking officer from Fort Bliss.”
“Yeah, it looks like we need to go ahead with your idea. Are you sure you and Dr. Lloyd are up for this?”
“I’m good, and if I try to keep her out, she’ll kick up a fuss. She’s also the one with direct knowledge of what was said in the chem lab before it blew up. Our trap won’t work without her.”
“Fine. I’ll see about having a few additional people on the lookout during the meeting. I just hope to hell our psychopath hasn’t planted any more bombs.”
River hung up and looked at the drill sergeant. “Got a good place to hide these guys and yourself?”
“Sure. The best place.”
They went back to the bus, River holding Ava close as the two of them limped on board.
“I don’t know about you,” she said with a sigh, “but after this, I’m asking for a raise and a better health care plan.”
“Let me know how that goes. I might do the same.”
Broken Arm sniffed. “Could someone please look at my arm now?”
“You sit,” River told Ava. “Let me see what he’s got.”
She opened her mouth as if she were going to argue with him, but seemed to think better of it, closing her mouth and nodding instead. The DS started the engine, which sounded like it was going to wheeze its last any second, and drove away from both university and hospital.
River gave the kid a once-over. Aside from the arm, he had a few cuts on his exposed skin, but not as bad as Ava had received. His arm did look odd, but not necessarily broken. To find out, he was going to have to cut the kid loose. He pulled a knife out of a sheath strapped to his leg, not as long as a Bowie knife, but enough to intimidate this college idiot, then cut the para cord he’d used to tie the kid to the seat. He waited, prepared for the kid to attack him, try to take his knife, but the kid just cradled his arm and moaned.
River re-sheathed the blade and secured the loop over the hilt so it couldn’t be yanked out. He gestured with both hands. “Let me see it.”
Broken Arm sat up, hunched over his arm, and scooted closer.
“It’s not broken, kid,” River told him. “It’s dislocated. I can fix it.”
“I can’t move it,” he complained. “Are you sure? You’re not a doctor, are you?”
“Nope, just a lowly combat medic.” River crooked a finger at the kid. “Now, get over here.”
He didn’t move. “I don’t think you should touch me. I’ll wait until I can see a doctor.”
“Listen asshole, ’cause I’m only going to say this once.” River leaned down so he could growl into the kid’s face and speak quietly enough that Ava wouldn’t hear him. “You’re a cock-sucking terrorist. You’ll be lucky to survive your first day in prison. There aren’t any doctors to take care of you now, because they’re all busy trying to save the people dying of your fancy bacteria. You either get your arm fixed by me, or you don’t get it fixed at all. Got it?”
The kid swallowed. “Yeah.” He shifted until he was sitting on the edge of the seat in front of River. River grabbed the kid’s arm with the elbow bent, lifted it so it was perpendicular to the ground, then jerked it back into the joint.
The kid screamed once, a short sound, then blinked a couple of times. “Is it over?”
“Move your arm, dickwad.”
The kid did and grinned at River. “Wow, thanks.”
“Don’t ever thank me,” River snarled him. “For anything.”
He took the paracord and tied the kid up again, then strode to the front of the bus where Ava was sitting, alternating between watching him with the kid and watching the road.
“Nicely done,” she said to him when he sat down next to her.
“He’s lucky I didn’t break his neck.”
She rested her head against the back of the seat and gave him a strange sort of sad smile. “You know what I’d like to do right now?”
He grunted and wagged his index finger. “That is a trick question.”
She laughed. “Yeah, I guess it is.”
He liked seeing
the smile on her face. He liked seeing her face, period. “Tell me, Mouse, what would you like to do right now?”
She waved him closer, and he leaned toward her. She did it again, then put a hand on his shoulder and pulled herself up so she could whisper in his ear, “I’d like to take that respirator off you and kiss you, silly.”
She let go of him and resumed her previous position on the seat. He sat perfectly still. It took just about everything in him to not rip the mask off and grant her wish.
“I’m sorry,” she said, with as close to soundless as a voice could get. “I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”
He looked at her and realized she thought he was embarrassed or some shit like that.
“I’m uncomfortable,” he murmured. “Because I’ve had a damned hard-on since I bandaged you up.” Her pupils widened, and her mouth dropped open. “When this is over, you can kiss any part of me you want for as long as you like, just as long as I can return the favor.”
“Oh,” she breathed out. When her tongue licked over her lips, he had to chain his hands to his sides to keep from grabbing her.
Though a blush heated her cheeks, tears filled her eyes until they spilled over and tracked down her face. “Chances are, that’s just a dream.”
It just about killed him to see her so sad. “Hey.” He couldn’t keep the growl out of his voice. “No Negative Nancys allowed on this trip.”
“I’ve got a headache, River. A fever can’t be far behind.”
“That happy bastard Henry is going to come up with some kind of magic potion that will kick this bug’s ass.”
“If that were possible, we’d know.”
“We’ve been so busy blowing shit up, we might not have been told.”
She slanted a disbelieving glance at him. “You just spoke with our boss. I think she would have mentioned any magic potions, if they’d been available.”
He ran his hands through his hair. “Could you work with me, Mouse? We’ve got a mass murderer to catch, and I need you ready and able to help reel in the son-of-a-bitch.”
“Ah, I see what you’re doing. Trying to put me in a good mood.”
“Jesus fuck, woman, you think I’d tell you how much I want you just to put you in a good mood?” He leaned down, grabbing the top of the seat on either side of her head. “Do I look like a motivational speaker?”