Dangerous in Motion (Aegis Group Alpha Team, #4)

by Sidney Bristol

  “Heidi, I love you.” Adam blew out a breath.

  He pulled the trigger.

  John spun.

  Adam dove, catching Heidi around the waist and yanked her away from the older man, putting himself between them.

  “It was insulin,” Heidi choked out.

  Adam couldn’t speak, or breathe.

  Insulin.

  John was a diabetic.

  “The virus? In the water?” Adam dreaded her answer.

  “No, they were waiting on Léo.”

  Red and white lights careened around the end of the street, headlights aimed straight at them.

  The cavalry was here.

  It was over.

  MONDAY. ATLANTA VA Medical Center, Atlanta Georgia.

  Heidi was fairly certain she didn’t want to see a hospital or a doctor’s office for another year. She squeezed Cindy’s hand as the team extracted another set of blood samples from her. The airmen were still dangerously ill. With any luck, Cindy’s blood would hold the key to a cure.

  “That’s it,” the nurse said. She gave Cindy’s arm a quick swab and applied a bandage to the draw site.

  The nurse bustled out, taking her precious samples with her.

  Heidi gave Cindy’s hand one last squeeze, then let go and eased back in the arm chair.

  “Are they letting us go today?” Cindy asked.

  “God, I hope so.” Heidi blew out a breath.

  It was all a blur, from the pump house to the standoff with John and the last twenty-four hours of medical observation.

  The worst of it was that no one had—or would—tell her where Adam was. The FBI agents wouldn’t even look at her when they mumbled their answers. Heidi had even called the Aegis Group office and spoken with some woman named Merida who’d claimed she had to verify Heidi’s identity before she could discuss an employee with her. Adam was Heidi’s husband. She should know if he was okay or whatever.

  “They said at least a dozen people died when they tried to rescue Léo,” Cindy said.

  Heidi closed her eyes. One was bad enough, but a dozen?

  “How did we miss this?” Heidi asked.

  “We saw what was convenient,” Cindy replied.

  There had to be more to it than that.

  The door opened, and a nurse stepped inside.

  Heidi groaned.

  “There you are. If you keep running from me we’re going to have to put a lock on your bed.” Despite the threat, Heidi’s nurse seemed amused. “Just kidding. I’ve got your discharge paperwork.”

  “Any chance I’m next?” Cindy asked.

  “I’d have to ask your nurse, sorry.”

  “Oh well.” Cindy sighed and glanced at Heidi. “Try to tell them I’d be more help out of this bed than in it?”

  “I’ll do what I can.” Heidi stood, her goofy yellow hospital socks sticking to the tiles.

  She followed the nurse back into her room down the hall where they went through the discharge instructions. She understood why they’d want to keep her, that testing and observation were crucial in these stages if she was infected.

  Another set of yoga pants and a tank top waited for her. She’d never worn or owned this many yoga pants in her life, but now she loved them. Because Adam had brought them for her, and if they were here, maybe he was out there waiting for her?

  Heidi finished dressing as the orderly arrived to wheel her downstairs. The woman with him was not the person she’d hoped for.

  “Where’s my husband?” Heidi sat in the chair which had the unfortunate side effect of forcing her to look up at Abigail.

  “About that...” Abigail fell into step with the chair. She glanced at the orderly and said nothing else.

  “Where’s Adam?” The last Heidi had seen of him, he’d been fine.

  “He was arrested,” Abigail said.

  “What?”

  “Everything is fine. It’s all in order, he’s just had to cool his heels a bit. We’re going to go pick him up.” Abigail glanced at the orderly who merely laughed.

  “Best conversation I’ve heard all year. Don’t mind me,” he said.

  They made it down to yet another SUV, this one free of broken windows, blood and bent panels.

  “Have you and Adam figured out where you’re going from here?” Abigail buckled in and turned the vehicle on.

  “Haven’t exactly had the time with him in jail and all.”

  “Well, I hope things work out for both of you.”

  Abigail caught Heidi up on the events that had transpired since the water plant. John and his people were in custody. They hadn’t managed to release the bio-weapon into the water. Léo had been released to the cops. With Léo’s help they were not only identifying other hot spots, but tracking the money back to criminals the world over. They weren’t just going to stop John, they were going to end many of his customers as well.

  Abigail stopped the SUV at the curb of a brick building.

  “I’ll be right back,” she said and got out without further comment.

  Heidi frowned at the open door. That didn’t seem right.

  A man slid behind the wheel and gently shut the door.

  Heidi blinked at the side of his head.

  Adam turned to face her and his mouth twitched into a slight smile.

  Her stomach twisted into knots. Her heart swelled. Tears prickled her eyes.

  He was here. With her.

  “Where to?” he asked.

  “Where the hell have you been?” She smacked his arm then leaned across to hug him, ignoring the ache in her arms.

  “I didn’t want you to be worried.” His hands gently squeezed her.

  “Well, I was worried. What the hell, Adam?” She sat back and resisted the urge to pinch herself and make sure this was really happening.

  “Everything’s sorted, but...” He glanced out the window. “We should probably not stick around. Where to?”

  “My apartment?”

  “Sounds good to me. Navigate?”

  She directed, he drove. Her apartment was all of fifteen minutes away, so before she knew it, they were there.

  “Oh no...” Heidi patted her nonexistent pockets. “I don’t have any keys... And it’s a weekend. There’s no one here to let us in!”

  All of her belongings had been lost in Peru.

  “If you give me permission to get us in, I can take care of that.”

  “What are you planning on doing?” Heidi narrowed her gaze.

  “It’ll be our secret.” He killed the engine and circled the truck.

  She blew out a breath and shook her head. This man made her crazy.

  Adam opened her door and scooped her out of the seat before she could utter a protest. She rolled her eyes and held on. They’d survived. Everything could be okay.

  “Which one?” he asked.

  “Up stairs.” She pointed at her apartment.

  Adam carried her up the stairs to her door then set her down. He went to a knee and pulled something out of his pocket.

  “What exactly are you doing?” she asked.

  “You don’t have a security alarm, do you?”

  “No. Why?”

  “No reason.”

  “Are you picking my lock?” She bent over him, watching the tiny toothpick like tools in his hands.

  The door swung open. He stood, scooping her up again. Eventually this being carried around business was going to get real old, but for now she was simply happy he was here. “I never got to do that after the wedding.” He set her down on the tile just inside the door.

  There were a lot of things they hadn’t gotten to do, so many missed opportunities, but for now she was focused on their future.

  Heidi went straight to the sofa and sat down, pulling her green, fuzzy blanket over her.

  Adam proceeded slower, locking the door, peering into the kitchen, her bedroom and the bathroom. It was strange having another person in the apartment. She didn’t often invite people over, and yet she was glad for
Adam’s presence.

  He finally rejoined her in the living room. He dwarfed the space just standing in it. She pulled the blanket aside and patted the cushions.

  They’d been so focused on running, stopping John and staying alive that they’d left a lot to figure out later. Later was now, and she was still at a loss for what they did next. There was no guide, no roadmap for people like them. She hoped they could figure it out.

  Adam sat on the cushion next to her, causing her to lean toward him. She draped her blanket over his lap and leaned against his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her and she blew out a breath.

  This still felt right.

  They had separate lives, with different career plans and goals. Were they beyond the ability to have a future together?

  Heidi feared the answer, and yet she needed to know.

  “What happens next?” she asked.

  “Food.” He pulled another of those tiny, crumpled boxes of lemon heads out of his pocket and offered it to her.

  “And then?” She took the candy from him and snuggled closer, taking solace in these thoughtful gestures.

  “Sleep.”

  “What happens to us?”

  “What do you want to happen?”

  “I want a chance.”

  “Me, too.”

  “But that’s not going to work. You’re in Seattle. I’m here.”

  “Let’s not worry about that right now.”

  Heidi frowned up at Adam. He stroked her face, pushing hair behind her ear.

  “What if we don’t work out?”

  “Have a little faith in us?”

  “We should...have a test. Try things out first. Like, A month or a couple weeks? To start?” That felt like an eternity.

  “Whatever sounds good to you.” He picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles.

  “We both do our jobs and we go back and forth as much as we can.” She needed to know how this was going to work, when she’d see him, what her expectations should be. They’d failed once. She didn’t want that to be the case this time. “When do we start?“

  “How about right now?” Adam squeezed her gently. “I figure we’ve both got at least three or five days before anyone expects us to surface. What do you say we order something to eat and just...see what happens?”

  Heidi knew what she wanted. She loved this man, and she wanted that future so bad she feared failure.

  SEVEN DAYS LATER. ATL, Atlanta, Georgia.

  Adam handed the keys to the man at the desk.

  This was it. He was finally saying goodbye to Atlanta. For now.

  He stepped out into the early morning light.

  Heidi stood leaned up against her tiny, compact car, phone out. Today would be her first day back at work. She kept saying she wasn’t nervous, but the signs were all there. The years hadn’t changed her all that much.

  He crossed to stand in front of her. She kept looking at her phone, avoiding the goodbye.

  “Still giving me a ride to the terminal?” He hadn’t really believed she would drive all this way just to bus him from Point A to Point B.

  She finally dropped her hand to her side and squinted up at him. Worry lined her face and her teeth had left an indention on her lip.

  “I don’t want you to go,” she said for the hundredth time today.

  “Me, either.” He bent and kissed her forehead. He patted her hip. “Come on.”

  Heidi got back into the car and he circled to the passenger side. Folding himself into the tiny vehicle wasn’t comfortable, but he made do.

  “When will you know what time you have free?” she asked.

  “It depends on our job schedule. I’ll let you know.” He’d explained their schedule to her over and over again, but given their history she no doubt saw it as an opportunity for them to fall apart again.

  He kept the smile off his face.

  Her worry soothed him. She wanted this to work, just like he did. At worst he figured in two weeks either he’d be back, or she’d come to him. It wasn’t ideal, but she’d set their trial at six weeks from today after a bit of going back and forth, and he was going to play along with it. After that, she’d better clear out some closet space because he was moving to Atlanta at least semi-permanently. He kept that tidbit to himself. For now.

  Heidi eased the car to a stop at the curb and shifted into park. She turned to face him, her eyes so sad.

  “It’s just for a week or two.” He reached over and took her hand.

  “Promise?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay.” She blew out a breath and leaned toward him.

  He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her lips, savoring the feel of them, how he could taste her emotions.

  “Come back to me soon,” she whispered.

  “I will,” he promised. “I love you.”

  She smiled.

  The moment was only slightly ruined by a car laying on its horn.

  “That’s my cue. Call me after work?” He opened his door.

  “At lunch,” she countered.

  He couldn’t wait.

  Adam climbed out, taking his bag with him, and stood on the curb, watching Heidi’s car fade into the traffic. Once she was out of sight he pulled out his phone and ambled inside, listening to the call ring.

  “What do you want at this hour?”

  “Morning, Mom. Leaving Atlanta.”

  “How’d it go?” Her voice turned soft. Heidi was in all their hearts.

  “If I hadn’t already married her, I’d tell you I was going to.” He glanced over his shoulder.

  Adam could leave his heart in Atlanta, for just a little while. Six silly weeks and then he’d come home for good. Even if it was a tiny, one bedroom apartment. Being with Heidi was the only place he wanted to be.

  Epilogue.

  SIX WEEKS LATER. AEGIS Group Headquarters, Seattle, Washington.

  Adam tapped on Zain’s office door. Merida had been kind enough to text Adam when Zain got back from whatever meeting he’d been at. Now, all Adam had to do was pull the band-aid off. It was six weeks to the day he and Heidi had promised to set as their first stage trial, and he was still hanging on with both hands.

  “Hey, Adam. Come in?” Zain waved Adam into the office, his gaze flicking to the envelope in Adam’s hand then back to his face. “Is it time?”

  “Time?” Adam frowned.

  “What’s in the envelope?” Zain folded his hands together on the desk.

  “My notice.” Adam set the envelope on Zain’s desk and slid it across to him. “I’m not looking to leave yet, but when Kyle is back full time and we’ve got someone to replace me, I’m out.”

  “Things with Heidi going well?” Zain actually smiled.

  “Yeah.” Well enough he was leaving his job, putting his house up for sale and making the move across the country.

  “You know, I told my wife the day Abigail called me about Heidi that you were probably done for?” Zain leaned back in his chair and unbuttoned his jacket. “I thought Shane would beat you, honestly.”

  “You...expected this?” Adam sat in the chair across from Zain.

  “Yeah. Heidi seemed pretty involved with her work in Atlanta. I figured this was coming. I appreciate the offer to stay on, but...you should do what’s best for you two.” Zain tapped the envelope.

  “Well, fuck.” Adam scratched his head.

  “Don’t tell Shane I know it’s coming, okay?”

  “Oh—the envelope.” Adam nodded at it. “It’s two things. My resignation, and...well, since Heidi and I got married in what we’d slept in, I figured we’d do a real wedding next year. Something nice.”

  “That sounds great, man. I’m happy for you, and Heidi. I think this will be a good change for you.”

  “Yeah, me, too.”

  “They bring out the best in us, don’t they?” Zain shook his head.

  Adam was inclined to agree. He and Heidi, they weren’t perfect. They butted heads plenty, but he didn’t want
a future without her.

  ADAM’S HOUSE, SEATTLE, Washington.

  “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”

  Heidi paced through the kitchen, dining nook and into the living room. Her body went hot, then cold. Her stomach clenched.

  The crackers had been a bad idea.

  Why wasn’t Adam answering his phone?

  They needed to abort.

  Was it too late?

  It was probably too late.

  This changed everything, and she only had a few minutes to figure out what to do or say.

  Then again, maybe she shouldn’t say anything?

  It never hurt to be doubly, triply sure, right?

  She could tell him later...

  But then she’d be nervous for the whole weekend. Adam would pick up on it, and then what?

  Things were going so well. How was this going to change them? Their plans? Everything? What if he didn’t—

  The front door opened and Adam stepped in.

  Heidi stumbled to a stop, staring at the man blocking out all the light coming through the door. Her chest felt warm and her nerves went quiet.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?” He took a few steps toward her and pushed the door shut as an afterthought.

  Say nothing...

  “I’m pregnant,” she blurted. “Shit.”

  She slapped her hand over her mouth. A large part of her was on the brink of a nervous breakdown. Given her history, how could she possibly be a good parent? But a growing part of her wondered if this was her chance to do it all right. Did she dare take the risk?

  “You’re—what?” Adam took a few steps toward her.

  “I didn’t mean to say that. I just peed on the stick. I mean, it’s pastime for my period and I’m never late. Never. But I am, and I was feeling weird so when I went to the pharmacy for the Dramamine I just got a pee stick. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with eliminating why I’ve been so queasy, right? And so I did it, and...and it says I’m pregnant.”

  Adam’s lips spread into a slow smile and his eyes lit up.

  “Really?” He took another step toward her.

  “Well, it’s not infallible. I’d probably need a better test, but initial results are positive. We shouldn’t, like, say this is for sure, for sure, but everything makes a lot more sense now, you know? Especially the vomiting. Fuck. Please tell me what you’re thinking because I’m freaking out right now.”