Project Terminal: Devil's Virus

by Starke, Olivia

  “I need specifics. You were vague on the phone,” Reed said, cutting into her thoughts. His presence filled the cab of the SUV, and dwelling on her sister’s cruelty seemed safer than her physical reaction to the Marine. Even now goose pimples broke out over her skin and she huddled closer to the passenger door. “But I understand not wanting to talk on a cellphone. The conversation would’ve been easily intercepted.”

  “Damian found a survivor of the virus. Her name is Laura Swift. Doug took some blood samples and hid them at Strong Stock. If I can identify what creates her immunity, maybe I can stop what I started. I can create an antidote for those already infected.”

  Laura’s immunity to R1LN held the key to finding a cure and stopping the plague spreading within the population. For her sister, a roadblock from creating the ultimate weapon, one that stole a person’s life and turned them into monsters.

  “You played God only to create the devil’s virus,” Reed said, digging the knife of shame deeper in her gut.

  The cloak of darkness surrounding them made her claustrophobic. She closed her eyes, but it didn’t stop the night from swallowing her up. She took long, deep breaths, trying to quell the sense of foreboding. “I own up to what I’ve done and fully intend to make things right. I’d give my life in an instant if it’d bring back even one person who’s died because of me.”

  “Don’t do that.” Reed’s voice had dropped to a raspy whisper. It sent shivers over her skin.

  “Do what?” Her voice wavered.

  “Promise your life away so easily.” The SUV stopped and Reed shifted into park. He turned to face her in the confines of the Jeep Cherokee. “Never step into battle with that mindset or you’ve lost before you’ve begun.”

  She tried to make out his face in the dark, but only his silhouette stared back. Regardless, she felt his gaze. They were so close his body heat warmed her side—too many things to trip up her erratic heartbeat. She’d called Preacher in to keep her safe, not to make her hormones out of whack or dig up old pain. She fiddled with the hem of her shirt. “I’ve got to figure out where to do my work.”

  “I think I know a place.” Reed shifted into drive and they continued on into the moonless night. “It won’t have a fancy science lab, but it’ll have to do.”

  “As long as I have a microscope and a centrifuge I can do my work. Except I really need fresh infected blood. We stored samples, but who knows how much the virus has mutated since it’s been on the loose.”

  Reed made a low sound in his throat. “Do you have any idea where I can get some?”

  “No, I don’t.” She blew out a breath. “The virus is spreading through Louisiana the worst. Damian will find one and tag it. He’ll send me directions on the disposable phone I bought, and we’ll retrieve it.”

  “Leave it to me, and I’ll get you what you need. You don’t need to get close enough to tangle with one of these demons.”

  She frowned. “I should be out there too. I can’t leave the dirty details up to you. I wanted your help watching my back, not doing everything.”

  “I’m used to working alone, Max. You’ll only get in the way.”

  His words stung and she frowned. “I won’t be bullied out of any part of this mission. It’s my responsibility to end what I started.”

  He made a non-committal sound, but she wouldn’t back down from what they both faced. She hadn’t slept a full night since everything had gone to hell, and the only hope she had of healing her conscience was to feel she’d done her all to fix things.

  “Let’s go get your equipment first. It’s the lab building for a college. The place is locked down tight, but I can get us in.”

  She shot him a look. “We’re going to steal equipment?”

  “Where else do you think we’d get it? Off of eBay?”

  She leaned back against the headrest. “Let’s say ‘borrowed.’ Once we’re finished, we’ll return it, okay?”

  Reed chuckled. “A little late to be playing the guilty card, isn’t it?”

  Anger flared, she didn’t need him adding to her guilt trip. “Like you’re so saintly, Preacher, you walked away from everything without a second thought.” She took a deep breath to curb the emotions playing behind her words. “I’m doing what’s needed. I haven’t exactly been on vacation since I got kicked out of the project. I’ve been pouring over my notes and praying I’d find something useful.”

  “If you would’ve listened to me from the beginning you could’ve washed your hands of the whole damned mess. Before it got this far.” He was only a shadow next to her as they drove down a tree lined secondary highway.

  His sanctimonious tone left her sputtering. “Do you sleep soundly at night, Reed? I sure as hell don’t.”

  “I don’t sleep, not anymore. We’re almost to the college.”

  * * * *

  Max’s presence left Adam off-kilter. It was too easy to recall the way her body felt beneath his and the hours they’d spent tangled up in one another. Adam could taste her lips, feel the way her pussy squeezed his cock, hear her cries of pleasure, see her face contorted in ecstasy. Too many nights he lay awake with her on his mind. No other woman could match Max in or out of the bedroom, and he’d done his best to forget her.

  They pulled up to the laboratory building. The three-story stark structure was quiet, only protected by a commercial security system. “Stay here, I’ll bring the security down.” He got out of the Jeep, and, after a minute, returned to Max. “I have bags in the back to pack up the equipment.”

  She helped him collect the duffle bags and they headed inside. What they needed sat upstairs on the second floor, he’d already walked the place while classes were open a few days before. With the weekend, the building would be empty. They stopped in a hallway while she put her glasses on—Max always had the sexy librarian thing going for her. Prim and proper until her clothes came off and then anything but…

  He indulged the train of thought only a second before snapping his attention back to the college’s hallway. “We’ll need to go upstairs.” His voice bounced off the walls.

  “I’m surprised they don’t have a night guard.” Max searched as if looking for just that.

  “Not a place like this, not enough money. It’s a community college in the middle of nowhere.”

  “Great, I’m not feeling any better about taking the equipment.” She tucked her hair behind her ears before shoving her glasses up her nose.

  “We’re borrowing it, right?” He tried to tease, but his tone came out sarcastic.

  She lifted a shoulder. “I guess we can’t back out now, I need them too much.”

  He waved her toward the flight of stairs. A sound brought him up short and he blocked Max’s path. She froze and he placed a finger to his lips, closing his eyes, listening. The noise was nearly imperceptible, more a disturbance in air flow. He concentrated on its direction. Inside a room three doors down.

  He opened his eyes and looked to Max. The whites of her wide eyes glowed in the low lighting, an expression of fear that sent his protective instincts into overdrive. God help me, nothing will harm Max. Adam would put himself between her and anything that tried. He pointed toward the direction of the sound and her gaze followed his finger. She nodded, apparently understanding that he needed to check things out. He hoisted his rifle off his shoulder and brought it around, ready for whatever came. He hoped it wasn’t an unlikely late night janitor or student—a complication he wouldn’t know how to deal with, at least not with Max there.

  Max stayed put while he stalked forward, careful to keep his boot falls silent. He paused by the closed door, waiting for another noise so he could place what lurked inside. If too near the doorway it might bolt into the hall with Max, the last damn thing he wanted. Luckily it seemed to be toward the wall opposite him.

  Adam grasped the doorknob and turned, wincing when it clicked. He inched it open, peeping through the widening crack. Just an empty room cast in pitch black thanks to closed blinds. He squ
eezed inside and closed the door. Perhaps foolhardy without knowing for sure what he faced, but he had the doctor to worry about. His eyesight took several seconds to adjust, and he squinted, noting a shifting of shadows…

  It was on him in a flash, its weight knocking him backward. He slammed into the wall, his rifle clattering to the floor. In reflex he swung his fist, catching the attacker in the jaw. It squealed, its teeth flashing in the darkness. The silhouette formed into an undead when Adam’s eyes adapted to the night. Once a balding professor judging by the suit and tie. It lunged again and he timed the attack, jumping out of the way. It crashed into the wall and Adam dove for his rifle, snatching it off the tile. The tight confines left the smaller and faster devil with an advantage, and it pounced on him again before he had his gun aimed. Adam shoved it off, and it stumbled backward.

  “Hey!”

  The shout startled them both. The devil turned toward the opened door, and a beam of light trained on the undead’s face. It hissed, throwing its hands up against the blinding glare, giving Adam the chance he needed to aim his rifle. He pulled the trigger and the undead crumpled to the floor. Max lowered the flashlight, shock and disgust contorting her pretty face.

  Adam had to take a few moments to catch his breath before he could speak. “You saved my ass, Max.”

  “Did it bite you?” She jumped over the corpse and stopped before him, holding the flashlight up, raking the beam over his front.

  He searched over his hands and arms, not even a scratch, though the rank smell of death clung to his clothes. “I’m clean.”

  “Oh, thank God.” She threw her arms around him.

  Shocked, he stood motionless. Her toned body fit perfectly against him with the promise of softness where a woman needed it…where he knew she had it—silky skin, breasts that fit perfectly in his palms… He swallowed, focusing on the stinking professor on the floor, using it to quell the surge of lust.

  Max withdrew and sniffed, shoving her glasses back up her nose. “I guess we have our blood sample now.”

  He wanted to take her in his arms and forget the Godforsaken mission. “Get it so we can go upstairs.”

  Chapter 3

  Max sucked in a breath. She’d seen Reed naked a hundred times, both in and out of the lab, so why should it feel like a kick in the stomach now? Her gaze raked down his perfect physique, broad shoulders and chest narrowing down to his hips. Any gym junkie would envy his defined abdominal muscles. And his cock was exactly as she remembered it—long and thick. She couldn’t catch her breath, and she closed her eyes, needing to shut him out. Trying to steady her galloping heart against what she wanted most, to be lost in his arms. How wonderful it’d be to feel his hard body against hers, have him drive her to the brink of insanity like he used to. No other man had ever pushed her beyond such limits. A tight ache settled in her chest and nether regions with the memories of their lovemaking.

  He’d had to strip out of his clothes; the undead had a stench worse than a skunk, and it clung to everything. One of the bags they’d brought inside contained Reed’s clothes; luckily she’d grabbed it by mistake. When he’d taken off his clothing it’d been like she wasn’t in the room, a slow tease heating her blood. The polite thing would’ve been to turn away, but then again she’d wanted to appear unaffected and unimpressed. She opened her eyes and glanced around the room, taking mental inventory as a distraction. Thankfully, all the things she needed were there. They’d load up and get the hell out of the creepy place. Every shadow made her heart leap, fearing some monster hid within it. A monster she’d helped create and worse than any fictional tale.

  Reed dug a change of clothes out of the bag and looked up, meeting her gaze. She couldn’t look away. A muscle in his jaw twitched and his gaze drifted down to her toes and back up again. From her peripheral vision she noted his train of thought as his erection came to life.

  “Max.” His voice sounded gruff and annoyed. He couldn’t control his reactions to her; his cock had given him away. To her exasperation he moved within arm’s length, reaching out his fingers to stroke them along her jawline, a feather light touch finally settling on her bottom lip. “I hated leaving you. That was my only regret when I walked away from Project Terminal.”

  “You never bothered to contact me after,” she answered, hating her quavering voice.

  He cupped her cheek. “What could I say? You were devoted to the program in a way you’d never be to me.”

  Her breath hitched, her throat constricting. She refused to let the tears come, she couldn’t. “I believed in the science I worked with, Adam.” His given name had slipped out, and she blushed. The only time she’d ever used it was during their lovemaking. Otherwise he’d always been Reed, or if he aggravated her, Preacher.

  “And you never believed in me.” His hand disappeared. He turned away from her.

  Max couldn’t leave things as they were. She stepped forward, laying her hand on his bicep. “That’s not true. I relied on your strength. I had faith, and I did believe in you. I listened to your warnings about R1LN, but we were so close to what we needed. I couldn’t call a halt to something I believed would save lives in the long run. I had no idea my sister would be capable of stabbing me in the back the way she did.”

  Reed turned, his eyes unreadable in the lowered light, leaving her feeling vulnerable. Max focused on the hard line of his mouth, watching it soften. His hand shot out, fingers wrapping tight around her upper arm. She gasped as he jerked her against him. His lips were on hers before she could retreat. Hot with need, he delved his tongue between her teeth, seeking her submission. She met him head-on, wrapping her arms around his neck while he grabbed her butt, pulling her tight. His cock pressed into her stomach, its ridged length building heat within her core. Her pussy tightened, she needed him inside her to stop the burning lust firing in every nerve ending. She reached between them, wrapped her fingers around his girth, and stroked tip to base. Reed groaned, breaking the kiss. His head fell back and she watched his Adam’s Apple bob up and down.

  “We shouldn’t.” His statement lacked conviction.

  “I know,” she said, unable to stop her play. She loved the weight of him in her hand, and the temporary power she wielded. One of the few times she believed she knew the man before her was when they were together in this way. Sharing pleasure. He was a giving lover who had never put his own needs before hers. This represented the person Adam Reed was, even if he had emotional barriers she couldn’t begin to comprehend.

  He growled, lifting her from her feet. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he sat her on a lab table. The cold metal top chilled her as he stepped back. His eyes burned a trail down her torso. He leaned in, bracing his hands on each side of her hips, trapping her between. He stared into her eyes.

  “This is a serious complication, Max.” The words sounded forced.

  Max had to clear her throat. “It will definitely get in the way.”

  “We need to stop right now.”

  “Yes, we do.” She hung suspended, both fearing he’d move in or back off. Neither option seemed satisfactory with the war going on between head, heart, and loins.

  “Max, I—”

  A huge crash reverberated through the room, shocking a scream from her lungs. Reed whirled toward the noise, bracing his feet wide. Raspy breathing sounded from down the hallway, and Max’s heart thundered.

  “What the hell is that?” she whispered.

  Footfalls slapped down the hall, bare feet hitting the tile flooring. Max held her breath, unsure what to do while Reed dove for his rifle. The undead appeared in the doorway, the sad remains of a woman. Her mouth hung agape, foam dripping from her lips. Reed aimed, but it ducked down, disappearing behind the rows of tables.

  “Damn it.” Reed jumped on a table and shot Max a glance. “Stay where you are.”

  Max stood on the table, searching the murky corners. The thing’s breathing echoed, making the woman impossible to pinpoint. Reed jumped tabletop to tabl
etop, keeping his rifle trained on the floor. It seemed the undead was more clever than Max realized, keeping just out of sight. She searched for a weapon, feeling defenseless and useless to provide assistance. Nothing handy presented itself beyond a few microscopes within reach. She focused on Reed who didn’t look the least bit panicked. He moved silently without any wasted movement. He paused, and fired, the loud pop making her jump. She heard the scraping of nails on the tile and Reed shot again. All fell silent.

  “Got it,” he said, staring down in disgust.

  “Might as well take some blood from this one too.” Max trembled and had to take her time climbing off the table. “The more test samples I have, the better.”

  Reed set his rifle down and went to his bag. He snatched a t-shirt and jeans while she grabbed another vial to draw blood. The corpse smelled as bad as the first and it seemed impossible she’d helped create something so abhorrent. Its viscous blood didn’t want to move through the needle and it took effort to make it work. With the job finished, she stood and found her medical case, tucking the vial inside with the other.

  Reed rubbed the back of his neck. “We need to get rid of these bodies.”

  “We can take them out in the woods and burn them.” Max stared at the dead body, wondering about the family the woman had left behind. “I think Damian usually ditched them out in the swamps. I’d rather burn the remains to be sure no one finds them. The virus deteriorates rapidly, but what if someone finds the corpses right after we dump them? There could be mass panic if an autopsy revealed an unknown virus strain.”

  “Let’s get the equipment then we’ll deal with the corpses.”