The Complete Makanza Series: Books 0-4

by Krista Street

  Since Davin had already been at the home for a few hours, he gave us a quick tour. The largest bedroom lay in the back of the house. It held a queen bed, two end tables, and a large dresser. The other bedroom also held a queen bed but was smaller.

  “I’m guessing I’ll take this one.” Amy slung her purse over the door handle to the smaller room.

  Davin eyed her and said cautiously, “That’s what I figured too.”

  As Amy began to unpack, I followed Davin out to the living room. Once we were alone, I said, “Thank you for letting her stay.”

  Davin ran an agitated hand through his hair. “It’s fine. Really, it is. If I’m going to be your boyfriend and a permanent fixture in your life, I guess I need to learn to put the past behind me. Amy’s your friend, so I’ll have to find a way to accept her whether I like it or not.”

  I swallowed back my smile. More and more it was beginning to sink in that Davin and I were truly a couple, and that come what may, we were in this together.

  “Do you need pain meds?” His hand dropped as he eyed my wound.

  “I’m okay for now. I took a dose before we left the Compound.”

  He pulled me onto the couch. The rental was sparsely furnished and decorated in pale greens and browns. At least everything appeared clean.

  After sitting beside him, he asked, “How was your first day? Did it go okay?”

  I thought about Dr. Dornhoff, Giselle Warren, Division 5, and Monica Brown. The last thought had me scowling.

  Davin tensed. “That bad?”

  “I don’t know.” I told him about Monica and her apparent hatred for me.

  His brow furrowed while his electric-blue eyes glittered. “Don’t pay her any attention. People like that aren’t worth your time.”

  I nodded in agreement, but worry still plagued me. I had a feeling Monica Brown wouldn’t let it be that easy.

  17 – DISCOVERY

  The next morning, Amy and I called another cab. We still hadn’t figured out an economical way to travel to and from work. That was Davin’s job. Today, he’d be scouring the area’s dealerships for a short-term car lease.

  Settling into the back, Amy told the driver where we were headed, and he took off. Dawn sunlight blazed through the front windshield.

  Nibbling my lip, I angled my body toward Amy. “Do you think anything will happen if the MRI finds out that Davin and I are romantically involved?”

  Amy shrugged. “I honestly don’t know, Meg. There’s not a policy on that, so you have that to fall back on should you be questioned. But it could be seen as a conflict of interest. If they know you’re in a relationship with a Kazzie, you may no longer be allowed on the team.”

  I bit my lip sharply and winced. That was my fear too. That once it was discovered I’d become romantically involved with a Kazzie that my time with Division 5 would end.

  Amy patted my hand. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

  When we entered Compound 3, we went straight to the lab. Inside, energy buzzed in the air. Most of the other scientists were already hard at work. Unfortunately, Monica Brown was one of them.

  As soon as I entered the room, I felt her eyes zero in on me. Considering we’d just met, the hostility it carried was crazy. Just ignore her.

  Amy shrugged her lab coat on. “Don’t look now, but your new friend is sending mental daggers your way.”

  “I know. I can feel it.”

  I didn’t want to look at her, but it was like an invisible hand turned my head. Sure enough, Monica was glaring at me from over her lab station. She sneered before glancing away.

  Shallow breaths filled my chest. Ignore her, Meghan. Whatever her problem is, it’s not your concern.

  Doing my best to take my own advice, Amy and I got to work. We still had so much to catch up on. Division 5’s most promising lead revolved around targeting a type of RNA that was only produced in cells infected by Makanza.

  Thankfully, I soon immersed myself in work and all thoughts of Monica fell away. The morning flew by. Before I knew it, Amy was tapping my shoulder.

  “Meghan? Earth to Meghan.”

  I shook my head when I finally realized Amy stood at my side. “Sorry, what is it?”

  Amy waved her hand around the lab. It was almost empty. “Um, it’s lunchtime. Do you want to join the rest of us?”

  Heat rushed up my cheeks. I’d once again become so immersed in my own head that I’d been oblivious to everything around me.

  I snapped my gloves off reluctantly. Even though the last thing I felt like doing was stopping to eat, I knew I should. I should probably take some pain meds too.

  “Yeah, of course.”

  I had my lab coat halfway off when something pushed strongly against my back. I stumbled. My hands came out instinctively to stop me from crashing into my lab bench. The sudden movement caused pain to course through my arm. I hissed in a breath.

  “Watch where you’re going!” The words reached my ears just as whoever pushed me strode past.

  I stiffened as Amy called after the person, “What did you do that for?”

  By the time I pushed myself back upright, Monica was already sailing out of the lab. When she opened the door to leave, she glanced over her shoulder and smirked.

  I stared at her open-mouthed as the door closed behind her.

  “What the hell is her problem?” Amy said through gritted teeth. Her small hands clenched into fists. “She purposely just knocked you over!”

  “I . . . I know.” I rolled my shoulder. The pain quickly subsided, but I knew I should check my wound. Since it had been opened so much over the past few weeks, it wasn’t healing well. It was very possible Monica’s shove had just reopened it.

  “That bitch definitely has it out for you.” Amy’s green eyes glittered. “You should report her.”

  Amy had a point. Physically assaulting a co-worker was far from okay. “I will if she does it again.”

  I pulled Amy toward the door and peeked under my shirt. A dot of fresh blood seeped through the Band-Aid. A flash of anger coursed through me.

  Of course, all of it didn’t go unnoticed. A soft scratch filled the back of my mind. I opened readily to Sara. Hi. I’m fine.

  Are you sure? I got a flash of . . . I don’t know. Fear and then pain or something.

  I scowled in disgust but then caught Amy’s raised eyebrow. I quickly smoothed my face. I’m fine. Really. It was just . . . an unfortunate incident.

  What do you mean? Sara’s curiosity turned into worry.

  I told her about Monica. For whatever reason, she has it out for me. It doesn’t seem to matter that I’ve never done anything to her.

  Unbelievable! You should tell your boss.

  That’s what Amy said.

  Sara and I spoke for a few more moments as Amy walked beside me. I tried to keep my face neutral, but a few times Amy looked questioningly my way. I figured that meant I wasn’t hiding my internal conversation as well as I’d hoped.

  I better go. Amy keeps giving me weird looks.

  Talk to you soon?

  Yeah, Davin and I will get in touch with you tonight so we can all talk.

  Good, I can’t wait to hear what California’s been like minus the mean girl.

  THANKFULLY, THE REST of the afternoon Monica didn’t bother me. I felt certain that was mostly because I was surrounded by people the entire time. However, it didn’t stop a few glares from her. But I took Davin’s advice and ignored her.

  As we were wrapping up for the day, I pulled out my phone to check my messages. My heart stopped when I saw the text from Cate.

  We found what killed Zoe. It wasn’t Makanza. It will be broadcast on the news tonight.

  My hands shook as I hurried out of the lab with my phone in tow. I’d been wondering how things were going with Zoe’s autopsy but had been too busy to call Cate. And we still didn’t have any proof that Senator Douglas was behind it all.

  Perhaps we never would.

  I quickly dia
led Cate’s number. When she answered, my heart was pounding so hard I could barely get the words out. “You discovered what killed Zoe?”

  Cate’s reply echoed disbelief. “She contracted rabies.”

  “What?”

  “Exactly. We were all shocked to discover that.”

  “But how?”

  Cate sighed. “It seems they took a trip down south prior to the Kazzies’ release. They’d told investigators about their travels initially during interviews, but it wasn’t until we arrived and began to dig deeper that a key detail finally emerged. Apparently, the day before they left Florida, Zoe made a comment about encountering a cat near the beach. Her mother recalled a scratch that Zoe said was tingly and bothering her, but after cleaning it and applying a bandage, her mom didn’t think anything of it.”

  “You’re kidding me.” I shook my head. “That’s incredible. I can’t remember the last fatal rabies case our country had.”

  “It was over three years ago. That’s probably why it took so long to pinpoint. It’s such a rare way to die.”

  “And how are her parents doing with the news?”

  “Her mom’s blaming herself, saying she should have taken her to the doctor after that scratch, but her dad’s been acting . . . odd.”

  My heart sped up. “How so?”

  “For one, he sought me out. He wanted me to tell you that he’s sorry for what he did.” Cate paused, as if waiting for me to explain that comment. When I didn’t, she added, “What would he be sorry about?”

  “Um . . .” I debated skirting the issue but decided Cate deserved better than that. I finally told her about the attack in Iowa.

  “He attacked you?” Cate sputtered. “And you didn’t tell me?”

  I winced at her tone. “I didn’t want it causing any more issues for me, and it’s in the past now. So what does all of this mean moving forward?”

  Cate sighed heavily. “It means that the vaccine is as effective as we said it was. And that fact will be all over the news by tonight.”

  I was grinning when we hung up. Even though we still didn’t have proof that Senator Douglas was behind Zoe’s delayed autopsy, at least we had proof that the Kazzies weren’t to blame for her death.

  On my way back to the lab, I bumped into Giselle in the hall. She held her clipboard and wore an airy blouse. Her small frame was swallowed in it.

  “You certainly look happy,” she commented. Her eyes twinkled with amusement.

  “I am. I just got off the phone with Dr. Hutchinson. They’ve discovered what killed Zoe Mathison and it wasn’t Makanza.”

  Giselle’s smile froze. “Really? What killed her?”

  “Rabies. It wasn’t Makanza at all.”

  That night, ANN ran the story about Zoe Mathison and what her autopsy revealed. Amy, Davin, and I watched it in our living room on the small rental TV.

  I held Davin’s hand. When the news anchor explained that rabies had actually been the culprit for Zoe’s death, Davin squeezed my hand tightly.

  “They can’t lock you back up again,” I whispered. “They have no proof that you’re a danger to anybody.”

  He merely swallowed tightly and nodded, but he didn’t look convinced.

  18 – FINDING A CURE

  During the next few weeks, Amy and I spent long days working at Compound 3. There was so much to do as we prepared for human trials.

  It helped that Dr. Sadowsky was busy. He rarely checked to see if I’d left after six hours which meant I worked much longer than my allotted time. And while that led to disapproving glances from Davin and the occasional argument, for the most part, he kept his promise to try and support my decision to work.

  It helped that I grew stronger each day. On our twelve to sixteen hour days, I was tired, but not in pain. And since I’d begun working remotely with a physical therapist, my range of motion had improved. I felt less stiff and more like my old self every day.

  The one downfall that continued was Monica Brown’s harassment. She hadn’t lessened in her torment. If anything, it had increased. However, she was subtle which meant I had no proof the harassment was from her, even though I knew it was.

  Some days, I’d return from lunch to find the contents of my purse dumped all over the floor, or my research files in a jumbled mess on my lab bench, or chemical solutions splashed on my lab gear which meant I had to venture all the way to the laundry department to find new clothes.

  The acts were petty and malicious, which was why I knew it was her. Nobody else hated me.

  But Monica was nothing if not clever. She never did anything that could implicate her.

  However, the worst part was the afternoon she breezed against me and muttered under her breath, “I know who your roommate is.”

  That statement had made me grow cold while Monica sailed off with a smug smirk on her face.

  I figured she wasn’t talking about Amy. No. She was talking about Davin. And if Monica knew about Davin and me, that meant she could report our relationship at any time.

  Subsequently, I didn’t report Monica’s harassment to upper management. It was like Monica knew she held my future in her hands. And while Amy was right, not having an MRI policy against dating Kazzies was on my side, I wasn’t willing to risk getting kicked out of Division 5.

  The one thing that kept me sane was knowing the drug trials were starting soon, and if a cure was found, I’d be leaving Compound 3 and Monica Brown behind me forever.

  A PILE OF university brochures sat on our kitchen table when I got home that night. We’d been in California for two weeks. That knowledge had my insides tingling in anticipation. Only one week to go until I was officially, finally declared healed.

  Which only meant one thing.

  I eyed Davin as he cooked at the stove. His broad shoulders and tousled hair made a deep need clench inside me.

  He glanced over his shoulder and caught me watching. A knowing glint entered his sapphire eyes.

  During our time here, Davin had already applied for half a dozen schools in the Midwest. Despite the unrest in our country, Davin was planning for a future.

  A future I was intent on giving him.

  I hopped onto the kitchen counter as Davin stirred some sauce he’d made. From the delicious scents wafting up, it smelled like Italian.

  While doing my physical therapy stretches as I sat on the counter, I eyed the brochures. “How’s the application process going?”

  “I applied for two more today, both in North Dakota.”

  He nodded toward the newspaper. “Did you see that story?”

  The paper sat off to my side. I glanced at the headline. Woman in Idaho claims she almost died from Makanza.

  I flipped it over so I wouldn’t have to see it. “I bet money she made it up for the attention. Either that or Senator Douglas paid her to say it.” It still infuriated me that we still hadn’t found anything to implicate the senator. Despite Cate digging deeper into the senator’s background, she hadn’t found anything incriminating.

  “He’s not going to stop, is he?” A flash of anger crossed his features.

  “No, I don’t think he will.”

  While Davin’s skepticism over his continued freedom remained, he wasn’t as cynical as he’d been a few months ago. Freedom had done that to him. Now that he had a taste of it, I knew he’d fight to keep it.

  I hopped off the counter and approached Davin from behind. Pressing myself against his back, I wrapped my arms around him. His flat abdomen felt as hard as a rock beneath my hands.

  “But with a cure, it won’t matter what he does.” I turned my head and pressed my cheek between his shoulder blades. “He’ll have lost his leg to stand on. And since drug trials start tomorrow, the end could be near.”

  In a blurred move, Davin turned and held me in his arms. “I hope you’re right.”

  WHEN AMY AND I entered work the next morning, a buzz hung in the lab, which wasn’t surprising since the drug trials started today. But what I didn’t ex
pect was to see all of the researchers huddled in the corner around someone.

  “What’s going on?” Amy pulled her lab coat off its hook.

  I shrugged and grabbed mine too. “I have no idea.”

  We strode toward the group. When they saw us approaching, they parted so we could join them.

  My mouth dropped when I saw who stood among them.

  “Dorothy!” I rushed forward.

  The Kazzie that had formerly resided within Compound 26 grinned and pulled me into a hug. “Meghan, it’s so good to see you!”