ago.”
Jane was relieved that was all Mac said. He was the first person not to ask if she’d double-checked all her research. She didn’t want to talk about her father’s “find” or the fact that he’d sent the U. S. into a tailspin of frantic hand-washing to stop the spread of a germ that had in the end turned out to be nothing more serious than the common cold.
“Anyway, the Yura are infected with a virus strain that produces symptoms similar to Lassa fever. After weeks in the lab I developed a treatment as well as a vaccine to protect those not already infected.”
“Did you already make it?” he asked.
She’d debated with Tom the benefits of carrying and preserving the treatment versus replicating it once she got to her father. But in the end the quickest way to save lives was to bring it with them.
“Yes, I’m carrying enough of both to take care of everyone in the tribe my father’s living with.”
“How is it packed?” he asked. There was an intensity in those pale eyes that let her know he was analyzing every fact she gave him. And though she knew little of his reputation aside from the incident in Southeast Asia, she was impressed with what she saw in him as a scientist.
“Dry ice and Styrofoam. I have a couple of large backpacks that we should be able to get everything into. I also have some lab equipment, but that breaks down pretty small.”
“When do we leave?” he asked. The waitress brought their drinks and Mac took a long draw on his, draining half the bottle in one gulp. “Bring me another.”
The waitress nodded and left. Jane took a sip of hers, savoring the coolness as the beverage slid down her throat. “I’d like to leave first thing in the morning. The batch I brought with me is only good for seven days. So we have to move quickly.”
“No problem. Where’s the jumping-off point?”
“Puerto Maldonado. I scheduled a charter flight to leave here at 6:00 a.m.,” she said.
“Amazon basin makes sense. Are we going in by river or trekking?” he asked.
Jane couldn’t get a read on him. He watched her assessingly, which made her uncomfortable. The last thing she wanted to do was have another person she couldn’t trust at her side. Yet he’d been living in South America and working there for the last few years. He had information on the geography that she didn’t. Perhaps Meredith’s attitude was affecting her perception of Mac.
“Are you familiar with the area? I’m not sure which way would be faster.”
“If we could get a motorboat, that might be quicker. Do you know where the Yura are?”
“On the Cashpajali River. It’s a tributary of the Madre de Dios. I have a general area, but nothing exact,” Jane said. She had satellite maps and her GPS unit, but Jane didn’t want to reveal the exact location of the Yura camp to anyone. She wasn’t sure who to trust and didn’t want to endanger her father and the Yura by trusting the wrong person.
“Why did you contact R.V.?” he asked.
Now for the fun part. But he had to have guessed that there was some trouble in her office if she’d contacted them. People from the CDC and WHO usually didn’t have to ask independent contractors for help in their work. The CDC had teams in place worldwide and they mobilized quickly when there was a problem. Jane resented that Meredith hadn’t trusted her enough to outweigh any doubts about her father. “We’re short-staffed. There has been some backlash from the local government. They’re refusing to believe there is any outbreak in the Amazon.”
“Why?”
“I have no idea, but my boss doesn’t want to ruffle feathers and since the initial samples and work came from my father, she can’t really go public. She agreed to let me come here, but I only have a week.”
“That pisses me off. I remember when saving lives mattered more than reputations. That’s why I formed Rebel Virology.”
“I thought it was because…” Damn, she hadn’t meant to bring up the incident.
He arched one eyebrow at her. “I don’t talk about that—ever, understood?”
She nodded.
“Good. I’ll meet you in the lobby at five tomorrow morning.”
He finished off his beer and took the second one from the arriving waitress, then stood and left.
Well, he wasn’t exactly what she’d expected. That didn’t matter, though, she needed another expert with her. She just hoped the man knew his stuff.
There was something about him that made her instincts itchy. She’d keep her eye on him.
Chapter 3
Jane got off the elevator on her floor. She wished they’d been able to leave tonight but it was a two-hour flight over the Andes to the Amazon basin and Bob Jones, the military pilot who Angie had arranged to fly them, had refused to do it this late in the day. Bob was actually a friend of Jane’s father. Another face from the past. She looked forward to seeing him.
A man was in the hallway apparently having trouble figuring out the key-card system. Jane fixed a small smile on her face, prepared to do her good deed and help him out.
“Hola.”
The man looked up and Jane realized he was at her door. Which explained why his key wasn’t working.
“Excuse me, that’s my room,” she said in Spanish.
“I know,” he said, moving slightly away from the door.
She saw he had a gun. Panic raced through her and she screamed, which made the man wince. Her gut instinct said to run the hell away from him but inside that room was the only weapon she had to save her father’s life and many others’. She couldn’t leave it on the chance that he’d figure out how to get into her room.
Thank God for her formerly flabby thighs and the kickboxing class she’d been taking off and on for the last two years. If only she’d attended more frequently! Dropping back into what she hoped was a strong fighting stance, she waited.
The man gave her a look as if she was crazy and raised the gun. She lashed out with a crescent kick aimed at his weapon arm and hit him, hard.
His arm jerked out of position and a bullet ricocheted off the wall six inches from her. Dust got in her eyes and nose.
She sneezed and her eyes watered, but she didn’t stop. Pivoting around, she lashed out with a spinning hook kick to the head. He brought his hands up to block her, grabbing her ankle, then brought his elbow down hard on the back of her leg. Pain shot through her. She jerked her foot free and fell back.
Breathing hard, she pushed to her feet and put her weight on her injured leg. It was tender but would hold her. He rushed her and this time she used a side kick, putting all her power behind it. She hit him hard in the gut and heard him grunt on the impact. He doubled over. Jane brought both of her hands together and hit him as hard as she could on the back of his neck with her fists.
He
