Roger wondered why the large man would say something like that. True, he’d flirted with her when he’d first arrived, but he was just trying to lighten the mood. Did everybody think he was serious?
He stepped from the truck and felt the stiffness of the photo in his shirt pocket. His hand brushed the photo and he tried not to feel guilty.
Did he have a reason to feel that way? He saw Candy practically jog across the warehouse and talk to a man with a rifle. He nodded quickly then turned and left. She wrote something down on a clipboard, then turned and walked away.
Roger realized he was checking her out as she left and had to look away. He slammed the door of the truck and marched toward the back of the warehouse.
He flopped down on his makeshift bed and pulled the photo from his pocket. He placed it gently at the head of the mattress and propped it against an old shelf. He stared at his wife’s image and for the first time ever, the pain of her loss didn’t pull the air from him.
He knew it was past time to let go. He just wasn’t sure if he knew how.
Vivian awoke and sat up slowly from her desk chair. She hated falling asleep at work. It always meant she had pushed herself too far and would now pay the price with stiff joints and aching muscles.
She walked out of her office and glanced in at Bren. Vivian stared at her still form for a moment then pushed the door open. She walked over to her and pressed her fingers against the girl’s wrist. She suddenly reached up and pressed against her neck.
She could tell by the coolness of her skin that the young girl was gone. She stepped back and bent her head low, saying a silent prayer.
She spun and entered the lab. “Who was watching Miss Wilkes last night?”
One of the nurses raised her hand. “I just checked on her about an hour ago. Her IV was low so I hung a new one.”
“She’s dead.” Vivian nearly choked on the words. She looked around the room, then settled back on the nurse. “I’ll have to notify her boyfriend. Have you seen him?”
The group shook their heads and the nurse stepped forward. “I haven’t seen him since you had him removed.”
For the briefest of moments, Vivian feared the men had tossed his skinny ass overboard, but she quickly pushed the idea out of her head. She took a deep breath and nodded. “I’ll inform him. Meanwhile, exsanguinate her. We need every drop you can get.”
She turned to leave when the Command Duty Officer pushed the door open. “Dr. LaRue.”
She tried to step past him. “I was on my way out.”
“I just came to inform you…”
She paused at the door and turned to him, her face hopeful. “What did the Colonel say?”
The man pulled her aside and lowered his voice. “He said that he knew exactly where Captain Andrews was performing his research.”
“And?”
“And…they are weighing the options of sending another chopper out to check on the collection team. IF they decide to go, then he sees no reason why they can’t stop at Fort Collins and collect the man’s research.” He gave her a lopsided smile. “He also thought that it was a hell of an idea to dig through his papers. He actually said, ‘Kudo’s to Dr. LaRue.’”
“Kudos?”
He shrugged. “He’s old school, ma’am. I’m confident he was paying you a compliment.”
She stood taller and squared her shoulders. “I want to go.”
The lieutenant’s eyes widened. “Ma’am?”
“If anybody could recognize the research, it’s me. I’d be the perfect choice.”
He shook his head. “No, ma’am. You’re far too valuable to allow—”
“I said I’m going and that’s that Lieutenant. You can inform the colonel of my intentions.”
She spun and marched from the room. He watched her go and wondered aloud, “How do I explain this to them?”
Vicky stared at the calendar and whispered a silent epithet. “Why aren’t you back yet, Daniel?”
“You always talk to yourself?”
She looked up at Candy and gave her a curt nod. “I’m worried about Danny. He should have been back by now.”
Candy leaned against the doorjamb and gave her a soft smile. “He’ll be fine. I know it.”
“How? How can you ‘know it’?”
Candy pushed off the doorway and entered the small infirmary. “This is Daniel Fucking Hatcher you’re talking about.” She gave her a face of false bravado. “The man who single-handedly saved all of us at Ground Zero when the world went to shit. If anybody can handle himself out there, it’s him.” She plopped into Vicky’s chair and shot her a cheesy grin. “Besides, there’s not a person alive that knows that area like he does.”
Vicky sighed and leaned against the wall. Her legs were beginning to tingle from sitting on the floor cross-legged for too long and the files in her lap were unceremoniously dumped to the side. She slowly came up from the floor and let the blood back into her ankles.
“If it was anybody else, I’d probably agree with you. But this is my brother.” She blew her breath out and gave Candy a serious look. “He doesn’t exactly have a strong lucky side to him.”
Candy leaned forward and lowered her voice. “He doesn’t need luck, Vic. The man has skills. Trust me, I saw them firsthand when I was out there.”
Vicky shook her foot and tapped it against the floor when the pins and needles stopped tingling. “I’m sure that to you, he’s ten-foot-tall and bulletproof. To me, he still trips over his own shadow and breaks his arm.” She sighed as she sat on the edge of the desk. “He’s still eight to me.”
Candy snorted. “Trust me, he’s not eight. And he’s not reckless.”
Vicky stared off into the shadows and tried not to dwell
