The French doors to the fountain were open as it was Antonio’s favorite place to have private conversations.
When they stood face-to-face, he said, “I know what the Ukrainians made you do.”
Neto glanced away briefly. “That was my partner.”
“But that’s neither here nor there. You know XZite is finished, right?” Antonio said.
The other man turned serious. “What happened? That’s why I came. It’s all over the news that the drug was the cause of the Ebola cluster. Is it true?”
“That did not come from us,” Antonio said. “We were framed. I have enough proof not to be prosecuted.”
“The Ukrainians?”
“You tell me,” he said. “They seem to be gunning for me hard.”
“You’ve put some of them out of business,” Neto looked away. “But you’re not the prime target.”
“Motherfuckers,” he cursed. “Who?”
“I can’t tell you. If they find out I gave you information, that would not be good for my organization. We already stand to lose the money from XZite. At least for the near future, we can’t point you in the direction that would destroy our alliances too.”
“The Ukrainian brotherhood,” Antonio spat. “You think even now they’re not watching us?”
Francisco smiled. “I’m sure they are. So, make your offer good.”
“The XZite formulation and my labs.”
Neto’s eyes widened. “You’re really getting rid of it? Renata …”
“Renata has no say in it. Pierre did not give the real formula to his contacts who made the Ebola-laced XZite pills. That fucker knew he could be double-crossed. As for Renata, it was her refusal to accept the direction of the company in phasing out those pills that led to this clusterfuck.” She really should have come to him. It was a balance handling the PNO, but their double-cross in Mexico was the nail in the coffin. He could not trust them again. Still, Antonio wasn’t stupid. It was wise to part on good terms and remain allies … just not with constant business dealings.
“What do you need in return?”
“The Skoryks.”
Neto’s mouth flattened.
“I want you to give me everything you have on them.”
“Andrade …”
“Everything,” Antonio stressed. “Including what happened to Olga Skoryk’s older brother.”
Oh, to be free from the lab and be around other people doing something that was a part of her old life. Granted, she was in a humanitarian aid workshop and was still around medical professionals, but they weren’t in white coats. Simply people milling around in jeans or slacks. The conference was sponsored by Yara Emerson Spear for Earth Rescue & Aid Foundation and its partners. She was the wife of Declan’s boss. Well, boss was stretching it because Declan really worked for Garrison and was only using Kade Spear’s company as a cover.
She slung her messenger bag across her torso, the one Antonio had given her. In the past three days since he’d been gone, she’d found comfort in things that reminded her of him. Today was Luis’ funeral. Charly only knew the man for a short time, but what she knew of him she would never forget. Luis was unique, shaped by unusual circumstances, and he touched the life of one person and its effect cascaded to others, leaving an indelible mark.
In Antonio.
In Ida and Renata.
Her heart ached for all of them right now. She was glad Antonio hadn’t shut her out. He called early this morning before the funeral. Rio was five hours ahead and, after their call at five a.m., she couldn’t get back to sleep.
Which was why she was glad Declan came up with the idea of taking her to the workshop to keep her mind off what was going on back in Brazil and Downtown Medical’s third floor.
“Charly?”
The familiar voice had her spinning around and Charly couldn’t help the big smile that stretched her cheeks. Tom Crawford III was her last boyfriend. They’d parted amicably and he hadn’t changed one bit as he rushed over to greet her. He was still surfer lean, with sandy blond hair to match. Declan, who was standing in the shadows conversing with one of the security agents for the event, started toward her, but she gave him a thumbs up. With Kade Spear and Elite Shield Security running protection detail for this seminar, every attendee had gone through a thorough background check. Though Yara had no present enemies, Declan told her that Kade was ever-vigilant.
Tom engulfed her in a hug and actually gave her a light kiss on the lips which startled her.
“Sorry,” he said ruefully. “Force of habit.”
She grinned. “I would think you’d already broken that habit.”
“I spent more than two years in Africa nursing a broken heart.”
Charly laughed. “You don’t expect me to believe that. So, how’ve you been? And why are you here?”
“Changing the subject, I see,” he teased. “I’m here because Ms. Emerson—sorry, Mrs. Spear is putting together a medical team to work the most recent Ebola outbreak in the Congo. Because of the virulence of the disease, ERAF wanted to make sure its team and partners are prepared. I heard someone is an expert in the Ebola virus.” He waggled his brows.
Charly rolled her eyes. “I guess I’ve gotten my fifteen minutes of fame.”
“Hey, what did I tell you before?” Tom said. “You were destined for greater things … Scary about this bioweapon business, but if someone could get a handle on this sucker, that would be you.”
“I owe it to you.” The warmth in Tom’s eyes—that understanding—sent her back to one of the lowest points of her life, when she knew she could never be a surgeon because of her shattered hand. It was Tom who encouraged her to take up microbiology and become a virologist. Some people you were meant to meet at certain stages of life. Her thoughts went back to Luis again and his influence on Antonio, so much so that she was caught off guard when Tom suddenly stepped into her.
“Seeing you now …
