0373401965 (R) by Lara Lacombe

Author:Lara Lacombe [Lacombe, Lara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2016-12-01T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Avery stood in the middle of the bar, surveying the room with a critical eye. It wasn’t big, so far as square footage went, but she did have a lot of samples to take. And since everyone was busy taking care of the two new patients, she was on her own.

The fact that the men had survived the night was a minor miracle, and it gave her hope they might go on to make a recovery. The antiflu drugs hadn’t triggered a dramatic improvement in the patients, but their symptoms hadn’t worsened, either. At this point, Avery considered maintenance of the status quo to be a victory, and she knew Grant felt the same way.

She walked over to the bar, her movements awkward in the bulky blue suit. She’d worn it out of deference to Grant, who had insisted she take every precaution. His concern had touched her, and she hadn’t wanted to argue with him. Jennifer’s latest results had confirmed they were dealing with a new strain of flu, and given what she knew about that pathogen, it was unlikely an active, intact virus had survived in the bar. But it was better to be safe than sorry...

Working carefully, Avery organized her sample collection tools and began to methodically swab surfaces and gather material for testing. “Where are you hiding?” she muttered as she worked. The virus had to be somewhere, and all the evidence she had to this point suggested it was coming from the bar. But how? Hopefully, these tests would provide some answers.

The base commander hadn’t been happy about shutting the place down. On one level, Avery understood his frustration. The people here worked hard, and they didn’t have a lot of options when it came to socializing. The bar was almost like the heart of the base, hosting trivia nights, dart competitions, movie screenings and a lot of other activities that brought people together and gave them a way to unwind and have fun. Closing the place down was going to make for a disappointed group of residents. On the other hand, the enforced social isolation might save lives. Still, the commander had made it clear that unless she found a smoking gun, the bar wasn’t going to stay closed for long.

Avery moved around the room, the whir of the fans on her back loud in her ears. The battery-powered pack kept her suit inflated, but the noise drowned out any ambient sounds and made carrying on a conversation next to impossible. Fortunately, she didn’t have that problem, but a part of her wished Grant was here working by her side.

Yesterday’s events had left her more shaken than she wanted to admit. Seeing Grant helping Richard had triggered a burst of fear in her chest that had temporarily blacked out all other thoughts. She’d experienced a visceral, instinctive response to protect him, and even now the memory of their encounter was enough to make her shiver, despite the warmth of the plastic suit.

Arguing with him about the medication hadn’t helped her nerves, either.

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