“No. She’s alternating between being a test subject and working as a doctor,” Nora said, losing her smile. “If anybody can find a cure for this bug, it’s Lynne. For now, we have other threats.”
“What is our biggest threat nuclear-wise?” Deke asked, somber now.
Hugh breathed out, his jaw looking hard. “Depends on several factors. First, look for older facilities with outdated security coupled with the biggest casualty possibility. Second, look at where Scorpius has hit hardest…because those places will have lightened security. Third, look at locations of known or suspected terrorist organizations on our soil.”
Nausea rolled in Ellie’s stomach. Her hand itched with the urge to take Hugh’s. To feel his strength and warmth. To find comfort. So she clasped both hands in her lap. She was an adult with an important job, and she needed to buck up and stop this nonsense.
Deke pushed away from the table. “Good. You and Eleanor have an hour to create a list of likely targets and suspects. We’ll cross-reference your list with our counter-terrorism expert’s list. Hopefully there will be a common denominator.”
Nora gracefully stood and crossed around the table. “We should be back in an hour or so.”
Deke nodded and waited until she’d reached him. “I’m going to check in with the president. Hopefully he’ll be one of the survivors of this thing. Otherwise, Congressman Bret Atherton will step up as our new leader.”
Ellie caught an odd tone. “You don’t like Atherton?”
Deke shrugged a massive shoulder. “I don’t know the guy, and at this point, knowledge is power. I like the current president. We’ll also check in with Lynne Harmony and see what’s going on with what’s left of the CDC.”
Nora bit her lip, amusement dancing in her dark eyes. “If you get finished early, Eleanor can show you the sleeping quarters, Hugh.”
Was her friend matchmaking? Ellie gave her a look while trying to be casual. “I’d be happy to show Hugh around,” she said.
Nora’s lips visibly twitched.
Deke grasped her arm and drew her from the room. “You’re terrible,” he murmured loud enough to make Ellie blush.
The room quieted and somehow electrified.
“You’ve been working with Homeland?” Hugh asked, no expression on his hard face.
She swallowed. “Mostly. I started with the CIA and then moved over.” So yes, they’d been working for the same agency for the last five years but in different divisions and locations.
“Did you know?” he asked softly, too softly.
She thought about lying. She really did. “I knew.” Facing him, she forced a smile. “I kept track of you a little bit. Nothing stalkerish or anything. I always wanted the best for you.” It was true. Even though he’d broken her heart when absolutely not meaning to do so, she’d wanted him to have a good life.
“Why didn’t you reach out?” He did exactly that, his thumb and forefinger grasping her chin so she couldn’t look away.
Why not? The one time she’d tried, he’d rejected her. Sure, he’d been hurt and angry and possibly had not wanted to use her, which made him decent. But still. “I’ve been busy,” she said, a bit lamely if asked.
“You haven’t married.”
Was that satisfaction in his gaze?
She gently tugged her face free. “No, but I was engaged until a couple of months ago.” So there.
His hand dropped to his lap. “Why did you call it off?”
Now that was sweet. She tried for flirty, narrowing her eyes. “Who said I called it off?”
He frowned. “Is there something in your eye?”
Crap. She blinked. “It’s okay now. Um, I called it off because it just didn’t feel right.” Kyle was a good guy. A marine sniper. But something was missing, and even he seemed relieved when she said they should go on like friends. “He’s a great guy. Stationed overseas for now.” Why was she always in the friend zone with great guys? Wasn’t this the time of the geek?
Hugh reached for the remote control, rolling slightly away from her. “I guess we should get to work.”
Relief flushed down her. She was so much better at work than at feelings. “Yes.” Opening a cabinet behind her chair, she drew out several notepads, pens, and highlighters. Then she set them carefully on the table, back in control of herself.
“I’m glad we didn’t date in college,” Hugh said absently, opening several more file folders on the screen.
Hurt slid through her, and she calmed her expression. “Really? Why?”
He paused, turning to face her, his eyes burning. “Because we have nothing bad from the past to deal with.” He smiled, the sight a bit intimidating. “It’s a new start for us.”
Chapter Three
The end of the world has most likely started. But I have Nora by my side, so we’ll create a better world. Hopefully.
—Deacan Devlin McDougall, Brigade Notes
Deke finished checking the armory, pleased with the organization set into place by Connor Lewis, the guy in charge of weapons. A whisper of sound caught his attention, and he turned to see Nora by the door. “Sweetheart?”
She leaned against the doorframe, looking luscious in her tight jeans and blue shirt. “There’s a credible threat against the Internet. A virus that can infect the servers.”
Shit. He slipped a Glock into its slot and turned completely to face her, his mind rapidly calculating variables. “I’ll contact a friend in the Teams. We have to take out the nuclear threat.” More people were in danger from that. Well, probably. “Then we’ll go after the hackers.”
She nodded, her stunning eyes somber. “What do you think of him? Of Hugh?”
Deke studied the woman who held his heart and always would. “You’re more insightful than I am. What do you think?”
She bit her lip, making him want to take a bite as well. “I like him. The country-boy act is both genuine and fun, but he’s obviously bright. And he didn’t balk at jumping into the fray here with us.”
Deke scratched the scruff at his jaw. He’d forgotten to shave again. “Ivan’s analysis seemed spot on, while I’d have to say that Eleanor’s was a little nostalgic.” He’d just put together his team, and he was still learning their tics. Eleanor’s weak spot seemed to be Hugh Johnson himself. “I do like the guy, though I don’t want my computer specialist distracted.”
Nora moved for him then, sliding her hands up his bare arms. His body sprang to life. “Why not? Distraction is good.”
He had to agree with her there. Except when he lowered his head to take her mouth, movement at the door stopped him. Damn it. He paused, looking up to see his intelligence specialist waiting expectantly. “Ivan?”
Ivan Milleroff was so smart he was dangerous. Deke had scouted the genius from the CIA the second he’d put together the Brigade, and even he didn’t know what all was in Ivan’s personnel file. Ivan cocked his head to the side, his eyes burning. “The president is dead. Bret Atherton is stepping up within the hour.”
Deke straightened, his chest filling. He’d liked the president. Both of the now deceased presidents, actually. “Things are changing too fast.”
“Amen to that,” Ivan said. He paused. “And there might be a problem with your boy. With Hugh. Just found it.”
Ah, shit.
* * * *
Hugh finished gathering his notes just as the rest of the Brigade filed into the conference room for introductions.
“Hugh? Meet Ivan Milleroff, who’s our intelligence specialist,” Deke said, pulling out a chair at the head of the table.
Ivan had dark eyes, short brown hair, and a veiled stare. If one wasn’t looking closely, his eyes would appear blank. They weren’t. He was tall and lean, every movement economical. There was no doubt the guy was a threat. A serious one. They shook hands.
Another man, this one a black man well over six feet tall, strode into the room. He wore jeans and a leather jacket with a gun strapped to his thigh and a knife to his calf. “I’m C
onnor Lewis.” His voice was deep and rich, and his handshake firm.
Hugh released him and settled back in his seat. Tension rolled through the small space. What was happening? “What do you do around here?”
“I bury the bodies,” Connor said easily, pulling out a chair. “Better hope you’re not one of them.”
Ah. Alrighty then. Hugh watched Ellie out of the corner of his eye. She appeared calm and unflappable as she straightened her papers into a neat stack. “Have all of you worked together long?” he asked.
“Some,” Deke said as the rest of the gang secured chairs. “Different jobs, different locations. Nothing as important as right here and right now.” His Scottish brogue remained just under the surface, a hint of the complexity of the leader. “We do have a question for you, Hugh.”
Yeah. He’d kind of gotten that feeling. “Hey. You asked me to the dance here.” It wasn’t like he’d wanted to leave his vacation. Whatever the tension was in the room was starting to tick him off.
Ellie leaned forward. “What’s happening?”
Deke took the remote control and pointed it at the screen, bringing up a very familiar face. “This is Gregor Valentino, who’s a known gun runner with ties to several terrorist organizations. And this—” he clicked again and brought up a picture of Hugh meeting with Gregor “—is you.”
Hugh leaned back. “Impressive. Where did you find that?” Who the hell had managed to take that picture?
“FBI buddy,” Deke said easily, taking out a Glock to place on the table.
“Hey—” Ellie said, rolling her chair toward Hugh.
Toward him. That one movement dug right past his irritation and planted in his heart. He wanted to mess with McDougall a little, but Ellie had gone pale. Oh well. He knew how to do his job. “I don’t know that guy. However, a picture like that showed up at my office with a demand for money. A lot of it.”
Deke studied him. “You’re saying somebody doctored this picture and then tried to blackmail you?”
“Yep,” Hugh lied. “Took it to my boss, and they opened a file and contacted the FBI to create a case. Tried to track the guy down but no luck so far.” He smiled. “That’s all I can tell you.” Which was the absolute truth.
Deke nodded at Ellie. “If you’re telling the truth, she’ll be able to discover that with her handy old computer.”
If she was that good, she was damn impressive. Hugh shot her a smile. “Go for it.”
She glanced at Deke and then drew her laptop out of her bag, quickly typing. “Whoa,” she breathed. “I have top clearance all of a sudden. I mean, the top of the top.” Her eyes sparkled. “I didn’t even have to hack.” Her lips turned down.
Hugh barely kept from barking out a laugh. The woman was disappointed that she didn’t get to hack?
Ellie breathed out. “I’m running into roadblocks about this Gregor person.” Then she frowned again. “The records containing your report haven’t been added to the server yet. They must still be on your supervisor’s computer.”
“Wonderful,” Hugh said. Deep cover meant deep cover, damn it. “If you’re that good of a hacker, you should be able to get in there, right?”
Ellie read her screen. “Maybe. I need to go to the FBI if they have this picture.”
Deke blew out air. “Fine. I’ll make a call, and if anybody is still staffing at the FBI, we should have the files by tonight.”
It was beyond sweet that she believed him so easily, even when he wasn’t telling the truth. Hugh’s chest hurt, and he thought briefly about breaking cover. But he’d taken an oath. “I’m telling the truth.”
Ellie stared at Deke. “Even if you don’t trust him yet, I’m asking you to trust me. He’s innocent.”
Hugh tried not to blanch.
Deke’s nostrils flared. “I do trust you, Dr. Smithers. But you have to find his report.”
She nodded, looking back at her computer. “With our new clearance level, who knows what we could read? I wonder if there’s information on Marilyn Monroe in here.” Her voice quickened. “Or information on the royal family.”
Hugh grinned. He’d forgotten how much she liked reading about the royal family. It was a cute oddity, and he’d thought so even back in college. “I guess some things never change,” he mused quietly.
Her smile showed a very small dimple in her right cheek.
“Later,” Deke said, sliding his gun back into place. Apparently, he figured somebody else could shoot Hugh if necessary. “We have more immediate concerns. What have you two found regarding nuclear threats?”
Hugh hadn’t ever been much of a talker and saw no reason to start now. “Ellie?”
She looked up, her intelligent eyes focusing behind the glasses. “We used an algorithm to determine the greatest nuclear threats on our soil. Factors included vulnerability of facility, number of potential casualties, and proximity to a major Scorpius outbreak.”
Connor leaned in. “Why proximity to outbreak?”
“Because resources will be stretched thin,” Ellie said, her voice reminding Hugh of their college days when they’d discussed common ion effect and buffers. “People will be concentrating on staying healthy or healing ill family members. Security guards will be away from post—either infected or concerned with more personal matters. Mostly.”
“That was the easier part,” Hugh said, glancing at his papers. “Best three nuclear power plants to hit at the present moment are in New York, Pennsylvania, and Arizona.”
“Great,” Nora said, shoving thick hair away from her face. “So a terrorist could just attack a facility and let off a nuclear bomb?”
Hugh shook his head. “No. The fuel for uranium reactors isn’t enriched enough to explode like a bomb. The concern is meltdown or attack, which would release radiation in copious amounts or theft of the materials. It wouldn’t be the first time a terrorist group tried to get its hands on uranium to make a dirty bomb.” The idea rolled bile through his stomach and up his throat.
Ellie nodded. “A group could also target spent fuel, which are the pools where nuclear waste is kept. They could plant bombs there.”
Connor sighed. “What happens then?”
“Boom,” Hugh said grimly. “It would cause a catastrophic fire that would be worse than any nuclear meltdown. The radiation would be swept up in the smoke, which would carry far and wide. It’d be a disaster of unimaginable proportions.”
Ivan had kept quiet for the entire interchange. “You’re the expert, Hugh. If you were going to attack, how and where would you do it?”
Hugh rubbed his chin. The guy got right to the point, didn’t he? “Unless I had contacts in New York, I’d go for Arizona or Pennsylvania. I’d take out the computer system and bring down the cameras, which would have to be from the inside, and make sure the cooling system stopped working.”
Ellie cleared her throat. “You’d need one of the best hackers in the world to do that. There are safeguards upon safeguards in place for coolants.”
Hugh nodded. “Yeah. If I was going to attack a nuclear power plant, I’d have the best in the world in my pocket.” His body started to ache and he released each muscle to try uselessly to rid himself of tension. “Then I’d plant explosives around the spent fuel.”
“It’s nice you’ve planned this out,” Connor muttered.
Hugh flashed a grin, amusement filling him. They were truly suspicious of him. “It’s my job. At least, it was my job.” He had a feeling everything had just changed.
“Suspects?” Deke asked.
Ellie pressed a button, and faces started filling the wall screen. “We’ve narrowed it down to five organizations in the states. Two homegrown and three Hugh has been watching for a year. They have the skills and means.”
“It’s one of these?” Ivan asked, leaning forward.
Hugh ran through the data. “Maybe. We don’t know who else has shown up the last month as we all concentrated on Scorpius and the outbreak. There could be players on our soil that I
haven’t tracked.”
“Just great,” Connor said, eyeing the screen. “What now?”
Ellie set her papers down. “We go to the sites and look for anything out of the ordinary. I can only get into the computers onsite and not remotely.”
“Affirmative.” Deke shoved away from the table. “As of right now, you all have top-level clearance. There’s nothing you can’t request or see.” He assisted Nora from her chair. “I think you’re right about New York. Resources have been sent to the bigger cities for protection, and it’d be too hard to hit.”
Man, Hugh hoped he was right. “Or that’s what they’re expecting we’ll think.”
Deke nodded. “Aye. That. For now, we check out the other two plants. Nora, Ivan, and I will fly to Pennsylvania since private planes haven’t been grounded yet. Ivan has expertise here as well. Eleanor, Hugh, and Connor? You guys fly to the Arizona plant. I’ll ask the new president to grease the wheels for you.”
Connor stood. “And if Hugh is a problem?”
“Shoot him,” Deke said absently.
Hugh coughed. Wonderful. He was going to work with these people?
Connor moved for the door. “Everyone needs to be properly suited up. Satellite phone, weapons, and protective gear. I have everything ready in the armory.”
Hugh kept his face blank. Protective gear? Something told him that didn’t mean condoms.
Just what the hell had he gotten involved in?
Chapter Four
I have a job to do. Now isn’t the time for romance. No matter how wide his chest or tight his butt.
—Dr. Eleanor Smithers, Brigade Notes that nobody will ever see
The nuclear power plant in Arizona consisted of multiple buildings, parking areas, and round structures releasing tons of what looked like steam into the very blue sky.
Ellie kept her gaze off Hugh as they waited for the security guard to finish checking their credentials. Okay. One peek.
Yeah. He looked like a badass with a gun strapped to his thigh and a Homeland Security jacket covering a bulletproof vest which spanned a very broad chest. Even more intriguing, he appeared perfectly comfortable with both.