“As always, isn’t it fine to be raised in a family of arseholes who defuse every awkward moment with poorly timed humor,” Michael mutters. “Shut yer gob, Duncan.”
“We’ll think of something else,” Ethan smiles. He’s the positive one, always certain the MacTavishes will come out on top, that we’ll make it work.
“There’s nothing else.” I clear my throat, using my most authoritative voice. “Hugo just made it clear he’s going ahead with marketing this monstrosity.”
“We can pull in more scientists,” Michael offers. “The brightest minds, ye know we can get anyone ye need. Ye can make this work.”
“I have all those people on speed dial,” I say. “I’ve done enough work on this antidote to know what I need to finish. What I have is not enough. What I need is the bastard who made it in the first place.”
“It’ll have to be enough,” Kenna’s eyes are warm, but wary. She’s watching me unravel.
“I canna do this without going there!” I shout. “I’m so desperate that I called in the two most brilliant pharmaceutical developers I know. Dr. Schmidt took one look, nearly vomited on my keyboard, and walked out of the lab.”
“Did he sign a non-disclosure?” Duncan asks.
“Are ye fecking kidding me right now?” I’ve graduated to screaming. “Dr. Juma is the head of the World Health Organization’s Center for Disease Control for South America. Thecontinent.He’s the genius who discovered the antidote for the plant toxin that was spreading through the Amazon and killing the fish. He told me that I was mad. He told me to destroy all the data and research and never speak of it again.”
“At least we dinnae need a non-disclosure from him,” Duncan mumbles under his breath.
“This is all I have! Dinnae yeget it?”I scream. “My bag of tricks is empty! If I canna get into Dubois’ labswe are fecked!”
Dropping heavily into a chair, I cover my face and give up, sobbing, too tired to pretend I’m the Toughest MacTavish.
“Hen… we’re sorry.” Kenna’s voice is soft.
I hear footsteps, and hands rest on my shoulders. Not hers, though. These hands are bigger, warm, and I breathe in the scent of pine and old leather.
My husband, towering over me.
“My Cat.” He sounds weary, like his soul’s been drained from him. “Let’s talk.”
For a group of arseholes with no tact, my family drifts away, leaving us alone.
Lucas…
“Ye walked away.”
My Cat is all cried out, but her voice is still watery. I’d pulled her onto my lap after shutting the door in the face of multiple MacTavishes. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, must they always move in a pack?
“I walked out.” Smoothing my hand over her hair, playing with the silky ends, “Never away. Just out, to gather my thoughts. I should have made that clear.”
“Dinnae ye do that again.” Her voice is wobbly.
Squeezing her tighter, I bury my face in her hair. “I won’t.”
“Did ye hear what I said to the others?”
“Aye.”
“It’s true, husband. I’ve got nothing else.” Her shiny jade eyes gaze up at me. “If I canna see the rest of the formula for C-1161, I will never get the antidote finished.”
“Let’s take the direct route, aye? We kidnap the bastard. I can make it quick. He’s in Marseilles right now.”
“I know he is.” Shifting, she straddles me, resting her hands on my shoulders. “Hugo’s meeting with Minister Aguilera, he’s the head of theChilean Department of Health. They’re doing a big press conference at his lab there, showing off the pharmaceutical deal they just signed.
“He was bragging about the deal during my captivity. This is a game, he’s keeping himself surrounded by politicians and bigwigs to hold off any attempt to reach him. The bastard knows that even big, bad mafia types aren’t going to take that kind of risk. He’s going to keep this up as long as he likes. The next step-” she shudders, “is Hugo using the poison again.”
“He has no close family, no friends dear enough to motivate him, so there’s no one we can kidnap for leverage,” I admit, my hands rubbing her back. “I’ve been searching a chink in his armor. He wouldn’t be risking using his reputable labs for something like this.”
