They spoke for another minute before Ava ended the call. She threaded her fingers through Alex’s, sucking in a sharp breath. “Well, that’s that. Let’s see what happens next.”
She bit into her lower lip, wondering how this would all play out. Would this be the beginning of the end for The Board or would they manage to survive this blow and come back fighting?
CHAPTER 21
ALEX
The headline scrolled across the bottom of the screen as a newscaster read from her teleprompter in a grave tone.
“An investigation has been launched into the pharmaceutical giant, PharmaTech, after allegations that they have been toying with genetic modifications of viruses in some of the labs. This news comes on the heels of an outbreak of a deadly virus in the small Vermont town of Hemlock Falls. The outbreak, which claimed the lives of dozens of town residents, was only stopped because of a whistleblower who came forward suggesting that the town was being used as a test ground for the efficacy of this bioweapon to spread and kill. Sources say PharmaTech not only acted with criminal intent but that they also held back a life-saving cure that would have prevented most if not all of the deaths. For more, we go now to Kent McCullough who is on site in Hemlock Falls. Kent?”
The image flipped to a man in a windbreaker who stood in front of the camera nodding before launching into his report about the events that had taken place.
Alex stared at the screen, shaking his head as the memories of Hemlock Falls flashed in his mind—panicked people, overflowing hospital beds, and the constant fear that they were losing control. Only hours ago, they’d been in the middle of that chaos, and now the news was spinning it into a public scandal. He felt a mix of relief and dread; relief that it was over, that the cure was out, and dread at what might come next. PharmaTech had been caught, but The Board wasn't one to simply back down. They were powerful, and this could only be the beginning of something much bigger.
The town’s mayor and chief of staff at the hospital had all praised the quick work of the DOJ agents at securing the town’s borders and bringing them the cure.
“They’re singing your praises, babe,” Alex called to Ava as she shuffled into the living room with two steaming coffee mugs in her unicorn onesie and matching slippers.
“And yours,” she said as she handed the mug off and kissed his cheek. “You made it possible to get that cure, Ace.”
“Right before I nosedived into a coma.” He shook his head as he turned off the report. “I can’t believe I got sick.”
“Babe, we all did,” she answered as she eased into the soft cushions of the couch and patted the one next to her.
Gizmo raced into the room and leapt onto his hind legs, pawing at Ava.
She balanced the coffee mugs against her knee as she scooped him up.
Alex dropped into the seat next to her, and Ava placed the little dog between them before she draped a blanket over the two of them. Gizmo nestled between them, snug in the fleece material.
“It’s good to be home, babe,” Ava said as she laid her head on his shoulder.
He lifted his arm, wrapping it around her as she snuggled closer. “Yeah, and not sick. I knew we shouldn’t have gone there physically. Like we totally could have gotten the cure and mailed it to them.”
She patted his chest with a chuckle. “But we did it. You should be proud of us.”
“I am,” he answered as he kissed her temple. “You’re always awesome, Ava. I’m just…still not over the fact that some rando sneezed all over me and nearly killed me, you, Doc, and even Shadow. I mean, I don’t like Shadow, but still…”
She giggled before she sipped her coffee. “Well, you saved them all, Ace.”
“No, you did. You and your whole ‘I survived a plane crash, then traipsed through the jungle, then broke into a pharmaceutical company and jabbed a needle full of something unknown into my arm’ vibe.”
She set her chin on his shoulder as she raised her eyes to his. “Well couldn’t have gotten in there without you, babe. You paved the way for that now-infamous blind jab.”
“I’m just glad we’re both fine, and it seems like whatever meds Doc is giving you are working. You haven’t had any weird episodes, right?”
“Not so far,” she answered. “And I’m feeling less and less anxious about them with every passing day. I think Doc has a handle on this.”
“He’s a pretty smart guy. We should probably get him something nice for taking such good care of us.”
Ava bobbed her head. “Definitely. Maybe a classy wine basket or something.”
“Oh, babe, that’s nice,” he said with a grin before he set hiscoffee down and picked up the two game controllers. “Game sesh?”
She set her mug on the coffee table and grabbed the controller from him. “Absolutely.”
He toggled on the game and as they waited for it to load, he leaned closer to steal a kiss from her. “I’m really glad we’re home. And together.”
