With the helo somewhere to the south, there wasn’t much to see. Well, that wasn’t true. There was a ton to see—trunks, spiking up from the uneven slope around them, some skinny and white, others dark and wet looking—all of them tall and sturdy as a battalion of soldiers. The ground told its own story, littered with fallen trees and branches, felled by the elements. She didn’t want to die in this cold, bitter place, refused to wind up as just more collateral damage in this monstrous business. Which meant no more losing her mind in this place. It was dangerous.
She eyed Elias.Hewas dangerous.
No more her letting herfeelingsguide her actions.
“First.” With a head shake, she put her palm out—to keep him away or to steady herself, she wasn’t sure. “Let’s say that weird post-adrenaline…thing didn’t just happen, okay? Never happened. Can we agree on that?”
He didn’t answer, and she let her gaze settle on the ground, rather than looking at him. Hell, she’d seen people lose it like this after almost…well, losing their lives. She’d seen colleagues screw complete strangers or—worst yet—people they worked with every day. That didn’t end well. Not once had she been tempted. Work and sex never mingled.
Ever.
Resentful now, she looked up at Elias, wanting to blame him for their frantic makeout session. She couldn’t, though, when her skin flushed at just the memory of it. The way her hands had raced to get him out, to put him in her. If he hadn’t stopped everything, she’d be having sex with him right now.
“Hey.” His voice was soft.
Shaking her head, she shut her mouth tight, folded her lips in on themselves, and waited for this fresh wave of mortification to pass.
“I’m sorry.”
About which part? The lying or the almost doing me against the tree?
“I’ll take you to Schink’s Station and from there, you can get home.”
Jaw tight, she glared, shaking her head. “What do you mean there is no virus?”
He threw another look over his shoulder, an unconsciously cautious movement that spoke volumes about his life experience. Then he looked at her and sighed. “Turner didn’t have it.”
“And you? You don’t have the virus either?”
“No.” His gaze held hers, firm, honest.
“They must think you have it though. Isn’t that what this is all about?”
“I don’t have the virus. Never have.”
A few feet away, something scurried in the underbrush, reminding her yet again that they weren’t alone. The quiet here was deafening for a woman who was happiest listening to an engine’s growl, especially when she considered how much movement was happening beneath the surface. Alaska wasn’t just a breathtaking landscape, it was billions of living things awakening, stretching, yawning, getting ready to burst forth.
She turned away from the sight of Bo digging at the half-frozen ground and focused on Elias. His expression was wary, his stance tense. “You need to explain.”
He swallowed. “The day I took Turner into custody, everything changed.”
“How so?”
“He wasn’t a criminal. He was a goddamn whistleblower. He knew they’d kill him eventually. Claimed they’d created a false history for him, made him out to look like a bioterrorist when he was just a middle-aged researcher who was thrown into something big.” The look in his eyes was chilling. And yeah, she was mad that he’d kept the truth from her, but she believed him right now. Every word. “The work they were doing in that lab…that was some high-level destroy-the-human-race kind of shit.”
Leo shivered and glanced up, expecting the aircraft to suddenly appear. It was getting closer, flying over the lake, she assumed. “What happened to him?”
“Campbell?” He scoffed. “He tagged me and then took one for the team.”
“What?” Another look at the sky showed nothing—no helo, no clouds.
“Those were his calcified remains found in Mount Pleasant,” Elias said, loud enough to be heard above the approaching hum. “Not mine.”
“Wait. Are you saying he killed all those people?He’sthe one who carried out the massacre?”
“No.” There wasn’t an ounce of doubt in his expression. “That was a setup. They’d ruined my life by then, killed my…” A strange low hum left his body—more animal than human and one hundred percent pain. “They slaughtered my parents.” His voice broke on the last word. “Made it look like I’d done it. I was on the run, my days were numbered.” He was breathing hard, his eyes out of focus, and Leo wanted to hold him, despite the anger still running through her veins. “It was supposed to be me that day in Mount Pleasant. They set up a meet, told me mistakes were made. Said I’d—” Elias’s head tilted to listen when the helicopter’s hum changed. “They landing?”
Shit.
