Page 73 of Her Captivated Hero

14

The general had givenher no indication regarding the mission on the short drive from the TAID headquarters to Coronado. But he was sure willing to pepper her with questions regarding the toxin she had examined while at the Pentagon lab.

“You had said that it was possible to funnel down the toxin so that it could target an ethnicity and maybe even get to the point where it could be specific enough to focus in on a sickle cell carrier, right?”

It had taken a few moments for Riya to respond because she hadn’t thought the general had been listening to her when she’d been in D.C.

“That’s right.”

“Could it get to the point where the poison could be sprayed in or delivered through an air duct, and just be directed at certain family members?”

Riya felt her pulse rate increase. “Absolutely.”

“This isn’t just a theory?” His eyes left the road, and he peered over at her.

“No, it isn’t just a theory. That toxin was elegant in its design, and it was on its way to surpassing anything I have seen before. Whoever has developed it is a genius.”

“Smarter than you? Because everything I’ve read, and everything I’ve been told, is that you are a wunderkind. There’s nobody better.”

That stopped her up short. She knew she was good. Brilliant even. But the best?

“I don’t know, General,” she said honestly.

“I’m hoping that you’re not needed. If things go right, you won’t be. But it’s possible we’re going to need your brain. And if we do, you have to be smarter than this asshole. Got it?”

What is going on?

“All I can do is try,” Riya answered.

“That’s not good enough.” She saw his knuckles turn white as he gripped the steering wheel. “You better damn well succeed.”

So here she was walking into a huge room filled with big men, some of whom she’d met, all of them looking grim, and she could feel Gray behind her back. She might have trouble reading people, but there was no mistaking the fact that he was beyond angry.

“Take a seat,” the man who had done the introductions said. He gestured to her and the two other CDC scientists to sit down in the front row. She watched as the other two SEAL team lieutenants went to the back of the room, but Gray sat down right beside her, his body vibrating with rage. She wanted to run away, or cry. Actually she wanted to do both. But then she looked at the general at the front of the room. He was staring directly at her.

“Okay everybody, listen up,” he started. “I’ve brought you together because we have a big problem.”

She heard someone mumble behind her. “Like that’s new.” He sounded amused.

“Your lieutenants will inform you of the mission specifics, they’re being sent to us from Langley. On a high level, they are in three high profile events in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.”

“We have extremely reliable intel that a poison is going to be used on at least one if not more specific targets and that it is sanctioned by the higher echelons of the Saudi royal family. If we were to give a heads up to either the governments of Bahrain or the U.A.E., there would be a massive shitstorm. Therefore the analysts out of Langley have determined, along with your Captain, that your three teams can handle this.”

“Fuck yeah,” that same quiet voice mumbled.

Riya raised her hand.

“Dr. Patel?” The general pointed at her.

“You’re talking about the same toxin that I examined last month, correct?”

He nodded.

“Are you sure it can be amplified to large enclosed spaces?” she asked.

“Yes. Did you hear about the Llewellyn triplets who were rushed to the hospital from the nightclub in Las Vegas two nights ago?”

“Who?” she asked.