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She did, too. Fervently.

She decelerated the police car as they approached a road block manned by armed soldiers and Humvee’s with machine guns mounted on them. A soldier with a machine gun slung over his shoulder approached her window. “You can’t proceed, ma’am?—“

She cut the guard off. “My partner’s got the virus, and I’m taking him into the quarantine zone so he won’t infect more people.”

The soldier took a fearful step back from her window, and she stepped on the gas. Who was going to stop them from goingintothe fever zone? It wasn’t like that soldier was going to jump into a Jeep and follow them to drag them back out.

“Just a little further,” she told Ian as his nose commenced seeping blood again.

“You headed for the hospital?” he asked, his voice muffled behind the soaked tissues.

“I figure they’re totally overwhelmed. Thought I’d head for the newest and swankiest casino in town. It’s likely to have the best air conditioners and the biggest security system, hence the biggest back-up generators.”

She headed for the Strip and pulled up in front of a luxurious hotel entrance. A man—a valet or doorman, maybe—yelled at her. “She’s got a bleeder in the car. Get him out of here!”

Ian swore under his breath.

In response, she popped the trunk release and hopped out of the cop car, muttering to him as she went, “Let’s see how well this puppy’s stocked, shall we?”

Ian nodded and climbed out as well. Blood trickled over his chin as she handed him a shotgun and a brace of pistols. For her part, she grabbed an automatic rifle and hefted its nylon strap over her shoulder.

“We’re Feds,” she announced, “and we can cure to the virus. We’re going into your hotel, and we’re giving the cure to you and everyone else inside. If you don’t believe me, I’ll kill you now.”

There was no way this punk was standing between Ian and cold air. None. She’d kill anyone and everyone who tried to get in her way. He was her man, the future father of her children, and no one was messing with her.

“Easy there, G.I.Jane,” Ian said from behind her. “It’s okay, buddy. I ran into a damned door as we were walking out to come over here. And we do have the cure. I’m gonna reach into my pocket nice and slow and pull out my military ID and show it to you. Okay?”

She glared at Ian. What was he doing?

“Keep glaring, baby,” he murmured low. “You’re bad cop. I’m good cop.”

Ahh. His comment broke her fixation on killing anyone who crossed her the wrong way. Right. These were civilians. The very people she and Ian had nearly died trying to save. No sense shooting them all, now. But still. The kid had better not try to stop Ian from getting inside to cold air…

“If you could take us to your head of security, we need to explain the procedure for decontaminating the hotel and everyone in it,” Ian told the kid.

Apparently, the fact that they wanted to see the very person the kid was hoping would show up and save him from these crazies seemed to ease the kid’s fears. “This way.”

The kid led them through the deserted lobby. Its cavernous interior looked garish in the silence and emptiness. “Security’s got everyone quarantined in their rooms,” the kid explained as he led them through the dark and silent casino.

They passed through an unmarked door into a long hall. And then, they passed through another set of doors into an abruptly brightly lit and alive command center. The hotel’s security hub.

Piper noticed that Ian had ditched the bloody tissues along the way and must have rubbed the blood off his face with his sleeve just prior to stepping in here.

“What the hell?” a guy in a suit exclaimed. Several men leaped to their feet, reaching for weapons at the sight of hers and Ian’s.

“Stand down, guys,” she said quickly, lowering her weapon as she spoke. “We’re here to help.”

She and Ian quickly went through who they were and what they’d learned of the virus.

The security man listened in silence and then responded with, “So all I have to do is cram everyone into a ball room, divert all the air conditioning in the building in there for a couple days. Then we have everyone drink water with this colloidal silver in it and wash in the stuff, and we’ll all live?”

Piper shrugged. “Maybe. The CDC is testing the silver theory as we speak. But I’m pretty sure the air conditioning should decontaminate any surfaces in the hotel.”

“Done!”

“In the meantime, my partner could use a stint in a meat locker if you have one with power.”

“Shit. He exposed?” the guy blurted.