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“Well, that doesn’t make me nervous at all,” I said.

He dipped his head at one of the soldiers as he passed by. “Just glancing at the firepower on display, I don’t think we’ll have too much to worry about.”

“I hope you’re right.”

Gwen was looking around excitedly. She’d caught the attention of several of the guards as she stood out with her bright red hair, blue eyes and glowing skin, but was oblivious to it. We collected our luggage and Salvador led the three of us toward a couple of huts.

“The lab is the white building. The dining area is next to the lab. To the right is the women’s barracks, and the men’s is directly across to the left.”

My eyes met Slash’s and he shrugged. Guess that meant that we wouldn’t be sleeping in the same place. I tried not to be too disappointed. Gwen had headed toward the women’s barracks, dragging her suitcase, so I reluctantly followed.

The sleeping area was more than I expected. While simple, it was sufficient. There was one large room with several bunk beds pushed against the wall and draped with malaria netting. A couple of open wooden shelves held assorted clothes, shoes and toiletries.

Electric lanterns hung from the ceiling and a small table with four chairs was positioned in the middle of the room. No rugs, nothing on the walls—including windows—and no bathroom. It wouldn’t qualify as the Hilton, but it would do.

Even though no one was in the barracks, several of the bunk beds were already taken, so Gwen and I chose empty ones. She took the top bunk, which was good because I was afraid of heights. I pulled aside the mosquito netting and put my suitcase on the bottom bunk. It already had sheets, a pillow and a blanket.

“Let’s go look around,” I suggested. “We can unpack later.”

“I’m good with that. I just want to put on bug spray first.” She unlocked her suitcase and rummaged around. She withdrew a can triumphantly. “Found it. Want some?”

It was a good idea as I had no intention of getting eaten alive. “Sure. Hit me up.”

I held my breath as she sprayed me and then herself before capping the can. When I finally deemed it safe to breathe, I almost gagged on the scent. On the upside, it dried quickly despite the oppressive humidity. So, now I smelled like chickens and bug spray. I was sure everyone would be so happy to meet me.

Before we left, Gwen grabbed the satellite phones. They looked more like walkie-talkies than phones and had cords so you could wear them around your neck. I wanted to examine them, but she dashed out the door before I could ask. Slash was patiently waiting for us, but Salvador was nowhere to be seen.

Slash crinkled his nose when I got close. “Bug spray?”

“It was Gwen’s idea.” I waved my arms around to hopefully air out the smell a bit. “How are your accommodations?”

“Probably the same as yours.” He pulled a small bottle out of a cargo pocket on his pants and sprayed himself with what I assumed was insect repellent. His spray didn’t have the same strong scent as Gwen’s, and I wished I had waited to put on his instead. On the upside, if I were a mosquito, I wouldn’t come anywhere near me. Unfortunately, no one else would either.

“Salvador said to head toward the main lab when we’re ready.” Slash pointed at another structure, white and modern looking. “Most of the crew is in there now.”

“Can we visit the bathroom first?” I asked.

“Good thinking, Lexi,” Gwen said. “I wouldn’t mind stopping there either.”

Slash pointed to the left of the lab. “Over there. I’ll hold the phones for you.”

There were two outhouses, one for women, the other for men. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a typically disgusting outhouse. There were three stalls, a sink, and two simple, built-in showers in a separate part of the structure. When we were done, we headed over to the lab, running into an armed guard who stood protecting it. Without a word, he stepped aside to let us enter, even though we hadn’t asked him. Guess he’d been told we were coming.

“They’re taking security very seriously,” Gwen whispered as we entered.

“Good,” Slash said.

The second we walked in, I was surprised at how sophisticated the lab appeared to be. Long rectangular tables held computers and scientific equipment, refrigerators, and small burners with test tubes. I could hear the hum of electricity and generators. A few scientists were working at a table, dressed in lab coats and safety goggles. We stayed where we were so as not to contaminate anything.

I whistled under my breath as I scanned the setup. “Wow. Impressive.”

I spotted Salvador, who was talking to a pretty, middle age, dark-haired woman dressed in a white lab coat over jeans and hiking boots. Safety goggles hung around her neck, her hair pulled back into a bun at the back of her neck. Salvador said something to her and she came right over to meet us.

She greeted me first, holding out her hand and shaking mine warmly. “You must be Lexi Carmichael. It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Natelli Sherwood, Vaccitex’s lead field scientist. I’m glad you’re here.”

“I’m glad, too.”

She let go of my hand and greeted Gwen next, saying something complimentary about her research. Finally, she greeted Slash. Was it just me or did she stare a bit longer at him than I thought was necessary? At some point, she must have realized she’d been looking at him for too long, because her cheeks flushed and she cleared her throat. Slash didn’t seem to notice, or if he did, he was too polite to say anything.