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“Or the same bed.”

“We’ll manage, I guess.” I had a hard time sleeping away from him, and he knew that, but knowing that he was close would have to suffice. I yawned, swiping at the sweat pooling at the back of my neck. The humidity was killing me and the meal, combined with the travel, had made me lethargic.

Slash noticed. “Are you feeling all right,cara?”

“I’m okay, just tired. But I’ve got enough juice in me to prepare the laptop for tomorrow’s journey. Natelli wants to bring me up to speed on the software as well. I think I can handle that before I pass out.”

“Good. While you’re doing that, I’ll add a few enhancements to their setup. You fine with that?”

“I’m more than fine with that.” I paused for a moment. “What do you think of Natelli?”

“Hard to say after such a brief introduction. She’s obviously capable and bright or she wouldn’t be lead scientist on this project.” He leaned over and kissed me on the nose. “Now, go get your stuff and let’s make sureourpart of the project goes as planned.”

Before I opened the door to the women’s cabin, I looked over my shoulder at him. “It’s all going to go smoothly, right?”

“As smooth as we can make it.”

Chapter Eighteen

Lexi

I’d seen them in the dining room and lab, but it wasn’t until we were getting ready for bed that I officially met the rest of the women at the camp. Greta Henrikson, a researcher and malaria expert, Melinda Michelson, a medical doctor and immunologist, and Sara Petrosian, a lab technician, rounded out our group.

After brief introductions, Sara excused herself to go lie down, and Gwen joined Greta and Melinda at the small table where they immediately began discussing topics related to malaria and microbiology. I was too tired and peopled-out to partake in the conversation, so I sat on my bunk beneath the netting, trying to change into my pajamas without anyone noticing. It wasn’t easy. I’d just slipped my hands beneath my shirt to unfasten my bra when Natelli pushed aside the netting.

“Hey, Lexi. Do you have a minute?”

Technically I didn’t have a minute to spare because I was exhausted and wanted to go to bed, but I didn’t want to be rude, so I nodded. “Sure, Natelli. Sit down.”

She perched next to me on the bed, so I slipped my hands out from beneath my shirt, leaving my bra still fastened.

“What’s up?” I asked, hoping whatever was on her mind would be fast and short. My ability to pretend to pay attention and engage in conversation wasn’t as effective when I was tired.

“So, you and Slash are engaged?”

“Yes. We’re engaged.”

“That’s wonderful. Congratulations. How did you meet?”

Nowthatwas not a simple or short story. But if I ever wanted to get to bed, I had to tell her something, so I racked my brains for how to wrap it up in one sentence. “Well...we were introduced by mutual friends...sort of.”

The truth was a lot more complicated than that. We were brought together by the Zimmerman twins, who, at the time, Slash had never met. And we hadn’t exactly been introduced when Slash showed up in my bedroom unannounced. But those details were for another time, if ever.

“Oh. How long ago did you meet?”

“About a year ago.” It seemed like a lot longer, especially since we’d been through so much together, but that’s what it was.

“That’s wonderful that you found each other.” Natelli played with the netting, winding her finger around the gauzy material. “I understand he made a sizable donation to Vaccitex to help with our research, and he also volunteered to help out here even though he’s on vacation. That’s quite generous of him.”

“Yep, that’s Slash. He’s a generous guy.”

“Clearly. I found it interesting that he attended Sapienza University in Italy. Do you know what he studied?”

I shifted on the bed and stared at her. “Why are you asking all these questions about Slash?”

Color flooded her cheeks. “Oh, I’m so sorry if I’m being nosy. I’m just curious about you two. I like to know the people I’m working with, especially since this project is so important to me. I apologize. This wasn’t the right time to do this. You must be exhausted and we have an early start tomorrow, so I’ll leave you to get some sleep.”

With that, she stood and headed off to her bunk. Mystified by the strange encounter, I got undressed and put my pajamas on, mostly under the covers. Gwen, Melinda and Greta were still at the table chatting softly about microbes. I didn’t know how Gwen could keep her eyes open. I was so tired I began to drift off as soon as I put my folded clothes neatly at the foot of my bed.