Page 73 of Deadly Strain

Sharp pointed at the sample container. “We have to get that stuff to a lab.”

“The lab, with military support, is coming here, but...” He held up a hand. “I have to keep you completely out of sight. There are too many people looking for you. At least five different groups are hunting you now and all of them want what she’s carrying.”

“So maybe we should keep on the move,” Hernandez suggested.

“No, you don’t understand. These are dangerous men. Insurgents, extremists, and even terrorists from all over this part of the world. They want the container...and the doctor.”

Someone swore, Grace wasn’t sure who.

No, oh no. She wouldn’t last long in the hands of any the men Jamal described. She’d rather die.

“If you run, they will force you to land, then they will kill you, and take the doctor and the anthrax,” Jamal continued. “Your only hope is to hide.”

“What about the helicopter?” Hernandez asked. “It’s too big to hide.”

“I’m going to say you landed and took one of my trucks in exchange for the helicopter.”

“Finally,” Clark said. “Some useful advice.”

“That’s not a bad idea, taking a truck,” Runnel said. “Maybe we should do that?”

Sharp shook his head. “We’d be an easy target on the ground.” He turned to Jamal. “But if we’re going to hide, it needs to be a really good place.”

“Yes, yes, I have the perfect spot.” He rushed to the other side of the building, calling, “Come, come.”

Hernandez took point while everyone else followed, with Sharp covering their rear. Grace glanced at him with a questioning look.

His answer was a shrug, but the lingering traces of anger on his face told her he’d have a few not-fun words to say to her as soon as there were fewer ears to listen in.

Yes, she’d tipped their hand to Jamal before he was ready, but things were moving so fast, there wasn’t time for all the normal testosterone-fueled male posturing.

Jamal brought them to the back wall of the building and cleared away several piles of parts, plumbing, electronics, and other stuff until he revealed a wood floor. He pulled up one end to reveal a set of steep stairs. “A bunker,” he said.

“Is this the only way in?” Sharp asked.

“No, there’s another exit some distance away from the compound on the other side of these hills. It overlooks a deep ravine and is meant as an escape for me if things go very bad.”

Hernandez snorted as he went down the stairs and into the darkness. “Yeah, I suppose we qualify as very bad.”

Grace moved to follow him, but Sharp held her back. After a few seconds, Hernandez called out, “All clear.”

Sharp took his hand off her shoulder and she descended into the dark.

At first she couldn’t see much, but as her eyes adjusted to the lack of light, she was able to make out the shape of the walls and floor. The tunnel was surprisingly roomy, high enough she could almost stand up in it. The Berets were all going to have to bend over, but at least no one had to crawl. It went forward for some distance and had a variety of odds and ends lining the walls. Pieces of wood, tools, and even weapons.

She followed Hernandez with Clark and Smoke right behind her. Clark touched her shoulder and moved past her to take the position behind Hernandez. About a minute of walking later, both men stopped and picked something up off the ground. She craned her neck around them to see what had caught their attention.

A tidy pile of grenades.

“Are you two paying cash for those or putting it on credit?” she asked.

“What are you talking about, Doc?” Hernandez asked. “We just gave that guy a helicopter. We’ve got plenty of credit.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Sharp’s voice floated past them and the guys got moving again.

Behind them, there were a couple of bangs as the cover to the entrance was put back in place and the tunnel got much darker. The men wearing helmets turned on their lights.

No one said anything for a long time as they kept moving through the tunnel. Grace found herself getting drowsy, the lack of sleep catching up to her in a big way. She blinked her eyes to keep them open, but she was afraid that as soon as they came to a stop, she was going to want to crash.