Page 24 of It’s Kind of a Bunny Story (Hey There, Hop Stuff #3)
B ased on my past experience with the men in the burrow, I’d braced myself for a nasty remark or a self-important lecture on how I’d done the burrow wrong by stealing their valuable property—and by property, I meant me.
Good for you.
My utter shock at his words stole the very air from my lungs, making it impossible to do more than gape at him.
“I wouldn’t blame any of the women for trying to leave.” He released a long sigh. “Honestly, they should get away from here. Heck, I’d leave if I could.”
“So why don’t you?” I asked, genuinely curious. “If the council’s ways disgust you, why are you willing to stay and do their dirty work?”
“Don’t look at me like that, Charlee.” Boone turned away and stared at the laptop screen.
“I wasn’t the one who started this research.
It began long before I was even old enough to work in the lab.
My mistake was catching the council’s attention by showing ‘promise’ in mathematics and science in high school.
They wanted me in the lab, and they decided on my future career path. ”
“You could’ve left,” I pointed out. “Men are given more freedom than women; surely you didn’t have to stay.”
“I know, and I had a whole plan figured out.” Boone nodded.
“On the outside, I’d nod my head and agree with the council’s orders long enough to get my college degree, and then I’d disappear.
It worked perfectly… until my last year at the university.
That’s when the burrow decided to give me a behind-the-scenes tour of their lab, and show me what I’d be working on. ”
“Seriously? You expect me to believe you didn’t know about the toxin until then?” I scoffed, struggling to believe his story.
Boone shrugged. “I can’t make you believe anything I say.
In fact, you probably shouldn’t believe anything someone in the burrow tells you.
The council knew what would happen if the wolf packs found out about the toxin, so they weren’t willing to risk telling me until they were sure I hadn’t gone to university and run my mouth about the burrow’s business.
When I didn’t stir up trouble, they decided I was trustworthy, and it was time to let me in on their dirty secret. ”
He fell quiet, and the only sound in the room was the soft tapping of his fingers on the keys. Boone was concentrating so hard on his screen that I remained silent. As curious as I was about his backstory, I wanted the documents on the toxin more. My mates were my priority.
After two minutes, he spoke again. “My carefully built plan came crashing down the moment I learned the burrow had created a toxin that could be weaponized. In theory, it could wipe out unsuspecting wolf packs. Not just the paranormal kind, but also the natural predators.”
Boone paused to stick a USB drive into the side of his laptop, then continued.
“The burrow has a toxin that could destroy multiple shifter species and natural fauna, yet they’d done no research into counteracting its effects.
They’d already proven they were willing to use it to kill the wolf shifters they captured.
That’s why I stayed. By remaining here, I have unlimited access to the toxin and the lab equipment I need for my research.
I’ve dedicated my life and freedom to finding an antidote—and then getting it into the hands of the wolf packs. ”
I looked at Boone through different eyes.
This man wasn’t an evil scientist, like I’d assumed everyone in the lab had to be.
Maybe there were a few good people in the burrow after all; rabbit shifters who hadn’t been wooed by their greed and lust. In a way, Boone had been used and trapped, just as I had been before my escape.
As sad as I was for him, this wasn’t the time to let my emotions get the best of me. “So when rabbits are exposed to the toxin, we have a spike of antibodies in our blood. Correct?”
Boone nodded. “Yes, that’s right. Any exposure to the toxin causes it. Through the skin or ingestion.”
I spun the knife in my hand, a nervous habit. “So, what if I go roll in the plants and expose myself to create a spike?”
He hesitated, then shook his head. “It wouldn’t be enough. Your immune system is used to fighting the toxin. So yes, there’d be a spike, but not enough to create the type of antibody load we need if we’re going to save your mates.”
“Okay, what if you inject me directly with the toxin? Instead of a safe dose, give me several vials of the toxin. I don’t care. You could inject me with all of it!”
“No!” Boone spun to face me, his eyes filled with horror. “While a rabbit’s body can tolerate exposure to the toxin and you have some antibodies in your blood, your body wouldn’t be prepared or able to handle an injection of the toxin in its most potent form.”
“But it would cause a spike, right?” I was a bulldog with a bone, one I wasn’t ready to release anytime soon.
“Well, yes…” he reluctantly agreed. “It would cause a massive antibody response. But it would have fatal, or at least near fatal, effects.”
I took less than ten seconds to absorb what he was telling me. It might kill me, but all that mattered was knowing I had a chance to save my mates’ lives if I could get my antibodies to an insanely high amount.
“How long would I have once you’ve injected me?” I asked, moving to stand over his shoulder again.
“It’s not something we’ve studied.” Boone removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “I’m not even sure what a lethal dose of the toxin would be for a rabbit shifter. For all we know, you could be dead within an hour of the injections.”
“I understand. All I want is an educated guess,” I pressed.
He slid his glasses back on and turned to stare up at me.
“If you injected yourself at the levels high enough to make yourself sick and stimulate your immune system, I’d say you had a matter of a few hours before you’re unconscious.
And I don’t know if you’d come out of it, even with medical intervention. ”
A few hours.
I mentally ran through my escape plan and return journey to the hospital. It would be cutting it incredibly close, but I could work with that.
But there was a chance I’d react badly and die before I made it back to the hospital. Which meant I couldn’t risk the information on the toxin dying with me. Regardless of whether I lived or died, the pack needed this information to prepare itself for any future attacks from the burrow.
Moving fast, I press the knife against his neck. “Okay, here’s what you’re going to do. I want every record, every file, every note, every freaking doodle sent to Bradford Hospital’s email.”
“Is the knife really necessary?” he grumbled, typing Bradford Hospital into his search engine.
“Yes, because I’m asking you to breach security, and I can’t risk you fighting me on it.” I glanced down to make sure I wasn’t actually hurting him. “Besides, if anyone reviews the security tape, you’ll have an excuse.”
He mumbled something under his breath, but clicked open the hospital’s website to a page showing the departments and staff. “Alright, who do you want me to send it to?”
Boone scrolled down the page, but I didn’t recognize any of the faces. I racked my brain trying to remember the name the helicopter medical staff had mentioned. “Blaine! Send it to Dr. Blaine!”
“Okay, then.” His fingers blurred across the keyboard as he created a new email and typed a quick note.
“I need you to add a note at the bottom. From me,” I added before he could hit send.
“Alright.” He waited.
I took a deep breath. “To my mates, Fletcher, Copeland, and Linc, I want you to know that no matter what happens, my time spent with you has been the best of my life. To Monroe and Cillian, I’m sorry for the trouble I caused the pack.
Please accept this research as a token of my appreciation and apology.
I hope it’ll help save lives in the future. ”
“Is that all?” Boone asked, moving the cursor to the send button.
“Yes. Did you attach everything?”
“You have a knife to my neck; of course. I attached a zip folder. I also included a private link to a cloud service where I’ve hidden away copies of all the research.”
“Are you allowed to do that?” I asked.
He laughed. “No, of course not. But after giving up my hope for a normal future, I wasn’t going to risk being cut out from my own research if something were to happen or they were to fire me. It’s my insurance policy.”
“Okay.” I nodded. “Send it.”
He sent the email and then slowly turned to me, ignoring the knife mere centimeters from his neck.
“We should probably hurry if you’re intent on doing this.
I’m not positive, but I suspect the council might be monitoring the lab’s computer activity.
If that’s the case, it won’t be long before they realize an email with a large file was sent. ”
“Lead the way.” I pulled the knife away from his neck and stepped behind him.
Not wanting to risk accidentally hurting him, I pressed my fingernail against his lower back, letting him believe the knife was still there as an incentive to not test me. As much as I appreciated his openness, I couldn’t risk him double-crossing me last minute.
He led us down another long hallway toward a glass-enclosed room. “In here.” He jerked his chin toward a door at the far side.
Boone typed in a code to unlock the door, and we stepped inside.
Microscopes and elaborate displays of vials and beakers of every size and shape imaginable lined the walls.
Cool, sterile air that smelled of disinfectant burned my nose.
The scent reminded me of the hospital and the moment I’d turned and walked away from my mates.
For the millionth time, I wondered if they were still alive. They had to be. I’d know if they died, wouldn’t I? The pain of being away from them was bad enough. I was sure their death would be unbearable.
“Sit while I prepare the injections.” Boone motioned toward one of the padded stools.