Cough by Jacqueline Druga Read Free Book Online Page A

after that, we issue an APB and terror alert.”

ELEVEN – RESPONSIBILITY
     

San Antonio, Texas
June 25
     
    “Come on, Emir, answer.” Charles said as he drove frantically with Conrad ‘Stokes’ Pletcher as his front seat passenger.
    “Seven minutes, Doc.”
    “I didn’t think we’d hit this much traffic.”
    “Not my problem. Where are we going?”
    “His apartment.”
    “You really think he went there?”
    “I do.”
    Stokes chuckled. Why are you so convinced this Emir is innocent? He sure went through a lot of trouble to be inconspicuous about taking that bug.”
    “It’s just not Emir. He wouldn’t …” Charles stopped talking when the phone rang. He looked down to the caller ID. “It’s him.” He lifted it and answered. “Emir, where are you?”
    “I left work, I was ill. I’m sorry I should have told you. It must be some sort of stomach bug.”
    “Emir, listen. There was …”
    “I have to go. I’ll talk to you soon.”
    “Emir…”
    Click.
    “Damn it,” Charles slammed down the phone.
    “Told you.”
    Just as Stokes spoke those words, Charles pulled into the parking lot of Emir’s apartment complex. Sure enough, Emir was placing something in his back hatch.
    “Son of a bitch. Pull up and block him. Hurry.”
    Charles did as instructed and Emir saw them. Hurriedly, looking panicked, he shut the hatch at the same time Stokes jumped from Charles’ car.
    “Hold it!” Stokes hollered, extended his pistol. “Hands in the air.”
    “What ..." Emir looked at Charles. “Why is our maintenance man pointing a gun at me?”
    “Because I am a federal agent. Conrad Stockmen. And you are under arrest …”
    “Emir,” Charles interrupted. “Why did you take it?”
    “Take what?”
    “Don’t lie to me!” Charles blasted. “Why did you take EC175? We saw you.”
    “I must warn you,” Stokes said. “Anything you say can and will be used in a …”
    “I don’t care,” Emir said. “It’s out. Some way, somehow. Even if it is only a few cases, we need to get rid of it. Destroy it.”
    “Emir,” Charles said softly. “We don’t know…”
    “I do. A man died in his apartment in London. Another in Paris. Same way. Someone started it and we can’t chance what we have, getting out.”
    Stokes sighed out. “This is not your call. You’re already in trouble for having this. All of you. Stealing it isn’t the answer.”
    “Are you sure about that?” Emir asked. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t want this virus in anyone’s hands but mine. When Charles and I had it, I knew it would never hurt a soul. As long as we controlled it, it was in control. I trust no one but us.”
    “A little late,” Charles said. “Beutel took a sample.”
    “Wait. Wait. What?” Stokes asked.
    “Someone not doing their job?” Charles questioned. “Yeah, Aldus took a sample back to his lab in Germany because he worried we were going to get rid of it. He sees our inoculation as a potential windfall.”
    “So you can’t destroy it all.” Stokes said.
    “I thought of that, I have been trying to reach their lab. We know people there. Once they see the virus they hold in secret could be out, could get them in trouble," Emir said. “They’ll get rid of it. But right now …” He looked at Stokes. “I beg of you, let me go. I’m taking it to our Nevada facility to destroy. Driving it there. You already made one error with Aldus, pretend I’m another.”
    “I can’t do that. I don’t know for sure you’re destroying it.”
    Charles jumped in. “We follow him. We go behind him. If you have to call it in, wait, call it in and say you have a lead. They don’t even know we have it.”
    Stokes exhaled. “Only because I know what this could do … fine go. But do not, I repeat, do not get rid of that antidote. Or did you take that too?” he asked Emir.
    “I have a case of it.”
    “Give it to us. We’ll carry that.” Emir nodded and raced back to the hatch of the vehicle, he