WAR: Intrusion by Vanessa Kier Read Free Book Online

primary school. On second thought, she hoped there was a tree down across the road. She’d ask MacKay to move it, then when the road was clear leave him behind.
    “That’s an evil smile you have on your face, doctor.” MacKay commented as he slipped into the passenger seat.
    “Of course it is,” she said sweetly. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, but didn’t elaborate. Instead, she returned her attention to backing the SUV out of the driveway.
    Unfortunately, the road to the school proved to be stubbornly debris-free. And just as she’d expected, MacKay didn’t wait long before he started interrogating her again.
    “Tell me about this loan.”
    She hadn’t thought of any reasonable lie, so she tried one more time to stall. “Why should I? It’s clear you’re going to tell your boss we’re a bad bet no matter what I say.”
    “That’s right. But if there’s a reasonable explanation, then maybe I won’t see to it that the other investors learn about the loan.”
    Her stomach sank. “You’d do that? Why?”
    “It would be their fault for not performing their own due diligence. Unless there’s an overwhelming safety issue, it’s not my job to safeguard their money.”
    How much should she tell him? She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel, then sighed. She supposed she should give a full confession. She wasn’t a very skilled liar, and with his intelligence, MacKay had probably already done enough research to have found out the basics. “You know the history of this clinic?”
    “Yes. Another organization built a clinic closer to the hospital at the regional capital, but abandoned it during the first energy crisis.”
    “That’s right. Without electricity, they couldn’t keep their vaccines and medicines cool.”
    “The clinic’s building was eventually bought by a business cooperative,” Lachlan continued. “They turned it into a business training facility and a storefront for local crafts, aye?”
    “Yes. Several of the local villagers sell their cloth and statues through the cooperative, which has recently expanded into international markets. You may have noticed their works decorating my waiting room.”
    Lachlan gave a grunt of acknowledgment.
    “Anyway, the government finally built a power station to provide electricity and running water to this region. The promise of stable utilities was one of the selling points when Layla’s Foundation built my clinic about a year ago.”
    Lachlan nodded. “I passed the solar panels and windmills on my way in.”
    “The Foundation poured a lot of money into making the clinic as high-tech as the physical environment allows. We can’t perform major surgery, but now that my final shipment of equipment has arrived, we’ll be able to handle all other levels of care, including most lab work.” Helen heard the pride in her voice and fought to keep a rueful smile off her face. She’d been furious when Gloria had pulled her off her last assignment at a trauma center. But Helen and several other staff members had just provided evidence that resulted in a local doctor at the trauma center being fired for illegal activities. Supporters of the doctor had cried foul, then a reporter had started raising questions about Helen’s reliability given the deaths her mother had caused. Fearing for the reputation of Layla’s Foundation, Gloria had decided to temporarily relocate Helen.
    During her first three weeks at the clinic, Helen had felt as resentful as she had when, as a thirteen-year-old, her father had uprooted them both and moved them to a remote part of West Africa not far from here. But the warmth of the villagers, combined with their genuine need for adequate medical care, had won her over. She hadn’t given up her desire to return to working as a trauma surgeon, but she’d found herself surprisingly content.
    “What happened?” MacKay prompted.
    Helen’s fingers tightened on the wheel. “Two months ago, the clinic was