Passionate Vengeance (10 page)

Kimber had tilted her head towards Abby, clearly puzzled, though she continued to drive.

“Dr Morrison, this is Abby, what can I do for you?” Abigail wondered for a moment if the doctor had spent the entire night working in the lab. She felt a bit bad at the thought.

“I have your results here, are you still in the building? I tried calling Sloan’s desk but only got his voicemail.”

Dr Morrison’s words had her stomach tightening. In a flash Abby knew she didn’t really want to know if there was something wrong with her after all.

For the first time in years she felt content, as if she were exactly where she was meant to be. It didn’t matter her feelings for Lucas were brand-new, they were important to her and he was quickly becoming her entire world. If some useless medical reports were going to tear that world apart she wasn’t certain she wanted to know it at all.

Abigail licked her lips and cast a glance at Kimber, who stared firmly ahead at the road and tried to pretend she couldn’t hear what went on. Abigail sighed. No matter how deeply she thrust her head in the proverbial sand it wouldn’t make anything bad go away. She didn’t believe Lucas would leave her if Dr Morrison had bad news for her, but she had also promised herself not many hours ago she would no longer act cowardly or let things beyond her control affect her actions.

She might as well hear what the doctor had to say, listen to his advice and make her own decisions, preferably after a private talk with Lucas, if it came to that.

“Kimber, Tristan, Lucas and I are en route to hopefully collect Dr Harper,” she explained. “I’m grateful you obviously stayed through the night to get these results promptly, Dr Morrison. That means a lot to me.”

“I’d have done the same for anyone in these circumstances,” the doctor replied gruffly.

Abigail smiled. She genuinely liked the elderly man.

“I still truly appreciate it. Now, please, give me the news before I have a heart attack because my imagination is running overtime.”

“Actually there isn’t anything for you to get upset about,” Morrison replied. She heard papers rustling on his end of the phone. “We found no significant evidence of the various diseases Kimber warned us about, though a few of the less common natural bacteria one finds in the human body were found in higher levels than I would expect. Also your white blood cell count is extremely high—but that could indicate you had recently fought off anything as minor as a cold or as serious as influenza. It’s impossible to tell.”

“So what does that mean?” Abigail glanced outside the window and tried to assemble her thoughts and grasp the deeper meaning.

“At face value, my dear, it means you’re perfectly healthy.”

Abigail wrinkled her nose.

“And underneath that?”

“I’d hate to postulate,” Morrison hedged.

“Then just between you and me? Not in an official report.”

Morrison was silent for a moment. She heard the sound of a door closing and his chair squeak as he presumably sat back down.

“Privately, Abigail, I would think only one of a few things could have occurred. Either Dr Harper’s vaccine did indeed boost your immune system and cause your body to overcome a range of pathogens that we believe killed those other people. Or possibly you simply have a very strong, robust and natural immunity to most diseases—some people do, you know. Or a far more remote possibility is that Kimberly’s sample was contaminated, or a mix up or other form of error occurred on the initial testing.”

“Okay,” she replied slowly as she thought it through. Abigail now understood why Dr Morrison was not keen to express his thoughts too loudly as yet. It could be potentially explosive, and for her at least, life altering.

“What will you do now?” she asked.

“You said you were en route to find Dr Harper?” Morrison asked.

Abigail agreed.

“Then I believe I will lock these results away in my private drawer, grab a few hours’ sleep and see how events unfold. There’s no need for me to make my report or a recommendation immediately. Indeed, no one here even knows I’ve completed the tests.”

Without clearly stating so, Abigail gathered what the doctor offered her. He gave the four of them time. They could hopefully find Harper, get him in custody. If they could make him explain what he had done, perhaps even why and what he’d wanted to achieve it could answer their questions.

Morrison appeared as if he were willing to give them space and make a plan of action. She grinned, relieved and grateful for his flexibility.

“That would be fantastic, thank you. I promise to call you back when we have some answers to share. Will you be available on this number?”

“Certainly. Good luck, Abigail.”

“Thank you very much, Dr Morrison.”

Abigail disconnected the phone, feeling a lot lighter than she had in a while. The weight she’d been carrying unconsciously since learning of Harper’s experiments on her and their devastating consequences to his other ‘patients’ had not evaporated completely. There was still a lot she didn’t understand.

“Is everything all right?” Kimber asked tentatively.

Abigail took a deep breath. She pushed her phone back in her pocket.

“Dr Morrison didn’t find anything wrong with me,” she replied.

Kimber remained silent, clearly thinking this information through.

“Well, that’s good news then?” Kimber finally said, a lilt at the end of her sentence clearly making the statement a question.

Abigail nibbled on her lower lip before she consciously stopped the nervous gesture.

“I feel perfectly fine. If Dr Morrison says there’s nothing showing up in my blood work, that’s what I should focus on, right?”

“Definitely,” Kimber agreed.

They drove in silence, both seeming lost in their own thoughts.

“Should I be worried?” Abby heard herself say, despite her desire to leave it and change the topic.

They paused at a light and Kimber seemed to study her a minute.

When the light changed they continued and Kimber replied, “I guess that depends on what you want to do. Are you interested in starting some legitimate research into what effect the vaccine has had on you? You need to think carefully about that, because once the door’s open you can’t close it again.”

“I might not have a choice,” Abby pointed out. “Harper’s research is out there, we have no real idea of whether he’s spread it around, or got silent partners, or even if he’s stashed his notes and samples in a dozen different places.”

Her tone rose as she became stressed at the number of aspects she didn’t have control over. Abigail paused to take a deep breath.

“Let’s try this instead,” Kimber urged in a soothing tone. “With what we have now, ignoring all the things Dr Harper might or might not have done, what do you want?”

“I’d move on with my life,” she replied simply. “I want to explore a relationship with Lucas, lead a normal existence. I don’t want people poking and prodding me, testing vaccinations out on me or analysing my blood or immune system for years on end.”

“I doubt any laboratory would get official permission to do so,” Kimber said. “But if that’s what you want, then you should aim for it.”

“Act if it’s the truth and that will convince everyone it is?” Abigail replied with a wry humour.

“It can’t hurt, especially for now.”

“I’ll need to deal with Harper and his notes, studies and who knows what else rather soon though, won’t I?”

“I’m not so sure. Lucas seems utterly smitten with you, and Tristan values him as a partner,” Kimberly confided. “You might find the men will figure out a way to protect you.”

“Dr Morrison has already helped in that respect. He’s not going to write up his report until we’ve spoken with Dr Harper.”

“It will work out,” Kimber insisted optimistically.

Abigail smiled, though it felt lacklustre at best.

Chapter Six

Lucas and Tristan had discussed at length in the car whether they would use stealth to enter Dr Harper’s residence or just crash in with guns blazing. Back and forth they had debated the pros and cons of each attempt, frequently playing the devil’s advocate merely to flesh out each possible scenario.

Eventually they had agreed to remain discreet and keep a low profile out in the street, but break down any doors and barriers to gain admittance to and within the house. Lucas worried they had both avoided the topic of what to do with what they would find. He had been about to raise the topic as they parked, but the girls were right behind them and the moment had been lost.

“We need you girls to stay back here with the cars no matter what,” Lucas said, giving Abby a hard look.

“I don’t like the way that sounds,” Kimber protested.

Tristan touched her shoulder.

“You promised to stay out of the way,” he reminded her. “Harper is only a dozen houses down this street. If we park any closer he’ll see us and we will lose the element of surprise.”

“We have to get moving or the street will fill up. Everyone will be leaving for work shortly, so our window of opportunity is getting narrow. Please, Abby, Kimber, just stay in the car,” Lucas requested.

Both girls agreed and climbed back into their car, though Lucas noticed they both craned their necks to catch sight of the house he had indicated.

“Ready?” he asked Tristan.

His partner nodded.

Both men crossed the street and walked at a normal pace towards Dr Harper’s mother’s house. As they got closer Lucas counted ahead and saw its front garden was overgrown with dead and dying weeds, the door and frame dilapidated and painted a faded blue.

“The blue one,” Tristan said, clearly echoing his thoughts.

“Got it,” Lucas replied as they walked. “Should we circle around and see if there’s a back entrance, or just go straight through the front?”

“I haven’t seen a single person out on the street as yet,” Tristan spoke quickly—they were only a few doors away from their target. “You’d think at this hour people would be walking the dog or going for a run, it’s an hour past dawn. We’ll gather more attention from coming back so soon, there’s not exactly a crowd to blend into.”

“Agreed,” Lucas replied. “I say we take our chances with breaking down the door. If we do it with one hit, smooth, quick and close it behind us it could be a few minutes before anyone works out what we’ve done.”

“Hell, if we do it like that people might not notice at all. It’s too early for the neighbours to be in the front of their homes, close enough to hear and be peeking out of the curtains. We should both shoulder it open together and to hell with what the neighbours might hear.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Lucas agreed as without missing a beat they both ascended the stairs.

As if choreographed they continued to walk at a steady pace directly up to the front door and with a simultaneous “Three” they forced their weight behind their shoulders, the splintering crack of wood the only sound rending the air.

Lucas felt a dull ache in his shoulder but he easily pushed it aside to focus on the task at hand. Tristan entered the hallway first, Lucas following. They pulled their guns out. Lucas grunted as he shoved the door back into its place as best he could. Tristan held up a hand, his head cocked.

Understanding, Lucas listened carefully.

There was no sound at all.

“The nurse said basement laboratory,” Lucas murmured. “Do you think she meant literally or figuratively?”

Tristan looked up the stairs leading towards the second floor. They both moved their heads, the motion almost simultaneous as they continually scanned their surroundings, listening intently. Tristan stalked out along the hall leading farther back into the house.

“We don’t have back up,” Tristan spoke equally softly. “It would suck to have him ambush us from behind. We do this by the book, together. Clear and sweep each room in sequential order, top to bottom.”

Lucas sucked in a deep breath, his nerves on edge. Adrenaline spiked through his body as they silently climbed upwards, guns drawn. They paused once again to listen carefully at the top of the stairs. Lucas could clearly see the three bedrooms and tiny bathroom that filled the first floor.

With silent gestures Tristan indicated he’d take the two on the right-hand side, Lucas was to take the left. Grateful for the carpet that masked their footsteps, Lucas swung left and carefully walked to the open bedroom door. In quick, crisp moves he pressed his back against the wall, swinging into the room gun first.

He briefly scanned across the empty room, taking in all the hidey-holes a person could fit within. Lucas strode quickly into the area and walked clockwise around it, pushing back curtains, opening the closet and checking under the bed.

Satisfied Harper wasn’t present, Lucas left. Repeating the process for the tiny bathroom Lucas checked the area carefully. Not finding anything, he then went to meet Tristan back in the hallway. He indicated with a jerk of his head that they should go back downstairs. The two men silently went back to the ground floor.

Feeling on edge, Lucas trailed Tristan from room to room, sequentially checking every square inch of the house. As if by mutual agreement they left the kitchen—and its doorway down into the cellar—until last. Lucas glanced at his watch when they entered their final room and noticed it had taken them less than five minutes to clear the house.

It felt like an eternity. Impatience knotted his gut and a fine sheen of sweat coated his back. Electric energy hummed through his body and Lucas knew his senses had heightened the farther they’d progressed. They were now razor sharp. Attempting to calm his skyrocketing heart rate he breathed deeply, calmly. It didn’t quell the jitters of his excitement. He knew this last step was the most crucial. Either they’d find Harper or not—but as always before he crashed through an unknown door, Lucas knew the next few minutes could be his last. It had always affected him deeply, but now he’d found Abigail he realised he had something to come back in one piece for.

It felt wonderful but terrifying at the same time. His actions had always been his own, the only influence he’d worried about was how he’d felt. With shock he understood now he cared about Abigail and how his actions would influence her, how she would react to something he chose to do.