this with just my blood?”
What was this shit? They gave me all this hope that getting here and giving Leif my blood would kill all the Rage Heads. Aeron hadn’t said a word about Patient Q. He let me think all of this was on me. I would kill him when he got back from murdering things. There would be a lot of murdering going on in Mexico today.
“Your blood gave people with AB negative blood immunity to the Rage Mutation. I think I can not only kill the Rage Heads, but I can also create a vaccine. I can do this, Ariel.”
“Aeron should have told me about Patient Q,” I grumbled.
“Aeron zones out whenever I talk about my research. He was probably on a different planet when I got that far. Are you ready to get to work?”
I looked up, and Leif had slipped a lab coat and goggles on. No one should be allowed to look that sexy in lab wear. He looked like some big, beefy geek, and I was digging it.
And I was ready to find out what was on that fucking flash drive.
Chapter 15
B
efore I could start digging into that flash drive, an absolutely stunning older woman came floating into the lab to hug Leif. She ruffled his black hair like he was her son and not the Horseman of Pestilence. Her gaze fell on me, and she gave me a gentle smile.
“Leif and Aeron talked nonstop about their girlfriend. They were devastated when you went missing. When word got out why, the entire military wanted to help find you. We chipped in how we could until Dice and Asher came. Every hacker in San Quintin was trying to find you until the world went to shit.”
“I hear you’re the one responsible for everyone in this place not turning into a Rage Head.”
“No, no. That was all Leif. He was the one who warned me.”
“You’ve spent time around Leif and Aeron. You know they are special, and they have their gifts, but dealing with politicians isn’t one of them. That was all you.”
“Politicians are easy. What Leif and Aeron do is not.”
I just laughed. I knew exactly how it would go down if you stuck Aeron in a room full of politicians. I was still getting a feel for Leif, but I imagined that that would be just as big of a cluster fuck, but no one would get punched in the face.
“Trust me. You don’t want these guys anywhere near politicians. You don’t want me there either. We’d probably all get banned from Mexico.”
“She’s right, Maria,” Leif said, waving a vial of my blood around like it was a toy. “Everyone has something they are good at. My team works best in the shadows. If you hadn’t done what you did, San Quintin would be crawling with Rage Heads, and it would’ve destroy my lab.”
Maria just blushed and changed the subject. One day I would convince that woman she was a hero and made fantastic salsa.
“Do you need anything?”
“Nothing for me. I have what I need to try to end this. Ariel is quite fond of your cooking.”
“Your salsa and guacamole are better than anything I’ve ever had before.”
Maria perked right up.
“Then, let me get your snacks. You’re too skinny. You were out there too long before Aeron found you. Any requests?”
“I don’t think I’m a picky eater. Surprise me.”
Maria skipped off, and Leif was just grinning at me.
“You realize you just unleashed a monster, right? She will come back with a seven-course meal. There are still politicians in San Quintin running things. Maria thinks her place is in the lab helping now that we are here, but she’s damned good at helping things run smoothly.”
“I’d just let her. She grew up believing there was all this mythology around this lab. Now all of you are here and fucking zombies are everywhere. If she wants to help you instead of passing laws, then that’s what she needs right now. Everyone is handling this shit the best way they know how.”
“Can I say you’re handling your shit pretty well, given everything that’s happened to you?”
I just snorted.
“I guess getting experimented on as a child and what my father did for me just set the stage for my life going to total shit later.”
“Things will get better. I’ve got what I need now, and we still have that White House orgy to look forward to.”
There was nothing in reach to fling at his head that wouldn’t