work to do before they could call it a night. He looked over toward the SWAT team and realized he could use their help after all.
“Wait here a minute.” Xavier walked over to the man in charge, Sergeant Luke Tomlinson.
“You got our officer back, I see.” Tomlinson’s raised eyebrow said he realized Xavier and Sarah were more than just coworkers.
“Safe and sound,” Xavier agreed. “I could use your help, Sergeant. I have an injured man who needs to go with the lady you’ve been looking after for me, back to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. She’s a scientist there and has agreed to watch over my man until he’s recovered.”
“Is he contagious?” Tomlinson looked skeptical.
“Not at the moment, and if Dr. McCormick has anything to say about it, he’ll remain that way. I can’t tell you the exact nature of the threat, but it’s something we have a reasonable handle on. It’s also been offered for sale to terrorists, which makes it a threat to national security.”
“So not anthrax or sarin. Something new.” The man’s face paled, but his expression said he was ready for anything.
“Definitely something new,” Xavier agreed. “Something we can’t let get out. It’s worse than anything that’s come before.”
“And your man was exposed tonight?”
“He was.” Xavier nodded grimly. “But McCormick can take care of him. What I need is to get her and him to Cold Spring Harbor. Can you help with that?”
“I’ll take them myself.” There was no hesitation in his voice, only a willingness to help avert disaster.
Xavier sent Lewis Kauffman along with Sam and Dr. McCormick. Tomlinson was acting as chauffeur. In short order, they were in one of the SWAT vehicles and on their way.
Chapter Thirteen
“What now?” Sarah turned to Xavier. She’d taken a few minutes to go into the police station and call her chief, assuring everyone that she was safe and fit for duty, and then left some instructions for campus security.
“We have to go back to the beach house and make sure we got them all. We also have to tag the remains for the cleanup crew.” He looked tired and worried, which was understandable under the circumstances.
She knew enough not to mention Sam. They both knew he was in trouble, but they were powerless to help. Xavier had already done what he could by administering the serum. The best thing they could do for Sam now was to catch the bastard that had caused all this. She wanted Sellars with a vengeance. The man had kidnapped her and his intentions had been horrific. He’d told her flat out he intended to torture her. The man was truly a monster. Never mind the monsters he created. The real contagion was in his mind, and as far as she was concerned, it had to be stopped by whatever means necessary. If the doctor didn’t walk away from this, she wouldn’t shed a tear.
“I’d like to search the office where I heard Sellars on the phone. He left in a big hurry. He might have left something behind.” Sarah tried hard to focus on the case. They needed a lead to tell them where Sellars had gone.
“Let’s go. We’ll decide where we go next based on what we find at the beach house.” Xavier signaled to the pilot as they got back into the helicopter. Reno fired up the engines as all three donned headsets so they could talk over the noise of the blades. “Reno, I want you to do a sweep and see if you can find Sellars’s trail while Sarah and I take care of the house.”
“Sellars said he had a boat waiting if he needed to get away fast,” Sarah put in. Xavier turned to her, clearly surprised. “I told you he was on the phone. He was talking to someone named Jennings about his plans. He said Krychek had come through with a good location. I assume this Krychek person was the one who set him up in the beach house. He also told Jennings to get in touch with Rodriguez, and that with my blood in his possession, the technology would soon be ready for sale to Zhao.”
Xavier seemed shocked, pleased and worried all at the same time. “We need to get this information back to Commander Sykes and the brass. I bet they’d be interested in those names.” Xavier’s expression turned grave. “This also means others know you’re immune, Sarah. Dammit!” He grit his teeth as he looked away, clearly angry.
“Do you recognize any of