Red Zone (Red Zone 1)

“I must insist that you listen, Madam President,” Leon Masters, the lead research scientist at Jang Pharmaceutical said.

“I am listening.” Sandrine stared at the man coldly. “And I disagree. The antiviral will go into production as planned.”

“But the side effects.” The man pointed to the data pad in his hand. “They can cause long-term damage. You have to see that the good the medication can do does not outweigh the possible repercussions of taking it. We need more time in the lab. With more research, I’m sure we can come up with a way to minimize the risks associated with taking the pills.”

“No.” She folded her hands on the desk. “We stick to the scheduled release date. You are free to continue your research, but the medication will still be launched as planned. The risks are negligible compared to the financial benefits. We’ve already advertised this medication. If we don’t release it on time, we will lose the confidence of our customers.”

“If you release it early you risk more than customer confidence. You risk lives!” The little man waved his arm so fervently that he knocked over a potted plant sitting on the corner of her desk.

His face turned purple as he looked at the mess.

Sandrine arched her eyebrow coolly. “We release as planned.” She stood and leaned over the desk toward him. “And do not forget you signed a confidentiality agreement.”

“No, Madam President, of course.” He backed away from her, eyes down, running for the door while Sandrine smiled smugly at his back.

“Our stock is plummeting,” Angela said, pulling her attention from the covertly recorded meeting.

Of course it was. Sandrine eyed Serge. At least he wasn’t crowing over her problems. “You have to excuse me. I need to head back to Australia. There’s some damage control that must be done.”

“Of course.” He nodded, placed the empty glass on the table beside him, and headed for the door, winking at Angela as he did so and making her blush like a teenage girl. Before he closed the door behind him, Serge looked back at Sandrine. “Still think Miriam doesn’t know about your plan?”

With that, he closed the door softly. Sandrine glared at her assistant. “Who released the file?”

There was no point in asking who’d filmed it. It had clearly been Ju-Long.

“We don’t know, Madam President.” Angela spoke to her feet. “But the location of the file was traced to New York.” She glanced up and swallowed hard. “To the CommTECH building.”

Sandrine clenched her teeth. It wasn’t conclusive evidence, but it was just enough of a hint to let her know who was behind the leaked video. It was a message. Pure and simple. Miriam Shepherd somehow knew about Sandrine’s interference, and by releasing this footage, she’d issued an order to cease and desist. Which Sandrine had no choice but to follow.

For now.

Chapter Thirty

No!

Striker staggered back a step at the sight before him.

NO!

Fires still smoldered among the rubble. Emergency services pulled bodies out of the mess. Nothing of the clinic remained. The antidote was gone.

Gone.

No. He gave a furious shake of his head. This couldn’t be their only option. He looked at his watch. They still had eighteen hours left. More than enough time to get to another clinic.

He spun to Friday. She was stunned reactionless again. Just as she had been when he’d first revealed his other nature. She stared blankly at the bombsite, her face expressionless. She didn’t move. She barely blinked, her big brain working overtime to process the disaster in front of her.

He stepped into her view, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Friday.”

No reaction. They didn’t have time for this. He growled low in his throat and pressed his lips savagely to hers, ending the kiss with a reprimanding bite on her bottom lip.

“That hurt.” Shaky fingers covered her lips as her dazed eyes morphed into glaring ones.

Better. That was better. “We need a backup option. Where’s the nearest clinic that stocks the Interferan-X antidote?”

She blinked up at him, and he saw the bleakness in her eyes. She was defeated, giving up. He wouldn’t allow it. Not now. Not ever. Not her.

“Where?” He squeezed her shoulders.