A Shot of Red (23 page)

I’m going to die here.

Her thoughts drifted hazily to the people in Haiti—especially Pearl. How Mia wished she could’ve seen the little girl again.

Given her a better life…

And Lila.

…like a mom to me.
Lila’s blue eyes shimmered in her thoughts, then turned to vivid brown ones.

Gio.

Love him…

Mia closed her eyes, desperate for sleep.

…

Gio stood in the heated area of the Krienseregg gondola station waiting for Mia, a knot in his chest as each of the gondolas approached and passed. The stress of hoping he made it in time—of praying that she was okay—took his mind off the throbbing pain in his ankle and shoulder. The numbing cold would subside eventually, and then he’d hurt like hell.

When he’d fallen from the tower, he’d been about twenty-five feet from the ground and had the luck of landing in a snowdrift that had piled at the base. Even so, the snow had merely broken his fall. He’d landed hard on one foot and tumbled onto his shoulder. Neither of them would be right for a while, but all the pain would be worth it once he saw Mia alive.

After his fall, Gio had gotten his bearings and followed the break in the trees where the cable system ran overhead. He’d been nearly too cold to keep going, and he was becoming disoriented when he’d come upon the Krienseregg gondola station and its nearby restaurant. The station operator had been heading away from the building and Gio caught sight of him through the swirling snow.

“Hey!” he’d yelled, but the sound of his voice got swept away by the wind. The guy kept going. Gio sucked in a scorching-cold breath and bellowed, “Help!”

The guy whipped around, bundled in a big coat and hat, a short beard protecting his face. Gio tried to wave his arms, but pain shot through his shoulder and he only lifted one. The station attendant drew back as if Gio was a ghost.

Gio somehow found the energy to trudge toward him. “There’s someone stranded in one of the gondolas.”

The guy pointed toward the dark sky, thick with hovering clouds and blowing snow. “Up there?”

English. Thank God.

Shivering, Gio closed the distance between them, feeling as if he were being struck by an ax with each step. “Yes. There’s a woman up there. Hurry, man. Get it running, fast.”

The guy looked Gio up and down suspiciously. “How do you know someone’s up there?”

Gio’s temper nearly snapped. “Because I was up there with her.”

“Whoa.” The attendant’s eyes bulged and he tipped his head toward the gondola station. “Let’s go then.”

They went into the station and Gio fought the urge not to fall on his knees when he got into the heated building. The attendant hurried out another door to the gondola access area. Within seconds, the massive system roared to life. Through the glass pane in the door, Gio watched the gondolas arc around the loop, and icy ones enter the station. Guilt tore at his gut. How could he stand in the heat while Mia still suffered in the cold? He stepped outside with the attendant.

The knot in his chest tightened with each empty gondola that came and went. Had Mia decided to try to follow him after all? Panic ripped through him.

Another gondola passed.

Empty.

Gio buried his face in his gloved hands and blew out a harsh breath that warmed his nose. He dragged his gloves below his eyes and kept watching, his heart beating wildly.

The light in the station caught the incoming gondola just right, and her shadow appeared behind the spattered window.

“That’s her!” he yelled to the attendant, who waited for the gondola’s doors to automatically whisk open, then he shut off the system.

Mia was tucked into a ball, the strap of her purse on her shoulder. Gio ducked inside, lifted her into his arms, and quickly limped inside. The attendant followed.

“Gio,” she said softly.

He’d never been happier to hear his name. Reluctant to let her go, he sat her on a chair in the small waiting area and kissed her softly, her lips cold against his. “Are you okay?” he asked and took the seat beside her.

“Freezing.” She kept her arms crossed over her body and stayed in a bent position, her feet on the floor.

“Can you crank the heat in here?” Gio asked the attendant, whose eyes were still wide. He was younger than Gio had thought when he’d first seen him outside.

“Sure.” He hurried over to a thermostat, unlocked the plexiglass cover over it, and turned up the temperature. “I’m really sorry about this.” He shook his head. “I swear I got the all-clear from the Fräkmüntegg station.”

“I don’t doubt that,” Gio said. “But I’d rather not say why. I’d imagine a couple of you guys could lose your jobs over this, but we don’t want that to happen.”

The attendant raised his eyebrows as if that was the last thing he’d expected to hear.

“We can keep this between us.” Gio took off his gloves. “Because we don’t want any undue attention, and you probably don’t want to have to fight for your job. I think we can work something out.” He leaned down, took Mia’s boots off of her, and then his own. Their feet would warm faster without them on.

“Sounds good,” the attendant said skeptically.

“First,” Gio said, “what’s your name?”

“Stephen.”

“Thanks for your help, Stephen. Do you have any blankets around here?”

“I’ll get you some.” He headed off down a short corridor, opened a door, and quickly came back carrying a stack of wool blankets.

Gio took them from him, still functioning in emergency mode. “Can you take your coat off?” he asked Mia. He could do it for her, but he wanted her to do it if she could.

She nodded once and slowly unzipped her coat.

“How about something hot to drink?” Gio asked Stephen.

“Not in here, but maybe at the restaurant,” he said. “I think they’re still closing up.”

“Could you see if we can get some hot chocolate? A lot of it?”

Stephen nodded and turned to leave.

“Act like it’s for you, okay?” Gio asked.

Stephen turned around and shifted his gaze from Gio to Mia. “Got it.”

As soon as he was out the door, Gio leaned over and traced his fingertips down Mia’s cheek and met her weak gaze. “We’re going to be okay.” The tug at the corner of her mouth wrenched his heart. They’d made it through this, but there were nastier battles ahead of them. “And we’re going to be on that plane in the morning.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Mia’s heart stuttered when she saw Claude waiting with the hired drivers at Dulles airport in Northern Virginia. Her thoughts flashed back to the day he’d picked her up when she’d returned from Haiti.

So much had happened since then. So much had changed.

Too many people had died.

Gio rested his hand at the small of her back, seeming reluctant to have her far from his touch ever since he’d lifted her out of the gondola last night. As soon as they’d gotten reasonably warm, Stephen had taken them back to Lucerne in his four-wheel-drive truck. They’d paid him a hefty sum for his trouble—but mostly for his silence. Eager to get out of the country before their would-be murderer realized they hadn’t frozen to death, Mia and Gio checked out of the hotel, took the train to Zurich, and spent the night in a hotel near the airport. They’d been sore, wrung out, and exhausted, but focused on recovering and getting back to the States.

Once they’d settled in bed for the night, Mia had shown Gio the video she made when she was stranded in the gondola. As it had played, he’d narrowed his eyes and set his jaw. He’d remained quiet and pensive for a long time after watching it. Mia had let the silence stretch, waiting.

“Did you send that to Lila?” he’d finally asked.

Lying beneath a pile of blankets and propped against some pillows, she nodded ruefully, wishing she were back in the States by Lila’s side. She pulled the covers more tightly around her and nestled closer to Gio, taking comfort in his warmth.

He furrowed his brow.

“What?” she asked.

“Just the irony of it all,” he said in a strained voice. “I was blinded by the idea of helping you—and your grandmother. I didn’t think it could possibly lead to anything like this. If you’re right about the vaccine, I’ve been working for a monster.”

Mia wished she could be offended that he’d called her mother a monster, but if the scheme she suspected was true, he hadn’t been vicious enough with the name-calling. “And you’re seemingly out of a job,” she said gently.

He shrugged and kissed her forehead. “Probably would’ve been anyway.”

Mia’s heart sank at the sadness in his tone. He’d worked so hard to get to his position on her mother’s staff, and he’d likely sacrificed it for her. “I never meant—”

“Shh…” Gio pressed his finger to her lips. “I can get another job.”

Mia couldn’t imagine what she had done to deserve him. “I’ll try to keep you out of all of this as much as I can.”

He tucked her hair behind her ear and whispered, “I’m all the way in already.”

As Mia and Gio neared Claude at the airport exit, Claude turned and caught Mia’s gaze. Tears welled in her eyes, and she struggled to blink them back.

Claude stepped away from the gathering of drivers, his eyes shimmering, too. He hugged Mia tightly and held her close longer than he ever had before. “Lila and I are so glad you’re home.” He released her and shook Gio’s hand, wrapping his arm around Gio’s broad back. “Thank you for taking care of her.”

Gio nodded humbly.

“Is Lila in the car?” Mia couldn’t wait to see her. She needed the security of the steady force that Lila was in her life. She swallowed hard before she asked the dreaded question. “Has she been feeling all right?”

Claude narrowed his perceptive gaze on her. “She’s been worried about you two, and stressed over the situation with the vaccine and the epidemic. Other than that, I’d say she’s okay.”

Relief pulsed quickly through Mia. Because during the One Shot campaign press conference, the surgeon general had vaccinated Lila using a red-coded syringe.

…

Lila had planned a late dinner at the Congressional Country Club, reserving a table in the far corner of the dining room. Mia had arrived just in time after hurrying home from the airport, showering, and taking extra time with her makeup—trying to cover the healing scrapes along her jaw. Gio had headed home, too, and she missed him every minute they were apart. But they had to keep their relationship in the shadows right now.

“It’s nice to have everyone well again.” Mia’s mother glanced at her, then at Gio, who sat across the table, the stress showing on her face.

Richard, who sat next to her, nodded.

Matthew chewed his steak.

“Thank God it wasn’t worse,” Lila said. Claude squeezed her hand.

“We missed you in L.A.,” Ellen said to Mia. “Dr. Ogden and I were so worried about you.”

“It was totally my fault that I didn’t make it there,” Mia said. “I should’ve gotten a flu shot.” She shrugged weakly. “There I was, out there pushing other people to get theirs, and I didn’t even get one myself. With this out-of-control epidemic, things could’ve turned out a lot different.”

“I’m guilty, too,” Gio said. “Even after Senator Moncure and Secretary Dartmouth encouraged me to get a shot, I didn’t.”

“Did you get yours, Ellen?” Lila asked.

“Yes, ma’am. The day they were giving them at work. You got yours then too, didn’t you Matthew?”

Matthew nodded.

“Good.” Mia gave her twin a pointed look. “I’d hate for you to have to go through what I did.” Scenes of the terror she’d endured in Switzerland flashed in her mind.

“No doubt,” Gio said.

“What about you, Catherine?” Lila asked. “And Richard? You two should’ve gotten your shots when I got mine during the launch press conference—set an example for people.”

Richard frowned. “We’ve had bigger things to worry about. Damn virus turned epidemic on us. People are dying. The press is down our throats.”

“That’s what I thought,” Mia said. “The stress of it has to be overwhelming, and that can totally wreck your immune system.” She lowered her eyebrows and shook her head. “I’ve been so worried. I can’t risk having either of you get sick…or worse.” She reached into the tote on the floor by her chair and pulled out a small thermal envelope. “Please, let’s take care of this right now so everyone can have peace of mind.”

Mia opened the envelope and emptied the contents onto the white tablecloth. Two red-coded syringes filled with vaccine, and two alcohol wipes in foil packets.

Both her mother’s and Richard’s eyes widened. Matthew stopped chewing in the middle of a mouthful.

“What?” Mia asked. “I gave plenty of shots in Haiti. I’m happy to give two more here.”

“How thoughtful of you,” her mother said, a tight, fake smile on her face. “But Richard was speaking for himself. I’ve already had my shot.”

Mia’s stomach lurched. Her mother appeared all too willing to sacrifice Richard to a tainted vaccine that could kill him, for all she knew.

Richard’s eyes sparked with anger. “No, you haven’t,” he said sharply, glaring at Mia’s mother.

She faced him. “Just today, actually.”

“Then let’s get you taken care of, Richard.” Mia picked up one of the syringes and an alcohol wipe. “It’ll only take a second.”

Richard grimaced. “Don’t be ridiculous. We’re in the dining room at Congressional Country Club.” He made a grand sweeping gesture as he was prone to do at press conferences. “What you’re suggesting is totally inappropriate.”

Mia scrunched her nose. “You know, you’re right. We should step out into the hallway. Or maybe into the private bathroom.” She stood. Syringe in hand, she removed the cap from the needle.

“You’re making a scene.” Matthew scowled.

Lila aimed a lethal gaze at him. “She’s trying to save his life.”

Richard jerked his head toward Lila. “I’ll worry about my—”

Mia quickly thrust the needle into Richard’s arm—through his jacket and shirt—depressed the red plunger, then withdrew the syringe in a blur.

“Aggghh!” Richard jumped to his feet, clutching his upper arm over the injection site.

Mia’s mother sprang from her seat. “Jesus, Mia! What have you done to him?”

Mia backed away from them, and Gio hurried to her side.

Richard breathed heavily, his eyes bulging. “I need to get to a hospital.”

“Matthew, call 911,” Mia’s mother said, glaring at the other diners who stared and whispered behind their white napkins.

“Why the panic?” Lila asked. “No one seemed worried when I got my vaccine.”

Richard snarled. “Because—”

“Shut up, Richard,” Matthew said loudly.

People in the dining room chattered. Ellen—who probably had no clue what was going on—sat at the table looking stunned.

Claude stood. “Don’t call 911, Matthew. There are some people here from the FBI who’ll take Richard to the hospital.”

Several men in dark suits entered the dining room and came to the table. Claude grasped Lila’s elbow as she came to her feet, her chin tipped up, eyes narrowed.

“You and Matthew can go with them,” Lila said to Mia’s mother, who had backed into the corner—typically trying to separate herself from the spectacle. “The doctors will be interested to hear why Richard is having such an intense reaction to being vaccinated. If something unfortunate happens—” Lila let her words settle. “You can explain why.”

Richard squeezed his eyes closed and moaned. Mia’s mother and Matthew shared a serious look as FBI agents approached each of them. Another positioned himself behind Richard.

“I implore you to leave quietly and cooperate with the FBI.” Lila leveled a scathing glare on Mia’s mother, shifted it to Matthew, then to Richard. “You’ve already brought enough shame on this family.”

Mia’s heart ached for Lila, and all the other people who’d lost loved ones because of Moncure’s tainted vaccine. The full weight of Mia’s grief settled on her as agents escorted out her mother, Matthew, and Richard. As he passed, Richard shot an angry look at Mia and pointed a shaky finger at her. “I’ll press charges against you, I swear.”

Mia shuddered. Gio held her protectively as she trembled. She’d never imagined things unfolding like this. From tragic beginning to bitter end—none of it.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

In the early-morning hours, Gio unlocked the front door of his Capitol Hill town house and led Mia inside.

Secretary Dartmouth was under FBI surveillance at the hospital. Mia had injected him with inactive saline solution—Lila having provided the filled, red-plunger syringes—so his health had never been at risk. But Gio had no doubt that the FBI had leveraged Richard’s fear to get all the useful information they could for their investigation.

The FBI also had custody of Senator Moncure and Matthew. Their investigation would unravel the truth, but early indications were that Mia’s suspicions were close to the mark. Evidently, from what Lila had shared from the FBI, Secretary Dartmouth and Senator Moncure had been involved in a covert U.S. government plot to intentionally taint a million vaccines. Matthew had been their connection at Moncure Therapeutics, and with the help of Thomas Sorensen and Katia Glasser, had facilitated production of the tainted vaccines. The biggest question remaining was why.

International authorities had arrested Thomas Sorensen and Katia Glasser, and Lila had issued a recall on all of the red-coded vaccine produced by Moncure Therapeutics. Whether the company could survive the coming storm was something only time would tell.

Gio immediately took Mia in his arms, holding her tight despite the pain in his shoulder.

“So many people are dead,” she said. “And for what?”

“That’ll come out with the rest of the horrible truth.”

After a moment, he brushed a kiss on her forehead. “You’re exhausted. Let’s go to bed. We might have nightmares, but we’ll sleep safe tonight.”

Finally.

He led her upstairs to his bedroom, still stunned by everything that had happened. Here in the comfort of his home, it all seemed too surreal to believe. He could only imagine what lay ahead of him at work considering Senator Moncure’s involvement with the vaccine scheme—or if he’d even have a job. But now wasn’t the time to speculate on that. He needed sleep—and a lot of it—with Mia safely by his side.

They took off their clothes and, despite his exhaustion, Gio was captivated by watching Mia undress. He knew he’d never get tired of looking at her.

He turned off the overhead light, but the room remained hazily lit by the streetlights outside. When Mia had undressed down to her tiny, lacy pale-green panties and matching bra, she walked over to him, her long legs tapering sexily to her bare feet. Gio’s pulse picked up pace.

Mia smoothed her fingertips from his shoulders to his pecs, and he instinctively flexed beneath her touch. She curiously traced her way over to his arm and near the gauze that covered his graze wound. Leaning over, she lightly kissed his biceps. She took his hand and brought it to her face, pressed his palm to her cheek, and closed her eyes.

God, she was beautiful.

He never could’ve fathomed the path that had led them together, but despite all the fear and evil, here they were. At least there was that. And that was enough. The rest, they’d work through in time.

Mia opened her eyes, kept hold of his hand, and led him over to the bed. Gio swept his gaze down her slender back and lingered lower. A view like that could keep him from sleeping for a long while.

She leaned over and propped a pillow against the headboard, her tiny lace panties stretching seductively over her curves. Gio’s cock stiffened. She turned back to him, the view from the front just as provocative, and the result more of the same. He looked at her with fire in his eyes.

Her gaze settled on his boxer briefs, and she lifted her chin just slightly, seeming pleased by what she saw. She slid her fingers beneath the waistband of the briefs, pushed them down, and Gio’s erection sprung free. He stepped out of the briefs and leaned in to kiss her, but she backed away from his reach.

“Sit down.” She gestured to the bed and Gio did as she’d asked. What sane man could say no to her? She slowly peeled off her panties and unhooked her bra, seductively smoothing the straps down her arms and dropping it on the floor near his briefs.

Gio watched, mesmerized, his breathing shallow.