Tainted Cure (The Rememdium Series Book 1) (7 page)

Regina smiled as she adjusted the vest underneath her uniform. The sounds of banter between Reed and Jesse in the living room was glorious. Reed was doing his best to convince his niece he was a better shot than Regina, and Jesse was having none of it.

“I’ve been to the shooting range with Mom so many times, I’ve lost count. She outshoots any and all competitors every time. Women have a steadier hand, plain and simple. She’d whoop your ass.”

“Care to put your money where your smart-assed mouth is?”

“Name the time and place. I have every confidence in Mom.”

Shaking her head, Regina veered off into the kitchen to fix a cup of coffee before heading to the station. After dousing the cup with more creamer than coffee, she joined the arguing duo in the living room.

“Enough, you two. Jesse, are you ready for work? I’ll drop you off on my way.”

“Mom, Uncle Reed thinks he is a better shot than you. When’s your next day off? We need to have a shootout! I’ve got a week’s worth of pay riding on you!”

“No time to talk about that now, Jesse. Your shift at Walmart starts in fifteen minutes! You aren’t even dressed yet.”

“That sounds like an excuse to me. Worried your daughter is wrong, Sis?”

Regina scowled at Reed. “Not at all. Sunday is my next day off, so you’re on. High noon, brother. Now, Jesse, hurry up!”

“Yes!” Jesse chirped. She rose from the couch and took off down the hallway to her room. “Don’t worry about taking me, Mom. Turner is picking me up.”

Before Regina could respond, Jesse was in her room. Regina took a sip of coffee and grinned at her brother. “What a turnaround, huh?”

Reed nodded and returned the smile. “No doubt. Seeing her healthy, clean, and full of life is a true Christmas blessing. She’s a completely different girl than the one a year ago. Always knew she was an amazing gal. Just like her mom.”

“And Uncle. After all, you were instrumental in keeping the two of us from ripping each other apart once she came home from rehab. Lord, those first few months were awful.”

Reed stood and grabbed Regina’s jacket from the chair. He handed it to her and laughed, “No kidding. It was like trying to separate two wet cats. You both have horrible tempers. That trait came from Dad. I’m more of a peacemaker, like Mom.”

Sliding the jacket on, Regina snorted. “You have a lot of her traits, including her inability to shoot the side of a barn.”

“Oh, did you just toss the gauntlet of challenge at my feet?”

“Yep. You may be taller and more of a peacemaker than I am, yet I will still school you at target practice. Just like when we were kids. Some things don’t change over the years. My besting you with a gun is one of them.”

A car horn beeped, followed by Jesse bursting from her room.

“Turner’s picking me up after work and we’re going to shop for gifts. Have a good shift, Mom. Love you.”

Regina bristled. “Jesse, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Stop worrying, Mom. I’m done with my old life, I promise. We’re going to buy gifts then come right back here to wrap them, I swear.”

Biting her lip before she said something that would spark an argument, Regina remained silent while Jesse kissed her cheek. In a flash, she was out the door. Reed’s warm arm wrapped around her shoulder.

“Let it go, Sis. She’s fine. Turner Addison is a good influence on her. You can’t expect her to spend all her time at work and this house. Girl’s got to have a life—and learn to live it sober.”

“The cop in me knows that. The mother in me doesn’t.”

With a fatherly pat, Reed pushed Regina toward the front door. “The mother in you seems to forget about the ace in the hole: me. Jesse hasn’t figured out yet I am tracking her every move. Now go, concentrate on keeping the peace in Rockport from crazy rednecks. I’ve got your back, as always.”

Regina nodded and left the house, thankful for her daughter’s sobriety and her brother’s presence.

Benito finished his breakfast and stared out across the vast expanse of what was now his estate. He picked up the notebook to his right and began thumbing through the pages again, going over every detail of the year’s transactions. Satisfied he was on track with the goals he’d set out for himself two years ago, he let a small grin appear.

“Good morning, my love. My, but you seem especially happy this morning. May I dare hope it is because of the way I woke you up earlier?”

Maria’s sweet voice from behind him made Benito’s dick hard. Again. The woman was sexier than any woman he’d ever met. Her beauty was only matched in intensity by her abilities between the sheets. Benito reached around the chair, grabbing a handful of her full ass.

“Si, my treasure. You always make me happy. However, you cannot take all the credit for my mood today. It is almost Christmas, and I was just going over the books for the year. Things are so profitable I am having trouble deciding what extravagant present to give you. Any ideas you’d like to share?”

Maria squealed and jumped into Benito’s lap. “Si, mi cielo. Other than your undying love, I only wish for two things.”

Benito nuzzled her soft neck. “And they are?”

Maria groaned while grinding her hips in Benito’s lap. “Fuller breasts and the ability to say they were a gift from my future husband. I want to be at my best for my sister Teresa’s wedding next December. It will be my first trip to the United States, and I want everything to be perfect. And for everyone to want to be me.”

“Ah, you wish to be my wife?” Benito whispered before nipping Maria’s soft flesh. “What a coincidence. That was my Christmas wish as well, and why I bought this.” Benito extracted the small black box from his pocket.

Maria’s eyes widened and she clapped her hands like a little girl. Her fingers shook as she opened the box, revealing a twenty-two carat, princess cut ring nestled inside the white satin. Maria was so excited it took her two tries to slide the ring onto her finger. “Mi cielo! Oh, it’s beautiful!”

“As are you, my love. Now, about your other wish: I disagree,” Benito pulled down the silk blouse from Maria’s shoulders with his teeth, exposing her perky breast. He let his tongue slide around the nipple twice before sucking. “These beauties are perfect the way they are. I don’t understand why you want to change them.”

Maria moaned again while jutting her chest forward. “I will give you all the pleasure you desire, mi cielo, more than I am capable of now, if you allow me this indulgence. It will make me feel more in proportion—and much sexier.”

“Whatever you wish, my love,” Benito mumbled. He wrapped his arms around Maria’s firm rump and hefted her off his lap. Then, as usual, he took the daughter of the man whose life he ended into the bedroom and violated every inch of her body.

When reflecting on the moment later, after the phone call that changed everything, Benito would realize the defilement of Mario Alvarado’s daughter was the final time things worked in his favor.

“If this is some sort of joke, I assure you will regret playing it on me.”

“No, sir. You wanted me to report any and all new developments and this is where we are. It is ready. The formula passed all the trials with flying colors. The test subjects will be released by week’s end. The team is nearly finished with all the paperwork and a press conference scheduled for next week. I don’t have the exact time or location as of yet, but I assure you when I do, I will let you know.”

Benito forced himself to remain calm. He knew this day would come and had been making preparations of his own. When he opened the safe and discovered Mario’s secret, he’d been stunned. After reading through all of Mario’s notes, he’d been surprised to actually agree with the prick’s conclusions, which was not to let the atrocity happen. Of course, Benito’s reasoning was far different than Mario’s.

The discovery would ruin Benito’s livelihood. A permanent cure to drug addiction would wipe out not only his business, but thousands of others around the globe. Economies would be devastated when drugs quit flowing.

Ever since he’d been alerted to the possibility of the cure, he’d worked nonstop, risking his life numerous times by setting up meetings with not only local competitors, but other cartel warlords across the globe. Only a few rejected his proposal to band together to keep the medicine from hitting the streets. Most were on board when he gave them a demonstration of the cure’s abilities.

Benito suffered too many years of abuse to walk away from the lifestyle he’d stolen from Mario. Living a life of luxury, banging the sick bastard’s daughter and owning the massive estate were his rewards for being tortured by the fat slob. There was no way he’d give up the prizes he’d earned from every vile, disgusting moment he’d endured for almost twelve years.

Shaking the thoughts away, Benito took in a gulp of air. “No, you will make sure the press conference never happens. If it is as you say, then proceed with the plans we set out. Make sure nothing—and no one—remains. Only bring our little friend to see me. He will turn out to be quite useful, I believe. After all, what better asset could I ask for? The man who created this nightmare will atone for his mistakes by creating the world’s most addictive drugs known to man. He is to arrive here without one hair out of place and the concoction he created in one piece. Can’t create an antidote unless we have the sickness. Understood?”

The voice on the other end of the line was cold, harsh. “As you wish, sir. Consider it done. I will contact you on the new number once everything is completed.”

The line went dead and Benito stared at the blank screen of his cell. He tore the phone apart and threw the remains into the fireplace. While he watched the plastic melt, he dreaded the next calls he needed to make. The other businessmen would be just as nervous and disturbed about the turn of events as Benito, for all of them knew the gravity of the situation if his contact inside the laboratory failed them.

Opening the drawer of the massive wooden desk, Benito extracted fifteen disposable phones. One by one, he made the calls to others in similar positions around the world, dropping the latest, unsettling news into their ears and then assuring them his next phone call would be full of good news.

STARTING OVER - Wednesday - December 16
^th
– 4:00 a.m.

The throbbing at the back of Everett’s head felt like someone running a jackhammer inside his skull. Disoriented, he tried to make sense of the sensory overload bombarding his mind. A weird, unfamiliar sound drummed in his head. It took several seconds for him to figure out the noise was the rhythmic hum of tires on the open road. Coupled with the motion of riding in a vehicle, the knowledge made his head spin. A vehicle? How? The lab was underground, and Everett didn’t recall leaving.

Then again, Everett couldn’t remember a thing after leaving Susan and the other test subjects in the meeting room.

What the hell is going on?

Nothing made sense, so he concluded he must be asleep in his quarters, dreaming.

He could hear someone speaking in quick yet hushed tones. The sound of the muffled, male voice seemed to be coming from all around him. He forced his mind to slow down and hone in on the words.