Tainted Cure (The Rememdium Series Book 1) (9 page)

While waiting for Riverside to relieve his bladder and bowels, Everett sat down to catch his breath and promptly fell asleep. When he woke up less than two hours later, he damn near pissed himself when he realized he was alone. Three hours later, Riverside rolled up, the backseat full of groceries.

Once the supplies were stowed away, Everett requested the pages again. Riverside changed the subject and started talking about what happened while cleaning and bandaging Everett’s head. The knowledge Riverside was dodging the request was the final straw, and Everett hadn’t asked again. Instead, he decided to pump the kid for as much information as he would give, pretending to forget about the emails.

A lone coyote howled outside, making the hairs stand erect on his arms. He pushed the weird noise aside and concentrated on Riverside’s breathing. Sweat pooled under his armpits and formed on his brow while he stared at a stained spot on the ceiling. Never, in his whole life, had Everett ever been the kind of man one would consider stealthy, deceitful, or capable of violence. Carol used to tease him, calling him her gentle teddy bear.

Everett had given serious thought to confronting Riverside physically. They were close to the same height and weight. The major difference between the two was the thirty-year age span. Everett had stolen peeks around the cabin in search of a weapon to balance out the gap. The only thing he noticed in plain sight was a set of steak knives on the counter. He dismissed the idea of grabbing one as soon as it popped into his mind. Everett was a typical nerdy scientist, one holding dual degrees in both microbiology and chemistry. Other than testing animals at laboratories—and only done so to confirm results—he’d never physically harmed another living creature. Everett doubted he possessed the skills to carry out his mental plans to overpower and possibly kill Riverside.

The only other option available to make his escape was stealth. Tonight, he had no choice but to embrace the darker side of his personality if he planned on making it out of the cabin, and Texas, alive. His gut instincts warned the clock was ticking precious seconds away, counting down until his time breathing air ceased.

With slow, calculated movements, Everett inched his body up into the sitting position. He winced and held his breath when the old wood underneath the mattress creaked. Eyes already accustomed to the dark interior, he scanned the entire space, which wasn’t more than six-hundred square feet—tops. Pausing to ensure the kid was still out, his gaze settled on the strap of the backpack poking out from underneath the bunk Daryl slept on. The keys were clipped onto a hook on the bottom of the satchel.

He’d already calculated how many steps it would take to reach the bag then exit the cabin. The front door hinges were in desperate need of oil and made a tremendous racket when opened, so Everett opted to slip out the window next to his bunk. Each time Daryl had stepped into the restroom or went outside to retrieve something from the truck, Everett inched the window open a bit further. Only a few more inches and he could slip through with ease.

Without taking his focus off Riverside, he stood and stretched his arms across the expanse of the bed. His fingers found the window. Taking in a deep breath to steady his hands, he pushed the pane all the way open.

Riverside never moved or changed his respirations.

Nervous sweat dripped into his eyes, making them burn. Just as he reached up to wipe his sticky brow, movement to the right caught his attention. Heart pounding, Everett dropped into a crouch and squinted out the window. His mouth went dry when he realized headlights shimmered in the distance.

And someone stood less than twenty feet from the window, the shape of an automatic weapon in their hands unmistakable from the light of the silvery moon’s rays.

He could hear the sounds of the vehicle’s engine now, and apparently, so did the intruder outside. The body went into a crouch then Everett lost sight of him.

Terror kept Everett’s mouth shut as he crawled across the dirty wood floor over to Daryl’s bed. For a split second, he considered not waking the kid up, warning him things were about to get ugly. The fleeting thought left as quickly as it appeared. Everett wasn’t wired that way. Even if Riverside was hiding something from him, he couldn’t leave him helpless and alone.

Finally next to the bed, Everett reached up and clamped his hand over Riverside’s mouth. “Daryl, wake up. We’re in trouble. Don’t say a word, but someone is outside, armed, and a vehicle is approaching in a big hurry.”

Riverside’s eyes flew open at the same moment his body jerked awake. He locked gazes with Everett, nodded once, and then reached a hand down and grabbed the bag.

“Come on, we can go out back. On the count of three.”

Rather than panic and jump from the bed, Riverside simply bent over and laced up his tennis shoes. Stunned by the slow movements, Everett stared at the kid, mouth agape from shock. He wondered if Riverside was fully awake or still experiencing some sort of sleep-induced funk.

The sound of the engine roaring across the plains grew louder, the headlights bathing the interior of the cabin in bright, white light. They illuminated Riverside’s face and to his disbelief, Everett noticed the kid was grinning from ear to ear.

He knew then his gut instincts about Dr. Daryl Riverside were right on target.

“Get up, Dr. Berning. Our ride is here. Don’t worry, they aren’t going to harm you. Well, at least not as long as you follow their instructions. Veer from them, or try something stupid like running away, then all bets are off.”

There was no way Everett would leave the world on all fours like a coward. He stood and wiped the dust from his jeans and shirt. “It was you, wasn’t it? Not Dr. Flint.”

“Yep. Life’s all about the Bennies, Dr. Berning. All about the Bennies.”

“Bennies?”

Riverside stood and slung the pack over his shoulders. “Money you fool. You have no idea how glad I am this is over! God, I was so sick of being stuck in both hellholes with you! I gave up five years of my life waiting for this moment. Ten million dollars seemed like a tremendous amount at the time. However, considering the mental anguish I suffered while underground, I think I might negotiate for more.”

Instead of feeling terrified, Everett was livid. “You piece of shit! You killed them all, wasted all your talents to help your fellow man
for money
? Now I know why you picked this location. You’re working with some cartel, aren’t you? Has that been your plan all along?”

Riverside laughed as he moved across the floor to the front door. He unclipped the keys from the pack and unlocked the door. “Yep. Oh, and handing you over to them was part of the deal, too. I mean, they couldn’t turn down the opportunity to have the man who
almost
eradicated addiction on their team! You’ll be working for them now, just not in the capacity you’d expect. They plan on having you…”

The treacherous bastard never had a chance to finish his words. A bullet ripped through the front door and tore open the right side of the boy’s face before Everett really comprehended what happened. Riverside’s body flew back about five feet then crumpled to the ground at the same time the door burst open. A large man, dressed in all black from head to toe, crouched down and jerked the keys from Daryl’s dead corpse.

“If you don’t want the assholes coming up the road to do the same to you, follow me. Now.”

Everett was cornered and knew he had no choice but to comply. He didn’t look at Daryl’s body on the floor as he ran past it, yet he paused to snatch up the bag with the formula. A strong arm yanked him away and shoved him out the front door toward the passenger door of the truck he’d arrived in with Daryl. The man who just saved his life tossed his gun and bag on the floor then fired up the truck just as the sound of pings bounced all around.

“Hurry! Those ain’t bees they’re bullets!”

Yanking the door open, Everett leapt inside when a bullet tore through his calf muscle. He screamed in agony yet managed to get his entire body inside and shut the door.

“Hang on.”

In a haze of pain and shock, Everett yanked off his shirt and used it as a tourniquet over the oozing wound in his leg. The truck bounced and bumped its way through the uneven terrain. Once his leg was secure, he turned and looked out the back window, thankful the nameless driver had seemed to outmaneuver the vehicle behind them. From the rumbles of the engine, Everett could tell the man was pushing the Dodge to its limit.

Unwilling to interrupt the man’s concentration on the task at hand, Everett remained silent while watching the headlights fade into the distance. In minutes, the view out the back window was black.

As the adrenaline rush wore off, a wave of dizziness made the interior of the truck spin. To keep his mind engaged, Everett asked, “I’d sort of like to know the name of the man who just either saved my life, or is the next one in line trying to end it. You know, so I can know who to come back and haunt when I’m dead or name my next kid after, whichever way this crazy night turns out.”

Without taking his eyes off the road, the man grumbled, “You don’t recognize me, Dr. Berning? Wow, I’m crushed.”

Stunned, Everett couldn’t stop himself from leaning over and peering closer. He recognized the deep baritone voice, and confirmation he was right was made by the green light of the dashboard. Though it had been months since the last time they’d met in person, the man’s distinctive voice gave him away. A verbal explosion of questions tumbled from Everett’s mouth. “Dirk Kincanon? Holy shit! Did Dr. Thomas send you? Oh, please tell me he’s okay? What about Dr. Flint and all those poor people in the lab? How in the world did you find us?”

“GPS.”

“Huh, oh, you mean on the truck?”

“Yes. When I couldn’t reach Dr. Thomas, I located his vehicle. Knew things had gone sour when it showed up in Texas. Rest, Dr. Berning. Tend to your leg. There’s a medical kit in my bag. Get yourself patched up properly and let me get us out of this fucking state then we’ll talk.”

The sense of dread that had been Everett’s constant companion for the last two days intensified. He rifled through the bag in the floorboard, grateful the wound was to his calf muscle and not a major organ.

“One more question then I promise I’ll be quiet. Where are we going?”

The strong jaw line on Dirk’s face flexed with irritation. “Arkansas, of course. The estate of Dr. Jason Thomas to be exact. It’s too risky to head back to the lab right now. I don’t know exactly how much Riverside told his partners.”

Everett let out a small sigh of relief. “The lab’s intact?”

Dirk glanced over and let a snide grin appear. “You just asked another question.”

“Can you blame me? I feel like I’ve been transported to an alternate reality. Knocked unconscious, kidnapped, almost killed—that’s just the short list of fucked-up shit on my plate. Oh, and my leg is throbbing and I believe I’m suffering from a massive case of shock. Cut me some slack, will you?”

“Sit back and try to relax. We’ll head to the lab once I’m sure it’s safe to do so. In the meantime, we’ll hunker down at Dr. Thomas’ place. It’s a fortress. We’ll be safe there. I assure you no one gets inside unless I want them to.”

Everett felt a lump of tears gather in his dry throat. He had the answer to his questions about Dr. Thomas and the others. Dirk didn’t need to spell out the fact all of the others were dead. Instead of succumbing to the emotions of the situation, he bent down and concentrated on binding his leg. He fought the urge to laugh out loud at the absurdity of the notion he would forever carry a scar from being shot.

And he’d been in Arkansas for the last eleven years, completely oblivious he’d been less than one hundred miles from his small spread in the outskirts of Pulaski County. Adding the latest new tidbits to the pile of other thoughts inside his mind from the events of the past year, Everett was surprised he hadn’t suffered a psychotic break.

Unbelievable.

THE END BEGINS - Present Day - Thursday - December 18
^th
– 10:00 p.m.

Maria Alvarado’s new huge breasts were still tender even though the surgery was two weeks ago. Though she was in first class, the flight from San Salvador to Phoenix had been full of turbulence. All the shaking and bumping made her chest ache.

The throbbing pain she’d endured from the minute she awoke in her bedroom up until today was well worth the transformation. When Maria looked at herself in the mirror the first time after the bandages were removed, she saw the body of a real woman in the reflection. Finally, the bubble on the backside had a matching set in the front.

Shifting in the seat, Maria stared out the window. The trip was her first airplane ride and taste of real freedom. When she first boarded, a fleeting thought of never returning danced in her mind. Knowing she would be hunted down like a lost pet, she quickly dismissed the idea.

The plane started its descent into Phoenix. Lights glittered below as far as she could see. The excitement of seeing her sister and showing off the rock on her finger and newly acquired breasts made her giddy. Though they talked often on the phone, they hadn’t seen each other since their father had been murdered two years ago. Teresa flew down to San Salvador and attended the funeral then stayed an entire week—long enough to witness their papa’s killer die for his crime at the end of a rope in the stables. Since Teresa was the older sister, Benito allowed her to be the one to pull the lever.