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Love In The Time Of Outbreak Chapter 34
A bell dinged over the door of the motel office, but the young male behind the counter didn't even look up when Dean walked in. His eyes were only focused on the television hanging on the wall, while watching Pedro Escalante's video clips. "Did you see this?" the clerk demanded, sounding awed. "This is some crazy stuff right there.""Yeah. Crazy," Dean agreed. He dropped a fifty-dollar bill on the countertop. "I need a room."Without wrenching his eyes from the TV, the clerk slid over a clipboard. "Fill this out."He wrote his fake name, address and credit card number there, then handed it back to the clerk, and he received a big red key in return."Towels in the bathroom. Wi-Fi password is the motel name and your room number. Check out time is 10:00 a.m." The clerk recited the facts without once looking at Dean. As Escalante's angry eyes flashed on the screen, the clerk shook his head. "Freak terrorists! Think they can mess with us?"Trying not to roll his eyes, Dean left the office
Love In The Time Of Outbreak Chapter 35
Dean snapped into action, spinning around and locking the male wrist with both hands. His opponent let go of the gun he was holding and it fell on the grass. As adrenaline raced through his blood, Dean kicked the weapon away and tackled the other man to the ground in two seconds flat. Grunting, he straddled Bhram Davies and dug his elbow into the man's windpipe. "What the hell was that?" he snapped. Bhram began wheezing for air. He batted at Dean's thighs with his fists, but to no avail. He had been able to attack him earlier with his ninja moves, but Dean had the upper hand because he was now holding the man by the neck. "What the hell kind of move was that with the gun?" he demanded, sinking his elbow deeper. Thalia's sarcastic voice filled the night air. "Did you really expect him to answer you, Dean? My God, you're crushing his trachea."Good point. As the adrenaline sizzling in his veins began to dissipate, he lifted his arm and let the other man breathe. The man's face beca
Love In The Time Of Outbreak Chapter 36
Dean noticed Thalia's grip tightening over the strap of the messenger bag on her shoulder. The bag contains the water sample and the note on the research done by Dr. Matthews, but he could tell she wasn't anxious to part with it just yet. He didn't blame her. Even though he believed that Bhram didn't know anything about the Taurus project, he still couldn't fully trust the man, especially that he said, "You need to come in officially.""No way," he said emphatically. "I promise you, I will protect you. We'll take your story to the secretary of defense himself. Verano--""--might be behind this entire mess," Dean finished. "For all we know, Secretary Verano green-lit Project Taurus.""Then we contact the Bureau, place you and Dr. Ricafort in protective custody." Immediately after the words left his mouth, Bhram chuckled ruefully. "Don't bother answering - we both know you'll reject the offer."Dean just shrugged. "How do we handle this, then? I don't have the authority to negotiate
Love In The Time Of Outbreak Chapter 37
Each piece of clothing Dean had removed provided her with a new delicious body part to focus on. The tanned expanse of his chest, dusted with hair and sculpted with muscle. His trim waist, ripped thighs, and long legs. In the motel room light, the handful of scars marring his body were more visible. A white one beneath his left pectoral, a puckered one over his right hip. When Thalia asked the man about his scar, he just shrugged and said it was a sign that he had fought in a war. But in the eyes of a doctor, she knew there was more an explanation than that. The line under his pecs? Definitely caused by a blade of some sort. And the puckered scar? It was obviously a hit of a bullet.But apparently knife and bullet wounds were not a big deal to a tough guy like Dean Magallon. "Jeez, Doc, it seems like you have a desire for my body," he said and was the first to enter the bathroom. When Thalia got inside, she looked at the naked man next to her. "We don't fit here in the bathroom.""W
Love In The Time Of Outbreak Chapter 38
After a while, Thalia joined him in bed. "I just thought about how much sex can release stress," she admits. "I have never experienced that in my whole life.""Like what happened to us earlier?" He leaned over to turn off the bedside lamp, then settled on his back and pulled her closer so that her head was resting on his bare chest. "Because you are so passionate, Dean." She felt that her cheeks were red, fortunately it was dark in the room and the man couldn't see her blushing face. "That's why I feel so totally out of control.""Is that a bad thing, Doc?"She paused thoughtfully. "Before, I would have said yes, but now that I know how extraordinary it can be, I think letting go is a very good thing."She turned to the alarm clock on the bedside table, and was surprised to see that it was past midnight. But she hadn't felt tired or sleepy yet, and Dean seemed to feel the same way. "What's your favorite place that you've been?" he asked Thalia pursed her lips for a moment. "Canada.
Love In The Time Of Outbreak Chapter 39
Dean woke up the next morning to the constant ringing of his cell phone. He's been in the military for twelve years so he's used to waking up to any sound even in the middle of a deep sleep. As his arm shot out to grab the phone, he slid into a sitting position without skipping a beat. "Tell me if you have any news, Captain," he said to the caller instead of saying hello. "Yes, I do," Tatum confirmed. "Not sure if it'll pan out, though. Are you still in Georgia?""Yes."Next to him, Thalia stirred in bed. She opened her eyes and glanced over at him, covering her mouth as a yawn overtook it. "What's going on?" she murmured. "Tatum," he mouthed, before shifting his focus back to the call. "Ina really spent the night researching who is now connected to the D&N Initiative," Tatum said. "Is that the lab where Dr. Edison works?""Yes, that's right. Anyway, Ina saw a lot of people involved in Project Taurus. Some of them were scientists, epidemiologists, lab techs, and research assistan
Love In The Time Of Outbreak Chapter 40
Thalia seemed to be breathing a sigh of relief. She was also impressed by Dean's acting skills as if the scene was real. They followed Dr. Lucas on his wide balcony. Then he led them into a large den that smelled of leather, firewood and cigars. The carpet beneath their feet and the expensive artwork on the walls revealed that Dr. Lucas liked his surroundings fancy. According to the files they read from Ina, this scientist owns a luxurious villa in Greece, and also owns yachts. Thalia wondered if he'd paid for all these luxuries with the money he made from gambling, or if he'd started gambling to support his life of luxury. She suspected it was the latter. "Look," Dr. Lucas said as he flopped down in a leather armchair adjacent to a stone fireplace, "the Pentagon already contacted our lab yesterday morning after the Tuxie attacks. The director of D&N briefed us about it, and blood samples from Tuxie victims are already being analyzed in our facility. We've been working around the c
Love In The Time Of Outbreak Chapter 41
Dean can't really believe that he and Thalia succeeded their scheme against Dr. Lucas. Yet here he was, sitting in the front seat of an unmarked sedan and monitoring the movements of a rogue scientist who was about to meet a bona fide terrorist for a clandestine rendezvous. To Dean's delight, Dr. Lucas had signed that forged immunity agreement. He'd told them about the gambling debts he'd accrued over the past few years, admitted to having a bit of a cocaine problem, confessed that he'd been paid a substantial amount of dough for his work on Project Taurus, yet apparently not substantial enough to put even a chip in his mountain of debt. When the loan sharks and creditors came knocking, Dr. Lucas had panicked and done the only thing he could think of - sold a deadly virus to a terrorist group. Right, because for him that is the only way to solve his money problem. Dean just focused on the corner of the coffee shop, watching Dr. Lucas every move. The scientist was at a table on the
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- Love In The Time Of Outbreak
Epilogue
After Bhram left, Dean's full attention was focused on Thalia, whose cheeks were regaining some color. "How are you feeling?" he asked. "Surprisingly good. For me it's a miracle that you got the antidote on your hands."He nodded. "Dr. Lucas stole the antidote vial from D&N, and at the same time he also stole the virus. I went to him and forced him to admit where he kept the antidote."Thalia's lips twitched with humor. "And how did you do that?""I'm very persuasive," he said with a shrug. Just as Thalia was about to touch his cheek, he flinched, so he could see the surprise look in Thalia's eyes. "What's wrong?" she demanded."Nothing's wrong." He kept his tone light. "You're alive. That means everything is fine."She frowned. "Okay.""Alright, I'll tell your doctor first that you're awake."He started to stand up, but Thalia latched her hand on his arm and forced him to stay put. "Don't leave just yet. First tell me what I missed when I was unconscious.""Not much." He wanted to
- Love In The Time Of Outbreak
Chapter 54
Thalia couldn't answer Dean. But really, who was he trying to kid? He is not a doctor. She was. She knew for herself what exactly happened to his central nervous system at the moment. The virus was attacking it one cell at a time. Soon she'd be nothing but a motionless lump of dead, like the rats in Franco's experiment. Another giggle bubbled in the back of her throat, and soon she was shuddering with laughter because this was all so funny and - nope, she's having a seizure again. God, she was really tired. Those same shrill voices assaulted her ears again. Those same anvils crushed her body. This time she decided to just close her eyes. Maybe she needs more rest. She succeeded in the closing-of-the-eye part because everything went black, but when she heard Dean's husky voice again, she realized that sleeping at that time was a bad idea. Because what if she never woke up? "Go to sleep," he urged. "No," she protested. "But you need to rest.""I do not want."But she couldn't ope
- Love In The Time Of Outbreak
Chapter 53
After a long five-minute conversation, Dean came out of the interrogation room and shot Bhram an impatient look. "The antidote is stashed in a locker at his health club. Locker number fifty-nine-seven. Key is on the key ring you confiscated along with his personal belongings. Bhram Davies sucked in a breath, his face awash with shock. "Get me that damn key ring," Dean snapped on his way to the door. "Magallon, wait."He heard Bhram's footsteps behind him but he still didn't stop. "I'll dispatch a team to fetch it. You don't have to do it yourself."He just kept walking. "Damn it, Dean. Stop!"The next thing he knew, Bhram was in front of him, shaking his shoulder. As a wave of rage crashed over him, he shoved the other man away. "Don't touch me," he hissed. "And don't tell me what to do."Bhram got in his path again. "You need to be at the hospital. With Thalia. For chrissake, Dean, she's all alone there."His heart lodged in his throat. "I'll send people to the health club," B
- Love In The Time Of Outbreak
Chapter 52
Dean immediately let go of Bhram, and the man nearly fell over before managing to steady himself. With a wave of his hand, Bhram dismissed the guards who were warily monitoring the entire exchange. "Resume your posts, men. Everything is fine here." He turned to Dean. "You know I could have you arrested for this, right?""Five minutes, Bhram. I only need five minutes."Indecision flashed across the other man's face. "I know you're worried about Dr. Ricafort. Hell, I'm worried, too. I don't know how she got infected, but I promise you, the last thing I want is for that woman to die."Dean fought the urge to grab a gun from the hip holster of one of those guards and empty an entire clip into Bhram Davie's chest. The son of a bitch had given him that water, and now here he was, he acted like he had no idea how Thalia got infected with the virus. Acting like he actually cared about her well-being? "Take me to Dr. Lucas," Dean muttered. "Now."Silence prevailed for a few moments before Bh
- Love In The Time Of Outbreak
Chapter 51
The next ten minutes were a total whirlwind. Thalia can't remember when she was getting dressed, but somehow she was wearing jeans and a tank top when they stumbled out of the hotel. She doesn't even remember that they got in a car, but somehow she was in the passenger seat while Dean murmured soothing words in her ear and kept a firm hand on her thigh. Her skin was on fire. Blood was still flowing from her nose, she could almost taste the coppery blood in the back of her throat and she almost gagged. As Dean drove, she didn't hear a single word from him. "Maybe...maybe the CDC developed an antidote already," she said to Dean. He sucked in a breath. "An antidote.""Maybe," she murmured again. "Sometimes they can develop one fairly fast."Yeah, right. But that will take weeks, months, and even years. She knew that, yet she refused to give up hope. After everything she'd been through, her life couldn't be end this way. Lisa. Nadine. Marc. Kelvin. Theresa. Kelsey. NasirAnd she wil
- Love In The Time Of Outbreak
Chapter 50
They got out of the Jacuzzi and dried off, then they got dressed in a pair of complimentary robes instead of getting dressed. They both ended up ordering cheeseburgers and fries, along with the plate of onion rings to share. Probably wasn't smart to eat such a heavy meal at midnight, but they were both hungry, and Dean was happy to see Thalia eat well. She was always full since they were together, which was ironic considering they'd been doing nothing but traveling and hiding out in motel rooms. Still, no matter where they'd been, he'd encouraged the girl to eat right and it was obvious that she had already eaten much because his efforts showed in the rounding of her cheeks. "If you can work on a new foundation again, don't let yourself be overworked."Thalia raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Who's going to stop me?""I will." Dean shot her a mocking look. "I'm not going to hide forever. Sooner or later, me, Tatum, and Pierre, we will also find out who ambushed our unit and who wants
- Love In The Time Of Outbreak
Chapter 49
Instead of going back to their motel room, Dean and Thalia checked into a hotel using Dean's fake identity. The only available room ended up being a suite with a huge Jacuzzi tub that brought a delighted grin to Thalia's face. Dean loved seeing her so happy, and she was much cuddlier now than usual. Linking arms when they walked, snuggling close during the car ride, planting a spontaneous and unbelievably passionate kiss on his lips in the hotel elevator. That kiss had succeeded in getting him harder than concrete, but neither of them had been in the mood for sex as they got settled in the suite. They haven't slept in the past twenty-four hours, so that's the reason why they just fell asleep when they got to their hotel room. When Dean's eyes opened a few hours later to find that it was dark beyond the floor-to-ceiling window, and he groaned with unhappiness. Thalia lay next to him, her warm ass wiggling into his groin. "What's wrong?" she asked sleepily."Imagine, we've been slee
- Love In The Time Of Outbreak
Chapter 48
An hour later, Dean was on board the chopper after their successful operation. A ground unit was bringing Escalante and the two surviving UFF soldiers for interrogation, while the deadly vials were taken to the basement to be airlifted to the CDC. A search of the house had not turned up any more vials, and according to one of Escalante's men, all the vials in the group's possession had been in the house. That only spoke to the disorganized and highly unprofessional tactics of the UFF sect. Escalante's planning had been shoddy, his security weak, his goals unrealistic. "Very good job," Bhram Davies boomed as he greeted him at the helipad. He slapped Dean's back, and the two men headed for the door leading into the building. The rest of the team stalked past them, Faust barking orders at his men as he wiped the black paint off his face with a cotton rag. Dean did the same, he also wiped the black paint on his face with a cloth. "A joint task force is being organized in San Jose. Ev
- Love In The Time Of Outbreak
Chapter 47
"We've got a visual on Apollo. I repeat, visual on Apollo. He appears to be asleep in the back bedroom, west side, clear shot." The hushed report came from the sniper positioned on the roof of the house bordering the terrorist nest. "Roger that. Maintain visual." Faust's voice, in that same monotone murmur, echoed in Dean's earpiece. "Visual on two tangos in the back bedroom, east side," the operative covering the side of the house whispered. "Andromeda One and Two. No movement.""Andromeda Three, Four and Five in the kitchen. Visual on back door," came another whisper. "Awake but no movement."From his position in the hedges separating the UFF nest from the neighboring home, Dean fixed his gaze on the front of the house. The light was on in the living room, and he saw someone lying on the sofa, a man watching television. The bluish light from the TV screen reflected off the glass of the large front window. "Tango in the living room. Awake but no movement," Dean murmured. "That mak
