Page 141 of Lethal Game

“I did make an observation about him. He’s a chemist, not a doctor, so he approaches disease from a different perspective than we do. He looks at what he’s doing like a mathematician looks at a math problem—A plus B equals C. But diseases aren’t rational or linear. A plus B could also equal F or Y depending on any number of other factors that he’s not aware of.”

“Perhaps he doesn’t care about the other factors, or he’s willing to take risks to see if it makes things even worse than he intended?”

“That, too, could be true.” She looked at Max. “He’s completely uncaring about the pain and suffering of other people.”

“Oh, he cares.” Max looked particularly grim. “He wants them to feel as much pain as possible.” He put down the papers and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “I’m sending you home. Your cell counts are all down. Without transfusions, you’d be impossible to transport.”

“My bone marrow is shutting down.”

“Likely, but we’re not going to do a bone marrow aspiration here to prove it. I want it done in a hospital that can provide the right treatment immediately after a determination is made as to what’s going on.”

“Am I fired?”

“You’re temporarily on inactive status,” Max said with a shake of his head. “Here’s what I would like you to do. Go home. Focus on getting better. After you’ve recovered, I can reactivate you, even if you work from home and we have to communicate via the internet. I want access to your brain even if your bone marrow is misbehaving.”

If she survived. “Assuming Idorecover.”

“I have a friend, another hematologist, who’s got some outside-the-box ideas,” Max said with a hint of challenge in his gaze. “I’d like you to meet him. I think, between the two of you, there’s a possibility of a creative solution.”

“You’re grasping at straws, Max.”

His mouth tightened. “I’m trying to save one of the best minds I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with,” Max said with strained patience. “You’re a doctor with unique skills. You’re not here because you’re killer soldier material. You’re here to save the lives of soldiers and civilians alike from weapons they can’t see or combat on their own. Believe me, you are highly respected for what you did at the camp. Even General Stone claims not to be happy with some of your more explosive actions in public. In private, he wishes he could have seen the look on Akbar’s face when he realized you were blowing your lab up rather than let him have it.”

One corner of her mouth quirked up. “Angry, that’s how he looked.”

“I refuse to think anything other than positive.” Max smiled. It had a sad edge to it, but it was still a smile. “I don’t want to lose my friend and colleague, period.”

Her throat was so full of unshed tears all she could do was nod.

“River is going Stateside too, and Smoke is going on a six-week leave to rest and build strength after the bullet wound he took in the shoulder. He’s been on deployment for almost eighteen months, so he’s due for it.”

She cleared her throat and managed to ask, “What about Connor?”

“I’m keeping him with me for a little while,” Max said. “We’re going to work on predicting Akbar’s next possible moves and targets.”

“That’s good,” she managed to say, though her throat was so tight she found it difficult to breathe. “He’s very intelligent.”

“He’s still your official partner-slash-bodyguard. As a contractor, no one can cry fraternization either.”

Heat infused her face. Max had known about their intimate relationship?

He gathered up his papers and stood like he’d just delivered a weather update. “I promise to return him to you undamaged.”

“When is that going to be? Six months? A year?” She blinked away tears and couldn’t help asking, “What if I don’t get better?”

Max shook his head. “Are you with me on the plan or not?”

There was only one answer. “Yes, sir.”

“Good.”

An hour later, Eugene and Jones arrived, but didn’t have time to fill her in on their adventure, which started the moment they got on their transport plane. It hadn’t gone to their planned destination.

Though they didn’t touch each other, Sophia could see they were together in every sense of the word. “You’re not going to fool anybody,” she told them.

“About what?” Eugene asked.

“You two. No canoodling where anyone can catch you at it.”

---