Page 73 of Lethal Game

Con looked at Eugene. “Hair dye?”

Jones held up the bag in her hand.

“Did Eugene explain everything?”

“No,” the man said. “I thought I’d let someone with some authority do that.”

“The short version,” Con said, “is that you’re going to become Sophia, and we’re going to stick you on a plane heading back to the States with Eugene.”

Jones looked at Sophia. “What did you do?”

“Nothing, I mean, Max thinks someone is trying to kidnap me for my, what did you call it?” she asked Max, but he was on the phone. “Creativity in working with viruses.”

Max nodded.

“So,” Jones said. “Shit’s going down?”

“That’s what we think,” Max said as he hung up the phone. “Are you prepared to take on Sophia’s identity and act as a decoy?”

“Yes, sir,” Jones replied.

“Good. Time for your makeover. Your plane leaves in three hours.”

“I’m going to need your uniform, Doc.”

“We can change in the bathroom.” Sophia led the way.

Con waited until the two women were inside the bathroom before speaking to Max. “Sir, Sophia looks like a train hit her.”

“What does that mean?” Max asked.

“She’s badly bruised all over her body.”

“You saw her entire body?” Max asked in a dangerous tone.

Sophia wasn’t the only one who didn’t always know how to talk to people. “No, sir. I saw her arms and torso. She says it’s her medical condition that’s to blame, but the last time I saw someone bruised that badly, they’d been beaten half to death.”

Max looked thoughtful. “I’ll speak to her.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“In the meantime, get prepped to leave. There are two separate outbreaks I want investigated. At this point I don’t know if either is the result of a possible biological weapon, but the speed and mortality rate of both has me nervous. One is in Northern Iraq, the other is in a refugee camp just outside Syria. I’m sending Sophia and you three to the refugee camp.”

“That might be the best thing to do, but I have a concern,” Con said.

“Oh?”

“How the hell is Akbar getting his intel?” For him to know what he did, he had to have someone helping him from the inside.

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