Page 125 of Viral Justice

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Ali stared at the flooras she listened to Akbar grill Max, careful to remain motionless. Catching the attention of a man without a conscience could be deadly. She just hoped Max was aware of the tightrope he was walking in his conversation.

“But this virus won’t just kill Americans—it’ll kill people in every country, everywhere in the world.”

“Where were those people, those countries, when my family died? No one stepped forward to stop you from interfering in the affairs of others, in countries you had no business invading.” He paced away, then back again, crowding Ali, almost kicking her. “Your leaders lie to you and what do you do? Nothing.Nothing.”

“What happened to your family was a horrible mistake,” Max told him hoarsely. “Killing a third of the world’s population won’t bring them back.”

“The world will suffer as I have suffered, and when it’s over everyone left alive will know my name and the names of my wife and children.”

It was an almost unimaginably appalling legacy, and this time, it might just work.

Akbar walked over to Max until they were only a few inches apart. “You are powerless to save anyone.”

“Then I have no reason to cooperate with you.”

Akbar laughed, and it sent a shiver of fear down Ali’s spine. “Don’t you?” He strode over to her and she braced herself for the violence to come.

Akbar grabbed her by the back of the neck and yanked her up to her feet, displaying a strength that wasn’t obvious in his slight stature. He shook her hard, her teeth rattling, and squeezed her neck, cutting off the flow of blood to her head. The pain was enough to make her whimper, and she had to force herself to not fight him.

She could’ve gotten out of his hold a dozen ways, killed him with a dozen more, and might have been able to incapacitate one or two of his armed men before the others shot her, but that would get her and Max killed.

Max needed her alive.

So she hung, stiff but not fighting, in Akbar’s grip.

“You will follow my orders or I will kill this woman, your soldiers and the civilians you’ve brought here under your protection, one at a time in front of you.”

For a moment the only sound Ali could hear was Max’s breathing, deep and fast.

“What do you want me to do?” The words came out of Max’s mouth broken. She wanted to beg him to stay strong and not give in.

“Show me how you create a vaccine.”

“Fine, fine,” Max said, his voice cracking. “Let her go. She’s helping me with the work.”

Akbar dropped Ali, and she let her body flop onto the floor like she had nothing left.

“She will stay in this room, under guard. Do you require anything besides the eggs?”

Ali tilted her head so she could see Max’s face out of the corner of her eye. His face was pale, his eyes dark with strain.

“I have everything else.”

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