Page 48 of No Questions Asked

“Natelli, I’d like to introduce you to Father Rafa Quintela,” Slash said. “He just arrived at the camp. We’ve been speaking in Spanish since my Portuguese leaves a lot to be desired. He doesn’t speak English, but he’s from Coari and he says he heard we have a problem with the people at the first village we visited. He heard that they’re afraid to cooperate and is willing to help out as needed.”

“How did he find out about that?” Natelli asked him curiously.

Slash translated the question and Father Quintela responded.

“He says news travels fast, and bad news even faster,” Slash said. “His diocese received a call from the Vatican this morning, urging them to do what they could to help your effort. The father is here as a result of that phone call. He’s happy to help us speak with the villagers, as he happens to know some of the tribesmen, and while they’re not Christian, his church does have the respect of the village for their kindness and bartering.”

I exchanged a glance with Slash, curious if he’d somehow brought the Vatican into this, and if so, why? But now wasn’t the time to ask.

Natelli held out a hand to the priest and he shook it. “Thank you so much, Father. That’s very kind of you to offer. But things are quite dangerous right now. We’ve had some...incidents.”

After Slash told the priest what she said, he answered.

“He said he’s not afraid,” Slash said. “He quoted scripture, Joshua 1:9.Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord, your God, will be with you wherever you go.”

I turned to Natelli. “Well, even the priest thinks we should move forward. So, does this mean we’re back on for the vaccines?”

Slash looked between us, momentarily puzzled. “Were we off?”

“Natelli was thinking about cancelling the project,” Gwen explained. “She was going to ask Lilith and Hayden if we could pull out for safety reasons. Just for the record, I didn’t support that option.”

“Me either,” I said.

“I’m not letting a bunch of thugs stop me from helping people,” Gwen added. “None of us should.”

I had to give it to Gwen. While she occasionally irritated me with her nonstop cheery disposition and occasional fangirling, she was smart and stepped up when things counted. That made her okay in my book.

“I agree completely with Gwen,” I said.

We all turned toward Natelli, and she threw up her hands. “Well, what do you expect me to do? I’m scared for all of you. I don’t want anyone to get hurt on my watch. But you’re right, if we pull out, they win. We can’t give up that easy.” She started to pace. “It has to be voluntary for whomever wants to accompany us on the next trip. Gabriel must provide more security for those of us going out in the field. I’ll not have a repeat of the past two attempts. Finally, no one but me will know in advance which village we are going to visit. I can’t ignore that there may be someone within our camp who is trying to sabotage our efforts.”

“Smart plan,” Slash said.

Apparently having made up her mind, Natelli took a deep breath and faced the elderly priest. “Slash, please tell Father Quintela that we’ll come for him when we’re ready. And please have him thank the Vatican for their unwavering support. It’s much appreciated.”

“I will,” Slash said. “Now what?”

A determined look crossed Natelli’s face. “We get back to work.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Lexi

I spent the rest of the day reviewing data and checking in with my team in New York. They were still under attack, but had created a good defense.

“Don’t get cocky,” I told Ken, my assistant who was overseeing the team in New York.

“We’re not. They’re good, whoever they are, and they’re determined. If we don’t find them soon, there’s a fifty-fifty chance they’ll break through. We have to keep one step ahead of them.”

I reviewed the data and worked on some new encryption algorithms. My inbox indicated an email and I saw it was from my mom.

I added seventeen new dresses to the list for you to review. Look carefully at dress number eighty-one. This could be the one. Also what do you think about a color palette of light blue and white for your wedding colors to match the diamond in your engagement ring?

Seventeen new dresses? Jeez. I was only up to dress number twenty-three and that was only because Basia made me. Quickly, I closed the email, figuring I’d worry about it later.

I glanced around the lab. Gwen, Natelli, Sara, Melinda and Doug were busy checking the vaccine vials to ensure they were still preserved and untouched. I didn’t have a chance to speak alone with Slash, until a bit later when we were working and no one else was around.

“So, what’s with the priest showing up today?” I asked. “Does the Vatican knows you’re here?”

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