Day 1. I don’t write in a diary, and this is stupid but is apparently part of the job. The Brigade is an odd group. There. That should do it for the day.
—Hugh Johnson, Brigade Notes
Hugh stepped out of the chauffeured vehicle and reached a hand in to assist Ellie after a two-hour flight to Springfield. Litter tumbled down the cracked sidewalk, mixing with dried leaves. “Somebody had better explain what is going on,” he said, shutting the vehicle door, not surprised when it zoomed down the quiet street and away from them. They’d reminisced about college for the entire plane ride because she wouldn’t answer any of his questions during the trip.
“I told you I’m not authorized to detail mission parameters to you.” Ellie turned and looked down the deserted street. “You used to be more patient.”
He glanced at the quiet stone building in front of them. A cool wind washed down the street located at the edge of the city complete with several abandoned buildings. “You’ve never kidnapped me and brought me to Missouri before.” This was all getting weird. Really weird. Rumor had it that Scorpius survivors, some of them, went completely serial-killer nuts. He glanced down at the petite woman to his right.
She snorted. “I’m not planning on caging you, buddy.” Setting her shoulders, she marched on fairly high heels up the crumbling steps to push open the front door.
He kicked himself into gear and rushed after her, holding the door for her to enter. She had to brush by him, and his skin sensitized.
Why had he let her out of his sight so long ago?
Shaking himself out of the past, he grasped her arm and pulled her to a halt. Scratched and thin oak made up the floor, and dingy paint covered the walls. Several real wooden doors, old and dented, took up residence every few yards, proclaiming businesses. Henry O’Toole, attorney at law. Mildren Kremis, accountant. And so on. “Where the hell are we?” he asked.
She sighed and tugged him over to an old-fashioned elevator. “Just get in.”
The thing wobbled from his weight as he stepped inside. “Um—” he muttered as the door closed.
She pressed the button for the second floor, then the first, then the third, second, first, second, and then the close-door button.
Good God. She’d lost her mind. “Have you survived Scorpius?” he asked, keeping his tone mild. He’d just crossed states with a crazy woman.
Her smile touched something in him. “Hold on, Ace.” Then she pressed the red alarm button.
The elevator dropped suddenly, and he grabbed the wall. “Ellie?” His breath quickened.
She chuckled. They descended rapidly and then…stopped. The door opened.
He moved before she could, instinctively protecting her and stepping out, keeping her behind him. Two armed marines stood guard in front of what looked like a steel door set into a steel wall. His shoulders relaxed. “This is interesting.”
Ellie shoved past him and handed her ID to the guy on the left. “Used to be a CIA compound.” The guard returned her credentials and opened the steel door.
In Missouri? He gave the soldiers a nod and then followed her down another long hallway that led to a round control room with screens on every wall. Several people worked away at consoles, not bothering to look up at them. He whistled. “Impressive.”
“This way.” She led him around the consoles to a smaller control room with a long conference room type table.
He walked inside and paused.
Two people, a man and a woman, sat at the table eating what looked like burgers. They wore casual jeans, boots, and T-shirts. The man stood, all six-foot-four of him, and held out a hand. He had dark brown hair, intense green eyes, and a scar down his neck. “Hugh. Thanks for coming.” The Scottish brogue was a surprise.
Hugh shook his hand. “Somebody had better start explaining.”
The woman stood to about five-foot-seven, with dark eyes and curly brown hair. She also held out a hand. “I’m Nora Medina, and this is Deacan McDougall. Welcome to the Brigade.” Her voice was cultured and her eyes spirited. She gestured to the other side of the table and retook her seat.
“McDougall,” Deacan said easily, pulling fries out of a bag. “Nora McDougall.”
Nora blinked and then nodded. “That’s right. I’d forgotten.”
McDougall eyed his wife. “Apparently, I’ll have to remind you later.”
Ellie sighed. “Newlyweds,” she whispered to Hugh. “Please. Have a seat.”
Hugh cut Ellie a look and crossed around to sit.
McDougall shoved a greasy-looking bag toward him and retook his seat. “Can’t vouch for the cholesterol content, but the burgers are excellent.”
Hugh nudged the bag toward Ellie. “I’m here for one more minute if somebody doesn’t explain.” While he kept his voice level, the hair was rising on the back of his neck. He was a simple guy, and this espionage bullshit just pissed him off. “Fifty seconds.”
McDougall grinned. “I have two armed marines guarding the elevator. Think you can go through both of them?”
“If I have to,” Hugh said easily. He might not be in the military, but he’d learned how to fight at a young age. With two brothers, it was impossible not to know how to take and throw a punch. He missed them already. At least Milo had promised to fetch the dog and take him to the lake. Heisenberg loved chasing the gulls. “I guess I could start with you.”
McDougall’s smile widened. The guy wasn’t put off in the slightest. “I like you already, Johnson.”
Wonderful. “Being liked has never been one of my goals,” Hugh said smoothly. Except by Ellie. At the moment, he’d freakin’ love it if she liked him. Especially enough to get naked. It had been way too long.
“Gentlemen,” Nora said in the way women had been sighing the words through history—like all men were morons. “Let’s get down to business.” She drew a remote control out from under the table and pointed it at the screen on the far wall. “We’ve downloaded your records from work, Hugh.” His computer screen took shape.
He sat back. “Did you, now?” he asked mildly, his ears starting to itch.
“Eleanor did,” Nora said absently, clicking a file open.
He slowly turned his head to face the blushing blonde. “You hacked my system, Ellie?”
* * * *
Ellie barely kept from fidgeting in her chair when faced with Hugh’s calm stare. Anybody who didn’t know him would think he was mildly curious. But she did know him—better than she’d thought. His eyes burned a deep blue. The guy was pissed. “We thought it expedient to have your records here for you,” she said, sounding like a prim schoolmarm with a stick up her butt. She held back a wince. “You’re welcome.”
His gaze remained on her face for a few heated beats. “You work for the government as a computer scientist?”
Deke snorted. “That’s the understatement of the year.”
Hugh turned toward Deke. “Ten seconds.”
Deke snatched a couple of Nora’s fries before she could stop him. “The president has sanctioned the Brigade as a line of defense against problems caused by the Scorpius Pandemic. We’re the Brigade. As you know, the government has been concerned for years about a terrorist attack against a nuclear facility.”
Hugh’s broad chest visibly settled. “You have intel?”
“We have chatter. A lot of it,” Ellie said quietly. “It’s unclear and garbled, but based on information from several sources, we believe there is going to be an attack soon.”
“Terrorists are taking advantage of the pandemic. That makes a sick kind of sense. Where?” Hugh asked.
Deke sighed. “We’re hoping you can tell us where. Not only the best three targets but the most probable terrorists. Think on US soil—either visiting here or homegrown. Commercial air traffic has been shut down. Probably for a long time.”
“Probably for good if nobody gets a handle on the Scorpius bacteria,” Ellie murmured, feeling better with Hugh at her side.
Hugh eyed McDougall.
Deke nodded. “I’m military and always have been. The president, who’s currently fighting the illness, tapped me for the Brigade. Nora is a microbiologist, and Eleanor is a computer scientist. You’ll meet the rest of the team later.”
Hugh turned toward Nora. “Microbiologist? Shouldn’t you be in a lab right now fixing this thing?”
Her dark eyes twinkled. “My best friend is the head of infectious diseases at the CDC. Her name is Lynne Harmony, and she’s fighting this thing even though she’s been infected. If she needs me, she’ll call. I’m needed here.”
“Lynne Harmony? The woman whose heart was turned blue by a faulty cure? I’d heard she’d died,” Hugh said quietly.
“No. She’s alternating between being a test subject and working as a doctor,” Nora said, losing her smile. “If anybody can find a cure for this bug, it’s Lynne. For now, we have other threats.”
“What is our biggest threat nuclear-wise?” Deke asked, somber now.
Hugh breathed out, his jaw looking hard. “Depends on several factors. First, look for older facilities with outdated security coupled with the biggest casualty possibility. Second, look at where Scorpius has hit hardest…because those places will have lightened security. Third, look at locations of known or suspected terrorist organizations on our soil.”
Nausea rolled in Ellie’s stomach. Her hand itched with the urge to take Hugh’s. To feel his strength and warmth. To find comfort. So she clasped both hands in her lap. She was an adult with an important job, and she needed to buck up and stop this nonsense.
Deke pushed away from the table. “Good. You and Eleanor have an hour to create a list of likely targets and suspects. We’ll cross-reference your list with our counter-terrorism expert’s list. Hopefully there will be a common denominator.”
Nora gracefully stood and crossed around the table. “We should be back in an hour or so.”
Deke nodded and waited until she’d reached him. “I’m going to check in with the president. Hopefully he’ll be one of the survivors of this thing. Otherwise, Congressman Bret Atherton will step up as our new leader.”
Ellie caught an odd tone. “You don’t like Atherton?”
Deke shrugged a massive shoulder. “I don’t know the guy, and at this point, knowledge is power. I like the current president. We’ll also check in with Lynne Harmony and see what’s going on with what’s left of the CDC.”
Nora bit her lip, amusement dancing in her dark eyes. “If you get finished early, Eleanor can show you the sleeping quarters, Hugh.”
Was her friend matchmaking? Ellie gave her a look while trying to be casual. “I’d be happy to show Hugh around,” she said.
Nora’s lips visibly twitched.
Deke grasped her arm and drew her from the room. “You’re terrible,” he murmured loud enough to make Ellie blush.
The room quieted and somehow electrified.
“You’ve been working with Homeland?” Hugh asked, no expression on his hard face.
She swallowed. “Mostly. I started with the CIA and then moved over.” So yes, they’d been working for the same agency for the last five years but in different divisions and locations.
“Did you know?” he asked softly, too softly.
She thought about lying. She really did. “I knew.” Facing him, she forced a smile. “I kept track of you a little bit. Nothing stalkerish or anything. I always wanted the best for you.” It was true. Even though he’d broken her heart when absolutely not meaning to do so, she’d wanted him to have a good life.
“Why didn’t you reach out?” He did exactly that, his thumb and forefinger grasping her chin so she couldn’t look away.
Why not? The one time she’d tried, he’d rejected her. Sure, he’d been hurt and angry and possibly had not wanted to use her, which made him decent. But still. “I’ve been busy,” she said, a bit lamely if asked.
“You haven’t married.”
Was that satisfaction in his gaze?
She gently tugged her face free. “No, but I was engaged until a couple of months ago.” So there.
His hand dropped to his lap. “Why did you call it off?”
Now that was sweet. She tried for flirty, narrowing her eyes. “Who said I called it off?”
He frowned. “Is there something in your eye?”
Crap. She blinked. “It’s okay now. Um, I called it off because it just didn’t feel right.” Kyle was a good guy. A marine sniper. But something was missing, and even he seemed relieved when she said they should go on like friends. “He’s a great guy. Stationed overseas for now.” Why was she always in the friend zone with great guys? Wasn’t this the time of the geek?
Hugh reached for the remote control, rolling slightly away from her. “I guess we should get to work.”
Relief flushed down her. She was so much better at work than at feelings. “Yes.” Opening a cabinet behind her chair, she drew out several notepads, pens, and highlighters. Then she set them carefully on the table, back in control of herself.
“I’m glad we didn’t date in college,” Hugh said absently, opening several more file folders on the screen.
Hurt slid through her, and she calmed her expression. “Really? Why?”
He paused, turning to face her, his eyes burning. “Because we have nothing bad from the past to deal with.” He smiled, the sight a bit intimidating. “It’s a new start for us.”