Nate put his arm across Juan’s shoulder and gave him a one-armed hug. “I’m sorry, Doc. I know this has to be a real gut punch for you. Do you need a drink?”

Juan let out a long breath and shook his head. “No. No, let’s just get this over with.”

“You sure you’re okay?”

Juan stared at Nate. “Even if I’m not, it doesn’t matter. We’re running out of time.”

###

As the last patient of the day left, Juan scribbled one more note on the patient roster and shook his head. He felt nauseated by the results.

“Five,” he said. “Out of nearly two hundred patients, only five didn’t test positive for the treatment. Only five!”

And Kathy. Kathy was positive, too.

And she would be dead in days.

“I know that’s not what you were hoping for,” Nate said. “But that’s still five lives. Five people who will be able to go home because of what you’ve done today.”

The agent had watched silently all day. Juan wondered how much he knew. Did he know that the illegal human trials had been what Steve had been working on? And what else had he not divulged?

Juan’s thoughts drifted to Steve, his former friend, and a murderous sense of impotent rage flooded through him. He’d referred Kathy’s father to that monster’s program without a single bit of apprehension. And even though a miracle had been performed with her father, Kathy was now infected.

Juan’s throat tightened when he thought of her. The idea that she’d be killed in less than nine days was too much for him. His vision blurred and he angrily wiped his eyes. “I needed to do more.”

“You still can. That’s why we brought you in. To help us stop this thing.”

“We don’t have that kind of time!” Juan blurted—and immediately regretted it. Nate might not know about the president’s plan. And even if he did know… well, Juan wasn’t supposed to.

“What are you talking about?” Nate asked.

Juan bit down on his lower lip. “I just… I mean, I just don’t know how long my work might take, or what might happen to these people in the meantime. Everyone’s healthy enough now, but we don’t know how long that will last. And I need to help these people now.”

“Listen to me, Juan.” Nate’s voice was soft yet firm. “I may not have a clue about what you’re dealing with on a technical level, but I’m pretty good at general problem-solving. Would it help if we talked things over? Perhaps a layperson’s perspective would give you a fresh look at things.”

Juan took a deep shuddering breath. It wasn’t the worst idea. “I suppose I’m open to that.”