Her heart pounding, Lopez felt a scratch as the blade dug into the skin of her neck. Ryland’s hot breath blew on her ear. A drop of blood trickled down her neck.

“It’s done now, Neil,” Cohen said calmly. His eyes locked on Lopez’s. “Let Lina go.”

“I don’t think so,” Ryland grunted through gritted teeth. “Back up. Now!”

Kilburn glanced at Cohen. They both backed up four steps to the far side of the kitchen.

“What now?” Cohen asked.

Lopez felt Ryland’s cheek brush against hers as he looked from side to side. “I’ll need your car keys.”

“Why, Neil?” Kilburn growled, his face flushing. “You were supposed to have been Ellen’s friend.”

“Why? Why?” Ryland cried. “You’re supposed to be a goddamned doctor. Can’t you even see it?”

Kilburn’s lip twitched. “See what?”

“Open your eyes. The bugs are winning!” he snapped. “The bloody post-antibiotic era has dawned.”

“Only because of you,” Lopez whispered.

“Me?” Ryland’s arm tightened around her ribs to the point where breathing became difficult. “Remember your own press conference, Lina? All that antibiotic abuse you railed against? The demanding patients, the lazy doctors, the greedy drug companies and cattle ranchers. You were right. Nature is striking back. MRGAS and other even more resistant bacteria are on their way with or without my help.”

Completely still, Cohen stared at Lopez with reassuring eyes. He nodded to her.

“And finally a drug with real promise like Oraloxin comes along,” Ryland said. “But those idiots at the FDA can’t see the forest for the trees. A couple of dead lab chimps is enough to make them give up on one of the last hopes against the onslaught of bacterial resistance.”

“So we should thank you for introducing MRGAS?” Kilburn said, his cheeks red with rage.

“Yes!” Ryland snapped. “I showed the world a tiny taste of what’s coming in the near future. I helped prepare us. And I’m not sorry that a couple of junkies had to die to do it.”

“Good people died,” Kilburn murmured.

“Have you heard of the greater good, Doctor?” Ryland grunted.

“You were trying to save the world. Right, Neil?” Cohen said coolly.

“Not just that,” Ryland said. “Take a look around at this shitty little house of mine.”

Lopez felt his grip loosen a little on her chest but the blade was still held firm to her neck.

“I wasn’t about to start all over with nothing but a ruined reputation,” Ryland said. “Not after helping to create one of the greatest drugs of the past fifty years. No way! So I did what I had to do. I extorted some money from that slimeball Martineau and his filthy-rich slut Byington. Then I hired Snider or Forbes, or whatever you call him to do the legwork of disseminating MRGAS.”

Kilburn’s eyes were fire. “And Ellen?”