She was ravenous.

The doctor handed her a fork, knife, and napkin, and a glass of orange juice. “Eat. Then talk.”

But she couldn’t really wait, so Tae started halfway into finishing her omelet. “I developed a vaccine for an ancient strain of smallpox.”

Dr. Bella leaned back, her mouth opening slightly. Then she folded her arms and smiled. “From Siberia.”

“Yes, how did you—”

“There was a mention in an immunology journal a number of years back that researchers in Russia had found an ancient strain.” She leaned forward. “But how did you get it?”

She had long finished her omelet before she finished the story of Sergei, the plane crash, her rescue by Dodge and Echo after a blizzard, the hypothermia, the month at Sky King Ranch, and finally her near death on the glacier and yesterday’s attack at the house.

Somehow unraveling the events made her take a good look at it all. Maybe she sounded off her rocker, but the telling affirmed one thing.

She’d been right to leave Colt behind. Because all this was her job to fix. And he’d been through enough.

“I don’t even know where to start asking questions,” Dr. Bella said. “But here’s the most important one. What will you do now?”

She sighed. “I don’t know. I was hoping that Zoey would be here.”

“Why?”

“Because computers can be hacked. Information stolen. But when you write it down, you remember. A wise professor taught me that.”

A slow smile crept up Dr. Bella’s face. “Yes. Zoey said the same thing, if I recall.”

“She did. She also kept a journal. So I was hoping that maybe she still had it . . .” Tae finished off her orange juice. Set the glass back down. “But she’s gone missing, so I don’t know what I’ll do. My old boss is setting up a lab in Atlanta, at the CDC, but without my notes—”

“After you disappeared, Zoey came to see me.”

Tae stilled.

“She was afraid and she had no idea where you were. She thought maybe you’d been in on it.”

“In on what?”

Dr. Bella lowered her voice. “You left town right after your colleague was in that car crash. Zoey thought you were in trouble. She said you came to her with some theory that your coworker had been murdered.”

“She’s into all sorts of conspiracy stories. I thought she’d believe me.”

“She did. At least, by the time you went missing. She came here the night of the fire.”

A beat.

Another.

“Is she still here?”

Dr. Bella was still considering her. “Are you alone?”

Tae nodded.

“I wish you weren’t. I wish you had someone watching your back.”

Oh, well . . .

“You were always so stubborn. Driven. One of my best students. But you have this fear of letting people into your life, Taylor.”

“You’re in my life. And Zoey—”