Read Deadly Strain (Biological Response Team) for Free Online Page B

could.
    He disconnected the call.
    She handed the sat phone to Bart and prayed Marshall wouldn’t do anything stupid.
    “What did Marshall say there at the end?” Leonard asked.
    “He didn’t say anything, he hung up on me.”
    Leonard winced, but said, “You’ve made your report and we have a plan of action. Time to execute it. I’m going to stay here and enforce the quarantine. You two head out with the samples.”
    “You got it,” Sharp said.
    “Don’t let anyone blow anything up while I’m gone,” Grace told Leonard as he walked away.
    “Yes, ma’am.” He gave her a crisp salute.
    “Don’t salute me. I’m not in command of this situation.”
    “Yes, you are,” Sharp told her.
    She shook her head. “No. The anthrax is in charge here and none of us can afford to forget it. There’s
no
room for ego or hurt feelings.” She sucked in a deep breath. “How should we split up the team? Some need to stay here and monitor the situation.”
    “You, me, Rasker, Williams and three of Marshall’s men.” He watched her face for a second. “Don’t let Marshall’s stupidity rattle you.”
    “The problem is, he has a point. Too many things have gone wrong here.”
    “No plan survives first engagement. Things always change. There’s no way you could have predicted this.”
    She couldn’t maintain eye contact and let her gaze skitter away. “Strategy, tactics and figuring out who the enemy is are not my strong suit.”
    “That’s not what I’ve seen from you before now and definitely not what I’ve heard.”
    That caught her attention. “Heard?”
    “You were awarded the Bronze Star a couple of years ago.” He said it almost gently and she scowled at him.
    She shouldn’t be surprised he knew about that. Hell, the whole A-Team probably knew about it. There was just one problem. She wasn’t proud of what happened two years ago. “I was doing my job and it went horribly wrong.” She spun around and took a couple of steps toward the Sandwich. “Other people deserved that medal more than I did.”
    “That’s what all the heroes say.” It was a low whisper.
    She jerked to a stop and stared at him, but he was already talking to Bart. “Get us a ride. Something close and fast.”
    “One magic carpet ride coming up,” he said. “ETA, ten minutes.”
    “That
was
fast,” Grace said to Bart. “What did you do, make the request when I wasn’t looking?”
    “Leonard had the aircraft waiting on standby in case we needed a quick pickup.”
    “You guys think of everything.”
    Sharp nodded at her. “Have you got everything you need?”
    She glanced at the Sandwich. “Everything I need is right there.”
    “Get it ready for transport, boss.”
    As she moved to do it, Sharp called for Rasker, Williams and three of their security detail to join them.
    Grace got the samples squared away in multiple zipped plastic Baggies, then put them all in a biohazard travel container and threw the strap over her head.
    She took the bleach and sprayed down the suits of everyone leaving so they wouldn’t contaminate the interior of the bird.
    The thud of the helicopter’s rotors beat against her skin before she saw it. Sharp and the men who were coming with her gathered around her in a protective huddle.
    It came in to land, kicking up dust and dirt, and they raced to get in. Sharp leaned over the pilot’s shoulder for a minute and she could tell from the rising tension in his body that the conversation wasn’t all happy, happy, joy, joy.
    Finally, Sharp patted the pilot on the shoulder and sat down in the jump seat next to her. The helicopter took off.
    “What were you and the pilot talking about?” she yelled at Sharp.
    “Our destination,” he yelled back. “He had orders to return to the forward base, but I told him Marshall wasn’t in charge of this party anymore.”
    “Marshall had given him
other
orders?” Wanting to get the job done quickly was one thing. Interfering with an investigation of