Reviving Graham Read online

  Dade was supposed to be dead. He didn’t have the manpower or the time to hunt people down and move them. And where would that be? “Where the hell am I supposed to move everyone to?”

  “I have some suggestions.”

  Dade cringed. “And you expect me to trust your suggestions?”

  “My God.” Blair looked like she was going to rush across the room and strangle Spencer. She gripped her thighs with both hands as she straightened. “How could you possibly know where everyone is? And why?”

  He shrugged. “I’m that good. And it’s my job. At this point, Blue Cell is keeping tabs on everyone to make sure they stay split up and out of the way.”

  “Wait,” Dade said as he lowered back to sit next to Blair, “are you saying Blue Cell orchestrated that bombing at the bunker a month ago?”

  Spencer nodded. “The goal was to disperse everyone. That’s always been the goal. It finally worked.”

  “So all the crazy shit that happened was caused by this Blue Cell group?”

  “Yep. Everything. Even the kidnapping of Ryan’s girlfriend, Emily Zorich. It’s amazing what a desperate father will do. A few suggestive nudges, and the man was convinced Emily was the key to reviving his daughter.”

  “Jesus,” Dade muttered.

  “The messiah hasn’t been involved yet, but you never can tell. As soon as I manage to hack into His website, I’ll let you know,” Spencer joked, laughing as if any of this were funny.

  “Why are you telling us this?” Blair asked.

  Spencer sobered and rubbed his forehead with one hand. “Several reasons.”

  “Let’s hear them,” Dade prompted, growing annoyed.

  “Like I said, I’m a decent guy, in spite of my past record. I had no idea when I started working for Blue Cell they had bad intentions and would stop at nothing to get what they wanted.”

  “And what is it that they ultimately want?” Blair interrupted to ask.

  Spencer sighed. “Unfortunately, I don’t have the answer to that. I get my assignments, and I do them. If I ask questions about other aspects of the organization, people will get suspicious.”

  “You’re a hacker,” Blair pointed out. She was glaring at Spencer when Dade glanced at her.

  Spencer nodded. “Yeah, well, I can’t hack brains, just computers.”

  “Great,” Blair stated sarcastically. “Continue. Why are you really here?”

  “I don’t want to have anything to do with people dying. So far, you’ve all been relatively safe, but if anyone gets too close to the truth—whatever that might be—I’m afraid Blue Cell will stop at nothing to take you all out one by one. I want to help. I’ve already tried to help as best I could, but it would be easier if I had you two as a liaison. Your team isn’t going to listen to me directly.”

  “I’m not sure we’re willing to listen to you either,” Dade pointed out.

  “I can appreciate that.”

  “How have you tried to help?” Dade asked, eyes narrowed. “We’ve had nothing but problems for months. I don’t see what you’ve done to help things.”

  Spencer squirmed before responding. “I’ve sent anonymous texts to some of your team members, warning them to get out of the bunker.”

  Blair flinched. “That was you?”

  “Yes. Obviously I was too late. Two men followed them away from the bunker, but I tried.”

  Dade rubbed his forehead. “This is ludicrous.”

  Spencer sighed. “Listen, the reason I’m here now is because you have an urgent problem. I’ve dug around in the data you all keep for DEEP. I understand the meaning of that acronym perfectly well. Disease & Epidemic Eradication & Prevention. The data from over thirty years of cures and treatments is stored on the servers in that bunker. Millions of lives would be lost if that data disappeared.”

  Dade sucked in a sharp breath. “Who the fuck would do that?”

  “Apparently…me.”

  Blair shook her head. “It’s backed up. Multiple times. In clouds.”

  Spencer stared at her. “I’m super-clear on that. And I have access to all of it. I can and will make it disappear.”

  “Jesus Christ.” Dade leaned back. “Why the fuck are you telling us all this? Quit your job. Tell them no.”

  Spencer narrowed his gaze. “I value my life too, asshole. I’d be dead before I left the room. Besides, it wouldn’t do any good. They would just hire someone else to do the job. Wiping data is not that difficult.”

  “So, what the hell are we supposed to do?” Blair asked.

  “I have a plan. One that keeps me alive and allows Project DEEP to carry out their mission at the same time.”

  “Great,” Dade returned sarcastically. “And what do you get in return?”

  “The satisfaction of having done the right thing and protection so that Blue Cell can’t get to me.”

  “And you think I have the power to make that happen?” Dade asked.

  “I’m hoping you will when this is over. After you’ve taken down at least a fraction of this organization. Surely, your people will have the clout to get me into witness protection. Blue Cell is huge and powerful. You’ll never be able to destroy them. Even if you expose this plot and win this battle, there will always be someone watching me. I need to know that the good guys will have my back.”

  Dade found himself nodding. “Okay. If you’re telling the truth, I’ll make sure it happens. Now, tell me this plan of yours.”

  “Well, it starts with Graham Wentz…”

  Chapter 1

  “Kate?” The weak voice coming from across the room startled Kate so badly she nearly stumbled as she spun around to face her patient.

  Graham Wentz. The man she had kept under constant observation for a month while his organs returned to full function was finally awake.

  She rushed to close the short distance between them and set a hand on his shoulder, smiling. “Welcome back.”

  He frowned, glancing around the room. “Where am I?”

  “A clinic in Colorado. Long story.” Very long story. She knew from witnessing the reanimation of over a dozen other coworkers how confused he would be this first day. He would need time to shake the cobwebs and get his brain to fully absorb everything he’d missed.

  His gaze came back to hers. Intense. Too intense for the fact that he’d just woken up moments ago. She shivered. “Where’s everyone else?”

  “Another long story. The important thing is that you’re awake, and all your vitals are good. Don’t rush things.”

  The look on his face suggested he might argue. Not surprising. After all, she’d always known him to be inquisitive and sharp. Kate herself had only been pulled out of preservation three months ago. The first few days were a foggy memory.

  Kate schooled her face, forcing a friendly smile. Inside, she was nervous. Her heart was racing and the tight ball she’d had in her stomach for weeks squeezed harder. He was back. Those pale green eyes she remembered were staring up at her. His thick strawberry-blond hair was longer than normal after spending a month in this bed. She kind of liked it.

  It took every ounce of energy to keep from reaching up to smooth her hand over his hair or cup his cheek or lean in closer and set her lips on his forehead. But those hadn’t been mannerisms she’d used with him a decade ago, and she didn’t want to startle him. She had no idea how he might respond to her doting over him anyway.

  The entire situation was crazy since she’d been nursing him back to health now for weeks. Alone. She’d seen every inch of his body. But now he was awake. It would be awkward to continue to ogle his facial features or set a hand on his arm the way she had every day.

  Graham sighed and then drew in a long breath. “Start talking.”

  She stiffened. “How about a drink of water? You need to get your organs to fully wake up and start functioning.” His organs were fine. He’d had an IV for four weeks. Everything was in working order. Nevertheless, she picked up a cup and filled it with water.

 
When he tried to lift his head, his eyes widened. “Holy shit. How long have I been asleep? My head feels like it’s not even connected to my body.”

  “That’s normal. Physical therapy will help. I’ll get you started.” She tucked her hand under his head and helped tip him forward so he could take a sip of water.

  He swallowed and then dropped back down as if he’d gone for a run. He lifted one shaky hand up swipe it over his face and into his hair. His eyes were closed when he dropped his hand. “Kate. Talk to me.”

  She pulled a chair up closer and sat, ignoring the awkwardness and grabbing his wrist. For a moment she stared at the contrast of his lighter freckled skin against her more naturally tanned fingers. “Maybe you should try to sleep a bit longer, and then we’ll talk. Anything I say to you right now will be forgotten.”

  He slowly turned his face toward her, meeting her gaze. He searched her face, probably trying to read her expression. “My memory has always been one of my best assets. I don’t think I lost it in the cryostat.” His gaze was intense, never wavering, eyes narrowed slightly.

  She returned a similar stare and asked him a tough question as a test. “What was your diagnosis before you were preserved?”

  He rolled his eyes as if he were bored. “Viral-onset AP12. Happy?”

  Damn. He did seem sharper than she remembered feeling when she’d awoken. She realized she was gripping his wrist too tightly and eased up. Naturally, Graham wasn’t the sort of person who was going to be placated. It would be easier to give him an overview now even if she had to repeat it again later today and then tomorrow.

  She studied his face. She’d done so many times over the past few weeks, but he wouldn’t know that. She needed to remember she didn’t have the freedom to stare at him or hold his hand now that he was awake.

  A new reality was descending, one in which her fantasies about Graham were about to go up in smoke. The truth was she’d been half in love with the man before they were preserved, but she’d never told him. She’d never told anyone until recently. He hadn’t known her from Adam, of course, but she’d been attracted to him anyway. In fact, her last regret before being preserved had been that she’d never had the guts to so much as flirt with him.

  Now, he didn’t move an inch. Not even to blink. He was staring at her, having paid more attention to her in the last thirty seconds than he had in years. He’d spoken more words to her cumulatively also.

  She took a breath. “There was an explosion at the bunker about a month ago. I’ve been here with you ever since. We’re a few hours south of Falling Rock.”

  “An explosion?” His body jerked.

  “Yes. You’re one of the last of the original team to be reanimated. The new team has been bringing us all back as fast as they can, but there are a lot of people who aren’t pleased with our existence.” She really wished he would go back to sleep. She’d known she would need to tell him all of this, but she hadn’t counted on it being today.

  He frowned. “Why?”

  She sighed. “Who knows? Religious zealots think the government shouldn’t be playing God. The media wants a story. You name it.” She didn’t even give him half of it, but good Lord, he needed to rest more.

  “Did someone find a cure for AP12?”

  “Yes.” She smiled. This was the best part of the story. “Remember Tushar and Trish’s son? Ryan Anand?”

  He nodded. “He’s about twenty, right?”

  She chuckled. “He was. But he aged while we didn’t. He found a cure and put together a new Project DEEP team with another doctor, Damon Bardsley, a cryonicist. They’ve successfully brought us back.”

  Graham licked his lips and then slowly asked his next question in a shaky voice. “How long have we been vitrified?”

  “Ten years.”

  Chapter 2

  The next time Graham woke up, he found Kate curled on her side on a cot several feet from him. She was sound asleep, her face relaxed, her brown hair with blond highlights fanned out around her. Her hands were tucked under her chin, and she looked younger than usual. Peaceful.

  He stared at her. Kate. Kate Bauer. He tried to swallow and found his mouth too dry again. How was it that the very woman he’d had a serious crush on for three years had been assigned to nurse him to health? A woman he’d been too timid to approach. A woman who’d made his heart beat faster every time she was in the room.

  He’d never had the guts to stare at her this long, not even cumulatively over the course of three years. How long could he watch her sleep without her waking?

  He barely had enough energy to turn his head toward her, so it was easy not to disturb her. Though his mouth was dry. In a minute, he would try to reach for the water.

  He felt more alert this time. His brain was less foggy, and he tried to piece together everything she’d told him.

  Damn. Ten years. He hardly understood what the hell was going on or why they were hiding in a clinic. She needed to explain that part better.

  And he needed to get his shit together and get out of this bed.

  There were only twenty-one members of his team, and they spent years working together every day before the last few months, not leaving the bunker, so he knew most of them as well as he knew anyone. He’d always been an introvert, however, so that wasn’t saying a lot.

  Except for Kate. He’d paid closer attention to her over the years. He knew her mannerisms. The way she laughed. The serious expression she wore when she was deep at work. He even knew the look of deep sadness she’d carried when they all realized they would not live.

  He was a geneticist. He’d spent long hours buried in his own research. All of them had worked hard around the clock in their final months before succumbing to AP12 one by one and being preserved. Tushar and Trish were the team leaders. They’d taken on the task of preserving everyone. Someone must have figured out a way to preserve them in the end, as well.

  Still staring at Kate, he managed to lift one hand across his body and touch his wrist where she’d held on to him earlier. He wondered if she realized she’d been touching him. She definitely hadn’t ever touched him before. Though, he’d wished she had.

  She had stared at him too. Hard. Really looking into his eyes as if they’d meant far more to each other before they’d been preserved than they actually had. Like they knew each other better. As if she could read his thoughts. They hadn’t exchanged more than a few cordial words in years. Because he was a chicken.

  Kate was younger than him. She’d been one of the last people to join the team. He thought she might be about twenty-seven. Though he also remembered her to be a whiz who graduated high school ahead of her class and then gone to West Point. Then she’d gone to medical school at Stanford. Like most of the team, she’d been handpicked out of college by the government to serve her country in the bunker.

  Not that he was a slacker. He knew he was bright. He’d gone to Auburn through their ROTC program and then Yale medical school. He’d also been handpicked by the government several years before her.

  She shifted slightly in her sleep, and he swore he could inhale her scent from the few feet of distance between them. Or perhaps he was imagining it. Lavender. Her shampoo, maybe. Or body lotion. He remembered the scent from before they’d been vitrified, which in his mind had been just yesterday.

  No, he hadn’t spoken to her often, but he’d noticed her. He’d also done his best to ignore the fact that he’d noticed her. She was fun, bubbly, outgoing. Way out of his league.

  No way in hell would he have ever risked flirting with her. For one thing, he would never ask out someone he had to see every single day. He would have felt like a total jackass for the rest of forever working in such a tight space with her after she turned him down.

  Instead, out of self-preservation, he’d outwardly ignored her. Sure, he’d watched her when she wasn’t looking. But he’d never made eye contact any more than necessary. Didn’t sit near her. Rarely spoke to her.

  He was incredibly s
urprised to find her with him wherever the hell they were. Not just surprised. Shocked. Intrigued. Had she been assigned? Or volunteered? Probably she’d been pawned off on him because she was an MD and would know how to take care of him. He needed a hell of a lot more answers.

  He also needed water.

  When he rolled his body slightly to the side to reach for the cup, his fingers refused to close around the side of the glass, and he ended up knocking it on the floor instead. “Shit,” he muttered as Kate jumped to her feet.

  “Graham. I’m so sorry. I fell asleep.”

  “You’re sorry?” He frowned at her. “I’m the sorry one. I was trying not to wake you. My damn hand wouldn’t take orders from my brain.”

  She reached for a fresh cup, filled it with water from the pitcher, and tucked her hand under his neck as she’d done earlier.

  He considered pretending he never got his mobility back if she was going to touch him often and lean so close.

  When the cool water his lips, he sighed. Who knew water could be so refreshing?

  “You want more?” she asked as she eased him back to the pillow. “Or something else? Soda? Ginger ale? I don’t want you to overdo it today, but I can get you something from upstairs.”

  “Upstairs?”

  “Yes. We’re in the back of a clinic. Dr. Marcie Brown runs this clinic. She has living quarters above us.”

  “Ah. Have you been staying upstairs with her, then?”

  He was certain Kate’s face turned several shades of red. “Not exactly.”

  His gaze darted to the cot as it dawned on him. “You’ve been sleeping in here with me for a month?” Holy shit.

  “Mostly.” She looked away from him, busying herself with the cup and his IV and then the sheets around his legs.

  He grabbed her hand, something he’d never done before.

  But holy shit. Holy. Shit. Not only had she stayed in his room, but she was nervous about it.