Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 93984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
“Really? A grunt? That’s all you’ve got.”
“What can I say? I was more impressed with your cooking.” Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Justin’s glare in the ambient light from the dashboard.
“Better watch it, G Love. You’ve got dinner duty tomorrow night, and I might be feeling something like beef Wellington or maybe a rack of lamb.”
Gabriel couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his lips or the warmth that rose up in his chest. It wasn’t the nickname that had reluctantly grown on him, but the fact that Justin was planning ahead to tomorrow. That they had a rhythm where they so easily worked together.
He didn’t want to look too closely at why it meant so much to him or think about how temporary it was. Even if it was only for one more night, Gabriel would enjoy every second of it while he could.
Chapter 21
Hooking the hangers on two fingers and tucking the tube under his arm, Gabriel carefully pulled open the garage door leading into the kitchen at Justin’s. He’d been out running errands and gathering supplies for their eventual foray into Iaso. As he stepped inside, he squashed down the feeling of rightness, the feeling of relief that rose up in his chest when he stepped into the house. This wasn’t his home, and it never would be. He didn’t have any right to feel like that. It was just a temporary place he was staying until this job was over.
A woman’s voice Gabriel had never heard before rang out through the house, and she was not happy.
“This is bullshit, Justin. You’ve got to let me pull in more help. I can’t possibly go through all of this data in the short time that you’re giving me.”
“Bri, I’m sorry, but it’s better if you don’t involve anyone else. You know that. It’s too dangerous.”
“I’m taking precautions. What are the odds of someone discovering what I have?”
Gabriel turned the corner and stepped into the kitchen to find Justin pacing the living room while holding his cell phone in front of him. The forensic pathologist was on the speakerphone. Justin looked up when Gabriel appeared and flashed him a weak smile. His hair was standing up in every direction as if he’d been pulling at it. The shadows under his eyes were darker, but they’d both been pulling some very late nights recently as they worked on this job.
Of course, it wasn’t all work. They’d taken ample opportunity to play as well. Gabriel had never had so much sex in his life as he’d had in the past couple of weeks.
Justin sighed loudly. “I don’t know what the odds are, but even slim is too much of a risk. The more people who have the data, who even know it exists, increases the risk to you and others. I can’t be there to protect you right now.”
Brianna snorted, and a reluctant smile tugged at Gabriel’s mouth. He didn’t know this forensic pathologist, but she was no shrinking violet. She was happy to face danger and risks if it meant protecting people from getting hurt by this drug.
“Have there been any announcements from the FDA?” Brianna inquired, her tone softening a little.
“Nothing yet, but Hamilton seems confident that something is going to come soon.”
The woman on the other end of the line hummed a little. “He could just be bullshitting to help boost Iaso’s stock price.”
“Maybe.”
“Were Dr. Weiss’s notes of any assistance?” Gabriel inquired as he set the tube on the breakfast bar and laid the uniforms he’d acquired over the back of a chair.
“Who’s that?”
Justin sent him a look that showed he wasn’t exactly happy he’d revealed himself, but he didn’t seem too perturbed when he answered, “Gabriel, my temporary partner on this job.”
“Ooooh…is he as sexy as his voice?” she purred into the phone.
“Really, Bri? You’ve never called my voice sexy.”
“Eww, of course not. You remind me of my brother. That’s gross.”
Justin rolled his eyes, and Gabriel had to cover his mouth to hide his grin as well as to stop his laugh. Justin was an incredibly sexy man, and it was clear that he was very accustomed to using that sex appeal on jobs when necessary.
“But to answer your question, Gabriel, not much. From what I can gather, it looked like Dr. Weiss was just starting to suspect that something was wrong, but he was still gathering his proof. The notes gave me a starting point and a line on his train of thought, but he was still a long way off from proving that something is wrong with the drug.”
“I understand. We appreciate the help that you’re giving us and the speed at which you’re working.”
“Thanks, Gabriel.”
“We’ll keep digging around on our end. If we find anything that might help you, we’ll send it along as soon as possible.”