Tainted Cure (The Rememdium Series Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

resorted to humor in an emotional situation.
    “Glad you’re here, bro. However, if you start snorin’, you’re sleepin’ on the porch.”
    Reed set the bags in the middle of the floor and grinned wide. “Fair enough. Same goes for you. Now, enough chattin’. Time to eat. I’ve been on the road a long time and I’m starved.”
    Shaking her head at the crazy turn of events, Regina went into the kitchen to fix their plates.
    Maybe Christmas won’t be so bad after all. Thank you, Fred, for convincing the powers above to give me some support.

    Jason fumbled with the zipper on the sports bag. He didn’t have the time or patience to dick around with a temperamental piece of cheap metal. Though never a patient person by design, his allotted quota seemed to diminish at the same rate his hair started to disappear. At the current rate of hair loss, by the time he turned sixty-eight the well of patience would be empty.
    Grinding his teeth to keep from screaming, Jason tried one last time, finding success. Nerves on edge from the last fifteen hours, he yanked the bag from the bed. The day had passed by in a blur of activity and he was ready for the quiet drive to the facility. The phone call from Roberta—the one he’d waited on for almost fifteen years—sent his mind and body into high gear.
    “You about ready, Dr. Thomas?”
    Jason shook his head at the familiar voice from the doorway. “Almost, Dirk. Just finished packing. Need to shut down my laptop and then I’ll be on my way.”
    Dirk Kincanon stepped inside, reaching down to pick up Jason’s bags. “Which vehicle are you taking?”
    The tone in Dirk’s voice would have irked Jason any other time. Considering what was at stake, and how excited he was about Dr. Berning’s discovery, Jason opted to let the infraction slide. The heated discussion between the two of them several hours ago about Jason’s decision to drive—alone with no security detail through the Ozark Mountains—ended on a sour note. His trusted confidant and right-hand man still seemed miffed about the exchange.
    “Black Ram. Rednecks won’t bat an eye at yet another Bubba truck tooling around in the hills.”
    Dirk gave a faint nod of approval. “First good choice you’ve made today, sir.”
    “Dirk—enough. I appreciate your concern for my well-being. Really. I mean, protecting me is one of the reasons I hired you. However, you know why I need to go alone, and why I won’t budge on my stance. Now, quit worrying. Today is a day for celebrating. I won’t tolerate another dig. Do I make myself clear?”
    “Crystal, sir.”
    Jason watched the hulk of a man heft the bags and exit the bedroom. Dirk’s body language conveyed his irritation and concern just as well as his words from earlier. Rather than dwelling on Dirk’s annoyance, Jason walked over to his desk and shut down the laptop. Securing it inside the titanium case, he glanced at his watch. It was almost ten p.m., which would put him at the facility in less than two hours, barring any traffic. The decision to wait to leave, timing his arrival just right, was done to keep up the appearance he’d traveled much further than the actual distance. Though the truth about the entire operation would eventually be revealed, he knew the time wasn’t right just yet.
    Briefcase in hand, Jason made his way across the expanse of the large bedroom. He stopped and picked up one last item to accompany him on the journey.
    The eight-by-ten color photo sat inside a gold-rimmed frame. The smiling faces of his young wife, Laresa, and their twin girls, Tasha and Tanya, stared back in silence. A moment frozen on film from the flash of a camera, taken on the front lawn of the grand estate the Thomas family called home. The picture had taken over fifteen shots to perfect because their St. Bernard, Benny, wouldn’t hold still. Tasha and Tanya kept erupting into a pile of giggles as Benny bounded in between them.
    Picking it up to look closer, Jason