Free No Place to Hide by Lynette Eason Page A

stands out in a big way.”
    Ian shook his head. “I don’t want to do that if I can help it.”
    “There hasn’t been anything on the news yet about him traveling with us, so we may be all right for a bit.”
    Ian rubbed Gus’s head. His hand collided with Jackie’s and he let his fingers wrap around hers. Their eyes met. “I promised my sister I’d take care of him.”
    She breathed in and he appreciated the fact that she didn’t pull away. “Well, at least it won’t be a problem getting him on the bus.”
    “No, it won’t be a problem, not if he has his service animal vest on.” He released her fingers and mourned the loss.
    A light went on in her eyes. She stared at the dog, then him. “He’s a service animal. Then his disguise will be . . . a service animal. Let me rummage in my grandfather’s shed for just a minute, then we’ll go.”

    7:30 A.M.
ATLANTA
    “Can you picture the widespread panic that’s going to happen if this gets out?” Center for Disease Control director Tobias Freeman ran a hand through his short-cropped Afro, then tightened his tie and studied his face in his bathroom mirror. His dark eyes reflected his keen intelligence—and infinite worry. Stress had pressed new lines alongside his mouth and he thought he might have developed a few more gray hairs. He could only pray that by the time this was over he wasn’t completely white-headed.
    Kara, his wife of twenty-two years, lifted herself on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Now, Toby, you’ll get this settled today and all will be fine.”
    He shook his head and pulled her close, burying his face for one brief moment of comfort in her silky black strands. “They’re going to blame me, you know,” he murmured against her neck.
    She pushed him back and cupped his chin. “It’s not your fault, Tobias. I’ll be praying.”
    He kissed her and breathed his own prayer. One of thanks for his wife, one for wisdom for the moments to come, and one of pleading for the Lord to intervene and keep innocent people safe. “I’ve got to go. They’re waiting on me. Just pray. Pray like you’ve never prayed before.”
    Thirty minutes later, he stepped into the CDC conference room and took in the solemn faces seated at the long table. Faces that consisted of FBI, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Georgia Highway Patrol representative, the mayor, and Chief of Police Harvey Parker.
    Tobias loosened his tie and cleared his throat. “Folks, wehave a potential disaster on our hands. Let’s make some wise decisions.”
    The chief leaned forward, dark eyes intense. “I say we keep this as quiet as possible. It will give us a better chance of catching the people who’ve done this. If we release the fact that we let someone steal the smallpox virus, we’ll have chaos.”
    Nods all around the table.
    “This is considered a terrorist act,” stated Rebecca Wilson, FBI Special Agent in Charge in Atlanta. Her head bobbed with emphasis. “As such, we’ve formed this additional Joint Terrorism Task Force. We will continue to add people to it as it becomes necessary.”
    Tobias nodded. He’d expected nothing less. “We’ll want to encourage the public to get the smallpox vaccination.” He paused and blew out a slow breath. “I’m not one for lies. I never could have imagined I’d condone lying to the public, but this . . .” He shook his head. “We’ll have to find a way to protect the people without causing a panic.”
    Special Agent Elizabeth Miller pursed her lips, then offered a quiet sigh. “Unfortunately, you’re right. We can’t tell the truth just yet. What do you think about saying there was an outbreak on a remote island in the Philippines or something?”
    “And as a result of that outbreak, there’ve been several cases reported here in the States,” Special Agent Wilson said.
    Tobias cleared his throat, not at all sure he liked the idea of concocting a lie, but knowing the truth had to be withheld for now. He