Free The Judas Contact (Boomers Book 1) by Heather Long

on and, a moment later, it was followed by the whishing noise of the rubber beginning to roll. Her shoes thumped against the rubber, slowly at first, and then gaining in rhythm.
    He glanced over his shoulder. The shorts she wore tightened with every flex of her legs as she jogged. Though, it was more of an uneven wobbling kind of run . If one could label it a run. Her chin, tucked down, threw off her center of gravity and her arms were almost too tight to her sides.
    “Look up,” he advised.
    “What?” Her breath came in hard huffs. Harder than they should for the speed she traveled at, barely a three point four on the machine.
    “Look up. You’re struggling because you’re looking down. Your body is too tight, too tense. You need to see where you’re going, not your feet. Lift your chin.” Why was he bothering? He could just work his arms, release some of the coiled tension in his spine. A headache brewed at the base of his skull, a tensing soreness that promised to unleash hell if he didn’t let go of it.
    The treadmill stopped, and she whirled around. Sweat glistened on her face. Far too much for the less than five minutes she jogged. “And this is why I don’t like gyms.”
    She stomped off the treadmill and marched to the door. Her arms and legs trembled. The pressurized door refused to slam. Her grunt of frustration might have been funny if he could have pinpointed what pissed her off.
    Replacing the weights, he pulled a phone out of his pocket and hit the number from memory. “Simon, does the scientist have any health issues?”
    “One moment.” Simon’s patient voice was accompanied by the tapping of keys. Garrett watched the closed door and checked his watch. The house’s security systems were fully engaged. She hadn’t left.
    “Looks like she has high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and she’s taking medication for anxiety and depression. Nothing terrifically out of step with the average health reports for today. No signs of chronic illness or issues with respiration. She is a little over the norm in the weight categories.”
    “Nothing wrong with her weight. She’s curvy and healthy looking.” And he’d definitely looked. Long, well-shaped legs, full breasts, fantastic hips and an ass that he wouldn’t forget anytime soon. He preferred her curves to those starving cases that this society used in all of its advertising.
    “Is Doctor Blaine all right?” If the telepath had anything to say on Garrett’s comment, he kept it to himself.
    “She was running and seemed to be having trouble with it. She seemed to be having the same trouble yesterday when Rory was getting her up the stairs.” More like she looked ready to pass out when he’d reached in to pull her through the door. Her face was red and flushed, her mouth open, and her chest rose and fell in rapid breaths. He’d attributed it to fear, but less than five minutes on the treadmill and she showed similar symptoms.
    “Could it be a result of the toxin you used?” The mild question sparked a flame of guilt, but Garrett crushed it.
    “No. No, if the toxin were going to cause her issues, she wouldn’t have woken up or shaken it off as quickly as she did. She had some tremors for roughly an hour, but those were gone on the drive here. I saw no evidence of respiratory issues. Ask Rory.”
    “Stand by.”
    He was put on hold and a beep on his watch flashed green. She was down in the lab. He’d shown her the door earlier, but had not taken her down. Checking the equipment briefly, he left the workout room and headed for the kitchen. The basement door stood wide open.
    They were going to have a discussion about security.
    “Garrett?” Simon was back.
    “I’m here.”
    “Rory said she wasn’t a really physical person. She didn’t work out much in college and she didn’t spend a lot of time in athletics. The hard breathing is probably just her not being used to a workout.” Not an unreasonable assumption.
    “Roger that.” He