Free Tainted Cure (The Rememdium Series Book 1) by Ashley Fontainne Page A

went into a crouch then Everett lost sight of him.
    Terror kept Everett’s mouth shut as he crawled across the dirty wood floor over to Daryl’s bed. For a split second, he considered not waking the kid up, warning him things were about to get ugly. The fleeting thought left as quickly as it appeared. Everett wasn’t wired that way. Even if Riverside was hiding something from him, he couldn’t leave him helpless and alone.
    Finally next to the bed, Everett reached up and clamped his hand over Riverside’s mouth. “Daryl, wake up. We’re in trouble. Don’t say a word, but someone is outside, armed, and a vehicle is approaching in a big hurry.”
    Riverside’s eyes flew open at the same moment his body jerked awake. He locked gazes with Everett, nodded once, and then reached a hand down and grabbed the bag.
    “Come on, we can go out back. On the count of three.”
    Rather than panic and jump from the bed, Riverside simply bent over and laced up his tennis shoes. Stunned by the slow movements, Everett stared at the kid, mouth agape from shock. He wondered if Riverside was fully awake or still experiencing some sort of sleep-induced funk.
    The sound of the engine roaring across the plains grew louder, the headlights bathing the interior of the cabin in bright, white light. They illuminated Riverside’s face and to his disbelief, Everett noticed the kid was grinning from ear to ear.
    He knew then his gut instincts about Dr. Daryl Riverside were right on target.
    “Get up, Dr. Berning. Our ride is here. Don’t worry, they aren’t going to harm you. Well, at least not as long as you follow their instructions. Veer from them, or try something stupid like running away, then all bets are off.”
    There was no way Everett would leave the world on all fours like a coward. He stood and wiped the dust from his jeans and shirt. “It was you, wasn’t it? Not Dr. Flint.”
    “Yep. Life’s all about the Bennies, Dr. Berning. All about the Bennies.”
    “Bennies?”
    Riverside stood and slung the pack over his shoulders. “Money you fool. You have no idea how glad I am this is over! God, I was so sick of being stuck in both hellholes with you! I gave up five years of my life waiting for this moment. Ten million dollars seemed like a tremendous amount at the time. However, considering the mental anguish I suffered while underground, I think I might negotiate for more.”
    Instead of feeling terrified, Everett was livid. “You piece of shit! You killed them all, wasted all your talents to help your fellow man for money ? Now I know why you picked this location. You’re working with some cartel, aren’t you? Has that been your plan all along?”
    Riverside laughed as he moved across the floor to the front door. He unclipped the keys from the pack and unlocked the door. “Yep. Oh, and handing you over to them was part of the deal, too. I mean, they couldn’t turn down the opportunity to have the man who almost eradicated addiction on their team! You’ll be working for them now, just not in the capacity you’d expect. They plan on having you…”
    The treacherous bastard never had a chance to finish his words. A bullet ripped through the front door and tore open the right side of the boy’s face before Everett really comprehended what happened. Riverside’s body flew back about five feet then crumpled to the ground at the same time the door burst open. A large man, dressed in all black from head to toe, crouched down and jerked the keys from Daryl’s dead corpse.
    “If you don’t want the assholes coming up the road to do the same to you, follow me. Now.”
    Everett was cornered and knew he had no choice but to comply. He didn’t look at Daryl’s body on the floor as he ran past it, yet he paused to snatch up the bag with the formula. A strong arm yanked him away and shoved him out the front door toward the passenger door of the truck he’d arrived in with Daryl. The man who just saved his life tossed his gun and