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

bag on the floor then fired up the truck just as the sound of pings bounced all around.
    “Hurry! Those ain’t bees they’re bullets!”
    Yanking the door open, Everett leapt inside when a bullet tore through his calf muscle. He screamed in agony yet managed to get his entire body inside and shut the door.
    “Hang on.”
    In a haze of pain and shock, Everett yanked off his shirt and used it as a tourniquet over the oozing wound in his leg. The truck bounced and bumped its way through the uneven terrain. Once his leg was secure, he turned and looked out the back window, thankful the nameless driver had seemed to outmaneuver the vehicle behind them. From the rumbles of the engine, Everett could tell the man was pushing the Dodge to its limit.
    Unwilling to interrupt the man’s concentration on the task at hand, Everett remained silent while watching the headlights fade into the distance. In minutes, the view out the back window was black.
    As the adrenaline rush wore off, a wave of dizziness made the interior of the truck spin. To keep his mind engaged, Everett asked, “I’d sort of like to know the name of the man who just either saved my life, or is the next one in line trying to end it. You know, so I can know who to come back and haunt when I’m dead or name my next kid after, whichever way this crazy night turns out.”
    Without taking his eyes off the road, the man grumbled, “You don’t recognize me, Dr. Berning? Wow, I’m crushed.”
    Stunned, Everett couldn’t stop himself from leaning over and peering closer. He recognized the deep baritone voice, and confirmation he was right was made by the green light of the dashboard. Though it had been months since the last time they’d met in person, the man’s distinctive voice gave him away. A verbal explosion of questions tumbled from Everett’s mouth. “Dirk Kincanon? Holy shit! Did Dr. Thomas send you? Oh, please tell me he’s okay? What about Dr. Flint and all those poor people in the lab? How in the world did you find us?”
    “GPS.”
    “Huh, oh, you mean on the truck?”
    “Yes. When I couldn’t reach Dr. Thomas, I located his vehicle. Knew things had gone sour when it showed up in Texas. Rest, Dr. Berning. Tend to your leg. There’s a medical kit in my bag. Get yourself patched up properly and let me get us out of this fucking state then we’ll talk.”
    The sense of dread that had been Everett’s constant companion for the last two days intensified. He rifled through the bag in the floorboard, grateful the wound was to his calf muscle and not a major organ.
    “One more question then I promise I’ll be quiet. Where are we going?”
    The strong jaw line on Dirk’s face flexed with irritation. “Arkansas, of course. The estate of Dr. Jason Thomas to be exact. It’s too risky to head back to the lab right now. I don’t know exactly how much Riverside told his partners.”
    Everett let out a small sigh of relief. “The lab’s intact?”
    Dirk glanced over and let a snide grin appear. “You just asked another question.”
    “Can you blame me? I feel like I’ve been transported to an alternate reality. Knocked unconscious, kidnapped, almost killed—that’s just the short list of fucked-up shit on my plate. Oh, and my leg is throbbing and I believe I’m suffering from a massive case of shock. Cut me some slack, will you?”
    “Sit back and try to relax. We’ll head to the lab once I’m sure it’s safe to do so. In the meantime, we’ll hunker down at Dr. Thomas’ place. It’s a fortress. We’ll be safe there. I assure you no one gets inside unless I want them to.”
    Everett felt a lump of tears gather in his dry throat. He had the answer to his questions about Dr. Thomas and the others. Dirk didn’t need to spell out the fact all of the others were dead. Instead of succumbing to the emotions of the situation, he bent down and concentrated on binding his leg. He fought the urge to laugh out loud at the absurdity of the notion he