Since Raymond had dropped the ball, she’d just have to pick up the slack. “Who besides you will be at this meeting, and what can I do to help?”
Henry met her gaze and said nothing for a moment. “A real mixed bag of people from a number of government departments. They’re all concerned about the security upgrades we’re making to all of our biosafety level three and up labs and containment facilities. Especially given the FAFO attacks on both the CDC and the public in general.”
“Is this a status update on the renos or a please give us more money for more guns kind of meeting?”
“A bit of both.”
“Okay.” She shrugged. “I don’t think you’re going to need to provide everyone with a complete list of all the nightmares we have stashed. That might scare your meeting attendees too much. You’ve got overall numbers, though. Numbers of level one pathogens, level two, and so on. Whatever you need to prove or convince them of, that information alone should be enough.”
“Some of the people who’ll be there don’t believe what we have stored is as bad as it is.”
She shrugged again. “Doesn’t matter what they believe, only what the terrorists believe. If they think there’s some kind of super bioweapon hidden away somewhere…”
Henry blinked. “You’re…right.” His gaze refocused on her face. “Besides, if some of those…people had a complete list of our inventory, it might give them ideas.”
Both her eyebrows shot up, but he was already waving off her concern.
“Sorry.” He sighed. “Sometimes there are assholes in positions of power. Assholes who know enough to endanger themselves and everyone else thinking it’s going to get them what they want.”
“Sounds like Sunday dinner at my gran’s house.” She put a drawl into her voice, hoping to lighten his mood. If he went into this meeting wound this tight, some of those assholes might decide to ignore the overreacting lab tech.
Henry grunted, but it was close enough to a laugh to satisfy her. Especially when his shoulders visibly relaxed.
“Did you eat breakfast?” she asked. His facial hair hid a lot of his face from her, but she could tell he was a little pale underneath the hair.
“No.”
“Well, go eat something so you don’t scare the assholes.”
He stopped and stared at her like he wasn’t sure who she was. Again.
“What?” she asked. “Hangry is a thing.”
He chuckled, an actual chuckle, and shook his head. “Yes, Mom.”
She’d made him laugh—look at her go. What she really needed to do was take a cold shower, because that chuckle made her temperature rise and her panties damp. She turned back to her computer so he didn’t see the blush on her cheeks and muttered, “I’m pretty sure I’m younger than you.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him move closer, and a wave of heat rushed over her.
“You’re right.” His voice was low and rough as he bent down, his mouth only inches from her ear, sending a shiver down her back. “You’re definitely not my mom.”
Oh, holy shit. Her breath caught and she thought he might say something more, give her some sign he was interested in her for more than her brain.
He stepped away. “I’m going to grab some coffee, then we’ll head to that meeting. Can you be ready in ten minutes?” It was said so matter-of-factly she had to have imagined the sexy lilt to his voice.
Gah. Next thing she knew, she’d be stalking the man. Get a grip, girl.
Wait, what had he said?
“Pardon?” It came out as a squeak, but maybe he wouldn’t notice.
There was a pause.
“You’re coming with me.” He looked positively smug. Yeah, he’d noticed.
“I am?”
He rolled his eyes. “Yes, I need someone to watch my back.”
“Wouldn’t the drill sergeant be a better choice?”
“He’s busy. Besides, I need another expert in case any of the assholes want a second opinion.”
She almost asked, I’m an expert? out loud but managed to keep the question from escaping her mouth.
“Um, okay,” she said slowly. “Ten minutes is fine.”
“Excellent.”
He turned and left the lab.
As soon as he was gone, the place felt like it was twice as big as it had been when he was in it, like he was a reverse TARDIS or something.
…
8:10 a.m.
Henry returned to the lab nine minutes later while Ruby was ensuring the spreadsheet of all the pathogens the CDC had in storage was as up-to-date as it could be. She was missing a few, but that couldn’t be helped. Some of the specimens had been in storage for decades.
She put her computer to sleep and grabbed her tablet, his expression just as irritated as when he’d left. This was a meeting he didn’t want to be at and she shouldn’t be at. It was above her pay grade, since most of the other attendees were high-level government people.
“Are we just answering questions about pathogens?” she asked as she stepped around her desk to join him.
He immediately started walking, fast enough she had to almost trot to keep up.
“No.” He said the word like it tasted bad. “Rodrigues wants me there to answer questions about recent security upgrades to the CDC’s high-containment labs and storage facilities. I was involved in the upgrades more than most people realized.”
“Why?”
He tapped his hand against his prosthetic leg. “I provided real-world experience in how our facilities might be attacked and breached by a hostile force.”
“Oh.” Guilt twisted her stomach. “I’m sorry, that was a dumb question.”
“There’s no such thing as a dumb question.” Henry’s voice was certain. Composed. “You didn’t know. Now you do.”
She studied him out of the corner of her eye. He walked tall, not with a swagger, but as a man comfortable with himself. That tightly wound worry in the pit of her gut uncurled and faded away. That self-confidence was hella sexy.
What would all the politicians, bureaucrats, and other decision makers they were about to meet see in Henry? The self-assured scientist, the injured veteran, or the dangerous man?
They got into an elevator and headed down to the first floor, where the largest conference room was located.
Dr. Rodrigues was standing a few feet away from the door, talking with the CDC director. She waved them over and introduced them.