Read Online A Shot of Red by Tracy March - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Tracy March
Tags: Fiction, General, Suspense, Romance, Medical, Thrillers, Political, romantic suspense, Switzerland, allison brennan, Heather Graham, Epidemic, Lucy Kincaid, outbreak
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about it, I’m afraid.”
“Me, either. And I suppose I won’t be until we get a couple of these appearances under our belts and people start showing up for their vaccinations. If we get good numbers, then we may only need a babysitter for a couple of days.”
“Let’s hope,” Ellen said. “But if we must have a babysitter, I’d say we lucked out with Gio. He’s the best person on Senator Moncure’s staff.”
Mia nodded, struggling to keep her expression neutral. You have no idea.
Chapter Six
Gio made a point not to stare at the empty seat at the round table for eight in the dining room at the Spanish-mission-style Congressional Country Club. Night had fallen and the sprawling fairways of the championship golf courses were no longer visible from the expansive palladium windows hung with heavy draperies. There were plenty more convenient places to have dinner than all the way out here in Maryland, but Senator Moncure and Secretary Dartmouth were reveling in government fame right now with the early launch of the One Shot program. News of a business dinner at the country club was bound to travel to all the desired media outlets, proving that the two of them—along with Moncure Therapeutics—were relentlessly waging the battle against a flu pandemic and saving on health care costs, all while keeping it classy and somewhat private at the country club.
If the program was successful in suppressing the flu outbreak, then Senator Moncure would have earned a mother lode of political capital to take her into her reelection campaign next year. His job would be easier by half, if not more—if he could stay away from Mia and keep it. He glanced at the empty chair meant for her and wondered if he’d have a job at all if Senator Moncure knew what had gone on between the two of them. Obviously Matthew had no clue either, because everything he knew made its way to his mother.
Mia must have a lot more nerve than he’d even given her credit for, keeping this group waiting. As each minute ticked past, Senator Moncure’s face pinched a little tighter, and Secretary Dartmouth glanced at her intermittently with an ever-sharper glint of impatience in his eyes. Matthew gloated, never bothering to hide his glee every time he thought he’d one-upped Mia, a dynamic that was easy for anyone who knew what was at stake between them to see. Gio wondered how Mia had dealt with that all her life, and how she could stand him at all.
Lila Moncure and Claude Deschamps chatted amiably with Ellen Sloane, as if Mia’s tardiness wasn’t an inconvenience. Gio simply watched and waited. When Mia finally arrived, he’d be nearer to her than he’d been in eight long months. But would he be any closer to getting answers to all the questions he had?
Since their fateful night together, he’d run the gamut of emotions when it came to Mia. Before, he’d been emotionally unflappable when it came to women—if not somewhat detached. But something had changed that night with Mia. Something she’d robbed him of exploring further, and sometimes that made him damn angry. Sure, there’d been obstacles—not the least of which was him working for her mother—but her running away had given them zero chance to even try to see if their “real” night could turn into a real relationship. It wouldn’t have been easy, and it might not have worked out. But there might’ve been a chance if she hadn’t gone to Haiti and shut off communication with nearly everyone, from what he understood. At least he wasn’t alone in that.
After several more minutes and another visit from the waiter asking if the party still wanted to wait to place their orders, Mia arrived in a flurry. She dropped her purse next to her chair, looking preoccupied and stressed. Even so, she was the best sight Gio had seen since she’d shown up at the press conference last night. She looked chic and professional in her steel-gray pantsuit. The pale-pink blouse she wore beneath her
“Me, either. And I suppose I won’t be until we get a couple of these appearances under our belts and people start showing up for their vaccinations. If we get good numbers, then we may only need a babysitter for a couple of days.”
“Let’s hope,” Ellen said. “But if we must have a babysitter, I’d say we lucked out with Gio. He’s the best person on Senator Moncure’s staff.”
Mia nodded, struggling to keep her expression neutral. You have no idea.
Chapter Six
Gio made a point not to stare at the empty seat at the round table for eight in the dining room at the Spanish-mission-style Congressional Country Club. Night had fallen and the sprawling fairways of the championship golf courses were no longer visible from the expansive palladium windows hung with heavy draperies. There were plenty more convenient places to have dinner than all the way out here in Maryland, but Senator Moncure and Secretary Dartmouth were reveling in government fame right now with the early launch of the One Shot program. News of a business dinner at the country club was bound to travel to all the desired media outlets, proving that the two of them—along with Moncure Therapeutics—were relentlessly waging the battle against a flu pandemic and saving on health care costs, all while keeping it classy and somewhat private at the country club.
If the program was successful in suppressing the flu outbreak, then Senator Moncure would have earned a mother lode of political capital to take her into her reelection campaign next year. His job would be easier by half, if not more—if he could stay away from Mia and keep it. He glanced at the empty chair meant for her and wondered if he’d have a job at all if Senator Moncure knew what had gone on between the two of them. Obviously Matthew had no clue either, because everything he knew made its way to his mother.
Mia must have a lot more nerve than he’d even given her credit for, keeping this group waiting. As each minute ticked past, Senator Moncure’s face pinched a little tighter, and Secretary Dartmouth glanced at her intermittently with an ever-sharper glint of impatience in his eyes. Matthew gloated, never bothering to hide his glee every time he thought he’d one-upped Mia, a dynamic that was easy for anyone who knew what was at stake between them to see. Gio wondered how Mia had dealt with that all her life, and how she could stand him at all.
Lila Moncure and Claude Deschamps chatted amiably with Ellen Sloane, as if Mia’s tardiness wasn’t an inconvenience. Gio simply watched and waited. When Mia finally arrived, he’d be nearer to her than he’d been in eight long months. But would he be any closer to getting answers to all the questions he had?
Since their fateful night together, he’d run the gamut of emotions when it came to Mia. Before, he’d been emotionally unflappable when it came to women—if not somewhat detached. But something had changed that night with Mia. Something she’d robbed him of exploring further, and sometimes that made him damn angry. Sure, there’d been obstacles—not the least of which was him working for her mother—but her running away had given them zero chance to even try to see if their “real” night could turn into a real relationship. It wouldn’t have been easy, and it might not have worked out. But there might’ve been a chance if she hadn’t gone to Haiti and shut off communication with nearly everyone, from what he understood. At least he wasn’t alone in that.
After several more minutes and another visit from the waiter asking if the party still wanted to wait to place their orders, Mia arrived in a flurry. She dropped her purse next to her chair, looking preoccupied and stressed. Even so, she was the best sight Gio had seen since she’d shown up at the press conference last night. She looked chic and professional in her steel-gray pantsuit. The pale-pink blouse she wore beneath her
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