Read Online Dark Embers by Tessa Adams - Free Book Online

something I don’t have.”
    “I kind of figured that. Which is why I’m trying to tell you this won’t work.”
    “It has to work. Tell me what you need, and I’ll get it for you.”
    “Dylan.” She sighed, trying to figure out how to explain to him just how complicated his request was.
    “Phoebe.”
    “It took months to get this lab outfitted for my research. For this, I’ll need to organize a team—”
    “No team.”
    “What do you mean, no team ?”
    “Just what I said. I want you to work on this—nobody else.”
    “That’s not possible.”
    “Sure, it is. I have a fully outfitted lab waiting for you in New Mexico. Whatever you need that isn’t there, I’ll get for you. I have researchers—doctors and medical students from my clan—standing by, willing to help you. I just need you to agree to come with me.”
    “For three million dollars.”
    “For three million or five million. Whatever you want. I’ll transfer it into your account before I leave today. But I need you to commit to this. Really commit to helping me find a cure. Quickly.”
    His eyes were calm now, entreating. His entire body calling out to her for help. How the hell was she supposed to turn him away?
    “I still have two months to go before my grant runs out here. I can’t just stop working on my research completely.”
    “Bring whatever you need with you. Surely you can access whatever records you need remotely. And I’ve already told you, I’ll get you whatever you need.”
    She paused, considering. This was her semester without classes—she and the university had worked out an agreement where she taught five courses during the spring semester, leaving the fall semester free for research. So there really was nothing keeping her here—
    Was she really considering this? Really thinking about going three-quarters of the way across the country to cure a strange disease because some man promised her three million dollars for her research?
    “You’re going to have to be completely forthcoming about the disease.”
    “Of course.”
    “And your people.”
    He stared at her long and hard, his eyes boring into hers as if he could read every thought in her head. Then he nodded. “Of course.”
    “I’d need to check you out. I’m not in the habit of running across the country with men I don’t know.”
    “Run whatever background check on me that you want.”
    “You’re going to need to tell me more about this—”
    “I can do better than that.” He reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a black memory stick. “Everything we currently know about the disease is here. Take your time, look through it, tell me if there’s anything you think you’ll need. Whatever you ask for will be waiting in New Mexico when we get there.”
    Excitement thrummed through her as she reached for the stick. The thrill of the chase, the chance to hunt down a new disease and find a cure for it. She hadn’t been able to save her mother or sister, hadn’t been able to cure lupus even after seven years of working toward that goal with a single-minded determination. Maybe in helping Dylan, she’d be able to save somebody else’s mother. Somebody else’s sister.
    And get the money to continue her own fight for a few more years, as well. From what she could see, it was a win-win situation.
    Plugging the stick into her computer, she pulled up the first data and started to scroll through it. He’d been right—the disease had neurological, autoimmune and hemorrhagic properties. She glanced through the list of symptoms, looked over the timetable. She’d never heard of anything quite like it.
    Dylan was pacing between her lab tables, wearing a path from one end of the lab to another as he waited for her to examine the data. When he had worked his way back to her desk for the fifth time, she asked, “So, what does the CDC have to say about this disease?”
    He froze, looked everywhere but at her. Then finally muttered,