Page 251 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

Maddox’s ears perked up.

“When we did the initial round of questioning at Therapia, everything came up squeaky clean. However, we did more digging—offered a reward for information—and received an anonymous call from a woman asserting that PZT wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. We were able to track the call to a pharmaceutical scientist who worked alongside Jordan Phelps.”

Maddox tightened his hold on his phone. “How trustworthy is this woman? Is it possible she’s blowing smoke to get a reward?” Maddox thought about the video he and Addie watched of the Alzheimer’s patient in the care center who’d been given PZT. Addie knew the woman, knew firsthand the state the patient was in before taking PZT.

“Yes, it’s possible. At this point, I don’t have enough information to make a clear assessment.”

Maddox’s thoughts were a jumble. Even though he and Addie weren’t a hundred percent sure Barrett was guilty, they were both cautiously optimistic that they were getting to the bottom of this thing. Maddox knew from sad experience that no mission or job ever went as planned, but this was like finishing Hell Week only to be told you had to do it all over again. If Barrett was innocent, then who was behind all of this? Addie was going to flip her lid when she realized they were back to square one. He forced himself to push aside his personal feelings to think analytically. “What’s the woman saying?”

“That Jordan and his wife, Piper, were at odds about PZT. The drug had gone through several rounds of company testing. It passed the initial tests with flying colors. However, when it got to the beagle phase, some abnormalities were detected.”

“What sort of abnormalities?” he asked carefully.

“Radical cell division.”

“Cancer.” Maddox said flatly.

“Yes.”

“Why were Jordan and Piper at odds?” Maddox asked. “Was Jordan trying to cut corners to fast-track PZT to the market?”

“Not according to the researcher. Piper was the one who wanted to push forward. She was concerned about looking bad to the investors. Jordan was the one holding back. He’d given the drug to a handful of patients at a care facility. It shook him up badly when one of his test subjects developed cancer.”

Maddox gasped like he’d been sucker punched. Addie’s grandmother! Had Jordan given her PZT? “What kind of cancer?”

“Let me check my notes.” The sound of rustling papers came over the line. “Brain.”

Blood fired through Maddox’s veins like a rocket launcher. The answer had been staring him in the face the whole time. He’d suspected Piper from the beginning, but Addie had beenso adamant about her innocence. Then, after he saw the video with the Alzheimer’s patient, the hard drive was stolen and the trail led to Barrett Medical. So, he assumed Addie was right, and Piper was the victim. A warning bell went off in his head, his only thought to get to Addie.

“You need to question Piper Phelps and her father, Dr. Hamilton Gentry.”

“I’m here now. I’ll let you know what I find out.” He’d just ended the call when he heard movement. At the same instant, he felt a sharp stab of pain in his neck. He grunted as he collapsed to the floor, the phone falling out of his hand.

Addie’s head felt like a gargantuan watermelon as she tried to swim through the darkness surrounding her. Voices swirled around her like hissing serpents.

“Time to wake up,” a woman said.

She tried to raise her eyelids, but they wouldn’t budge. Rough hands shook her arm. Her head dropped forward, her chin resting against her neck.

The voice became more adamant. “Addie!”

“My head,” she moaned, pain throbbing across the bridge of her nose. Some of the fog lifted as she opened her eyes. She tried to brush her hair out of her face, then realized her hands were caught behind her back. Panic rose in her throat as she twisted, realizing she was sitting in a chair—no, tied to a chair! Her eyes shot open wide. She looked around wildly, trying to orient herself. She’d been sitting beside Piper when something happened …

“She’s awake,” a voice snapped.

Piper’s voice. The room came into focus. Addie realized she was in Piper’s family room. She looked down at the kitchen chair, her heart racing. She jerked, trying to free her hands. Then it occurred to her that Piper was standing in front of her, watching with a curious expression as if Addie were a lab rat. “What’s going on?” she managed to squeak. “Maddox!” she shouted, a wave of dizziness assaulting her. “Hamilton put something in my water” she asserted, glaring at Piper. Right after she drank it, she passed out. She looked at Piper, now dressed in jeans and a pullover shirt. She didn’t look weak or suicidal. She looked perfectly normal. Well, except for her hostile expression. Addie tried to grapple with what was happening. “Why are you doing this?” Nausea swept over her, making her want to puke. She tried to swallow but couldn’t. Where was Maddox? “Maddox!” she screamed, terror clawing at her like the talons of an eagle, picking apart its prey.

Piper sat down on the arm of an overstuffed chair, folding her arms over her chest, an amused smile washing over her face. “Don’t worry. Loverboy can hear you.” A cruel smile overtook her lips. “But I’m afraid he can’t do much about it.”

Heat flushed over Addie’s body as she glared at Piper. “What did you do to him?” She couldn’t believe this! She was still so floored by what was happening that she could hardly process it.

Piper laughed. “All in good time.” Her eyes turned a deep black, malice twisting over her features. She leaned forward. “First, you’re going to tell me what you did with the formula for PZT.”

Somehow, Addie managed to find her voice. “W—what?”

“Don’t play dumb, Addie. I know you have it.”

Terror—swift and mind-numbing—raced through Addie as she tried to make sense of what Piper was saying. A hysterical giggle bubbled in her throat. “Do you think I stole the formula?”

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