Break of the Six (The Preston Six Book 4)

Copyright © 2015 by Matt Ryan

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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Cover: Regina Wamba

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Editor:
Victoria Schmitz | Crimson Tide Editorial

Formatting: Inkstain Interior Book Designing

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Rise of the Six

Call of the Six

Fall of the Six

Break of the Six

SAMANTHA BRUSHED HER HAIR OVER her shoulder as she walked past the metal detector. The guard eyed her up and down and she rolled her eyes. If he tried to give her another pat down, she’d be telling Zach. Her scowl must have worked because he waved her on. She couldn’t understand why so much security would be needed for a company based on medical research. Guess there were a lot of wackos in San Francisco.

The elevator took her to the sixteenth floor. Veronica, the receptionist, eyed her as she exited the elevator. The girl didn’t like her. Many of the people on the sixteenth floor didn’t like her, but who cared. She earned her way to the top, whether they believed it or not. They could be jealous if they wanted.

She strutted past Veronica and toward her corner office, pausing to admire her name etched in glass over the door. It seemed as far away from Preston as she could get and that’s exactly what she needed. It was her nineteenth birthday today and she couldn’t help but wonder if the group was meeting at Joey’s as they always had.

She flung the door open and was already mad for letting herself think about her past. She wouldn’t allow herself to think of them and the perfect couple again. Taking a deep breath, Samantha straightened her posture and marched by her desk. She ran a finger over the smooth wood top on her way to the windows. She loved the view. Not a tree in sight, only a parking lot and a grass field beyond. At night, the city lit up the horizon so it always felt like the sun might be coming over the hill at any moment.

Someone tapped on her door. She looked back at the noise and saw Zach Baker standing just outside the doorway. The man owned the entire building, yet still knocked and waited to be invited in. She motioned and he entered. She took a moment to take in his fantastic suit. The blue tie had a large tie clip with an elegant black stone in the middle.

The man was gorgeous. A lean, muscular guy, not much older than her. Well, she thought he wasn’t, she actually hadn’t asked him his age yet. She cleared her throat and kept her eyes on his. It took her months to build up to maintaining eye contact with the man.

“Doing okay? You seemed a bit upset coming in today.”

Did he miss nothing? She’d never told him anything about her past, or the Preston Six, and certainly nothing about other worlds. Talk about stuff like that and he’d surely think she was crazy and put her back on floor one. “Nothing, just thinking about my past.”

“Your past brought you here. I thank your past for that gift.”

Samantha sighed and got lost in his smile. He had such a youthful look, but his eyes held wisdom. “Well, sometimes the past sucks.”

Zach laughed. “Yes, it does.” He paused. “I came to see you because I want to show you something.”

Samantha’s curiosity piqued. He left the room and she eagerly followed him toward the elevator, making sure to share a joke as they passed by Veronica. She’d show that bitch who had his attention.

They entered the elevator and Zach put a card in a slot on the wall. “This will get us to floor seventeen.”

“So it’s real.”

“Very much so.”

Rumors swirled of a research floor, but Samantha hated rumors and wanted to deal in facts; she needed to see it before believing it. Believing in false realities is what ultimately led her to leave Preston.

The elevator doors closed and Zach turned to her. “Have you heard of the cough that’s going around?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard a few things on the news about it. Is it something we’re working on?”

“I don’t think anyone knows how dangerous it is yet.” He took on a serious tone with fire in his eyes.

She had to stop looking at him, he was the boss.
He is asking about the cough
, she reminded herself. “They say it isn’t fatal, just a new strain of bronchitis or something.” Samantha didn’t want to admit she barely knew anything about it.

The elevator doors slid open and Zach motioned for her to exit first. Attached to the elevator was a small glass room. “Decontamination chamber, just be a minute while it gets rid of any germs.” He winked. Normally such behavior would be a red flag, but he had such an easy way to him, as stupid as it sounds, she found it charming.

Samantha turned in a circle and felt the puffs of air pelting her body. Many people in white jumpsuits moved around in the room beyond. Spinning vials, bubbling bottles, and many white, boxy electronics scattered around the sterile looking environment.

“Have I told you what a pleasure it is to have you working for me?” Zach asked. His playful tone was back.

She almost missed the intensity he briefly showed her in the elevator. How many layers did he have behind those eyes? “Thank you, but to be honest, I’m not sure how much I’ve contributed.”

“Someone as special as you, is deserving of a special task.”

“You keep flattering me this way, Mr. Baker, and I’ll think I’m too good for this job.” He laughed. It was infectious and she laughed with him. She resisted the urge to touch his arm and held her hand tight to her side. A bell dinged and a green light lit above the glass door.

“We’re all clear.” Zach opened the door, dipping his head close to her ear. “And, when we’re alone, Samantha . . . it’s Zach.”

A shiver ran down her spine as his breath ran over her cheek.
He’s your boss.

Making a quick tour of the floor, he took his time to explain the various things they were working on. She didn’t have a clue about most of what he was talking about, until he brought her to a computer displaying a twisted helix.

“As I said, I don’t think the world knows what it really is, but I can assure you, the CDC is taking this very serious. Luckily, we’ve found what the medical world is fervently searching for.” He pointed at the screen.

Samantha leaned in closer to the 3D model. “What is it?”

He brushed her arm as he typed into the keyboard. The contact sent another chill down her arm. A man hadn’t made her feel anything like that since . . .
No.
She wouldn’t allow herself to think about it. Never again, she was a new woman now—a businesswoman.

“The cause of the Cough.”

The news started calling it that because all the people who had it coughed, a lot. It was some kind of new virus that irritated your lungs, but most were saying it wasn’t dangerous. Just a new strain of the common cold.

Samantha raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know we were even looking into it.”

“I’ve been doing this in my spare time, but I found something—something terrible.” The fire crept back in his eyes and she froze under their glare. “I don’t want to scare you but, Samantha, this is going to be an epidemic. These people are going to die.”

She stood straight up. “What?” She must’ve heard him wrong and kept shaking her head, waiting for his correction.

“The first death happened today. They’re running the story tonight.”

“How can you know this?”

He grinned, and then a dangerous look spread across his face. A look she felt could consume her whole. “I have a few contacts.”

She swallowed and wondered if she was getting in over her head with Zach. “What can we do?”

“You’ve enjoyed working here, correct?”

“Yes, very much so.” Almost as much as she enjoyed not being in Preston.

“I’m very happy to hear that because I’ve watched you over the last year. I think you’re ready to take on a big task. What do you think?”

“I...” She held her hand over her mouth. She wanted a task, an important one. Something she could shove down all the throats of floor sixteen. Maybe she could even show the remnants of Preston how far she’d come. “I’m ready.”

“Good, because I started this company to change the world and I think this is our opportunity to do exactly that. What if I told you that soon we’ll have a cure—a vaccine—for the Cough?” She began to ask a question, but he pushed forward. “And what if I wanted you to be the one to announce it to the world and see that it gets delivered?”

Samantha’s mouth hung open, fear crashing over her. She strained to get the words out, but her throat constricted. She could barely breathe.

Zach placed his soft hand on her shoulder, tracing circles along her bare skin. “Samantha, this is the special mission I have for you. You’re going to be the face of the cure. And I won’t let you fail, I’ll be right behind you the whole time.”

She closed her mouth and placed her hand on top of his. She felt strength in those hands. A new wave of fear crashed against her as the realization of what he was saying hit her full force. The world had a deadly virus attacking it and didn’t even know it yet. Preston, what would happen there? She felt her free hand touching her phone in her black slacks.

“Not yet.” He gazed at her phone. “No one can know about what we are doing until we have it ready. I’ll make sure your hometown, Preston, right?” She nodded. “We’ll make sure they are on the first delivery list.”

She tapped her phone and wanted to warn them. She hadn’t spoken to any of them in a year and she wasn’t even sure if they were even still in Preston. They could be anywhere in the worlds.