Dead wrong, p.1
Dead Wrong, page 1
DEAD WRONG
RENEE JOINER
Oshun Publications
Dead Wrong © Copyright 2022 by Renee Joiner
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Book design by: Alexis Vorpahl
wanderlustinktome.com
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review.
Hardback: 978-1-956319-44-6
Paperback: 978-1-956319-43-9
EBook: 978-1-956319-42-2
Published by Oshun Publications
www.oshunpublications.com
Singles by Renee
Singles by Renee
Singles
Tempest
Half Demon
Wanted Undead or Alive
My Soul to Reap
Gravetide
Vance and Vance
Cold Read
Witch’s Justice
Ancestor’s Magic
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
About the Author
Series by Renee
Newsletter Sign Up
Thank You
Chapter One
You only live once.
That was his motto. My husband.
As a scientist, I knew that to be a fact.
Reincarnation? No. That just didn’t happen.
This is why I was working for Barnes Pharmaceuticals and trying to develop a cure for Batten’s disease. Something no one else was working on at the moment.
But our CEO, Dr. Barnes, has a seven-year-old daughter born with it, and for the last few years, he’d been doing everything he could to find a cure.
But obviously, it wasn’t fast enough.
“Sir, we tried this variant in the lab on our rats, and it may be slowing the disease, but it’s….”
Dr. Barnes waved his hand.
He was a large man in size and stature.
Even in his massive office with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto the city, the man seemed to swallow it whole.
I met Dr. Barnes when I started with the company five years ago. I was one of the first scientists to sign onto the project, and I was desperate for a job out of grad school.
We’d developed a rapport and worked well together.
Usually.
But there was something else behind those dark brown eyes of his today.
The rings around his eyes were more pronounced, his dark blond hair disheveled as he sighed, shaking his head.
“How have we not found anything? Five years, Maisie. We’ve been working on this for five years, and this is the closest we’ve got?”
I adjusted my lab coat, crossing and uncrossing my legs.
I didn’t think I’d be at this job for five years.
I thought by now, I would have left on maternity leave and stayed home with a brood of children. At the same time, my husband, Harrison, continued to work at his own laboratory.
But after two years of trying, my stomach was still flat.
The next stop was fertility treatments, and I had to keep this job to cover that.
So I couldn’t exactly piss off the boss.
“Dr. Barnes…” I started, running my fingers through my curly, spiky brown hair.
I kept it short since it was easier to work with than hairnets and ponytails in the lab. Even though I got called ‘Sir’ a lot in the stores if they saw me from the back in my shapeless lab coat.
“Things like this take time. We are trying new variants and testing….”
“And? You said this one is affecting the rats? Is it slowing it down?” he asked, raising his bushy eyebrows.
I sighed. “It is, but it’s also giving them other symptoms.”
“What kind of symptoms?”
I looked out the window instead of meeting his eyes.
“They’re mutating.”
“Mutating? What, we have X-men rats out there with superpowers now?” He chuckled, but there was no humor to it.
Finally, I looked back into his tired eyes. “Not superpowers, exactly. But they’re growing at an alarming rate. Kade and I injected the first group of rats earlier this week, and they’ve already doubled their weight and grew two inches in size.”
“So they’re stronger? Able to fight the disease?” Dr. Barnes leaned forward, a new twinkle in his eye and a ghost of a smile on his lips.
“Well, they’re not exactly fighting it. When we draw their blood, it’s still there.”
Dr. Barnes groaned, flopping back against his leather chair as it whined under the weight of his body.
“Then what the hell are you and Kade doing in there? This is the third variant in a year, and all you’re getting is mutated rats?” His words were laced with venom, but he wasn’t looking at me.
I couldn’t see the expression on his face as he stared at the ceiling as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.
Or maybe he just couldn’t bear to look at me. The head scientist who had failed him over and over again.
Batten’s disease was a genetic disorder that affected the cells and their ability to get rid of waste, so they built up throughout the body. This buildup caused seizures, vision loss, problems with movement and speech, and eventually an early death.
Dr. Barnes’s daughter had frequent seizures. When she came into the office with one of her nurses, it was usually in a wheelchair. Her bright blue eyes tried to focus on everything through her thick glasses.
She was always smiling and happy to talk to anyone.
She especially had a sweet spot for my lab partner, Dr. Kade.
Sure, even as a married woman, I could admit that the tall, broad-shouldered, raven-haired man was attractive.
But we’d been working together long enough that I saw past his dimples and understood him for the scientist he was.
And when he got down to Dr. Barnes’s daughter’s level and explained everything we were working on in incredible detail, my empty womb always clenched.
Someday, Harrison and I would have one of our own.
And someday, we’d find a cure for this little girl.
“After our meeting today, Dr. Kade and I will go over what we’ve found in the rats’ blood. See where the mutations might have come from and see what we can recover,” I said, clearing my throat as I tried to sit straighter.
I hated how often our research came into question.
I wondered if people in bigger companies trying to find cures for diseases like cancer dealt with this.
But I wasn’t afforded that luxury.
I was just staring at the broken CEO who wanted to make his daughter better. Even if he had to belittle the scientist trying everything in her power to help her.
“And then what? Do you go through another year of research on this new variant? See what you can get from mutant rat blood?” he spat, his hands now gripping the corner of his desk.
Dr. Barnes was in a perpetual bad mood, but there was something else to his voice today.
Something with more malice.
Maybe he had a rough night with his daughter.
His wife left them years ago, which is why his daughter had a twenty-four-seven nurse. Dr. Barnes’s wife said he was more married to the company and finding a cure than he was to the family.
I would agree with her since he always seemed to be in the office, texting me day and night for progress reports.
Harrison was working on a bioweapon in his lab, and even he didn’t get late night texts for progress reports.
It was a sore subject when the bright light of my screen would go off in the wee hours of the morning.
“Dr. Barnes, it’s more complicated than just taking the exposed rat’s blood,” I said, staying away from the word ‘mutant.’
Dr. Barnes sighed. “I know that, Maisie. I know.”
He leaned back in his chair, folding his arms over his expansive stomach poking out of his lab coat.
“Sir, when I get back to the lab, I can assure you that Dr. Kade and I will go over everything I’ve presented to you again and develop a game plan.”
Dr. Barnes was silent for a few moments before looking out the window. “You’re in the new fertility study that we’re doing with Assured Clinical Labs, aren’t you?”
I widened my eyes but tried not to squeak, a habit I had when something took me off guard.
“Yes.”
Harrison didn’t even know about it. I didn’t want to get his hopes up.
But when the opportunity came up to work with Assured on our projects, I found out about their fertility studies.
They were the leading technology company when it came to fertility. Something that Dr. Kade and I thought could help with Batten’s if we could suss it out right from conception.
It wouldn’t help Dr. Barnes’s daughter initially but could help others before the fetus’s cells began to form.
It was a long shot, and we had just started on the project.
But I had hope.
For the project and the fertility study.
&nbs p; “And what are they doing for the study? What injections have they given you?” he asked.
I thought he was just trying to make small talk, to break up the conversation from earlier.
The man never apologized for getting angry. He just changed the subject.
It was a typical male response.
Dr. Barnes had a doctorate in microbiology, so I knew he would understand the basics, if not everything else that was going on.
But I didn’t know how many details I should share with my boss.
“Yes, they just started me on a progesterone shot every morning.” I blinked hard. “But that hasn’t affected my performance in any way. No headache or dizziness or any other side effects.”
The weight gain and acne part I left out.
That could have just been from stress anyway.
Or that a new taco food truck decided to park right outside of our medical complex.
Who could resist sizzling steak fajita street tacos, with a special of three and a side of rice and beans for only seven dollars?
Heck, I couldn’t even make my lunch for that cheap.
If Harrison or I actually cooked and didn’t live off frozen meals, sandwiches, and takeout Chinese, that is.
Dr. Barnes nodded as he stood, letting out a big groan as the leather seat squeaked underneath him.
“Good. I hope it all works out for you and Harrison. He’s still working on that project with Cone labs, right? The military weapon?” he asked, one hand in the pocket of his lab coat.
I squirmed, slowly standing. I guess this was the cue that our conversation was coming to a close, and I had to head back to work.
I didn’t like talking much about Harrison’s work.
Partly because I didn’t know exactly what they were doing at Cone labs and partly because I didn’t know how much I should share with my boss.
“Yes, we really don’t talk much about what we’re working on. You know, non-disclosure agreements and all that,” I said, forcing a small laugh even though the situation didn’t warrant it.
I didn’t want the boss to think my husband and I were gabbing about work over Chinese leftovers.
Which we weren’t…actually.
The days had gotten less about talking and more about staring at our phones at dinner.
Maybe we both could use a break.
Maybe we’d do just that after the first round of fertility studies were done.
I nodded to myself, vowing to look up a vacation spot for the winter holiday. Everyone always took off between Christmas and New Year’s Day anyway, so why not finally take all my banked time off?
“I’m glad to hear you aren’t sharing our company secrets,” Dr. Barnes said, a small smile on his lips. “You’ve been a great employee and scientist, Maisie.”
I swallowed hard.
Oh no.
Was this where he fired me?
Could he do that?
Of course, he could. He was the CEO.
“Thank you, sir. I hope to continue to be,” I said, forcing my voice to come out as more than a squeak.
“I think you will.” He put his hand out.
I glanced down at his calloused hand before reluctantly taking it, shaking it firmly.
Okay, now was the end of the conversation.
I finally took a breath, able to breathe for what felt like the first time in at least ten minutes.
He then did something he never did.
He let go of my hand and pulled me close for a hug.
My arms stayed at my side until I reluctantly put them on his shoulders, patting him slightly.
A pins and needles feeling pricked at my neck, and I jumped back, staring wide-eyed at my boss, holding a syringe.
Frantically I rubbed my thumb against my neck, a trickle of blood running down my palm.
“Sir…what did…?”
“I think you’ll work a little faster on a cure now that you have Batten’s and progesterone coursing through your veins, don’t you, Maisie?”
Chapter Two
I walked back to my office in a fog.
Dr. Barnes didn’t just inject me with a disease…did he?
Was that even possible?
No. This was genetically inherited.
He was just trying to scare me.
He was angry and gave me a shot of saline.
At least that’s what I kept telling myself.
I couldn’t even say anything as he stared at me with that dark look in his eyes.
I just left the office as fast as possible, trying not to arouse suspicion from the others in nearby offices.
Scanning my badge against the wall to the lab, the door zipped open, letting a welcomed cold blast of air pass over me.
The lab Kade and I shared wasn’t one of the high sterile ones where we needed to wear full hazmat suits and go through a passway that decontaminated them. We were blasted with a shot of cold air and made sure to wear our lab coats.
Ours was one of the highly restricted labs. It may have looked like every other lab with white walls, floors, and fluorescent lighting. Still, ours also held the rats used for testing, each in their individual tanks lining the wall.
Kade leaned over one of our long metal tables, his wild brown hair sticking out like the mad scientist he was.
Well, maybe not so mad that he would inject one of the best employees and scientists with a disease.
“Hey, Kade,” I said, keeping my voice as normal as possible.
Obviously, I failed because Kade immediately looked up, his brow furrowing behind his giant plastic lab glasses.
“What’s wrong, Maisie?” He frowned.
I sighed, resigning to sit on one of the stools next to him.
There were papers and samples scattered on the desk in front of him. We were both perplexed by the mutations, so I was the one to go and talk to Dr. Barnes about it.
Now I wondered if maybe Kade had gone instead, what happened wouldn’t have happened.
“So, I need you to do a blood draw on me,” I said, leaning on the counter, my shaking hands folded together.
He blinked hard. “Are you thinking you’re finally pregnant?”
I sighed, shaking my head. Wishing this would have been better news.
“No…no.”
One would also need to have sex to be pregnant.
But by the time Harrison and I got home at night, we were both just flopping into bed.
To have a positive pregnancy test right now, we would have needed to have sex within the last month.
And sadly, that hadn’t happened.
But now, I had much bigger things to worry about.
“No, I need you to test it for Batten’s.”
Kade was about as tall as Dr. Barnes but not as large. A lean swimmer’s build underneath his oversized lab coat.
But as soon as I said those words, he seemed to pull into himself as if he was making himself smaller.
“What? You know it’s a genetically inherited disease…right? I mean, of course, you do. We’ve been studying it for the last five years.”
I slowly took off my lab coat, laying it across the table.
“I had a bizarre encounter with Dr. Barnes.”
Kade frowned again, leaning against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest. “Take it he’s still not happy with the results?”
I let out a deep breath, running my fingertips along my neck. It was no longer bleeding, but I could still feel the slightly raised bump from where he injected me.
“More than unhappy. Downright pissed. So pissed, he injected me with something. Something he said was Batten’s.”
Kade’s eyes widened as he shook his head. “No. That’s impossible.”
“I hope you’re right, but we have samples of it here in the lab. Hell, we’ve been injecting rats with it for years,” I said, sweeping my hand as if it could encompass our twelve hundred square foot laboratory.
“I…I just can’t believe Dr. Barnes would do that,” Kade said, flabbergasted.
“Well, I have this prick on my neck to confirm it,” I muttered.
“You should probably go to Human Resources about this.”
I shook my head. “No. It might just be nothing, okay? Can you just test and see?”
