“Would you like to say your own vows to one another or would you like to use ours?” the officiant asked.

Logan looked at her. “If you don’t mind, we’d like to skip them.”

The officiant chuckled. “Of course. Then by the power vested in me by the state of Nevada, I now pronounce you married. You may kiss the bride.”

Logan gathered her into his arms and kissed her chastely. “I’ll take the license,” he said to the officiant after the man signed it.

Jane snatched it from the officiant. “Oh no, we file that for all our couples.”

She glanced at Logan. If their marriage license was filed, did he really want to stay married? Did she? She’d always maintained she’d never marry. Never allow herself to be tied down. Yet in the past week, she’d done both. Literally. And she wasn’t panicking. If she had to be married, there’s no one she’d rather spend the rest of her life with than Logan. Would it be so bad if they tried to make it work?

Logan didn’t look worried. If they decided not to stay married, maybe he could hack into the county’s records and delete it.

“Do I have time for a break?” the officiant asked Jane. “I’m a bit parched, if you know what I mean.”

Jane frowned. “I know exactly what you mean. Go, things are quiet right now with the senator’s speech next door.”

The officiant congratulated them before exiting the chapel for what Rachel guessed would be his liquid lunch. Now how could they get rid of Jane?

After shooting Logan a warning to get ready, Rachel fluttered her eyelids and let her body grow lax, crumbling to the floor.

Logan kneeled beside her, smoothing her hair off her face. “Rachel?”

Jane stood over her. “Is she all right?”

Rachel opened her eyes and faked grogginess. “I haven’t eaten since this morning. I don’t suppose I could trouble you for something to eat.”

Jane’s lips smashed together. Did she suspect she was lying?

The woman gave her a tight smile. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll just call the kitchen and see if they can deliver a burger for you.”

Rachel sat up. “That would be great. I’ll just stay here and wait.” As soon as Jane left, she hopped to her feet. They rushed down a hall, passing the restrooms, until they finally made it to the elevator. She pressed the button to go down, cursing under her breath. What if they were too late to stop the release of the virus?

The elevator doors slid apart. She darted inside just as a hotel security guard arrived. He pointed his gun at Logan’s chest. “Freeze.”

Logan’s held his hands in the air. “Go,” he mouthed to her.

The doors shut and the elevator descended.

Even though they had just gotten married, she remained right where she’d always been.

Alone.

Chapter Twenty-Four

HER HEART BANGING against her breastbone, Rachel stepped off the elevator. She looked to see if anyone was waiting for her in the hallway before speaking into the mike hidden on the inside of her shirt. “Guys, can you hear me?”

“Yeah, Rach. What the hell happened?” Oz asked in her earpiece.

“Security caught Logan before he could get on the elevator.” She laughed nervously. “It’s all up to me. And I have no idea where I’m going here.” Not to mention, security knew she was down here. She had only seconds to get to the mechanical room.

“Okay,” said Hunter smoothly. “I’m going to walk you through it. Sawyer’s on his way to the hotel. You’re actually close to where you need to be. The fifth door on your right is the mechanical room.”

She shot down the hallway, counting doors along her way until she came to the fifth. She turned the knob and slipped inside, closing the door before anyone could see her. The dim room looked endless. “I’m in. What am I looking for?”

“You’re looking for a tall piece of sheet metal. It’s down about one hundred feet on your left,” Hunter instructed.

The room was filled with different shapes and sizes of pipes, some in orange and some in white. She had no idea what the pipes were for.

She spotted the sheet metal in front of her. “I see it.”

“Okay, good. Look around it for the tank. It might already be attached to the unit,” Rowan said.

She circled the air supply unit, easily finding the tank. “It’s here. And it’s not attached. It’s just leaning against the metal.” Where were Fink and Evans? Was this a trap? Or what if she was too late and they’d already released it?

She bent down and grabbed it, surprised at how light it was.

“FBI,” shouted a voice from behind her. “Put down the tank and lift up your hands where we can see them.”

She spun around. Both agents aimed their guns at her.

Instantly, she knew she wasn’t going to get out of this alive. But the reporter in her couldn’t die without knowing the truth. “Just tell me why. Why are you going to release a virus that will kill thousands, if not millions of people?”

Her throat thickened with regret. It wasn’t fair that she’d finally made the decision to live her life to the fullest and now she was going to die. She had so much to live for, and the thought of leaving Logan tore her heart into pieces. Would he mourn her? Would he know that she’d loved him?

Fink’s hand trembled, a perfectly round burn on the middle of it. “A sacrifice for the greater good.”

It didn’t make sense. What did he mean by a sacrifice? “Why the senator? Why infect him?”

Fink opened his mouth to answer, but Evans interrupted before he could speak. “Why do anything? Money. Power. No one is going to stop us, especially not you or the currently detained Mr. Bradford.”

Evans knew Logan was being held by hotel security and that he had her trapped. Her only chance was to keep him talking. “And Rinaldi? He changed his mind, didn’t he? He wanted to stop you from releasing the virus.”

Evans narrowed his gaze. “It didn’t matter what he wanted. The minute he was released from prison, he was a dead man. You and your boyfriend made it too easy to pin the murder on you.”

“Too bad we made it so hard to kill us, huh?”

Evans sneered, his eyes as black as midnight. “Originally, I was going to make your death quick and painless, but since you’ve given me so much trouble, I’ve changed my mind.” He lowered his gun slightly. “I’ve decided to shoot your kneecaps first, so you can’t escape. Maybe then I’ll shoot you in the stomach so you’ll slowly bleed out. And then of course, you’ll become infected with the virus. By the time anyone figures out where the virus originated and finds you, you’ll be long dead.”

Fink’s face turned white, and he brought his gun down to his side. “Evans, maybe we shouldn’t do this.”

“You know,” Evan’s said, “you’re right.” He spun toward Fink and shot him in the throat.

Blood sprayed, droplets hitting Rachel’s cheeks. Surprise was etched on Fink’s face as he covered his neck with his hand. Frozen in terror, she could do nothing but watch when Evans shot Fink again, this time in the head. Brain matter and blood splattered onto the air vents behind him as he slumped to the floor, the gun still in his hand.

The back of his skull had been completely blown off, and his eyes stared up at her as if pleading her to save him. Her stomach churned at the smell of blood, urine, and excrement. She fought the urge to wipe the blood off her face, keeping her hands up in the air. He may have been dirty, but he didn’t deserve to die in such a horrific manner.

It was too late to save him.

But she’d be damned if it was too late for her.

Evans turned back to her, an evil smile on his face. “Now when they find your body with the canister it will look like you not only released the virus, but killed the FBI agent who tried to stop you.” He kicked Fink in his stomach. “The stupid little man will die a hero, like he always wanted. But the real hero is the manufacturer of the vaccine that’s going to save the lives of people all over the world. For a price, of course.”