A Darker Shade of Dead Read Online Free

was more than likely naturally immune to the contagion.
    â€œGood to meet you.” She shook his hand as well, feeling guilty all over again about having released the first round of monsters. If not for her stupidity, this man would never have been exposed to the contagion. He’d probably lost friends to it, too. All because of her.
    After the introductions, each of the guys picked a few boxes or bags out of her trunk and headed for the entrance to the building. She was surprised. She’d assumed that Matt had volunteered to help her carry her belongings. She should have realized he had volunteered his men to help her instead. Why would a navy commander waste precious time moving boxes and bags when he had a troop of men at his beck and call to do the work?
    With the men doing the heavy lifting, it took only two trips back and forth to bring all of her belongings inside. Matt had gone in with her, showing her to a small dormitory-style room and giving her a key. He stayed inside, talking with her while the men schlepped her stuff up to her room.
    â€œYour lab is fully equipped and waiting for you in the subbasement of this building. You can access it from the flight of stairs down the hall, but you’ll need your base I.D. and this key.” He handed her another old-fashioned metal key on a small ring. “I’d like to take you over to get your base I.D. as soon as you’re settled so you can have access to every area you need right away.”
    She looked at her watch. She was totally beat, but she understood his reasoning. Chances were she couldn’t really go anywhere without base identification.
    â€œI can go now, if that’s convenient.” She gave in to the inevitable even though she would rather have taken a few minutes to recuperate from her long drive.
    Matt grinned. “Perfect.”
    Simon delivered the last of her belongings, and Matt dismissed the men. They waved good-bye to her and went on their way. She took a minute to look in the small mirror mounted on the wall above a chest of drawers and patted her hair back into place. They’d take a photo, she was sure. It couldn’t be helped. She looked decent, but she’d never been very photogenic.
    She followed Matt out to the parking lot. They took his vehicle, leaving hers parked where it was for now. It had a temporary pass on the dash that had been issued by the gate guard. That would keep it safe while she attended to more pressing matters.
    â€œHow is Lieutenant Archer doing?” she asked as Matt drove.
    â€œDriving the nurses crazy.” Matt’s tone invited laughter. “He’s at the hospital, in a secure wing, waiting for you as soon as you’re ready to go over and check him out.”
    She hadn’t liked the idea of leaving her patient, but Sam was in good hands. She’d been told there was another medical doctor on the team—a woman who’d dealt with an immune soldier before. Sandra had consulted with Dr. Mariana Daniels by phone before even considering leaving Sam in her care. The woman, while not a career researcher, had impressed Sandra with her understanding of the contagion and the way it affected the human body. She also had firsthand experience with immunity to it and understood what to look for in Sam’s recovery.
    â€œCould you drop me at the hospital after we get the I.D.?”
    Matt seemed pleased by her request. “Definitely.” He turned into another parking lot and found a space. “In fact, I’d like you to tell Sam to come see me as soon as he’s fit for duty. I have new orders for him.”
    â€œI’ll be sure to pass that along. If everything checks out, I’m going to release him today. Dr. Daniels sent me his test results electronically, and everything looks good.”
    â€œThat’s great news, doctor.” He held the door for her as she entered the building. “We can use every man on this team that we can