"Um…" the Ekat trailed.

Jonah, positioned behind a plant not five feet away from Hamilton by the doorway, watched as her surprised look faded into pure apathy.

"I'm waiting," Hamilton boomed in a voice that would have scared most people, and Jonah had seen grown men cow at.

But the black-haired girl lifted her chin at the towering Holt, then managed to slip past him. Only Jonah was ready.

In a move that would have made Michael Jackson jealous, he slid out from behind the plant and placed himself right in front of her, snatching both of her wrists.

"Let go of me!"

"No," Jonah stated calmly. "Not until you tell us what's going on. And stop struggling. I don't want to hurt you."

Though his hands weren't as large as his blonde cousin's (the person in question now directly behind the captured Ekat), Sinead's wrists were tiny, and she was fighting him like a person possessed.

"You don't understand," she snapped, her green eyes blazing. "You don't know what's at stake here."

"You're right. We don't know a thing," Jonah agreed, struggling between keeping a tight hold on her and not cutting off her circulation. "That's why you're gonna tell us."

She suddenly stilled, nearly throwing the rapper off. But instead of complying, she completely shut down, her expression going just as motionless as her body.

"Let's get her to the car," Hamilton suggested. "Here, I'll help you."

"You're kidnapping me?!"

Jonah shrugged as he allowed the Tomas to take one of Sinead's arms. "We need some answers."

"Oh, so you're bringing me in for questioning." Now her voice was sarcastic.

"Think of it as a friendly interrogation. We're giving you the benefit of the doubt here, instead of throwing you in jail," Hamilton said.

"Lucky me," Jonah heard her mumble, but he and Ham both ignored her, and she fell silent.

They managed to get to the car without anyone noticing, but Sinead spoke up again, her tone tight. "I can't leave my car here. If the wrong people show up…"

"Jonah, you drive her car, and I'll drive ours with her," Hamilton volunteered.

Jonah hesitated for a brief moment but then agreed. His friend was better equipped to deal with both driving and their 'prisoner', especially if she tried to escape.

But when they arrived at the hotel, Hamilton and Sinead both emerged, and it looked like no one had followed them either. He exchanged a relieved smile with Hamilton before they started in.

The first thing Sinead did when they walked into the 5-star hotel was roll her eyes. But she kept silent, not speaking until they were in the room with the door secured.

"I suppose you couldn't have picked a place a little more inconspicuous?"

"Do we need somewhere like that? For what?" Hamilton questioned, and the Ekat glared at him, then grew silent.

Jonah didn't say anything but watched her closely as she took off the hat and wig she had on, then shook out her long auburn hair. He wasn't sure what to think. Part of him, like Hamilton, wanted to trust that her motives were pure. But the other part was suspicious and wondered if trusting her was a good idea.

She glanced over then, and he quickly moved his eyes away, towards the front door, not wanting her to catch him staring. But once he sensed her gaze off of him, he sneaked another look at her. She was frowning out the window, her hands moving absently through her hair, and it looked like she was deep in thought.

From the table near the window, Hamilton looked up. "I'm about to order food. What do you two want?"

Jonah's eyes lit up. "Dude, see if they have some of that lobster stuff that they had the last time we were here. It was the bomb."

Remembering Sinead, he politely turned to her. "Do you want to try some? It's really good."

She was staring at him like she wasn't sure what to think. Then she shrugged and looked back at the window. "Sure. I guess I'd better eat while you're offering, in case you decide to starve me tomorrow or something."

"Nah," Jonah said. "Ham and I treat our prisoners pretty good."

"You can even get dessert," Hamilton tagged on.

The redhead gave them both another weird look, then went back to her window. But now Jonah noticed how she wrung her hands this time, and how there was a tiny crease in her brow.

He cleared his throat. "Yo, the others will be here in about two hours, but if there's something you want to tell us—"

"No." Her response was quiet, but firm. "I'll wait. I think"—she drew in a long breath, like the words she was about to say merited all of the energy she possessed—"I think I will need all of the help I can get."

Jonah glanced at Hamilton, but it didn't look he had been paying attention, having just hung up the phone.

"Our food should be here soon!" he stated cheerily. "In the meantime, I'm going to put on the game I was watching when we had to leave."

Grimacing, Jonah looked over at Sinead. "Do you like card games? What about model trains?"

"What?" The Ekat sounded thrown-off.

Jonah gestured towards Hamilton, who was already settling in one of the room's many polyester chairs, remote in hand. "I'm at my max this week for watching sports. And unless you enjoy listening to Ham scream at the referees, I suggest us doing something else. We got a whole suite, so we can go in the next room and not have to hear it."

At first, he thought she was going to refuse, but then (after a loud shout from Hamilton about a missed call) she made her way over to where he was standing.

"What were you saying about trains?"

—

Amy tried not to feel anxious as she, Dan, Nellie, and Ian climbed into the rental car and headed for the hotel where the guys were holding Sinead.

She should be used to this by now. Ever since the Clue hunt, it had been one thing after another. Still, did one ever get used to threats, betrayals, and trying to save the world from whatever forces were trying to destroy it?

Maybe one day I will. Or maybe one day things will slow down in the Cahill world.

She almost snorted at the thought. While she hoped that they could get this sorted out quickly, she knew it was only wishful thinking. Nothing was ever that easy.

It was only yesterday that two government officials had approached her and Dan at their home in Attleboro, Massachusetts with the news that a deadly virus was about to be released. At first, Amy wasn't sure what that had to do with them. While they had done their share of 'saving the world', it had all been Cahill related, and who were her and her brother up against a virus? There were medical scientists and doctors for that. But then one of the officials had dropped a bombshell.

*Flashback*

"How is this virus related to us?" Amy asked, hoping that she didn't appear unsympathetic. The virus sounded horrible. While it didn't have a name yet, it was extremely similar to Lassa, a deadly virus that was spread by rodents and had its origins in Africa. Unlike the Lassa fever though, this particular one had an incubation period of 2 days, instead of the standard 21. And it didn't come from rodents, another mystery. However, the symptoms were the same: It started with a fever, swelling of the face, and minor muscle fatigue. Then, other, deadlier signs would set in. Sometimes it was hepatitis, hypertension (which could lead to artery problems), or it could be something life-threatening like encephalitis or severe seizures. From what she was hearing, more cases had been reported of encephalitis and seizures, and since the disease was viral it could lead to an epidemic, and at an accelerated speed.

The agents exchanged a look at her question, then looked back to her and Dan. "There is a Cahill directly involved with all of this. I presume you know Sinead Starling?"

Amy couldn't help but flinch at the name. She knew Sinead alright, and all too well.

Beside her, Dan took in a surprised breath but recovered quickly. "Maybe. What does she have to do with it?"

"She was working with the man who we believe is responsible for unleashing the virus. His name is Dr. Shaw, and she was his assistant, helping him with the chemistry aspect. Anyways, I won't bore you with the details, but we found her name and her job title in a document that was emailed to us by an unknown sender."

"She's responsible for this?" Amy shouldn't have felt disappointed or shocked, but she was. Even after her cousin (and at one time, best friend) had betrayed them all and then tried to kill her, she wanted to think that the Ekaterina had changed for the better.

"We aren't sure. But we know her location and was hoping that you two could find her for us and then convince her to help us. And quickly, we also found something else in the file."

"Just tell us." Dan's voice was grim.

"There is a 'release' date towards the end of the document. We can only assume that it's for the virus. Though it's been 'released' already, the document stated that this is only a test run. The full one still hasn't been launched."

"Let me guess: today right?"

"No," the agent answered Dan's question. "Tomorrow."

"And there's no antidote," Amy repeated the agent's words from earlier when he had told her and her brother that there wasn't a cure. The gravity of the situation hit Amy like a bullet.

The men exchanged a glance. "Not one that we have. This is the second phase of Dr. Shaw's plan, and the one that links everything together. We think that he and his team have an antidote and are planning to market it once the disease turns into a pandemic."

He paused, letting the news sink in.

"So"—Amy felt the dread in her stomach grow—"It comes down to money."

Greed, is what she wanted to say. It made her sick. It seemed like everything evil came down to greed, either for money or for power.

"Unfortunately that's what it seems like at this point. According to our sources, this virus has been tested on animal subjects and is very deadly."

"Wait, how do you all know for sure that this will even succeed?" Dan cut in. A frown was on his face, and when everyone's attention turned to him he continued. "For needing our help, you seem to know an awful lot about this virus. Why don't you just go in and stop everything? Why not speak with the Cuban government if this is taking place on their soil? Why not go find Sinead yourself?"

'Good questions', Amy thought, waiting for the reply.

The agents exchanged another glance, then one of them sighed. "It's not that easy. For one, we can't just go into Cuba and announce that a deadly virus is about to be unleashed that will eventually kill everyone. The United States relationship with Cuba is already delicate enough. And if they by chance do take it seriously, they would probably announce it and cause even more chaos. As far as finding Sinead, well, we've tried that, but she's evaded us several times. We did get a tip off from someone that she is staying in Havana, Cuba and we even have an address, but I was hoping that you two could check it out."

Amy started to speak, but the agent quickly said, "We're desperate here, and this could cause so much damage. We know of all of your past victories so this should be a piece of cake."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his using flattery to get to them, but she had to admit that the virus did seem like a huge problem. But they were overestimating one thing.

"Sinead may not talk to us either," she pointed out. "We haven't seen her in ages. What makes you think she will just hand over information?"

"It's worth a shot isn't it?"

Dan finally spoke, his voice resigned. "Let's make a deal. We'll check out this address and try to find Sinead, but that's the only promise we're making."

"Deal."

*Flashback*

The memory faded, and Amy tried to refocus her attention on what they would do once they found Sinead. Dan had stated that he wanted to be the one to question her, and she reluctantly agreed. Staring at him now, she wondered where her 'little' brother had gone to. Sure, he still had his moments of immaturity, but ever since the two government officials had left their house, he had been serious, focused, even sober. She knew it stemmed from being the current Cahill leader, but still marveled at times.

Little did she know that only a few feet away, her brother was having similar thoughts.

I can't believe this is about to happen. I'm about to have to question the person that betrayed our entire family and almost got Amy killed, and all because a stupid virus that will possibly infect the entire world. I guess it's just another day in the life of a Cahill.

He tried not to feel bitter, but it was hard. Sinead definitely wasn't high on his list of favorite people. The fact that she might have something to do with all of this made him sick to his stomach.

His sister's voice cut into his thoughts. "This is the hotel they picked out?"

She sounded appalled, but Dan didn't know why. The hotel looked luxurious, with a glass elevator on the outside and fancy trees surrounding the entrance, and it was likely that the inside matched the outside. If this turned into a dangerous mission, he figured this would be one of the perks.

"It is rather average," Ian stated, lifting his Dior sunglasses and peering at the building in disdain.

"Average?" Dan rolled his eyes. "Great. We're going to have to put up with your snobbery all day, aren't we?"

From the front seat beside Amy, Nellie spoke up. "Guys, we are here to figure out what Sinead is up to and try to stop this virus from being unleashed. Can we argue about the hotel later?"

The car fell silent at that, and no more words were exchanged as they made their way to the suite where Jonah and Hamilton were holding Sinead. Dan wasn't sure what they would find, but his heart dropped when Hamilton let them in, and no one else was in sight.

"Where's Sinead?" Amy was the first to speak. "And Jonah?"

As if on cue, a laugh came from the room that undoubtedly came from the Janus.

"Over there," Hamilton pointed. "They said they didn't want to watch the game, and only came out to eat earlier."

Dan frowned but headed towards the door to the next room, which was halfway open.

What he saw made him freeze in his tracks, and almost caused the others to crash into him. Jonah and Sinead were sitting on opposite sides of one of the king-sized beds, fiddling with what looked like model train cars, with parts scattered all over the mattress.

"What the heck?" he sputtered.

Both of them jerked their heads up. Sinead's expression held surprised, but Jonah's was nonplussed.

"Check it out, Sinead fixed my train car!" he exclaimed, holding up the object.

"Train cars?! At a time like this?" Dan was usually all for having fun, but this was serious business here. Besides, since he had taken over the leadership of the family, it had made him approach things like this a little differently.

By this time Sinead was on her feet, not looking anyone in the eye, but Jonah crossed his arms. "Hey, we had some time to kill waiting on you guys. Hamilton was goofing off too!"

Dan was about to retort that it wasn't the same thing, but Ian beat him to it.

"Who packs model trains in their suitcase when there is a deadly virus about to be on the loose, and who casually sits and fixes them with the enemy?!"

"I'm not the enemy!" Sinead protested, but a flicker of guilt crossed her face.

"We don't know that though, do we?" Nellie stated. Then she looked at Dan, and he remembered that he was in charge, so everyone expected him to take the lead on this.

"We'll question her in the main room," he said decisively.

Sinead gave him a wary look, then turned to Jonah, "So this is me being questioned."

The celebrity shrugged, "Hey you said you needed our help."

Dan eyed Sinead closely, but her face gave nothing away.

She started walking towards him so Dan stepped out of the doorway, allowing her to pass. But Amy moved backward, almost like she was guarding the front door. Sinead didn't even glance her way though, settling down in one of the empty chairs in the room.

Everyone else sat around her, sinking into couches and chairs as if they were about to settle in for a nice family get-together. Only the atmosphere was tense, like at any time the virus could descend on them, or at the least, the potted plant in the corner could explode. That might be better. Dan took a deep breath. This was it. Hopefully Sinead would cooperate and they could stop this before it started.

"Tell us why you stole the virus."

The Ekat didn't so much as blink. "I didn't steal it. I don't have anything."

Dan didn't think so, given Hamilton and Jonah's report. But the last thing he wanted to do was assume.

"But you were going to try and snatch it, wasn't you? And you still are planning to? Why were you at "Shaw Enterprises", named after the person who the U.S. Government thinks is behind all of this?"

He saw Hamilton and Jonah exchanged a surprised look, and realized that Amy must not have filled them in on that part. But he turned his focus back on Sinead, who was staring at him, still expressionless.

Finally, she released a breath and muttered, "I'm trying to stop him."

"You're trying to stop him? How are you even mixed up in this in the first place?"

Sinead flinched at Dan's tone, almost making him feel guilty, but he stiffened against it. Why should they be the ones feeling bad here? It was the girl sitting across from them that had betrayed and sold all of them out before. He wasn't about to just trust her, no questions asked.

"Hey, we just wanna know because we're concerned," Jonah inserted, his voice a lot gentler than Dan's had been.

The Ekat sighed, then answered wearily, "I worked for Dr. Shaw, I'll admit it. But I didn't know what was going on, I promise! By the time I did, it was too late to stop it. I tried, but he became suspicious, and started keeping me out of everything."

"He didn't trust you huh?"

It was a low blow. Even Amy shot him a look. But Dan stared straight at Sinead, who was looking back, defeat in her eyes.

"No," she said, dropping her gaze. "He didn't."

"So if you don't know anything, why are you going after the virus?"

"Why are you here?" Sinead shot back, a hint of fire in her tone.

"Hey, we're the ones asking the questions here."

"Dan," came Amy's admonishing tone.

He gave her a look that insinuated he could handle this, then turned back to the Ekat. "If you want us to even think about trusting you, you're going to have to give us more information than that."

"I don't want you all to be mixed up in this. It's dangerous." Sinead's voice was firm. "I could have been shot and killed today, and so could have Hamilton and Jonah if anyone from Dr. Shaw's team would have been there."

"At least tell us this," Jonah spoke up, drawing everyone's eyes to him. The rapper was slouching in his seat, his gaze easy-going, giving every impression of his being relaxed. For some reason, it bothered Dan. "How would stealing the virus help anything? Is there just one thing of it? And how do you know there's not more somewhere?"

Those are actually pretty good questions. But she probably won't answer—

"Oh, there are hundreds of vials of it, I'm assuming," Sinead immediately answered. "But I'm not going after the virus. I'm going after the antidote."

Dan felt stunned at first, then a sick feeling clenched his gut. Sinead wanted to steal the antidote.

She really is evil. Nothing has changed.

But that didn't surprise him.

Nellie was the first one who found her voice. "Why are you trying to steal something that could cure everyone?"

Sinead let out a long sigh. "I suppose you all know Dr. Shaw's plan right? To release the virus, then make millions of dollars off of selling an 'antidote' that would cure it."

Dan almost didn't admit to it, but Ian answered, "yes."

"Well, this is probably what you all don't know."

She paused, glancing around the room, her gaze landing on Dan. He made himself not react, but the seriousness of her bright green eyes was almost unnerving.

"The cure is a fake. It will give the appearance of curing those infected. But then it will come back, and worse, it will be carrying another virus with it. That's why I have to steal the antidote, so I can analyze what is causing that, then recreate it without the properties that would cause the second virus. And I need to find Dr. Miller."

"Dr. Miller?" Amy echoed. "Who is he?"

"One of my old professors. I studied under him for over a year, then, with his recommendation, became an intern of Dr. Shaw's. They were friends, and he thought I would benefit from the chemistry aspects of a project they were working on. I jumped at the chance." Her voice turned sheepish. "I love chemistry and was excited to be working with such an amazing scientist. But then things went wrong. I found some things out about the virus we were creating—only then I was under the impression that it was just an experiment, some concoction that could possibly cure the side effects of different radiation treatments. Anyways, I found out that Dr. Shaw's intentions weren't exactly ethical. I brushed it off at first, thinking that he was just getting wrapped up in his work. I do that sometimes too. As a scientist, it's hard not to. But once I figured out his intentions, it was too late. I"—she took a deep breath—"I got in contact with Dr. Miller as soon as I discovered what Dr. Shaw's plan was, and he's the one who suggested me slipping away and trying to steal the antidote."

"You just said that you need to find Dr. Miller, but you were able to get into contact with him? Why?" Nellie inquired.

"I was able to contact him only once. Since that time, I haven't been able to. His phone number has changed, he disappeared from the college he taught at mid-semester, and no one has heard from him, not even his family members. But I need him. I can't—"

But she cut off, her face suddenly closing up again, like it had earlier.

"You can't what?" This came from Ian, who, to Dan's relief, didn't seem like he was buying the story either. From what the Madrigal could tell, Jonah, Amy, and Hamilton seemed to believe Sinead, looking sympathetic and worried. Nellie looked thoughtful, so he couldn't tell what she was leaning towards.

The Ekat was silent for a long moment, then she groaned. "I can't recreate the antidote without him."

"Why not? You were working on Dr. Shaw's team," Dan reminded her.

"I told you, he suspected me and kept me out of things. There are two elements I'm not sure on. And even though Dr. Miller wasn't working closely with the team, he's a genius when it comes to chemistry. He'll be able to figure out from the mixture what exactly would cause the second virus in only hours, something that would take most scientists days or even weeks to do."

"He can do that?"

"Of course he can," Sinead scoffed. "Like I just now stated, he's a genius. Plus, he created a machine that's able to pull certain elements out of compounds."

Jonah whistled. "That's pretty legit."

To Dan's astonishment, Sinead smiled at the Janus, a full, genuine smile that almost looked strange on her face. "Well, he's an Ekaterina. And we are pretty hi-tech," she pointed out.

"I'll say." Jonah gave her an admiring look. "I bet you know all about that stuff."

"Not enough in this case." Sinead's smile faded away. "All I know is that if we don't steal the antidote and find Dr. Miller, we won't be able to stop the virus from spreading, or from the fake antidote being marketed."

"And how do we know that you're telling the truth?" Dan asked, wanting to get straight to the point. "How do we know that you're not going to lead us on some wild goose chase, or better yet, into a trap?"

"You don't." Sinead looked him straight in the eye. "So why don't you all just fly back to the states and let me handle this? You obviously don't trust me and never will, so why waste your time?"

Her words were almost like a slap, but he didn't let on, glancing to his sister, hoping that she had some insight. She caught his gaze, frowned, and then gestured to the other room.

"Sinead, can you go back in there? The rest of us need to talk."

The Ekat rolled her eyes but stood. "Fine."

Ian cleared his throat, standing also. "I'll accompany you."

No one protested—though Sinead seemed like she wanted to. But she only pursed her lips and led the way, holding her head straight.

As soon as the door was closed between the rooms, Dan bit out, "So now what? Do we believe her or not?"

Hamilton frowned. "I want to trust her, but I'm not sure if she was being completely honest or not. She didn't seem like she wanted to answer any of the questions."

Dan nodded his agreement. "It was like pulling teeth," he complained. "She cooperated more towards the end, but…"

"You should have let Jonah keep asking the questions," Amy said. "Sinead was giving out way more info then."

"It's cause I have a way with the ladies."

"Or," Nellie rolled her eyes, countering Jonah's statement. "It's because Dan was practically accusing her."

Dan threw her a sharp look, and she added, "Not that I blame you. But maybe a more relaxed approach would have worked better?"

"Yo, I'll handle it all next time, no prob," Jonah volunteered.

Dan's prior annoyance returned. "You kept getting off-track," he pointed out. "Come on, 'I bet you know all about that stuff'. What was that?"

"Hey," the celebrity shrugged. "Flattery will get you places when nothing else will."

"Sinead isn't the flattery type," Hamilton argued.

"Please," Jonah bragged. "Another compliment or two and she would have been talking like she was under the truth serum."

"Regardless," Dan gritted. "We aren't any closer to stopping this than we were an hour ago. And now we have to decide what to do with her."

He saw Amy frown from out of the corner of his eye and knew what she was thinking. No matter what they decided to do, Sinead would have to stay with them. They didn't have a choice.

So this chapter was pretty long. I wanted to cut it, but there was no good place. Just know that the following ones will probably be shorter. Also, I'm so HORRIBLE with scientific details (as I've already stated) so sorry I was so vague...if you've read the latest book, you're probably going 'what in the world'…but bear with me! :)

Extra note: Things have been CRAZY in my personal life lately, and probably will stay that way through the end of the year. The only reason I've uploaded this so quickly is because it was mostly written already. If I don't update for a couple of months, don't worry! I won't abandon this. And when life slows down I'll try to make up for it with faster updates!. :)