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“I thought if I could show it to him, he could stop the FDA announcement and just say we pulled the drug for further study. Not an ideal solution, but it does happen. Our stock would take a slight hit and there would be rumors but we have three other drugs that are in the pipeline and should pass FDA approval this year for other types of cancer. It would be fine.” She frowned. “As long as their data isn’t corrupted, that is. We could’ve quietly killed Cytoxine and no one would be the wiser. If anyone asked, we could’ve just said it wasn’t as promising as we’d hoped. It happens all the time.”
“But someone found out that you discovered the deception. That’s what you think, right?” Xavier asked. “Someone realized that you’d seen the real data and now they want you dead?” He stared at her. “That’s a little extreme, isn’t it?”
“Extreme? Yes, but Cytoxine is worth billions of dollarsper year.The US is only one market. With FDA approval in place, the drug will pass everywhere, and doctors will start prescribing it across the world. That’s serious money. If someone went to all the trouble of falsifying the data to obtain FDA approval, then killing me would be a small price to pay to keep that secret. People kill for a few thousand dollars. We’re talking billions and billions. It’s worth it to kill me and you and anyone else that might know about it, or about us surviving the crash.”
There she’d said it. Her biggest fear. She would be responsible for Xavier’s death. And that he would hate her for bringing him into this mess. But she was doing what she could. Allegra could not live with herself if other people died because she knew something that could save them. Of course, if Xavier was killed, chances were excellent she wouldn’t be around long enough to feel any guilt. She’d be dead.
CHAPTER9
Xavier couldn’t believewhat she was telling him. Hank was not wrong when he’d said there was something suspect about this whole thing. Billions of dollars at stake.Jesus. People killed for twenty bucks. No wonder Simon depressurized the plane. The question was now what the hell were they going to do?
“We need a game plan,” he said bluntly.
“No shit.” Allegra practically rolled her eyes at him. Then her expression morphed into one of contrition. “Sorry, sorry. I’m just tense. I’ve never had someone try to kill me before. I mean, I’m a doctor for Christ’s sake. This situation is way, way beyond the scope of anything I’ve ever encountered.
“And I am so sorry you got dragged into this. I thought I was doing something right. Something noble. I didn’t realize they’d want to kill me. Sounds stupid now when I think about it. I guess I should’ve taken a commercial flight. They wouldn’t bring down a huge jet full of people.”
“You would’ve been dead before you got to the check-in counter,” he pointed out bluntly.
Her eyes went wide. “Do you really think so?”
“Yes. If they’ve gone to all this trouble, then for sure they would’ve had men at the airport to take you out.” He knew it in his bones. It’s what he would’ve done if it was his job to stop her.
She sighed. “The falsification of data…whoever did it…do you realize how many people could die worldwide because of this?”
The number had to be massive. Doctors putting their trust in the marketing hype of a drug that didn’t do what it claimed. Yeah, the death toll would be astronomical. His shoulder twinged and he rolled the joint, trying to work sensation into his numb hand. “How can they get away with it?” Xavier asked. “If you say the death rate is high, then how do they hope to sell this drug without all these people dying.”
“They don’t.” Allegra put her mug on the coffee table. “My guess is that they hope no one will notice and to be frank, they’re not wrong. These are cancer patients. Some are going to die anyway. Don’t get me wrong; Cytoxine will help millions of people, people who would have otherwise had a very different prognosis, but it will also kill a much higher number than is considered acceptable by the pharmaceutical industry.
“They are betting on the fact that it will take doctors a long time to notice and then the company can make excuses for a while and then pledge to do some studies, etc…” she drew a breath “…all in all, they’ll assure themselves profits for a while before the shit will really hit the fan and that’s once it’s noticed. I would guess it won’t be noticed for at least five years.”
Xavier understood her fear and frustration. He’d been down that road with the military on more than one occasion. It took them eons to admit that soldiers had been affected by the burn pits in the Middle East and Asia, and even now it’s not like they admit wrongdoing.
“You’re saying they can make billions for up to five years and then maybe even a few more before the shit hits the fan.”
She nodded. “Exactly. By then everyone responsible is gone and whoever is left is holding the bag.”
Xavier got it. The whole thing just fell into place for him. He’d seen it enough times in the military where someone came up with a program or a plan that would take a while to execute and by the time they finally got around to the implementation, they realized it was wrong or even downright ridiculous but the original driving force behind the idea had long since gotten his promotion and was well beyond any recriminations. The person trying to implement was left to face the consequences.
“None of that helps us now. We need to figure out a plan. A way to get you to Geneva safely.” His mind was whirling trying to assess their current situation and come up with alternatives.
Allegra shrugged. “I guess we go down the mountain until we find a town as soon as the storm breaks.” She captured his gaze. “Do you think they’ll find us tonight?”
He shrugged. He’d been pondering the same question. “I think the storm will slow them down significantly. The snowmobile is low on gas. Theirs must be the same. They’ll have to go back down the mountain. I would guess they’ll wait until dawn, or until the storm breaks, whichever comes first, to start looking again.” He glanced toward the window.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “What aren’t you telling me?”
He hesitated for a minute. Did he tell her the truth? She’d been through a lot today and for the most part she’d done a good job of handling everything thrown at her, but would this be her tipping point? Only one way to find out. “Allegra, whatever town we find, they’ll be waiting. They know we’re alive because they’ve already checked the crash site for bodies. We have to come down the mountain. They’ll have planned for this, and they’ll be there. Getting around them will be damned difficult.”
She stared at him. Her chest rose and fell quickly under the blankets.
He waited.
She swallowed. “What you’re saying is we’re going to have to face these people at some point.”
He nodded once.
She lifted her chin. “So then let’s make that point as far away as possible both in time and space.”
