Page 4 of Careless Whisper

“You know what you have to do?”

I lifted my chin. “Yes, ma’am. I’m going to have to make myself indispensable.”

Elias opened the door right then and looked at Cindy and me.

His gaze held mine for a moment. Then, without a word, he turned and walked briskly down the corridor, effectively dismissing us both.

As I followed Cindy to the nurses’ station, my heart pounded—not with fear, not with doubt, but with a feeling dangerously close to satisfaction.

Let him underestimate me. It would make proving him wrong that much sweeter.

CHAPTER 2

Elias

Reggie!

Seeing her again almost brought me to my knees.

She was still the same.

Even in those shapeless light blue scrubs that made almost everyone look sexless, Reggie looked sensational. She used to wear her hair in a braid, but now it was shorter—pulled back into a sleek ponytail that only made her cheekbones sharper and her presence more arresting.

No one who looked at Regina Sanchez didn’t think she was beautiful.

But it was more than just good looks. There was an allure in the way she smiled, moved, talked—everything.

Five years ago, I’d wanted her with a madness that I hadn’t understood. I was eight years older than her—more experienced, and yet when I was with her, all she had to do was bat her eyelashes, and I’d give her anything she asked for.

When she fucked up the way she did, it had crushed me. I wanted to protect her,butI knew Maren, we’d known each other our whole lives—and if she said that Reggie had been negligent, then there was no arguing that for me.

Maren didn’t lie.

And Reggie had been young, two years out of nursing school. I’d seen her make mistakes, so it wasn’t a stretch that she’d fucked up the way she had, costing a man his life.

If she’d just admitted it—I could’ve forgiven her.

We all made mistakes.

But her vehement denial, her accusation of Maren…that was too much.

I knew why she went after Maren. There were rumors about her and me, then.

I never suspected Reggie was so insecure.

Fuck! I should never have accepted this position.

I knew she was here—and still, this was a career opportunity I couldn’t turn down. But I also couldn’t bring myself to work with someone like Reggie. Incompetence was one thing, but refusing to take responsibility? That was unforgivable. You can’t fix whatyou won’t admit. You can’t grow if you pretend nothing’s broken.

I had thought that Cindy would be happy to get on the same page with me—because I’d been sure that someone like her would have already discerned Reggie’s lack of competence. But no, Cindy had come guns blazing, defending Reggie.

It had been a shock.

When I took the job, I decided I’d sideline Reggie, and she’d leave and find some other substandard hospital to work at. I guess everyone had to make a living, and so did Reggie, but not at Harper Memorial, one of the most prestigious cardiac units in the country.

Damn it! What the fuck was I going to do? She was different now, tougher.

She’d been emotionless throughout my conversation with her boss. That wasn’t who she used to be.

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