Page 11 of Toxic Temptation
“So, you’re just gonna… go?” I cringe at how pathetic I sound.
His grin takes on a strange kind of edge. “I am,” he agrees. Then he points the gun in his hand at my belly. “After you.”
Cold, metal-handed fear grabs a hold of me immediately. “Wh-what?” is all I can stammer out.
“You’ve seen and heard a little too much for my liking. So, until I’m confident you won’t be a problem for me, I’ll keep you where I can see you.” He edges closer and I feel his hand come to rest on the small of my back. “Start walking, Doctor. You’re coming with me.”
I guess it’s true what they say:
Be careful what you wish for…
You just might get it.
5
KOVAN
If I had any pity in me, any at all, I might feel bad for the poor woman.
Since I don’t, I kiss the tip of my gun into her ribs.
“Step lively, Dr. Vesper. We have places to be.”
“I’m not gonna be a problem,” she insists in a trembling voice as we start our march through the hospital. “I swear, I’m very quiet. No friends, no family. Not a risk at all.”
With the weapon in my hand, I don’t technically need to keep my hand plastered to her back. But I keep it there anyway. An insurance policy, of sorts.
It also lets me feel every panicked flutter of her breathing, the heat of her fear, the rasp of her scrubs against the bare, flushed skin underneath.
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
“I saved your nephew’s life!”
“And I’m eternally grateful. Doesn’t mean I trust you.”
“Trustme?!” she yelps, her voice rising a couple of octaves. “Excuse me, but I’m not the one having open shootouts in hospitals! I’m not the one who just murdered three men in cold blood! I’m not?—”
“Would you rather I’d let them murder us?” I interrupt. “Because that was their intention.”
“That’s beside the point!”
“I would have thought your life is exactly the point. And as long as we’re keeping score, I saved you three times over. So you’re welcome. Three times over.”
I shepherd her into the patient elevator. It’s large enough to accommodate the gurneys that are rolled back and forth from the surgical theaters every day, so it’s plenty big for all of us to cluster on. But despite that, I make a little gesture with my wrist and Osip, Pavel, and Luka remain behind.
Vesper follows the gesture closely, those sharp eyes of hers narrowing in suspicion.
“Considering you are the reason those gunmen were even in this hospital,” she seethes, “I wouldn’t pat myself on the back for that. Cleaning up a mess you made doesn’t make you a hero. It’s the bare fucking minimum, actually.”
The doors seal shut. I don’t bother answering. I just reach around Vesper, my breath tickling the wisps of hair that float at the back of her neck, and press the button for the ground floor.
The floors light up as we pass each one on our descent. She’s silent for a minute, but I should’ve known that wouldn’t last long.
Sure enough, with a huff, Vesper starts up her protests again. “Are you seriously going to abduct me from my place of work in broad daylight?”
“No. You’re going to walk out of your place of work in broad daylight. You and I merely happen to be going in the same direction, that’s all.”
For a moment, I swear she almost laughs. Then she kills it beneath a withering scowl. “Who the hell were those men anyway?” she demands. “And why were they after you?”
