Page 32 of Toxic Temptation
I’ve lost before I even began to fight.
“Now,” Jeremy says, settling back into his chair like a king on his throne, “I suggest you go home. Cool off. Think about whether this is really the career path for you.”
I scan the room one more time, looking for even a flicker of support, of humanity. But these men sold their souls long ago, probably for stock options and first-row parking spaces.
There’s nothing left to appeal to.
Jeremy finds me hours later, as I’m finishing my rounds. The corridor is dim, most of the day staff gone home to their families, their normal lives, their clear consciences.
“Quite a performance this morning, Dr. Fairfax.”
I don’t look at him. Can’t trust myself not to do something that’ll end my career faster than he already plans to.
“The only performance was yours,” I say quietly. “Academy Award worthy, really. The concerned administrator, just trying to do his job.”
He steps closer, and something dark flickers across his perfect features. “Careful, Vesper. You’re walking a very thin line.”
The use of my first name makes my skin crawl. “Is that a threat?”
“It’s friendly advice.” He smiles. “From someone who has your best interests at heart.”
“Oh, yes, my best interests.” I laugh, but there’s no humor in it. “Because destroying my reputation and endangering my patients is exactly what the doctor ordered.”
“You did that all by yourself.” He’s close now. Too close. I want him to back up or I might do something reckless. “I simply illuminated the facts.”
“Thefactsare that you’re slowly murdering this hospital for profit.”
Something savage crosses his face, there and gone so quickly I almost miss it. “You seem not to understand me. So let me put itsimply: If you ever—and I meanever—interrupt another board meeting like you did today, I will personally ensure you never practice medicine in this city again. In this state, if necessary.”
“You don’t have that kind of power.”
The laugh that follows is soft, intimate, terrifying. “Oh, sweetheart. You have no idea what kind of power I have. Or who my friends are.”
Keres.The name whispers through my mind like a ghost. I don’t know if it’s out of the blue or if there’s some actual merit to my suspicion, but the thought alone puts a disgusting taste in my mouth. What if Jeremy’s corruption goes deeper than stealing equipment budgets? What if he’s connected to something darker?
“Go home, Dr. Fairfax.” He steps away finally, mercifully. “And when you come back tomorrow—ifyou come back—remember where you stand. Remember who decides your future here. I won’t bother warning you again.”
Then he walks away, leaving me alone in the hallway with the lingering scent of cheap cologne and priceless threats.
“I have to do something, Charity.”
I’m in my car, phone connected to Bluetooth, the city lights blurring past my windshield like glowing tears. “Jeremy is turning St. Raphael’s into a corporate death trap. My patients are going to die, and he’s going to profit from it.”
“What happened today?” Her voice is gentle, careful. She knows I’m hanging by a thread.
“Same old shit sandwich, just a different day. My anesthesia equipment malfunctioned during surgery. The boy was eight years old, Charity.Eight. We almost lost him because Jeremy won’t spend money on anything that doesn’t line his pockets.”
“Jesus, Ves.”
“I confronted him. The whole board. It went about as well as you’d expect.” I swallow hard, tasting failure and fury in equal measure. “He basically accused me of being an incompetent nepo baby.”
“Yikes. Confrontation might not be the best strategy here, hon,” she says carefully. “You need evidence. Proof of mismanagement, corruption, whatever. But it has to be something that’ll stick.”
“With what army? Half the doctors here are on his illicit payroll, and the other half are too scared to speak up. I’m rapidly joining the scared half.”
“Would leaving be such a terrible thing?” she questions. “I mean, St. Raphael’s isn’t your dad’s hospital anymore.”
I recoil at the implication. “This place is myhome, Charity. These are my patients, my calling, my father’s legacy. I won’t abandon them.”
