“At all?”

“To the patients.”

“Patients.” I froze. “Like real patients.”

“No, dead ones.”

I laughed.

He didn’t.

“Let’s go.” His jaw made a clicking noise as he clenched it and led me toward the door. “We don’t want to be late for our first appointment.”

Downtown Seattle

Six hours later

“Do you repent?” The air crackled with excitement as the knife flickered in the moonlight streaming through the windows. “Answer me!”

But she couldn’t—answer at least, her muscles were completely useless thanks to the drugs in her system.

“No?” The knife sliced through the air. “Shall I help you repent?”

A lone tear trailed down the woman’s cheek, mixing with the blood from the cut in her lip.

“Fine.” The knife met skin.

It pierced.

The blood was red. Pure.

And all was right in the world once more. 

The body cuts were perfect, the organs removed as if the killer has the gift of a surgeon. Police are currently working hand in hand with all the local hospitals. –The Seattle Tribune

“YOU’RE NOT WEARING BLACK,” I BLURTED once we were in the parking garage, my eyes scanning over the crisp white button up and the same black slacks he’d worn to our initial meeting.

“How very intuitive of you, Maya.” Nikolai mused placing his hand on my lower back.

“Ass.”

His lips twitched.

At least he had somewhat of a sense of humor.

“Get in.” He opened the door to a black Audi A8. I slid in to the leather seat and looked around. The car seemed heavier than normal sedans or sports cars. I’d always loved Audi’s but this one wasn’t like others I’d seen on the road.

Curiosity got the best of me, when Nikolai got in and turned the key I asked. “What kind of Audi is this?”

“A safe one,” he said with a simple shrug, his lips pressing together in a firm line. “Throw a grenade at it and we’d walk away without a scratch.”

“You uh, get grenades thrown at you often?”

“One can never be too careful.”

“Hmm.” I leaned back and crossed my arms as classical music floated through the car. “So, the location of our first appointment.”

“A simple office building—nothing special.”

“Right.” I started nervously cracking my knuckles.

“Don’t.” His teeth clenched as he placed a solid warm hand across mine. “Just… don’t, not now.”

“Um, okay.” His hand hadn’t left mine. “Sorry.”

“You should be,” he snapped then jerked away from me like the feel of my skin somehow offended him.

Right. So I was back at the crazy theory.

We drove the rest of the way in complete silence—except for the violin music in the background. It seemed melodramatic. Driving through downtown Seattle with a billionaire in a car that could withstand World War Three, only to get trained for my new job.

Where I had no rights as a human being.

Yeah I was a bad romance novel waiting to happen.

He stopped the car at Pier 44 and turned off the engine. “Shall we?”

Nikolai didn’t wait for me to answer, simply got out of the car. Dumbly, I followed. What other option did I have?

He was still dressed in his tight white button up and black pants. Why was it that I had to change and he didn’t? The salty wet air stung my nostrils as we walked down the pier and finally stopped in front of a red door.

I looked around while he pulled out a key and shoved it in the lock. What could a man like him possibly be doing on the pier? In the dead of night? And why did he need my help?

“Do not speak.” He hissed before grabbing my elbow and jerking me through the entrance. He kept his arm wrapped around me. I wasn’t sure if it was because he was nervous I’d cut and run, or because it was so freaking cold in that place it could have been a freezer.

I shivered.

“You’ll get used to it,” he whispered across my ear.

“But don’t I want to,” I muttered under my breath.

His teeth flashed in what I assumed was a smile—I didn’t want to think he was gnashing his teeth at me so early on in our working relationship. Maybe I was trying to stay positive.

I shivered again and crossed my arms, trying to keep my body heat from evaporating into whatever hellish nightmare I’d just walked into.

Nikolai walked toward one of the walls and flipped a switch.

The lights flickered on one by one, reminding me of those horror movies where the buzzing of the lights being on is almost as freaky as the lights being off.

Everywhere I looked was white.

White marble floors.

White couches.

And a white receptionist desk with a red J hanging down the front. If I wasn’t so freaked out, I’d probably think everything looked modern and cool, not exactly inviting but not terrifying either.

Magazines littered the coffee table in the middle of the room, and a large bay window overlooked the Sound.

“Clinical,” I muttered under my breath.

The sound of a phone ringing had me nearly colliding with the nearest couch and toppling over backward.

“Phone,” Nikolai said in an amused voice. “It’s just a phone Maya.”

I managed to croak out a weak, “yeah.” But was anything as it seemed with him? No, not at all, so excuse me for freaking out over the phone ringing.

“Yes.” He answered on the second ring, his gaze trained on the floor. He checked his watch then motioned for me to approach the receptionist desk. “No, no that should work out just fine, I have a new… employee.” His eyes found mine.

I wasn’t so sure I liked the way he said employee, like I was disposable.

Or edible.

He licked his lips, eying me up and down before glancing back at the floor again. “Give me twenty minutes, then the usual.”

He hung up the phone and swore.

“Problem in crazy land?” I asked sweetly.

“I don’t believe the contract you signed this afternoon said anything about sarcasm. Or speaking.”

“Maybe you should have put that in then before I signed on the dotted line… sir.”

His eyes narrowed. “Unfortunate….”

“What is?”

“That you don’t mean that term of respect the way it should be meant… I could get used to it.”

“Yeah, I bet.”

“Turn.”

“Excuse me?”

“Around.” He placed his hands on my shoulders and twisted my body toward a white door with two windows. “I have exactly eighteen and a half minutes to teach you the basics before we have our first patient.”

“I’m seeing real patients?”

Nikolai didn’t answer. I’d begun to notice that about him. If he didn’t want to answer he simply… refused to speak, as if he didn’t owe me anything.

He opened the door leading to the hallway and ushered me through, the lights flickered on all by themselves, lighting up rooms on either side of me. Each of them looked sterile enough that I could probably lick the floors and still be safer than eating while typing on my laptop.

“And behind door number one,” Nikolai whispered in my ear, causing a chill to run down both my arms.

He pushed the door open it made a suction noise and then closed behind us. He stretched his arms above his head and cracked his neck then pulled out a pair of latex gloves.

I gulped and tried to stop the sudden panic that sliced through me, “Are we, examining someone?”

He paused, his hands hovering over the sink and table facing the corner. “It would be prudent for you to remember the terms of the contract, Maya.”

Right. No questions, or talking.

“Do I need gloves?”

“Is that still a question? Also, if you keep talking, I may remove your tongue, you’ve been given fair warning.”