Page 23 of Insidious Heart
Somehow, I doubt that.“It’s not that. I just—I have to study and—”
“Bring your stuff with you. We can turn it into a study session.” Then he ups his smile game and hits me with a toothy one. “Iaman RN after all. I’d probably be the best study buddy for someone going to nursing school.”
I push my hair behind my ears—the nursing home is literally the only place other than my house I allow my scars to be seen—and sigh. “I already have someone helping me study.”
“Well, bring her too. No pressure or anything, just a coffee between coworkers, maybe some studying, maybe working our way toward becoming friends.”
“Him.”
Chris’s smile falters. “Him?”
“Leon.” I nod. “He’s coming over to help me study and—”
“What the hell kind of name isLeon?” His tone makes me flinch, something Chris clearly notices because he smoothes down the front of his scrubs and ditches the angry expression. “So, it’s a study date?”
I am officially creeped out and very nervous, but at this point, I’m not looking to add to my list of scary men, so I need to keep the peace so I can leave. “No. He’s just a classmate. He’s having a hard time with the specifics of the cardiovascular system and—”
“It’s one of your easiest subjects.” Chris nods, his tension and anger easing just a bit.
How the hell did he know that?
Maybe he’s overheard me talking to Linnie about school or something.
“Well, I’m disappointed, but I get it. I would have loved to have a study buddy with your work ethic and grades to cram with on a Friday night when I was in nursing school. Rain check?”
“Yeah, sure… rain check.”A rain check for never.“I should get going though. It’s time to punch out and my ride is probably waiting.”
Anger briefly flares again in Chris’s eyes, but he quickly covers it with a smile. “Sure thing. Have a good night, Stevie. I’ll see you Wednesday.” I nod as I quickly move to grab my bag from the nurse’s station, but when I’m a mere few feet from my version of freedom, he calls from behind me, “And be careful out there. I heard they found another body.”
Ice floods my veins as I glance back at him, even more so when I see him pull Jolene out from under his cart.
Why the hell does he have Margie’s babydoll?
“Heard it on my way in. Another brunette, just like the one from Friday. Pretty scary.”
With a forced smile and nod, I barely refrain from running out of the lockdown unit.
Everything about that exchange put me on high alert, so much so that I’d rather take my chances with the psycho I know rather than the one I just talked to. I know what to expect from Joker, and again, I’ll take the lesser of two evils.
But when I get out to the parking lot, he isn’t there.
Linnie’s already gone because her Corolla is absent—something else that makes my creep radar scream because Chris said he needed to get the rundown from her. His SUV and a couple other cars are there, but I don’t see Joker or my father’s Suburban he’s been driving.
Great.
I pull my phone from my pocket as I lean against the wall under the only source of light out here, which happens to be a rather dim and flickering flood light. No texts telling me the plan changed, or any missed calls. I know he didn’t forget about me, I’m not that lucky, but it isn’t like Joker to not be waiting for me.
Oh well.
Maybe he got caught up with one of the hangarounds at the clubhouse or something. I’m sure he’s on his way and will be here soon enough.
With a sigh, I close out of my text messages and go to pull up Solitaire—I’m not allowed to have social media, so no mindless scrolling for this girl—but I decide to do something else instead.
I switch to my browser and pull upThe Rolling Gazetteand barely get it loaded before the headline fills my screen.
The Harvester of Bones strikes twice in four days!
But as I start reading, I frown.
