“You mean like you.” Her arms were full of boxes and bags and she approached cautiously, noticing I’d pulled the gun from my jacket, keeping it beside me. As she crouched down, she constantly glanced into my eyes.
The spark between us remained, a crackle that she was trying hard to keep from becoming explosive. “I assure you that those I’ve killed were all deserving of their fate.”
“Oh, so you make a habit of trolling hospitals, hoping to find victims.”
Even as I laughed, the pain was biting enough a choking cough developed. To my surprise, she was deeply concerned. “Somehow, they manage to find me.”
“Why do I not find that surprising? Now, hold still. I need to take your jacket and shirt off. Okay? I need to see what I’m dealing with.”
I nodded, the ache dull but my arm was tingling. She was gentle with her actions, her face contorted when she obtained a better look at the amount of blood soaking into my shirt. With her gaze lifting to my face, I sensed an entirely different set of emotions, her concern more significant than just her position as a doctor.
As she began to unbutton my shirt, I crooked my finger, rubbing it down her cheek. Her flinch should annoy me. No one pulled away or denied me my desires, but as I’d felt before, there was a stronger connection with her than I’d felt with anyone else.
That didn’t bode well for the situation.
“Do you know who those men were?” she asked before easing me from the wall.
“Not really.”
“Not really means you have an idea. I hope you’re not going to burn down the city to try and find the source.”
Coughing, the flash of anguish forced me to grit my teeth. “Not yet. But the week is early.”
I sensed she had much to say, but concentrated on what she was doing. She unfastened my shirtsleeves, her eyes roaming my chest as any doctor would do when examining a patient.
Only when she removed my shirt altogether, something changed. Her body stiffened, her breath catching and in those few seconds, we were back in the lavatory sharing passion.
Vivian sucked in her breath. “Do you want a painkiller?”
“No. I can’t have my senses dulled.”
“Like I said, hardheaded. I’m going to clean the wound and it’ll hurt.”
“That’s fine. Do what you need to do.”
Her eyes raked over me once again and she nibbled on her bottom lip. She cleaned the wound, taking her time doing so. Initially, when I winced, she seemed angry she’d hurt me, but I could tell she was losing patience when I tried to touch her again.
The look she gave me was one I wouldn’t soon forget. Real concern and not as a patient. “The cut is deep. You’re going to need stitches.”
“Do what you need to do.” I leaned my head against the wall, taking several deep breaths. There were two options of how to handle this, one of which I couldn’t do and I knew that. Still, I would need to discover who she was in case she was somehowa part of the Ghost’s world. Until I discovered everything that made her tick, her life would be interrupted.
While she worked, I made a call, getting Cormac on the second ring.
“Where are you?” he asked.
“Mount Sinai. I need a cleanup crew and a ride.”
“We’re close. Dante was insistent you needed help,” Cormac told me.
“He wasn’t wrong. How close is the house to being ready?” As soon as I asked the question, Vivian stopped moving, staring into my eyes with a hard, cold look.
“I think the cleaning crew has yet to go through, but the house is all yours.”
“Then that’s where we’re going.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll have someone get your things together.” Cormac was highly efficient.
“Perfect. Meet me outside the emergency entrance in fifteen minutes.”
