Page 13 of Her Wicked Plan

Instantly after the words leave her mouth, the zapping noise sounds and the door unlocks. I wrap my hand around the knob and twist it, pushing it open. I enter the asylum lobby; the lighting is dimmer than I imagined.

Same with the cream-covered walls. I assumed everything would be white and too bright to look at. Gaping at the sight before me, the door slams shut behind me, causing my body to flinch.

Fuck, I’m on edge.

To my left is a leather couch; a woman in gray sweats and a matching shirt lounges with a book. Her eyes lift to meet mine, widening at the sight of me. Being polite, I smile at her before adverting my gaze to the right to find another woman sitting in a chair against the wall.

She is also reading but stops when she feels my presence. Their eyes burn into me, and I watch as one looks at the other and arches her brow.

“Dr. Madden!” It’s different from hearing it in that small box, but I know it’s the same lady who buzzed me in. An older woman with white hair and glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose is smiling wide at me. Making my way to the desk, which doesn’t have any protective glass between her and the patients, I flash her a convincing smile. “We have been expecting you!”

The words send a cold chill down my spine. I can still sense the eyes of the patients behind me, and sure enough, when I check over my shoulder, they are still staring at me, although one has her eyes on my ass.

“Don’t mind them.” The old woman pulls my attention toward her. “A young man as attractive as you hasn’t stepped foot in this place in... well, forever. Be prepared to be gawked at.”

“Thanks for the warning.” A laugh escapes me to make light of the situation.

“You are welcome. My name is Edith Strum. You can call me Nurse Strum or Edith, whatever floats your boat.” She types a few things on the keyboard before she taps the top of what looks like a small camera. “If you can look here and give me a smile, we will get your badge all set up.”

Doing as she says, I stare straight into the camera and put on my best smile.

“Wonderful! If this gig doesn’t work out for you, you could be a model with a face like yours.” She sends a wink my way, and I can’t help but laugh.

“I’ll keep that in mind, Edith.”

The sound of something printing takes over the silence, and soon, she hands me a white, rectangular card.

“This is your badge. It will get you in-and-out of wings. Ensure you keep it on you at all times and in a place where a patient can’t swipe it off you.”

“Okay.”

“Why don’t we make sure it works? Then I’ll take you to your room before you meet Veronica. After your meeting, I’ll show you to your office.” She emerges from behind the desk.

Edith is short, standing at five-foot-one compared to my six-foot-one. Her hair is almost all gray—a few strands holding on to their natural color. I really hope that she doesn’t insert herself in any altercations. She’d get squashed.

Reaching the door that leads deeper into the asylum, I follow her, but my eyes find the girls sitting in the lobby.

“Don’t worry about them. You need this card to get past the front door, too. Plus, those two are in Ward A. They aren’t at risk of running. They are allowed out here.”

“Good thing you have a camera out here, just in case.” My head gestures to the black camera up in the corner above us.

Edith follows my gaze and huffs out a laugh. Her eyes peer around me before she tells me in a quiet voice, “All the cameras here are fake. With how many employees we have, Dr. Bennett didn’t see the point. The patients, however, don’t know the cameras aren’t real.”

The way she looks at me is almost like a warning: “I won’t say a thing.”

She nods before asking me to swipe my card. I do, and the red light immediately turns green.

“Perfect! Sometimes, these things can be tricky, and you might have to swipe them more than once. If you do that and it continues to give you more trouble, you can type in the code. Dr. Bennett will provide you with that.”

“Sounds good.” Edith enters through the doorway first, allowing me to follow behind her. She takes us down the empty hall until we come upon another door. She does the honors of opening it and leads us a couple of doors down.

“This wing is where the nurses and doctors stay while they work. We offer boarding for the staff if their commute would be too long for day-to-day travel. Patients are not permitted down this wing.”

“Got it.”

Edith stops before a closed door. “This room will be yours for the duration of your stay. Once you get settled in, return to the lobby and find me. I’ll take you to meet Veronica.”

“I thought I would meet with Dr. Bennett first,” I state as I loosen my grip on the suitcase handle.