Page 36 of Her Wicked Plan

“That’s what I thought. I will go after Eliza and tell her not to bring it up. Try to control your anger, Veronica, or you will lose your duty in the kitchen for good. And worse, we will have to get you back into anger management classes.”

“Fuck that.” I spit, shaking my head.

“Then behave.” Edith’s voice is full of authority. She huffs out another disappointed breath before walking away.

I sense the stares of the other girls working in here. Their whispers are light as a feather while discussing the events before them. Letting out a sigh, I pick up where I left off and cut the next apple, their gossip turning into nothing.

The rest of the day, I grabbed a book from the little shelf in the library and sat in my room. I didn’t want Eliza trying to come up to me again, even if I thought my threat was enough, but with her, who the hell knows?

As I approach the middle of this garbage book, I realize it’s not what I’m typically into. A guard peeks into my room, informing me it is dinnertime.

I might as well bring this book with me, seeing as it didn’t pull me in like the others. I’ll return it before dinner.

Deciding against putting on my slippers, I walk down the hall in my socks. I hate wearing shoes because my feet feel like they will suffocate with the lack of space. The common room is empty, except for the last few girls exiting the door as I try to get in.

After squeezing past them, I go to the bookshelf and slide the book back in its place. Craning my neck, I focus on the words written on the spines, hoping something will jump out at me.

The dull chatter in the cafeteria next door filters lightly into the common room. Laughter meets my ears, and the soft noise makes my skin crawl.

Maybe I’ll wait longer to eat. Being around that many people does not sound like a good time. My fingertip traces along the books while I chew on my bottom lip, waiting for one to jump out at me.

Two new voices in the hall make my finger pause, and my eyes snap up to the next shelf even though I’m not focused on the books. The voices I heard merely seconds ago are different.

The patients' laughter is now distant in the cafeteria as I hone in on the two new people.

A male and a female.

Talking as if they were old friends.

It doesn’t take me long to realize it is Leo. I can make out his voice anywhere, but the other? It isn’t Edith. No, this woman sounds younger. I shift my head to the side, and out of the corner of my eye, I can see red hair just from the view of the doorway.

“How are things going on your end?” Leo asks her, sounding pretty intrigued.

“You know, same old.” She sighs. “None of the patients have tried to harm themselves or others in the past couple of days, so I take that as a win.”

“A win indeed,” Leo agrees with the woman. “By the way, you still owe me that tour.”

“I do, don’t I?” Is she flirting with him? Now, that won’t do. “Once I’m done making my rounds tonight, I can come find you.”

“I’d like that.” For fuck’s sake, if I have to hear another flirty sentence come out of their mouths, I’m going to hurl.

Ditching the books, I spin on my heel and head for the door. Both stop speaking when my foot passes the threshold, their eyes finding mine.

The redhead offers a warm smile while Leo stares at me with wonder hidden in his eyes. Does he think I am going to say something rude? Normally, I would, but with my plan, I have to play nice.

“Dr. Madden,” I say his name as a greeting while my head nods slightly.

“Hello, Veronica,” he responds. “How are you doing this evening?”

My eyes stay trained on his, not yet giving the woman the time of day. “Fine. Off to grab some dinner.”

“I heard they are serving pizza tonight!” the lady says, my eyes sliding over to hers. “I’m Nurse Scarlet Quinn.”

“You have two first names?” Why is she introducing herself as if we don’t already know each other? I allow my eyes to dip down to her extended hand. Which I don’t take. “That’s odd.”

“Quinn is my last name, but I guess it seems a bit odd.” Her smile is warm.

She is so fucking pretty.