Page 29 of Lethal Attraction

There are snake-bite piercings in her lip and a large septum ring in her nose. She frowns at me with thick, electric-blue eyebrows. “Can I help you?”

My heart sinks. “Sorry. I thought you were…someone else.”

She shrugs me off before throwing the door to the coffee shop open, and I’m stuck in the center of the hallway as my hope fizzles out until I feel cold.

I’m a fucking idiot for thinking…

I shake myself out of it before another person steps directly in front of me. Burton Langford is a stout man, with silver, thinning hair. He carries the air of someone who’s confident and refined with his tailored suits and expressive pocket handkerchiefs that change with every passing day. Today’s color is a bright red, like a blaring alarm to his approach for anyone in his warpath.

Like me.

“Reed, my boy!” He slaps a hand on my shoulder roughly.

My jaw twinges. Eleven years of medical school to be called ‘my boy’ rather than Doctor. “Good morning, Mr. Langford.”

He chuckles deep and heartily, the sound of a man with money ringing through the air. “Now, I told you to call me Burton! We’re on a first-name basis.”

“I would prefer if you referred to me as Dr. Bellamy.”

Burton stares at me before throwing his head back and guffawing loudly. He draws a few stray side-eyes as he slaps a hand on my shoulder. “Oh! You have quite the sense of humor, Reed, but I need you to be serious for a moment.”

I frown. “I wasn’t joking.”

He waves a hand, already forgetting about the boundary I tried to place as he guides me toward the ER with wide, purposeful steps. “I have a gala coming up this weekend, and I would love it if you and your colleague, Taryn, would join me as my guests of honor.”

My lips thin. “We’ll have to think about it.”

Do I want to spend a whole evening mingling with socialites and CEOs? No.

Will Taryn still try to convince me to go for the free drinks? Probably.

“Just consider it!” He flicks some dust off his elegant suit before smiling. “I have something major in the works, and I would love your easy attitude to smooth over these potential clients.”

That piques my interest. “Is this for a merger?”

It isn’t unusual for bigger companies to take hold of smaller ones with the hopes of expanding. It’s happened to a few hospitals I was contracted with, and it helped to create jobs and give more resources to the patients in need.

Burton smirks. “Now I’ve got your attention. It’s no merger, but it is…” He looks around for any wandering ears before leaning in and whispering, “different.”

My brow furrows. “Different how?”

He motions for me to follow him into a side hallway that’s vacant before getting an excited gleam in his eyes. He slaps his hands on my shoulders, making my mouth twist as he leans close. “What I’m about to tell you, Reed, cannot leave this hall. Do you understand?”

I draw back slightly. “Sure?”

His expression becomes secretive and alight with wonder. “What if I told you there is a whole underground network of assassins—hitmen who take money for eradicating targets?”

There’s a thick silence that follows as I blink at him. “Come again?”

Surely I didn’t hear him right…

The man nods quickly. “Assassins, Reed! Can you believe that?”

My filter to mouth ratio often fails. Like right now. “No.”

Burton’s expression falls a fraction before he rests his features into something calm and collected. “I know it’s hard to believe, but one of them reached out to me!” His eyes are wild as they bounce between mine, and I’m beginning to feel uncomfortable with his unsettling gaze.

I remove his hands that are biting into my shoulders, stepping away from him. “Mr. Langford—”