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“You’re a fool, Lieutenant Olivieri. Of course I want to hurt her—or do you think saying something so banal will soothe me?”
“Who are you?”
“I am the man Dr. Wilde spurned.”
“No,” Bianca gasped, “I never…”
A quick movement of the blade. A second drop of scarlet blood. Chay’s vision blurred. Focus. Focus. Giving in to rage might cost Bianca her life.
“She could have helped me,” the man said. “She could have accepted me as her patient. But she refused.”
“I’m Ms. Wilde had a good reason for turning down the chance to treat you.” Carefully, barely moving, Chay shuffled forward an inch. “Why don’t you let go of her and we can all sit down and discuss this?”
“She didn’t have a good reason! She said it was because she wasn’t a doctor yet. But I know the truth. She just didn’t want to help me.”
“I never…”
Bianca gasped as the arm around her neck tightened. It took all of Chay’s self-control not to rush the guy and to respond, instead, in a steady, calm voice.
“Maybe it was a misunderstanding.”
“Are you calling me a liar?”
“No,” Chay said quickly, “no, of course not. I’m just suggesting that sometimes people get confused—”
The man’s eyes flashed with rage. “You sound just like my mother! Have you been talking to her? To my mother? Ms. Wilde talks to her all the time. And that’s why I know precisely what happened. Mother told me.”
“Look, friend. I bet if you put down that knife and let go of Ms. Wilde…”
“Please,” the man said coldly. “Don’t try that nonsense with me. I’m smarter than you. I’m smarter than all of you.”
“Maybe, but—”
Bianca made a strangled sound as the arm around her neck pressed even harder. Chay knew it had to be close to choking off her air supply.
“Did you hear what I said? I am smarter than everyone. That’s the reason you’re all against me. You’re jealous of how smart I am.” His face twisted. “Mother was always against me. I should have known she’d turn Bianca against me, too.”
Fuck. “Your mother is Marilyn Epstein.”
“Doctor Epstein,” David Epstein said. “Doctor Epstein. You must not forget that title. Doctor Epstein is the success in our family. Not my father. Not me.”
“David.” Chay raised his hand and carefully moved another inch forward, slip. “Easy, son. I’m sure Ms. Wilde can help you if you’ll just—”
“Didn’t you hear what I said? I told Mother that I wanted Ms. Wilde to be my doctor. Mother said she would ask, and she did, and Ms. Wilde said no.”
Chay’s gaze flew to Bianca. She was standing so high on her toes that her feet were almost off the ground.
She was panting. Still, she managed to give her head a tiny shake that said No.
Chay looked at David Epstein again.
“Well,” he said evenly, “here’s your chance talk to Ms. Wilde yourself. I bet if you put down that knife, let go of her…”
Epstein laughed.
“You’re wasting your time, Lieutenant. See, I’ve got past that. The nonsense of wanting Ms. Wilde—of wanting Bianca to take me as a patient.” His head tilted; his expression went from angry to sly. “I know a lot about psychology. And psychiatry. And I know that doctors shouldn’t have intimate relationships with their patients. And when I had time to think about it, I realized that the true reason Bianca wouldn’t treat me was because she wanted to have sex with me.”
Ah Jesus! Chay felt the bile rise in his throat. They were finally getting down to basics.
