The Key to Fear - Kristin Cast Page 0,21

into the Honeymoon Suite’s luxurious bathroom. She ignored her reflection as she made her way to the marble double sinks. There was no reason to look at herself when she really wasn’t herself at all. Johnny had liked them blond haired, blue eyed, and beach-bum tan. Violet wasn’t any of those things.

She stole a glance in the mirror as she rinsed the garotte and peeled off her gloves. She’d been made over so many times, costumed as so many different people, that she had trouble remembering exactly what she’d looked like before. Again, she averted her eyes and busied herself with drying her things. There was no use in thinking about what she looked like. Tomorrow, she’d report into the office as this tan blond and leave as someone else. It was a fair price for getting to do what she loved, and for getting revenge.

Vi tucked her most prized possessions into her overnight bag before she checked the time. The cleanup crew wouldn’t arrive for another hour. The corners of her lips curled into a grin as she eyed the jetted jacuzzi tub. After the night she’d had, she deserved a soak.

Water surged from the faucet as Vi turned the knob to hot. She squirted in a glob of complimentary bubble bath and watched the water foam as she kicked off her stilettos and wiggled out of Johnny’s favorite lacy negligee. She turned on the jets and sank into the steaming water, closing her eyes as the bubbles puffed up around her. There really was peace in death. Hopefully, this time, it would last until she got home.

Block letters formed at the edge of Elodie’s vision and snapped her from Vi’s fantasy to her mundane reality.

Incoming call from Rhett Owens.

Elodie groaned.

With how often she was interrupted, she might end up keeping Death by Violet forever.

Elodie pressed her back into the chair’s hard frame as if to distance herself from the message scrolling past her vision. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk to her fiancé. After all, they were in a stage that Astrid kept referring to as romancia-landia. Or maybe it was a place? Elodie wasn’t quite sure. What she was sure of was that she and Rhett had definitely never even passed through romancia-landia.

Choosing at the last moment to forego the video portion of the call, Elodie activated her comlink. “Rhett, hi. I’m at wo—”

“I want to assure you that there’s nothing to be afraid of.” Rhett’s tenor voice was smooth and clear in her ears. “I’m sure you saw Ms. Scott’s situation update, but I know how sensitive you are and that you would still be shaken up.”

Elodie’s brow furrowed. “I’m not overly sensitive, I—”

“I didn’t say overly, El. But you are a woman.”

Elodie’s mouth went dry, her tongue a hard lump of sand behind her teeth. Rhett wasn’t wrong. She was a woman. But the way he’d said it was a slap, not a statement.

Rhett cleared his throat and continued. “Everything is being taken care of. My team and I were the first called out to Tilikum Crossing. It’s fine now.” His voice was curt. His words clipped, like he was presenting a briefing, not talking to the woman he would marry in a few months.

Elodie stared at Patient Ninety-Two’s steadily blinking heartrate monitor. “That adds to my relief, but I am still really worried about all of those—”

“Grant Holbrook, the Director of the MediCenter, which means he’s pretty much Director of the Key itself, called me up to request that I gather my team and head to the site post haste.”

Post haste? Was Elodie really going to spend the rest of her life with a guy who said post haste ? She opened her mouth to comment but Rhett continued as if she wasn’t on the other end of the call.

“At least, that’s what he would have said if I had spoken to him directly. It was one of his assistants or someone, but I’m sure I’m the only person you know who gets calls like that.”

Elodie squirmed in her chair. Her back itched in a place she couldn’t quite reach.

Rhett grunted. “No one ever gets a call like that.” He reiterated with a bit more gusto. “I mean, you haven’t heard of anyone who has, have you?”

“Yeah. Yep.” Elodie rubbed the heels of her hands against her eyes, glad he couldn’t see her. “Wait. No, sorry. I haven’t heard of that before.” She picked at the dog-eared corner of her textbook. “Rhett, I’m