Chapter 1 #2
Oh, but I would. I hated Sinclair Whittier just as much as I hated the man who’d given him that name—because they were the ones who’d ruined my father’s life. I would never despise anyone more.
That, however, wasn’t what my father wanted to hear, and I didn’t have time for a lively debate. “I’ll probably be so busy I won’t even have to interact with him.” I hoped that was true, because I didn’t know if I’d be able to keep the contempt off my face—and considering Dr. Rakhimov worshipped that family more than her own dignity, that would not work in my favor. “Have a good night, dad.”
“I will. Do your best to have a good night.”
“See you later.”
I hung up the call and let out a long sigh before pulling myself up off the bench. Heading back into the air-conditioned building, I ignored my aching feet and hustled back to the simulation lab. All of this had already been in motion when I’d started classes for the first time last fall—they’d already broken ground and laid the foundation for the new wing that would house the simulation lab, so I didn’t know for certain how long the plan had been in place. I also didn’t know if Dr. R. had had a previous relationship with the Whittiers, but I did know that they’d long been benefactors of the school. Every time Dr. Rakhimov exclaimed that the nursing program was the only reason WCC thrived, I’d bite my tongue, because I was pretty sure it was due more to the Whittiers’s money than her efforts.
Soon, I was in the new wing, and the only things I could hear were soft electronic sounds and the click of my heels on the polished tile. The lab door was still open and I set a foot inside. “Jenna?” I called, concerned because she wasn’t in the main room. For all I knew, she was sleeping on a bed next to one of the patient dummies. “Where are you?”
As if on command, Dr. Rakhimov’s voice cut through the space, nearly making me jump. “Annalise!” The way she barked that word almost made me hate my name.
Quickly removing the walkie-talkie on the belt around my waist, I pressed the button and spoke into it. “I’m here.”
“Where is here ?” I thought I heard a rustling sound somewhere deep in the lab. Probably Jenna messing around again—or getting up from her short nap.
“I just got back to the lab.”
“You have the programs?”
Closing my eyes, I worked hard to keep my voice calm. “Yes.”
“Then I need you over here.” At the auditorium. It made sense since the lab was ready to go. “ Now. Jenna is here already, but she can’t do everything without you.”
I couldn’t help the anger that surged through my veins at her statement. Jenna hadn’t been able to do anything with me for the first part of the day—maybe it would do her good to work on her own for a bit. But Dr. R. would neither empathize with my plight nor find my thoughts funny. In fact, if I’d told her Jenna had simply sat on her rear all day while I’d set up and tested the lab, she would have blamed my lack of leadership skills.
So I kept it short. “Okay. I’ll be right there.”
“I need you here five minutes ago.”
After putting the walkie-talkie away, I picked up the programs and dimmed the lights in the lab. Someday, this would be a forgotten memory.
I pulled the big door to the lab closed so that it locked it behind me, something Jenna should have done when she’d left her post. As I began treading down the hall, I shook my head. If Dr. R. had known that Jenna hadn’t locked that door behind her, she would have given the girl plenty of good reasons to call her Cruella.
But I was trying to let the negativity go as I turned the corner, heading to the other end of the building where the auditorium—also a new addition to the health and science building—was located. I felt a sharp pain in my heel and turned my head to look at it, nearly running into a tall man coming the other way.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I said, holding out my hand to keep from falling into him.
He steadied me by holding my elbow. “It’s no problem. Are you okay?”
“Yes. Thanks.” Nodding my head, I tried not to stare. This man was awfully good looking and sharply dressed. It was rare to see men on campus wearing business attire, especially in July in this oppressive heat—but he seemed as cool as an ocean breeze. His dark brown hair framed his angular face and eyes as dark as sapphires seemed to burn with a heat from within. His facial hair was cut close, and the shadow made him look a little rugged and mysterious. Even with the stubble, I noticed a slight scar just over the right side of his lip—but it was the twitch of both lips that softened what might otherwise be an intimidating visage.
I tried not to get hung up on appearance, because all the good-looking boys I’d grown up with were cruel and mean. As an adult, I’d continued to be wary.
Still…this man took my breath away—and his initial kindness at helping me keep my balance had allowed my guard to slip a bit.
My elbow nearly tingled where he was touching it and I was disappointed when he withdrew his hand. Silly.
I started to straighten myself when he asked, “Do you work here?”
“Kind of.” His gorgeous brows pinched together and I added, “I mean, yes, I do. I’m a work-study student.”
“Perfect. Then can you point me in the direction of the new simulation lab?”
Motioning in the direction I’d just come from, I said, “It’s that way—but the lab is locked right now. Are you here for the celebration?”
“I am.” His smile nearly made my knees buckle. Until this very moment, I hadn’t looked at men much. My position as town outcast had made me unwanted by every boy in school and, now that I was older and discovered that some men had designs on me nonetheless, I wasn’t interested. I wasn’t about to allow myself to fall for any male until I was out of this godforsaken town. Still, it was sometimes impossible to ignore one’s visceral reaction to a specimen of this caliber. Honestly, I’d never had a reaction to a man like this.
And he wasn’t just tall. Next to me, even in my heels, he was like a tree. I guessed he was about a foot taller than me.
Something inside me was drawn to him—and I had the feeling he was interested too. My heart was beating in my chest like a ticking time bomb, and I hoped he couldn’t tell.
Swallowing, I said, “You’re pretty early.”
“Yes. I wanted to check everything out before it all started.”
“Well, the evening events begin in the auditorium. That’s where I’m heading if you’d like to come with me.”
I started walking back down the hall in the direction of the auditorium, trying not to feel awkward with this handsome man next to me, especially because I was so taken with him. As if he could sense my discomfort and perhaps out-of-control emotions, he decided to engage in small talk. “So what are you attending school for?” His voice was low and smooth, almost melodic, and I once again found myself perking up.
Why exactly would an older man of this caliber ever be interested in someone like me anyway? I was being foolish even entertaining it for a moment.
And yet I could sense his focus on me, making me feel like I was the only girl in the universe.
I told him the truth. “I’m getting an Associate of General Studies degree.”
“What’s that exactly?”
Feeling almost shy from the attention, I shrugged, barely looking at him as we continued walking. “It’s what it sounds like—all general coursework. At the end, I can transfer all the credits to any four-year university in Colorado and major in anything I choose.”
“So what are you interested in?”
“I don’t really know.”
His devilish, knowing smile nearly gave me shivers. “That can’t be true. There has to be something. When you were a child, didn’t you dream about doing something when you grew up?”
Oh, my dreams. They were nothing I’d share with most people, especially not with a complete stranger. I dreamed of little more than escaping this place. If there was anything more to it, it was that I would have my revenge, knowing my enemies would see me doing just fine away from their little section of hell. I knew of girls who dreamed of being actresses or policymakers, teachers or even fairytale bunk like princesses, but my aspiration was far simpler.
Still, I suspected this gorgeous yet intimidating man wasn’t going to accept a blow-off answer—and I had the feeling he was good at sussing out that sort of thing. So I told him the one career I’d considered one time, thanks to a school field trip. “I always thought working as an archaeologist might be fascinating—discovering old relics, finding history’s secrets.”
“Ah. Yes, I believe that would require a good education. There are plenty of respectable schools in Colorado that can provide you with the skills you need.”
This little walk and talk had me feeling braver—and I almost didn’t notice the pain in my feet. “Where did you go to school?”
For a second, he was quiet—and then he chuckled. “Columbia.”
Not Colorado. “Where is that?”
“New York.” Almost apologetically, he added, “My family could afford it. If I hadn’t been accepted, I would have attended CU.”
“And where is that ?”
He gave me an odd look. “Boulder.” After a few steps, he added, “I imagine that getting your basic credits out of the way at a commuter college would help you avoid some problems.”
“Like what?”
“Well, there’s the freshman twenty, for instance.” Ah, the weight gain from eating cafeteria food and being away from the structure of home life. Raising my eyebrows, I shrugged in semi agreement, but my problem had always been not eating enough. He took my expression as a prompt to continue. “And then there’s the party badge.”
“ Party badge? ”
“Yes—drinking yourself into oblivion. It’s not hard to find kids on a university campus willing to party for days on end. And I met kids away from home for the first time who tested their limits.” Again, my face must have shown him that getting drunk was nothing I was interested in. But he said, “I realize high school kids party too, but college kids take it to an extreme. I doubt you have that issue here.”
“Here? Do you mean Winchester in general or here at the college?”
“Why? Which do you have personal experience with? Anything you want to divulge?” He raised an eyebrow, causing my breath to catch in my throat…because it was as if he was daring me to be naughty. And I started to protest until I realized he was teasing. But then he paused, no longer walking, and I followed suit. For a split second, we simply looked at each other—and I found his gaze strong enough to take my breath away again. My lips parted lamely, as if trying to say something, but I had no words.
He, however, had plenty. “Your eyes are stunning.”
My eyes? I’d never had anyone say a thing about my eyes, other than my father. Still at a loss for words, I managed one: “What?”
“Your eyes—they’re such a dark shade of green…like emeralds. I’ve only ever known one other person with eyes like yours.”
My cheeks turned warm and I wanted to bury my head in my arm—but I was drawn to him…and his attention was genuine, not a ploy to bully me like so many boys in the past. “Who was that?”
“My mother. I’d always wished I could have eyes like hers. But, as you can see, I didn’t.”
I’d already been looking in the deep blue pools on his face, and I had an answer that kept me from feeling foolish for almost getting lost in them. “The odds were against you. I learned in science that green eyes are more rare than blue.”
“Ah…so you’re a rare beauty then.”
The heat on my face flared again as I forced a smile, his eyes seeming to peer deep inside my soul, absorbing my secrets. Another few minutes with this man and I would be willingly giving them up. “I wouldn’t go that far.” And then I made my feet begin moving once more, relieved that the auditorium would be in sight as soon as we rounded another corner. “Just about there.”
“I’m almost sad to hear that.”
As was I—but I wasn’t about to voice it. I was too stunned by my visceral reaction to a man I’d just met. We turned the corner to see our destination just down the hall. “There it is—the auditorium.”
“Thank you for your guidance—and your company.” His white teeth gleamed through his smile, once again magnifying his overall good looks.
“My pleasure.”
As we approached one set of doors, he paused with his palm on the handle. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to track you down after this event so we can chat a little more.”
The smile on my face couldn’t be stopped. “I’d like that.” And my entire body felt like it was on fire, rumbling and purring as if an engine had been started. Never in my life had I felt desired by a man like this…and my insides felt like they were melting because of it.
When he opened one of the doors, I walked in. I’d only peeked inside this new space before but now was my chance to take it all in. It was designed to function as both a lecture hall and a performance space—and I’d heard Dr. Rakhimov say more than once that the college could rent it out to the community to generate additional income. The space was a bit overwhelming and I couldn’t imagine students actually sitting in here taking notes for a class. Still, for an auditorium, it felt intimate as the earth-tone chairs wrapped around the house space in a semi-circle. The stage was somewhat unassuming, with a black floor, royal blue curtains at the back, and a wooden podium front and center.
However, Dr. Rakhimov was standing just in front of the stage with a couple of students flying back and forth onstage, looking busy so they wouldn’t incur her wrath. Like a hawk, she noticed me and the tall man getting closer to the stage, and she focused on us like prey. “Finally, my programs. Piper!” she barked, and the girl onstage stiffened, almost cowering as she waited to see what she’d done wrong.
And where was Jenna, by the way?
“Yes, ma’am?”
“For heaven’s sake, do not call me ma’am .”
“Sorry…” said the slight blonde girl.
Pointing at me, Dr. R. said, “Annalise has the programs. Show her where we’re setting everything up.”
Without a word, the girl rushed off the stage, but I couldn’t see where she went.
Dr. R. then barked, “She’ll meet you in the hallway.”
Was she talking to me ?
Without warning, her tone softened, a tight smile forming on her lips. “Where are my manners?” As she started walking up the aisle toward me and the man, I knew I needed to get out of there before she gave me another tongue-lashing. I said Excuse me to the gorgeous stranger beside me as his warm smile made every muscle in my body tighten. I relished the thought that the rest of the night, no matter how nasty Dr. R. got, I’d be floating on cloud nine—and awaiting more attention from the man with the piercing blue eyes when all was said and done.
Turning, I began making my way up the aisle, knowing that if I didn’t quickly obey her order, I’d get snapped at. Behind me, though, Dr. Rakhimov’s voice weirded me out as it turned into a syrupy purr. “When did you get here, Sinclair?”
“Just a bit ago. This, uh—” The sound of his voice changed, and I could tell he’d turned his head to look at me, but I was already pushing on the door to leave. “—student led me here.”
As the door softly closed behind my back, reality settled around me.
I knew I hadn’t misunderstood what Dr. Rakhimov had called him. That man I’d just helped—the one I’d found so charming and handsome, the one I’d been ready to marry if he’d only asked— he was the son of my family’s mortal enemy. He was a Whittier.
He was my nemesis.