A Million Different Ways to Lose You (Horn Duet 2)

“Who the hell are you?”

Turning around slowly, I came face to face…no that’s wrong, I came face to chest with a very large man. My eyes climbed higher and higher until I reached his eyes. Not even his scowl could take anything away from this brand of handsomeness. Cheekbones high and razor sharp, full lips surrounded by a closely cropped goatee, piercing dark eyes, and a milk chocolate complexion. The only touch of whimsy that made him actually look human was a smattering of freckles across his face––as if God thought him too perfect and blew stardust on him.

“Do you speak English?” he said, rather rudely.

A bark of laughter erupted out of me. Holding out my hand, I said, “Vera Horn, I’m here to interview for the physician’s assistant job.” He stared at my outstretched hand suspiciously. Dear Lord, Dr. Rossetti was not exaggerating. “Dr. Rossetti sent me.”

Still nothing. His eyes examined me closely. I started to sweat a little under all that intense scrutiny. Clearing my throat, I explained, “I listed each patient here according to time of arrival.” I pointed to the clipboard. “And cross matched them with severity of symptoms. I suggest you see Mrs. Dumas next. She’s seventy-nine and has the flu. I suspect she’s extremely dehydrated already.”

Hands on his hips, he took a deep breath and said, “Agnes, put Mrs. Dumas in examination room two.” Then he turned and walked away.

“Dr. Kama?” I said baffled.

“Let’s go, Horn. I don’t have all day. You need to get changed––we have patients to see,” he barked over his shoulder, not even breaking stride.

I scurried after him. “What about the interview?”

“We just had it,” he replied without a glance in my direction.

“You don’t want to see my university file?”

“Saw it a month ago.” His eyes met mine, a scowl on his face. “Where the bloody hell have you been?” With that, he pushed me into the women’s employee locker room, and took off to attend Mrs. Dumas.

Chapter Twenty

That morning seemed like any other. Seemed being the operative word. Little did I know when I left for the clinic everything would change. By early afternoon, Yannick had already seen most of the scheduled patients and some of the walk-ins. It was an easy day, as we liked to say, filled with vaccine shots, ear infections, and other innocuous maladies. That’s why when Emilia called and asked to meet for lunch I jumped at the chance. Sebastian’s order that I not see her was pure rubbish. There was no way I would stop seeing her. She was the last tie to my old life, to my father. She’s witnessed it all––the only person I could discuss it with that truly understood what it had been like for me.

There was no getting rid of the security detail. The Department of Justice suggested it remain in place until further notice that their investigation had been concluded and subsequent arrests made. I knew Sebastian would find out about it––and I was prepared to face the consequences. I couldn’t allow him to keep me in his ivory tower forever.

At the crosswalk, waiting for the light to change, I spotted Emilia sitting at one of the outdoor tables of the bistro. I knew immediately she was speaking to a man when she threw her head back in abandon and pushed her long, black hair over her shoulder––a gesture I recognized from when we were teenagers. She was laughing, talking to someone hidden behind the waiter standing next to the table. Instinctively, I glanced behind me, to make sure that Gideon and Justin were close by. I had no idea whom she had invited along, and that it may have been Yuri really annoyed me.

Gideon’s eyes narrowed, his awareness sharpening when he noticed the flash of unease on my face. As I reached the sidewalk on the other side of the street, with Gideon shadowing me even closer, the waiter stepped aside.

Ten paces from the table, I came to an abrupt halt, rooted to the spot as a steady stream of pedestrians flowed around me. The bottom fell out of my world and all the air left my lungs in a blink of an eye. Seated across from Emilia, smiling casually at her, was Aleksander.

Time hadn’t left a single mark on him, as if six years hadn’t passed. He glanced up and his obsidian gaze caught mine. His expression sobered instantly as we stared at each other for an endless amount of time.

Snapshots of our life together flipped through my mind in rapid succession, every touch, taste, and smell. An overwhelming sense of nostalgia hit me. When he stood, the spell was broken. Emilia, following his gaze, turned in my direction.

“There you are––surprise,” she said with a wide smile. I was going to kill her slowly and painfully. She knew how much I hated surprises and to spring one on me of this magnitude on me was unforgivable. I glared back at her and her smile faded. Aleksander finally broke the stalemate, reaching me quickly and wrapping me in his arms when he realized I was about to bolt. Almost instantly, Gideon was on us.