Page 27 of Ash and Poison

I cut him off. “If you’re worried I’m going to spill your secrets, don’t. We won’t be talking about work, let alone you. You can go now.”

“Well, I’m not scared of Vincent,” he said, leaning over my chair. “I just want to know why you’d go on a date with him when we both know you want me.”

“You’re not the first guy I’ve dreamed about,” I said with a frown. “You’re not that special.”

“Are you saying you’ve had wet dreams about a lot of men, Doctor Sharma? Are all of them your patients?” His eyes went dark as he cupped my throat. “If that’s so, you need a shrink.”

I pointedly looked at the clock. “Time’s up, Maddox. See you.”

“Hmm.” He thumbed my lips before moving away. “Goodbye, Sharma. See you later.” He walked out, slamming the door behind him.

I slumped on the couch with a sigh. My life was a clusterfuck, and I had no one to blame but myself.

My phone rang, pulling me out of my lust-induced thoughts. I smiled when I saw the name flashing on the screen.

“Hey, Lay, how are you?”

“I’m great. You? Not so much, Dee. Declan has been asking about you. Sheila told me he’s going batshit crazy trying to track you down,” Layne said. “Bastard just won’t quit.”

I rubbed my temple with a frown. “There’s no way he can find me here,” I said. “Why won’t he just leave me the fuck alone?”

“Oh, come on. After we maimed Toby and sent him a little souvenir? You think Declan’s gonna let that slide?” She snorted.

“I wasn’t the one who cut his hand off and made a fucking display out of it. It was all your idea, Lay.”

“God, I miss working with you. Killing Toby was so fun.”

“I don’t. You’re fucking impatient,” I said with a sigh. “But I do miss killing. That silence when the poison kicks in and when men finally go still…” My voice trailed off as my thoughts drifted back to the last time I killed with Layne.

Layne and I rarely worked together, but when we did, it was always fun, even though we preferred different methods. Layne was all about big, theatrical displays—the mess, the blood, the art. I found beauty in the simple things, in silence.

“Come home,” she whispered. “Just come back. We’ll figure it out together. Or Trina and I can come there. It’s not like I can’t sculpt from anywhere.”

It was hard not to beg her after she offered.

“You’ll go mad,” I said with a smile.

“If you can survive there, we could too.”

“I’m barely hanging on,” I said, drumming my fingers on the table. “I’ll stick it out for a few more months, just until Knight stops poking around. Then I’ll come home.”

“What about Asher?”

“Oh… don’t worry. I can deal with him,” I said.

“If you want me to kill him, let me know. I’ll be careful,” Layne said.

“Not yet. Bye, Lay. I have a session soon.”

“Bye, bitch. Stay mad.”

“Yeah, you don’t have to remind me,” I grunted, and she laughed. “Bye.”

Dear A,

Some days, I wish you weren’t so far away. Some days, I dream you are right next to me, with Vincent, telling me a joke that isn’t funny at all, but we still laugh. I miss you. And some days, I even miss Vincent.

I… I messed up, didn’t I?