Page 9 of Deadly Intentions

Now that he was closer, I was able to get a better look at him. He was a Hispanic man, over six feet in height, with dark eyes. His penetrating gaze seemed to be trying to see into my soul as he lingered on my face. I blinked, trying to break the eerie trance he had me under, and stepped back.

“This is one of our newest nurses. Trina Aniston,” Doctor Brooks grunted.

“Miss Aniston.” He stepped close and took my hand in his. “I’m Javier Costa. It’s very nice to meet you.” HIs accent was faint, but the tone was still there. “Tell me. Where does a beautiful nurse like you come from?”

“East.” I tugged my hand away from his and turned toward Doctor Brooks. “I’ll just come back later. I need to finish my rounds.”

“I’m sure we’ll see each other again.” Javier sneered as I hurried from the room.

I pressed my back against the wall outside and blew out a breath. Whatever I’d walked in on had been something they didn’t want me to hear. That was apparent in their body language. As I leaned there wondering what in the hell just happened, I heard Javier’s voice.

“Do you think she heard anything?”

“No. I don’t think so.” Brooks replied. “Even if she heard the tail end, she doesn’t know what we were talking about.”

“I hope so. The last thing you need is a loose end, Brooks. I’d hate to short you a nurse. Especially a pretty one like that. But you know I can’t have loose lips.”

I sucked in a breath and pushed off the wall. Moving as fast as I could, I ran down the hallway and locked myself inside the on-call room. What the fuck was Doctor Brooks involved in? Javier Costa didn’t look like a businessman—at least, not one that would deal with the hospital. After calming myself down, I let myself out of the confines of the tiny enclosure and sought Harley. I was relieved to find her seated behind the main station on our floor.

“Trina.” She looked up from the computer and grinned. “You ready for that hot date with the sexy detective?”

Just like that, she’d taken my mind off the weird encounter with Dr. Brooks. Thoughts of my date with Alex caused me to blush.

“I guess.” I grinned, not knowing what more to say. I was still conflicted about saying yes to going out with him.

“You guess?” Harley cocked her eyebrow at me. “That man is hot, Trina. I’m not saying you have to marry him, but a nice roll in the hay would do you some good.”

I snorted at her blatant comment. “Jesus.”

“What?” Harley stood and leaned across the desk. “I won’t pretend to know what brought you here. You’ve been pretty tight-lipped. I’m going to go out on a limb and say it had something to do with a man. And if I’m right,” her voice dropped to a whisper, “a brand-new dick will help you move on.”

“Wow.” I blinked. “You have no filter, Harley.”

“I know. It’s a gift. Now. Let’s grab some lunch and talk about what you’re wearing.”

“Right. Lunch.” I followed her to the elevator and climbed in behind her.

Just as the doors were closing, a hand halted them to a stop. My lungs stilled as Javier stepped inside and grinned.

“Miss Aniston. Pleasure running into you again.” His voice rolled through the tiny box like nails on a chalkboard. “Who is your friend?”

Harley giggled, not realizing this man was not someone she should entertain. “I’m Harley Cook, the charge nurse in the ICU. And you are?”

Javier reached out and tugged her hand into his. I watched as he pressed his lips to her knuckles and grinned. “Javier Costa.”

“Were you visiting someone in the ICU?” Harley tilted her head in question.

“No. I’m a business associate of Doctor Brooks. We were discussing some personal matters.”

“Oh.” Harley looked back at me and furrowed her brow. “Does that mean you’re a doctor?”

His laugh made my skin crawl. “Heavens no.”

The doors dinged, signaling our arrival. Javier stepped out and waited for us to follow. He paused, turning to face us. “Miss Aniston, I hope we meet again. You too, Miss Cook. Have a good day.”

I watched as he walked toward the main entrance. “That’s one hell of a sexy dude. What are you? Some kind of sexy man magnet?” Harley joked. “Ever since you started working here hot guys keep popping up.”

“Hot doesn’t always mean safe, Harley.” I started toward the café. “Come on, let’s go eat.”

---