Page 69 of Dangerous Deviance

“I can do this myself, you know,” I said as he wiped the washcloth over my face again, rinsing off the suds. “Even with the handcuffs.”

A subtle hint of a smile fluttered across his mouth, then disappeared.

“I want to do this,” he said in a quiet voice.

Warmth filled me, but I blinked it away. It couldn’t let those emotions inside of me anymore. Being with Wil was an impossibility. I knew that now. He was an Adler, and I had been trained to kill his family.

But what if I could undo the training?

No. I couldn’t dream about that. I had to think realistically.

At the dining table, a woman in a gray blazer and matching pants stood when we entered the room. Blond hair was tied into a low bun at the nape of her neck. Wil put his hand on my lower back.

“Dr. Mercia, this is Elena Jordan,” Wil said.

I glanced to the side; Wil’s brother, the older one, Derek was sitting on the couch at the far end of the room. The other brother was gone.

“Ellie, right?” Dr. Mercia said. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

She held out her hand, and I stared at it for a moment. She saw the handcuffs, and yet she was acting like treating a captive patient was a normal thing.

She must have known the Adlers were a crime family, then.

I lifted my hands slowly, shaking with one, letting the other hand dangle.

“I wish I could say the same,” I said, “But you’re news to me. And the rest, I can’t remember anyway.” I sighed.

“Humor. That’s good,” she said, smiling. She nodded at Wil and Derek. “We’ll be fine from here. Thanks.”

Wil pursed his lips together, then shrugged. The two of them left.

She’s one of them, the voice said.

I squeezed my eyes shut. Just. Fucking. Stop it.

The ringing started again, like a giant bell always vibrating, never coming to a stop. I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table, my head collapsing in my hands. This woman was not the enemy.Notthe enemy.

“Tell me what’s going on, Ellie,” Dr. Mercia said.

Gray hair grew out from her roots, but otherwise, she dyed her hair into a yellowish blond. Laugh lines surrounded her eyes, spreading down her cheeks, and there was a mole above her upper lip. She seemed kind, but professionally so.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Wil mentioned you had an experience with a cult.”

Was it a cult? Hell… I had been led to believe it was an experimental program, like a course of study. Maybe even a college program. Not a religious belief.

Though the Skyline Shiftdidhave a belief system.

“I was trained by a doctor to kill the Adlers,” I said. “I always hear this voice, you know? His voice.”

Don’t tell her.

“And no matter how hard I try,” I closed my eyes, “He comes back. Tells me what to do. Dr. Bates’s voice.”

“Who is Dr. Bates?”

Don’t tell her.