Free Deadly Obsession by Kris Norris

on you. I don’t think he’d like it if I left. Not even for this.”
    “Oh, you don’t have to leave,” said the man. “In fact, it’d be better if you stayed. I’m afraid the process may be a bit uncomfortable, and I’m sure she’d appreciate your support.”
    “You’re not going to put that cleanser on it again, are you?” asked Brooklyn. Dr. O’Brian had changed it last night and she’d passed out halfway through.
    “I promise you I’ll be as gentle as possible.” The nurse smiled and brushed his finger along her jaw. “I have no desire to hurt you.”
    Fear tightened Brooklyn’s chest. Something about this guy wasn’t right, but she couldn’t seem to place it. It was almost as if he was familiar somehow. She turned to Peter. “Maybe we could wait until Gage gets back?” she suggested. “It’s already been over an hour. I can’t imagine he’ll be much longer.”
    “I’m sorry, but I’m going off shift in a few minutes, and the head nurse was insistent I change your dressing before I left. I think they’re afraid it might get overlooked during the night rotation.” He smiled again. “All I need you to do is lie on your stomach for me. I’ll take care of everything else.”
    Brooklyn bit at her bottom lip as she slowly rolled onto her belly. “Gage won’t be happy about this.”
    “Then perhaps he shouldn’t have left your side,” sneered the nurse.
    Brooklyn went to move when he untied the back strap of her gown. She tensed. “Peter?”
    “ It’s okay, Brook.” Peter bent down beside her, taking her hand in his. “I’ll stay. And I’ll explain it to Gage when he gets back. Now take my hand. Squeeze as hard as you need to, okay?”
    She nodded, not trusting her voice as she felt the nurse pull the edges of her gown apart. His touch was soft and gentle, but something in the way he lingered against her skin made it crawl.
    “First, I’ll remove the old dressing. This shouldn’t hurt at all.” He moved his fingers across the tape, holding her skin taut as he pulled the strips away. “See, nothing to it.” He tossed the old bandages on his tray, and then picked up a syringe. “Okay, now the part you won’t like. Just try to breathe slow and easy, and I’ll make this as quick as possible.”
    Brooklyn screamed the instant the liquid touched the incision. It burned and she could feel the world starting to spin. She clenched her fingers around Peter’s hand, aware she was gouging his skin with her nails. But she didn’t care. She was in too much pain to care about anything, but making it stop. “Please,” she whispered, wishing Gage was there to soothe her.
    “God damn. How does Gage stand here and watch you go through this?”
    “He curses a lot,” she panted, screaming again as more cleanser soaked into her skin.
    Peter leaned over her, lightly kissing her forehead. “I’m sorry,” he breathed.
    Brooklyn sobbed, wondering how long she could hold on when the rinsing stopped. She held her breath, waiting for another round to start, but felt a gentle dapping instead.
    “Easy,” the nurse said. “It’s all over. Just some cream, but this won’t hurt. As a matter of fact, I think you’ll find it quite relaxing.” His voice was low and it sparked a memory.
    Did you think you could escape me, Sarah?
    She drew in a quick breath, trying to make sense of the sounds in her head. A voice…his voice.
    Don’t disappoint me, Sarah. I’ll be waiting.
    Oh God. It was him…the voice from the bathroom.
    “Gage!” She tried to move, but her arms and legs felt numb. She cried out, fighting against the fog descending around her.
    “Brooklyn? What it is? God, you sound terrified.” Peter bent down over her again. “Easy…”
    His voice trailed off into a garbled wail. She felt his body jerk hard against hers a second before he crumbled onto the floor, his limbs thrashing at his sides. “Peter!”
    “Easy, Sarah.”
    She stilled at the touch of his hands as he caressed