The Merzetti Effect (A Vampire Romance) by Norah Wilson Read Free Book Online

investigation?”
    “Hardly little. And money was not the issue, you may be sure.”
    “Then why not pursue it to the bitter end?” Her voice broke and she had to pause. Goddamn him. “Just think‌—‌my humiliation could have been complete.” She blinked rapidly to forestall the tears that burned the backs of her eyes and tickled her nose. “You could have fed my Big Secret back to me and watched me sweat even harder.”
    “ Humiliate you?”
    His face turned thunderous and he came to his feet.
    Despite herself, she shrank back, just the merest of movements, but he detected it. And it seemed to infuriate him further.
    “Ms. Crawford,” he said through thinned lips, “as hard as this may be to comprehend, I couldn’t give a damn about what your so-called big secret is. You could be using your money to bankroll an insurgence in Haiti or to establish a training camp for white supremacists in Arkansas for all I care. The only thing that matters to me is that it exists.”
    “But you had me investigated.”
    “I did. And if you want to accuse me of exploiting your situation, I guess you could make a pretty good argument. But I will not wear the mantle of your torturer. If you believe that, I’ll have Eli drive you home tomorrow, or to the hospital, or wherever you wish to go, and you can take your chances on your own. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve been up all night. I’d like to get a little sleep before we take this conversation up again.”
    He turned on his heel and strode toward the door.
    “Wait!”
    He’d moved outside the circle of light cast by the lamp, but the room was already beginning to lighten with the approaching dawn. A new day on the way. A day she would live to see because of his intervention. He’d stopped just short of the door. Though he didn’t turn, he did angle his head as though to listen.
    “I’m sorry. You saved my life. I know that. And I know I must sound ungrateful. It was just such a shock, hearing you talk so … knowledgeably about my employment situation and my finances. I just‌—”
    “Do you still want the job?”
    She’d sensed him angle his body toward her a little more, but she could tell by the way his voice bounced off the wall that he hadn’t completely turned around.
    Did she want the job? Oh, man, crunch time. Could she take the leap of faith? Did she have any choice? She wet her lips. “What are your terms?”
    He turned fully around to face her and named a figure that surpassed her annual income last year by a good margin, even with the crazy extra shifts she’d logged.
    What on earth was he expecting for that princely sum?
    “I won’t have to do anything … illegal?”
    “Not even close.”
    His answer came without hesitation, but just like before when she’d intuited his plan to hunt down and destroy the vampire who’d attacked her, she detected the space between what he said and what he thought. What he actually thought was he’d take care of any shady stuff himself.
    That knowledge should have sent her running for the hills, but she found it oddly reassuring. He clearly didn’t know‌—‌or maybe he just didn’t care‌—‌how transparent his thoughts were to her. Certainly it would make a refreshing change from the minefield of politics, ego and subterfuge she’d had to navigate every day at the hospital.
    “You said there’d be a phlebotomy element?”
    “Yes.”
    “These subjects I’d be drawing blood from … would they be human or vampire?”
    A sigh. “I thought we’d agreed vampires are human.”
    Whoops. “Sorry.” She chewed the inside of her cheek a moment. “So they’re vampires, then? Infected, mutated, however you want to describe them.”
    “Yes, they’re vampires. But they pose no threat. They’re nothing like the rogue that attacked you. These people are civilized. They come voluntarily, and they have a vested interest in the continuation of my research.”
    “They want to be turned back, you