Sinners 01 - Branded by Abi Ketner, Missy Kalicicki Read Free Book Online Page B

usually give tours?” I ask.
    He chuckles. “This is actually my day off. I just came in to catch up on some charting.
     We got slammed last night, and I couldn’t keep up. But it all worked out. Since I
     had to come back and finish my paperwork, I got to meet you and show you around. Something
     I never get the chance to do.”
    I try to suppress my surprise, but it’s hard to do. Why would a doctor want to do my orientation?
    “You actually keep records here?” I ask.
    “Not exactly.”
    He leads me down the main hallway, and I count ten doors as we pass. He reads the
     expression on my face.
    “One patient per room,” he explains. “No such thing as having a roommate here. It’s
     safer that way.”
    Luxury in the Hole. That’s a first.
    The rooms are identical with one mattress on a wooden frame that’s supposed to resemble
     a bed and a simple bedside table. A chair sits in the opposite corner near a four-drawer
     chest made from corkboard and a bathroom you can almost stand in. White industrial-grade
     tiles with small specks of color line the floors with multiple cracks and warping.
     No light. Just a candle.
    “This is the soiled linen closet that you’ll get acquainted with. It’s your new best
     friend.” He opens the door and lets me look inside. “All new personnel start here.”
    Two guards, in their typical stiff uniforms, walk toward us. They nod at Sutton as
     they stroll by. As he turns to speak, one of them winks at me.
    “There’re always guards coming and going. You have to be on your toes at all times,”
     he says as if he knows what happened behind his back. He swipes his badge, and we
     reenter his office. “The guards are cocky and will give you a hard time because they
     can. They have no boundaries, even in the hospital. Just watch your back.”
    He sits at his desk and leans back.
    “Everything on this floor is under surveillance. The back staircase is the only exception.
     Years ago, the cameras were damaged and fixing them isn’t within our budget. There’s
     no way in or out of the building from those stairs. You can go to the basement or
     the morgue—all of which are dead ends.” He pauses and says with a laugh, “Not a very
     upbeat orientation, is it?”
    I smile. “No.”
    Finally, someone with a sense of humor.
    I can’t remember the last time I smiled.
    “Did you pick me or was I assigned to you?” I ask, remembering my earlier conversation
     with Cole.
    “To tell you the truth, I don’t know what their methods are,” he says as he pulls
     something out of his desk. “Your keys.” He throws them to me.
    I catch them with both hands, losing my balance and falling off my chair.
    “Well, that was graceful. Are you all right?” He offers me his hand, and I take it.
     “Do you have any questions for me?”
    “Nothing I can think of off the top of my head,” I reply, even though I’m dying to
     know why he’s been so nice to me. I dust myself off and try to pretend I didn’t just
     make a fool out of myself again.
    For rest of the day, I shadow a nurse’s aide and get to know the basics of patient
     care. By the time seven rolls around, my feet throb. These slippers have no soles
     and no arch support. My shirt sticks to my skin, and my hair is plastered to my neck.
    Cole and Zeus arrive at the nurse’s station. Cole talks to one of the female nurses
     and smiles his crooked smile. His dark eyes catch mine for a quick moment, but that’s
     the only acknowledgement he gives.
    Nauseous much? I can totally see him being a man whore.
    “Talk to you later,” he says to the redhead.
    “I’m looking forward to it.” She grins and flips her hair.
    Oh barf.
    He silently leads me out of the hospital. We’re back in the alley with Zeus in front
     this time. The sun sets in brilliant hues across the sky, but the tall silhouettes
     of the buildings obscure my view. Now and then, we run into a beggar. Cole ignores
     them like he does the discarded