Arsenic for the Soul Read Free Page B

inflict the killing
blow, Detective Nikolai Koslov detained her. Faced with the threat
of prison, Vivian promised to serve as his informant in the search
for the serial killer. If she proved a valuable asset, her criminal
record would be expunged.
    Adding another layer to his growing
list of temptations, Nikolai promised to help her re-enroll in
school and rise above her failures.
    She also met Camilla
Vesely, the crime reporter for Blaze. Camilla was sniffing out the
trail out of the Prague killer when she found Vivian. Ever since,
they became steadfast companions who helped each other elude death
more than a few times.
    At the end of their journey, Nikolai
proved to be a traitor concealing his own dark secrets sprinkled
throughout the investigation. He turned on Vivian and triggered a
spree of violence that ended with innocent blood on his hands,
including Vivian’s father, Keung Xu.
    Keung was still recovering in the
University Hospital from another surgery.
    He owed his near death experience to
Nikolai, who shot him as he tried to interfere with Vivian’s
arrest. Her arrest had no legal grounds to execute. Nikolai pinned
a murder he brazenly committed on Vivian to tie up the loose ends.
Apparently, Vivian knew enough about Syllax to jeopardize Nikolai’s
career—only because he was addicted to Syllax.
    The bullet Nikolai fired paralyzed
Keung from the waist down, confining him to a wheelchair or a bed.
After several months of resting at home, he returned to the
hospital for chronic pain in his spine. He was scheduled to undergo
another operation within weeks. Perhaps Vivian would stop by his
room today after clinicals.
    Those memories scattered like
windblown frost and she found herself back in the University
Hospital. She felt Milo’s cold touch on her arm as the needle
pressed against her skin.
    She winced as it slid into her vein
like a sliver of ice.
    “ All done,” Milo said. “It
wasn’t too bad, I hope?”
    “ I’d be lying if I said
yes, but don’t feel too heartbroken.” Vivian stroked her arm. “I
have a phobia of needles.”
    “ I think you picked the
wrong career if you want to stay away from needles. Give it a few
months and drawing blood will become second nature to
you.”
    “ I don’t mind giving
someone else a vaccine. I’d just rather not be on the receiving
end.”
    Milo stripped off his gloves and
tossed them in the biohazard bin.
    “ So tell me, Vivian, what
made you go into nursing?”
    “ My aunt played a key role
in my decision. I used to visit her all the time at her nursing
room. I did my best to take care of her even when the nurses were
trying to shoo me out of the room. She seemed so vulnerable and
disconnected from the nurses and I thought that was wrong. I wanted
to do anything I could to make the pain go away. Sometimes I’d
visit her every weekend and chat about how things were turning
around in my life. She’s had such an impact on me.”
    “ She sounds like a
wonderful woman to have inspired you. You’re lucky to have such a
special bond. Does she know?”
    Vivian’s eyes glossed over.
    “ I hope so.” Vivian’s aunt
had passed away two years ago. Her death came only a month before
Vivian ran away. Milo seemed to catch her meaning and he quickly
occupied himself with his chart.
    “ I’m sure she
knows.”
    Their eyes locked and Vivian’s heart
leaped into her throat.
    “ Any advice for a newbie
like me?”
    Milo leaned in close and lowered his
voice to a whisper.
    “ Stay clear of Dr.
Crenshaw. He has a habit of wiping the floors with students
here.”
    Vivian grinned.
    “ Thanks.”
    She hopped down from the examination
table, feeling recharged and keen to begin the next chapter in her
life as a nursing student.
    “ It was a pleasure to meet
you, Vivian,” Milo said, clasping her hand. “Maybe we’ll see each
other again.” His touch conveyed a depth of two close friends
reuniting after years of separation, not the touch of two crossing
strangers.