I didn’t like this. In fact, I hated it.

I was in a full hazmat suit with a hood and gloves and an air filtration system, standing in the middle of a shed that reeked of blood and shit…and that had nothing to do with why I hated my life at this moment.

No, that honor went entirely to the woman sulking next to me.

“Don’t get any ideas.” Pansy broke the silence after nearly fifteen minutes of following me as I took samples.

“I think Cai appreciates any input he receives about the case,” I said, pretending to misunderstand what she meant. I hoped she’d take the out, because this wasn’t a discussion I wanted to have.

“You know very well that’s not what I’m talking about.”

It appeared we were going to go there. I sighed. “Pansy, we’re doing something really important here. Can this wait until we’re back home?”

“No, it most certainly can’t.”

I was going to kill Cai for insisting Pansy come with me.

“And it’s Dr. Hunter, not Cai,” she said stiffly. “You shouldn’t attempt to make yourself more familiar with him than is appropriate.”

“You call him Cai,” I pointed out as I leaned down to take a swab of a streak of blood. I slipped the swab into a collection tube before dropping it into a plastic bag and straightened.

“Because he and I have been friends for years,” she said. “Besides, my relationship with Cai isn’t any of your business.”

I turned so I could look at her. “You’re right, it isn’t. The same as my relationship with him isn’t any of yours. If he has a problem with me, he can tell me himself.”

“You don’t have a relationship with him,” she hissed, stepping closer, her gloved hands clenching. “And you never will. He’s just too polite to say it.”

I glared at her for a moment before turning away. I spotted a piece of bloodied fur and used my tweezers to pick it up and deposit it in another bag. “I’m here to work, Miss Kemyss. My interest in Dr. Hunter is purely professional. He’s a brilliant doctor who works in a field similar to mine. I’ve admired his work for years.”

Unfortunately, even that didn’t shut her up.

“I see the way you look at him, you know. You think he’s attractive.”

I threw a look over my shoulder before swabbing some mud. “I’m not blind. Of course, I think he’s attractive. That doesn’t mean I’m going after him or want anything other than an opportunity to see how his mind works.”

Pansy snorted a laugh. “I’m sure that’s what you want.”

I blew out a frustrated breath. “You don’t know me. Please don’t pretend you do. I’m here to do a job, not to get between you and him.”

“Like you could,” she muttered under her breath.

This place was filthy. Dirt and layers of dried blood on the floor. The table had newer blood caked on top of old. Bits of guts and fur stuck to the top. A knife was stuck in one corner, the blade dulled with blood.

“You need to request a transfer,” she said.

Enough.

I turned around to face her. “No, Miss Kemyss. I am not requesting a transfer. I will continue to work for Dr. Hunter until my internship is done or he wants me to transfer to another doctor. Whatever issues you have with him, you need to work out on your own, because they aren’t my concern. The only thing I’m concerned about is getting the samples that Cai needs to figure out what’s wrong with those people, and how to fix them. I’ll continue to do whatever he asks of me because he’s my supervisor.” I let silence hang for a moment before asking, “Are we done?”

“Yes,” she said mulishly.

“Good.”

I turned back around, completing my pass by stopping next to a pile of…well, of a lot of stuff I either couldn’t, or didn’t want to, recognize. I took a sample, then stepped over it to reach the door.

I jerked to a stop, stumbling back a step. My brain spun, trying to figure out what had snagged my suit. My foot came down on a piece of what looked like rabbit hide, and I slipped. My hands flew out, trying to find anything to stop myself from falling. I managed to grab onto the doorknob, preventing myself from going to my knees. The bag hanging over my arm swung back and forth, hitting my hip. Thankfully, I didn’t have any liquid samples inside.

I took a breath and tried to get my feet under me. It wasn’t until I was halfway around to warn Pansy to be careful that I realized the air tasted different. Rancid. Rotten. Putrid. All the words that brought with them the foul, heavy stench now filling my suit.

Horror filled me as I realized what it meant.

“Oops.”

I looked up to see Pansy standing in the middle of the pile I’d almost fallen onto. She had an unpleasant smile on her face…and my air hose in her hand.

She’d just exposed me to whatever shit was floating around this shed. On purpose. With a smile.

“You really should be more careful, Miss Kilar.”