The Deadliest Institution Collection

by Holly Copella

  “Then do her a favor and don’t let her see herself in a mirror,” Jamie scoffed while raising a cocky brow, “because that dress is hideous.”

  Jamie turned and headed up the stairs. Dorothy watched her disappear then shook her head and returned her attention to her newspaper.

  “Your sister hasn’t changed much,” Dorothy informed Chelsea. “Still charming as always.”

  §

  Jamie entered her bedroom and immediately shut and locked the door. She tossed her purse onto a nearby chair and flopped onto the bed with her cell phone already to her ear. She groaned when voicemail picked up.

  “Hey, it’s me,” she announced into her cell phone. “Give me a call. I can almost guarantee I got that acting job.”

  She disconnected the call then turned on the television by the remote control. There was a soft tap against the window, startling her. Jamie looked at the window with some surprise then saw who it was and frowned. She jumped off the bed and pulled the curtain the rest of the way back to reveal Karl in the window. He motioned for her to open the window. She groaned in disgust and opened it. Karl immediately climbed through the window and entered her room.

  “Took you long enough to get upstairs,” he bluntly informed her. “I must have been standing on that trellis for ten minutes.”

  Jamie folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. “We’re not dating anymore, Karl,” she launched hotly. “You don’t get to sneak through my window like that.”

  Karl grinned then walked past her and flopped onto her bed, making himself comfortable. “And yet here I am,” he announced.

  “Get out, Karl,” she ordered while pointing to the window.

  He folded his hands across his abdomen and smiled innocently. “I came to talk, and I’m pretty sure you can’t make me leave.”

  “No, but I can scream or call the police on your ass,” she snapped.

  “Then I get to tell your mother how I routinely snuck through your window for our nightly romps,” he replied while grinning.

  Jamie sneered at him. She didn’t seem to care for that option. “What do you want, Karl?”

  He sat up on the edge of the bed and attempted to pull her against him by grabbing her around the hips while also helping himself to a handful of her buttocks. She forcibly removed his hands from her backside and took a step away from him.

  “That’s not happening,” she informed him. “We broke up. That means you don’t get to put your hands on me anymore.” She again folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. “If you’re finished begging me to take you back, I’d like you to leave now.”

  Karl stood and waved her off. “Maybe it’s for the best,” he announced while heading toward the window. “Devon Vincent started working at the museum, and she’s always had a thing for me. I wouldn’t mind banging her. There’s a real chance she’s an actual virgin. If I’m dating you, I can’t pop her cherry.”

  He was about to slip out the window when Jamie groaned with disgust and grabbed his arm, stopping him. As he turned, she grabbed him by the back of the neck and kissed him passionately. Her free hand grabbed his crotch with a little added vigor. He yelped slightly then pulled her roughly into his arms and practically yanked her pants down before tackling her to the bed.

  Chapter Twelve

  It was Friday morning. Devon entered the museum workshop a few minutes early for her shift but was surprised when she didn’t find anyone working. She wasn’t that early, and Brant was always there, it seemed. She looked around feeling slightly discouraged then saw a note on the counter. Devon picked up the note.

  “Follow the werewolf,” she read aloud then set the note down and groaned. “Great.”

  She looked around the workshop then noticed cut out paw prints on the floor. They headed out of the workshop. Another one of Ross’ games. She cautiously followed the paw prints from the workshop, passed several displays, and headed into the graveyard scene. The frighteningly realistic set was dimly lit with tombstones, fake grass, and a massive crypt in the background. She heard a crack of thunder as the dark sky lit up. It was immediately followed by low moans. Devon jumped nervously and looked around with concern. She was almost certain Ross intended to scare her again, so she braced herself and anticipated something jumping out at her from behind the tombstones. The ground beneath her feet broke open, and zombies rose from the fake ground. Devon jumped with surprise then let out a startled scream. She immediately relaxed and rolled her eyes.

  “Ross,” she scoffed under her breath.

  A zombie suddenly lunged at her from behind the tree. Devon screamed louder this time and jumped backward. Although she immediately recognized Ross beneath the horror makeup and torn clothing, she couldn’t help but take another step away. A decayed hand fell upon her shoulder. Devon screamed and spun around. Brant smiled while holding the fake hand and waved it at her. Ross grabbed her from behind while groaning loudly and bit her neck. She screamed again, having felt his teeth against her skin, and pulled away from him. She turned and playfully beat him with her palms.

  “You jerk!”

  Brant removed a remote control from his lab coat pocket, stopping the sounds and movements with the push of a button. He replaced the remote control to his pocket and smiled with embarrassment.

  “Sorry,” Brant announced timidly. “I couldn’t resist playing along.”

  “You’re just as bad as he is,” she announced while shaking her head.

  “I’m teaching him well,” Ross teased. “Besides, you have a beautiful scream.”

  “Thanks,” she muttered. “I think.”

  “Okay,” Brant announced while hiding his smile. “Playtime is over. Back to work.”

  Ross gave his best zombie moan and shuffled his way back to the workshop. Devon rolled her eyes and shook her head then realized Brant was staring at her with a strange smile.

  “I really am sorry,” he remarked although his smile told a different story.

  “Remember that when I return the favor one day,” she announced then rubbed her neck and frowned. “That bastard actually bit me.”

  §

  Devon sat before the counter in the workshop and carefully painted a wax woman’s face with the paint pens while Brant stared over her shoulder, critiquing her work. She felt she was getting the hang of makeup, which was particularly amusing since she didn’t wear any herself. She found Brant hovering over her a little intimidating at first, but he wore some expensive cologne that she found very pleasing.

  “Much better,” Brant announced cheerfully. “After lunch, I’ll show you the horror makeup. Blood, puss, and all that good stuff. I’d like to finish Oscar and get him situated on his rack.”

  Devon held back her laugh and avoided looking at Brant. “You really get into this, don’t you?”

  “A lot better than my former job.”

  She became curious and eyed him. “What did you do before you got into horror wax?”

  “I was a scientist,” he replied with little enthusiasm. “I worked in a lab with my parents. Nice, sterile, cold environment.”

  “Definitely a big change for you.”

  “Working with my parents wasn’t a good idea,” he informed her. “Tyler got me into wax, so to speak. He had a museum a few years back, but everything was destroyed in a fire. When he found this place, he decided to rebuild his wax museum. That’s when he rescued me from my parents. Not much warmth in my family.”

  “I can’t say I have that problem,” she remarked then laughed. “Almost the opposite. My brother is completely smothering.” She then considered the comment and made a face. “My father, on the other hand, could learn to step back a little.”

  “Is he smothering the same as your brother?” Brant asked.

  “No, not the same as my brother,” she replied with some irritation. “My father is smothering because he doesn’t think women should have jobs outside the house and raising a family.”

  “Really? Not in my family,” Bra
nt informed her. “My sister is expected to achieve just as much as I do.” He seemed to reconsider that comment. “Actually, they expect more from her, since she has a higher IQ. No free passes in my family.”

  “Is she a scientist too?”

  “Yes, it was expected of us,” he replied with a defeated sigh then shook his head. “I can’t tell you how disappointed they are with me.” There was a hint of a smirk on his face. “When I quit the lab and invested in this place a year ago, you would think the world had ended.” He suddenly laughed while sitting down alongside her. “On the bright side, it’s turned their matchmaking down a notch or two. Since they can’t brag about my profession anymore, they don’t bring as many future brides home to meet me.”

  She turned on her rolling chair and stared at him with surprise. “They’re pushing you to get married?” she gasped.

  “Every chance they get,” he remarked.

  Devon immediately frowned, knowing how that felt. “My father thinks I should be married, barefoot, and pregnant too,” she informed him. “I get so angry with him.”

  “In my family, it’s my mother pushing for grandchildren,” he remarked with little emotion. “I’m afraid my sister and I have been very disappointing in that respect too.” He drew a deep breath then sighed. “I’d love to give you some inspirational talk about dealing with your father, but I can’t even stand up to my own family, so I’m the last one to give out any advice.”

  She studied him a moment and marveled at the transformation in just a few days. He was finally comfortable enough to look her in the eyes and not act so nervous around her. He must have figured out she wasn’t going to bite him. For a brief moment, she stared back at him. Her thoughts immediately strayed to how handsome he looked in his lab coat. She could definitely see the scientist from his past. Perhaps a little geeky in the nerdy genius sort of way, but she definitely classified him as datable.

  It had been a while since she’d been interested in dating anyone. She’d always been attracted to cowboys, but her father’s ranch hands always seemed to crush her fantasies with their drifter lifestyle talk. Devon snapped out of her trance and realized she and Brant had been staring into each other’s eyes a little too long without anyone speaking.

  “Hey, hey,” Ross cried out from the doorway. “Lunch has arrived!”

  Both jumped as if they’d been caught doing something they shouldn’t have been doing. They turned on their stools and saw Ross enter the workshop holding up two paper bags. Tony followed him into the room.

  “Tony,” Devon announced with enthusiasm, surprised to see him. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m the official delivery boy,” Tony teased.

  “A mortician that delivers,” Brant remarked with a hint of humor then grimaced at the comment. “Sounds a little creepy to me.”

  “What’s this?” Tony announced while eyeing Brant with surprise. “Dr. Sheffield acquired a sense of humor? Will the wonders never cease?”

  “I’m training him well,” Ross teased. “He’s a work in progress.”

  “Don’t train him too well,” Tony remarked and indicated the paper bags. “I’m not springing for lunch every day.”

  Ross grabbed his sandwich from the bag. “I’ll pay you back one day.”

  “I hear that every other day,” Tony remarked with a defeated sigh. “I doubt I’ll ever see a cent of that money.” Tony approached the small refrigerator, looked inside, and then eyed the guys. “What? No beverage?” he demanded as he straightened. “Who was in charge of drinks? Come on, guys. I bring food. You can’t expect me to spring for everything.”

  “There’s more soda upstairs,” Brant informed him. “No one died.”

  “I’ll get the soda,” Devon offered.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Devon entered the kitchen through the door marked ‘private’. It was a shortcut from the workshop to the kitchen. There was also a rear entrance to the museum basement, which allowed for deliveries, particularly of bigger items. The construction workers from outside were sitting around the kitchen table having their lunch. Karl helped himself to a soda from the refrigerator then noticed Devon as she entered.

  “I heard you got the job,” Karl teased.

  “Yeah,” she replied while hiding her smile. “Working with Ross is like working in a cartoon strip.”

  Devon opened the refrigerator and removed four cans of soda.

  Karl hovered over her while uncomfortably close, giving the appearance of a hungry wolf. “We should go out tonight and celebrate your new job,” he informed her as if it were already decided. “We’ll go to the new nightclub at the resorts. I hear it’s wild on Friday nights.”

  Devon fidgeted and wondered how many times she’d have to turn Karl down before he took the hint. “I can’t,” she informed him. “I have plans with Ivy.”

  “We’ll all go together,” he insisted while grinning. “I’ll find her a date.”

  Devon could only imagine which of his crazy friends he would pick for Ivy. “We’ve already made other plans,” she replied in a firm tone.

  The four construction workers at the table snickered lowly, possibly enjoying seeing their co-worker shot down. Karl appeared irritated by their mocking snickers. He placed his hand on the counter on either side of Devon, trapping her against the counter.

  “I don’t think you get it, Devon,” he announced while grinning slyly. “I’m giving you a-once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go out with the most popular man in town. Since you’re not my usual type, I’d think you’d jump at the offer.”

  She wondered if he even heard himself when he spoke. Perhaps he felt he was paying her a compliment or doing her a favor.

  “Ego check, Karl,” she snapped hotly. “I’m not interested in you, and I never will be. Peddle your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to someone else.”

  The guys burst out laughing, which only irritated Karl further. He grabbed her arm forcing the soda cans to fall to the floor. For a brief moment, she froze. The incident in the barn with Joe came flooding back in a horrible tidal wave of fear.

  “You’re being rude,” he snarled.

  As she stared into his eyes, mildly panic-stricken, something inside her suddenly snapped. Devon yanked her arm free from Karl and violently shoved him back a step. The other workers stared in silence, no longer finding the situation funny.

  “Keep your fucking hands off me, Price,” she shouted in anger.

  “What’s going on here?” Brant suddenly demanded, surprising everyone.

  Karl looked at Brant within the kitchen doorway and attempted a casual smile. The four construction workers collected their lunches, leaped up from their chairs, and practically bolted from the kitchen.

  “Devon and I were just talking,” Karl informed him while attempting to laugh it off.

  “And if this conversation ever comes up again, you’ll be doing it with a broken nose,” Devon lashed out in anger at the egotistical man.

  Brant looked from Devon to Karl with a stern glare. “I don’t know what you said to her, but I suggest you get out of my museum.”

  “You can’t be serious,” Karl announced with a nervous laugh.

  “Would you like me to call Larry and have him remove you?” Brant demanded.

  Karl became irritated then turned and pointed a warning finger at Devon’s face. “If I lose my job over this, you’ll be sorry.”

  Brant suddenly grabbed Karl’s wrist, twisted his arm behind his back, and slammed him face first onto the kitchen table. The table squeaked as it moved from the force. Brant leaned over Karl’s shoulder while keeping him painfully pinned to the table.

  “Don’t threaten my employees,” Brant growled into his ear. “If you so much as look at her wrong, we’ll finish this conversation in the emergency room.”

  Brant released Karl’s wrist and took a step back. Karl immediately straightened and spun to face Brant. A tense moment passed, as it appeared Karl would retaliate since he had the size a
dvantage. The moment was short-lived, and he seemed to think better of it.

  “Now get out,” Brant snarled.

  Karl gave Brant a dirty look and hurried from the kitchen. Brant shook his head with irritation then looked at Devon, who could do little more than stare at her boss with her mouth hanging open.

  “Are you okay?” Brant asked.

  “What the hell was that?” she practically gasped, unable to believe what she’d just witnessed.

  “What was what?” he asked with surprise.

  “You took Karl down like a deranged ninja,” she announced while staring at him.

  “That was a basic self-defense move,” he informed her. “If I went ninja on him, they’d be scraping him off my kitchen floor.”

  “You can do that?” she gasped.

  “I was the rich, geeky kid in school,” he casually replied while sighing. “If my father hadn’t made me take karate, I’d probably still be trying to escape my gym locker.” He tilted his head while staring at her. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” she replied then picked up the discarded soda cans.

  She attempted to hold the cans, but she was shaking too badly. Brant took the cans from her and set them on the counter.

  “It’s okay,” he announced gently while staring into her eyes. “He’s gone.”

  “I know,” she replied while placing a trembling hand to her forehead. “It’s just--” She groaned and shook her head. “I used to handle that sort of thing better. After a similar incident with one of my father’s ranch hands, I just feel like everything inside freezes. It’s like I lost the ability to defend myself.”

  “I thought you handled yourself rather well,” Brant remarked. He offered a tiny smile then casually shrugged. “You really didn’t need me interfering. I just have a short fuse and an explosive temper.”

  “I don’t always feel as if I’m in control of my life anymore.” She folded her arms insecurely across her chest and fidgeted. “Pretty stupid, huh?”