“The idea just slipped out. I hadn’t planned it. But there’s no way in hell she’d do something like this.”

“Kayla,” I growled, my jaw clenching.

Kayla looked away from my murderous eyes and up at the ceiling, as if the white tiles would provide her with some sort of wisdom. Apparently, it worked because within seconds, she said a single word with a sinister smile plastered across her face. “Money.”

“Money?” I repeated, needing more details.

“Yeah. She has a ton of debt. Not that she won’t get out of it, but I mean, it’s going to hang over her head for the next twenty thousand years or so. You know, typical med school stuff.”

I sat up straight, half-tempted to open my wallet and throw wads of cash at her. “Well, that’s easy. I have lots of money.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She waved a hand at me before pushing away from the desk and standing up. Not that you could really tell the difference between her sitting and standing. God, she really was short. “By the way, I want a raise if she agrees.”

“Better get her to agree then,” I said before adding, “And no lighters or matches are allowed in her possession.”

What the hell am I doing?

NO EFFIN WAY

SUTTON

I trudged through the front door of my apartment, my mind solely focused on the scalding hot shower I wanted to take. Maybe I’ll take a bath instead, I thought for a second as my feet screamed at me to get off of them.

Twelve-hour shifts weren’t easy, but they were totally worth it. Or at least, they would be once I was a burn specialist.

“Yay, you’re home!” My roommate, Kayla, practically bounced down the hall to greet me. I never knew if she would be home or not—her work schedule was almost as demanding as mine. “You look like shit.”

She pressed the back of her hand against my forehead, and I swatted it away.

“I don’t have a fever. I’m not sick. I’m just tired.”

“How tired?” she asked.

I shot her a look that told her I didn’t have the energy for her kind of crazy tonight. Kayla could have me dressed up and drinking vodka tonics at some bar before I even knew how we’d gotten there.

She was always coming up with over-the-top ideas, and I usually went along with them. I mean, women really shouldn’t go out alone, right, even if they were searching for other women? The city wasn’t always safe, and I would never forgive myself if something bad happened to her because I’d sent her out to party alone.

“I could probably sleep standing up. That kind of tired,” I said before asking, “Why?”

Kayla gave me an odd smile before pulling me toward our couch and sitting us both down.