“I know I heard you speak English the other day. It might not be your first language, but I’m sorry, I don’t speak any Turki—”
“English is fine.”
His spoken voice was deeper than his silent one, but it held the same odd resonance that had drawn her since she first heard it. Ava tried not to lean closer, even though the urge was there.
“Okay.” She nodded. “I just wanted to introduce myself.”
“Hello.”
What about his one-word greeting did Ava find amusing? She didn’t know why she smiled, but she did. “That back there? With the guy… I get headaches—it’s a medical thing that’s not a big deal—so don’t panic if you see me looking like I might pass out. I’ve never passed out in my life. And I have no idea why Carl hired you, but since I can’t get him to fire you, we might as well be friendly.”
He just shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation.
“I know you’re going to be following me, so please don’t feel like you have to hide. If you could just keep your distance and stay as unobtrusive as possible, that’d be great. I’ve had guards before, but I’m pretty independent. I’m honestly not sure why Carl felt like he had to do this, but since there never seems to be any reasoning with him, let’s just go with it, okay?”
The big man was still blinking at her silently. Ava tried not to sigh. His eyes had seemed intelligent enough, but maybe they hadn’t hired the guy for his intellect.
“What I’m trying to say is… The incident you saw in the alley doesn’t need to be reported to my stepfather. I took care of it, and we really don’t need more people at this little party, do we?”
Complete and utter silence. It was almost inhuman. She caught him taking a breath when the collar of his shirt moved, revealing more of the tattoo work around his collar. They were letters, she thought, but nothing like she’d ever seen before. Other than that one breath, he could have been one of the statues on display.
“Do you have a name?” she asked.
He frowned. “You want my name?”
“Well, it would feel rude to refer to you as ‘the big, silent guy’ in my internal monologue, so yeah, a name would be nice.” He was still silent. Ava frowned. “Is that not part of your job or—?”
“Malachi.”
She smiled. “Malachi?”
“My name is Malachi.”
“Nice name.”
“I like yours.”
She shrugged off the internal pleasure. “It’s… easy to spell. Anyway, I have an appointment this afternoon, so I’ll be heading back to my hotel now. I’ll be trying to take a nap for approximately forty-five minutes, but will realize it’s too hot, so I’ll then take a shower and read a book. Maybe dump my pictures on the computer. All of this will be happening in my hotel, which has very good security, but please feel free to lurk around the entrance so you can shadow me to my appointment later.”
Malachi stared at her, still silent. Finally, he put down the book and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back in his chair and looking at her as if he was trying to solve a puzzle.
“Nothing to add? Any questions? I’m not sure how much Mom and Carl told you. I’m just here in the city for a while. Taking pictures… for my job. With a magazine.”
More silence.
Ava shook her head and stood. “Fine. Whatever. I’ll see you around, Malachi.”
She turned to go, but he said her name in that low voice and she turned back.
“Ava.”
“Yes?”
He stood and walked toward her. He didn’t hold out his hand, didn’t touch her in any way, but she still felt surrounded. Her breath caught as his inner voice took on an urgent tone.
“I will protect you.”
She could feel her face heat. There was something intimate about the words, despite knowing he was only doing his job.
“I know. And I want you to know that I appreciate—”
“If there is any threat to you, I will protect you.” He took another step closer, and Ava tried not to shrink back. “I promise.”
She felt short of breath. Not from panic, but… “Wow, you take your job pretty seriously, huh?”
The first hint of humor crossed his face, and she saw the corner of his mouth inch up. “I do.”
“Okay.” She stepped back, no longer able to sustain his presence. There was something magnetic about the man, and she didn’t want to know more. “I’m going back now. Don’t forget, appointment later.”
“After not-napping.”
She forced a smile. “Exactly. See? You’re an expert at my schedule already.”
He said nothing more, but his quiet amusement followed Ava all the way back to her room.
He picked her up again on the corner near the hotel but stayed a polite distance back and didn’t try to approach. She walked to the tram station and hopped on board, Malachi shadowing her. Then she stood, swaying with the movement of the car as the tram followed the tracks, down the hill and across the bridge to the New City. Instead of marble and brick, she was met with concrete and glass when she got off. Soaring buildings that would have been at home in any metropolitan area of Europe or Asia.
Malachi came a little closer as she walked toward the modern building that housed the doctor’s office. Ava noticed several names and office signs that seemed to indicate it was an office building for different medical or mental health professionals. She took the elevator up to the third floor, ignoring her shadow, who seemed thankfully content to linger in the lobby.
“Ms. Matheson?” A receptionist greeted her in the small waiting room.
“Ava, please.”
“Dr. Sadik will be just a few moments.”
“Of course.”
A few minutes later, a nurse peered into the waiting room and smiled before escorting her back to an utterly common office. There was a desk in one corner and a grouping of comfortable chairs in another. A chaise as well.
Ava had to smile. Apparently, Dr. Sadik was a traditionalist. She hadn’t seen a chaise in a psychologist’s office since she’d been a kid.
Green plants filled a small corner solarium, lending a verdant energy to the room, and Ava settled into a chair to wait.
She knew very little about Dr. J. Sadik other than the recommendation of the psychiatrist in Tel Aviv. Still, the shrink in Israel was supposed to be one of the best in his field, so Ava was willing to give his recommendation a chance. There wasn’t much online about him, but maybe that was common for Turkish doctors. She had enough experience with mental health professionals to spot a quack from a mile away. So far, everything about the office and the staff seemed exactly like what she would expect.
“Ava?” She heard her name from the back of the room. Odd, she hadn’t sensed the man before he entered. She must have been more distracted than she realized.
A thin man wearing glasses approached, holding out his hand for Ava to shake. He looked like he was in his early forties, younger than she was expecting. A pair of green eyes peeked out from behind simple gold rims. His English was slightly accented; Ava would guess Dr. Sadik had studied in England.
“You must be Dr. Sadik.” She smiled, trying to be polite. She could be polite. He was probably a perfectly nice man, even though he wouldn’t be able to help her. He took her hand in his and grasped it warmly.
As soon as he did, an unprecedented sense of peace filled her. It was as if the tension fled the room. Ava felt… clear. Unburdened. She cocked her head and smiled at him.
“What on earth…”
“I hear you have had trouble with voices, Ava. I’d like to help. From what little Dr. Asner has shared, I think I have had other patients with the same affliction.”
“You have?” Nothing about this made sense, but not a single alarm bell was going off in her mind.
“I believe so. I hope my treatments might help you as they’ve helped others. My other patients have learned how to manage their condition, allowing them to live more serene lives. I believe I could do the same for you, if you’d be willing to meet with me. I’d very much like to help you.”
The peace stole up her arm and through her shoulders, loosening them as Dr. Sadik still grasped her hand.