Page 88 of Bourbon & Blood

I landed on Hex, who I’d been instructed to try next and he answered on the first ring. “Hey, darlin’, what ‘cha got going on?” he asked by way of greeting and he sounded like I’d woken him up.

“St. Mary’s Parish medical examiner’s office just called me,” I said. “They’re sending someone over to come get me if I can’t get a ride myself – they want me to identify a body.” My voice cracked despite me trying so hard not to let it.

“I’ll be right over,” he said. “Call ‘em back, tell ‘em you got a ride.”

“Okay,” I said, my voice shaking. “Thank you.”

He ended the call before I could and trying to remember to breathe around the boulder sitting on my chest, I called the unknown number that’d called me. They said they understood, gave me the address, and said they looked forward to seeing me which I tried not to laugh hysterically at that. Seriously? You’re a freakingmorgue, and you look forward to seeinganybody?

It echoed of when you went to the doctor’s office when you were sick and the nurse brightly asked how you were doing today – like, I’m sicker ‘n dogshit and here so you can fix it. How do you think I’m doing?

I got up and whipped through a quick shower and changed my clothes into something much more presentable than my dirty bar uniform.

By the time I was pulling on my boots, there was a knock at my door.

I blinked and went to it, looking out the peephole and letting out a breath when I saw Hex through it.

“Hey,” I said when I unlocked the door and he lifted his chin. “Sorry, cher. I piggybacked in on somebody who was leavin’.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine,” I said, snatching up my purse and my keys.

“Gotta hurry, though. I’m double parked down there,” he said and I was already pulling the door shut.

“Let’s go,” I said firmly, but I couldn’t stop my full-body shaking.

When we got downstairs, there was a big black pickup on the other side of some cars parked at the curb and an irate dude standing between the cars and the truck on his phone.

He pulled the phone away from his face and demanded to know, “This your truck, asshole?”

Hex’s expression darkened and he went to the passenger side door and opened it for me, ushering me in. I skirted the dude who was saying something along the lines of “Great, just fucking great. You know you’re not the only dude on the planet,right?”

Hex straightened, shut the truck’s door, and turned on the guy.

“I would shut the fuck up if I were you,” I heard him say through the glass.

“Or what?” the dude snarled.

“Or I’ll burn your fuckin’ house down with you in it,” Hex said, walking around the back of the truck. “Today is not the day and I am not the one, bro. I’m leavin’ and I suggest you do too,” Hex said over the top of the truck as he got in.

I blinked, and he settled into the driver’s seat.

“Seatbelt, Lina, or La Croix will have my ass,” he said as he stepped on the brake and pressed the button on the dash to start the truck.

We pulled away from the curb smoothly and got on the road. I felt sick – like sick to my stomach.

“Where’s La Croix?” I asked a few seconds later.

“Handlin’ some business, baby, but I got you,” Hex said.

I nodded and accepted it for what it was.

Partway there, Hex tried getting through to La Croix and he seemed to have better luck than I did.

“What?” La Croix’s voice blared through the truck’s speakers.

“Yeah, where you at, bro?”

“Smokehouse,” La Croix grunted, and I gave Hex a quizzical look. He waved me down and said, “I got Lina with me. We on our way out to St. Mary’s medical examiners – they want her to ID a body.”

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