Page 73 of Sinful Seduction
“I’ll call Banks.” He strokes the side of my hand with his thumb and takes out his phone with the other hand. “He’s underutilized at the moment, and mostly pissy about it.” Dialing, he brings the phone to his ear and drops his gaze, smirking when the line connects and hisfrenemyharrumphs his displeasure on the other end. “Unattended death, Detective. It’s an easy one, so you should be okay.”
Fuck you, Malone. Suck your own dick, or something like that.
“Mayet and I already contaminated your scene, moved the body, and discussed what we found, which means our statements are likely to align exactly.”
Goddamit, Malone! Why are you so stupid?
His lips twitch with a teasing smile. “Head down to the George Stanley and take over. We were leaving for the night, and Fletch and I are already hip-deep in a different case. I’ll let Lieutenant Fabian know what’s up.”
“I was talking to her not long ago, Chief.” The security guard rushes across the lobby, his newfound phone pressed to his ear and his cheeks glowing a bright, high-blood-pressure red.
I slide out of Archer’s hold and turn, silently stop-signing the man before he walks straight over Mrs. Beecroft.
“I was talking to her!” he presses. “She answered. I said she should go home and get some rest, maybe make some dinner, and get to bed early. And she said how she had made cottage pie for lunch and was still really full. So she was good for a while.”
“You’re okay.” I read the tag pinned over his chest—Jacob—and try on a gentle smile. “Everything’s okay. Are you calling an ambulance?”
“Ambulance?” He yanks the phone from his ear and burns hotter, humiliated, when he realizes he’s yet to actually dial. “Yes, ma’a—Chief! Yes, Chief, I’m calling for an— Yeah, hello, hi!” He focuses on the voice in his ear. “There’s a dead person. Here. At the morgue.”
Shaking my head, I lower my hand and turn.
“No, I-I know it’s the morgue! But this isn’t a regular dead body. It’s anewdead body. She wasn’t supposed to be dead, but now she is. The chief is here, and she said to call an ambulance. So now I’m calling an ambulance, which means you have to send someone.”
“How the hell does he work nights inside a medical examiner’s building, but he’sthisafraid of death?” Archer slips his phone into his pocket and leans closer. “If you’re this green around DBs, why the hell didn’t you get a job at a garden center or something instead?”
“Beats me.” I study the massive windows that reveal the busy street outside, the summer sun pelting against the glass, and the complete lack of anything remotely resembling a breeze. Then I look down at Donna and contemplate how utterly crass it would be to hitch a ride in her ambulance, since we’re heading in the same direction, anyway. “It’s economical, right?”
Archer hums by my ear. “What?”
“Nothing. It wouldn’t be right.” I meet his eyes. “We’ll start walking. By the time she’s loaded into the ambulance, we’d be there, anyway.”
“Uh… okay?”
“I want to see Steve before we go home.” I take out my phone, only to be bombarded with a slew of texts and missed calls. So many people are demanding my attention, so manycall me backrequests. So much noise. But none of it is from the only person I want to see. “He and Lawrence are complete opposites, don’t you think?”
“Steve and the mayor?”
“Mmm. Justin’s always blowing up my phone, nagging me for life updates. He dresses well, has a standing appointment with a barber, and doesn’t mind being bossy. Steve is the opposite. Always looks a bit like a blind person selected his outfit. He never calls me, demands nothing from me. He just waits, watchful and quiet, haunting the stairwell and taking his hugs when he can get them.”
“Two completely different men. But they share the same goal. Make sure Minka is okay.”
“He deserved the forever love.” Exhaling a deep breath, I bring my eyes up again. “I know I said how he might be the lucky one, because he never has to mourn like Mrs. Beecroft. But he deserved better than a cheating wife and fifty years of living alone andme…” I shake my head. “Mebeing the highlight of his day.”
“You’re the highlight ofmyday.” He tangles his pinky finger with mine. “It’s a fine way to live, as far as I’m concerned. And you never know… We still have a bunch of busty nurses to interview. He might find the love of his life while she’s giving him a sponge bath.”
ARCHER
“Saturday? What the hell do you mean you’re discharging him on Saturday?” Minka paces Steve’s hospital room, throwing her hands in the air as frustration wars with rage, and both poke at the good mood she left her office with.
Date night?
Not happening.
“He’s just had open-heart surgery, Fielder! He can hardly stay awake long enough to eat a meal. He’s definitely not strong enough to go back to his place alone, and we haven’t had time to secure a nurse for him yet.”
“His vitals are strong,” Doctor Fielder counters calmly. Too serene for Minka’s liking. “His echocardiogram shows positive recovery. Blood tests are excellent, blood count is up. Kidney and liver function are fine, cholesterol and glucose levels are being monitored, and he’s received a new medication regimen we feel is working. Mr. Morris is showering independently. He’s walking the ward with our acute care nurses, and frankly, this hospital is bursting at the seams. We need the beds, Chief Mayet, and Mr. Morris is well enough to vacate his.”
“You’re rushing him out!”
