Killer Love

“I’ve been trying to use those dating apps but once they start asking what I do, no one’s interested. People think it’s creepy.” The intern sighs. “You’re lucky, Doc.”

“Yes, I am.” Angel’s too good for me, a person who deals in death every day. It follows me even after I leave here, even though I shower using the special soap Angel bought me. There’s something about death that lingers. I can spot a murderer a mile away. The stench of death never leaves them; it hovers like a dark cloud. Others see it, too. I know most people in the city call me Dr. Death and that even the lawyers and cops who rely on my work don’t like me much. They’re afraid death is contagious. This sort of social ostracization doesn’t bother me, but it weighs heavily on my young intern’s shoulders. I clear my throat and search for something to say. “You’ll find the one,” I settle on.

The intern shrugs her shoulders. “I suppose. Anyway, Angel’s a doll. Of course she wouldn’t hold your career against you. That’s why everyone loves her. She even has the defense lawyers wrapped around her little finger. Chad Dering is always talking about her.”

“He is?” My fingers curl around the scalpel.

“Yup. He said she’s the only court reporter he wants to work with.”

I force my hand to drop the scalpel and walk calmly over to the sink. “It’s time to take a break.”

“Already? We have two more—“

“Yes. Now.” I wipe my hands off and slap the towel against the edge of the sink. Chad’s office is a brisk ten-minute walk from the coroner’s building. I arrive in six minutes. There’s a woman sitting at the reception desk when I throw open the outer door. She smiles and starts to welcome me, but the bright look fades when I brush by her without a word.

“Sir. You can’t go inside,” she calls after me, tottering on impossibly high heels. “Sir. Sir! He’s with a client.”

I ignore her and slam my fist against the wooden door with Chad’s name lettered in gold across the front. It opens with a bang, striking the wall. The loud noise jerks Chad to attention. He and the woman fly apart.

“Leave,” I order.

The woman jerks her skirt down and slinks past me, muttering something about how her day was bad before but she didn’t expect Dr. Death to visit. She should be happy that she’s seeing me in public with other people around.

“I’m so sorry, Chad. He just burst through,” moans the secretary.

Chad waves his hand. “Don’t worry about it. You can’t expect a guy who works with corpses to know how normal people interact. With alive, breathing people, you need to knock and wait to be invited inside,” he instructs.

“I don’t care for your rules but you should care about mine. Stay away from my wife or”—my eyes fall to his pants that are still undone—“you won’t have anything to entertain your clients with.”

“Is that a threat Dr. Death?”

“No. It’s a promise.”

Chapter Ten

Angel

I lean up against the counter as I peel the potatoes for dinner while watching the news. I don’t know why I do this to myself. If Lucas was here he’d change the channel on me. It’s only one sad story after another. I rinse the potatoes to cut them next, checking the time. I am only doing the prep for dinner. Lucas will be the one cooking tonight.

As much as I am excited for him to come home, I know I have to tell him about Chad. There is no way that I can avoid telling him any longer. Chad’s getting more and more pushy by the day. He came over to me again today and offered me a job. The man doesn’t know how to take no for an answer. In all honesty, I’m not even sure I want to keep doing what I’m doing.

Some of these cases are starting to wear on me. I hate the way they make me feel. At least the past few days nothing big or newsworthy has happened. I know that there will eventually be another case that will wear me down. Maybe I’m not cut out for this. Someone has to do it, though. It’s been an inner struggle for a while now.

I turn to look at the back door when I hear the sound of the alarm being disabled. Lucas comes strolling in a moment later. I grab the towel, wiping off my hands before I go to him. He meets me halfway, picking me up off my feet as he kisses me.

“Missed you,” I say before I take another kiss. He’s my home. I feel complete when he is here.

“Missed you too, Angel.” He gives my ass a squeeze. “Why you watching this shit?” He doesn’t let me down as he carries me over to the kitchen counter and sits me down before changing the channel. He hates when I watch depressing things, especially the news.