All it would take is just the smallest hint of the word mask to fall out of my mouth around Knight, and he’ll have me committed with a fistful of pills ready to be shoved down my throat, insisting that I must have lost my mind. Don’t get me wrong, he’d be completely justified in assuming my head was playing games on me again, but I couldn’t bear the doubt in his eyes. It would crush me.
With my shift wrapping up, I clean up my station and set aside all the notes taken from tonight’s autopsies that need formal reports written up during my next shift, and just as I collect my things and make my way toward the door, both Knight’s and Dr. McKullan’s warnings flash in my head: have a security guard escort me to my car.
I let out a heavy sigh and pause by the massive double doors. I think getting an escort for a three-minute walk is a little overkill. While I know I gave both of them my word, I’m not sure it’s really that necessary, and yet the moment I go to swipe my access key to unlock the massive double doors, I find myself hurrying back to my station and scooping up a scalpel.
Much better.
If anyone feels the need to jump out at me tonight, I’ll be ready.
Feeling ready to face down the dreaded parking garage, I finally swipe my access card and push out into the hallway, only for a small yelp to tear from the back of my throat as I find Tony, the night guard, hovering outside the morgue.
“Dr. Madden.”
“Oh, ummm, hi, Tony,” I say, needing a moment to recover as I discreetly hide the scalpel by my side, though I see the way his gaze drops to the movement. Nothing gets by this guy. “You scared me.”
“Sorry, Doc. That wasn’t my intention.”
“Then what was your intention?” I ask, suddenly feeling suspicious of the guy I’ve known since the day I started my internship here what feels like a billion years ago.
“I received a call from some SWAT officer. I think his name was Knight. He said something about you needing an escort out to your car and you being too stubborn to actually ask for it.”
A stupid smile creeps across my face. How the hell did he know? It’s as though the man has a one-way ticket right into the inner workings of my brain. And like I said, Knight would go to the ends of the earth to ensure I kept my word, even if it means driving me crazy himself.
“Alright,” I say, my shoulders slumped. “You win.”
Tony gives me a cocky grin before waving his hand up the hallway. “After you, Doc,” he says. “But you should know. If you try to gut me with that scalpel while I’m busy being the perfect gentleman, I’ll have no choice but to drop your ass.”
I choke back a laugh, not having expected a comment like that from Tony. I’ve known the guy forever, and it wasn’t until this very moment I realized he was even capable of making a joke. “Well then, you should know,” I say. “If you try to behave in any way less than the perfect gentleman, you’ll leave me no choice but to gut you with my handy scalpel.”
“Fair call,” he laughs as we step into the waiting elevator. “One perfectly behaved gentleman coming right up.”
The elevator takes us up to the ground floor, and before I know it, Tony is telling me all about his newborn niece and how she’s already got him wrapped around her little finger. As he spills all the details, I find myself smiling right along with him, and it’s not until we’re reaching my little Honda that I realize I haven’t even had a chance to worry about random men in vampire masks jumping out at me.
“This is me,” I tell him, pointing out my car.
“Perfect,” he says, giving me a polite nod as he discreetly glances around, making sure the coast is clear. “I’ll be here every night waiting to walk you out.”
A small laugh rumbles through my chest. “That’s not necessary, but thank you anyway. I appreciate you looking out for me.”
“Truth be told, I didn’t want to face the wrath of your boyfriend if he were to find out that I didn’t follow his every instruction,” he tells me. “Even over the phone, there’s no denying that he’s the type of man you don’t want to mess with.”
“Yeah,” I say with a fond smile. “He can be a little . . . overprotective at times.”
“Sure,” Tony scoffs, already backing away as I dig through my bag, searching for my keys. “I’ve got other words for it, but let’s go with overprotective.”
“Oh, you’ve got no idea,” I tell him, unlocking the car and opening my driver’s door. “Thanks for walking me out.”
“Sure thing, Doc,” he says with a curt nod, back to business as usual. “Same time tomorrow.”
Tony turns on his heel and starts stalking away, and as I settle into my car, I find myself truly appreciating his gesture to walk me out. Seeing as though I’m not bleeding out on the dirty ground, it clearly wasn’t needed, but it’s nice to know that there are still some decent men left in the world. Tony is a little awkward, but I’m sure one day he’ll find a nice girl who’s just as awkward as he is, and together they’ll share the most romantic type of awkward love, making each other the happiest people on earth. Right after me and Knight, of course.
Getting comfortable in the car, I lock the doors just to be on the safe side, and as I jam the key into the ignition, I toss my bag and the unused scalpel onto my passenger seat. My car gives an almost-screech as it purrs to life, and I can’t help but wonder how many days I have left with my little beast. It’s definitely old,but I wouldn’t consider it ancient. I always thought we’d have a million more happy years together, but I’m starting to wonder if perhaps I’d been grossly misled.
As I put the Honda into reverse, my foot hovers over the gas pedal, ready to back out, but as my gaze lifts to the rearview mirror, I find a pair of dark, deadly eyes staring back at me.
Before a squeal tears from deep within my chest, the man lunges forward, bracing his arm around my throat as he hovers at my ear, his terrifying gaze still locked on mine through the small mirror.
“I’ve been waiting for you, kitten,” the masked man in the back of my car rumbles, his tone sending a vile wave of goose bumps soaring across my skin.
