Page 13 of Chaos & Carnage

“Then he needs to hire another vet. And another vet nurse.” Abbie glanced down at herself, at the blood smeared against her scrubs. “With all these clients, and all these emergencies we take on for what seems like the whole of the north east, I know he’s got the money for it.”

“He says there’s none.”

“Well, he’s lying. We could just walk out. Then he’d need to sort this place out.”

“I need the extra money. No other practice would let me work the hours I do. And he does pay me. Even if the hours are shit.”

Abbie shook her head and then looked up suddenly, fear flashing across her face.

“What?” I asked, my chest jolting. “What is it?”

“There’s someone out there,” she whispered, as if the unknown entity might hear her through the wall and glass window. “Look!”

I turned, seeing a shadow moving behind us. It got closer, the edges of its shape sharpening until it seemed to be pressed against the glass. Then there was a tentative tap.

“Shit. What do we do?” Abbie backed away from the table.

“We let him in.”

“What? Why? It could be a burglar. Or a murderer or a rapist!”

“Two seconds. I’ll ask him.”

“Are you mad?”

I smiled, the grin cracking away the earlier fatigue. “I don’t think a burglar or murderer would politely tap the glass. Relax. It’s just Cade,” I added as I moved towards the back of the building.

“Who the fuck’s Cade?”

“Y’know. The man who came in with the Doberman the other night.”

“The half-naked biker?”

I nodded. “He’ll be visiting the dog. Though I dunno why he can’t use normal hours like everyone else.”

Abbie stood still, frozen to the spot, and I didn’t need to look at her to know her eyes were boring into my back. I could almost feel them. By the time I got to the back door, I’d have two holes burnt into my shoulder blades.

It seemed to take minutes to convince the key to turn in the lock, the mechanism scratching loudly in the barrel, the other bolt suddenly rebounding, cutting into my finger where it had lingered across it. I winced, flicking out my hand and waving off the pain.

“You didn’t ring, Cade.”

“I did, Alice. About ten times. You didn’t answer.”

He stepped up inside the practice before I’d moved backwards to let him in, and now cold leather pressed against the thin synthetic cotton of my overalls. His eyes seemed to be stuck in the shadows of the night, almost hazel, the flecks of green swallowed by the darkness, but they warmed quickly, softening in front of me.

“You going to let all the cold in, Al?” he asked, his voice low, and I didn’t mishear the shortening of my name.

“No. Sorry. Come in. We’re just cleaning up in here.”

I stepped aside, his body brushing mine, as if there wasn’t much space, his fingers resting on my hip, just momentarily, just as he slid past me, away from the door and into the warmth of the building. I shouldn’t have noticed it. It was the lightest of touches. His fingers must have been cold, because I could still feel them there, on my skin. I was tired. I shook my head, pushing the heavy door back into its frame, the freezing cold air from outside whirling around my thin clothes as I slid the locks back into place and locked this stranger in with us.

“Shit,” I heard his voice. “What happened?”

Cade stood still just inside the operating theatre.

“Emergency c-section on a cat.” I answered from behind him.

“Did it make it?”