Page 14 of Death, Interrupted

Of course, he had a “babe.” And, of course, she was gorgeous.

Great. Just great. I’ve got her dirtbag boyfriend duct-taped on the couch, mid–villain monologue, knife in hand. This was a textbook revenge. The grand finale. Last name to cross off my kill list.

And then she had the audacity to walk in, looking like an angel. I've never even believed in angels, but now I do. Because apparently, they crash murder scenes.

Holy hell. Who even looks like that?

Long, dark brown hair in loose waves, tall, but not too tall. Five-six, but she was wearing boots with about an inch of heel. Her high cheekbones and soft jaw gave her the ultimate model look, and that pale skin of hers…fuck me.

And then there were her eyes. What shade of grey was that? It had to be one of the fifty. But it wasn’t toodark or too light. Just the perfect shade of grey.

Dammit. Did a rom-com just sucker punch me in the middle of a homicide? My chest hurts.Fuck, is this what love at first sight feels like, or am I having a heart attack?

Because it sure as hell feels like a heart attack.

Oh, my god. Am I dying?

Shit. Maybe this is it.

No. Focus, Sly. Focus!

Ah, shit…I think I just fell in love.

Wait, am I crying?

Where did that tear come from?

Stop that, man! What the fuck is wrong with you?!

You don’t cry because you can’t handle your feelings.

You’re embarrassing yourself in front of her! Impress her!

“What’s going on, Joey?” she asked, her voice shaky, and her eyes glued on me.

Ha, suck it, big guy. She’s looking at me.

Her expression was full of fear and panic.

I hated seeing her like that.God,that’s so fucking corny! You just met this woman. You can’t already be in love.

While I fought to focus, confusion spread across her face.

She tilted her head to the side, studying me with that sharp, steady gaze, and the question snapped me out of my spiral. “Are you crying?”

“No.” I sniffled and wiped my nose with the back of my gloved hand, trying very hard to look dangerous while clearly leaking feelings from my face.

“You are!” Her voice almost sounded sympathetic, but her expression did not budge. She looked confused and scared, caught between common sense and whatever this was.

“I’m not fucking crying!” I whined, then instantly regretted lying to that face. “Okay, yes, I am crying. Do you have any idea how hard it is to wrestle a man like him?” I pointed my knife at Joey, who was still squirming on the couch. “He’s like a boulder.”

She did not move from the doorway. She just watched me, careful and curious. “You…you’re crying because you struggled to tie him up?”

No, silly, I’m crying because you appeared, and my chest has decided to learn new emotions on hard mode.

“I did not struggle,” I groaned, throwing my hands up and tipping my head back. “It’s just…” I looked at her again, which immediately derailed my brain. “You know what? I’m ending this topic and starting a new one.”

I turned toward Joey, ready to spit something mean, but snapped my attention back to the goddess in the doorway when she spoke again.