Page 116 of The Night Shift

She lets out a soft moan. An actual fucking moan — almost imperceptible, but it does something to me. It twists my insides.Fuck, fuck, fuck.

“Ashley!”

Holly pulls away so fast I don’t even have a chance to react. The brunette from earlier appears next to us, her lipstick still smudged.

“Ready to go?” Her eyes land on me, wide and flustered. “Oh, um. Hi.”

I don't even bother to acknowledge her, afraid that I might set her on fire with my glare for fucking interrupting our moment. No, my attention is solely glued to Holly who’s too busy scooting her stool away as if she can’t get away from me fast enough. Her face is still flushed. Her hair’s a bit of a mess. Her chest rises and falls in quick breaths, her eyes darting nervously, avoiding mine. She clears her throat and forces a nonchalant expression as she sets the half-drunk martini down with a quiet clink on the bar. “Y-yes, um, we’re leaving.”

I push myself up too. “Took you long enough —”

Her eyes finally snap to mine, cold and unreadable now. She’s got that detached, impassive look that I’m quite familiar with by now. She’s pretending again. “I wasn’t talking to you,” she retorts sharply, then points between herself and the brunette. “Weare leaving.”

Over my dead fucking body. “May I ask where to?”

“My place.”

The brunette smiles at Holly, looking like she’s ready to melt into the floor. Which I get. If Holly kissed me the way she’d kissedher, then invited me over to her place, I’d be plucking my heart out of my chest to fold into an origami flower for her. This other woman is obviously stronger than me. And equally undeserving.

I grab the sleeve of her jacket, tugging her toward me.Don’t, I mouth.

Her eyebrow arches.Jealous?She jerks her arm back, breaking free, and just when she’s about to walk out towards the door, her phone buzzes twice.

So does mine.

Frowning, we both pull out our phones, unlocking them at the same time. Two messages for Holly sent less than fifteen seconds ago.

UNKNOWN: 594 Arcadia Rd, Brooklyn, NY 11214.

UNKNOWN: Come alone this time or I’ll ensure the cops do a better job putting you behind bars.

Chapter 22

Holly

Thirty minutes later

594 Arcadia Rd, Brooklyn, NY 11214

I tried to make a run for it. Not figuratively — I mean, Iliterallytried to bolt, because the absolutelastthing I wanted was for Theo to drive me here. It’s not even about how much I loathe his company (which I do), but because the last time he accompanied me into an abandoned building, it ended with blood all over my hands, the police questioning me, and the deeply uncomfortable realization that I enjoy feeling Theo Carter’s fingers wrapped around my throat.

But the fucker was faster.

Within fivefucking minutesof us receiving those texts, he managed to tell April that he’s taking me home because “I got too drunk.” Then he tossed me over his shoulder like some kind of barbarian and shoved me into his car.

A chilly breeze picks up as I get out of it. “Stay out here and donotfollow me in unless you want to be disembowelled and hung from a tree later tonight.”

Theo looks at me like I’ve offered to kill a puppy. “I am not letting you go in there alone.”

It’s slightly drizzling. The tips of Theo’s dark hair are damp and sticking to his forehead. His coat is draped over my shoulders — I didn’t ask for it, and I don’t have the energy to argue about it, but the warmth from it does make me hate him just a little less. His black shirt is slightly unbuttoned at the top and his sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, exposing his forearms — lean and strong, and it’s making my stomach do stupid things.

“Well, it’s a good thing then that I don’t really give a fuck about what you think you can or cannot “let” me do.” I unclip my scalpel from my thigh and slide it up my sleeve. “I’m serious, Theo. Donotfollow me for once.”

“Is that supposed to be a stalker joke?”

“It’s actually supposed to be a death threat, but if you want to laugh, I won’t stab you.”

“Not yet, you mean.” He smiles, slow and calm.