Page 30 of Lost Kingdom

“I meant yesterday. You stayed longer than me.”

Her lips curl up on one side. “Tim commandeered the plane on Sunday. He said, and I quote,” her smile trembles with amusement, “‘All of you assholes stay away or I’ll slit your throats.’ He wasn’t willing to share, and Archer wasn’t all that cut up about it. So we stayed a little longer and allowed Timothy to anti-kidnap you.”

“Anti-kidnap?”

“Yeah, well… Take you home. As opposed to away from it.” She shrugs and goes back to drinking. “You know what I mean. Fun flight?”

“I barfed.” I press a hand to my belly and remember the bouncing turbulence. “We flew through a storm, and it kicked my ass.”

She snickers, but then the phone on her desk trills with an incoming call. Her hands remain wrapped around her coffee, both palms touching the warmth as snow gently falls outside her floor-to-ceiling windows. She studies the offending contraption, but not a single cell in her body is inclined to take the call. So I reach across and pick up the handset. “This is Doctor Emeri.”

“Aubs.” Archer Malone, the nicer, sweeter, swoonier Malone breathes my name. “She staring at the phone and refusing to answer?”

“Yep. Probably should’ve called her cell if you wanted her personal attention. Can I help you?”

“We have a dead body. Could be vehicular manslaughter, I suppose, depending on the words you write in your report.”

“There’s been a few of those lately. Only one DB?”

“Affirmative. Five vics; four are banged up, one didn’t survive.”

“And the other car?”

“No other car. It was MV versus brick wall. Driver is under the influence. Front passenger was ejected upon impact and face planted the bricks. Traumatic head injury. But I dunno,” he mumbles. “I’m not a doctor.”

“It’s barely even nine in the damn morning.” I push to my feet and make sure to keep my coffee clutched in my hand. “How can they be drunk already?”

“Some folks are dedicated to the cause. Do I get my wife on this one, or will you send me someone not nearly as nice to look at?”

I snort and tilt my head toward the door. “We’re coming. She needs to get out of this building anyway. She’s scaring the new Fifi.”

“That’s my girl. I’ll see you soon. Check your texts for location.”

“Will do, Detective.” I drop the phone back into its cradle and spin away from the desk. “Let’s go, Chief. We got us a dead body to examine.”

“He’s been on shift for, like…” She slowly stands and brings her coffee along for the ride. “Thirty minutes. How can he possibly have a case already?”

“Some folks are dedicated to the cause, I suppose.” I swing through the door and grab my coat as I pass, because it’s freezing outside, and I know I’ll catch more than a cold if I think to leave this building without layers.

Minka follows behind me, grabbing her coat, but leaving her bag behind. She doesn’t think to pick up a set of car keys—that’s something I do—and she doesn’t make sure our murder bag is stocked and already in a car—my job. But shedoespress the call button on the elevator and turn to look me up and down while we wait.

“What?” I glance down to make sure I’m dressed. Pants on. Shoes on. Nothing embarrassing. “Why are you staring?”

She steps into the elevator when the thick steel doors slide open. “I just realized now that you and Tim are engaged, you’ll officially become my sister-in-law soon.”

“We arenotengaged!” I stomp into the elevator and smack the button for the basement garage. “I don’t know why he insists on being a pain in my ass. Announcing our engagement serves no purpose except to confuse our families and infuriate me. If I wanted to be engaged to a man, I’d date him first. Dinner. Sleepovers. Intimacy! These things are important to me, and theyshouldcome before the wedding.”

Her flickering smile reflects back at us from the steel door. “There are many cultural traditions that would prove you wrong. Not everyone has sex before marriage, you heathen.”

“Oh, shut up. You jumped into bed with Archer approximately thirty-seven seconds after meeting him.”

“I never claimed to be a pillar by which to hang your hat. This thing,” she gestures my way, waving her hand up and down, “between you and him, has been going on for longer than I’ve been in this city. Objectively speaking, why do you think he’s making these moves now?”

“Because he’s a dick?” I move out of the elevator as soon as we stop onthe basement level. Storming toward the closest car, I produce a set of keys and move toward the driver’s side when Minka shows no inclination to steal them for herself. “He did the emeralds thing. And I guess maybe he expected me to fall to my knees and worship him. So when I chose to be offended at his less than honest approach, rather than flattered that he’d deign to look my way, he’s now choosing obstinance. He’s a Malone.” I yank the car door open and flop into the front seat with a heavy thud that has the entire frame shifting. “Malones were born with certain DNA that means they’re used to getting their way on things. They also like to think they know better, and so, of course, their opinion is the only one that matters. I said no, and instead of taking that clearly spoken boundary and considering a moment of self-reflection, he told my mother we were getting married. It’s what Malones do to coerce those around them into situations they don’t consent to.”

She slides in beside me and glances across, entirely too amused by all this. “And your mother?”

“Thrilled!” I start the car and back out of the parking slip. Setting the gear into drive, I maneuver us toward the mouth of the garage. “It’s infuriating how happy she is about all this. She asked how our sex life was!”

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