Page 73 of Foxy Filthy Omega

“Sorry,” I muttered as I dropped my hand. “It’s a habit.”

It may be a habit but it wasn’t like Soren needed my help stepping over the tape when he was a good six or seven inches taller than me with long legs.

How embarrassing.

I’ve never been in a crime scene with anyone else other than Lucy as my partner and if I wasn’t working with her, I was alone.

I really needed to get my shit together.

Soren stepped over the crime scene tape and I watched as his entire demeanor changed just like it had in the gun range.

He readjusted his gloves and studied the area. Then he checked the trees and the trail, stepping to the side so he could look back toward the parking lot.

Soren suddenly crouched down and grabbed the phone, angling it to record…something. Whatever it was, I couldn’t see it.

Then he stopped by every evidence marker to study whatever it was the forensic team had found.

My stomach turned as I waited for him to finish, shoving down the nerves again, but this time I couldn’t feel the numbness.

Sweat dripped down my spine as I tried to remind myself I didn’t have to get close enough to smell it. Just close enough to catch the basic details.

I followed after my rookie and focused on him instead of the thing I could see in the corner of my vision, resting on a stump like something out of a second-rate horror movie.

Thank god my sense of smell wasn’t as good as Lucy’s, but the scent of earth and mulch rose all around us, making my stomach turn again.

I grabbed Soren’s wrist and pulled back just before he was within touching distance of the head.

He turned around with a tiny look of surprise on his face. “I wasn’t going to touch it.”

I yanked him closer and stepped to the side so his body was between me and the officers. Then I paused the recording on the phone hanging around his neck. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

Telling him about this was probably a bad idea, but letting the cops find out was even worse.

I kept my eyes down and did my very best to make sure he couldn’t tell how embarrassed I was about this. “Lucy usually inspects the dead bodies…I have a difficult time with the smell.”

Glancing over at the head was a mistake, but I needed to know how bad it was so I could warn him.

I swallowed down bile.

Thankfully, it wasn’t too hot today and there was a strong breeze coming off the ocean, but that head didn’t look fresh.

“It’s difficult to explain,” I muttered, knowing how stupid it sounded that a detective who regularly solved murders had a sensitive stomach. “But anything older than a few hours makes me uncomfortable.”

I looked up to see his expression was as neutral as always. It didn’t seem like he was going to make fun of me for this, or tell the whole world, but it was impossible to know for sure.

“I’m just telling you in case I act a little…weird,” I warned him. “Now, take a look, but for the love of god, don’t touch it.”

Soren nodded and refocused on the head, tapping the phone to restart the recording.

Clenching my hands into fists, I took a deep breath and held it as I followed him a few steps closer.

He crouched down and I crossed my arms over my chest.

Dead bodies didn’t bother me. Neither did blood. Even the coppery smell didn’t make me too uncomfortable. It was the scent of rot and decay I couldn’t handle.

And the waxy sensation of flesh. It didn’t feel real. Like a toy or something.

It was the most awful thing I’ve ever felt.

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