Page 111 of That Time I Accidentally Became A Serial Killer

They’re heavy, uneven, and clearly not meant to be carried like this. Meanwhile, she straightens her pencil skirt—which is way too fucking tight mind you—flicks golden hair from her face, and adjusts her blazer like she’s walking into a Vogue shoot instead of a parole check gone wrong.

I very intentionally do not look down.

Too late. I already caught the cleavage.

Fuck.

The elevator dings. She blocks the doors with one foot, balancing like a full-time acrobat in four-inch heels and enough enthusiasm to carry a murder case on vibes alone.

She re-stacks the files, flips through a few, then holds her hands out. “Okay, gimme.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ll carry them. You focus on walking upright.”

“Hey, McPerkins—he bumped me, thank you.”

McPerkins? Oh, hell no.

She smiles, walking out ahead of me like I didn’t just pull her from a trap made of testosterone and cologne.

Why the fuck is she smiling?

“Why the fuck are you smiling?” I snap.

She turns—flips her hair like we’re in a movie—and grins.

“Because,” she says, practically dancing, “I’m coming along after all.”

She strides off like she’s the fucking detective.

Well… shit.

At my SUV, I open her door.

She slides in like she hasn’t just spent five minutes borderline skipping down the courthouse steps.

I drop the files in her lap and shut the door before she asks for fresh sticky notes.

She thanks me as I get in. “Very gentlemanly, Detective. I’m impressed.”

I grunt, starting the car. “Didn’t want to die by a thousand papercuts.”

“Oh, ha-ha.” She pats the stack like it didn’t just almost compromise national security.

She flips through the chaos. “Still, I appreciate the vote of confidence—even if it came after your internal meltdown.”

“It’s safer having you with me than leaving you unsupervised with your... potty mouth.”

She gasps. “My what?”

“You heard me.”

“I’m delightful, thank you. And my vocabulary is perfectly appropriate.”

I raise a brow. “Snickerdoodles? Who says that?”

---