Page 34 of Icy Heart, Empty Chest
“I’m beginning to regret telling you that.”
“You gotta relax your pride a bit, Cor.” He winked.
I bit back a retort about making better decisions. “Such a brat.” I stood up and went through the routine with the middle and upper portions of the book shelf.
I dropped down in front of the TV stand. A few controllers, a few games, some movies. Nothing groundbreaking. Nothing out of its place.
I looked under the couch and through the cushions.
I felt him move past me and let out a snicker.
“I thought it was just my job that had me on my hands and knees looking under people’s furniture.”
“Ha. Ha. Ha.” I replied dryly. “Don’t you think I’d rather be in a gallery somewhere?”
“Looking at the art or taking it?”
I looked up, narrowing my eyes at him. “You really want to go down this road? I’ve got enough Magical Forces jokes to make you cry.”
“Bring it on, felon.”
“Asshole.”
He was actually smiling. Figures. He started moving toward a staircase around the corner.
The carpet deadened the sound of us climbing it. The landing split out. Down to my left was the bedroom, there was a storage closet before me and another room down on the right. I stole through the large bedroom and into the master bath. He stayed behind in the bedroom. There were closets to look through.
“What’s the difference between a computer and a cop?” I called.
“What?” he answered.
“Only the computer is capable of troubleshooting.”
“Hurr hurr.” I hear the sound of drawers being opened and closed and the walk-in closet being opened.
The storage cabinets in the bathroom had mostly towels, some body wash and hair products.
I opened the closet. Nothing.
The tension was mounting.
“Cor!”
I closed the door and spun, moving quickly to where he was.
Under the large plant’s square base was a section of carpet that was cut away from the rest of it. Once it was pushed aside, low and behold, the safe we were looking for.
I spun the dial the requisite three times and twisted it back to forty-seven, the full turn around to thirty-two and then back to seventeen. It opened with a click.
The safe was wide but also deep. There was a thick black box sitting vertically. I pulled it out and put my flashlight on it, gasping.
I’d seen one of these before. It was a container for harvesting organs. There was space for cooling packs, an indentation cushioned with gel for where the organ was to be.
This box was empty though. I felt irritation rip through me, soon replaced with a freezing numbness.
I put the box back and locked the safe again, pulling the plant over it, Damien anxiously watching me the whole time.
“Cor?”
