Page 33 of Blade
She must have been reading his mind. “Manny’s parties are for the record books, and Halloween tops them all. It’s on Halloween night so I can make it. It’s a Friday, and I have to head out Saturday afternoon.” He let his head loll backwards and stared up at the ceiling, envisioning the day after. “I’m going to be so hungover.”
“It sounds like fun. I already have a costume planned for work. I insist that everyone get dressed up every year. I’m going to be a basketball player.”
“A basketball player?”
“Yeah. We’re each going to represent a different sport. I drew basketball when it was my turn to pick.” She waved her hand, dismissing the costume. “But that’s just for work. I have a costume all planned that I’ve been trying to pull off for years. I need someone to be my other half for that one, and it’s not appropriate for work.”
A crooked smile appeared on Robert’s face, and he waggled his eyebrows. “Is it a sexy doctor and hot jock who needs tending to? Because that’s perfect for us.”
She paused and smiled, looking up to the ceiling as if she were envisioning it. “I like that idea, but it’s nothing like that. It’s funny. But dark.”
Curiosity made his brows rise. “I’m intrigued. What is it?”
She grabbed his arm and blurted out, “Dexter Morgan! Isn’t it perfect? We have the same last name!”
“But he’s a guy.”
“I can wear a wig. I’ve had the entire costume planned for years so know exactly how to portray the beloved serial killer. I can either wear his stalking outfit or his kill suit.”
“Belovedserial killer? Kill suit?”
“Yes.” She let go of his arm and gave him an are-you-kidding-me look. “Haven’t you seen the series?”
“Yeah. But I didn’t know he had something called a kill suit.”
“Dexter wears a thermal Henley, cargos, and work gloves when he’s stalking someone. That’s his stalking outfit. When he’s ready to do the deed, he adds a thin jumpsuit over it, wears a full-length vinyl apron, and switches to rubber gloves. His kill suit.” She held up her hand and made a stabbing motion. “And I can carry a chef’s knife.”
He flinched and leaned back. “Should I be this scared that you’ve put so much thought into it?”
“I can’t tell you how long I’ve wanted to do this. I just need someone to be my victim. And that can be you.”
Her eyes became illuminated with hidden images dancing in her head, and Robert grew more wary. He inched toward the edge of the bed, stiffly, never taking his eyes off her. “I . . . um . . . just remembered I got something to do. I’ll call you—”
“Get over here!” She laughed and pulled him closer when his foot hit the floor. “It’s your friend’s party. Don’t you want to have a killer costume? It’ll be so much fun!”
“It depends on how literally you interpretkiller costume.”
“It’ll be great. You don’t even need to buy anything. It’s so easy, and we’ll look amazing.”
He was still toying with her by shying away, genuinely amused. And only mildly concerned. “Since you’re this excited, how can I say no? What am I supposed to wear?”
“Plastic wrap.”
He blinked. “That’s it?”
“Oh.” Her finger went to her chin while her gaze drifted off. “I forgot that Dexter’s victims were always naked.” She shrugged. “I guess you can wear underwear. But don’t worry. We’ll wrap you in so much plastic no one will notice.”
His eyes questioned her sanity, but his face held an intrigued smile.
“Say you’ll do it. Please?”
“Of course, I’ll do it.”
October flew by, maybe because Amber wished it away. Back when she had been doing her residency and working on her board certifications, she put in 60-hour weeks sometimes. It was rigorous and exhausting, both mentally and physically. She often told Hope, who she barely got to see during that period of her life, that she couldn’t wait for the weekends. Hope had replied that she was wishing her life away, and the statement held so much truth that it made Amber stop and re-assess her workload. She had decided that putting in the extra hours meant she’d get everything she wanted sooner rather than later. After that, she plowed through each day with fortitude, knowing that her education and hands-on experience would pay off. And it had.
Now that she met Robert, she found herself wishing the days away again—only the ones where he was away. She wished the days that they were together would last forever. And it felt as if they did. The downside to their relationship is that they didn’t have a lot of time to socialize. So, meeting Robert’s friends was a big deal. It would have been more ideal to meet a few at a time instead of being thrown into a crowded party where she didn’t know anyone, but at least it was a Halloween party.
It required little effort to disguise herself as Dexter Morgan, probably because she knew his M.O., his mannerisms, his facial expressions, and the thoughts going on in his head, thanks to the incredible role played by Michael C. Hall. The clothing, readily available at department stores, mimicked the lovable serial killer perfectly. The vinyl apron for the final piece to Dexter’s kill suit proved to be the hardest item to find, but a quick Google search found an array of retailers and arrived in one day. Thank you very much, Amazon Prime. With her hair stuffed into a short brown wig and green contact lenses, any fan of the series would recognize her costume in a minute, especially with Robert next to her as Dexter’s current victim. When Robert arrived, she answered the door as Dexter Morgan. He stood there, staring at her for a moment before he entered, then circled her as he took in her costume.
