right on his tail. On the opposite side of the bed sat a desk and chair. After that was a sliding glass door to the porch followed by nothing but red rock towers and the vast nothing beyond until you hit Las Vegas.
He walked over to check the locks on that back door. “Everything looks—”
The rest of his comment slammed against his throat. He blinked twice as his brain processed the scene in front of eyes. He expected a mess. He did not expect this much of a mess.
She bumped against him from behind again. “Is there a shoe out of place?”
“Call 911.”
She rolled her eyes. “I know you think I have a sloppiness problem, but you don’t have to get dramatic about it. No one trashed the room. I really did leave it looking like this when I went to dinner.”
“Not in this condition.”
Squashed between the double bed and the chair was a man and a whole lot of blood. Even Lexy’s family, with all its eccentricities, did not keep dead people lying around.
“What is wrong with you?” She raised up on her tiptoes. At five-ten, seeing over his shoulder was not tough.
“Make the call.” Noah hoped the firm voice would get her moving because he needed a few more seconds to digest and analyze the facts and figure out what happened.
Her mouth fell open. “Is that…?”
“Yeah.”
“But he’s—”
“A dead guy on your floor. Yeah.”
Her mouth stayed open. Wide open. “Oh my God.”
“It’s okay.”
“Not if he’s dead!” She shook her head. Any harder and things would start rattling loose in there.
Having her see the blood and lose control helped spark him into action. Grabbing her shoulders, Noah walked her backward until the bed blocked her view of most of the body.
“Make the call, honey,” Noah said in his most comforting tone.
“Are you sure he’s dead?”
Noah had seen dead. He knew dead. This guy was definitely dead.
“I don’t see a knife sticking out of his back, but yeah.”
Lexy’s eyes were big enough to take over her face. “Who…Why my room?”
“We’ll figure that as soon as you call the police.” He rubbed her arms for a few seconds to ward off the chill shaking through her.
“Where are you going?” she asked as she made a frantic grab for his hand when he tried to break away.
“To double check.”
“You mean he might be alive?” She sounded more horrified at that possibility than at the thought of the guy being dead.
“No.”
“Then leave him alone.”
Noah pushed her in the general direction of the telephone. “You stay right over here.”
Without disturbing anything, Noah crouched down and pressed his fingers against the other man’s neck. Nothing flowing or moving in this guy.
“Well?” she asked.
“The lack of a pulse pretty much confirms my diagnosis. He’s dead.”
“Oh my God.” She paced around on the far side of the bed, taking turns peeking over the bedspread and breathing heavy into her hands. “Ohmigod. Ohmigod.”
“Lexy.” He said her name nice and firm to get her attention.
She stopped walking around and mumbling. “What?”
“The call.”
“Right.” She fumbled with the phone. Her hands shook so hard that she knocked the receiver onto the floor. “I just can’t believe this.”
Neither could Noah. Scaring the shit out of Lexy for making a bad safety decision fit in fine with his evening plans. He was prepared to lecture her, then call it a night. Go back and take his usual cold shower. Instead, waiting around for the coroner moved onto his schedule.
A dead guy on her floor qualified as a disaster. Noah had seen enough suffering to last a lifetime. He never wanted Lexy this close to violence. Hell, he traded in his old life for a desk job to avoid more violence, or at least deal with it in a new way.
After a quick look to make sure Lexy had started dialing, Noah sized up the situation on her floor. The fall smashed the dead man’s face into the carpet and on top of a few of Lexy’s precious folders.
He walked over to check the locks on that back door. “Everything looks—”
The rest of his comment slammed against his throat. He blinked twice as his brain processed the scene in front of eyes. He expected a mess. He did not expect this much of a mess.
She bumped against him from behind again. “Is there a shoe out of place?”
“Call 911.”
She rolled her eyes. “I know you think I have a sloppiness problem, but you don’t have to get dramatic about it. No one trashed the room. I really did leave it looking like this when I went to dinner.”
“Not in this condition.”
Squashed between the double bed and the chair was a man and a whole lot of blood. Even Lexy’s family, with all its eccentricities, did not keep dead people lying around.
“What is wrong with you?” She raised up on her tiptoes. At five-ten, seeing over his shoulder was not tough.
“Make the call.” Noah hoped the firm voice would get her moving because he needed a few more seconds to digest and analyze the facts and figure out what happened.
Her mouth fell open. “Is that…?”
“Yeah.”
“But he’s—”
“A dead guy on your floor. Yeah.”
Her mouth stayed open. Wide open. “Oh my God.”
“It’s okay.”
“Not if he’s dead!” She shook her head. Any harder and things would start rattling loose in there.
Having her see the blood and lose control helped spark him into action. Grabbing her shoulders, Noah walked her backward until the bed blocked her view of most of the body.
“Make the call, honey,” Noah said in his most comforting tone.
“Are you sure he’s dead?”
Noah had seen dead. He knew dead. This guy was definitely dead.
“I don’t see a knife sticking out of his back, but yeah.”
Lexy’s eyes were big enough to take over her face. “Who…Why my room?”
“We’ll figure that as soon as you call the police.” He rubbed her arms for a few seconds to ward off the chill shaking through her.
“Where are you going?” she asked as she made a frantic grab for his hand when he tried to break away.
“To double check.”
“You mean he might be alive?” She sounded more horrified at that possibility than at the thought of the guy being dead.
“No.”
“Then leave him alone.”
Noah pushed her in the general direction of the telephone. “You stay right over here.”
Without disturbing anything, Noah crouched down and pressed his fingers against the other man’s neck. Nothing flowing or moving in this guy.
“Well?” she asked.
“The lack of a pulse pretty much confirms my diagnosis. He’s dead.”
“Oh my God.” She paced around on the far side of the bed, taking turns peeking over the bedspread and breathing heavy into her hands. “Ohmigod. Ohmigod.”
“Lexy.” He said her name nice and firm to get her attention.
She stopped walking around and mumbling. “What?”
“The call.”
“Right.” She fumbled with the phone. Her hands shook so hard that she knocked the receiver onto the floor. “I just can’t believe this.”
Neither could Noah. Scaring the shit out of Lexy for making a bad safety decision fit in fine with his evening plans. He was prepared to lecture her, then call it a night. Go back and take his usual cold shower. Instead, waiting around for the coroner moved onto his schedule.
A dead guy on her floor qualified as a disaster. Noah had seen enough suffering to last a lifetime. He never wanted Lexy this close to violence. Hell, he traded in his old life for a desk job to avoid more violence, or at least deal with it in a new way.
After a quick look to make sure Lexy had started dialing, Noah sized up the situation on her floor. The fall smashed the dead man’s face into the carpet and on top of a few of Lexy’s precious folders.
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