A Corpse in the Condo by M.K. Dean

Author:M.K. Dean [M.K. Dean]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Redclaw Publishing
Published: 2023-04-29T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter fifteen

Dressed in a black T-shirt and dark jeans, it was a small wonder Joe had been practically invisible. Coming as he did from out of the darkness, his sudden appearance gave my would-be attackers pause. The pinkish light above the door cast a spot around him, illuminating a smile that should have made their skin crawl. With two-day stubble and his trademark tumbled hair, this was Lucifer looking for a fight that he knew he would win. When the two men merely gaped at him, Joe thumped his fist on the edge of the nearest trash can, and the lid flipped up into his hand, where he caught it like a shield.

It was such a boss move.

The two men stammered and blustered.

“We were only trying to help, man,” the first guy said.

“Yeah,” the second one whined. “We saw they were having trouble and came out here to help.”

“Leave. Now.” The words came out with clipped precision. The two losers didn’t even stick around to see if Joe was a threat to me or not. They bolted like scalded cats, bumping into each other in their haste to get past me and out of the alley.

Joe chucked the metal lid aside with a clatter and joined me. He rested one hand on his knee and knelt alongside while I checked Liz. “Is that your sister? What happened?”

“I don’t know. She’s passed out. She had a lot to drink this evening, but she usually holds it better than this. I think she’s been drugged.” I had my phone out and used the flashlight to examine Liz’s pupils. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

Joe ignored my question and leaned in for a closer look. The clean, citrusy scent of him took me straight back to high school with a jolt as if I’d been slammed into a time machine. I bet it was the same stupid cologne I’d bought him back then. It went a long way toward offsetting the stench of the alley.

“I think you’re right. She’s doped up with something.”

Liz’s pupils were like black holes, dilated despite the bright light of my phone shining in her eyes. I took hold of her wrist. “Her pulse is slower than I’d like. We need to get her to a hospital.”

Joe called for an ambulance, requesting assistance in the brisk, authoritative manner of a first responder, down to giving the street address of the bar, and telling the dispatcher we were in the alley behind it. When he ended the call, he touched me on the shoulder. “I need to go back inside. It’s possible they haven’t cleared your table yet. We might be able to get some information from the glasses.”

“You let the guys responsible for this go!”

He blew out his breath with a small sound of frustration. “You don’t know that. They came out behind you, yes, but for all you know they were the Good Samaritans they pretended to be.”

“Obviously, you don’t believe them.” For once I wished he thought less about the law and more about justice.

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