Dead Med

by Freida McFadden

although something about this examining room makes me uneasy. What are those brown stains on the sheet? “I’d be thrilled to work here.”

Something about this revelation sets off a red flag in the back of my head. How could I be the only one to apply for such a lucrative job?

“Quit staring at Heather, you perv.” The voice above my head nearly makes me jump out of my skin until Mason slides into the seat next to mine,

Have some confidence—Heather isn’t that great. She’s just Heather. She’s not out of your league or anything.” That’s debatable.

I get it now. She’s looking for a little rebound hook-up. And the first person she thought of was Mason. Mason. Not me. I’m not even on her short list.

Just like that, she’s mine.

Plus, every single one of them says the same thing when they make an appointment. I’ve got a cough that won’t go away. Those exact words. It’s not even cold and flu season yet!

“Abe,” he says. “Hey.” “Hey.” I look down at the intake form in front of me. “You’re here for… a cough that won’t go away?” He winks at me. “You know it.” Okay…

Drug deals?

The desk has two locked drawers—one contains the cash, and the other has only been opened once. I don’t have the key, but I know that there’s a gun in that drawer—loaded.

But I never knew where the drugs came from until now. And not just that, but somebody is feeding the students to this clinic.

And that’s Dr. Conlon, our anatomy professor.

She can never know what goes on at the clinic where I work. I would die if she found out.

After all, I heard about the clinic from the sign posted on the bulletin board outside the anatomy lab.

Maybe Kovak has shared my feelings about the clinic. Maybe that’s why he doesn’t want me to talk to Patrice. He’s afraid of what I might reveal to her.

“The kid doesn’t know where all that stuff is,” Kovak manages. “I can get it for you if you let me go.” “Stop stalling!” the man snaps at him. “I want it now!”

I thought I was in trouble before, when I was simply working at a clinic where I suspected drugs were being sold. But now, things are much, much worse. I have murdered a man. I shot him, and now he’s dead at my feet. I’m finished.

A slow smile spreads across Kovak’s face. “Don’t worry. I’ve handled situations like this before. I know just the place.”

Things are going great with Heather, and I’m going to keep it that way. I’m going to marry her and spend the rest of my life making her happy. She doesn’t have to ever know the terrible thing I did tonight.

She nods wordlessly. But her gaze is focused on the towel I’m clutching in my hands.

“You swear?” Why is she forcing me to lie to her? Why can’t she just freaking let this go? “I swear.”

Mason is usually at the library, so I search for him instead. I go through every single aisle of the library looking for him. I finally find my lab partner, Sasha, in the last aisle.

It’s funny, because those two are the last couple I would’ve expected to start hooking up. I would have thought Sasha would know better.

“How about you work until I say you can stop.” A cold sensation slithers down my spine. “But…” “Abe,” he says, “you know I’ve got a camera set up in the waiting room of the clinic, right?” My mouth falls open. I never saw a camera in the waiting room,

He doesn’t say the words, but the implication of what the camera picked up is clear. I’m screwed. “What do you want?” I manage. “Hey, look, we’re in this together, Abe,” he says in an irritatingly casual voice. “I just need you to understand that. If you give me your loyalty, then we’re good.” “Fine,” I growl at him. “You have my loyalty.”

A couple of nights ago, I punched a hole in the wall in my sleep. I guess we’re not getting our deposit back on this room.

“How are you doing, sweetie?” she asks. “How’s Heather?” Oh, right. I haven’t told her that Heather and I broke up.

“Are you sure you’re all right, honey?” “Yes.” “Promise?” What’s one more lie? “I promise.”

But my momentary embarrassment is overshadowed when I see the woman who walks out of the room. It’s Patrice.

Patrice is the contact at the school who is sending students to the clinic. It suddenly makes perfect and horrible sense.

“Bullshit!” He practically spits the words at me. “Everyone knows what you’re doing. Just give me a couple of pills, you piece of shit!”

water is the only molecule where the solid form has a lower density than the liquid form. That’s why ice floats on water. I always found that fascinating.

Then I pull the gun out of my pocket and point it at him. Now he looks concerned.

I reach into my pocket and feel the handle of the gun that is still nestled inside. I have a feeling that when there’s a gun pointed at her face, I might finally get the truth out of Patrice. I’m looking forward to it.

Uhhhh what

Mason, who is working on the other side of the cadaver, says, “Rachel cuts through everything. She thinks it’s all fascia.”

Before Mr. Pritchett, I had never even kissed a boy before. I had a few very mild crushes on boys, but nothing to write home about.

He had a beer belly, he was sweaty everywhere, and he was covered in a thick layer of graying hair. When he was inside me, there were a few moments when I was so disgusted, I thought I might vomit. But I did what I had to do. I couldn’t fail trig.

And so will Dr. Matthew Conlon, even though he doesn’t know it yet.

“Rachel,” he begins. He folds his hands together. I’ve noticed the way his right hand doesn’t move normally, and this action only calls attention to that fact—I can’t help but wonder what’s wrong with the guy.

God, men are so easy to predict. Not to be conceited or anything, but I’m a really good kisser. I have to be.

This is ridiculous. I can’t start liking this guy. If that happens, then he’s the one in control.

My first incredible sex. But he doesn’t know that. He’s just excited he got to score with a twenty-two-year-old.

Our eyes meet. And that’s when I realize it: He knows. He knows exactly what I want. And he’s not planning to make this easy for me. Too bad he has no idea who he’s dealing with.

I can’t believe this. Of all the professors I’ve been with, I can’t believe Dr. Conlon is the one who finally caught on to me.

We stare at each other for a full minute. Then he slowly leans forward and starts kissing me. It’s just as good as I remembered it—his tongue moving gently against mine, his facial stubble grazing my cheek, his fingers sliding along the edge of my jaw, past my ear, into my hair. I don’t want him to stop, but he does stop.

And then when he kisses me and gently pulls me into bed with him, we forget all about bowties.

“I was a very sexy toddler,” I say. “Undoubtedly,” he says. “But it still makes me feel like a creep.”

“Anyway.” I clear my throat. “I’m okay with you being an old man. Just as long as you can still keep it up.” “Hell yeah,” he says, and over the next hour, he very much proves it to me.

I was sort of blown away. What was a cop doing in an anatomy lab? It just seems… strange. But whatever.

“I’m going to keep her,” he says. “No matter what I have to do, I’m not going to let her get away.” “Okay…” There’s a disturbing desperation in Abe’s voice. No matter what I have to do.

I’d always thought of Dr. Conlon as being good-natured, but his blue eyes suddenly grow dark behind his spectacles. “That’s confidential, Mason,” he snaps at me.