Letting My Brother's Best Friend Take My V-Card

HARD REALITY

The cab slowed to a stop in front of an unassuming building that looked more like a small-town office than the epicenter of so much grief. I clenched my hands in my lap, my fingers. digging into my palms as I stared at the faded sign. Police Station.

Beneath it, in smaller letters, was the word I had been dreading since we landed: Mortuary.

Laura shifted beside me, her breath hitching as her hand tightened around her bag strap. I didn't look at her. If I did, I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep the tears at bay. "Ready?" she asked, her voice thin and strained.

I swallowed hard and nodded. "Yeah."

The moment we stepped out of the cab, chaos descended. Reporters swarmed us like flies, their shouts overlapping until their words blurred together.

"Jessica! Laura! Can you confirm if-"

"Are the bodies identifiable-"

"Are you going to keep the baby even if your husband is dead?"

Cameras flashed, and the bright light stung my eyes. Laura flinched, her arm brushing against mine, but before either of us could say anything, the station door burst open.

A tall man in a wrinkled suit strode toward us, waving off the reporters. "Step back!" he barked, his tone sharp enough to cut through the din. He reached us in a few long strides, his expression tight and impatient.

"Detective Raynor," he said curtly ushering us toward the building. As the door swung shut behind us, muffling the noise outside, he muttered under his breath, "Vultures." I didn't respond. I wasn't sure I could.

he said, his voice softening as he gestured us down a narrow hallway. His steps were brisk and purposeful, as though he wanted this over as much

lights overhead casting harsh shadows on the scuffed linoleum floor. The air smelled faintly of coffee, paper, and something

some personal belongings, and..." He hesitated, glancing back at us. "...some remains." Laura sucked in a sharp breath beside me, but

continued. "There was a storm, and the currents could've

nodded numbly, and I followed suit. Neither of us said

HARD REALITY

388 (voucheri

players. All gone. It's a

hollow, like an echo in an empty room. I didn't respond. I

end of the hall, and Raynor paused, his hand resting on the

you to prepare yourselves," he said softly, his gaze

not easy. The

the lump in my throat. Laura gripped my arm again,

door open, and a wave of cold air washed over me. The room was stark and sterile, the hum of fluorescent lights mingling with the faint whir of a ventilation

surfaces gleaming under the harsh light. A man in scrubs stood near a workstation, his expression grim but

the gesture before turning back to us. "We'll start with the first one," he

attendant opened a drawer, the metallic screech of the sliding tray making my stomach turn. He pulled back the sheet, and

discolored, barely recognizable as human. My chest tightened, and I had to look away, biting the inside of

me.

I knew it wasn't Luke or Josh. I can't tell you how I knew, but I did. Laura agreed and shook

drawer back into place.