Authors: Alicia Dean
“That night in the hospital. When you two...visited me. He was trying to help me. Trying to ease my pain.”
“He wanted to take you.”
“Kill me?”
“Yes. Don’t be fooled by his charming ways. It’s all an act.”
“How do I know it’s not all an act with you? That you’re not the one who’s trying to kill me?”
He shrugged. “I suppose you don’t.” He held her gaze. In the depths of his blue eyes, she saw a flash of something. Was it malice? Regret? Desire?
She shook off the thought and looked away. If she wasn’t careful, he’d hypnotize her, brainwash her...God knows what kind of things he could make her do.
“Am I going to start seeing reapers, ghosts, whatever, all the time?” She thought of the little boy in
The Sixth Sense
.
I see dead people…
“You have the ability to see reapers,” Dimitri told her. “There are many in this area, so the odds are good you’ll run into them from time to time.”
“Why in this area?”
“Reapers are drawn to places where death is prevalent. I think that’s why you’re more attuned to us. Others in this town likely are, too, but they haven’t yet suffered a near death experience where they connected with a reaper. The history of your town, the tragic beginning, has attracted a greater number of reapers than other places do. Although they’re around, most of the time, they won’t bother you. You probably won’t even know they’re reapers. Most of the time,” he repeated.
“I don’t get it. How can this be possible?”
Dimitri sighed. “It just is. That’s all. Like the air you breathe. You can’t see it, but it’s there and you believe it’s there. You accept it.”
She laughed without humor. “I think this is a little more than I’m prepared to accept.”
“You have to. And you have to be aware. At all times. Don’t let Gaylen get to you. Now that he’s able to communicate with you, he’ll use it to his advantage.”
“How?”
“You’re around sick people all the time. He’ll sweep through your life and snatch up anyone in his path. I’ll do my best to stop him, but I won’t always be around.”
“Couldn’t he have done that before I could see him?”
“He could have stumbled across your patients, yes. But your connection with him has opened a door to your world. It’s hard to explain, but he was more or less drifting on the peripheral before. He could watch you, check in on you from time to time, but he had other...hobbies, so to speak. Now, his fascination with you is amplified, and he’ll spend more time around you. Around you and your sick patients.”
“And have more opportunity.”
“Exactly.”
She wrapped her arms tightly around her body. Tears crowded her throat. “Is there anything I can do to stop him?”
“No, nothing. It’s my job to stop him.”
“Is there anything you can do to stop him? Permanently?”
His jaw clenched. Heaving a weary sigh, he said, “I’ve been trying for nearly three-hundred years. What do you think?”
~*~
Audra stood at the counter in Riley’s kitchen, slicing a large white onion. The smell of chicken sizzling on the stove fought for dominance over the onion’s odor. The onion was winning.
Sounds of a video game carried from the living room as Brent and Sadie battled it out. Most fathers would let their little girl win, but Brent competed fiercely. Sadie still beat him most of the time.
“Jesus,” Riley muttered. “You’d think for one night they could forego X-Box and maybe watch TV. Something educational.” A loud exploding sound came from the living room, followed by an unintelligible shout from Brent. Riley cringed. “Something quiet.”
Audra laughed. “Guess if you wanted that, you shouldn’t have married a man-child.”
“Touché.”
The doorbell rang, and Audra looked at Riley through onion tears. “Expecting anyone?”
“Who me?” Riley’s eyes rounded. “Could you get it, please?”
Brent called, “I’ll get the door, sweetheart. I need a break. This kid’s killing me.”
“No!” Riley shouted. “Audra will get it.”
Audra frowned curiously. Obviously, Riley was expecting someone.
Riley smiled. “Please?”
“Okay.” Audra dropped the knife on the carving board and wiped her hands on a paper towel. “Weirdo,” she said over her shoulder as she left the kitchen.
In the foyer, Audra opened the front door to find Shane standing on the porch.
“Shane? I’m surprised to see you here.”
“Riley invited me.”
That, however, didn’t surprise her.
“Great.” She stepped back. “Come in.”
He held out a bottle of wine as he passed. “I wasn’t sure what we were having, so I went with Merlot.” His smile made the corners of his dark brown eyes crinkle.
He was out of uniform, wearing worn, faded jeans and a button-up burgundy shirt. The flecks of gray in his hair glinted in the light from the setting sun. He looked really, really good. She owed Riley one.
“This is perfect.” She took the wine and closed the door. “You can join Brent and Sadie in their vicious video war or help Riley and me in the kitchen.”
He seemed to weigh his options for a moment. “How about the kitchen? Knives sound safer.”
She grinned. “You’re right. Must be the cop instinct.”
They stopped in the living room to say hello to Brent and Sadie, but barely received an acknowledgment. Brent was leaning forward on the couch, staring intently at the television screen, and Sadie sat cross-legged, her small face scrunched in concentration as her fingers flew over the control.
Shane laughed. “The kitchen is definitely the better choice.”
When they entered, Riley turned from the stove. “Shane. Hello. So glad you could make it.”
“Thanks for inviting me. Smells great.”
“Lemon chicken. Hope you like it.” She put down the spatula and moved over to him. Placing her hands on his arms, she tiptoed to plant a kiss on his cheek. “I have some things to take care of in the other room. You two have it from here, right?”
Audra’s mouth twisted with amusement. “No problem, Captain Obvious. We got it.”
Shane chuckled, and Riley gave a finger wave as she left the room.
“What can I do?” Shane asked.
“Riley has the chicken simmering in the skillet. Keep an eye on that, please.” Audra moved over to the sink and began snapping asparagus stems. “I’m on vegetable patrol. Don’t do meat.”
“You don’t do meat at all?” He wiggled his brows. “Thanks for the head’s up.”
Audra’s mouth twitched. “Not exactly what I meant.”
“So, you’re a vegetarian.”
“No, I’ll eat it once it’s cooked, just can’t stand to touch raw meat.” She shuddered. “It’s slimy and disgusting.”
“But you’re a nurse, and you touch God knows what every day. Probably more disgusting things than I’ve seen as a cop.”
She waved a stalk of asparagus in the air. “I’m an enigma. What can I say?”
“Yeah. Well, I’m a cop. Figuring out enigmas is one of my hobbies.” He winked, and her heart pitter pattered. She took a deep breath, switching her attention back to her task. Not a good idea to flirt with Shane. Not with the way her life had been going lately.
Just when she had her heart rate under control, he moved to stand beside her, close enough that she could smell the light, citrusy cologne he wore.
“How have you been?”
“I’m good. Everything’s fine.”
He rested his hand on her arm above her elbow. She turned to face him.
“You sure you’re okay? No more threats? I’ve been worried about you.”
She thought of the reapers. Would Shane consider that a threat? How would he handle it if he knew? How does one kill a reaper? Not easy to do, considering they were already dead.
“No more threats.”
His hand gently slid down her arm until it gripped her fingers. His touch was warm and slightly rough. Manly. Alive. A tingle moved over her skin. Not the same as that otherworldly icy crackle Dimitri evoked, but the tingle was definitely there. What was happening here?
She took a moment to steady the mounting tension. Shane was attractive, but she hadn’t really thought about him that way in a long time. He caught her gaze with his. The look in his eyes said he
had
thought of her that way.
She sighed. Now was a really bad time to start a relationship. Especially to rekindle an old flame that hadn’t been a raging success the first time.
Her mind weighed the pros and cons for a few seconds, then she smiled up and him and squeezed his hand. What the hell. She had a couple of reapers hovering around her now.
Life was short.
Possibly getting shorter by the day.
~*~
Dimitri sat up on the edge of the mattress and retrieved his pants from the floor.
“Come back to bed,” Veronica purred. “I wasn’t finished with you.”
“Can’t.” He didn’t look at her as he dressed.
“So, you just use me and that’s it? No cuddling?”
He glanced back to where she knelt, naked, on the bed, opening her legs just enough to expose her feminine flesh. Her auburn hair hung thick and luxurious over her shoulder, falling over one perfect breast, leaving the other exposed. She’d maneuvered her full red mouth into a sexy pout. Still, he had no desire to crawl back under the blankets with her. His cock didn’t so much as stir, not the way it did every time he even
thought
of Audra.
Stir, hell, it literally stood at attention. But looking at Veronica? Nothing. Nada. She was right. He was done. “I have somewhere to be.”
“You weren’t summoned. Neither of us was. Come on, Dimitri. Where do you have to be?” She reached out and gripped his shoulder with her claws, digging her nails into him.
Sometimes he wished reapers weren’t solid to one another. Wished they were amorphous beings, like they were to humans.
“I said I have somewhere to be. You need to pack up. The Wilsons will be back from their vacation tomorrow.”
“We could still stay here. It’s kind of fun to hang out when a family occupies a house. Remember how we used to do that in the old days? Fuck with their lives?”
“That was then. I’m not into those games anymore.”
“Yeah, you’re not into a lot of things.” She slid from the bed and stalked over to him. “Well, you’re into
one
thing. But then, you’ve been into that for a while.”
“What’s that?” he asked, even though he didn’t give a damn.
“That bitch, Audra.”
His shoulders tensed, but he didn’t respond.
“Now that you’re in contact with her, your obsession will be out of control.”
“Why the hell do you and Gaylen insist I’m obsessed with her?”
“Because you watch her every chance you get. You make sure that she, above all others, is protected.”
“I’m doing my job.”
“
Your job
. Right. That’s all she is to you. That’s why you’ve thought of nothing else for thirty years. Why your eyes spark like fireworks when her name is mentioned.” She gripped his shoulder and turned him to face her. “I don’t get it. You can’t even touch her.” Staring at him from under her lashes, she grazed her fingers over his chest. He moved her hand aside, buttoning his shirt to prevent access. “You can’t feel her. Can’t fuck her. She can’t give you what I can.”
“Knock it off, Veronica. I won’t have this discussion with you.”
He moved away, but she stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking I’ll always be around. There may come a time when I make you choose. Me or her.”
He grinned and leaned in close, tapping her nose with his finger. “That, my dear, is an ultimatum you don’t want to issue.”
Bert Neufeld was Audra’s least favorite patient. Maybe in her entire career. The man was rude, abrasive, and unclean. When he was admitted two days ago, an acrid, sour smell had emanated from him, as if he hadn’t bathed in a week. She’d forced him into the shower that first night, but judging from the lack of improvement in his odor when he came out, she doubted he’d bothered to use soap. Since then, he’d refused to shower again. Now, he was refusing to go to the restroom.
“Mr. Neufeld,” she said gently. “Let me help you to the bathroom. Your bowels haven’t moved since yesterday.”
“I’m a grown man, missy. I know when I gotta go, and I ain’t gotta go.”
He punched the remote over and over with his thumb. “Is that all the channels you got?” He flung the device, and it slung out on its coiled cord, then bounced back to hit the bedrails.
Audra took a deep breath. “Sorry. Just basic cable. That’s it.”
“The money I’m paying for this rat hole, you’d think you could at least have something decent on TV.”
“Your insurance company is paying, Mr. Neufeld.”
His face contorted in anger. “You better watch that smart mouth of yours. I’ll have your job.”
Her brows rose. “Somehow, I can’t picture you being a nurse, but if you really want my job, go for it.”
He lifted his upper body like he was going to leap at her, then settled back onto the bed, breathing hard. “You can’t talk to me like that. I’m in pain.”
A twinge of guilt pricked her, and she sighed. “I’m sorry. You’re right. Just please try to be a little more pleasant to the staff, okay? You had the aide, Wendy, in tears this morning.”
“Pleasant to the staff?” he bellowed. “Can’t you people understand I could die? You’d think I could get a little more sympathy.”
“You’re here for gall bladder surgery. I’m sure everything will be fine.” She tried to breathe through her mouth to keep from smelling him as she handed him his medications. “How about I get you in the shower again tonight so you’re feeling fresh and clean for surgery tomorrow?”
He swallowed the pills, then his gaze dropped to her breasts, and his mouth stretched into a leer. “How about you give me a sponge bath instead?”
The guilt fled and anger replaced it. Freakin’ pervert.
“Mr. Neufeld, if you insist on saying inappropriate things, I’ll ask to be removed from your care and replaced with a male nurse.”
“Ain’t no sissy man-nurse gonna come near me.” He paused, obviously mulling over her warning. Finally, reluctantly, he said, “I’ll behave.”
“Okay, one more chance then. Are you sure you don’t want me to help you to the bathroom before I go?”
“If I gotta go, I’ll go. I ain’t a baby.”
True. Babies were cute and easier to care for and smelled much better.
“Call if you need anything.” As if she had to tell him that. The man constantly “needed” something.
Not five minutes after she returned to the nurse’s station, the patient board lit with Mr. Neufeld’s room number.
Kyle pressed the button. “Can I help you?”
Neufeld’s voice came through the speaker. “I need you to send Audra back in here. I shit the bed.”
“Are you kidding me?” Audra bit out, her blood pressure spiking. “I just begged him to let me help him to the bathroom.”
She stalked down the hallway to deal with Mr. Neufeld. Entering his room, she flinched and held her breath at the nauseating odor. She just
thought
he couldn’t smell any worse.
~*~
Barney roamed through the motel room, checking for any clue he’d been there. Nothing. He wasn’t worried about fingerprints so much. Motels had more fingerprints than Ethiopia had hungry people. As long as he continued to keep his activities away from his home town, no one would ever know.
He surveyed the dead girl lying on the bed. Her red hair partially covered her face. The blanket rested just below small, pert breasts. Her brown eyes were closed now. He’d done that, given her that one last sign of dignity. He wasn’t an animal, after all.
He sighed. Such a sweet young body. Shame he had to end her, but that was part of the pleasure. He chuckled. Who was he kidding? That
was
the pleasure. Not a damn thing they could do about it, either. They were all so weak, so fragile, so vulnerable.
Not innocent, no. Their innocence died the moment they took to the streets. Only a matter of time before the body followed. That was where he came in.
He experienced a moment of concern. The girl—Whitney? Winona? What was her name?—had been the second in four days. He usually tried to pace himself. His growing need could be a problem.
“No,” he said in a whisper. “You leave no evidence. You’re miles from home. They’re only street girls. No one’s even looking that hard. No pattern established since they’re all in different towns. You’re golden, my man.”
He felt much better. It was nice to have friends. Nice when someone had your back. Someone you could always count on to reassure you.
He made one last sweep through the motel room, tugging a pair of gloves on before he touched the doorknob. He’d let the girl open the door coming in, but she couldn’t help him with that little task now. That would be a place where fingerprints might get him. Forensics would focus there.
His head swiveled to the bed as he gave his latest achievement one last perusal. Then, he slipped out of the room and headed back to Boon Springs.
~*~
Audra slapped Neufeld’s file on the desk. “Disgusting. The man is disgusting and hateful and piggish. I can’t say I’ll be sorry when he’s gone.”
“You shouldn’t have cleaned him up,” Tonya said, not lifting her head from the keyboard where she was charting patient notes. “Should have let him lay in his own filth all night.”
“It would serve him right, but when Rosalie comes on, she’d have to deal with it.” Audra picked up the card-ex notebook, flipping through, documenting orders that had been changed on her patients.
Tonya shrugged. “Better her than you.”
Audra raised her head from the notebook, and something down the hall caught her attention. At first, she wasn’t sure what it was. Nothing unusual that she could see; a few patients meandering along, hospital employees bustling about, performing their tasks by rote.
Then, she spotted something that was definitely out of the ordinary. A figure outside Mr. Neufeld’s room. Entering without opening the door she’d shut behind her. Walking right through solid wood.
Fear seeped into her chest, growing into panic and settling in the pit of her stomach. She skirted the desk, starting down the hallway, her speed increasing to match her heartbeat. She barely heard, didn’t acknowledge Tonya’s shouted, “Hey, Audra! What’s up? Everything okay?”
She reached Mr. Neufeld’s room and entered—using the door like a normal person.
Only moments before, she’d wished the man gone. Now he was. But she hadn’t meant it this way. His vacant stare pointed to the ceiling, his arms outspread, lying limp at his sides.
“Mr. Neufeld?”
No response. Although she didn’t have to check to know, she rushed to the bed and pressed her fingers against his wrist, then to his neck.
Movement from the corner of her grabbed her attention.
Gaylen leaned against the wall, smiling, his golden eyes feral with excitement. She opened her mouth to speak, but her throat froze and no words came out. Didn’t matter anyway. Gaylen gave her a wink, then faded through the wall.
Just like that.
He was gone.
~*~
Walnut pews upholstered in red and gold lined either side of the aisle of the large church auditorium. Inset into the walls, from floor to ceiling, were stained-glass windows depicting crosses, the Virgin Mary, and various other religious symbols.
A tall, slender man stepped gracefully off the stage and came toward Dimitri. Gray flecks like sprinkles of sugar glinted in his dark hair. A trimmed beard shadowed his black skin, broken by the smile that spread over his face.
“Dimitri. Welcome.” He reached out a hand, and Dimitri took it in a firm shake.
“Good to see you, Samuel. When did you get into town?”
Samuel was the gate-keeper between the reaper world and beyond. He and Dimitri had known each other for over two-hundred fifty years, since the day Samuel had reaped him.
“I arrived a few days ago. Let’s go to my office.” He put a hand on Dimitri’s arm and gestured toward the alcove.
His
office wasn’t entirely accurate. Samuel had acquisitioned the church as his dwelling. It was a wise choice. Other than an evening or two a week, and twice on Sundays, he had the place to himself.
Samuel offered him a drink, but Dimitri declined, taking a seat across a wide oak desk while Samuel settled behind it.
“How have you been, my friend?” Samuel lit a cigar and leaned back in his chair.
“Not bad. But I doubt you called me here for chit chat. What’s up?”
Samuel studied the smoldering tip of his cigar. “Just curious about some of the recent events. What’s happening with the Grayson girl?”
Dimitri blew out a breath. “Oh, that.”
“She can see you? You’ve spoken with her? You know how dangerous a development such as this can be.”
“Of course I know. But the damage is done. She’s one of those rare individuals with the ability to see us. She suffered a near death experience. I was there. Gaylen was there.” He shrugged. “Well, I’m sure you can guess the rest.”
“Yes. I can guess. Now the best we can do is damage control.”
“I’m working on that.”
Samuel tapped the ashes from his cigar in a crystal ashtray. “Will she tell others?”
“I don’t think so.” Audra didn’t want to admit what was going on, even to herself. Didn’t want to acknowledge Dimitri’s existence. It was unlikely she’d share the news with anyone else.
Samuel narrowed his eyes, peering closely at Dimitri. “Tell me something. You, of all reapers, deserve your reward. Why do you continue to do things that only delay it?”
When a reaper broke the rules, time was added to their sentence. Dimitri’s original hundred years had turned into three-hundred. “I haven’t in a long time.”
“True. But I see it coming with the girl, Audra.”
“No.” Dimitri shifted in his chair. “Not again.”
“You risked your life, your eternity, to save my wife and daughter. I haven’t forgotten that.”
“It was instinct.”
Samuel smiled. “No. It was bravery and morality. Maybe a little foolishness, too.”
Dimitri returned the smile. “Probably mostly that.”
“You’ve done everything you were called to do. I want you to finally get the peace you crave.”
“As do I.”
“Then keep that in mind. Even if the girl is in trouble. Remember, you’re not her protector.”
“I realize that. My only aim is to do my duty. Abide by the rules. Serve my sentence. Finally die and find peace.” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “I’m afraid we have a different matter to be concerned about. Gaylen’s behavior is spiraling out of control. His urges rule him.”
“Yes. And, unfortunately, he’s not the only unstable reaper prowling the area.”
“I’m staying on top of it.”
“You have less than fifty years left on your sentence. Don’t extend it trying to be a hero.”
“The last thing I intend is to be a hero.”
Samuel smiled and puffed on his cigar. “That’s the thing, my boy. A hero seldom intends to become one.”
~*~
Audra rushed toward the wall, hand outstretched. “Gaylen,” she whispered loudly. “Come back here. What have you done?”
She waited, but he didn’t reappear.
She turned back to the bed. Mr. Neufeld shouldn’t have died. He was here for a routine surgery. Sometimes, things went wrong in surgery. Patients died from anesthesia, their heart stopped, surgeons made mistakes. But not this. Not a cantankerous, pain in the ass, pervert with a bad gall bladder just expiring for no reason.
Fucking reapers.
She pressed the emergency call button. Over the intercom, Kyle called out the Code Blue. In seconds, the code team was in the room, each with their own role to play in trying to revive Mr. Neufeld. The next few moments were a blur of feverish activity...fruitless activity.
Dr. Singh pronounced the patient dead and the flurry slowed.
“Audra, are you all right?” he asked in his East Indian accent. He was her same height, making his dark brown eyes level with hers as he studied her. “You seem a little pale.”
“I’m fine.” She nodded jerkily, not trusting herself to say more, afraid she might blurt out that she knew who did it...that she’d seen the killer fade through the wall. “Fine,” she said again, and hurried back to the nurse’s station.
Kyle sat at the terminal, and Tonya leaned on the desk in front of him.
“He didn’t make it,” Audra told them.