by Lori Sjoberg
“Oh, the usual. Hit the gym in the morning. Read a little by the pool this afternoon.” He took another sip, swirled the ice in his glass. “You didn’t pick up when I called.” Those penetrating brown eyes locked with hers. “I was going to knock on your door, but you had the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign hanging from the knob.”
“I wasn’t feeling well after last night.” Which was the truth. She’d slept late and woken around noon with a splitting migraine, the result of screwing around with the date rapist’s head the night before. So she’d downed a couple pills and spent most of the afternoon in bed with the lights out.
And she had to admit, she also felt a little awkward around Jack, which added to her reluctance to leave the confines of her cabin. It wasn’t like her to share the sordid details of her past, and talking about her sister had pushed Ruby beyond the boundaries of her carefully constructed comfort zone.
Jack reached across the table, took her hand in his. “I’m sorry to hear that.” The concern in his voice melted some of her discomfort. His thumb brushed over the pulse racing in her wrist, sending an unexpected zing of heat up her arm. “Feeling any better?”
She thought about pulling her hand away, but his grip felt firm and assuring, and it was kind of nice to have someone offer comfort. She hitched a shoulder and said, “A little.”
“Good.” He smiled, took another drag from his drink. “Then you can explain why you’re hanging out in this tacky tiki lounge.”
It was a good thing he was so damn attractive. Otherwise, she’d have given him the boot for asking too many questions. Still, it was aggravating, so she fixed him with a level glare. “Maybe I’m here to listen to the band.”
Jack shook his head. “Nah. It’s a Bob Marley cover band. Not your style.”
True, but she refused to cede the point. “Did it ever occur to you that I might want a change of pace after last night?”
He cocked his head a little, as if considering the notion. But then he shook his head again, his mouth tugging up on one side. “No. Nice try, but I’m not buying. This place is way too touristy for you. Want to give it another shot?”
Under normal circumstances she would have been irritated, but for some reason she found entertainment in the challenge. And since he wasn’t buying any of her bullshit tonight, she decided to adopt a different tack. “Would you believe I’m really a yuppie, looking for the ultimate island experience?” When he quirked a brow, she doubled down with her best game face. “You see, when I’m not cruising the Caribbean, I’m an internal auditor for a life insurance company. I live in the suburbs with my husband and two point four kids, and drive a Volvo station wagon to work every morning.”
Jack stared at her for a few beats, his expression void of emotion. Then he let out a snort, which quickly turned into a full-blown laugh. He raised his glass in salute. “Nice job. I bet you could sell ice to an Eskimo if you set your mind to it.”
“Damn straight.” She clinked her glass against his and took a long drink from her mojito.
A woman could get used to this, Ruby thought as she studied Jack over the rim of her glass. Tonight he looked confident and relaxed in faded black denim and a burgundy T-shirt that stretched tight against his chest and biceps. Two days of sun had bronzed his skin, giving him a radiance that mirrored his vitality.
It had been a while since she’d taken the time to actually enjoy a man’s company. Usually, she went for the quick and easy, a temporary distraction to smooth the rough edges off a bad day. But there was something different about Jack, a tantalizing combination of mind and body. He piqued her interest and reminded her of things that weren’t part of the big picture.
You know, the little things in life, like a meaningful relationship with a man of true worth. Those could get sticky, especially if they lasted long enough for the guy to notice you hadn’t aged a day in over a decade. The plastic surgery excuse lasted only so long.
Besides, she wasn’t cut out for long-term commitments. She’d never been one to settle down—had always been known as the wild child of her family. She shied away from deep emotional attachments, and playing domestic cramped her style.
A sharp spike of mortality broke her train of thought. Something just triggered the chain of events leading to the inevitable. Ruby closed her eyes, concentrating on the inexorable pulse until she zeroed in on the source.
Ladies bathroom.
“If you’ll excuse me, I need to go powder my nose,” she said as she rose from her chair and made a beeline toward the back of the bar.
The commotion drew her to the scene as much as the quickening pull of imminent death. Pushing open the door to the ladies room, she was greeted by a cold blast of mortality.
“Angie!” A slender, teenaged blonde crouched by her friend’s side. Face pale and visibly shaking, she had a look of sheer terror, obviously not knowing what to do or how to help. She gripped her friend’s shoulders and gave the girl a hard shake. “Answer me, Angie, what’s wrong?”
The girl sprawled out on the tile near the sink was in no condition to respond. The only thing she could do was let out a strangled groan as her frail body racked with spasms.
Ruby knelt down, studying the girl’s symptoms. Pupils dilated. Sweating profusely. Mild convulsions. If she were a betting woman, she’d put her money on drug overdose. God knows she’d seen it enough times over the years. Already, the sharp scent of death hung heavy in the air, waiting patiently to collect its prize.
“Go to the bar,” Ruby ordered the blonde, her voice crisp and commanding. The girl was destined to die, no point in making her friend watch. “Tell the bartender we need a doctor in here. Now!”
Eager for guidance, the blonde took off like a shot, the bathroom door swinging shut behind her.
Angie’s eyes cracked open, glazed but fearful.
“Easy now,” Ruby said as she brushed loose strands of hair away from Angie’s face. The girl’s skin felt cool and clammy to the touch, her panting fast and shallow. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize she didn’t have much longer. “I’ve got you.”
“I-I-I don’t want to die,” Angie said between gasps, her voice barely audible. “I just wanted … just wanted … some fun …” Her words trailed off in a muted gurgle as the convulsions grew stronger, her body shaking uncontrollably.
“I know, sweetie.” Ruby shifted so she could lay Angie’s head on her lap. She stroked the girl’s long black hair, the only comfort she was capable of giving. “I know.”
At what point had she stopped trying to make sense of it all? Honestly, she couldn’t remember. So much death, most of it meaningless. Lives wasted. Families destroyed. Potential untapped. It could drive a reaper mad, if she weren’t careful.
Angie’s eyes widened as she gasped her final breaths. She opened her mouth and tried to speak, but managed only a high-pitched, inarticulate grunt. Then the spasms ceased, her muscles relaxed, and her body lay limp on the cold ceramic tile.
It took less than two minutes to harvest the girl’s soul. The young were easy, inexperienced, and frightened, their souls desperate to regain some sense of equilibrium. Ruby felt the familiar rush of warmth as Angie’s soul merged with her body, followed by the barrage of emotions from the recently deceased.
Holy shit, I’m dead? No way! But I haven’t done it yet! Oh man, this fucking blows. If I’d known I was gonna die so soon I would have let Danny Hanson do more than feel me up last Friday. This is such total bullshit. I can’t believe this is happening to me …
What a waste. So young, so full of unrealized potential. All of it thrown away with a careless snort and a two-minute high. Her family would be devastated. Her friends shocked. She’d become a cautionary tale that the neighborhood parents passed on to their children, the beginning of a “Don’t do drugs. Look at what happened to poor Angie” lecture. A joke to her friends who really weren’t her true friends. The same friends who would try to garner sympathy by pretending to be devastated by Angie’s unexpe
cted demise.
“There she is!” The door flew open as the blonde burst back into the ladies room, closely followed by what appeared to be a bouncer and two members of the waitstaff. Behind them was the ship’s doctor, a stocky, middle-aged black man carrying a portable defibrillator and a small brown medical bag.
And Jack.
His eyes met Ruby’s, his expression filled with such sympathy she had to look away.
“I need you all to stay back,” the doctor ordered as he sank down by Angie’s side. He placed the defibrillator beside the girl’s body and began checking her vitals. Wrist. Neck. No pulse. No response. The blonde began to sob while the tiny room buzzed with unchecked speculation. Then Angie’s father stormed through the open doorway and all hell broke loose.
Ruby took the opportunity to fade into the background, to slip through the crowded bar and disappear before anyone started asking questions she preferred not to answer.
Needing fresh air, she headed straight for the nearest exit. With most passengers enjoying the indoor nighttime festivities, the outer decks were fairly deserted. The ocean breeze blew cool and humid, a welcome change from the stench of fresh mortality. Ruby closed her eyes as she leaned against the rail, desperate to clear her head and regain some sense of inner balance.
She could still feel the girl’s soul, struggling to acclimate to its change in condition. Disbelief. Anger. Sadness and despair. The emotions ran fast and strong, taking Ruby on a vicarious roller-coaster ride through the teenage psyche.
After so many years, it still hadn’t gotten any easier to bear. To witness death, to relive it through the memories of the soul. To experience their grief, pain, and suffering. Each one left an indelible mark on her spirit, a tattoo on her soul that could never be erased.
“There you are.”
She’d sensed his presence a split second before he spoke. Part of her was pleased, but she was too tired and emotionally drained to muster much in the way of enthusiasm. She opened her eyes but kept her focus on the dark waters below, preferring to stare at the ocean she so despised rather than face the emotions she feared. “Please, Jack. I apologize, but I’m really not in the mood for company.”
“I can imagine.” Undeterred, Jack moved closer. He held out a tall orange drink with a wedge of pineapple stuck on the side. “After what you just went though, I thought you could use a little something.”
“Thank you.” As a rule, she never accepted drinks from strangers. But after last night she no longer thought of Jack in that capacity. She liked him. Wanted him. A tiny part of her trusted him, and the knowledge knocked her even further off balance. Without another word she sipped from the straw, her taste buds barely registering the sweet infusion of fruit and alcohol.
“It’s taken me a while to figure you out,” Jack said, his tone conversational as he braced his forearms against the smooth wooden rail. He stood close now, so close she could smell the rich, musky fragrance of his aftershave. She took a deep breath and his scent filled her lungs, but she refused to acknowledge the fact that it soothed her weary soul. “It’s been driving me crazy. Ever since I met you, I knew you were something special.”
Ruby slanted a glance in Jack’s direction. If this turned into some cheesy pickup line, she was dumping the drink over his head. “Oh, you think?”
“I know.” He reached over, twining his fingers with hers. His grip was loose yet managed to convey a silent strength she found reassuring. “At first, I thought you might be a witch. Or a faerie.”
A reluctant smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “If it makes you feel better, I don’t ride a broom and I’m not packing wings.”
“Good to know.” His thumb gently glided over the back of her hand, the subtle display of affection making her heart beat a little faster than normal. He leaned closer, his shoulder touching hers, his body so warm she had to fight the urge to snuggle up against him. “You did a good thing with that girl tonight, comforting her when you knew she was going to die anyway.”
Ruby shrugged, struggling for nonchalant while she blinked back the threatening tears. My God, she was practically a baby. She could only imagine what her parents were going through at this very moment. “What else was I supposed to do? Leave her there on the bathroom floor, all by herself?”
“That’s exactly what a lot of people would have done. But that’s not your way, is it?” He met her gaze then, his brown eyes nearly black in the moonlight. There was an undeniable intensity to his features, mingled with compassion and something else she couldn’t quite fathom. “You’re a passionate woman. It must make your job hell on earth.”
Ruby’s muscles tensed. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure you do.” When she turned away, he dipped two fingers beneath her chin and turned her head back in his direction. “When we first met, you told me that you were a collector. Now I know what you collect.”
No way. Impossible.
Jack leaned closer, his breath impossibly warm against her ear. His voice rumbled low, rough, when he uttered one word and rocked her world.
“Reaper.”
Chapter 5
Bingo. Got it in one.
“I’ve never met one of your kind before.” The thrill of discovery surged through Jack’s veins. His grip on her hand tightened when she tried to pull away. “But I’ve heard stories over the years. Honestly, I never believed them until now.”
Reaper. It explained her presence on board a ship she so blatantly despised. For her, this was no pleasure cruise. It was more like a working vacation. He never would have guessed if he hadn’t seen her in action. He’d left his seat to check out the commotion at the back of the bar, only to discover Ruby perched over the young dead girl, her face a mask of unwashed sorrow.
“Wow, you have one heck of an imagination,” Ruby said on the heels of a laugh, but the humor failed to reach her eyes.
No way was he going to let her smooth-talk her way out of this one. “It’s not my imagination, and you damn well know it.” When she tried to pull her hand away again, he tugged her close and said in a low voice, “I’m trying to be discreet here. But if you want me to cause a scene, I’d be more than happy to oblige.”
She shot him an angry glare but kept her mouth shut.
“Come on, admit it. It’s not like I’m going to tell anyone. Besides, no one in their right mind would ever believe me. They’d probably lock me up in some tiny room in the bowels of the ship.”
“That would be my cabin,” she said through clenched teeth.
He laughed, in spite of his building frustration. “In that case, I wouldn’t mind so much.” He caught her gaze, looking deep into those beautiful green eyes. Mixed with the anger, he found a slash of pain that made his heart twist in knots. “Look, I’ve seen a lot of strange things in my travels. It’s how I realized there was something different about you.”
Ruby straightened, a hand propped on her hip. “Oh, so you’re saying I’m strange?”
“What? No!” What the hell was she talking about? Then he realized it was another one of her ploys, a yank of the chain to put him on the defensive and avoid validating his conclusion. She’d slipped free from his grip and made it halfway to the door before he figured it out.
“Nice try,” he said, blocking her path before she had the chance to make her escape. “But it’s not going to work this time.”
Eyes narrowed, she glared at Jack. Then her expression faltered, shifting from anger to despair with an unhealthy measure of exhaustion.
“I can’t … I don’t want to talk about this.” She sighed as she closed her eyes and scrubbed a hand across her face. “Aw, hell. Please don’t make me talk about this. Not tonight.”
He wanted to push for answers, for confirmation—the urge nearly overwhelmed him. But then he noticed the uncharacteristic slump in her shoulders, the strain lining her features, and he couldn’t bring himself to push her any further.
“All right, you wi
n. For now. Come on, I’ll walk you back to your cabin,” he said, mentally berating himself for being such a sap. He held out his hand, felt a rush of warmth when her fingers meshed with his. “But don’t think I’m letting you off the hook. This conversation isn’t over.”
“Of course not.”
They walked in silence, lost in their thoughts as they descended the stairs to the third floor and Ruby’s cabin.
How on earth could he possibly know? Not knowing the answer was driving her crazy. Over the years she’d been called almost every name in the book, but “reaper” had never made the list until tonight. Mortals weren’t aware of their existence, and everything else steered clear of the agents of Death.
And if that were the case, what did that make Jack?
She darted a subtle glance in his direction. Even now, she sensed his vitality, strong and unyielding, a constant deep rumble showing no signs of weakness.
Mortal, but not quite human.
She hadn’t picked up on it before, hadn’t paid close enough attention to notice the slightly different pitch and tenor to his essence. On the surface it felt distinctly human. But when she sharpened her focus she detected something foreign threaded between the layers of humanity, unknown and unidentifiable.
So if he wasn’t human, then what was he?
Guess she had her own mystery to unravel.
“I’m going on an excursion first thing in the morning, but I want to see you tomorrow night,” Jack said when they reached the door to her cabin. His brown eyes held an unwavering resolve that let her know she wasn’t weaseling her way out of this one. But she also saw kindness, and compassion, and a genuine affection that tugged at her heart. “I mean it. We need to talk.”
“I know.” She let out a weary breath.
His features softened as he lifted a hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Whatever he was, he meant her no harm. “Are you going to be all right?”
Not really. “Sure.” Maybe after a drink or two or eight. She usually wasn’t the type to drown her sorrows in alcohol, but tonight might prove to be an exception. Being pegged as a reaper had left her awkward and off-kilter, a combination she wasn’t accustomed to feeling.
