Lost Reaper (The Reaper Series Book 1)

by Shelley Russell Nolan

  I slipped my sunglasses into my bag and pulled out the sandwich Sam had bought me, planning on putting it in the staffroom fridge before I continued searching for Chris. Sarah laughed again and she sounded so happy and carefree I couldn’t help myself from smiling as I stepped inside the staffroom.

  The smile cracked.

  Sarah sat at the table, back to the door. Chris sat next to her, leaning in close as he pointed to an article in the newspaper spread out in front of Sarah, murmuring something in her ear and making her laugh again.

  I dropped the bag containing the sandwich and both of them turned at the noise.

  ‘Hey, Tyler, you’re back early. I thought you and the sexy detective would be taking a long lunch, if you know what I mean.’ Sarah winked at me and heat swamped my face.

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ I said as I bent over and scooped up the squashed sandwich, conscious of Chris and the enigmatic smile on his face.

  Sarah gave me a huge smile. ‘Chris, this is my friend Tyler. She works here too.’

  ‘We’ve met,’ I said, forcing myself to move forward and place the ruined sandwich in the fridge. Food without a name was fair game, so maybe someone else would find it edible. I had no appetite whatsoever.

  ‘You didn’t say anything to me about it.’ Sarah frowned, her gaze going from me to Chris.

  ‘It was a couple of days ago,’ I said, ‘at the police station.’

  ‘Yes, that’s right.’ Chris leaned back in his chair, linking his hands behind his head and stretching his long legs out under the table. ‘I thought you looked familiar when I saw you across the street, kissing the detective.’

  ‘Oh my god,’ said Sarah, her hands going to her mouth. ‘You kissed him. How was it? Is he a good kisser?’

  I glared at Chris, shaking my head for Sarah’s benefit. ‘I don’t want to talk about it.’

  Sarah pouted. Then her face creased into a smile. ‘Chris was telling me about a party he had at the Mayor’s house last week. You wouldn’t believe what our public servants get up to when there’s a free bar.’

  ‘Nothing would surprise me these days,’ I said.

  Chris stood and then leaned over to give Sarah a kiss on the cheek. ‘It has been a pleasure to see you again, Sarah. I’m looking forward to seeing more of you tonight.’

  Sarah giggled and I watched, open mouthed, as Chris left without another word.

  I turned to Sarah. ‘What was that all about?’

  ‘He’s got another council bash to attend and he doesn’t have a date. He said he hates turning up to these things on his own and asked if I’d go with him. I said yes, of course. The guy’s rich and gorgeous. I’d be crazy not to go out with him.’ She pushed her seat back and stood, bouncing on the balls of her feet, a huge smile on her face. ‘Can you believe it? I’m going out with Chris Bradbury.’

  I shook my head. ‘I still don’t get it. When did you meet him before?’

  ‘Yesterday, when I went for a walk. I got to the park and was sitting on the swing, you know, thinking about stuff, and he came up and asked me why I looked so sad? He said a pretty face like mine was made for smiling.’

  Now I knew why Sarah had been in a good mood when she’d returned to the flat the day before and why Andrew thought Chris had been to see me. Maybe Chris had been on his way to the flat, but somehow he’d ended up at the park flirting with Sarah instead.

  I tuned out as Sarah prattled on and on about Chris being such a great guy. I made myself a cup of coffee, vigorously stirring in three spoons of sugar. I had no right to be jealous, after all, Chris had just found me in Sam’s arms. He had the right to date whoever he wanted, but did it have to be Sarah? First Logan, and now Chris. How many more men would she take away from me?

  I cringed, stamping down on my inner bitch. Sarah bore some of the blame for Logan, but Chris and I were never a couple. She wasn’t stealing him from me. She didn’t even know I knew him, or that he had kissed me senseless hours before he’d flirted with her in the park.

  ‘It’s a great idea, don’t you think?’

  ‘What?’ I focused on Sarah’s face, having no idea what she had said.

  ‘A double date. You and your detective. Me and Chris.’

  ‘Ah …’

  ‘I know, I know, I’m getting carried away. We’re not even an official couple yet. But once it is, official I mean, what do you say we make a night of it?’

  ‘I don’t think it would be a good idea,’ I said, my insides twisting into a tiny ball.

  ‘But I thought you and the cop were going out. You were kissing him, right?’

  ‘It’s … ah … complicated. Can we not talk about this right now?’ I rummaged in my bag for some headache tablets and swallowed them down with a mouthful of coffee.

  ‘Sure, whatever you want,’ said Sarah as she picked up her plate and scraped the remains of a salad into the bin. She rinsed her dishes and placed them in the draining rack.

  She turned around and gave me a hug. ‘I hope everything works out with you and your cop. After what I put you through, you deserve to be happy.’ She tilted her head to one side and I could see a gleam of tears in her hazel eyes. ‘I’m sorry I pushed you yesterday, about forgiving me. You have every right to hate me. I don’t expect you to forgive and forget, but I do want you to know I’m here for you, in whatever capacity you need, for as long as it takes.’

  Tears stung my eyes and I reached out for her, choking back a sob when she took my hand. Then we hugged, for real this time, and my shoulder grew soggy from her tears. Finally, with a laugh, I pulled away. ‘You make it so hard to stay angry with you.’

  ‘Good,’ she said, with an impish smile. ‘Means I have more chance of getting my sister back. But I won’t push, I promise.’

  I nodded, and then wiped my eyes with one hand. ‘You know, I should be thanking you. If you hadn’t shown me what a jerk Logan was I’d still be with him, and that would have been an even bigger mistake.’

  ‘At least your taste in men has improved, and mine. I hope Chris and your detective like each other. I predict we’ll all be spending lots of time together.’

  Sarah left the room, heading back to our office. I sipped at my coffee, grimacing at the sweetness before tipping it down the sink. As I made a fresh cup I fought the urge to start crying again.

  How did my life get so messed up? One minute Sam is kissing me, and the next Chris is asking Sarah out. This could only end in disaster.

  Chapter 25

  I tossed a dirty dish cloth in the sink, slammed the fridge door shut, and stomped out of the kitchen. ‘Can you put the lid back properly on the milk if you’re going to lie it down on the shelf,’ I called out as I sank onto the couch. ‘The bloody thing leaked all over the place.’

  ‘You’re not supposed to cry over spilt milk,’ said Sarah from the bathroom.

  ‘You clean up the mess, then. You’re the one who made it.’ I grabbed the remote off the coffee table and turned the television on.

  ‘And what’s with a council party on a Monday night?’ A local news broadcast was on and I switched it off when the topic of Easton’s serial killer came up. ‘Don’t they have to work tomorrow, like the rest of us ordinary folk? I mean, who’s running this town if they’re all at some stupid party having free drinks?’

  ‘Geez, what’s got you in such a bad mood?’ Sarah emerged from the bathroom and came into the lounge. ‘Is it the cop? Did something happen?’

  ‘I am not in a bad mood.’

  ‘Sure, you’re all sweetness and light and dancing rainbows. You’ve been grouchy all afternoon. It is the cop, isn’t it? Has he broken it off already?’

  ‘Will you please stop talking about Sam? I’ve had enough, okay.’ I glared at her, at the way my white dress hugged her curves. She’d left her glossy brown hair down and it flowed across her shoulders, as silky as the dress. Her makeup highlighted her hazel eyes, the smoky black eyeliner making her seem mysterious and alluring.

  ‘How do
I look?’ Sarah twirled around. ‘He won’t be able to resist me, right?’

  ‘Are you sure you want to go out with him? You’ve read the magazines. Half the time he’s dating three girls at once, and he’s never been serious about any of them. You don’t want to be another girl he uses and tosses aside, do you?’

  ‘Tyler, what’s gotten into you? I like Chris. Would it kill you to be happy for me?’

  ‘I want you to be careful. He has girls throwing themselves at him all the time. It’s hard for a guy like him to settle down.’ I inspected my nails and got ready to deliver the confession it had taken me all afternoon to compose.

  ‘But he hasn’t met a girl like me before. He usually hangs around with society girls, models and actresses. Tonight he’ll see that a real girl is so much better than a plastic Barbie wannabe,’ Sarah said with a smile as she plonked herself down on the couch to slip on tiger striped heels.

  My fashion instincts overcame the urge to confess. ‘Don’t you think your gold shoes would look better? Those ones stand out against the white,’ I said.

  ‘All the better for me to get noticed,’ said Sarah. ‘I’m going to show Chris I am not some meek and mild miss who stays in the background. I’m planning on showing him how wild I can be, so don’t wait up.’ She gave me a smirk. ‘You might want to use earplugs tonight, unless we go back to his place. I’ve never had sex in a penthouse before. I bet it’s spectacular.’

  ‘The sex or the penthouse?’ I couldn’t resist asking, though I determinedly blocked out the image of Sarah and Chris in bed together. It had been bad enough catching her with Logan.

  ‘Both, of course. We’ll see how many rooms I can christen in one night,’ Sarah said with a wink. ‘You can tell Chris has lots of stamina, and for what I have planned he’s going to need it.’

  But what did Chris have planned? He’d only asked Sarah out to make me jealous and to get back at me for kissing Sam, hadn’t he? What if he was serious about this date? If I gave my carefully prepared confession now it would sound like a selfish rant. Still, Sarah deserved to know the truth about my involvement with Chris before she went out with him.

  ‘Sarah, listen, there’s something I need to tell you about Chris and- ’

  A knock at the door cut me off.

  ‘Can you get that? It’s probably Chris. Tell him I’ll be out in a second. I need to find some jewellery to liven up this dress.’ Sarah took off down the hallway before I could say no and I reluctantly got off the couch and opened the door.

  ‘Are you Miss Abbott?’ A man in a chauffeur’s uniform disparagingly gave me the once over.

  I gave him a genuine smile, so relieved he wasn’t Chris I ignored his disdain for my pyjamas. ‘She’s almost ready.’

  ‘Very good. I’ll wait by the car.’

  Five minutes later Sarah came out of her bedroom and sauntered into the lounge. She frowned on finding it empty. ‘Where’s Chris?’

  ‘He sent a car for you. The driver is waiting outside,’ I said, biting my bottom lip to stop myself from commenting on the tribal themed necklace she had on or the handbag she’d slung over her shoulder. It matched the shoes, completing her wild look.

  The accessories were out of place against the dress from the Underworld. It appeared simple, but the elegance of its lines and the way it draped the body meant it didn’t need any embellishment to look fantastic. But I‘d already said too many negative things. I’d come across like a jealous bitch if I said anything more. Besides, if Chris was just as much a jerk as Logan it wouldn’t take Sarah long to realise it. I didn’t need to be the one to deliver the bad news, and I could be wrong. Even though shards of glass jabbed in my gut at the thought of Sarah and Chris as a couple, I had to give Sarah every chance to be happy.

  The silence after she left reminded me of the Underworld so I switched the television back on. The national news played in the background as I went into the kitchen and nuked a frozen dinner in the microwave. While it heated up I poured myself a glass of wine. If the people who were running our town could drink it up on a Monday night then so could I.

  The couch started singing and I delved under the cushions and found Sarah’s mobile. I fished it out and checked the screen.

  Incoming call from Connor.

  I hit the answer button. ‘Connor? How are you doing?’

  ‘Where’s Sarah?’

  ‘On a date. She’s gone to some council party at the Customs House with Chris Bradbury,’ I said, ‘and she’s planning on having a late night.’

  ‘Damn. I need to talk to her.’

  ‘You can talk to me.’

  ‘As if.’ Connor hung up.

  I tossed the phone on the coffee table before going into the kitchen to throw my uneaten dinner in the bin. I downed the rest of my wine and as I placed it on the sink my phone buzzed.

  I opened a new message from Chris. “The dress would look better on you.”

  I started to smile, and then clapped a hand over my mouth. I should not be happy about this. He had no right to compare me and Sarah. She was his date and deserved to be treated with respect. I told him as much in a text, receiving a reply seconds later.

  “Want you, not your friend. Meet me at my place in 15 mins.”

  I poured myself another glass of wine. A warm glow suffused my face as I sipped my drink while considering my response. It sounded like Sarah wouldn’t be christening the penthouse after all and, petty or not, I did a happy dance. Still, I couldn’t let Chris get away with such appalling behaviour. He was just like Logan, and I did not want to get involved with a guy who thought it okay to date one girl while sending texts to another.

  “Not going to happen, Bradbury. You made your bed.”

  As soon as I sent the text I wanted to take it back. I nibbled at my bottom lip, cursing myself for mentioning his bed. What if he decided to make the most of his date with Sarah? I knew a guy didn’t necessarily have to like a girl to sleep with her. My phone buzzed and I scanned his response.

  “You win. But if she roars once more I can’t be held accountable for my actions.”

  I giggled, able to picture Sarah doing a tiger impersonation. She obviously had no idea how her attempt to show Chris how wild she could be was coming across. She’d be heart broken when she realised he wasn’t interested in going out with her. I’d have to be extra supportive when she came home.

  My face went tight. Sarah would be furious if she found out Chris had been texting me behind her back. It didn’t help to know my initial assessment of the situation had been right. He’d used Sarah to make me jealous, the same way he’d used the woman he’d been kissing at Remy’s on Saturday night.

  I shivered, remembering the last time I had seen her; dead in a ditch. I tipped the last of my wine down the sink and went into the bathroom to wash my face, the effects of the alcohol I had drunk on an empty stomach making me dizzy. I concentrated on my reflection in an attempt to steady myself.

  ‘What the hell?’ I recoiled from the mirror. A death head stared back at me. I started to hyperventilate, my heart beating faster and faster as the skull morphed into Grimm’s face.

  I glared at him, wishing I could wipe the smug smile off his face. I gripped my necklace, for a wild moment wondering if I could use it against Grimm, like Chris had said. But it did not warm beneath my hand like when I reaped a soul and whatever powers it possessed did not make themselves known.

  Grimm gave a menacing chuckle. ‘Go ahead. See what happens when you try reaping the soul of the Grim Reaper.’

  ‘I wasn’t-’

  ‘Every reaper thinks about it at least once. But only a few are stupid enough to actually try.’

  ‘If you’ve got something to say, spit it out. Otherwise, get out of my mirror. I don’t want to look at you anymore.’

  Grimm’s human face disappeared and the skeletal image of the Grim Reaper took his place. I struggled not to back away as wave after wave of fear lashed my body.

  ‘Don’t test me girl,’
said Grimm. ‘You have three days, don’t waste them.’ He leaned forward and his skull appeared on this side of the mirror, his lower jaw crunching. ‘Oh, and Tyler, if I find out you already know where Ash is and are hiding him from me, you won’t be the only one to pay the price. Unless you want your family and friends to join you in the Underworld, I suggest you get out there and find my reaper.’

  His skull retreated back into the mirror and his reflection vanished. I collapsed on to the edge of the bath. He must know about Chris. I raced out into the lounge, scooping up my phone. I started to dial Dad’s number, and then stopped.

  How could I phrase it so he wouldn’t think me crazy? Dad would never believe me if I told him the truth. No one would believe me unless I could prove it and reaping a soul to make a point was out of the question.

  I slumped down on the couch. Grimm actions had shown he couldn’t be trusted, and while I knew Chris was keeping something from me I had to believe he was doing what he thought was right. But Grimm had threatened my family. It’s time I learned why he wanted Chris back so bad.

  Back and forth, I argued with myself over what direction to take. I wanted to confront Chris now, but he was on a date with Sarah, surrounded by half the town council. Although, he had made it clear he would ditch the lot of them if I agreed to meet him at his penthouse. I dialled Chris’s number and waited for him to pick up. It went to voicemail.

  ‘Hi, Chris. It’s Tyler. I’ve changed my mind. I’d like to meet up with you tonight. Call me as soon as you get this message.’ I hung up and sat on the couch, waiting for my phone to ring. Unable to sit still for long, I got up to pace.

  The phone gripped firmly in my hand remained stubbornly silent. I wanted to be out there, doing something, finding a way to stop Grimm from ruining countless lives. For the third time in an hour I called Chris, tossing the phone on the couch when it went to voicemail again. What the hell was he up to?

  My mind immediately conjured up images of Chris and Sarah, in the penthouse, and my hands curled into fists as I continued to pace. Damn it, why wasn’t he answering his phone?