Reaper

by B E Kelly

  “Who sent you? Was it Ringer or Anthony Sr.?” he questioned. Reaper knew he sounded paranoid but he didn’t give a fuck. There was no way he was going to get in this woman’s car if she was sent by one of them, no matter how badly he wanted to make his meeting.

  “Who?” Lizzy asked. “I’m sorry but I have no idea who you are talking about. No one sent me.”

  “Sure,” he said. He knew he was calling her a liar, but he didn’t care. Someone had sent her and Reaper knew he was going to have to tread cautiously if he was going to keep his secrets. It might be the only way he would make his meeting alive.

  “Listen, thanks for the offer of a ride, but I think I’ll take my chances of someone else happening by soon,” he said.

  “That’s just it,” Lizzy said. “I’m not sure this has anything to do with chance. I think I was sent by someone but not who you’re thinking.”

  Now he was curious. Reaper wanted to find out who was keeping tabs on him and why they’d send a beautiful woman after him. If someone wanted his attention, they sure had it.

  “Okay,” he said. “I’ll bite, Lizzy. Who sent you?”

  She sighed and her scowl let him know she wasn’t happy with the nickname he had given her. Every time he called her Lizzy she seemed to become a little more agitated.

  “Elizabeth,” she corrected. “My name is Elizabeth.”

  “Sorry,” he said, although he really didn’t mean it. “I’ll try to get your name right just as soon as you can explain how you know mine,” he said.

  “I’m trying to explain that,” she sighed. “Although, I’m afraid I’m not doing such a great job of it. I am a seer,” she said, as if he was supposed to know exactly who or what that was.

  “You just lost me, Lizzy,” he admitted. “What the hell is a seer?”

  “Basically just what it sounds like,” she said. “I can see things that haven’t happened or even some that have already occurred, in my dreams. I think I met you, in a dream.”

  “Well, that’s original,” he teased. “Do you usually pick up guys on the side of the road using that line?” he asked. “Listen, you’re a very pretty woman but I’m not interested,” he lied.

  “No,” she protested. “It’s not a pickup line. I’ve seen you in my dreams since I was about ten. You always appear as a little boy, playing on a beach. Usually you’re building a sandcastle and before I leave, you beg me to help you, as if you’re afraid of something or someone.”

  “A beach?” Reaper asked. When he was about eleven, his mother and father had taken him and Sophie to a beach up north for an entire summer. It was the happiest time of his life. It was before the abduction. Before he was forced to do things that made him dirty and ashamed of who he was forced to become. He was just Chris that summer—a little boy who had no worries or cares and was free to be happy.

  “Yes,” she said. “You were wearing red swim trunks and looked to be about my age. You were building a sandcastle and when the waves washed it away, you threw sand at the ocean and cursed it.”

  “I remember that,” he whispered. Reaper remembered those swim trunks—he hated them. He was made fun of by the other boys on the beach. They called him lobster boy because he burned so easily and his mother insisted that he didn’t need a new pair of swim trunks because his old pair still fit him. He hated how the other kids made fun of him, saying that with his fresh sun burn and red trunks, he looked like a giant lobster. Even his sister got in on the razing and that was about all he could take. He had snuck away from his sister and the other kids to build his sandcastles. And, every day, when high tide came in, the ocean would take his hard work and wash it back into the sea.

  “How can you know all of that?” he asked. “Someone had to put you up to this.”

  “Listen, I really don’t care if you believe me or not, Reaper. I believe I was sent here to help you, but if you don’t want it, I’ll be on my way.” She turned to leave and he grabbed her arm, stopping her. He didn’t believe that she was whatever it was she called herself—a seer. Yeah, right. He didn’t believe in all of that hocus pocus and nothing would change his mind about that. She was either sent by someone or a complete looney toon. Either way, he needed a ride and if she agreed, he might still be able to make his meeting.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. If he was going to convince her to give him a lift, he needed to do a whole lot of sweet talking. “Listen, it’s been a shit day and I could really use your help. You said that’s why you are here, right? You want to help me?” He knew he was playing dirty, twisting her own words to fit his purpose but he was fresh out of options. Elizabeth hesitated and he worried that he had insulted her enough that she’d give up on her quest to be a decent person and leave him standing on the side of the road.

  “Please,” he added for good measure. He wasn’t above begging, especially when it came to helping his little sister. Reaper knew that Sophie’s future hinged on him making this meeting.

  “Fine,” Elizabeth sighed. “I’ll still help you, even if it is against my better judgement. Where is your meeting?” she asked. Reaper cringed, knowing that what he was about to ask was going to be too much. He had already pushed her and now he was going to ask the beautiful stranger to drive him almost three hundred and fifty miles to meet someone who may or may not be able to help him and his sister.

  “Um—Texas,” he sounded more like he was asking then telling her where his meeting was.

  “What? As in the state?” Elizabeth questioned. “You do realize that we are currently in Louisiana, right?” she said.

  “Yeah, I’ve lived here my whole life,” he admitted. “I was born and raised in NOLA, so I’m fully aware of where we are.”

  “And you want me to drive you from New Orleans to Texas?” Reaper watched her and worried that he was going to have to find another way to his meeting.

  “Um, yeah,” he said. “Houston to be exact.”

  “Shit,” she swore. “I really don’t have time for this. I have work to do and a deadline to meet,” she shouted. It was almost as if she wasn’t talking to him but to the universe and he wanted to laugh at the irony. He was just shouting that he needed help and here she was—the help he needed, and he was fucking it up.

  “I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t a matter of life or death. My sister’s in trouble and this meeting could save her life,” he almost whispered.

  He didn’t miss the flash of concern in Lizzy’s beautiful brown eyes. He could tell that he was starting to win her over. She sighed and nodded and Reaper couldn’t help himself. He picked her up and spun her around, causing her to complain and demand to be put down.

  “Thank you,” he said, gently putting her back down. “You don’t know how much I appreciate this.”

  “I have to call my boss from the road. I’ll need to make a quick pit stop at my house and grab a few things. I’m assuming you’ll need a ride back home after your meeting?” She looked him up and down as if expecting him to agree. She was kind of bossy and honestly, he found that sexy but Reaper needed to remember that wasn’t what this was about. He didn’t need to fall into bed with his beautiful savior. He needed a ride and that was it.

  “Fine,” he agreed.

  “What time is your meeting?” Lizzy questioned.

  “Tonight at seven,” he said.

  “Great,” she said. “That gives us just enough time to stop by my place and get to Houston. Ready?”

  “Sure,” he agreed, grabbing his bag from the back of his bike. “I really appreciate this, Lizzy,” he said.

  “Elizabeth,” she quickly corrected. “My name is Elizabeth.”

  Elizabeth

  Beth knew she sounded crazy when she called Lyra to tell her that she was driving a complete stranger over five hours away, over state lines. Hell, it felt pretty crazy to be sitting next to the boy—or in this case, man—she had been dreaming of all of these years. Reaper was just as brooding in real life as he was as the little boy in her dreams, who threw sand at t
he ocean and cursed it for messing up his sandcastle.

  They had stopped by her house to pick up a few things. Beth wasn’t sure she’d be able to drive all the way home that night and if she was going to have to spend the night in a hotel room, she was going to at least have her toothbrush and a change of clothes. Reaper didn’t seem too happy that she instructed him to wait in her car. In fact, he seemed downright grumpy about it, telling her to hurry up. She wanted to remind him that she was doing him a favor and ordering her about wasn’t the way to thank her, but she left it alone.

  While she piled her things into an overnight bag, she called Lyra to quickly explain what happened and that she was going to do the unthinkable and drive a complete stranger to Texas for a meeting that could help save his sister’s life. Beth didn’t understand any of what was happening, but when he told her about his sister being in danger, it tugged at her heartstrings and of course, she was a sucker for helping people, so she couldn’t tell him no.

  Her sister seemed to understand her need to help Reaper but warned her to be careful, as if that was necessary. She already had her guard up with him but for some strange reason, she knew he wasn’t a threat. After she ended her call with Lyra, she sent a quick message to her boss, letting him know that she had a family emergency and that her pages would be a little late. It wasn’t exactly the truth, but she was helping with a family emergency, just not her own family. By the time she got back outside, Reaper was impatiently pacing around the driver’s side of the car and when he saw her locking up her house, he almost seemed relieved.

  “I was starting to worry that you changed your mind,” he admitted.

  Beth shook her head. “Nope,” she said. “I had to call my sister, to let her know where I was going and then I had to text my boss to let him know I am going to miss my deadline.”

  “Shit,” Reaper scoffed. “Geeze, I’m sorry that I’m fucking up your life like this.” She wanted to giggle at just how upset he seemed. Really, she could use a break from her daily grind and what he was asking her to do seemed more like an adventure than fucking up her life.

  Beth shrugged, “It’s not a big deal, really. I haven’t missed a deadline before, so my boss will understand. Besides, I need a break from life and your trip seems like a perfect distraction.”

  “Thanks,” Reaper breathed. “How about I do some of the driving and you can get some work done,” he offered.

  “That works,” she said. Beth tossed her bag into the backseat of her car and slipped into the passenger side. “You take the first leg,” she ordered, tossing the keys onto the driver’s seat. Reaper smiled and slid into the driver’s seat, taking her up on her offer.

  “I need the distraction of driving, so I appreciate it,” he said. Beth pulled out her laptop as Reaper pulled out of her driveway. “What is it you do exactly?” he asked.

  “I’m a graphic designer. I do a little bit of everything, but right now I’m working on a comic book.” Beth pulled up the file where she had stored her work and the vibrant colors she had chosen for her superhero filled the screen. She held it up for Reaper to see and he whistled.

  “That’s fantastic,” he said. “You seem like the type who’d be into art and stuff.”

  Beth giggled, “What do you mean by that?” she questioned.

  Reaper shrugged, “I don’t know,” he admitted. “You just seem like a free spirit—you know what I mean? I’m betting you have a little art studio set up in your house with canvases and paints everywhere—that sort of thing.”

  Beth laughed, “Now I’m wondering if you aren’t a seer too,” she teased. “I have a room just like that, in the back of my house. It gets the best light and I love to paint. I’ve even sold a few of my canvases at some of the local art shows.”

  “I’d love to see your stuff sometime,” he said. “But I have to admit, I know nothing about art. Comic books are more my speed, if I’m being completely honest.”

  “I like graphic art but if I could make a living selling my paintings, I’d give it up. Comics and designing advertisements pays the bills and painting is more of a side hustle,” she said. “What is it you do, Reaper?”

  “I am part owner in a clothing manufacturing company. My father started it years ago and I took over his part of the company after he died.” Elizabeth could hear the sadness in his voice and it made her heart hurt, thinking about losing one of her parents. Sure, she wasn’t close with them, not like she was with her grandmother, but they were still her parents.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “That had to be tough.”

  “It was hard.” Reaper nodded, “Especially when I lost my mom,” he said. “It just me and my sister now and I promised my mother that I’d look after her. Sophie is somewhat of a free spirit herself. She likes guys who treat her like shit and she got hooked up with my boss’ son, Ringer.”

  “Ahh, I see,” Beth said. “And you don’t like this Ringer?”

  “No,” Reaper growled. “He’s bad news—both he and his father are. They took my father’s company and turned it into something ugly and I’m hoping to change that. But first, I have to get Sophie back and doing that might prove more difficult than I planned. Ringer took off with her about a week ago and I haven’t heard from her since.”

  “So, this meeting is important then?” Beth really didn’t want to pry, but she was hoping that Reaper would want to share some of his story with her, since they had five hours to kill. She wanted to know how she was connected to all of this and why she had seen him as a little boy, begging her for help. The only way to figure out why she was on this path would be to get Reaper to open up to her but something was telling her that was going to be easier said than done.

  “This meeting is everything,” he breathed. “Listen—I know what you must think and I promise, I’m not dragging you into something dangerous or illegal. But, my boss has done things that have dragged my father’s company into a cesspool of shit and I’m just trying to dig my family out.”

  “Sounds fair,” Elizabeth agreed. “If your boss is doing something illegal, why not just get the local authorities involved and have him arrested?” Reaper laughed and Beth backtracked, trying to figure out just what she said that was so funny.

  “It’s not that easy,” he said.

  “I guess I’m just naive when it comes to doing the right thing but it seems pretty cut and dry to me,” she said, sounding a little more defensive than she planned. Beth turned her attention back to her computer screen, trying not to seem as hurt as she felt. Reaper seemed to pick up on her unease and reached across the center console to take her hand into his and Beth felt those same damn sparks again. It felt as though her hand was on fire and she could tell he felt the same way.

  “I wonder why that happens?” he questioned.

  “You mean the way my skin feels as though it’s on fire every time you touch me?” Beth asked.

  “Yeah,” he breathed.

  “I’m not really sure,” she admitted. Beth pulled her hand free from his and pulled up her sleeve to reveal where the handprint was left on her skin from her dream about Reaper the night before.

  “Oh my God,” Reaper said. “Who did that to you?”

  “I think you did,” she admitted. “I know you don’t believe me, but I’ve been dreaming about you since I was ten years old, Reaper. I know you remember the red swim trunks I described to you earlier. I could see it in your eyes that what I told you seemed familiar. Maybe you just don’t want to believe this—I don’t know, but I know what I saw and what I felt. When you were asking me to help you in my dream, you called me Lizzy—your Lizzy. No one has ever called me that before, until we met today.”

  He shot her another disbelieving look and her heart sank. She hated that he didn’t believe a word she was saying, but she understood his doubt. Not many people heard her story and bought what she was telling them. It usually took a little convincing to get them to believe her, but in the end it was worth the effort because she was ab
le to help them. Beth just hoped the same would hold true for Reaper.

  “Okay,” he said. “Let’s say I believe you. You still haven’t explained how I gave you that mark on your arm.”

  Beth rubbed the small handprint that now had a bluish-purple hue to it and tried to remember her dream from the night before. Not that she could forget it. She had been seeing that same little boy for so long now; it felt less like a dream and more like a part of her own life.

  “I can’t really explain it,” she admitted. “I was dreaming about the little boy—well, you. And, he was begging me to help him. He kept telling me that I needed to find him and just before I disappeared into the ocean, he reached for my arm and held it so tightly that when I woke up, I had this mark,” she said, holding her arm out for Reaper’s inspection. He stopped at a red light and turned on the car’s dim overhead light, to take a closer look. When he wrapped his hands around her arm to pull her closer, Beth hissed out her breath. Fire felt as if it was burning her skin again but she refrained from pulling her arm free. That was going to take some getting used to, but she was beginning to like the way Reaper so freely touched her.

  The light turned green and he released her arm to drive. “You’re right,” he said so quietly she almost couldn’t hear him.

  “I’m right about what?” she asked. Beth was hoping that Reaper was admitting that he believed her, but judging from the skepticism she still saw in his eyes every time he looked at her, she knew better than to hope for that.

  “I don’t believe you,” he said. “It’s just all too much. Honestly Lizzy, you want me to believe that you saw visions of me as a little boy and then I left a handprint on your skin just before you woke up?”