Page 26 of Brush with Death
Vale hadn’t helped people in his previous work.He’d killed them.Cyril had been surprised when Vale had floated the idea of becoming a PI, but he could see it.Even though Vale had killed people for a living, he wasn’t a bad person—and wasn’t that something Cyril had never thought he’d think?But he did think it, and he knew that Vale wouldn’t mind helping people.His main objective would always be to keep Cyril safe, but he could do that while also being a PI.Besides, Russell had pointed out that most of their jobs would probably be divorces and cheating cases.Cyril wasn’t sure that was something Vale wanted, but it certainly was something he should think about.
“Don’t mention this to Russell,” Vale grumbled.
“Mention what?”Cyril asked him with a smile.
“He thinks John’s adorable.He’s going to take John under his wing so fast that John won’t realize what happened, and then, we’ll never be able to get rid of him.”
“I won’t tell Russell anything about this, but it doesn’t mean that John won’t find another way to him, and you know that if he does, Russell will take him in.”
“That means that I need to keep the two of them away from each other.”
“Do you?Because it feels like it’s inevitable.”
“God, please don’t say that.I don’t think the world would survive a friendship between John and Russell.Icertainly won’t.”
Vale was grumbling, but he wasn’t actually angry.Cyril could tell.
He was sure that now that John had an idea in mind, he would cling to it until it happened or until he found something better, and as far as Cyril was concerned, there was nothing better than working with Vale and Russell.Why would anyone not want that?
Chapter Nine
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“YOU NEED TO TALK TOyour friend again,” Rachel declared.
Cyril stared at the phone on the kitchen table.He still hadn’t met Rachel, but he wished he could see her right now.He wished he could see her every time they talked on the phone.She was Vale and Russell’s closest friend, and it didn’t feel right that she and Cyril had never been in the same room.
Vale cleared his throat.“Why do you say that?”
Right.Rachel had called to talk about Katie and Sam.Thatwas what Cyril should focus on.
He was thankful for Vale’s presence.If Cyril got distracted by thoughts that he wasn’t doing enough or started to panic because he doubted that his ability would ever return, Vale could bring him back down to earth and try to calm him down.
Cyril felt like he shouldn’t need that, but he wasn’t sure he could do without it.As more days passed, he was starting to really think about the possibility that he wouldn’t get his full ability back.What would he do then?
He could still feel the souls when he reached for them.They were right there.The problem was that even though he could feel them, there was nothing he could do about it.He couldn’t put the souls back into the bodies they’d belonged to.Something was still blocking him, or rather, hethoughtthat something was blocking him.Vale hadn’t allowed Cyril anywhere near a dead body since he’d tried reanimating Sam at the morgue.No matter how many times Cyril had asked to try since then, Vale’s answer had always been no.
Cyril hadn’t called Katie again, either.He didn’t know how to tell her that he still had no idea what had happened to Sam.It had only been a few days, but he felt like he should’ve done more.
Would she blame him for it?Cyril was blaming himself enough for the both of them.Hell, he was blaming himself enough for a bunch of people.
“I poked around Sam’s social media, and I can tell you that something was different in his life over the past few months.
Cyril frowned.“That’s not possible.Katie said there was nothing wrong with him.”
“Well, either Katie didn’t know the full extent of it, or she was lying to you.That’s why you have to go back to talk to her.”
“She’s in pain.I don’t want to bother her more than I already did.”And Cyril really didn’t think she’d lied.Maybe she hadn’t known whatever Rachel was talking about, or maybe she had but hadn’t thought about it.She’d just lost the most important person in her life.She was bound to forget things or not to think about them.Her attention was on the fact that Sam was gone.Cyril couldn’t blame her for that.
“You told her you’d find out what happened to Sam,” Vale said gently.“I’m sure she’ll agree to talk to you.”
“I really feel we should leave her alone.She’s grieving.”
“She is.It doesn’t mean she won’t want to talk to you.Why don’t you text her and ask?She can decide whether or not she wants to see you.”
Cyril almost said no, but Vale wasn’t wrong.Katie had asked Cyril to find out what had happened to Sam, so she probably would want to give him all the information she hadn’t thought of the first time.Cyril would also use this time to check in on her.He didn’t know much about Katie’s family, but he remembered she hadn’t been close to them.She’d only had Sam.
Cyril had always known that he was lucky to have his mother.She’d been supportive of him for his entire life, including two times, which a lot of parents wouldn’t have been.She hadn’t run away screaming when she’d realized that he was a necromancer, and she hadn’t kicked him out when he’d come out to her.She’d supported him through all of it, even when he didn’t know what to do with himself.He’d always have her support.She’d always be there for him.
