Page 12 of Fear the Reaper
“If they’ve been following her as long as she believes they are, there is something there.”
“You’re saying they were in her place?”
“I hope not. There’s nothing like having strangers roaming through your private space, touching your things without your permission. It’s violating.”
“Yeah—there’s almost no going back after that.”
“Amen, brother.” Reaper’s voice was a rumble.
The way he spoke then showed me a different side of him—a caring side. It was one he probably would never show me.
I remained still, pretending, hoping he would say something else. In my adult life, people rarely say nice things about me. Even when they gave me awards for my work, the compliment were backwards, an insult wrapped in sweetness. Strange, they thought me good enough or the ward but too dumb to know what they were doing. After a while, I stopped showing up to accept them.
I needed to show them I didn’t need or want their approval.
Shit—that only added to the list of people who wanted me dead.
I did fall asleep then, but it didn’t last long. The flight back seemed shorter and soon we were on the ground. Hank was there with an extra SUV. He hugged me tightly then cradled my face.
“They’ve been good to you, right?” Hank “Montana” Patterson asked with a smile.
“So far.” I replied.
I accepted one more squeeze then stepped back.
“I brought you a ride.” Montana extended keys to Reaper. “Did Swede talk to you about your fee?”
“Yes. But, Ms. Shuman and I have an agreement.” Reaper turned to glance at me. “My fee is covered.”
“Um…” Montana glanced from Reaper to me but he didn’t push it. “Are you carrying?”
Reaper nodded. “Always.”
“Good,” Montana said. “Check in and holler if you need any help. We always have a guy floating around. There will be backup if you need it.”
“I appreciate that,” Reaper said.
“In the mean time, I should get going.” Swede told me. “Duty calls.”
To say goodbye, I walked Swede to his truck while Reaper spoke with Montana. My nerves were pulsing through me, causing my stomach to cramp. Still, I kept that to myself.
“Don’t worry, Star. Reaper is good at what he does.” Swede reassured me. “Remember what I said…”
“He doesn’t mean to be an asshole. Got it.”
Swede laughed and kissed my forehead. “Sure, paraphrasing, I see.”
I crinkled my nose but before I could say anything else, Montana joined us. I said my goodbyes and stepped out of the way so they could drive off. It took some doing to turn and face Reaper. When I did, he was seated on the hood of the SUV, legs propped on the grill with this thick thighs accentuated by his jeans.
“Ready?” Reaper asked. “I put your bag in the back.”
“Not really. But I don’t really have a choice.” I walked by him to open the SUV’s passenger side door. “The sooner we can figure this out, the faster you can get back to your hermit existence.”
“I’m starting to think you’re jealous.” Reaper hopped down and walked to the driver’s side.
“Of you? Hardly.” I slammed the door and pulled on my seatbelt.
By the end of this ordeal, if I was alive, I will pick up a new hobby—drinking.
