Page 1 of A Reaper’s Devotion (The Reapers #2)

C yrus Tistleton glanced over the computer screens and not for the first time hated his brother for fucking this job up.

Ray hadn’t been able to hack it as a Reaper, and he came begging him to help out.

What did he do? He decided to go against his better instincts and convince The Reapers to hire his brother, even though he hadn’t fucking earned that right.

Then, given the chance, the selfish fuck had decided to turn the other way for a thousand fucking bucks.

Just remembering was enough to make him mad.

Ray had always been a fuckup. And Cyrus always tried to clean up the little shit’s messes. This time, though, Ray had been on his own. Ray had even attempted to lie to their parents, but Cyrus had set them straight.

It had resulted in Ray getting kicked out of their home, and Ray left town. He was glad of it as well, because he was tired of dealing with him. His brother was a piece of shit, putting the town at risk. Lost Creek was not a place to put at risk.

They had been on that slippery slope once before, when a bunch of gangs thought they could do what they wanted with the town.

Since the inception of The Reapers, Lost Creek had been the safest place to live, providing, of course, you’re not the fucked-up reason for having The Reapers come after you.

He looked across the cameras, and the moment he saw Willow Evans, he couldn’t help but zoom in and follow her.

It was a hot day in Lost Creek, one of the last remaining hot days, and it was getting close to mid-September. This was where the weather started to change. Sporadic hot days, mingled with cold ones. In Lost Creek, they got some crazy weather.

Willow looked good. Over a year ago, she had lost her mother to cancer, and her mother had been battling that disease for a long time.

Close to five years, Cyrus recalled. Bethany had been a sweet woman.

She’d been the kind of woman to bake a gazillion lasagnas to help anyone struggling.

He recalled the Nelsons, a couple of streets from them.

David had been laid off from work, and no one was hiring.

They had nothing to rub together, and Bethany made sure to bake them hot meals for many weeks.

Just randomly dropping off food, so the family could eat.

The Reapers had liked David. The man had joined The Reapers, but unfortunately, it had only been for a short time.

After doing the initiation and for a couple of years, he’d been fine, but illness had taken him, and he dropped out of The Reapers.

They had been able to find him work, but during that time, Bethany and Willow had helped where they could. They were good women.

He’d been so heartbroken to hear the news of Bethany’s cancer diagnosis. Even more so to learn when it had become terminal. Willow had taken care of her mother until the end.

Bethany, rest her soul, had died a year ago.

In the past year, he saw Willow around town, and he knew she had moved out of her mother’s home and sold the place.

Again, being a Reaper, he was aware that Bethany’s dying wish was for her daughter to leave that house, move on, and make a life away from all the death.

“I see the way you look at my daughter. You make an honest woman out of her, and you and I will always be on good terms.”

That was one of the last things Bethany had ever said to him.

“Ugh, fuck.”

Cyrus zoomed out of his stalking and turned to see George looking down at his crisp white shirt that now had a lovely stain on it. This was his cue to leave.

“You ready to take over?”

“I’ve got no choice. Do you have another shirt to change into?” George asked, looking a little too hopeful.

“Nah, man. I’m heading out.”

“Fucking hate this part of the job.”

And Cyrus hated the guilt that gripped him. He never should have volunteered his brother. Town surveillance was one of the jobs no one wanted to take, because it was fucking boring.

He stayed silent as he grabbed his stuff from the locker, then left George. The Reapers took shifts. They had no problem when it came to protecting the town, but this one part of the job was always a pain in the ass.

Heading out of the building, he stepped into the glorious sunshine, and then there was only one place he wanted to be—and that was heading straight to Flynn’s Café. They served the best coffee and food, and he saw Willow heading there.

It had been a year, and he promised her mother he would give her time.

Of course, Bethany had told him she wouldn’t need any time.

He didn’t believe that for a second. Willow loved her mother, always had and always would.

Losing her had hurt Willow, and he had been there for her as much as possible.

He was not going to be the guy that would be accused of taking advantage.

Willow was five years younger than him, and had caught his eye a long time ago.

He didn’t know why he’d not gone for her before now.

Being a Reaper had seemed so much more important to him.

He didn’t want to risk having a wife and kids, or anything that would give him a weakness.

However, seeing Daniel, their leader, settle down, and knowing all The Reapers had his back, there was no reason for him to keep putting off the inevitable.

Also, he couldn’t stand the risk that another man might discover what a gem Willow was. He had to lock this shit down, and do it fast.

Entering Flynn’s Café, he looked across the crowded room and immediately spotted Willow in the corner. He greeted several of the locals, but he didn’t stop until he got to her table.

“Well, well, well, imagine meeting you here,” he said.

Willow looked up, and she had the cutest pair of glasses perched on her nose. The moment she looked at him, she smiled. “Hi, Cyrus, and you don’t have to play dumb, we both know you saw me heading here.”

This surprised him. “You know?”

“That you’re helping out with the town’s surveillance, yeah, I know. Also, it helps that I have this thing where I tend to watch everyone.” She frowned. “I probably shouldn’t admit to that.”

This made him smile. “Do you mind if I have a seat?”

“Not at all.”

Damn, he loved that smile.

“I’m glad you stopped by as there was something I wanted to ask you,” Willow said.

He waited as she leaned forward. She licked her lips, tucked some of her hair behind her ear, and then shoved her glasses up into her hair so they laid on her head.

“What did you want to ask?”

“I know your brother got the job before, but I was wondering if it was possible to apply to be the surveillance operator person.”

This surprised him.

“You want to ... observe the town?”

“I took care of my mom for a long time. I think I can do this job, and also, I think I would be quite good at it.” She nibbled her lip. “Unless you think it’s a bad idea?”

“I don’t think it is a bad idea. I mean, I know we’re all taking turns to help out. But I’m sure we’re looking for someone who would be able to take over full-time.”

“Where do I go to apply?” Willow asked. She held up the paper. “This is not exactly helping and there doesn’t seem to be a place for me to apply, so I’m not sure what I’m supposed to be doing.”

“I’ll handle it.”

“You will?” she asked.

“Yeah, but on one condition?”

She tilted her head to the side and looked at him. “What condition?”

****

W illow Evans looked across all of the cameras and made a note that she was never, ever, ever going to pull the panties out of her butt again.

There was a lot of security all over town, not that she had a problem with it.

She knew all the rumors about the past, and her mother had told her some horror stories about what it was like growing up in Lost Creek before The Reapers took over.

She wasn’t exactly sure who was and wasn’t a Reaper.

She had a feeling Cyrus was one, also Daniel who owned the bar, and several other men.

Again, she hadn’t been lying when she told Cyrus she observed people.

It wasn’t a weird thing she did, but her other job, the one she kept quiet, was as a writer.

Taking care of her mother had been a full-time job, and savings hadn’t exactly lasted long with the ever-increasing medical bills.

When her mother was sleeping or having a good day, she would take that time to pour her heart and soul into stories.

By some miracle or sheer luck, she had become an author.

She was so thankful for the invention of e-books and small publishers.

No one in Lost Creek knew she was an erotic romance author, with multiple books in her name.

It made her enough to get by, pay the medical bills, and have some independence. She didn’t need this job, but she wanted it. Not for any other reason than to give back to the town that had helped her through the last decade of her life.

Since she hit twenty, she had lost her father, dealt with her mother’s cancer battle and terminal diagnosis.

It had been a hard ten years. The people of Lost Creek had been freaking amazing pillars of strength.

If watching the town’s security was what she could do to thank them all, that was what she was going to do.

She looked over the footage, and there was nothing of concern. Just the locals going about their daily lives. Teenage kids sneaking around places they shouldn’t be, making out, and doing teenage things.

She took a sip of her coffee and sat back, looking over the screens, trying not to think about Cyrus’s ... condition. He would put in a good word for her, if she agreed to go on a date with him. Dating sounded like a lot of fun.

To most women, this would be an amazing time. Willow wasn’t most women. The last decade of her life had been one piece of bad news after another, and the idea of dating just never appealed to her. It didn’t even appeal to her now.

But, Cyrus did.

Even her mother had seen her interest in Cyrus.