Page 155 of Finders Reapers

Jamal had never told Valentina how he felt.

He had held her. He had tasted her and taken her.

He had always been the one to leave—wasn’t it ironic that the first girl that he had ever truly loved with an all-encompassing intensity was the one that would leave him.

“It’s not fucking fair,” Jamal whispered as the sun disappeared over the rocks and left the ground cold.

“It’s not fucking fair.” Fletcher echoed.

Maddox, Rome, Jamal, and Fletcher did not wait for Charon to gift them with his time. They hopped in the elevator and headed up to Acquisitions after the new receptionist refused to put their calls through—even after Maddox threatened to reach into their body and pulled out their intestines.

Unfortunately, the new receptionist was fully aware that Maddox’s desperate threats were largely impossible to follow through on.

Jamal didn’t say a word when they struggled to heave Valentina’s body down the main promenade between the rows and rows of computers and office staff. He didn’t utter the words Rigor Mortis, even when it hovered on his tongue.

The entire journey from the scene in the desert to the office had felt like an exercise in denial.

Maddox went first, kicking the door in with one swift motion. The glass shattered, and the wood cracked as the door bounced against the frame.

Charon, who appeared to be in the middle of a phone call, blinked, unaffected as Maddox stormed into his office. Followed by Rome, carrying Valentina’s lifeless body.

Charon’s eyes were the only thing that moved as Maddox used his arm to swipe every item on Charon’s desk onto the floor, uncaring as his computer monitor hit the carpet and shattered with a flash of electricity.

Rome placed Valentina onto the now clear desk with so much tenderness that it made Jamal ache.

Fletcher inhaled sharply when Valentina’s arm rolled off the desk and hung lifelessly off the edge.

Charon looked down at her body.

“Good evening.” The ferryman said stiffly. “To what do I owe the pleasure of a dead body on my desk?”

“She’s not dead.” Rome barked, his eyes wild. For the first time since Jamal had met him, Rome Kozlov appeared to be losing his grip on his emotions. “She’s. Not. Dead.” He repeated.

Charon’s brow furrowed. He said nothing.

Maddox stepped around Rome. “Oriax attempted to resurrect a horde of devouring beasts in the middle of the Mojave Nature Preserve.” He said steadily. “Valentina stopped him.”

Charon hummed and reached forward, lifting her hand that was closest to him. He turned it over gently before placing it back down. “She was successful?”

“Don’t you want to know how she did it? What shedid?” Fletcher’s voice grew deeper with anger.

Jamal held out his arm, holding Fletcher back. “He doesn’t need to know.” Jamal turned back to Charon. “You already knew what she was, didn’t you? That’s why you asked us to protect her. It wasn’t because she was a new Reaper, and you needed us to show her the ropes. You wanted her out of the way so she couldn’t take your position at Quietus!”

Silence swathed the office as if to punctuate Jamal’s lifted voice. He was shouting, but he didn’t care.

“Is that true?” Maddox’s jaw rocked from side to side as his jaw gnashed with rage.

Charon sighed. “I’m the ferryman. You don’t think that I recognize one of my sister’s offspring?” He laughed bitterly.

“You felt threatened by her?” Jamal scored, disgusted.

Charon ignored the question. “I asked you to protect her,” It was said with emotion, but nevertheless was an accusation.

“Why?” Rome demanded. “Because you knew what Oriax was up to? You pushed her in his path when you asked him to give her a body so she could play dress up as a Reaper when she should have been learning what she was and how to be a demon!”

“I didn’t know what Oriax was up to.” Charon closed his eyes for a moment.

“I don’t care!” Rome screamed, spittle flying from his mouth. “Fix her! You’re meant to be some kind of all-knowing God, the red-headed stepchild to people that built the universe—it's your job to fix her!”