Page 160 of Finders Reapers

The others murmured their agreements.

“It feels like losing her all over again,” Fletcher whispered, sounding lost.

I wanted to scream.

They were talking about Valentina again. The bitch that had left them.

I couldn’t help it. I felt so angry.

How could one woman experience all four of my guys and then walk away? It didn’t make sense to me.

“Do you ever feel her?” Rome asked before draining his glass of whiskey.

“Sometimes I think I do.” Fletcher squinted as he looked down at the fountain.

Maddox grunted and reached for the bottle, refilling Rome’s glass.

My heart ached so acutely that it stole my thoughts.

I wanted more than anything to reach out. To touch them. To scream.

I’m here.

But they didn’t hear me.

They were losing hope.

They didn’t notice that a single black butterfly had landed on the lip of the whiskey bottle.

My guys really needed a kick up the backside because that party marked the first of many and a descent into alcohol that should have been sponsored by Johnny Walker.

They said the woman’s name less.

Valentina.

Instead of being happy, I grew sadder.

I didn’t understand why.

I’d seen the redheaded man before. Once or twice, when he’d come to visit. My guys were never happy to see him.

The moment he stepped through the doorway, the redheaded man picked up an empty bottle of scotch. His brow crinkled in distaste.

Jamal and Fletcher reclined on the sectional as they played GTA. They hadn’t changed their clothes in days.

Fletcher acknowledged the redhead with a nod before going back to his game.

“Charon.” Jamal clipped.

The redhead’s name.

Charon stepped into the room and studied every surface as if he found it sticky before smoothing his expression. “I wanted to check in with you all.” He said lightly. “Your numbers for the year are down. Souls are being left uncollected, and I’m worried.”

“Worried?” Fletcher scoffed. “Maybe you should just put us out of our misery.”

“You chose this,” Charon replied delicately. “You knew she might not come back.”

Fletcher pulled himself up and launched the controller at the wall. It shattered into a dozen pieces. “It’s been ten years!”