Page 130 of Reaper and Ruin

He retched, and we let him, knowing he needed it. Even X, with his hate of all bodily functions, didn’t complain. Just patted Dax gingerly on the back.

“You okay?” Levi asked eventually.

Dax straightened and nodded, a determination coming over his eyes. “I need to know.”

I led the way to the pile of bodies, but nothing seemed different from the last time we’d been here.

“Sick fucking bastard.” Levi clenched his fists, staring at the horrific acts these women had endured.

We’d seen it before, but it didn’t get any easier to bear.

Last time, I’d looked at their bodies, searching for Lynx’s mark. This time, I concentrated on their faces. Their unseeing eyes, their noses, cheeks, mouths. Anything that would identify one of them as Nyah.

I stepped away from the main pile, and my stomach turned. “Fuck.”

Levi’s head snapped up. His gaze met mine, a silent question hanging in the air between us.

Nyah?

“It’s not her. But I know this woman.”

Levi and X moved to flank me, and all of us stared down at the body. Her hair had probably been blonde once, but now it was dark, matted with dry blood and dirt. Her dark eyes stared up at the sky, her skin ravaged by the sun and birds and decay.

But I still recognized her face.

X shook his head. “I don’t know her.”

“Me neither,” Levi added.

I couldn’t place how I knew her either. But I was sure I did.

Dax picked his way over to us and covered his mouth. “Fuck,” he moaned, like he was in physical pain. “I know her too. Her photo is on the wall at Clean Sweep. She was employee of the month. I saw the photos one day when I was early picking Nyah up and she wasn’t back from a job yet. Francine let me wait for her.”

The jolt of recognition hit me hard. “I saw that photo this morning.” My voice dropped to a whisper. “Right next to Nyah’s and Violet’s.”

Levi looked at me sharply. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

My brain couldn’t quite catch on quick enough to put the pieces together. “It’s their Employee of the Month wall. This woman was on it. Then Nyah’s. Then Violet’s…”

A sick, churning feeling that was maybe more instinct than anything else clawed its way up my spine. It wrapped around my heart, squeezing it so tight I couldn’t breathe.

“This woman. Nyah. Violet. What do they all have in common?” Levi asked quietly.

I swallowed hard. “They all worked for Clean Sweep.”

X stared at me. “Where is Violet right now?”

But he already knew the answer. We all did.

“She’s with Francine.”

39

VIOLET

It was surprising how much better I felt after vomiting. The nausea cleared, and I almost felt like a normal person again. I figured it would come back, if not today, then most definitely tomorrow morning, but the reprieve was nice. I wanted to work. Francine had been so accommodating in letting me have some time off to deal with settling the twins into school and into our lives. The least I could do was make sure I was working when I was feeling good.

She smiled at me from behind her desk. “So, you’re pregnant?”