Page 68 of Reaper and Ruin

I reared back at the sight of it. It was even more horrific up close. “You weren’t joking when you said it was ugly, were you?”

Violet and X both glared at me, like I’d just insulted their newborn baby.

“Hey!” I said to X. “You’re the one who called it a hemorrhoid!”

X, with his arms full of cat toys, didn’t seem to care. “You don’t get to call him ugly, Levi. He’s been through trauma. Look at that face. He’s seen things. Probably your nudes.”

I made a face at him but reached for the cat, stroking him beneath his furry chin. “How you doing, Harold? Can I call you Harry for short?”

X made a choking sound from across the room. “You most certainly cannot butcher his name like that. He is a distinguished gentleman! Not one of your football bros you meet down at the bar.”

The cat ignored X’s righteous speech and closed his eyes, leaning into my touch so I could scratch him. A deep, satisfied purr rumbled from his chest. I smirked at X. “I think old Harry here has spoken.”

“Traitorous furball.” X shot the feline a dirty look and slumped down on Violet’s couch, amongst the cat paraphernalia.

I sank down next to him, and Violet put the cat on my lap. He gave X a half-hearted hiss before curling up into a ball and falling asleep. I ran my fingers through his kinda mangy fur, then thought better of it. Ew. Harry needed a bath.

I didn’t want to piss him off by being the one to try to wrangle him into the tub though. I quite liked being one of his chosen humans, especially because it was clearly driving X nuts and tormenting X was always fun.

Violet leaned a hip on the kitchen counter. “Did you hear from Dax?”

I wished I had something better to tell her. “I did, but he hasn’t been able to find her anywhere. Guessing you haven’t heard from her either?”

Violet shook her head. “No. I called Francine earlier to see if she’d made contact with her or shown up for her shifts today, but nothing. I’m really worried.”

I was too, but there was little we could do. We’d checked all the places we thought she might go. But I hated the way Vi nibbled on her nails. Hated the creases between her eyebrows and her forehead furrowed in worry. The police’s suggestion to give it some time because Nyah was an adult and most missing people returned on their own within a couple of days didn’t sit right with me. I shifted the sleeping cat to the couch and stood so I could pull Violet into my arms.

“This feels like losing Toby all over again,” she whispered into my shirt. “Something is wrong, Levi. She didn’t just walk out the door of her own accord and not come back. She wouldn’t do that to Dax.” She peered up at me. “I think she’s in love with him.”

I slanted my head. “They’ve barely known each other a few weeks.”

“Does that matter?”

“I loved you from the very first moment you threw an egg at my head,” X said.

His words were his usual ridiculousness, but his tone was serious.

Violet smiled at him. “I know. You told me. Multiple times.”

He nodded proudly and reached for the cat, trying to get a stroke in while it was asleep. Without even opening his eyes, Harold shot out a paw, claws bared, and took a swipe at X’s hand.

X muttered something that sounded like a witch’s curse and moved back to the side of the couch Harold permitted him to sit on.

But Violet’s teeth were still sunk into her bottom lip, and she stared out the glass sliding doors leading to her balcony like the dark night beyond might offer up some sort of explanation as to where Nyah was, and who had taken her.

I needed to do something. This couldn’t all be on her shoulders. “We can go find her family.”

She looked up at me. “We’re willingly going to drive into the city and go knock on the door of people we know are involved in a criminal organization?”

“Is that really any worse than that day you stormed a murder club meeting and demanded to become a member?”

She smiled sheepishly. “But I knew you. We don’t know these people. From what Nyah said, they’re dangerous.”

“What’s the alternative?” I asked. “We sit here and wait?”

Her shoulders fell. “I can’t do that. She’s my friend.”

I kissed the top of her head, already knowing that she would agree. “Then we go to the city and find these people and really politely ask if they might have kidnapped their daughter.”