Grave Destinations (16 page)

Brows furrowed and muscles tensed, he pushed off from the wall and straightened to his full height. “It’s not your place to question my authority.”

“Bullshit.” Refusing to be intimidated, she closed the gap between them. She lowered her voice to avoid attracting unwanted attention. “Dammit, Dmitri, talk to me. Why don’t you trust me anymore? Is it because of Jack?”

His focus darted over her shoulder for a split second before settling back on her. “What I think of your pet holds no bearing on you.” The lines creasing his brow softened a fraction, but the set of his jaw stayed firm. “I trust you with my life,
milashka
. Don’t ever doubt that.”

“Then what is it?”

He shook his head. “I have my reasons. That’s all you need to know.”

Through a process of elimination, the answer dawned on her. It wasn’t a matter of trust. It was a matter of protection. He’d done what he could to shield her from danger. It was kind of sweet, when she looked at it that way. Knowing the big lug, he’d never own up to it, but she still gave him points for the effort.

“Dmitri, you have to let me help. I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”

“I’m well aware of your ability, and under normal circumstances I would agree,” he said, his voice gruff and unyielding. “But you have no idea how dangerous this creature can be. I’ve been trained to deal with this shit. You haven’t. You’re not prepared.”

“If it’s that dangerous, you’re going to need all the help you can get.” She reached out and wrapped her hand around his forearm. “You can’t cover everything on your own. There isn’t enough time. Besides, it’s not like it can kill me or anything.”

“True, but there are some fates far worse than death.” He frowned. “I would hate for you to discover this firsthand.”

She wanted to ask him what he meant by his last statement, but the question evaporated from her thoughts when she sensed a pulse of mortality.

Dmitri stiffened. “You catch that?”

She nodded. A faint buzz haunted the air, the harbinger of a pending expiration. It carried a trace of familiarity, which narrowed the field of potential candidates. Without another word, she turned on her heel and they both hurried down the corridor leading back to the stairs.

“Come on,” she said to Jack as they strode past. “We don’t have much time.”

“Time for what?” Jack quickly fell in step with her strides, staying a few feet behind since the hall wasn’t wide enough for three people to walk abreast.

“Somebody’s about to cash out.” She picked up the pace when the call of death intensified, spurred by the instinctual need to track the signal to its source. Down the stairs and across the lobby, the pulse grew stronger with each passing step. It buzzed in her blood by the time she entered the Nautical Mile.

“There.” She pointed to a mass of people standing near the center of the room.

Dmitri took the lead, cutting a path through the crowd until they reached their target.

“Oh, no.” Ruby placed a hand to her throat, her heart knotted tight in her chest.

One of the waitresses was crouched down beside Adele, trying to get the old woman to drink a sip of water. Eyes glassy, Adele waved the beverage away. “Where’s my Louis?” she croaked, her voice barely audible over the noise of the crowd.

“I’m right here, darling.” Louis knelt by her side. His bottom lip trembled as he took his wife’s hand and held it between his own. “Now you just relax. The doctor will be here any minute. He’ll take real good care of you.”

“Don’t waste the man’s time, honey,” Adele said, her breath coming in shallow pants. Her life force was fading fast, flickering like a light bulb during an electrical storm. “There’s nothing he can do.” Her gaze drifted up, locking on Ruby. The strangest expression crossed her face, a mixture of fear and resignation. “Are you here for me?”

Ruby swallowed hard against the lump in her throat. In all her years as a reaper, she’d never dealt with a natural death, much less the death of someone she’d previously encountered. This wasn’t her problem. Not her department. And yet she couldn’t bring herself to leave the old woman before the end arrived. She had no idea if Adele recognized her as a reaper, so she simply ignored her question.

“You’re going to be all right.” She sat down on the floor across from Louis. The pulse of mortality hummed in her veins, the tenor slightly different from what she was accustomed to, a softer note from the same song. It wouldn’t be long before the old woman crossed over. “Don’t waste your time fiddling with me, Adele. Why don’t you tell your sweet man how much you love him?”

Adele twisted her head toward Louis and smiled. “I do, you know. More than anything in the world.” The smile turned into a grimace as the call of death reached a crescendo.

“I love you too, sweetheart.” Her husband’s voice cracked. “You stay with me, you hear? The doctor’s going to be here any minute.” He bent down and pressed a tender kiss to Adele’s lips, and Ruby blinked back tears.

“Are you going to have to . . .” Jack’s voice trailed off. He made a vague gesture with his hands. “You know.”

She shook her head. Natural deaths weren’t included in her job description. Those souls crossed to the afterlife without the aid of a reaper, the transition typically so seamless it barely registered on a reaper’s radar. Why things worked that way, she had no idea. Who knows, maybe unnatural deaths weren’t part of the original process, with her kind created as a workaround for an unexpected glitch.

Adele let out a garbled moan. A shudder wracked her petite frame as her eyes lost focus. Then her muscles went lax and her body expelled its final breath. The old woman’s soul broke free from its bodily restraints, causing a momentary dip in air pressure when she slipped out of the mortal plane and into the hereafter.

“Sweetheart?” Louis gave Adele’s hand a light squeeze. “Sweetheart, answer me.”

Ruby reached across Adele’s still form and placed her hand over Louis’s. Her heart squeezed painfully tight when she met the old man’s eyes. “I’m very sorry, Louis.”

The old man bent his head and sobbed as a member of the medical staff pushed through the crowd.

Ruby used the opportunity to make her escape, sneaking out of the bar through the side exit.

This was why she never got involved with mortals, she thought as she stormed down the crowded hall. Something terrible happened every time she got attached. She ignored the sound of Jack calling her name, her vision blurring as the tears began to fall.

She had no idea where she wanted to go. She just wanted to get away. From the death, and the sorrow, and the path of destruction that inevitably trailed in her wake. She raced up the stairs to the top deck, found a quiet corner near the ship’s stern. Sinking onto one of the padded deck chairs, she buried her face in her hands and wept.

She wasn’t sure how long she stayed that way, but eventually she heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Peeking between her fingers, she saw a large pair of sneakers less than a foot away.

“Ruby.” Dmitri crouched down in front of her. “Look at me, Ruby.”

Raising her head, she blinked until her vision cleared.

“I need you to pull it together.” The gentleness in his voice acted as a balm for her frazzled nerves. In general, he wasn’t the type of man who resorted to acts of kindness, which meant he really must have been worried about her cracking up. He placed his hands on her knees, the simple touch a welcome comfort.

“I’ll be fine. Just give me a minute.” She sniffled, suddenly feeling foolish. Here she was, blubbering like a baby less than ten minutes after arguing with Dmitri over her ability to handle their current assignment. It would be a miracle if he didn’t lock her in the cabin for the duration of the cruise. She closed her eyes, took a deep cleansing breath, and blew it out slowly, the fog in her head clearing as she wrangled her emotions back under control. “Okay. I’m okay now.”

“Good. Because we’re meeting at the Windjammer in ten to finalize plans for the rest of the night.”

“We who?”

“You, me”—his nose wrinkled as if he smelled something bad—“and your pet.”

Ruby let out a tired sigh. “I really wish you’d stop calling him that.”

“I will, once he earns it.” Dmitri bent forward, pressed a kiss against her forehead before standing. “See you in ten.”

He strode toward the ship’s interior and disappeared around the corner.

It was only then that she noticed Jack standing beside the automatic doors. He watched her from the distance with wary eyes, the concern plain on his face.

“You can come on over. I won’t break or bite.”

He closed the space between them, claimed the empty chair facing hers. The cool night air ruffled his hair as he bent forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “Are you going to be all right?”

“Yeah. It’s just . . .” She paused, struggling for the words to explain her emotions. “Witnessing death is difficult under any circumstance. It’s why most reapers maintain a degree of emotional detachment. Makes things easier to handle.”

He nodded in understanding. “And this was different because you knew her.” Overhead, the nightly fireworks display began, the flashes of black powder illuminating Jack’s profile in a wash of yellow and green.

“Yeah.” She dragged a weary hand through her hair. “I knew her. I liked her too. She reminded me of my Aunt Pearl back home. Maybe that’s why it hit me so hard.”

Decades had passed since she last thought about her family. She’d never looked back after becoming a reaper, never checked to see how any of them had handled her disappearance. God only knows what the sheriff had told them. Knowing him, he probably claimed she’d ridden out of town on the back of a Harley. Not that it really mattered. Too much time had passed. At this point, she’d rather not know than risk finding out something terrible.

A woman’s voice rang out over the public address system, paging a passenger to come to the guest services counter on deck two. She’d heard a similar message about ten minutes before, but hadn’t bothered to listen to the particulars.

“You want to talk about it, you know where to find me.”

She appreciated the offer, and the fact that he didn’t push her for details. But given the choice, she’d rather focus her thoughts elsewhere. Anywhere.

“Thanks. I’ll keep it in mind.” Reaching over, she gripped his hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “We best get going. If we’re late, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

The restaurant was busy, given the late hour. A dozen or so tables were occupied, the air alive with the sounds of conversation. They found Dmitri sitting in a booth by the drink station with his back facing the wall. His preferred seating arrangement in any establishment. Judging by the mug of coffee in his hand, he anticipated being up for a while. A pizza pie sat on the center of the table, a large slice already gone.

“Were you planning on saving any for us?” Ruby slid onto the bench seat on the opposite side. Jack slid in beside her, and Dmitri scowled.

“There’s plenty more over there.” He motioned toward the “pizza bar” where passengers could order a freshly made pizza, twenty-four hours a day. “Grab a slice before it gets cold.”

“Like there’s any chance of food turning cold around you. You’re a bottomless pit.”

“You’re a fine one to talk.”

“Hey, I can’t help it if I have a healthy appetite.” She tore off a slice and took a bite, savoring the spicy taste of marinara and pepperoni. Almost five hours had passed since her last meal, and her stomach appreciated the late-night snack.

Jack watched as she wolfed down her first slice and went back for seconds. “How do you manage to eat like that and still look like that?”

“I’ve been blessed with a fast metabolism.” Plus, she’d expended extra calories healing her afternoon sunburn, and her body craved the additional nourishment. She licked a glob of sauce off her thumb before nudging the pie pan in his direction. “Dig in.”

Ten minutes later the pizza was history, and Jack looked more anxious than a preacher at the Pearly Gates.

“So what’s our next plan of action?” he asked as he tossed his crumpled napkin on the empty pie pan.

Dmitri leaned back against the bench seat, took a long drink from his mug. “For starters, we take a more active role in the hunt.”

“And what exactly does that mean?”

“It means we start chumming the waters.”

Jack’s forehead wrinkled. “And how are we supposed to accomplish that?”

“I think I know the answer to that one.” Ruby flashed a devilish grin. “You want me to tramp it up?”

A ghost of a smile creased Dmitri’s lips.

“Hold on. You’re planning to use one of your own as bait for a killer?” Jack straightened in his chair, his face set in a look of pure outrage. “Are you insane?”

“No, I’m employing a proven hunting technique. If you cannot locate your prey, lure the prey to you.” Dmitri placed his cup on the table. “Experience points toward a feminine preference. It only makes sense to exploit the knowledge to our benefit.”

“But this thing has already killed two women.”

“I’m a big girl, Jack. I can handle myself just fine.”

Reaching over, he covered her hand with his own. “I’m sure you can. But what if this thing—”

“Attention passengers and crew.” A man’s voice on the public address system cut through the noise in the restaurant. “This is your captain speaking. Due to the report of a missing passenger, the ship’s crew will be initiating emergency protocols. At this time we are suspending all activities and requiring all passengers to immediately return to their cabins. Your steward will be by shortly to conduct a passenger count. Please remain inside your cabin until you receive further instructions.”

“I’m assuming that means one of our victims was reported missing.” She could only imagine the anguish the poor woman’s roommate must have been experiencing. The heartbreaking agony of not knowing whether a friend or loved one was dead or alive. The notion struck too close to home, and she ruthlessly shoved it aside so she could maintain her focus on the job.