Reapers, Inc. - Brigit's Cross (20 page)

Brigit stared hard at him for a second,
contemplating the idea of just leaving him there. She shook herself
free of his grasp and clenched her jaw in irritation. John would
have her head if she abandoned Seamus in the warehouse. Surely
there was some rule about leaving a fallen Reaper behind. Or did
that only apply to fallen soldiers?

There would be too many questions and not
enough good answers to justify abandoning her fellow Reaper – no
matter how annoying he may be. In the end, Brigit mused as she
stared at the unconscious Irishman, it was his own fault for being
so arrogant. She had merely wanted to see him fail, if she were to
be honest about it. Now, as a result of both their actions, she
faced a new dilemma.

Frustrated with the consequences she could
foresee over all that she had done and all that she could do,
Brigit stood and walked to the nearest door to figure it all out.
As she looked over her shoulder at the unconscious Irishman, she
knew she had to take the lesser of the two evils.

With that in mind, she returned to his side
and grabbed him by the arm. He was dead weight. Yet, if Seamus
Flannery was going to kill her as he had promised before passing
out, then, he deserved to be dragged all the way home.

Brigit felt herself huffing for breath as she
drug Seamus down the main hall of the office. A few groans had
escaped him from time to time during the journey and she had taken
no great care to make sure he had a smooth ride. When she reached
the door to his personal office, she slammed it open, not caring
that it bounced off the wall and returned to smash the wounded
Reaper on the head as she pulled him across the threshold. With
some effort, Brigit managed to lift him onto the couch that doubled
as his bed during his down time. She stood over him for a moment
longer, wondering if that should be the extent of her kindness
toward him after his threat to kill her.

Her mind was still burning with the
irritation of his threat as she left the office and went to the
supply closet down the hall. Inside, she found pillows and blankets
meant for those Reapers who tended to reside as well as work at the
main office. Though a Reaper required no real rest, the previous
heads of the firm had often encouraged it as a means of prolonging
the burn out stage. Quickly, she grabbed a pillow and a blanket for
Seamus and returned to his office. He was beginning to twitch and
shake. The infection was beginning to set in. Knowing there was
little more she could do for him now, Brigit shoved the pillow
under his head and unfurled the blanket over his body. She had
never been the maternal type and she was damned sure not going to
start acting the part now. Especially where Seamus Flannery was
concerned.

With that thought in mind, Brigit turned and
looked around the small quarters. A small desk sat against the
wall. The files she and John had compiled before Seamus’ hiring had
been brought in and lined against the wall adjacent to the desk.
There were only a couple dozen boxes, but Brigit was well aware
that they were stocked full to the brims with portfolios of
potentially dangerous assignments. A thick black book lay open on
the desk. Brigit stepped closer to have a look. Through the dim
light of the office window, she could see in a terrible scrawl the
names of those assignments that Seamus had completed. The Irishman
was taking his responsibilities on the administrative part of his
job quite seriously, she noted as she quietly closed the book.

Another moan escaped him and she glanced over
her shoulder. He had been keeping a relatively decent pace in
completing his assignments. Once he was well, he was going to be
behind again. Brigit frowned. She knew John would be
none-to-pleased with that notion. She would have to figure out a
way to manage some of Seamus’ files in with her own. It was a risk,
she knew, but it only seemed fair. She had set the firm back by
allowing Seamus to get hurt. She would have to manage the work load
by herself until Seamus was well or John had returned.

Brigit’s frown deepened at the thought of
John’s return. She had no idea how she was going to explain this to
her mentor.
The truth would probably be the best route
, she
decided as she sighed deeply. In the mean time, Brigit knew, she
was going to be working some serious overtime. She’d be lucky to
see Maggie anytime soon…

As that thought settled in on her mind Brigit
went to the stack of boxes against the wall and reached into the
one missing its lid. She withdrew a stack of files and stuffed them
into her coat pocket. She would just have to do the best she could
until she could figure things out more clearly.

Seamus could feel the fire running through
his veins. He was unsure, though, whether it was his anger or the
sickness John had warned him about in the case of a serious injury.
She had let him go into the battle alone. She had stood aside and
merely watched as he had taken on the gang members when she had
been sent to assist him. She had always led on that she was such a
brave soul, a dyke capable of taking on anything; but it had all
been a farce. Dyke or not, Seamus angrily realized, Brigit Malone
was still a female and females were weak. Ultimately, Seamus had
lost his fight because of the female Reaper and her ruse of
bravery. She would pay for that, Seamus determined as wave after
wave of nausea and fire rushed through his body. She would pay
dearly for it one way or another…

After making sure Seamus was as comfortable
as he could be, Brigit strode down the hall to John’s office. She
noted as she walked that she was the only one without a designated
office. Most of the time, she was only in the firm’s headquarters
long enough to receive instruction from John Blackwick or to
refresh her load of files. During that time, she was usually in
John’s office.

Considering the trouble I’m going to be
in, I might not ask for one just yet
, she thought as she
retrieved some waiting assignments from the box she and John had
been working from for the last week. Stuffing this pile into her
coat pocket, she turned and exited the room and strode back toward
the main entry to the firm’s headquarters. She paused long enough
to look in on Seamus one more time before leaving. She had one more
stop to make before beginning her work.

Mama Dee was lying on her sofa with her eyes
closed. By the pained look on the older woman’s face, Brigit could
tell that her old friend was suffering one of her migraines. Mama
had suffered them off and on during the years that she had lived
across from Brigit and Maggie; but Brigit had noticed that their
frequency of visits to the old woman had increased since the
accident. Brigit had heard Maggie suggest on more than one occasion
that Mama Dee go to see the doctor about them, but Mama Dee had
waved away the notion as if she were waving away a fly.

Brigit stood over her friend, watching in
concern. She wanted to reach out and touch the woman’s face –
wishing she could ease her friend’s pain if only for a few
minutes.

"I know you’re standing there, child…”

Brigit started at the sound of Mama’s voice
as it carried through the silence to her ears. The old woman’s eyes
had not opened, but her mouth had moved. Brigit could feel a smile
coming to her own face as a previous notion came to mind yet again.
It was true after all. Mama Dee could sense her.

“It’s Brigit, Mama,” Brigit said gently.

“I know that, child,” Mama Dee retorted.
“What are you doing here?”

“I’m just checking in on you,” Brigit
replied. “Were you sleeping?”

“No, I just like to keep my eyes closed these
days,” the old woman quipped. “I’m awake. I just have another one
of my pains. It hurts to open my eyes.”

“When are you going to the doctor?” Brigit
asked.

“You startin’ to sound like Maggie. It’s just
a headache. It’ll be gone soon enough,” Mama sighed deeply. “Why
are you still around, child?”

“I promised Maggie I would be,” Brigit
answered. “I like to keep my promises. Does she know I’m still
around?”

“I think so,” Mama Dee replied. “She’s pretty
upset about what happened with that Rubens girl. Was that you that
caused the ruckus?”

“Yes, Mama,” Brigit replied honestly. “She
wasn’t right for Maggie.”

“That makes two of us that think that. I’m
glad you’re still here. I miss you and I know Maggie misses you
too, even though she says she feels like you’re with her every
night.”

“I am with her every night, for the most
part. I tried to be fair about the Rubens girl, but I guess my
jealousy got the better of me,” Brigit laughed lightly. “Are you
sure you’re going to be all right?”

“I’m fine, child. Do you want me to tell
Maggie anything?”

“Just tell her that I’m going to be busy with
work for a bit, but that I’ll be back with her as soon as I can.
I’ve run into some snags at the office and I have to take care of
them before I can rest some.”

“What are you talkin’ about? Work? The
office? Child, what are you doin’ now that you’re dead?” Mama Dee
asked, her face wrinkling in the confusion of it all. Brigit
noticed, however, that the woman still didn’t open her eyes.

“I’m a Grim Reaper, Mama Dee,” Brigit
revealed. “I pass over souls that are waiting.”

“Oh, good lord! Is it my time?” the old woman
asked suddenly. The fear of the thought expressed itself clearly on
her face, but Mama Dee still didn’t open her eyes. Brigit only
laughed.

“No, Mama. I’m not here for you. You’re still
very much alive.”

“Thank you, Jesus! You scared me for a
minute,” Mama Dee chuckled, patting her heart as if to calm it
down. “I don’t suppose you’d want me to tell Maggie all that?”

“No, I don’t think she’d understand any of it
right now. Besides, Mama, when your time comes, it won’t be me that
will come for you. You’re a part of my family and it’s against the
rules for us to reap our own.”

“Since when does the Grim Reaper have rules?”
Mama Dee asked. Brigit laughed out loud this time.

“Don’t believe everything you read or hear,
Mama. Trust me on that one. Just tell Maggie that I love her, will
you?” She requested.

“I will, Brigit,” Mama Dee sighed.

“And go see a doctor.”

“Go on with yourself,” Mama Dee shooed with a
wave of her hand in Brigit’s direction. “Visit again, child. I sure
do miss you.”

“I miss you too, Mama.” Brigit said as she
opened the door to Mama Dee’s apartment and let herself out. She
had been hoping there would be some way she could communicate with
her old friend. After that day in the kitchen when Mama Dee had
strongly urged her to keep an eye on Maggie, Brigit had held firm
to the hope that she would have another chance to converse with her
friend. That day had finally happened and Brigit felt herself
smiling joyfully as she pulled the first file out of her pocket.
For the moment, her problem back at the office was the furthest
thing from her mind.

Mama Dee opened her eyes and exhaled slowly.
She had known that Brigit had been around all along. She had been
hoping the girl’s spirit would eventually reach out to make
contact. It was a gift she had borne for years, but kept hidden due
to the stigma that surrounded it. In her day, admitting that one
could see or hear the dead on a regular basis would only lead to
trouble. Especially if your daddy was a deacon of the church… As a
result, Mama Dee had never mentioned to anyone that she could talk
to the dead. She had just been biding her time until Brigit figured
it out and made contact on her own.

As the old woman sat up, she thought about
Brigit’s revelation of her new occupation. The idea of the Grim
Reaper unsettled Mama Dee. It had long been a superstition she had
kept a deep reverence for, sure that when her own time came that it
would be the Grim Reaper that would take her. There were rules,
Brigit had said. Mama Dee slowly shook her head with the thought.
It was too bad. Mama Dee had the thought that it would be nice to
see a familiar and loving face to help her through the moment that
she knew was coming upon her soon…

Brigit stood on the sidewalk reading the
portfolio carefully. Her assignment was located in the station
below, waiting for the passage to her fate on the subway train that
was due to arrive soon. As Brigit read the file, she wondered how
they had managed to overlook the potential of the subject as a
recruit. John had scoured every file – or so he had said – and
found only a few acceptable candidates. As she read, Brigit
wondered why Belinda Yaris had not been considered.

Belinda Yaris, aged twenty-three, had been
the victim of a fatal mugging on the north bound N train from
Brooklyn. Her dream had been to be a writer, but that dream had
been cut short by the long end of a switch blade. She was a good
kid with an analytical mind, organized work ethic and an
imagination to reach across the universe and back. She possessed
perfect qualities to be a Reaper, and Brigit’s mind was boggled by
the thought of passing this one by. Besides, at this point, she
needed all the help she could find.

Closing the file, Brigit rushed down the
subway entrance stairs and stood patiently on the platform. Down
the tunnel, she could see the light of the approaching train. It
would stop for only a few seconds and Brigit knew she would have to
find the car that contained Belinda fast before the train continued
on its scheduled course.

As it rumbled into the station and came to a
screeching halt beside the platform, Brigit rapidly scanned each
car as she walked past. Finally, in the last car, the Reaper found
Belinda Yaris standing with her back against the opposite door.
Silently, Brigit stepped into the car as the doors whooshed shut
behind her.