The Reaping (The Reapers Book 1) (18 page)

I was so mad, I was shaking. What right did he have to pull me out of a conversation with a friend and interrogate me like a child? None, that’s what, and I had a nice buzz that was in full agreement with that sentiment. If I hadn’t been drunk, I might have recognized that a good bit of my anger was really fear that he would find out where my bruise had actually come from, but I wasn’t interested in any hard truths at that moment.

“She doesn’t believe you, and I don’t, either.” His tone softened a bit on the last words, but I still wanted to punch him. If he hadn’t saved my life once, I might have followed through on that wish.

“So you two have finally found something you agree on. That must be why you’re getting along so much better now.”

His eyes widened in what seemed to be understanding. “Kelsey…”

I might be terrible at reading people, but when I’m drunk, I’m a freaking mind reader. As far as I was concerned, he had just reached the conclusion that my anger was jealousy, and I wanted to make sure he understood in fine detail that it was about so much more.

“Just what, exactly, is wrong with you, Caleb? This is my party to which I invited you, and you’re treating me like some sort of lying criminal and embarrassing me in front of my friends.”

“Look, Kelsey, I’m sorry if I’ve been rude, but I’m worried about you.”

He actually looked worried, and I felt myself soften, which only made me madder. “I. Slipped. On. Ice.”

“Just tell me if this has anything to do with Reid.”

I did not think it was possible to get any angrier than I already was. “Do you think I’m a total freaking idiot? If it was Reid, I would have called the police and his ass would be in jail—”

“Right, but sometimes in these sorts of situations…I mean, you cared for him once.”

Oh, yeah, I was supposed to have dated that loser. I’m sure that made me look like a real catch to Caleb. I was too drunk and too angry for this conversation. If it continued, I’d be admitting that I never actually dated Reid, but that he was possessed by my dead boss who wanted my body. “I think you should leave.”

“Kelsey, I—”

“Now’s not the time, Caleb. Please. Just leave.”

He nodded and left without a word to anyone. As I turned to go back to the kitchen to find Bruce, I saw that everyone in my little apartment was staring at me in different states of shock and amusement.

“Caleb’s not feeling well,” I said, feeling angry and guilty and horrible.

I’m not sure what happened after that, except that I kept drinking. At some point, I must have fallen asleep because I found myself back on a beach with my face stuffed into the sand and Landon screaming obscenities at me. I twisted and struggled against his hand, the fine sand scratching my face and my lungs burning. When he finally let me up for air, I screamed back at him. I just flat-out screamed like a crazy woman, and he took a couple of steps back. I stood, finding that even in Landon’s dream world, I was still wobbly and drunk.

I marched up to him and got in his face. “What is your problem?”

“You were supposed to be finding out what really happened to me, not getting drunk at some party.”

“Really?” Somewhere deep down, a small voice was screaming at me to play nice with the psycho, but I didn’t care. “Because last time I checked, this is still my body and my life, and I can do whatever I want. It’s not like you have any right to preach to me about staying sober.”

“We had a deal, Ice Princess. You do what I ask or I start hurting your friends. You want to try playing matchmaker for your friend, Angelica, when she’s missing her pretty face or dead?”

That shut me up, for a second. “How do you know I was matchmaking?”

He smiled and tsked. “You’ve underestimated me despite all I’ve done for you. I can see you whenever I want, and you have not been doing what I asked you to do. I have to punish you for that, but don’t worry. It’ll hurt you more than it will hurt me.”

How could he have been around when I didn’t see him? Not that I’d been looking, but I thought if ghosts were present, I saw them. I did my best to smile back at Landon and not let him see how much the idea of him watching me freaked me out. “Aren’t you worried about doing some permanent damage to this body you keep telling me will be yours?”

“What I do to you here doesn’t affect your physical body.”

“Huh, I guess you weren’t watching all night or you would have seen Cat and Caleb checking out the huge bruise I got when you threw me out the window.”

He looked lost for a moment, before his normal cocky expression returned. “You’re lying.”

“No, Landon, I’m not lying. You can see for yourself anytime you want. Let’s say you send me home, and I’ll show you the bruises?”

“That wouldn’t prove you got them from me.”

“Punch me in the face right now, send me back, and watch the bruise appear.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I wanted to take them back, but I could hardly back down at that point. He would probably hit me anyway and somehow use my weakness against me.

“You’re just trying to get me to send you back, but if you really want to be hit, I’m happy to oblige.” He punched me hard in the right eye, and I staggered back but didn’t fall. I turned to look out at the ocean so he couldn’t see the tears in my eyes.

Once I’d gotten myself under control, I faced him. “You might want to consider that not only are you damaging the body you hope to possess, but you are also drawing attention to me. People are starting to ask questions that I can’t answer, Landon. Questions that could cause us both a lot of trouble.” Okay, so those questions were only causing me annoyance at the moment, but I’m sure that some sort of trouble could result if they continued.

He shrugged. “So when I take over your body, I say I had a boyfriend who used to beat me up a lot, but I’ve dumped him, and I’ve discovered that I’m a lesbian.”

I didn’t have anything to say to that. I would have to think of some reason for him to stop beating me up when I was sober and awake. “Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out. If only Bruce could see you now, beating up a poor, defenseless friend of his.” Damn, my eye hurt. I gritted my teeth and smiled.

His angry expression faltered for only a moment before he snarled. “I’m not a nice person, Kelsey. I told you that. Bruce is an idiot.” He looked out at the ocean for another moment. “Make sure your friend goes out with him. He deserves a nice girl.”

“The same girl you’re threatening to maim or kill if I don’t do what you want?” I probably shouldn’t have said that out loud. Confronting him with his own contradictions could only make him angrier. I really needed to stop drinking.

He shrugged. “You think I’m going to hesitate to follow through on my threats because of Bruce? I’m not that selfless, Kelsey. I just want him to get a good lay. I’m not expecting a long-term relationship for him. That chick is a freak with all of her talk about past lives and the healing energy of nature.”

This time, I wisely kept my mouth shut about the freakiness of his current state of existence. “Okay, so I’ll talk to Bruce and find out what he knows about your death the first chance I get. I have to say, I don’t see the point. However you died, you’re still dead.” I was mildly curious about the nature of his death, but I figured drugs were to blame one way or another.

“Wow.” He rocked back on his heels. “I really don’t give a fuck what you think.”

I shrugged, feeling as calm as I appeared. Landon’s concern for his manner of death might be something I could use against him. He was excitable on a good day, but this small detail of gunshot versus overdose had him in a mood that might make him careless. “I’ll do my best, Landon, but I’m not a cop. Why don’t you just hop inside Reid and find out for yourself?”

He sneered. “Because I’m telling you to do it, waste of space.”

I covered the smile that threatened to sneak out. I had suspected that Reid was not as useful as Landon pretended, and his obvious annoyance proved me right. The way Reid drank, he probably wasn’t a very capable officer, and I’d bet his co-workers, whether they knew about his alcoholism or not, didn’t reward him with much responsibility or information. Certainly not enough for Landon to get what he needed using Reid. I frowned out at the ocean. “Can I go now? I’d like to sleep off this drunk before I go skiing.”

He chuckled. “It’s after six on your side. I don’t think you’ll be getting any more sleep.”

“Then how about you let me go and get ready to meet your buddy, Bruce?”

Landon strode over, grabbed my shoulder, and pushed me down hard onto my knees on the sand. With my face in his crotch, fear ratcheted up through my body and I found it suddenly difficult to breathe. I felt instantly sober as I was reminded once again that I was in Landon’s world and he could make me do anything he wanted.

“How about I teach you a little respect?”

“I respect you, Landon.” I managed somehow to speak around the lump of terror in my throat. I looked up at the bottom of his chin and did my very best to appear subservient.

“Oh, yeah? Because it sure as hell doesn’t feel like it. You talk to me like I’m beneath you. I own you, Kelsey. Do you understand that?”

I fought back tears and nodded. The anger that had sustained me up to this point vanished. “I’m sorry if I was disrespectful.”

Landon shoved me back onto my butt in the sand. “Fuck you, Kelsey. You’re saying that because you’re scared of what I might do to you. You have never respected me.”

I didn’t think that lying would be wise at that point so I stayed quiet.

“Tell me, Kelsey, what do I have to do to you to make you respect me?”

How did I always get into situations that required a tactful, smooth answer, when I was so far from being the kind of person gifted with smooth, tactful answers? “Isn’t fear good enough, Landon? I really do fear you.”

He smiled, baring his teeth at me. “Oh, fear is good, Kelsey, but I’d prefer respect. I’d love a little admiration, even lust, but I’m not going to push my luck. Right now, I’ll settle for you speaking to me respectfully from now on. One little slip, and I’ll make you pay sevenfold.”

“Yes, sir,” I said, through gritted teeth.

“Try it again, Kelsey. But this time, say it like you mean it.”

I imagined Landon as someone I truly did respect, his uncle Al, and gave it another try. “Yes, sir.”

“That’s better. Now, you want to go back to your little bed, you beg me for it in a respectful tone.”

My stomach heaved, and I vomited a little bit of bile into my mouth. I think I preferred getting beaten up. I swallowed and felt a little bit of my pride curl up in a dark corner of my brain and begin to weep. “Please, Landon, sir, may I be returned to my bed? I will do everything you asked me to do.”

He reeled back and slapped me hard on the face with the back of his hand. I closed my eyes against the blow, and when I opened them, my face stinging, I was back in my own room.

According to the clock next to my bed, I had exactly thirty minutes to get my shit together and meet Bruce and Angelica downstairs. I sat up and the room spun around me. I felt only a little nauseous and a lot drunk. I debated curling back up in bed and blowing off the ski outing. They’d have even more time together if I didn’t show up…or they might not go at all. Angelica might not like Bruce any more than I did, but I was pretty sure he was just the kind of guy to get her out of her rut and help her see she deserved better than a loser like Paul. So, I got out of bed for her. I also got out of bed because I was scared to fall back asleep and face Landon, but I told myself I was getting out of bed for Angelica. 

I walked into the bathroom and bent over the sink to splash cold water on my face. After I’d used the towel, I looked in the mirror and gasped aloud. My left eye, where Reid had punched me, was a sickly yellow, and my right eye was puffy and red from Landon’s punch. There was no bruise yet, but it wouldn’t be long before the puffiness went down and the purple moved into its place. Worse than that were the four red marks on my left cheek where Landon had backhanded me. There was no way anyone would believe that an accident had caused those marks. If I was lucky, maybe they would fade before I had to see anyone. In the meantime, I couldn’t leave that bathroom until I’d covered every mark with make-up. That meant no shower for me, but being a bit stinky was better than looking like I’d been beaten up.

I looked around the bathroom for Landon so I could show him the damage he’d done, but I didn’t see him. I hadn’t seen him last night, but he’d obviously been close to me then, so I tried harder. As I strained, a memory from my childhood returned, and I realized I had done this before. When I was little, I had heard the ghosts before I had seen them. I had known they were there and I had felt certain that if I could look harder, I would see them. It took me weeks, but eventually, I got the knack. It’s kind of like looking at one of those weird pictures-within-a-picture. You just have to cross your eyes and look at the world a little differently. Once I had figured it out, I didn’t even have to try anymore.

Now, I had to see even farther, and I had to remember how I’d managed it when I was five. As I strained, I realized that the issue wasn’t my eyes. It was my mind. I stopped trying and just let the room around me blur away, and I saw Landon, standing in the shower with another man. The other guy was ascetically thin and a good foot taller than Landon. His features were awkward taken by themselves, his mouth crooked, and his nose looked like it had been broken a few times, but then he smiled at me and I noticed his eyes. Big, blue eyes that a girl could get lost in and never find her way out again. I realized he was staring at me and would quickly figure out I could see him, so I fell back on an old trick.

“Ewww,” I squealed. Then I grabbed some toilet paper and squished it over a spot near the shower. I held the tissue away from me, like it contained a dead spider and dropped it into the toilet.

“I could have sworn she saw us,” Landon said.

His companion laughed. “No one can see us, unless we want to be seen.”

“Yeah, and you’re the guy who told me whatever I did to her in her dreams wouldn’t have any lasting effect.”