The Reaping (The Reapers Book 1) (6 page)

“Don’t do that,” Caleb said, frowning and looking serious.

“Do what?” I asked, wondering what social faux pas I had committed this time.

“Assume you know anything about me based on the way I look.”

“I’m sorry…I…”

Caleb let out his breath in a loud whoosh. “No, I’m sorry. You were just trying to be nice. I’m being a dick. It’s been a bad day for me.”

“Yeah, me, too.”

“And here I am being an inconsiderate jerk. I’m sorry. I really am not usually like this.”

“I think you probably are.”

“What? No, I’m really not. I didn’t mean to make you think… I am usually charming. I pretty much always say exactly the right thing. I don’t know what’s wrong with me tonight.”

I studied him for a few moments, trying to make up my mind about him. There was a tinge of desperation in his tone and the look in his eyes made me want to cheer him up. “Charming and sweet is usually an act. Personally, I don’t trust people who always know the right thing to say. I never say the right thing.”

“You’re doing a pretty good job of it right now.” He smiled, and his whole body seemed to relax with what I imagined was relief.

“You must bring out the best in me,” I said with a laugh, feeling more myself than I had in a long time. “Look, I expect we’re going to run into each other again, so why don’t you promise me you won’t try that charming crap on me if we happen to meet when you’re having a better day?”

“That’s not a promise I can make. It just seems to flow, without any conscious effort on my part.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “If it happens, I’ll try to accept it is out of your control and give you the benefit of the doubt.”

Caleb smiled at me. “Why don’t we—”

Angelica popped her head out the door. “Kelsey, Caleb, you’ve got to get back in here. Jed is doing the robot, and he is god-awful.”

We danced until last call. Caleb disappeared with Jed after his humiliating defeat in a dance-off, leaving us to a true girls’ night. I felt lighter and a little tired, but happy. I’d danced with three different good-looking guys. Not only had I danced with them, I’d flirted with them and even given out my phone number. For once, I liked being noticed, and I was having too good a time to worry about the possible negative consequences.

I complained with Angelica about the burning ache in my thighs and my sore feet as we stumbled out into the cool night with giggles. At the door stood a good-looking, broad-shouldered guy who looked familiar. The man met my gaze evenly and I realized, with a shiver, that he was the guy from the crime scene, Bruce. Since he had been let into the store, I assumed he was a cop. Seeing him working at the club made me question my assumption.

“You look like you’re having fun,” he said.

My light-hearted mood changed immediately. Something about the tone of his voice or my own guilt made me defensive. “Is that illegal?”

He shook his head. “If it were, there’d be nothing I could do about it. I’m just the bouncer.”

“Right… Well, exactly,” I said. Bruce smiled at me and suddenly became about ten times better looking than I had realized he was. His eyes were bright in the dim light of the street, and I couldn’t resist smiling back at him. “It’s good to see you.” I said, feeling flirty after my success inside.

His smile widened. “Yeah, you, too. You look beautiful.”

“You, too,” I said automatically. “Well, have a good night.” I pulled Angelica down the street.

“You know him?” Angelica asked. “He’s hot.”

“I think he’s a cop.”

Angelica stopped. “A cop?”

I glanced back toward the club but didn’t see Bruce. I put a finger to my lips and whispered, “He was at the store this morning with the other cops.” I took Angelica’s arm and we resumed our walk.

“Really, I don’t think that’s possible. He works at the bakery. I see him there just about every morning.”

“Are you sure?”

“Alcohol impairs my perception, I admit, but I’m sure he’s the same guy who works in the bakery. You might know that if you ever relaxed and had a bit of refined sugar or coffee. They have great coffee there.”

I rolled my eyes. I was a bit of a health food nut and I avoided any establishment that sold coffee. For some inexplicable reason, ghosts flocked to coffee shops like frat boys to a keg.

Footsteps pounded on the pavement behind us and I spun around, expecting trouble. Instead, I found myself face to face with Bruce.

“Kelsey, I forgot to ask for your number.”

I looked at the detective/baker carefully, wondering if he was in on Reid’s prank. “Did you? I’m not quite sure I want to give it to you. You see, my friend and I are confused because I thought you were a police officer but she thinks you’re a baker.”

Bruce took a step back and seemed to deflate a bit. “I’m a baker. Is that a problem?”

“Um, no…but…” I didn’t want to sound nosy, but I wanted to
be
nosy.

“Why was I at the crime scene acting like I knew something?” Bruce laughed. “I probably should have explained myself right away, but I didn’t want to tell you that I was one of Landon’s best friends. I’m the closest thing he has to family in town, and the guy he lists as his emergency contact. I was just there to help… I didn’t tell you that, because I know he can…could be difficult to like and, since you worked for him, I figured you wouldn’t be too impressed to know that I was his friend.”

“Why would you care what I thought?”

Bruce smiled at me. “You seemed like someone I might like to get to know better.”

“Did he tell you he attacked Kelsey?” Angelica asked.

“What?” His eyes widened. “What did he do?”

I gave Angelica a friendly shove and shook my head at Bruce. “It was nothing. He was stoned and he made a few unprofessional suggestions. He didn’t physically attack me.”

He frowned. “I’m sorry about that. He was a good guy once, you know. The drugs really messed him up.”

“You knew him for a long time?”

“Pretty much my whole life.” Bruce took a step toward me. “Look, I’ve gotta get back to work. I’m filling in for a friend, and I don’t want to let him down. If you give me your number, we can talk about Landon all you want.”

“Okay.” I gave him my number, feeling a bit like a princess at a ball. “Wait, before you go, what do you know about Reid? Was he a friend of Landon?”

“Oh, the cop with whiskey on his breath? That guy’s a jerk, but I never met him before today. He might know Landon, but I never heard Landon talk about him. Why?”

I almost told him what Reid had been doing to me, but I shut my mouth just as quickly. The truth sounded a bit too crazy. “Something he said, no big deal. Get back to work; I don’t want to get you in trouble.”

“I’ll call you,” he said and trotted back to the club.

“Aww, I think he likes you,” Angelica said with a giggle.

I stopped and faced her. “You didn’t think it was a little weird?” As my dance buzz started to fade, so did my flirty attitude and feeling of invincibility. “Why would he be friends with an asshole like Landon? And why would he hit on me the same day he found out that friend is dead?”

She snorted. “Whatever. He said that Landon
used
to be a good guy, but maybe they haven’t been close in a long time. Besides, you are beautiful, smart, and you look totally hot in that outfit. You would distract any breathing man.”

I was still hot from dancing and was carrying, rather than wearing, my coat. I looked down at myself. “Really?”

“Yeah, he’d be crazy not to appreciate how great you look. And I certainly felt an energy of…”

“I don’t know…” But I wondered if it could be a coincidence that he was at Dred on the same night as me or if he was following me, trying to torment me like Reid was doing. Somehow, I figured, if that was his game, he would have already started. In any case, hiding from him wouldn’t help, and talking to him might get me some answers. “But it doesn’t matter, Ang. Please, new topic.”

Angelica laughed. “Okay, I’m sorry. So did you have fun tonight?”

“Sure. Thanks for taking me out.”

“Anytime, sugar.” She threw an arm across my shoulders. “Speaking of hot guys, what is up with that dude, Caleb? How do you even know him?”

“I met his brother, Jed, on the flight back from Virginia.”

“He is like the best looking guy I have ever seen…”

“Yeah, he is like a work of art, isn’t he?”

“You interested?”

“Oddly, not at all. It’s almost like he’s too good-looking and there’s something about him…”

“Too good looking? How is that possible?”

I thought about it for a minute, not quite sure myself. “I guess I am absolutely certain no guy that good-looking would ever be interested in me.” I laughed, mostly joking. The truth was I felt no pull toward him. He was a nice enough guy and it was certainly true he was out of my league, but even if he wasn’t, I didn’t think I’d be interested.

Angelica stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, grabbed my arm, and wrenched me to a stop next to her. “Kelsey Fitzhugh, I don’t ever want to hear you say something like that ever again. You are beautiful, and any guy would be lucky to have you.”

I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or hug her. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I won’t say anything like that ever again.”

She released me and started walking again. “Okay, so that said, re-evaluate and tell me you aren’t interested in him…”

“I’m seriously not interested. In no way is he my type. He is all yours.” Caleb was undeniably hot and he seemed nice enough, but I didn’t feel anything for him strongly enough to call dibs.

“What is your type, anyway?”

“I have no idea.”

When we got back to the apartment, Angelica stumbled immediately to bed and began snoring right away. I took my time getting ready, washing off my make-up and changing into comfy pajamas. When I finally lay down, I tossed and turned, my mind full of thoughts I couldn’t act on. I imagined myself finding some way to prove to Reid that he had no effect on me. Whether it was Landon or Reid controlling that body, I hoped he was just trying to scare me, and if I didn’t let him know he had succeeded, he might just leave me alone. No way could he really take over my body permanently. That had to be a scare tactic. If he could, why hadn’t a ghost tried to take me over before? Whatever Landon/Reid’s game might be, it could be no more than a game, and the weird dream I’d had was just coincidence or a tiny bit of prescience.

With those thoughts, I snuggled down under my comforter and drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

When I woke the next morning, my first thoughts were of breakfast. My stomach rumbled and, since I had the morning off, I decided to surprise Angelica with a huge breakfast. I loved to cook, and it had been a long time since I’d had the opportunity to fix a big meal.

I sat up quickly, eager to get started, and immediately groaned as the blood rushed out of my head.

“Y’okay?” Angelica mumbled from the doorway.

“Yeah, I’m just trying to wake up. How are you feeling?”

“I just took a shower and I think I’m going back to bed.”

“Good idea. Don’t sleep too long, I’m making breakfast.”

“Just make sure it all reheats well.”

“No problem.”

I climbed out of bed, took a quick shower, and tossed on a pair of sweats and an old T-shirt. I made a breakfast casserole that could sit in the fridge uncooked until Angelica was up. Then I made myself a batch of whole-grain pancakes with organic blueberries and a side of scrambled eggs.

I was halfway through my first pancake when a knock at the door made me drop my fork. I ran a hand through my hair and hurried to the door.

Reid, eyes bloodshot, hair matted, met me at the door. “Hey baby,” he said in a voice that was too steady and clear for the way he looked. “Miss me?”

He tried to push past me into the apartment, but I blocked him and stepped out into the narrow hallway, pulling the door closed behind me.

My heart was racing, and I wanted to run back into the apartment and shut the door in his face, but more than that, I wanted him to leave me alone, and I didn’t think hiding in my apartment for the rest of my life was a reasonable alternative to confronting him. “What are you doing here? How do you know where I live?”

“You live above the flower shop off Main Street. You told me that yourself your first week at work.”

“Really? So the idea is that you are channeling Landon? Because I seriously doubt Landon remembers anything I said to him. He was always stoned when I knew him.”

“I remember a lot more than anyone gives me credit for,” Reid said calmly. “You all thought I was so stupid, I know. But if I was so stupid, how was it that I did no work, while you did everything for half my pay? Bow, wow, wow.”

Anger replaced my fear. “So not only are you going to try to scare me by pretending to be possessed by Landon, but you’re going to insult my intelligence, too? You have no idea what it was like to have him for a boss. I don’t know what he told you, but he made everyone at the store miserable.”

Reid took a step back. “You’re just jealous ’cause everyone liked me better. I was a fun boss.”

“Landon wasn’t a boss at all. He was a warm body to fill a chair, and nobody in that store liked him.”

Reid could have easily found out where I lived, and anyone could have told him about Landon’s penchant for ’90s slang, but no one would have told Reid that Landon was a good boss. Either he had gotten some serious misinformation mixed in with the good, or Landon really was inside him. Landon’s ego knew no bounds.

“You bitch,” Reid growled and got in my face. I backed up until I stood flush against the door, the doorknob hard against my hip. “Are those the kind of lies you’re going to spread about me now that I’m dead? Those girls loved me, all of them, even you.”

“Nice try, Reid. I’m pretty sure Landon has never cared about his reputation dead or alive.”

He laughed. “Shows how well you knew me. I would like to thank you, though, for making this easy for me. I was starting to feel a tiny bit bad about ruining your life, but you are helping rid me of that feeling entirely.”