Lost Reaper (The Reaper Series Book 1)

by Shelley Russell Nolan

  Andrew shook a finger at me. ‘I’m not the crazy one here. I’m not the one who killed her own mother because of jealousy.’

  I recoiled, stunned by the hate in Andrew’s eyes. ‘That’s not true.’

  ‘I was there, remember? I saw what you were doing. From the moment you were born you were trying to take Grace away from me. Anytime she paid me attention you’d start crying, demanding to be fed or have your nappy changed or screaming for the hell of it. But your plan didn’t work, did it? She loved me more than you and you couldn’t handle it, so you made sure I couldn’t have her anymore. You screamed and screamed when we were in the car and you didn’t stop until you got what you wanted. You made her crash the car. You killed her.’ Spittle sprayed from Andrew’s mouth and I stared at him, horrified by his reasoning.

  He nodded. ‘It was me who was supposed to die, wasn’t it? You wanted to get rid of me but you killed her instead, and now I’m going to make you pay.’

  ‘Andrew, no. I was a baby, I had no idea Mum would take her eyes off the road and lose control of the car. How could I? I was only three months old.’

  ‘You knew what you were doing. She was the only person who ever cared about me, we were soul mates, meant to be together, and you took her from me.’

  ‘Oh man, that is so gross. All this time I thought you were gay and here you’ve been holding a torch for Tyler’s dead mum. Sick man, totally twisted,’ said Connor as he struggled to a sitting position.

  ‘Shut up, Connor, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Our love was pure.’

  ‘Tyler’s mum didn’t love you. How could she? You’re a freak. Even your own mother didn’t want anything to do with you,’ said Connor.

  Andrew’s face went red and the hand holding the gun started to shake.

  ‘Connor, will you be quiet,’ I said. ‘You’re not helping.’

  ‘What? Don’t you think this obsession of his is sick?’

  I managed a tight smile for Connor before focusing my attention on Andrew. ‘Did you kill Sarah and Monique, and those other girls, just because they looked like me?’

  ‘They were practise, perfecting my craft and setting up lover boy here. He made it too easy, parading around town with them. I just had to follow and wait for the opportunity to strike.’ He gave a snort. ‘Turns out I look so much like him in the dark none of them had a clue who I was until it was too late.’

  ‘The police aren’t stupid. If you kill us they’ll figure out the truth,’ I said, buying for time.

  ‘I wouldn’t be too sure about that,’ said Andrew as he moved backwards and opened the rear door of the white van. I could see the shoes of someone, a man, lying inside and winced when Andrew grabbed one leg and wrenched his latest victim out on to the concrete shed floor.

  He sprawled on the ground, body limp, hands and feet tied, and my heart stopped beating when I recognised him.

  Sam.

  Chapter 34

  ‘Still think the police are smart enough to catch me?’ Andrew kicked Sam in the ribs.

  Sam didn’t react. Was he unconscious or dead? I choked down a whimper and manoeuvred myself into a kneeling position so I could go to him.

  ‘Not so fast,’ said Andrew, training the gun on me.

  ‘Please, I need to see if he’s okay.’

  ‘He’ll live, for now. Be a good girl and he might stay alive for a while longer.’

  ‘I’ll do anything you want, please, don’t hurt him.’

  ‘I’d promise you a happy ending, but I’d be lying. Your detective friend is closer to the truth than I would like. He saw my van when he came to question me about your disappearance, wanted to know if I had any idea where Connor might have taken you. I of course played dumb, which should have been the end of it, except a few witnesses have mentioned seeing a white van around the time of two of the murders and I hadn’t had time to put the magnetic signs back on mine. His cop nose started twitching and I knew he was about to start poking it into my business, so I had to knock him out. He will have to die along with you and Connor, but if you behave yourself I’ll make it quick. If not, we’re going to find out how much pain he can handle.’

  He waved his hands in the air, the gun a macabre extension of his right arm. ‘Out here no-one can here you scream and I’ll make sure he pays every time you cross me.’ He brought him arms down and pointed the gun at Connor. ‘Same goes for you.’

  Connor’s mouth opened and I stepped in before he could say anything. ‘What do you want? Tell me, what do we have to do?’

  ‘Connor has to do to you what I did to Monique and the rest of them. I want his DNA all over you.’ He tossed Connor a smirk. ‘I’d do it myself, but I’d rather not muddy up the evidence.’

  Connor shook his head, his face pale. ‘No way, man, no freaking way. I am not doing that.’

  Andrew cocked the gun. ‘Is that your final answer?’

  ‘You’re going to kill me anyway,’ said Connor. ‘Might as well get it over with.’

  ‘No.’ I got to my feet, shielding Connor with my body. The rope around my ankles had loosened so I could wiggle my feet, enabling me to keep my balance.

  ‘Get out of the way, Tyler. If he’s not going to cooperate, he’s no use to me.’

  ‘Wait, please. Maybe … maybe I can convince him.’ I ignored Connor’s protests and focused on Andrew. ‘I might be able to make him see reason, if you give me a chance.’

  Andrew laughed. ‘You know, this is not how I pictured this. I never thought you’d be the first one to break. Do you know what my favourite movie is? Do you?’

  ‘Mary Poppins,’ said Connor.

  ‘Funny, very funny, but no. It’s Saw. The victims were reduced to their basest levels when they were pitted against one another. Made me wonder what real people would be willing to do in order to survive. But you’ve surprised me. You want a chance to convince Connor to beat you to death so he and your cop friend can live a little longer. Unbelievable.’

  ‘Believe it. I promise I’m not lying. Just, please, untie my hands. I do something for you, you do something for me.’ I swallowed down revulsion at the avid way he stared at me, the tip of his tongue flicking out to wet his lips. I had to get my hands untied so I could get to my necklace and reap his soul. ‘Whatever you want me to do I’ll do it if you untie my hands.’

  ‘Anything?’ He stepped forward, the arm holding the gun lowering to his side.

  ‘Anything.’ With difficulty I kept my tone even, not wanting to give him any reason for suspicion.

  The door behind Andrew burst open. I heard a roar of anger seconds before Chris barrelled into the shed. He slammed into Andrew and they both went down, rolling across the concrete floor

  The gun went off and Chris’s body stiffened. Andrew pushed him away and then stood over him, the gun pointed at Chris’s head, a maniacal grin on his face.

  ‘Well now, isn’t this an interesting addition to the party.’

  Chris groaned, one hand going to his shoulder where blood spilled from a wound above his collarbone. He struggled into an upright position. Then his eyes sought mine. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I blew it.’

  ‘It’s okay,’ I said, fighting not to give in to despair. I’d been so close to getting free. Now I was further away than ever.

  ‘You’re a screw-up, Bradbury,’ said Andrew. ‘I don’t know why your old man ever let you back into the company let alone put you in charge of a major hotel development.’

  ‘Only screw-up I see is you,’ said Chris. ‘I heard everything. You had a hard-on for your step-mother and now you’ve got the hots for your own sister. What kind of freak are you?’

  Bang.

  Chris slumped forward.

  I screamed.

  Chris straightened up, blood seeping down his sleeve, face pale, but alive.

  ‘You never did know when to keep your mouth shut, Bradbury,’ said a hoarse voice.

  ‘Sam,’ I said, choking on a sob of relief. He rolled onto his side
and propped himself up on one elbow.

  He gave me a nod, and then focused on Andrew who stood with his gun still pointed at Chris. ‘Don’t waste your bullets. He’s not worth it.’

  ‘Ah, Lockwood, I’m touched.’

  ‘Can it, Bradbury, you’ve caused enough trouble for one day.’

  ‘Detective Lockwood, you’ve been unconscious for so long I didn’t think you were going to wake up,’ said Andrew.

  ‘Sorry to disappoint you. Guess I’ve got a hard head.’

  ‘I’ll shoot you between the eyes, then. No coming back from that.’ He raised the gun.

  ‘Andrew, no.’ I stood up and shuffled over to stand in between Andrew and Sam. Somehow I had to reap his soul before he killed all of us. ‘I’m begging you.’

  ‘I don’t need him anymore. Now I’ve got your lover to torture, the detective is excess baggage. Get out of the way. It’s his turn to die.’

  I heard a sharp intake of breath behind me but I didn’t dare take my eyes off Andrew. ‘Please, I said I’d do whatever you wanted.’ I started to slowly inch towards him. I kept my hands clasped low, tossing my hair to divert his attention.

  I attempted a smile, wetting my lips when they stuck together. ‘I meant what I said, but I don’t want Connor to be the one. I want you, Andrew. I want you to be the one who …,’ I couldn’t finish my sentence and I had to fight the urge to close my eyes and turn away from the expression on his face.

  Andrew’s eyes were gleaming, pure madness beaming forth as he held out his hand for me to take. I took two tiny steps towards him and then stopped, unable to take the final step to put myself in his clutches. I glanced over at the others.

  Connor crouched on his knees, head shaking; eyes begging me not to make the next step. Countenance grave, Sam watched me without comment and I knew he understood that I had no choice. Then I faced Chris.

  I choked down tears at the paleness of his face. In contrast, his eyes blazed with hope. He gave a slight nod and I knew he believed me capable of saving us all.

  Time to find out if his confidence was justified.

  I faced Andrew and took the last step, hating the heat of his hand on my bare arm. I started to lift my hands so I could grab my necklace and reap his soul but he pulled me against his body, trapping my bound hands below my breasts. He dipped his head and I moved my head sideways, his lips grazing my ear.

  If I could just touch my necklace.

  So close, fingertips centimetres away from my necklace, and all the time his lips coursed over the skin of my neck, his heavy breathing filling my ears as he ground his body against me.

  He used his gun hand to wrench my head around and he smashed his mouth against mine, his tongue forcing its way past my clenched lips.

  I bit his tongue and he recoiled, pushing me away. ‘You bitch,’ he said, his free hand holding his mouth. ‘You’ll pay for that.’ He lifted the gun.

  ‘No.’ I launched myself forward, one hand clutching my necklace, the other stretched out as far as my bonds would allow. I slammed into his body, blocking his gun hand between us. He punched me in the face and I staggered back as pain flared through my cheek but I still pushed forward, my fingers grabbing hold of his shirt.

  I could hear shouts from behind me, but had no time to listen. I had to stop Andrew before he killed us all. He pointed the gun at me and I lunged for it, desperate to wrench it away from him. I knocked him to the ground, my body on top of his, one hand still on my necklace as I placed the other on his chest.

  The gun went off and I was wrenched out of my body so fast the sound of the blast rang in my ears even after I took astral form.

  I hovered above Andrew, watching as he shoved my limp body aside. He got to his feet, gun still in his hand, blood coating the front of his shirt. He lifted the gun and pointed it at me, at my astral form, his hand shaking. His eyes were filled with questions as his perplexed gaze moved from me to my physical body. Then he slumped to his knees before falling forward.

  I didn’t move, ignoring the call of his soul, not wanting to carry it around. I’d rather he became a lost soul, doomed to spend eternity wandering, than allow him to share the same space as the souls of his victims. Monique and the others, they deserved a chance at rebirth. He didn’t.

  I waited for his soul to rise out of his body of its own accord, shedding no tears for the man who had ruined so many lives. A dark shape obscured my view and I drifted forward, my hand stretched out to stop the reaper from collecting Andrew’s soul. The reaper beat me to it. He grabbed the soul before turning to face me and I recognised him as the reaper who’d stolen Sarah’s soul from me. I froze, a chill sweeping through my astral form at the thought of Andrew returning as a Wraith.

  The reaper looked past me and uttered a name, destroying the last vestige of hope I had of surviving my deadline.

  ‘Ash.’

  I spun in the air and met Chris’s shadowed eyes. He had heard the reaper call his name. He straightened his shoulders and took a deep breath, teeth gritted against the pain of his wounds.

  The reaper vanished without a sound and I returned to my body. When I opened my eyes I gazed up at Chris, who leant over me, concern shimmering in his eyes.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ I said.

  ‘It’s okay. It’s not your fault.’

  ‘But if I’d reaped-’

  ‘Shush,’ said Chris. He leant forward and placed a quick kiss on my lips. ‘It’s all right. We’ll deal with it later.’

  ‘Bradbury, I need you,’ said Sam.

  I wriggled into a sitting position and swivelled around to face Sam.

  His face expressionless, Sam kept his eyes on Chris. ‘I’ve got a phone in my pocket. You’re the only one not tied up. Think you can reach it?’

  ‘Chris is hurt,’ I said. ‘I can do it.’

  ‘No, thank you, Miss Morgan. Bradbury will do fine.’

  I dropped my eyes, struggling to hold back tears as I listened while Chris made his way to Sam and found the phone. Within minutes Sam’s colleagues had been notified of the situation and were using the GPS tracking system built into the phone to ascertain our location.

  While we waited for rescue Chris whispered assurances I didn’t dare believe in my ear and he soon lapsed into silence. The danger I had exposed him to ate at me. If I’d only reaped Andrew’s soul when I had the chance, the dark reaper would have had no reason to show up. He would not have had the chance to identify Chris as Ash.

  Once he found out I’d been lying to him, Grimm’s retribution would be swift and violent, and it wasn’t only Chris and I who would bear the brunt of it. Every single person I cared about was in peril and I could do nothing to save them.

  Chris squeezed my hand. ‘Tyler, I promise, everything is going to be okay.’

  He sounded so sure, and his eyes were twinkling like he knew something I didn’t, but before I could ask him what fuelled his confidence a swarm of people burst into the shed. Police and paramedics bustled around us. Two of the paramedics swiftly transferred Chris to an ambulance for emergency treatment. Connor, Sam and I had our bonds cut and our injuries assessed by a second crew. I sat on the bed, shaking, while a paramedic shone a torch in my eyes and applied salve on my wrists and ankles where the rope had rubbed the skin raw. My teeth chattered constantly even though I didn’t feel cold and I made no objection when the paramedic gave me painkillers. I wanted her to hurry up and release me so I could join Chris in the ambulance.

  With superficial wounds and our statements taken, we were soon free to go. My shoulders sagged, a wave of dizziness swamping me, when I discovered Chris had already been whisked away. I forced my feet to keep moving and found Connor, asking him for a lift to the hospital. Sam stopped us before we got to Connor’s car.

  ‘Miss Morgan, I’ll need you to come down to the station tomorrow to finalise your statements. You too, Connor.’ I nodded and made to turn away, saddened by the formality in Sam’s tone. His hand on my arm stopped me. I searched his eyes and i
nstead of disapproval or disappointment I saw compassion.

  ‘You’re probably going to go over and over what happened in your head, wondering what you could have done differently. Just remember, none of us would be alive right now if it wasn’t for you. Andrew’s dead, but you saved four lives. Maybe even more. Guys like him don’t stop once they get the taste for it. Don’t listen to the voice in your head when it says you did something wrong, and if you ever need to talk,’ he shrugged, ‘well, you have my number.’ Then he headed back inside the shed and I got into Connor’s car.

  At the Accident and Emergency desk I asked after Chris.

  The large woman behind the counter looked me up and down. ‘Are you family?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘I can only give out patient information to immediate family members.’ She shifted so she could see the person behind me. ‘Next, please.’

  ‘No, wait, I’m his girlfriend,’ I said, stretching the truth.

  Her eyes narrowed and her nose screwed up. ‘You’re Chris Bradbury’s girlfriend?’

  I nodded.

  She leant forward. ‘Get out of here before I call security.’

  I wanted to keep protesting, to bang on the counter and demand to be taken to Chris, but Connor grabbed my arm and pulled me aside.

  ‘Come on, Tyler, let’s go home. You’re not going to be much good to Chris until you’ve had some sleep anyway. Come back in the morning when you’ve rested up.’

  I stumbled after Connor, weariness hitting me like a sledgehammer as he led the way back to his car. I rested my chin on my chest and slept, rousing when I heard Dad’s and Rhonda’s voices. Connor had brought me home, the last place I wanted to be. But I had no energy to protest as Rhonda bundled me into my old room and helped me out of my soiled clothes. She slipped one of her nightgowns over my head and then pushed me down onto the mattress, my eyes closing as soon as they hit the pillow.

  She smoothed my hair back from my face. Then she leaned in close. ‘If my son gets hurt again because of you, I’ll save Grimm the trouble and kill you myself.’

  I struggled to form words but my weariness refused to let go, sucking me down into a deep sleep.