Keeper of the Peace (Graveyard Guardians #2)

by Jennifer Malone Wright

  He couldn’t leave either. She would send the Reaper Guard after him and they would kill him.

  So, what was a Reaper to do?

  He finished cleaning his guns and put some of them up in his closet with his other babies. Then, he took the remaining weapons and shoved them into a black duffle bag. The duffle was basically his grab and go bag. At this point, he didn’t know if he was going to have to leave in a hurry one day.

  Heading back to the dining table, he plopped down into the cushioned seat and reached for his bottle. After another long swig, he reached into his pocket for his cell and opened his contacts. He had tried to call Jack’s cell once, but it was no longer in service. He wished he could talk to him and get some of this shit off his chest.

  He chuckled sarcastically to himself. Even if he was able to get ahold of him, what would he say to him anyway? The events that went down between them weren’t the kind you could just put behind you. He had taken Jack’s woman, kidnapped her right off her own property, knocked her out, gagged her and then taken her to the Empress for what he had thought was inevitably, her death.

  With a sigh, he set the bottle back on the table and stood. Fuck this, he was going out. It had been too long since he’d had a soul. A real soul, not the bits and pieces of them that he was able to get from women.

  Like Jack, he had learned that he could take enough to sustain him for a while. But, unlike Jack, he didn’t mind taking an entire soul. He was a fucking Reaper, it was his nature to live off the souls of the recently passed.

  Quickly, he shed his tee shirt, replacing it with a black button up. He opted not to wear his holster, since he may be hitting the club afterward, so he tucked his Glock into the back of his jeans. He also selected a hoodie, but didn’t put it on right away, it was too freaking warm outside to wear the thing unless he had to.

  After making sure he looked all right, he locked up the boat and hopped down onto the dock. It was a muggy Florida night and salty scent of the ocean was thick on the breeze. The moon lit the water, while the waves gently broke against the sides of the docked boats.

  Damn, he loved living on the ocean. It was one of the few things that truly brought him peace. Sort of like therapy for the psychotic.

  His black Mustang rolled to a stop in front of the large iron gate that led into the graveyard. Through the darkness of the night, he could see the glittering blue mist of the souls. He could also see the one silver aura that was almost identical to the mist of the souls except in color.

  The Keepers had silver auras, so it was easy to spot them, especially at night. Although, as a Reaper, his red aura was a little bit easier to see, which was exactly the reason for the hoodie. He grabbed it off of the passenger seat and slipped it on over his button up. He zipped it up to his neck and then lifted the hood just before he stepped out of the car.

  Keeping his footsteps light, he entered the graveyard, keeping close watch on the silver aura of the Keeper. He wanted to stay as far away from it as he possibly could. It wasn’t like he was afraid of them or anything, shit, he wasn’t really afraid of anyone, but it was the way of the Reapers to try and avoid conflict if at all possible.

  The souls hovered above the gravestones, knowing the shell of their body was trapped within the earth below them. Many of the graves in the area were tombs, mausoleums, or vaults. A good quantity of the older plots had above ground caskets, but now days it was rare for people to be buried above ground.

  He kept to the edge of the cemetery, making his way to the farthest corner of the opposite side of grounds from where the Keeper was patrolling. He veered off behind a large mausoleum, using it for cover. Once he could not see the Keeper anymore, he paused and scanned the area for souls.

  Not too far from him, the swirling mist of a soul was attempting to solidify. He watched for a moment as the molecules gathered together and he was able to barely make out the form of a face and hands. Then, the form fell apart in a burst of shimmering blue light. After regrouping, the soul tried again. This time, the form of the face was a bit more defined and the hands were connected to arms.

  He shook his head. Too bad that he was going to take that soul, it was pretty cool to see the process of how they learn to take solid form. When they learned to solidify, they appeared the same as their human shell did.

  Oh well.

  The soul was so busy with his practice that he didn’t notice Aiden creeping up behind him. Once he was close enough, he extended arms, reaching out until he felt that spark of connection between himself and the soul.

  He felt the soul pull away as it realized what was happening. The shimmering blue brightened as fear registered within the entity. After he knew his hold was strong enough, he brought his hands and the soul closer to his body. As the mist drew nearer, he tried not to think about how it must be silently screaming, pounding on metaphorical walls, hoping that someone would save him.

  Dammit Aiden, you are a Reaper, quit being a pussy.

  He had never been in the habit of listening to the human side of himself, it was the Reaper side that he favored. Yeah, the one that just called him a pussy. So, he pushed away the previous thoughts about what he was doing and told the human side of him, the one who took pity on the soul, to fuck off.

  Unwilling to wait a moment longer, Aiden parted his lips, let his jaw fall open and let nature take its course.

  The moment the soul entered his body a jolt of energy spread within him, making its way to almost every nerve ending. He opened his mouth a little wider, letting in more of the soul at once, and his upper body jolted with an almost orgasmic feeling as the last of the beautiful mist was consumed into him.

  Every part of him suddenly seemed stronger, as it always did after reaping. His blood was pumping hard through his veins, his muddled thoughts finally seemed to clear and every muscle in his body ached to be used. He felt like he could lift a fucking car.

  Suddenly, a flicker of silver passed between the tombs nearby.

  Dammit, the Keeper knows I’m here. Time to go.

  Fighting the urge to kick the Keeper’s ass just for interrupting his high, he took off at a dead run. Dodging the plots, headstones and all the other types of grave markers, he made for his car, wanting to get out of there before the Keeper could catch him.

  Yup, always better to avoid the fight, even when you wanted one.

  He passed through the gate of the cemetery and skidded to a stop in front of his car. With a yank, he pulled open the driver door and slid behind the wheel. A turn of the key and his Mustang came to life with a low rumble. He shifted into drive and hit the gas, leaving the graveyard and the Keeper in the darkness behind him.

  He drew in a long breath and then released it slowly from between his lips. Damn, he still wanted to punch something. Another meditating breath in and out didn’t help any more than the first one did.

  “Son of a bitch.” Aiden slammed his fist into the wheel, causing the car to swerve over the road a little bit. Sometimes taking a soul had the same effect as snorting a line of cocaine. Once a thought hits you, you just had to fucking do it.

  Keeping his eyes on the road, he took one hand off the wheel and struggled out of that damn hoodie. It was too hot to wear the thing for long, but it was necessary when he had to go into any of the graveyards.

  Instead of going back to the boat, he decided to head on over to the club and see what was going on there. Maybe the urge to hit something would dissipate if he released his tension in a different way.

  He parked in the back lot of the club and headed around the corner where a line took up most of the block. Some of the patrons waved to him as he strode by them and right up to the bouncer at door.

  “Hey, Aiden! What’s doin?” Little John, the big, bald, tattooed bouncer held out his knuckles for a fist bump.

  Aiden met the guys extended fist with his own and nodded. “Not much, or else I wouldn’t be here, now would I?” he teased.

  “Aw, come on now. Don’t hate.”
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br />   Smiling, Aiden stepped forward when Little John unlatched the velvet rope to let him through. “Anything good in there?” he asked.

  “Two brunettes, silver skirt and red dress.”

  “Nice.” Aiden nodded, trusting Little Johns judgment on the ladies.

  He turned his head just in time to see a couple of ladies in line staring at him and crinkle their faces in disgust. They had obviously heard the comments between him and Little John. Once they saw that he spotted them, they quickly put their heads closer together and the whispering started.

  With a sigh, he shook his head and clapped Little John on the shoulder. “I’ll see ya later, man.”

  “Have fun.” The bouncer nodded to him and clipped the velvet rope back onto the post in front of waiting customers at the head of the line.

  Inside, techno music boomed at an ear splitting level. The colored flashing lights spun at a rate that could give a guy a seizure and the place smelled like stale, sweaty bodies. It wasn’t exactly the ideal place he usually liked to hang at, but when he was looking for something in particular it was easier to find it in a place like this one.

  He pushed his way through the crowd and up to the bar. “Hey, Oliver, can I get a beer over here?”

  Oliver, the bartender was a dude, but Aiden was pretty sure he was gay. There were several signs … for example, he was pretty flamboyant and wore his eyeliner sort of heavy. Aiden didn’t really care if was or not, but it was one of those things that you wondered about and just wish you knew for sure one way or the other.

  “What kind?” Oliver called out.

  Usually he went with Guinness or something similar, but this night he thought he thought he should probably just have an IPA. “Just give me an IPA out of the tap,” he hollered over the music.

  Oliver pulled down a glass and pulled a handle on the tap, filling it up with hardly any foam on top. “Here you go.”

  Aiden nodded and threw his credit card on the bar. “Run me a tab, please.”

  The kid took his card and ran it through the machine and then handed it back. “You’re all set.”

  “Thanks man.”

  He accepted his card back and turned, leaning on the bar to face the crowd. This place was always crawling with women who were looking for one night stands. If they were looking, he was certainly willing to provide.

  He sipped on his beer and scanned the club. The dance floor was an area in the center of the building that was sunken down two steps from the rest of the place. Tables, littered with drink cups, jackets and purses formed a ring around the dance floor. Beyond the tables, where the lighting was dimmer, couches were formed to look like booths with two facing each other and a coffee table between them.

  It was on one of those couches that he spotted silver skirt and red dress. Damn, Little John wasn’t kidding, both ladies were hotter than fuck. The one in the little red dress had her legs crossed, exposing her tan, muscular legs all the way up to her thighs.

  He grabbed his beer and trudged through the crowd, making his way over to their table. As he got closer, the ladies saw him approaching their table. Both sets of brown eyes gave him the once over. He felt their stares moving over every inch of his body.

  “Hello ladies.” He had arrived at their table. “Are you having a good time this evening?”

  The one in the silver skirt smirked. “I can think of better things we could be doing.”

  He leaned down, setting his drink on the edge of their table. “Well, if it helps any, I would love to buy you both a drink.”

  Red dress curled her lips into a smile and moved her fingertips over the condensation on her glass. There wasn’t a wedding ring on her finger, but she had a blingin’ diamond bracelet on her wrist. He noticed the matching earrings dangling from her lobes. “We were just getting ready to leave. It’s too loud here.” Her voice was soft and silky, as if she had never had to raise her voice in her life.

  He stood up. Not disappointed at all, he knew that she wasn’t trying to get rid of him, not even a little bit. “Oh,” he turned as if he were going to walk away. “I suppose I should probably leave you to it then. But, if you change your mind about that drink, I’ll be by the bar.”

  Before he could even take a step in that direction, red dress reached out and grasped his hand. “You wouldn’t happen to know a quieter place, would you?”

  Aiden smiled and tilted his head. “Why, yes, I do.” He switched his glance between the two of them, “you ladies want to get out of here?”

  Both women reached for their purses and left their drinks on the table. When they stood, Aiden held his arms out and each of them took an arm as he escorted them out of the club. He winked at Little John as they passed through the door, out into the warm summer night. The bouncer shook his head and then rolled his eyes in response.

  Damn, he hadn’t been in the club for very long before he came out with not one, but two women. This had to be some kind of record on his part. It usually took longer, since most women wanted to drink and dance a little first.

  “Where to?” silver skirt asked.

  “My car is out back.” He led them around to his Mustang and opened the passenger door so they could crawl in. “Do you guys have a car here?” he asked, as he opened the driver door and slid behind the wheel.

  Red dress shook her head. “We came in a cab since we knew we would be drinking.”

  “Good choice.” He nodded and fired up the engine. “Oh, by the way, I’m Aiden.”

  “Amy.” Red dress leaned back against the smooth leather of the front seat. “And that’s Cara.” She pointed her thumb in the direction of her friend in the back seat.

  “Pleased to meet you, Amy and Cara.” With that, he hit the gas and took off. Ten minutes later, they were pulling into a parking space in an apartment complex. He kept an apartment here for sanctuary during hurricane weather. Plus, he didn’t like bringing women onto his boat. That was his private place. “Is this more what you were looking for?” he asked them as he killed the engine.

  Another smirk from Cara and she nodded. “It’s perfect.”

  Before he knew it, the three of them were in his apartment, naked and doing things to each other that some men only dreamed about.

  Amy sat on the leather couch with her legs spread open and her friends face buried between them. He held Cara by her hips, slamming himself inside of her while he watched Amy’s facial expressions.

  Hell … fucking … yeah.

  He knew he was getting close to release when his cell, which was sitting on the coffee table beside him, chimed with the one damn ring tone he didn’t want to hear.

  The Empress.

  He glanced down at the phone. “Don’t you dare answer it,” Amy ordered, her voice low and husky. He didn’t respond, but he had no intention of answering anyway. Just as the ringing subsided and he was back in the groove, the fucker started up again.

  He withdrew himself from Cara, giving her a slight push forward. “I have to get that. You two keep each other busy for few.”

  Cara, lips pink and slick, had been on the cusp of orgasm when he pulled out, so she didn’t hesitate to lay back and let Amy take care of her for him.

  “Son of a bitch.” He pulled his boxer briefs on and headed for the doorway of the room where he could still watch the girls. “Hello?”

  “Aiden.”

  “Empress.”

  “When I call you, you are to pick up the phone.”

  That’s what a fucking voicemail is for. “I apologize, I was using the restroom.”

  “Well, I need you to do a job for me.”

  Aiden rolled his eyes. What now, did he get to pick up dog shit off the royal property? “Anything, Empress.”

  “I need you to go back to that god forsaken town in California, Summer Hollow. Jackson needs to come home. His father may not make it through the next couple of days and I feel that he should at least know that he is passing.”

  Shit, that old bastard was finally going t
o kick the bucket. “Of course. When do you need me to leave?”

  “Right now. You can stay at the Napa compound when you get there. There are cars in the garage as well. Your flight will leave in three hours.”

  Aiden sighed. In a way he wanted to go and see Jack, but on the other hand, he didn’t trust the Empress at all. He did not want to have to bring Jack back with him. “I’ll start packing.”

  There was a pause from the Empress on the other end of the line. “Do not disappoint me again, Aiden. You have a long way to go until you have made up for your previous actions.”

  Just tell her what she wants to hear. “As always, you’re right. I swear to prove my loyalty to you once again.”

  “And I am looking forward to that. Report to me when you get to Napa.”

  “Yes, Empress.”

  The woman clicked off before the last word was out of his mouth.

  “Shit.” He threw his phone on the table and headed back into the living room. “Sorry ladies, this party is over.”

  CHAPTER

  8

  HANNAH

  After work, Hannah flew over the mountain and rolled into Summer Hollow just after seven. The evening sun was still high above the hills, leaving another couple hours of good daylight.

  The whole way home all she could do was stress about the murder, her impending arrest and David’s return.

  As she passed Knights bar, she saw a few people out on the sidewalk in front of the door and then, without warning, the sudden urge to get plastered hit her hard. Normally, she didn’t drink very much at all. She couldn’t do what she did for a living with a hangover every day. But, this day … she deserved a fucking drink dammit.

  Doubling back, she turned down a side street and took the back way. The dirt lot behind the bar contained several cars already, considering it was still early. She pulled up beside a blue Chevy truck and killed the engine.