Page 66 of The Reaper

“Can you meet me in Belfast? I’ll text you the address. Get us a truck if you can.”

“I’ll be there,” he said. “Archer?”

“Yeah?”

“Stay alive.”

“That’s the plan.” I ended the call and met Heath’s inquisitive gaze. “His name is Tobias and I trust him.”

Trust.

A word I never thought I would say, but as I looked into Heath’s eyes and listened to Tobias and Zero, I knew I could trust them. I had to. I couldn’t do this alone.

“Good,” he said, reaching for my hand. “We need to go, Archer.”

“Let’s do it,” I said, just as loud voices and vrooming ATVs erupted in the peaceful woods.

***

“What are you gonna say to them?” Heath asked. We parked my bike a block from my grandparents’ home, waiting for Tobias to arrive. He was rubbing his hands on my stomach. The gesture was soothing, momentarily easing the storm brewing inside me.

“I dunno.” There wasn’t a script for this kind of meeting. How could you tell the people you loved that you were alive after they’d mourned your death? It’d been a decade since they’d seen me, I hardly looked like that teenager anymore. “What if they don’t believe me?” I asked, leaning back. It’d been the one question plaguing my mind since we’d arrived.

“We have to try,” Heath said. He kissed the back of my neck, his lips traveling to my ear. “I don’t know how they’re gonna react. But if I was them, I would be so happy to see someone I’d missed every day of my life. To touch them again. To hold them again.”

Heath’s voice broke when he spoke. The despair beneath his words was undeniable. He once mentioned his family, and I wondered if his sadness was brought on by the memories of them. We have to try, he’d said. I’d never been part of a we, and as much as I hated to admit it, I found comfort in knowing that I had people I could lean on. I brought his hand to my mouth and kissed it, making a mental note to ask him about his parents and brother. “Will you come with me?” I asked.

“I’d love to,” he said.

We jumped off the bike and walked to the house that used to be my home. It was a quiet evening. Everyone was probably asleep, dreaming, while I stood in my grandparents’ doorway, hoping to wake them from their nightmare.

Heath squeezed my hand, nodding. “You can do this,” he whispered.

I raised my shaking hand and knocked.

Thirty-One: The Priest

Half a dozen knocks later, each one louder than the last, light finally beamed within Archer’s grandparents’ house. There was the sound of shuffling feet, and the patio lights flickered on.

Archer placed his shaking hands in his pockets, taking deep and steady breaths. His emotions were all over the place, and I couldn’t blame him. The stakes riding on this reunion were high, and coming face-to-face with loved ones who assumed you were dead would bring uncertainty even to the steeliest of hearts. As we stood, waiting for the door to open, I couldn’t help but wonder about my brother, my only remaining family. He was alive. I believed that with every fiber of my being. Why else would he call me and send me a mysterious USB drive? I pushed those thoughts aside in order to stay present in this moment.

I kept a close eye on the road behind us, making sure The Firm hadn’t made it to Belfast too soon, since Archer’s mind was preoccupied. But aside from the handful of empty parked cars and his motorcycle, it appeared that we were safe. For now.

“Relax,” I said, rubbing Archer’s back.

He released a shaky breath when the door opened. An older woman answered, squinting.

“Who is it, love?” the voice of an older man asked from behind her.

Tears fell on Archer’s cheeks and he didn’t bother wiping them away. If you’d told me the man standing next to me, brought to tears by the sight of his grandparents, was a lethal assassin, I wouldn’t have believed you. But that was one of the many beautiful contradictions about this man.

“Can we help you, gentlemen?” his grandma asked, reaching into a pocket of her robe, from where she pulled out glasses. She slipped the thick frames on, then studied my face first before her sight landed on Archer. She leaned closer to the screen door separating us and gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. Her body swayed, staggering back. If it wasn’t for his grandfather standing behind her, she would’ve fallen.

“Easy, love,” his grandfather said, steadying her. “Who do we have here?” He brought the glasses resting on top of his head to his nose.

His grandmother wasted no time and unlocked the screen door, rushing to Archer, who braced for her hug.

“Grandma,” he choked, wrapping his strong arms around her petite frame.

---