Page 72 of Finders Reapers

Charon did not give me a chance to probe further as he turned to Maddox. “If Mr. Bub wanted you dead, he’d make it so.”

“Yeah,” Maddox replied, and there was something in his voice that I hadn’t noticed before.

Defeat.

Maddox got a text message as we were walking to the elevator. He flashed his phone screen to show me. “Rome says the apartment is clean. The protection spells that Richard placed haven’t been broken. The only way the Purger could have gotten in was if he was invited.”

“Shit,” I winced. “You think one of the other guys...?”

Maddox shook his head. “I trust them with my life.”

I didn’t point out that he was dead and therefore didn’t have a life to trust anyone with. I got what he meant.

“You said we were going to a safe house?” I said instead.

Maddox nodded. “The Strip’s too hot right now. Too many demons, as Charon said, that’s not too good for you.”

“I just got here,” I laughed awkwardly. “You don’t need to base any decisions on me.”

We approached the elevator, and Maddox pressed the button for the ground floor. “Valentina,” he said my name, not sternly, but enough to gain my attention and for me to know that he wanted me to pay attention to his words. “Youare part of this team as well.”

The elevator doors opened, and he strode through.

I hid my smile behind my hand as I joined him.

The metallic doors swished shut.

“How do you choose which doors to travel through?” I wondered as I eyed the elevator doors.

Maddox shrugged and then winced. “Preference. The magic works better if the door doesn’t move, though.”

I frowned. “Areyouokay?” I asked.

Maddox wrenched his hand from his side as if he had touched a hot stove and waved away my concern. “Let’s just get to the safe house. Get some food. It's been a long day.”

“Sure,” I eyed him dubiously.

We stepped into the marble and chrome reception and Rome’s favorite person ever, Sasha, was behind the desk again. She didn’t wave, but she did blink in welcome, so I suppose that was something.

We walked past the elevators with Sasha calling my name. Or, more precisely, she called me “dead girl from the pool.”. Maddox’s eyes narrowed, but I waved away his concern.

“Give me a minute?” I put my hand on his shoulder.

“Sure.” His eyes flicked over my shoulder towards the receptionist. “I’ll be down the hallway if you need me.”

“You’re sweet,” I told him accusingly.

“Don’t tell anyone.”

I smiled as I turned away and made my way back to the reception desk. Sasha flicked her hair and squared her shoulders as she turned to face me. Before she could say a word, I interrupted her.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you the other day,” I sighed, meeting her eyes. “That was uncalled for.”

Sasha sniffed. “It was insignificant.”

“Okay,” I elongated the word in question, but I wasn’t about to admit that her words stung. Which she had intended. I waited in front of the desk as she chose her words.

“Romeo is mine.”

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