Page 2 of In the Monster's Wake
“We barely have any new recruits,” Leroy lamented.“And those we do have can’t do their job even when someone explains it to them.We’ve been trying to convince some of the hunters who retired to come by, but most of them have a good reason why they can’t.”
Which was one of the reasons Jasper had stopped hunting.He’d like to reach old age with all four limbs attached to his body—thank you very much.Hunters tended to either die on the job or lose bits and pieces over the years, and he didn’t want that to happen to him.
He knew what his father wasn’t saying.Leroy was here to try to convince Jasper to come back to work.He probably wouldn’t come out and say it explicitly, so as long as Jasper acted as if he had no idea what his father was talking about, he should be fine.
For now.
Leroy stared at Jasper for a moment before scoffing.“Being a hunter is a lost art.We need more people.”
“Then maybe you should try to recruit more people.”Jasper didn’t like that thought, but he hadn’t been a hunter in a long time, and he had no intention of ever going back for any reason.
“Young people don’t want to sacrifice anything these days.They’re selfish.They want their cushy jobs at grocery stores and restaurants, and they don’t care that monsters are lurking in the city.They’re happy to be protected, but they won’t do any protecting.They’re too soft.”
Jasper briefly wondered if his father was going to start ranting and shaking his fist at the sky.He had the general aura of someone who would do that, even though he wasn’t that old.He was just a ranting kind of person, especially when he didn’t get what he wanted—which was never when it came to Jasper.He hadn’t allowed his father to dictate his life in years, and he wasn’t about to start now, no matter what Leroy had to say about it.
Jasper exchanged a glance with Kerry, who still hovered at the kitchen door.Corey was creeping toward her, clearly wanting out of the kitchen.Jasper would’ve called them out on it because he didn’t want to be left alone with his parents, but they weren’t their burden to deal with.They’d seen enough of them growing up.They didn’t need to continue doing so now that they were adults and living their own lives.
Jasper sighed when Corey slipped out of the kitchen and grabbed his sister’s wrist to pull her along.He was alone.
He prayed that his parents had something planned for the rest of the day because he didn’t know what he’d do if they stayed for much longer.Scream, maybe.
He eyed the window again.He supposed that was another possibility.
* * * *
“IAMsodone with all this paperwork,” Braith complained.
Considering he was sitting at his desk with his feet up as he played on his phone, Archibald felt like he’d be within his right to hit his friend.
“What paperwork?”he asked, pointedly looking at Braith.
Braith didn’t even glance up.“You know.The paperwork we do at the end of the cases.Do we really have to do it?I mean, we’re our own bosses.We can do what we want.”
“We can,” Archibald agreed.“But then don’t come crying to me when you can’t find the files you were looking for.Remember that case with the will and the vase?”
“How was I supposed to know they were going to hire us again two months later?”Braith complained.
“You weren’t supposed to know.Youweresupposed to be ready in case it happened, and you will be if you compile the paperwork.”
Braith wasn’t wrong.Filing case reports was one of the worst parts of being a PI, but Archibald felt it was necessary.It made things easier, even though it didn’t feel like it while they were working on it.It definitely didn’t feel like it when Braith still refused to glance up from his phone.
Archibald grabbed the stress ball he kept on his desk for this purpose and threw it at his friend’s face.He groaned when Braith snatched it from the air without looking up.He should know better, but he was annoyed.
“That was weak,” Braith said as he finally lowered his phone and threw the ball back at Archibald.“You could do better.”
“I would if I wasn’t forced to work on these reports on my own.I warned you when we decided to open this office.I told you I wouldn’t be doing all the paperwork by myself.”
Braith groaned dramatically.“Fine.What do I need to write?”
Archibald stared at him.Braith was behaving as if he’d never filed a case report when he did so every week.
Braith rolled his eyes and grabbed a pen.“You know, this would be much easier if we had a secretary.”
“We don’t need a secretary.”
“They could answer the phone.”
That gave Archibald pause.“That means thatIwouldn’t have to answer the phone ever again.”He hated answering the phone.He didn’t understand why people couldn’t just email.It was easier and, most of the time, faster.People could write whatever they needed and wanted in that email and give Archibald all of the details of their cases.He wouldn’t have to listen to people sob and complain on the phone if they did that.
