Page 6 of Reaper
She’s right. Reaper has been a tough case from the moment he crossed over. Normally, newbies fight against their newreality, much like Dean did earlier. But not Reaper. He was so miserable in his human life that he embraced his afterlife. That being said, he’s never been truly happy.
“Well, he’s starting to become jealous of what his brothers have. Viking and Makayla, Inferno and Emmy… Seeing them is reminding him of what he had at one point.”
“Even if that’s true, I don’t see what sending him back to the human world will accomplish. There haven’t been any credible threats he needs to stop, and there hasn’t been anyone from his past that needs his help.”
“All true,” I concede as I point to the screen. “But look at that.”
Skuld focuses on the scene I was so engrossed in before I called her into my office. “What exactly am I supposed to see, Sir?”
“That, my dear Valkyrie, is Reaper’s future.”
4
Kyra
“What is your problem?”
Holding my cell between my ear and shoulder, I heave a sigh. I’m at the diner doing inventory and of course, this would be when Jason decides to come out of the woodwork.
“My problem is you,” I snap. “You haven’t once called or tried to see your kids in six months, but you have the nerve to call and ask me for money.”
“Babe, it’s no?—”
“Oh, hell no,” I gripe. “I am not yourbabe. I stopped being yourbabethe moment you walked out the door, leaving me with our three-year-old twins and a business to run.”
“When are you gonna get over that?” he argues.
“When am I…” I shake my head incredulously and shift the phone to my hand. “Maybe you should be asking that question about Heidi and Hunter.”
“Are you gonna help me or not?”
“Not.”
After disconnecting the call, I toss my cell onto the counter.
Unfuckingbelievable.
“Jason again?”
Startled, I whirl around and see Barry leaning against the doorjamb between the kitchen and front counter area.
“What gave you that idea?” I ask sarcastically.
“Why do you keep answering his calls?”
“Because, whether I like it or not, he’s still the father of my kids.”
“DNA doesn’t mean shit if he’s not gonna step up and actually be their father.”
Barry’s worked at Night and Day Diner since we opened our doors. In fact, it was Jason who hired him. And it was Jason who Barry always sided with when there was a disagreement about the way things are run. But the moment Jason walked away from the business and his family, Barry changed his tune real quick. Something about being a ‘real man’... whatever that is.
“You about done in the kitchen?” I ask, desperately needing the subject to change.
“Yep.” He pushes off the doorjamb and lumbers toward me. “Here’s the list of what we need to order,” he says, handing me a piece of paper.
“When are you gonna stop using pen and paper?” I ask with a laugh. “I spend good money on our online system.”
“Money wasted if you ask me.”
