Page 1 of Reaper's Ride
Chapter 1 Snooki
“Ican’t believe you talked me into this,” I joked, stuffing more Halloween decorations into the basket of my cart. “This is obscene.”
In truth, it wasn’t. Not really, if you compared it to previous years. The Crossroads celebrated Halloween every year to the fullest extent. It was a month-long party that ended on All Hallows’ Eve with a massive celebration that reminded me of a carnival. It happened to be one of my favorite traditions. I looked forward to it every October.
Trish snickered. “Well, I’d be with you right now, but I have babies napping.”
Trish, Grim’s ol’ lady, and the club president’s wife, had become one of my closest friends. Me. A club girl who used to sleep regularly with several of the members. Most notably, Rael. That was before he met Nylah.
Was I bitter? No. I genuinely liked Nylah, and Rael adored her. They were a perfect couple. Besides, it had been years since he fell for the blonde nurse. Their little family had grown to three babies now. I hadn’t thought of him in that way for so long that it felt like ancient history now.
“True,” I replied. “I don’t have that excuse.”
I meant it as a joke, but my voice cracked.
Damnit.
“Hey, Snooki. It’ll happen to you. The right guy is going to come along and sweep you right off your feet.”
I snorted. “Right.”
“I bet it happens when you least expect it.”
I hated that phrase. It was so... I don’t know... falsely hopeful.
“Well, I’m not actively looking. Besides, Tonopah doesn’t have a lot to choose from,” I pointed out as I picked up a few boxes of purple and orange lights and placed them in the cart.
Tonopah, Nevada, was a small town in the middle of the desert—three hours from Las Vegas and four from Reno. Most people who passed through wanted to visit The Clown Motel, stargaze, or check out the haunted Mizpah Hotel. There weren’t a lot of single men moving to this old silver mining town.
“I guess you’re right,” she conceded. “I just want you to be happy, Snooki. You’re family. We all love you.”
It meant a lot to hear her say that, but she didn’t need to remind me. I already knew my place at The Crossroads and with the club. My role had changed since I stopped sleeping with the members. I’d become an employee and indispensable as a cook. It was a change I welcomed and loved.
I loved meal planning, prep, and feeding the club members as well as their families. It gave my life purpose and meaning beyond caring for the members in other pleasurable ways.
“I know. I feel the same.”
But... I was lonely. I could admit that.
Trish understood and didn’t press the subject. “What have you piled in the cart so far?”
“Lights. Giant spiders and rats. Oh, spooky candelabra that scream.”
“They scream?”
“Yep. Motion detected.”
“Oh, that’s perfect. What else?”
I went through the list, naming everything I stuffed into the cart. Trish planned to reimburse me once I brought her the receipt. “Last thing. I found a giant reaper.”
“No way,” she breathed. “How big?”
“Eight feet tall. He’s got an enormous scythe and his eyes glow red. Listen.” I pushed the button on the display and nearlyjumped when the reaper’s screech filled the air, followed by sinister laughter. “What do you think?”
“I don’t care how much it is. Pick it up. We’ve got to have it.”
I didn’t point out that we already had several different reapers we used for Halloween. The club loved them. There was a reason for that, which I didn’t bring up over the phone, where anyone around us could overhear.
