Page 5 of Reaper Razed

I smile at Carmen and Viking. “We saw the footage. We thought you were dead!” Viking tells me.

“Footage?”

“When Dice and Bernie came back without you, Dice scanned the area for cameras he could hack. Fuck, Ray, you’re a badass motherfucker. No one should have survived that. I mean, the fucker you took with you was mush!” He pulls me into his chest. “Seeing it, seeing you like that, fuck, Ray… I love you, ya know!”

“I love you too, Vike.” He kisses my head and holds me like that till Steel clears his throat.

“Bath’s ready.”

I kiss Carmen on the cheek as I pass, and she looks at me with glossy eyes. “I’m okay.” I nod at her, and she swallows and nods back. Before I step away, I rest my head on her shoulder, the nearest to a hug I can manage. A solitary sob spills from her. I turn and walk away straight into the bathroom.

Steel goes to shut the door behind me, and Hades barges in.

“Can you throw him in once I’m out?”

I look at Steel, and he eyes Hades. “I’ll give it a go.” After my bath and a lot of help from Steel, I start to feel more like myself. I climb out to snuggle into my fluffy dressing gown and sit on the vanity.

“Your turn, big lad.” I nod at Hades. He takes a step back, then another, followed by another with a small growl for good measure.

Steel laughs. “Come you, ya big baby.” He walks over and picks Hades up, he whimpers in Steel's arms, and Steel plops him into the bath. He splashes around a bit, and then Steel grabs my shampoo and starts scrubbing him. This overgrown puppy's look of sheer joy is adorable as Steel scrubs behind his ears. He licks his face.

“Ah, he likes me.” Steel coos.

“I fucking missed you, baby!” I rush out, leaning against the mirror. I just need a second to process it all.

As we all walk back out into the kitchen, I ask Steel to put some water out. Next to our bedroom doors, next to the patio doors, Steel throws down a blanket on the floor.

Hades walks straight over and has a drink. As I wander into the kitchen, he follows. “You hungry, boy?”

“I am.” Viking shouts over from the sofa.

“When aren’t you, fucker?” I laugh out.

Steel pushes me out of the way. “Go and sit down, baby, I will make us all some pasta, and if Hades is staying, we can go to the store and get him some shit tomorrow, okay?”

I smile up at him and kiss his cheek. I drop onto the sofa and listen to the chattering around me.

I wake up with a dead leg and a 10-stone Rottie lying across my lap. “Fuck, didn’t anyone tell you you’re not a lap dog? My fucking leg’s dead.” Hades huffs as I stretch and nudge behind his ears anyway. Steel must have put a blanket over me, and Hades has laid down on top of it. Steel brings us all dinner to the sofa, and he places a bowl for Hades to cool.

After eating, there’s a knock at the door, and Pa walks in. “You up to see Joseph? We need to find out what’s going on.”

I head into the bedroom to change, well, to try and change, but fuck, this is impossible. “Fucking hell, Steel, can you give me a hand?”

After the embarrassment of having to get my husband to dress me, I head out of the living room to where Bernie’s waiting.

“Babe, you need your splints and sling on at all times. Let me strap you up before you go!”

“Baby, I promise you can strap me up when I get back, but I need to look un-injured for this bit.” I kiss him on the cheek and head out of the door.

Pa Cade

The phone rings. It's the call we’ve been dreading. We've been sitting at the kitchen table just waiting. “Bernie, is she okay?”

“Yeah,” he breathes out. “We’ve got her, she’s banged up, but she’s okay!”

We collectively let out a breath.

“I’m too old for this shit!” Steven shakes his head.

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