“How? You’ve got a son and a new woman. She gonna be your ol’ lady?”
“If she’ll have me, then yeah. I love Tawni,” I shouted, wincing as one of the bulbs above our heads flickered and then broke, cracking loudly as it shattered. Broken shards of glass fell on the table from above and tinkled against the bottles of booze in a macabre melody.
“Shit, Wraith. You’re a walking disaster,” Rael blurted, snickering as I flipped him the middle finger.
“What about—”
Jigsaw was cut off as my son stormed into the chapel, not giving two shits that he just broke protocol.
“Zane?” I asked, frowning as he stood there pissed off and glaring at everyone in the room.
“Where the hell is my mother?”
“She was asleep when I saw her last,” I answered carefully, trying not to expose the fact that I kept her up most of the night because of our activities between the sheets. Tawni was likely tired and still in my bed. The thought warmed my heart.
“Pres!” Toad shouted, rushing into the room. “We’ve got a problem.”
My blood turned to ice in my veins, and I knew before he said another word that Tawni wasn’t inside the Crossroads anymore.
“Well, don’t stand there, prospect. Tell me what the fuck is going on,” Grim answered with a frustrated growl.
Toad’s gaze shot to mine and then Zane. “The social worker just left with some lady in a car named Hillary.”
Zane lost some of his attitude. “Oh, that’s my mom’s best friend. She’s harmless. Probably just needed my mom for something for work. I’ll text her.” He punched in a quick message, and we all waited as I began to pace.
“She’ll answer Zane,” I replied confidently, but I didn’t feel confident. In fact, a growing sense of dread sank into my belly like a solid chunk of rot. Nearly nauseous, I didn’t voice my concern aloud.
My son turned my way, noticing for the first time that something was off. “Why are you so . . . oh shit.”
“Fuck, Wraith. You’re turning invisible again.” Exorcist’s words would have been comical if this wasn’t the worst moment for it to happen.
Zane’s eyes widened. “What are you?”
I sensed fear coming from him but also fascination. “A Reaper.”
Grim shook his head. “Well, fuck. I guess he’s gonna know now.”
“He’s my son,” I announced proudly. “My kid needs to know what his dad has become.”
Zane swallowed hard. “Dude, this is fucking weird.”
“Don’t be afraid. I would never hurt you, and none of us here ever would.”
“Okay, but that’s the shit you hear in horror movies. You know? Nothing is going to happen. You’ll be okay. No ax murderer is gonna come up and chop your head off. Then all hell breaks loose.”
Smirking, I found his reasoning hilarious and perfectly sane. “Yeah, but the reality is far darker and more sinister.”
“Ok-ay,” he drawled out.
“You ready?”
“For what?” he asked, taking a step toward the door.
“I’m gonna show you what I am.”
“Aw shit, that sounds bad.”
None of the guys had spoken up. They watched our interaction with interest.