Chapter Two
Outwardly, Alex was totally calm and composed.
Inwardly, he was furious. There’d been no deer, but it was the only lie he could come up with off the top of his head to explain his erratic driving.
Not like he could tell them he’d come through a portal and was here on an assignment for his father, who just happened to be Death.
The cop would lock him up in a heartbeat, assuming he was either on drugs or delusional.
As it was, he figured he was walking a thin line with the local authorities.
After taking his statement, Officer Jones had warned him not to take advantage of Cilla’s generosity in offering him a place to stay.
He had no intentions of doing so but resented the warning.
Rather than put the officer’s mind at ease, he’d simply smiled.
Whatever his reasons, his father had set him directly into the oncoming path of Cilla Wainwright.
The lack of damage to her or her vehicle—while his precious bike was going to need major work—was one hell of a big sign.
Whatever, or rather, whoever his assignment was, Cilla was his starting point. Sticking close to her was a priority.
Sam had stayed at her place. That could be important or it could be as simple as the fact she ran an inn. There probably wasn’t a huge selection of places to stay around here.
It had surprised him to discover this was also the location of Sam’s assignment—probably the old man’s way of keeping the playing field fair, as he saw it. Sam’s time here was done, his assignment completed. Alex’s was just beginning.
He didn’t have the slightest idea where here was, other than it wasn’t New York City.
Cilla had called the place Redemption. He doubted the name of the town was random.
Alex wasn’t amused by his father’s twisted sense of humor.
He didn’t think he needed redemption, but his opinion didn’t matter to the old man.
He’d been more on the money than he realized when he’d asked his father about dropping Samael into the middle of nowhere without warning.
The idea of Samael falling out of thin air and landing in the wilderness not far from here eased some of the sting of his own situation.
Big brother would not have been pleased.
Determination fired him. Samael had completed his assignment. Alex would do the same, get the hell out of town, and back to his real life. He’d been reaping for thousands of years. How hard could it be to escort one soul to the afterlife in a manner that would satisfy Death?
He finished helping load the bike onto the back of the tow truck and watched the driver secure it in place. While the machine could be repaired, it hurt to see it in this condition. He’d purchased it brand new, straight from the factory, before it had hit most dealers.
As he held out his keyring, the charm on it gleamed in the sunlight.
The silver scythe, which he’d picked up at a street fair about twenty years ago, amused him.
It was also a reminder of who and what he was.
While he lived among humans, he wasn’t one of them.
Their concerns weren’t his business. He had other priorities.
He wasn’t cold toward humans. He admired their innovation, fire, and determination.
He’d had friends a long time ago, but the pain of losing one after another had grown too difficult to bear.
It was better to keep things superficial.
Shallow relationships worked for him. Obviously, it wasn’t working for the old man, or Alex wouldn’t be in this situation.
The driver took the keys. “I’ll take your bike to Grady’s Garage.” The driver pulled a card out of his pocket and handed it to Alex. “You have a number where we can get hold of you?”
He reached into his pocket, not in the least surprised to discover his phone was missing. He hadn’t seen it in the wreckage, which meant his father had made it disappear, an obvious warning he wasn’t to have contact with the outside world until this assignment was complete.
This was shaping up to be one frustrating turn after another. He’d figure it out. He was good at that. Then he’d get the hell out of Redemption.
“Phone got smashed in the crash.” It was easier to lie than try explaining the truth. “I’ll be at Ivy House for the next couple of days. I can be reached there.” With any luck his assignment would be done by the time the bike was ready.
“That sure is a damn fine machine. If anyone can fix it, Gary Grady can. I’ll tell him to give you a call once he’s had a chance to look at it.”
Alex had been building, repairing, and driving motorcycles since their inception. It galled him to have to hand over one of his “babies” to an unknown mechanic, but there was no other choice.
“Appreciate it.” Giving the man a nod and his bike one last, soulful look, Alex grabbed his helmet off the ground and strolled across the road to where Cilla was waiting.
His attention had been divided since the crash.
Now it was focused solely on the woman at the center of it…
and his only connection to this mysterious assignment from his father.
Hair the color of a new copper penny tumbled in waves around her shoulders.
Her features were finely drawn, her cheeks pale, her lips full and tempting.
A light sprinkle of freckles adorned her nose.
Large green eyes widened as he walked toward her.
The beige linen sundress she wore was sedate, expensive, and classy, and went with the beige pumps on her feet.
It didn’t suit her in the least. She belonged in vibrant colors.
He rubbed the back of his neck. He must be more dazed by the day’s events than he thought if he was critiquing her fashion choices. She was pretty in a girl-next-door way, but he was here for work, not to romance a local. “Thanks for waiting.”
“No problem.” She glanced at the departing tow truck. “Do you have any luggage?”
“Just this.” He held up the helmet. To forestall further questions, he opened her door for her.
“I see.” She slipped into her seat.
After closing the door, he went around the vehicle and slid in on the other side.
He tossed the helmet on the floor by his feet and pulled on his seat belt.
When she made no move to leave, he swiveled toward her.
“Are you okay to drive?” While she hadn’t been hurt, she had to be shaken from the mishap.
“I’m fine. I’ll contact my insurance company as soon as I get home.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “There’s no damage to my car, but I was involved in an accident.”
“No, the entire incident was my fault. I’ll handle it.”
She’d never been in any danger of being hurt—unless she’d been his intended assignment, in which case she would have died, he’d have reaped her soul, and been on his way home. It was too much to hope the assignment would be that fast and simple.
His father was rigid when it came to maintaining the timeline.
Nothing could disrupt it without dire consequences.
But she didn’t know that. It had to have been terrifying to see him barreling straight at her from out of the blue.
Given the circumstances, she’d shown a great deal of poise and kindness.
There’d been no tears or accusations, only concern about his safety and the offer of a place to stay.
“There’s no telling how much it will cost to fix the damage.”
“I’ve got it covered.” It was the least he could do, especially considering none of this was her doing. Not to mention he was loaded and owned a multitude of custom garages and body shops across the nation. Back in New York, he’d have handled the repairs himself.
“All right then.” Squaring her shoulders, she put the car in gear and slowly accelerated.
As they passed him, Officer Jones gave her a wave and Alex a pointed look.
With both her hands on the wheel and a light foot on the gas, they rolled toward town.
“Funny, your brother didn’t have any luggage either when he checked in. Is traveling light a family thing?”
She’d picked up their earlier conversation without missing a beat.
He needed information, and she was his best source.
That meant he couldn’t brush her off or change the subject.
He’d have to talk about his family—something that didn’t come easily.
“It is a family thing. I assume the same thing that happened to me happened to Samael.”
“Do tell?” Not only was her color coming back, so was her curiosity.
Alex leaned back in his seat and turned his head to watch her.
The view outside the vehicle was lovely, but the one inside was spectacular.
Cilla was slender, but her bare arms showed definition.
Lean but not fragile. He contemplated what to tell her and settled on the basic truth.
“Our father sent me here. No advance notice, so no time to pack.”
“Are you serious?” The incredulous expression on her face made him grin.
“My father is not a man to take no for an answer.”
She gave a delicate snort and wrinkled her nose. “Sounds like my older brother, Richard.”
“Do tell?”
Her light laugh raised goose bumps on his arms. “He’s a decade older than me and is convinced he knows exactly what I should do and how I should live my life.”
“I take it you disagree.”
She shrugged. “Let’s just say we have a difference of opinion. Welcome to Redemption.”
The sign off to the side of the road had the town’s name printed across it in big, bold letters. Seated on top of it was a large black crow, one he’d recognize anywhere. Malaki was his father’s personal assistant, or in this case, his personal spy.
Ignoring the bird, he turned his attention to the world outside the vehicle. Since he was stuck here until his father deemed the assignment complete—failure was not an option—he took a good look at his temporary home when it came into view.