Chapter Twenty-Nine
Wherever You Are
Death’s Door, LLC
A good game of hide-and-seek requires two things: a clever hiding spot and a relentless pursuer. Once I figure out where one of my most skilled and decorated reapers has hidden himself, my pursuit will be unwavering.
There are only so many places that Asher can hide. Are there any alternative ways he might have removed himself from The Grid? Are there locations beyond reaper jurisdiction that I don’t know about or have not considered yet?
My brain hurts, and my attention deficit disorder feels like it’s kicking in hard, so I momentarily abandon my search for Asher to focus on a different pursuit—the search for the perfect words.
The Scrabble tiles lie before me. My mystery opponent has taken advantage of several prime double-word-score spots, and I stare at the evolving game board.
I scan my rack, pick out some letters, and play a word that only gets me twelve points, but feels very appropriate for this moment—RAGE.
I smirk as the board spins around toward the empty chair in my office, indicating that my distant opponent is now at the board in whatever part of the OtherWorld they currently reside, contemplating their turn.
“You know what the problem with loyalty is, Nana?” I ask the skull sitting on my desk, her hollow eye sockets staring at nothing.
I’ve positioned her so she’s facing the Scrabble board, allowing her to watch the game.
“It makes people stupid. They’re willing to sacrifice everything, even if it puts them in danger.
That’s just silly. Who would do that? Yes, I know, Nana.
The reaper boys and their Lost Souls savior.
Asher’s loyal to honor, Kane honors his loyalty to his friend, and Rue is loyal to every creature she ever meets.
And all that loyalty has landed them in a situation where they’re about to find out what happens when you disappoint Big D. ”
I tap my fingers against the desk, and Nana seems to rattle slightly with the vibrations.
“It’s still grey, Nana.”
I glance from the skull to the monitor in my office. There’s no change in Asher’s status, location, or whereabouts. But he has to show up at some point. And when he does …
I lean back in my chair and reach for a handful of the Twizzlers that fill Nana’s hollow skull.
Usually, I stick with the strawberry ones, but my new intern decided to make things festive and filled Nana with a rainbow selection.
I turn my attention back to the game while biting into a green one. Mmmmm. Apple.
“You think I’m being unreasonable?” I ask, as if she might have an opinion. “Do you think I should let these fools have their fun? Is that what a good ruler would do—let his subjects run around, chasing their feelings?” I spit the last word out nasally.
She doesn’t respond—useless, empty skull.
The Scrabble board shakes, signaling that my opponent is about to take their turn. Tiles begin to appear on the board in front of me.
I watch as they slowly spell out the word—MISSING. Each tile is a small jab, not to mention a terrible use of two S’s.
“You think you’re so clever,” I say to the empty chair. “Wasting letters for a dig at your opponent. I hope it was worth the ten-point move. You couldn’t even put those letters on any bonus squares.”
I scan my tiles before shifting my attention to the blinking lights. “Come out, come out, wherever you are,” I taunt the monitor, though Asher’s tracker hasn’t changed at all since I dismissed Rue and Kane.
A triple-letter score is available at the end of a word that ends with an A, and I see an opportunity for big points. I place my three-point P on that triple letter, spelling PA in one direction and POWER in another. “Twenty-six points and a commanding lead. Your turn, stranger.”
Even the words I lay down on the board seem to taunt me, as the newest additions stir memories of my late father and our complicated relationship.
“The thing is, Nana,” I find myself saying even though I’m not looking at her anymore, “I don’t want to rule as he did.
But sometimes, it feels like these souls leave me no choice.
Bureaucracy and decision making were supposed to make the OtherWorld run smoothly.
I’ve built an intake system and allowed the newly crossed souls the opportunity to decide how they’ll spend their time.
I have been kind. But you give these jackals an inch, and they ask for a mile.
Maybe dear old Dad knew something I haven’t learned yet. ”
I pluck a purple Twizzler from Nana’s cranium. Grape-flavored. Disgusting. I wince but then notice the letters my opponent has placed down on the board. Two measly one-point letters dropped down from the previously played CRYPT.
“Cat. Really? That’s the best you’ve got?”
I laugh and quickly lay down ANVIL, pleased to get rid of that V.
Before I can mentally calculate my score, my unseen competitor lays another word down off the C in ECLIPSE—COMBS.
I stare at the board, bouncing between the two words.
Cat. Combs.
Cat. Combs.
Cat. Combs.
First, an image of a feline trying to groom itself without opposable thumbs makes me giggle.
Then it hits me.
The Catacombs.
I stand so abruptly, causing my chair to roll backward and crash into the wall. The sound echoes through my office.
“The Catacombs,” I say aloud, the realization hitting me like a physical blow. “Asher is in The fucking Catacombs.”
I turn to Nana, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say she looks relieved.
“That’s where he is,” I tell her. “That’s where that ungrateful reaper snuck off to. I show a little kindness, and this is how my generosity is repaid. Typical, Nana. Fucking typical.”
I throw the word TREAT down on the board. It has nothing to do with what’s on my mind, but it’s a great use of the letters I have, so I play it. I’m not even hungry right now, but none of that matters.
I grab my Tombstone Phone and fire off a text to Kane.
Big D: Some aMAZEing developments over here. Get your ass to my office now. —Big D
His response is swift.
Kane: I will be right there. And you don’t have to sign your texts, Big D.
His tone is even more annoying over text. My fingers fly over the keys.
Big D: Big D says my office. Now. This message is from Big D. Signed, Big D.
I throw my phone down on the table and hear the screen crack. These reapers get on my last fucking nerve.