The Reaper Saga [Book 1-3]

CHAPTER 11 [EDITED]

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"I told you not to come here."

By the time I knew how to stop myself, I was already facing mom and a hidden figure near her. Thankfully my footsteps were lighter enough for her to not hear me. That was good. I didn't want to see her any more than she did. Tiptoeing back, I dropped down, making sure mom didn't see me if by any chance her gaze wandered over here.

"You think I enjoy this?" A man's voice carried away. Struggling to bury my curiosity, I peeked over but the man was still hidden. Dammit. Who was she talking to? Mikhail? No, he wouldn't be that stupid.

"I don't know what to think. She's gone, how did we let her escape through our fingers?" By her, somehow I just knew she meant me.

"You should have been more careful. You did this." The man concluded, making mom gasp. "I told you over and over to take care of it but you failed. You fucking failed!"

"Please, please, I beg of you, keep your voice down. If any one of them were to hear-"

"Why should I care? You had the best prize and you lost it." Their voice raised with more accusations and for the first time, I didn't know who I just came home to. I only meant to search for any documents on my birth mother and leave but here I was.

Witnessing a bloody site as mom threw a plate at the man, screaming profanities. I expected the man to retaliate just as badly but I didn't expect them to fall over the couch and start to make out in the middle of it.

I bet this was what she did now. Inviting shady people and sharing grief in her own way. I wish I could feel bad about that but lately, I hardly felt anything. That stench of death was the only thing that made me feel somewhat alive.

Smothering a laugh of my own, I decided to raid her room. Her office was where every important document was but something told me she wouldn't hide such a thing in her office. Mom wasn't the type to make hasty decisions. She calculated and invested carefully, only going after the win. I was her only failure in her whole carrier.

It's only fitting that I was also her best prize.

Shaking my head, I opened the door of her room, looking for anything that could hide an important piece of paper. To my annoyance, I realized she bartered the cabinet for a desk. Did she work from home now?

Only one way to find out.

Looking into the closet, under the bed, opening and closing a few drawers, I almost gave up when suddenly I slumped down on the floor, already feeling that tingling down my toes. Looking down, I saw the veins popping, indicating what I wanted to deny.

Damn him.

Mikhail had me locked up in a shady place, sitting beside me to prove the point that I needed him if I wanted the hunger gone. But I didn't want it gone, not like this. It was a part of me he had to accept if he really wanted anything to do with me. He'd probably wrinkle his nose if he could hear me right now. Just as another tingle went through my bones, I winced in discomfort.

Guess it was time to have a real dinner...

***

VERMON

"Tim, hi."

"Hi." He looked at me through his glasses with a cough. "What made you come here?"

"Oh, me? I just had some questions."

And probably things to find.

"Sure. What is it?"

I took a deep breath. There we go. "You have swapped the blood samples from the sanatorium, right?"

He nodded, frowning. "Yeah...what about it?'

"The John Doe that was found recently, did you worked on him too?"

For a second, his eyes widened but he quickly hid it. "Yeah, I did."

"Ok, I need a report on them, probably now." I watched him swallow and then laugh. It was almost funny how easy it was to read them all. They made things boring, I liked a challenge.

"Um, Detective. It's lunchtime. How about I give them to you after lunch?"

I shrugged, making my way to a chair near him. I had all day to play. "I'm fine here. Let's have lunch together. Been a long time didn't hear anything about your life. How're the children?"

His laugh was self-depicting but his voice was anything but. "Great. They are good boys, just like their papa."

Well, I hope not. Their papa was cheating and thinking of marrying that same girl in the next month. I didn't let him know. "Good, good. They grow up so quickly. How's Mina? You still have contact with her? Never heard about her again after the last case."

The sub he was getting ready to chew flew out of his mouth and landed on my suit. Closing my eyes, I counted to ten and smiled. "Don't worry about it."

Coughing, his hysterical eyes met mine. "I-I don't know about her-why don't you clean up while I finish lunch. You don't seem interested in eating?"

"Oh, I'm interested in eating. Just not food but information."

His coughing continued. "Right, right. What do you want to know?"

"The reports, Tim." I chided as gently as I could. If he accidentally choked on a sub and died, I would really feel bad. I just wanted to scare him, not drive him to his death. "I need both reports and what Valentine gave you."

"Mr. Valentine didn't give me anything-"

I pretended to be surprised. "Really? He had someone match the DNAs. Unless someone else was involved..."

"Are you accusing me of something, Detective?" He gulped down the water, some of it dropping on his shirt. He didn't even look down. "I'll have you know Mr. Valentine is a very respectful man who-"

"Gives out favors, hide cheatings, or sides pieces, isn't it?" I could literally see Tim's life flash over his eyes. He could be doing something else, even being crooked was far better than just being a cheating asshole.

"How do you know?"

I shrugged, rubbing my suit piece of any dirt he left. "I'm the Chief's favorite. Words fly, you're not as sly as you think. Now, the reports."

"Look, I didn't change anything, ok? I was just told to find the identity of the body. I did and Mr. Valentine called to ask who it was. I said they matched the blood reports from his place."

Shit. "Show them to me."

He stood up slowly, too slow as if it could stop me from getting my hands on the reports. After pulling out the papers, he looked back to see if I was still there and sighed. "Here you go."

I watched the whole thing without blinking, thinking back to every step to see if I missed anything. The body belonged to the one who threatened about evils in the first place. But there was no hope for that patient yet...

"Tim, now do a favor for me." I dropped the DNA and blood samples I got from the precinct. "See if this matches with anyone."

***

I know you guys are still waiting for Emie to show up but there are lives beyond her. I want to show you how things were when she lived there and when she was gone from other people's perceptive. Besides, her sister deserves her story to be told. This second book is her story so if you guys are going to continuously dm me about how you won't read the book until Emie comes back that's unfair. I am not going to respond or say anything but please don't do that. If you want to give feedback of course do so. I would love to get feedback but don't trash her character saying Lana is not like her sister. That's the point. Both are different people despite being twins. I am sorry for the long rant but when I get more than twenty angry messages telling me to stop writing Lana's story, my author heart hurts a little.