Chapter 15: Chapter 15
“Do you really think we have a week or two?” Rider asked, running a hand through his blond hair which was beginning to get a little shaggy around the edges.
“I hope so,” Cutter replied. “Otherwise, I’m not sure how we can handle it at all. I mean, I’ve only known her a week. She’s not going to trust me at this point.”
“But if you show her what you can do…”
“I’ll freak her the hell out, and we’ll lose her for sure.” Cutter didn’t know that for a fact, but the few times he thought he knew someone well enough to show them his gift, he’d lost them completely. He couldn’t afford that with Ru, especially not in light of the piece of paper he was holding in his hand.
“I just wish we’d been smart enough to look under the right name in the first place,” Rider went on.
“We didn’t have a first name,” Cutter reminded him. “And… we had no idea she’d be here, right under our noses.”
“Our old stomping grounds,” Rider mused.
“In fairness, this hasn’t been a hotbed for over a century.” Sure, Upstate New York had a history every Keeper was well-aware of, but not since the early nineteenth century had anything significant happened there, though the mansion had still been occupied for decades after the activity had died down.
“It’s called Reaper’s Hollow for a reason,” Rider reminded him, a fact Cutter was well-aware of.
“Right, but it’s not called Keeper’s Hollow. How would we have known she was here? Especially if there is something preventing us from seeing her, which there has to be.” He still hadn’t figured that one out, and even with the information Ivy had been able to collect they were no closer to unraveling that riddle.
“Well, it’s been a week or so since Nat reared his pretty little head, so maybe we need to go out tonight, try to trip him up a little bit.”
Cutter turned to eye his cousin directly. “Do you have any idea where he might be?”
“Not a clue,” Rider admitted. “But it wouldn’t hurt to let them know we’re around.”
“It would if he isn’t aware and thinks we are around for the same reason he is,” Cutter argued. “You’re always itching for a fight.”
“Damn right I am,” Rider nodded. “It’s in my DNA—literally.”
Smirking, Cutter shook his head. He was right, of course. He just wished his cousin could control his urges a little better like the rest of them tried to. “I don’t think it’s a good idea, Rider. We need to lay low until we secure Ru. Then, we’ll have plenty of time to track him down and destroy him.”
“Destroy him?” Rider repeated. “Hell, we’ll be lucky if we can even send him back to where he came from. Destroying him is kinda out of the question, don’t you think?”
Cutter was aware that he had a point, but he felt like it might actually be possible once they had Ru. If she was as powerful as he suspected, she could accomplish a lot more than they’d been able to do in the past. “Maybe, but if we don’t at least aim for destruction, then we’ll never know.”
Rider seemed to be mulling over the remark in his head. “Okay, I’ll give you that,” he finally said. “But in the meantime, what do we do if he keeps claiming unmarked souls?”
“Then, once we catch up to him, he’ll have to pay for his crimes.”
“Great, but in the meantime, more people die.”
Cutter nodded. That was part of the job, an aspect he wasn’t a fan of, but in this instance, there was no easy answer, and he had to make sure they didn’t lose Ru, or worse, drive her right into Nat’s waiting arms. “Look, I don’t like it any more than you do. But if he knows we’re here, he’ll think he’s close.”
“Don’t you think he already knows?” Rider asked, his voice showing his exasperation.
“Surely not,” Cutter reasoned. “If he did, we’d know, I think.”
Rider was shaking his head. “I think we’re the reason he’s here.”
Cutter didn’t really have a response to that, at least not one he was willing to vocalize. “Just give me a few more days.”
With a sigh, Rider clapped his hands down on his thighs. “Fine,” he acquiesced. “But I have a feeling he’ll be out tonight.” He stood and headed back toward the house, clearly disappointed that Cutter hadn’t agreed with his proposition.
“I hope not,” Cutter mumbled, although something told him Rider might be right. It had been almost a week, and Nat usually wasn’t that patient. He’d typically take a few days to find the best mark for his cause, and then he’d move in, so the fact that he’d taken this long made Cutter hopeful that he’d found other hunting grounds, although he didn’t think that was the case. He had a suspicion that Nat was not only aware that the Keepers were in the area but that the missing one was as well. Cutter had to avoid showing his hand until they had her.
Looking at the certificate he held, he was at least satisfied in knowing they’d found her at last. While he’d questioned the situation even a few days ago, there was no doubt now that Ru was exactly who he thought she was. What was most troubling of all, perhaps, was the fact that she was not who she thought she was—not in the least. The poor girl didn’t even know her own name.
Sandra Delvecchio heard a noise and stumbled out of bed, certain it was her cat, Tiger, wanting out. Without fully opening her eyes, she shuffled toward the back door, the backs of her heels sticking out of her house shoes.
She didn’t glance at the clock to see what time it was, but she felt like she’d been asleep for at least a few hours. Since she’d gone straight to bed after Bull, she figured it was close to midnight. Tiger usually wanted out about this time, and even though it was a pain in the ass, he was her only companion, so she tried to keep him happy.