Page 29

“Good morning, Ms. Parker,” he says as he hands me my morning coffee and a mimosa. This welcome offering makes me wonder if I’m starting to warm up to him. I grab both eagerly, not giving him a chance to take them back.

“You can call me Joyce, you know.” I take a sip of my coffee, then wash back the taste with the mimosa. Now, this is Heaven.

“I’d rather not,” he replies immediately, heading towards the elevator.

“Uh, why not?” I ask, following behind him. He’s in his black suit again with the signature silver lapel chain that no other Collection reaper wears. I’m well acquainted with his back, since he always walks in front of me instead of beside me.

I don’t mind though.

His ass is like two perfectly shaped buns that were just pulled out the oven. His walk doesn’t scream egotistical asshole, it’s laid back. As if there is no question about who he is, where he’s going, or whether people like him or not.

“I only call my friends by their first name…and I’m not quite sure what you are yet. I just know you are my lawyer, who I now trust.” Yeah, I spoke too soon. I am most definitely not warming up to him too much.

I step into the elevator and sip my drinks in silence while sneaking glances at him. He’s staring at the elevator’s doors, sipping his own coffee. Today, he is not wearing a tie. The first two buttons of his shirt are undone, providing me a view of a silver chain I never noticed before.

He rolls his eyes and looks down at me. “Why are you looking at me?”

I shrug, pretending to not be embarrassed that I got caught staring. “It’s true what they say, the devil comes in a pretty package.”

He narrows his eyes and opens his mouth to speak, but the ding of the elevator door cuts him off. That’s a good thing. His comebacks can be brutal.

As the doors open, my eyes widen in shock. What a way to start the morning. The floor outside is complete and utter chaos. Reapers of every suit color are running in every direction, papers are flying everywhere, and did I just see a freaking bird?

What in the hell is going on?

I take a step out the elevator first, just as a man is running towards me. He roughly knocks into me, sending me flying towards the floor. My coffee and mimosa fall from my hands and splatter on the ground. I brace myself to hit the ground, but never feel the impact. I look up to see Aiden holding onto me with his arm wrapped under my back, his hand curled around my hip. He helps me upright, then lets me go, taking a step back. The reaper that ran into me mutters a panicked apology and continues on his way.

“Are you good?” Aiden asks with a bit of concern in his voice. I nod at him, looking around the lobby.

“What is going on?” I ask, “Is this normal?”

He shakes his head firmly. “Not at all.” As another reaper is running by, Aiden reaches out and grabs him by the collar to stop him.

“What the hell is going on?” he demands.

“The system went out, and a bunch of souls from Hell were released. Everyone is scrambling to figure out how it happened, and what to do. The directors are meeting to try to plan and make decisions, but they are arguing. This has never happened before, and no one knows what to do.” He pants. “They are from the third tier,” he whispers aggressively. His face is red and his chest heaves.

Aiden lets him go and shoos him away. He drags a hand down his face, shaking his head in frustration.

“How the hell did they lose souls?” Aiden asks no one. Well, I assume no one, because I certainly don’t have the answer.

To bring humor into the situation, I reply, “They forgot to cherish them.” I chuckle and peek a glance at him. He glares at me in response. I thought that was funny. He does not share that sentiment.

Whatever. A sense of humor is a vastly underappreciated lawyering skill.

“Now is not the time to joke. Let’s get to the office.” He waits for me to start walking and follows behind me.

From my readings last night, I know division three souls are no joke. They are the worst of the worst. The souls who are to never be reincarnated. The souls that if ‘The Obliterator’ was still allowed, it would be used on.

Once we get to the office, he closes the door, and we walk to our respective desks. When he reaches his, he immediately starts clicking away on his computer. Before he even gets the chance to do anything, the door to his office opens and the director I met the other day walks in.

“Whatever you are doing, stop right now,” he commands with his finger pointing at Aiden. Seems as though he predicted Aiden would not be able to idly sit back and watch other people search for the souls.

Aiden lets out a breath of frustration and slams his phone on his desk. He turns towards the man, glaring at him. “I am just trying to help. You know I am the best at finding a runaway soul.”

Director Jackson shakes his head. “Now is not the time to do anything. You need to stick to paperwork and lay low. Every department is scouring Eden and Earth to find these souls. Focus on your case. This is not me asking, either. This is a direct order.” Aiden stays silent, not moving an inch. The director, not paying any attention to Aiden’s brooding, walks over to his black couch and sits down. He finally looks over to me, smiling as he gestures to the chair across from him.

“We previously met. I’m Director Taevian Jackson.”