Reapers, Inc. - Brigit's Cross (29 page)

“That’s a good idea,” Brigit agreed. “I’ll
set Belinda to it. It will be a good project for her. Something to
keep her focused from her recent distraction,” Brigit said
quietly.

She had not been the only one to notice the
budding relationship between Belinda and the Irishman Brigit still
found herself at odds with. It seemed, however, that she was the
only one worried by the potential outcome of it.

“Are you sure all will be well?” John
asked.

He was concerned about leaving Brigit alone
with Seamus Flannery. John had been trying to make sure they had as
little interaction as possible since learning of Seamus’ threat to
Brigit. Now, however, he had no choice. The state of the company
demanded his presence elsewhere. He could only pray that Brigit
would keep her guard up until he could return.

“It will be fine, John,” Brigit said again.
“I will call if I need you. I promise,” she said firmly.

“Very well then,” John sighed upon the
realization that the subject was closed. He knew Brigit would not
voice any concerns – if she had any at all to voice. “Good luck
with the work load. The Bailey appears to have found a way to
increase his productivity.”

“You’ve noticed?” Brigit laughed. It was
true. The Bailey had started depositing his assignments later and
the Reapers had noticed the amounts were beginning to increase
again. “Get going, John. We’ll all still be here when you come
back.”

With that, the head Grim Reaper turned and
exited their office. It was theirs, in all honesty. Brigit had
voiced her request for her own space, but John Blackwick had
pointed out that it was not necessary. As his assistant, Brigit
assumed his role and duties when he was not present. To save time,
she would occupy his office. Considering the current state of the
firm, John mused as he passed Mama Dee in the hall and exchanged a
nod of greeting; he was going to be away a lot soon. The office
would eventually belong solely to Brigit and John would only find
use for it on occasion. Brigit had learned so much over the last
couple of months. Soon, John further mused as he reached for the
main entrance to 666 ½ Bleecker Street, she might be facing a
promotion if the state of Reapers, Inc. continued to go so
well.

Brigit sighed heavily as she reached for the
next stack of portfolios. She had never truly realized how mentally
taxing it could be to sort through the daily mail. She suddenly had
sympathy for John Blackwick and his position as head Reaper. A
movement at the door to the office distracted Brigit from further
thought. It was Mama Dee and she looked concerned.

“Where’s he going?” Mama asked, pointing over
her shoulder at the now gone John Blackwick.

“He’s headed back to Rome for a couple of
days. He’s found some potential new recruits for the office there,”
Brigit explained. “How are you today?”

“I’m okay, I guess. I just finished a hard
case. Poor baby,” Mama Dee shook her head sadly. “I hate when a
baby passed because its parents were stupid.”

Brigit was not surprised by this declaration.
Mama Dee, a woman who had been unable to bear children of her own,
could never understand why people who had been better blessed
didn’t recognize the gift a child was. Apparently, this
consideration had been carried over even in death for Mama Dee.

“How hard did you hug the child before you
passed him?” Brigit asked, hoping to lighten the mood.

“Not hard enough, I’ll tell you that,” Mama
Dee sighed. “Do you have some more for me?”

Brigit glanced at the short stack John had
started. Sadly, there weren’t enough to there to keep her friend
distracted from the sadness of her last assignment. She said as
much as she passed the files over to Mama Dee.

“It don’t matter,” Mama sighed again as she
scooped them up. “I’ll take what you got. So many babies to take
care of,” the old woman said.

She pushed herself up out of the chair she
had sank into and turned to make her way out of the office. Brigit
sighed heavily as she watched her friend retreating down the hall.
She was glad John had agreed to bring Mama Dee on. So many babies
were waiting and Mama Dee was the perfect one to show them the
final moment of love.

Brigit resumed sorting through a few more
files before a commotion seemed to erupt in the hall. The sound of
the front door slamming open and then shut had startled her. Her
pulse calmed, however, after the string of almost unintelligible
curse words reached her ears. Seamus Flannery had returned to the
office and he sounded none too happy. Brigit caught barely a
glimpse of him as he charged into the arsenal room and slammed the
door behind him. Even through the thick walls, she could still hear
him cursing. Some words in English, some words in Gaelic – other
words a mixture of the two. Over it all, she caught the fact that
his last assignment had broken the Irishman’s beloved shelaighley
and it had pissed him off. She could only imagine what had happened
after
that.

She heard the door of the arsenal room whoosh
open again and Seamus re-emerged. A new shelaighley was in his
hand, but his temper still burned. Their eyes met as he made to
enter the office but stopped short at the sight of her sitting
behind the desk. A dangerous light began to dance in his eyes as he
realized the significance of her presence in John’s seat.

“Where’s John?” the flame-haired man asked
slowly.

“He’s gone to Rome for a couple of days,”
Brigit replied evenly.

Although Seamus Flannery suddenly looked
quite the demon standing in the door way, Brigit knew she could not
let this sight unsettle her. Seamus had been trying to find a way
to push her buttons ever since she had returned from suspension. So
far, she had been successful in ignoring him. Now that she was in
charge again, she knew she couldn’t continue to do so for long.

“Is there anything I can assist you with?”
she asked.

“Ha!” Seamus spat. “I know how yer assistance
goes. No, thank you,” he growled as he turned to leave. “I’ll
manage on me own just fine.”

“Seamus,” Brigit began, but he whirled to
face her once more. His face was bright red with rage.

“It’s ‘Mr. Flannery’ to you, lass!” the
Irishman lashed out at her. “Only me friends call me by me
Christian name. You are most definitely
not
one of me
friends.” His voice had risen in volume, but Brigit maintained her
sense of calm. It seemed to stoke his rage all the more.

“Very well,
Mr. Flannery
,” she said
calmly. “Should you change your mind, I’m here. Now, I suggest that
you take a break and calm yourself before you return to the field.
I’ll have assignments ready to pass out within the hour.” With
that, Seamus turned, muttering something Brigit could only half
hear. “I’m sorry?” she asked, hoping he would repeat himself.
Instead, he continued walking away with her question quickly
following behind him.

Before she heard the slamming of the door to
666 ½ Bleecker Street, she finally heard his reply:
Not as sorry
as you’re going to be
…

The office was eerily quiet when Brigit
entered. She stopped just after closing the door and listened.
There was a nervous energy floating through the air. The walls of
the main hall seemed to tremble with it. Brigit found it to be an
odd sensation but decided to stop in Belinda’s office to go over
the file she had dropped off earlier.

Pierce Nelson was still alone. This time,
however, he looked up from his work as the dark woman entered. The
visible paling Brigit witnessed on his cheeks as he suddenly looked
away made her all the more curious. Pierce Nelson was uneasy about
something.

“Is Belinda still out?” she asked.

“She’s in, er, uh, Mr. Blackwick’s office.
They’re,
ahem
, waiting for you,” he related nervously.

“They?” Brigit inquired, cocking a dark
eyebrow at the increasingly uncomfortable accountant.

Pierce Nelson gave no reply as she sighed
deeply and left the small office. She wondered what was going on
that the whole building would be pulsating with such nervous
vibrations. She wondered, as she walked down the length of the
hall, what would deter her from finishing her day and finally going
home to Maggie this time. As she started to enter the office she
shared with John Blackwick, Brigit glanced to her right through the
opened door of the small office she had first met Yoshiro Takamoto
in. Though he appeared to be meditating again, Brigit sensed that
he was aware of the energy that was rippling through the walls all
around him. His hands were braced against his thighs rather than
resting placidly in his lap. He was prepared for immediate action
and Brigit wondered why.

John Blackwick was standing before the large
mahogany desk, his face void of expression as he eyes met Brigit’s.
She glanced to her right and found Belinda sitting sadly before
Mama Dee. The concerned expression on Mama Dee’s face held Brigit’s
attention.

“What’s going on?” she asked as she turned to
stand beside John. She set her coffee cup on the corner of the desk
and looked at each of the three faces looking back at her.

“Brigit, there’s been an ‘incident’,” John
began coolly. Brigit raised an eyebrow.

“You mean aside from the missing Bailey? What
now?” she asked; suddenly fearful that the news John would have to
tell her would definitely prevent her from going home to
Maggie.

“Perhaps you should sit down, baby,” Mama Dee
suggested gently. Brigit caught the tone her friend used. The look
in the old woman’s eyes told her nothing, however. Brigit remained
where she stood.

“Why?”

The deepening looks of concern on Mama Dee
and John’s faces caused a surge of panic to rise from Brigit’s gut.
The shamed look on Belinda’s face only added power to the surge.
Sirens were beginning to wail in the back of Brigit’s mind.
Something was terribly wrong here.

“Mr. Flannery has gone
rogue
…”

B.L. Newport was born with a strong belief
and sensitivity in the supernatural side of life. After growing up
in the small Northwest Arkansas town of Siloam Springs, she has
lived in New York City and Las Vegas, Nevada. During these
journeys, B.L. has discovered the joys of hard work, good friends
and a good cup of coffee. She now resides in Denver Colorado with
her soulmate, Rochelle.

Connect with me online!

Twitter: http://twitter.com/BLNewport

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