The Company of Darkness Read Online Free PDF Page A

chant over and over again until he achieved a kind of trance, focusing on a single thought – show me Rikard. 
    All he got was darkness, and Ethan patiently let the energy dissipate, sending it back into the Earth before grounding himself and trying again.  The second attempt wasn’t any better than the first.  Then again, Rikard could be shielded, he’d never tried looking for him before. 
    Ethan grounded and began again, this time focusing on Cady.  Almost at once he was struck by a vision of her sprawled on a bed he didn’t recognize, her hair spilling across the sheets like a living flame as she writhed beneath him, their bodies slick with sweat.  It was enough to make him lose his concentration and the image slipped away.  It gave him a flicker of hope that they’d eventually find their way to be together, even if he didn’t recognize the location.  It was also enough to send him back into the shower, this time for a cold one until the memory of her throaty cries of pleasure faded from his mind. 
    A little more collected, Ethan tidied up, removing all traces of the chalk circle.  If he couldn’t find Rikard through his visions, maybe it was time to take the bull by the horns.  Pulling out his phone, he dialed the man, his gut tightening when Rikard answered on the second ring. 
    “You need help with a body?”
    Not the usual way to begin a conversation, but Ethan recognized it as classic Rikard.  “Since when have I needed help with a body?”
    “Thought you might be going soft after that last subject nearly kicked your ass.”
    “Fuck you,” Ethan chuckled, glad to hear the man echo his laugh. 
    “What’s up then?”
    Ethan took a breath, inwardly cursing himself for the hesitation, no matter how small.  “I was wondering if you’re still in town?  I thought we could go grab a beer.  This down time is killing me.” 
    “Most people would enjoy the break,” Rikard pointed out.
    “You wouldn’t.”
    “We’re a rare breed, you and I.  Never really happy unless we’ve got a quarry in our sights.” 
    Once he might have agreed with him, but now Ethan felt no kinship for the man whatsoever.  “You’re not wrong,” he lied glibly.  “I wasn’t built for this sitting around bullshit.”
    “You could ask HQ to send you something mundane.  It’s donkey work, but at least it keeps you busy.”
    Ethan resisted such assignments, though occasionally they still came his way.  Usually a reaper was deemed too valuable for low level surveillance.  “Yeah, I might do that.  Still, replacing boring shit with boring shit wouldn’t be my first choice, you know?  So, what do you say about that beer?”
    There was a pause on the line, maybe not a long one, but Ethan noted it before Rikard responded.  “I’d love to, but I’m up in Oakland waiting for Rex to pull his thumb out of his ass and give the order to take down Alma.” 
    That made him sit up straighter.  “Are you serious?  Rex is going to oust Alma and you’re supporting him?”
    “Nah, I’m just waiting for the weasel to make his move, and then I’m putting him down under Alma’s orders.  She’s been onto him from the start.  You know as well as I do, you don’t fuck with Alma.  Well, unless she asked nicely, then I’d definitely hit that,” Rikard chuckled. 
    Alma was a beautiful woman, but dangerous in her own way, even to men like Ethan and Rikard.  “You had me worried there for a minute.  I’d hate to have to turn you in for something like that, but like you said, you don’t fuck with Alma.”
    “Same here.”
    Did he mean he’d hate it if Ethan had to turn him in or he’d hate to have to turn him in?  Ethan felt the beginnings of a headache pressing on the back of his eyes, and he pushed those thoughts aside.  “Alright, give me a call when you’re done cleaning up the mess, you know where to find me.”
    “That I do.  Later.”
    Ethan sat with the phone resting against his lips, his