Shifters: A Samantha Reece Mystery Book 1 by Jaime Johnesee (libby ebook reader txt) 📕

"Yes, we're after a really bad guy,” Quinn said as he devoured a strip of bacon like a starving man. “One of the worst I've ever seen."

"Be careful, kids. Y’all worry me going after these monsters like you do. I suppose somebody's got to do it, but I'd rather it wasn't you two." She gestured towards Quinn and I, then smiled thinly at Josh. "No offense, son, but I don't know you like I know these two."

"None taken, ma'am." Josh grinned and bit down on a fry.

As his eyes closed in joy, Genie smiled. They served the best fries in the world at The Diner. The business earned its name because once you ate here there was no other diner for you.

"I can't imagine doing anything else with my life. Taking down people who hurt others is the greatest thing I can think of." I felt some honesty was deserved here.

"Wait until you have kids of your own. You'll realize there are greater things. Although, if I know you, you'll just work that much harder to make the world safer for your children." She smiled kindly at me and I saw my in.

"Do you have kids, Genie?"

"I did. We don't speak any more. I made some mistakes when I was younger. Put my career ahead of them, and look where it got me." She chortled. "Instead of working that damn stockbroker job, I'm a ruddy waitress and my kids want nothing to do with me. I really have no cause to complain. It's my own damn fault. I spent their youth ignoring them and working at a job that I wound up stressing myself out of, anyway. Oh, well, that's life. Regrets are something I have many of, but I don't like to take the time to dwell on them. You know what they say, time spent wallowing in regret is time regretted."

I was shocked. I'd have never thought that she would be anything other than the devoted motherly type. I could no more picture her as a neglectful parent any more than I could picture Genie as a stockbroker.

It's sad that her kids had forgotten about her. I wished there was something I could do to help, but knew it wasn't my place. Genie needed to be the one contacting her kids, not me.

"Have you called them lately?" I blurted, like an idiot.

"No. I might give them a ring sometime, but I doubt it. That sort of rejection isn't easy to face. I'll tell them everything that matters in the reading of my will." She gave me a tight smile and turned to leave.

"Sorry, Genie," I said quietly.

I felt awful. From now on I was just going to keep my big mouth closed. Then she turned back and clasped my hands in hers.

"It's okay, sweet pea. Don't worry about me, I'll be just fine. Your order will be up soon." She gave another weak smile, squeezed my hands, and started the walk back to the kitchen.

She seemed a lot older than she had when she first came over to us and I somehow felt responsible for that. I'd like to blame my maker because the guy threw me for a loop and turned everything upside down for me, emotionally speaking, but that wouldn’t have been fair.

I excused myself and walked to the restroom. Once I had the door locked I sat down on a small bench (bench is a really polite term for it, as it wasn’t much more than a couple beat-to-hell boards on two cinder blocks) on the wall across from the toilet and sink. Without realizing I was going to, I started sobbing.

I'm not exactly the emotional type, but today just wrecked me in a way I didn't see coming. I felt awful for dredging up Genie's pain. I felt like the world's biggest jerk in dealing with Chad, and I felt like a freak having met the man who turned me. Not to mention I hated thinking of my childhood.

I knew I was just feeling overwhelmed and I needed to let it all out, so I did. I sat in that bathroom for five minutes and sobbed as quietly as I could, getting out all the pain and heartache I felt. I guess I had never fully come to terms with what had happened to me when my maker bit me and changed my life. I’d never fully grieved the loss of my old life. Of course, I never thought that I'd ever see him again, either.

I meant what I said about him violating me. What he did was beyond wrong. The bad part is that I can't say I regret it, though. Especially since he had been right, my life needed changing. It's just not cool that he took it upon himself to change it without consulting me.

I was, however, surprised that he owned up and admitted who he was. He could have hidden it and played on our obvious attraction to get further along with me before telling the truth.

If he ever did tell the truth.

So, at least in that respect I had to give him some points. Truthfully, I didn’t want to give him anything, but I tried not to allow my personal feelings to interfere with things. Going to someone you wronged and asking for forgiveness is not an easy or simple thing to do.

I began to wonder if my thoughts were straying toward kindly because of the fact my jaguar was still excited over him. Sometimes she held sway over me in ways I didn’t fully understand. Fucking cats!

I knew because of all this that my mood would probably stray towards grumpy all day, but at least by getting it out in the cheap little bathroom I had a chance to feel a bit better. When I saw I'd reached the end of the time I'd allotted to grieve the loss of my human self, I pulled it together, blew my nose,