Keeper vs. Reaper (Graveyard Guardians Book 1) by Jennifer Malone Wright Read Free Book Online Page A

the driveway.
    The streets of town were pretty crowded because it was a Saturday night and everyone except the church goers could sleep in the next day. There were no spaces at the curb in front of the bar , so he drove around back and found a spot in the dirt lot that was located on the backside of Knight’s Bar.
    He parked, locked the truck with the little button on his key chain and headed inside. He chose to walk around to the front even though he could have gone in the back door. Before he even reached the door he could hear AC/DC hollering about dirty deeds done dirt cheap and people yelling to be heard over the music. He pushed open the swinging metal door and found that the bar was packed pretty close to what he imagined legal capacity was for the little hole in the wall.
    The bar was your typical hick town bar. Nothing fancy. The bar itself was scratched and dull. There were only about six tables in the whole joint, and the walls were covered in historical pictures of the town.
    He maneuvered through the initial crowd by the door and then squeezed into a place at the bar between a large man and a skinny guy who looked like a junkie. Looking behind the bar he finally spotted the bartender and signaled to her.
    The curvy brunette caught his gaze and nodded to him. She finished pouring some shots of tequila for a group of giggling housewives at the end of the bar and then hurried over to him. “You again? You want to stick with MGD?”
    Jack propped his elbows against the bar and leaned forward so he could hear her better. “Like I have any other choice ,” he responded.
    Reese, the bartender, straightened her shoulders and took a pint beer glass out from beneath the bar. “Well, you know what we have so suck it up, buttercup.” She held the glass under the tap, filled it up and then handed it to him.
    “Yeah, I’ll live, but drinking this shit is just asking for a hangover.”
    “What kind of beer do you prefer, Mr. Fancy Pants?”
    Jack examined the light golden liquid underneath the thin layer of foam and then looked back up at Reese. “Dark, very dark. I’m more of a Guinness man.”
    She shrugged. “Why don’t you have whiskey instead, the good stuff is better than cheap beer.”
    Jack shook his head. “I’m trying to stay away from hard alcohol.” Truth of the matter was that he had to stay away from the hard stuff or lose what little control he actually had over himself. The last time he’d gone on a bender he almost killed some chick after fucking her in the back seat of his truck. Soul reaping from the living was a very delicate matter and that situation was one that he did not want to re-live anytime soon.
    “Suit yourself.” Reese threw her dark curls over her shoulder. “You know you could get your own beer at the grocery store, right?”
    Jack took a long pull from his glass. “But then I wouldn’t have the pleasure of your company, now would I?”
    His wit was rewarded with an eye roll that clearly said, “ Not a chance, asshole.”
    “What’s it take to get a fucking beer over here?” some jerk shouted from the end of the bar opposite of the gaggle of housewives.
    “Shut your trap, Larry! I’m coming!” She sighed with exasperation, then turned and yanked open the large fridge behind her. Without even really looking, she reached in and extracted a bottle of Bud Light. After popping off the cap , she headed over to give Larry the loudmouth his beer.
    Jack smiled. He liked Reese. He had met her the night before when he had picked up Janet , or Janice, whatever her name was. Reese owned the bar. She was pretty cool and probably awesome in the sack, but something inside him told him not to go there.
    He turned around to check out what was going on around him. The tiny bar had one pool table, which was currently occupied by two old men who looked like they were about eighty years old. There was an extremely tiny space clear of tables or anything else. He assumed that was supposed to