Second Grave Deleted Scene 1 (The Opening)

I’d originally brought Reyes into book two much earlier, but his appearance didn’t really go anywhere, so I cut it and brought him in later.

THE SET UP: Charley has just been woken up by a frantic Cookie who is throwing clothes at her and telling her to get dressed. When Cookie rushes off to her own apartment, Reyes shows up.

“I like what you’ve done with the place.”

I whirled around to see Reyes Farrow leaning against my dresser, his arms crossed at his chest as he eyed the post-apocalyptic chaos of my bedroom. His stance was as casual as a summer breeze. Like he wasn’t the part human, part super model son of Satan.

Time stood still as I watched him. I hadn’t seen him in almost a week. Not even in my dreams. The constant worry over his wellbeing had taken its toll. Had worn my nerve endings raw. And, as bad as I hated to admit it, had hurt my feelings.

Despite his casual demeanor, a dangerous grace kept every muscle in his body on high alert. I could sense the unease radiating off him.

“Nice of you to show up,” I said at last, pulling the sweats over my panties and tightening the drawstring.

He tilted his head for a better view and watched me with interest before giving his opinion. “Those looked better down.”

A ridiculous thrill jolted through my nether regions and I did everything humanly possible to squelch it. I still didn’t know if he could only read my emotions or if he could actually read my mind. Neither was particularly appealing. I had some pretty screwed up thoughts. But my emotions where he was concerned bordered on pathetic.

I picked up the t-shirt and shook it out.

“Wait,” he said in a soft, commanding tone, his eyes wandering over my girls Danger and Will Robinson. Thank God I’d thrown on a pretty bra instead of one of those 18-hour things I’d grown fond of.

“Charley, are you dressed yet?” Cookie called out from her apartment.

A lopsided smile slid across Reyes’ face. “Better answer,” he said. “She seems in a hurry.”

After slipping the t-shirt over my head, I asked him, “Where are you?”

“Um, right here. Duh,” Cookie said as she stormed back into the room and searched for a pair of shoes in the mess she’d made. She glanced at me in surprise. “Oh.” She straightened then looked toward my dresser, unable to see my delectable guest. “Do you have company?”

Reyes’ incorporeal body was right in front of us, and as solid and real as any man I’d meet on the street. To me anyway. But his human body was somewhere else. The same body that woke up from a coma and disappeared from a long-term care unit a week earlier. The same body that essentially escaped from prison, since he was still technically a ward of the Penitentiary of New Mexico. And they most likely wanted it back.

“Yes,” I said to Cookie without taking my eyes off Reyes. “I have company.”

“Oh, well, can it wait? We have to go.” She asked this while dragging me out of the room by my arm.

“We’ll talk later?” Reyes said, a sexy grin playing on his mouth.

Damn. I needed to know where his body was. If he was okay. He had been in the coma for over a month. He could slip right back into it and without medical care, he could die of…well, just about anything.