Recalled (31 page)

I managed to find the coffee grounds in the cabinet and was trying to figure out where to put them when I heard the front door open and close.

“Hobbs!” I called. “Get in here. I don’t know how to use this damned thing.”

Seconds later a figure walked around the corner. “Who is Hobbs?”

The muscles in my back tightened at Charming’s voice. “Shouldn’t you be out riding a white horse or something?” I asked.

“Ha,” he said. “Very original.”

He came into the room, filling my vision with red (not good for a headache) and took the bag from my hands and began making the coffee. I decided he could stay for a few minutes.

“So where’s the body?” he asked as he filled the glass pot with water from the sink.

“Body?” I asked, playing dumb.

“The Target. You were going away to finish the job. Don’t tell me you failed. Again.”

I didn’t answer right away. I waited until he hit the brew button on the machine, then said, “It didn’t go as planned.”

He spun, his eyes narrowing and all traces of the charm he claimed nowhere to be seen. “She isn’t dead?”

“It’s under control.”

“Like hell it is,” he said, advancing on me. “Let me tell you something. I have made a career out of collecting power and money. I will not have some inexperienced, wet behind the ears kid mess this up for me. I want what’s mine,” he growled.

I stood my ground, refusing to back away even a centimeter. “So, what do you get?” I asked coolly.

“Get?”

“Yeah, if you weren’t getting something out of being here, you wouldn’t stick around. So what do you get?”

He grinned, showing both rows of his perfectly straight teeth. It wasn’t a friendly kind of smile. “You’ve been spending weeks with this girl, trying to kill her and failing miserably, and you mean to tell me you haven’t even figured out she has an ability?”

“I know she has an ability. I just don’t know what it is,” I said.

“You are a complete loser!” Charming spat, moving even farther into my personal space. “An idiot who can’t even take out one girl.”

“Get out of my face.” I warned. His insults were beginning to piss me off.

“You know what this means, don’t you?” Charming taunted. “I’m going to take care of this my way.”

I plowed my fist right into his jaw and I enjoyed watching his head snap back on his shoulders. “Maybe I’ll get bonus points for giving Grim two bodies instead of one.”

“Go ahead. Try and kill me. We’ll just see who comes out on top,” Charming spat and lunged, hooking me around the waist and pushing me backwards into the island.

I punched him in the side of the head and he backed off, only to come at me again. Before he could make contact, we were both restrained midair by an unknown force. Our bodies were pivoted around and we both stared at the Grim Reaper, who was standing in the center of the room.

“I don’t have many rules in my company. But you are breaking one of them right now.”

I didn’t know anything about any rules.

“What is the rule you are well aware of, Charming?”

“No fighting with other Escorts,” Charming replied.

“And yet, here you are.”

“He hasn’t finished the job! The Target is still alive!” Charming burst out, frustrated, and I looked over to see him fighting against whatever held us.

“My time isn’t up,” I said, defending myself.

Charming went on with a slew of curses, and I began to feel a strange pulling feeling, a feeling that was unpleasant yet vaguely familiar.

I watched as the swirling purple mist began to pull away from my body. My heart started hammering in my chest, panicked because G.R. was taking my life back. He was recalling me too soon. I looked over at Charming, to hopefully find help, but he wouldn’t be any help to me either.

He was being recalled too.

I actually enjoyed seeing his life force being ripped out of him.

I watched the red floating out around him, and he struggled within his confines, trying to snatch it back. But I already knew he couldn’t and I watched as his hands went right through it, scattering the mist like smoke.

“Stop!” he yelled.

Everything stopped. Just like that, I watched as the purple mist that curled around me was suddenly sucked right back into my skin, filling me up and making me whole again.

“I take it we have ourselves under control again?” the Grim Reaper asked.

I nodded, and from next to me a low voice said, “You would treat me, your best Escort, this way?”

“You can only be the best if I allow you to be,” G.R. replied in cool tones.

That shut Charming up.

I thought about offering G.R. a high-five but figured it might not be a good idea.

I settled for glancing his way and letting my amusement show through my eyes. But he wasn’t looking at me. He was looking at the ground with his chest heaving, his fists balled at his sides.

“I want to speak with Dex. Alone,” G.R. said, dismissing Charming.

Charming stepped closer to me and leaned in to whisper, “This isn’t over. I will have what’s mine,” before stepping away.

He glanced at G.R., anger flashing in his eyes, before disappearing around the corner.

“Don’t forget your sword,” I called after him, unable to resist one more Prince Charming joke. Then I winced and looked back, wondering if I’d gone too far.

I guess I hadn’t because he actually smiled. “He makes it too easy,” G.R. said. “I certainly wouldn’t want to be named after a fairy tale character.”

I sighed in relief.

“So what’s this about you not completing the job?”

“It’s been harder than I thought,” I said, not bothering to make excuses. I was hoping my honesty would buy me some time. I was nervous for Piper now that Charming knew I hadn’t killed her yet.

“Is that coffee fresh?” he asked in response to my admission and stepped around me toward the pot.

“Yes, help yourself.”

He did and then he extended a mug to me, which I took. Then I went to the fridge and pulled out the creamer that Hobbs stocked and offered it to G.R. He shook his head and sipped his black coffee. I poured the rest of the bottle into my mug before taking a drink.

“That’s good coffee,” Grim said, setting his mug on the counter. “Now, about the job. You are running out of time.”

“I know, I—”

He cut me off. “I don’t listen to excuses. You have everything you need at your disposal. I gave you more than enough time to eliminate your Target. I see now that you are one of the recruits that require more information.”

“More information?” I asked. I did want to know how he managed to transfer the abilities from one person to someone else. And I also wanted to know what he did with the bodies (besides hang them in his closet)… and their souls. “I do have some questions,” I said.

“You know all you need to know!” he spat. “What I do with my bodies and their souls is none of your concern.”

That meant it was really bad.

And how did he know that’s what I wanted to know? How much power did he really have?

“What you need is to learn what it would be like if you don’t complete the job. You need a taste of what it’s like to be recalled.”

“No, I don’t,” I said, shaking my head. Feeling my life force pulled even partially out of me was bad enough.

“Yes. Then you will fully understand what is at stake.”

I didn’t say anything else because I couldn’t. For the second time that hour, my life force was being pulled out of my body, leaking from every pore of my skin. The purple mist oozed out and around me, curling around my body like smoke. The tendrils rose upward and out toward a black gaping hole that suddenly appeared.

There was no resisting. All I could do was stand there and feel my body become less and less until it dropped to the floor like a ragdoll and I was hovering above it, staring down as I was slowly and completely being pulled into a void.

Chapter Forty-Four

“Stranger -
One who is neither a friend nor an acquaintance.”

Piper

“That’s it. I’m moving in,” Frankie said from the hallway just outside my door.

I smiled and motioned for her to come in.

“I mean, really, how many times have you almost died lately? I swear it’s like you have a death wish!” she exclaimed as she came inside and I shut the door behind her.

“I don’t have a death wish, Frankie,” I said, sinking back onto the couch with my blanket as she threw off her coat to reveal a beautiful teal sweater. It looked new, yet something about it seemed familiar.

“Then maybe someone else has one for you,” she said dramatically as she paced by the window. Momentarily a cloud moved over the sun, creating a shadow on her face.

“You’re just being ridiculous now,” I told her, patting the couch so she would come sit down.

“Tell me everything that happened,” she said, finally sitting down and giving me her full attention.

I decided not to tell her about the accident and the Ice Museum because that would only make her even more worried but focused instead on falling through the ice on the lake.

When I was done Frankie was shaking her head. “I don’t know, Piper,” she began. “Every time you’re around that guy something bad happens. I think you should stay away from him.”

“It’s not his fault we fell through the ice and I ate peanut oil.” I said in Dex’s defense.

“Maybe not, but that guy is bad news, Piper. Why are you even hanging around him anyway? Because of that vision? You need to let it go.”

“It’s not just the vision,” I said, readjusting with the blanket covering my legs.

“Piper!” Frankie gasped, slapping her hand on my foot. “Tell me you
do not
have feelings for this guy.”

I didn’t say anything at first because I was beginning to think I did. Okay, I wasn’t beginning to think that; I already knew. Finally, I sighed. “Who cares if I do?”

“I need to meet this guy. I need to see what you see in him.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Frank. It’s not like we’re dating or something. He probably doesn’t even like me like that.”

“Of course he does! Why else would be take you away for the weekend?”

“He hasn’t even kissed me,” I said, my voice dropping like I was telling her a secret.

She made a choked sound. “Now I know there’s something wrong with him.”

I laughed and smacked at her. “There is not!”