Recalled (38 page)

The stone.

It was the answer to all of this.

I looked at Charming. “What if I destroy the stone?”

He shook his head. “That’s impossible. Those stones are unbreakable. They’re perfect in their strength.”

A devious smile turned my lips. “But this stone isn’t perfect. It’s cracked—like me,” I said, repeating what we both heard G.R. say.

He digested my words for long seconds, then let go of my sleeve and looked at the door. “It won’t work.”

But it might and I could see that admission in his eyes.

I rushed to the door. Behind me, Charming called, “One stone. One death. One shot.”

Those were the kindest words I ever heard him say.

It was those words that sped my feet and gave me hope.

This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

Chapter Fifty-Six

“Visitor -
a person who pays a visit; caller, guest, tourist, etc.”

Piper

The door to my room opened and my heart sped up, anticipating Dex, but it wasn’t him. It was a nurse dressed in a white uniform and wearing a cheerful smile.

“You look wide awake and ready to get out of here!” she said, coming to stand at the side of the bed.

“I’m feeling good, thank you. Will I be able to leave today?” I replied.

“I think so. The doctor will be in shortly to examine you one more time, and as long as he thinks you look good, then you’ll be able to go.”

I nodded. I was so ready to get out of here. “Thank you.”

“I will go get your discharge papers ready so when the doc gives his okay, we’ll be ready.” She motioned to a bag on the floor near the wall and said, “Your friends brought you some clean clothes.”

“Great,” I said, eyeing the bag.

I assumed she was talking about Dex’s butler, Hobbs. Dex hadn’t left to get me anything, and Frankie had no clue I was in here. I thought about calling her but figured I’d wait until after I saw the doctor. I wasn’t quite ready to deal with all her questions and explain what had been going on all these months. I wondered if she would even believe me.

The nurse bustled around the room a bit more, checking the IV machine, and then let herself out. My eyes wandered over to the bag with the clothes. I couldn’t help but be curious about what the butler chose for me.

I threw the covers back and went to the bag, bending to pick it up and bring it to the bed. When I bent down, I felt a gusty draft at the back of my robe. I grabbed it, bunching the material together around me. Why did hospital gowns have to be open at the butt? I mean, people here were already sick. Why make them wave around their bare booty?

Like a kid at Christmas, I delved into the plastic shopping bag to see what was there. I pulled out a pile of brand new clothes… all of them with the tags still attached and all of them in my size. Hobbs was good… and his taste was fantastic. It was also very expensive, I noted when I lifted one of the price tags. I couldn’t accept this outfit! It was worth more than an entire week of tips at the diner.

I stared down at the beautiful things… things I never had before. Hobbs probably paid for them with Dex’s money… A little smile curved my lips. He kind of owed me… I mean, he
did
try to kill me.

I tossed away the hospital gown and slipped the white silk tank top over my head, pulling it in place. Then I picked up the light-blue cashmere sweater and did the same. I never knew fabric could feel so soft and luxurious all while being warm. Next I pulled on a brand new pair of dark-colored designer jeans, a pair of cashmere socks, and slid my feet into a pair of light-brown Uggs. The sheepskin felt like heaven against my toes. Oh my goodness, I wanted a pair of Uggs since I first saw them… Talk about warm and comfy on a cold Alaskan day.

I went into the bathroom and winced at my face. No amount of cashmere could detract from the cuts and bruises. Frankie was going to flip when I finally called her. I had no idea what I would say. I’d tell her the truth because she was like a freaking walking lie detector machine. But I would need to make something up for the police. I knew it was only a matter of time before they came knocking at my door. I wouldn’t really be able to tell them much about the man who kidnapped me because I didn’t know anything. Maybe I would tell them that I got away and called Dex, who came to get me, and then on the way to the hospital we hit some black ice and the car crashed.

Just thinking about it all made me tired, and a wave of homesickness came over me. I felt like I was still kind of in shock over everything that happened. And I needed to talk to Dex. I needed more answers.

I rinsed my mouth out and did what I could with my hair—which equated to pulling the tangled mess up onto my head in an even more tangled knot—then left the bathroom.

The homesickness in my belly was still tugging at me and so I went toward the phone by the bed. I knew I said I’d wait to call Frankie, but I couldn’t. I just wanted to hear her voice. She was like my sister.

She answered on the first ring. “Hello? Piper, is that you?”

“Hey, Frank. Yeah, it’s me,” I replied, as that feeling of homesickness ebbed away at just the sound of her voice.

“Oh my God! I’ve been so worried about you! What happened? Are you okay? Where are you?” Her words tumbled over one another, and when she finally fell silent, I heard her take a shuddering breath.

“I don’t have time to explain everything now… but I will. I promise. I just wanted to call and tell you that I’m okay. I’m at the hospital.”

“The hospital!” She gasped.

“Yeah, Dex and I got into a car accident.”

“You’re with Dex? What does he have to do with all this?”

“He’s not here right now, but I think he’ll be back. I’ll explain later. I have to go, but I’ll call you as soon as I get out of here.”

“Piper—”

“Yeah, I know. It was scary. It’s over. I’ll talk to you soon.”

I hung up the phone and stared down at it for long moments. It was good to hear her voice. After that vision I was so afraid I was going to lose her. When I pushed her out of the way of the gun, her future must’ve changed. Hopefully, that meant her life was no longer in danger.

I turned from the phone and began gathering up the tags from my new clothes when the door opened behind me.

“I think Hobbs should give up his current line of work to become a personal shopper,” I said, smiling as I turned.

My smile faltered when I saw it wasn’t Dex. It wasn’t the nurse or the doctor, either.

It was a man, a man dressed in black slacks and a steel-grey button-up shirt. He wasn’t a big man and although there wasn’t a wrinkle on his face (he was kind of bony-looking though), I knew he was old.

At first, I thought he was just here to visit someone else and he came into the wrong room. But that theory was shot down when he said my name.

“Ahh, so wonderful to see you out of that hospital bed, Piper. What a time you have had.”

“Do I know you?” I said, glancing at the door, which already closed behind him.

“I’m here as your Escort.”

Escort.
Isn’t that what Dex said he was? A Death Escort.

I took a step backward and reached behind me for the call button to signal the nurse. This wasn’t some harmless old man.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he said, watching me move. “We wouldn’t want anyone else to get hurt.”

“What do you want with me?” I asked, even though I already knew. Dex was supposed to kill me. He didn’t. This guy still wanted me dead.

I watched as he came forward, smiling. If I didn’t suspect what he was here for, I wouldn’t even be alarmed. He reached into his pocket and pulled something out and held it in his palm.

“It’s nothing personal, really. It’s just death.” He spoke like he was talking about visiting a friend for dinner, or going out to watch a movie. Did he think death was so trivial?

I watched as he reached out and laid something on the bed. A light-colored stone. A chill ran up my spine. This guy was creeping me out.

“Come along, then,” he said, crooking a finger at me like I’d just follow after him.

“I’m not coming anywhere with you.”

He sighed, rather dramatically, and spoke like he was speaking only to himself. “This is why I always just touch them. No drama in that.” Then he speared me with eyes that seemed to grow very cold. “Death has come for you. I, the Grim Reaper, have laid claim to your life. There is no getting out of it. If you run, I will follow. If you hide, I will hunt you down. Usually, I just touch the people I want to claim, but you, you are lucky.”

I was lucky? Really, I didn’t feel like I’d won the lotto.

“You can come with me now to where Dex is waiting, and I will give you the chance to say good-bye or I can touch you.” He extended his fingers toward me and wiggled them. “Here. Now. And you will die. Instantly.”

Those were my choices? Die now or die later? That was hardly fathomable. Yet, when I looked at this man with his bony features and almost jolly presence, how could I not believe it? Only something this bizarre could be true. And besides, hadn’t Dex tried to explain something like this to me earlier?

“How do I know Dex is where you say he is?” I asked.

“I am a lot of things, young lady… Grim Reaper, Death dealer, fate sealer… but I am no liar.”

“So if I come with you, you’ll let me say good-bye to him?”

“Oh yes. It will be quite the show.” He actually clapped his hands together.

“Okay, I’ll come with you. But don’t touch me.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it. Not yet anyway.”

The door to the hospital room opened, but instead of seeing out into the hallway like I should have, all I saw was white. The man who called himself the Grim Reaper motioned for me to go ahead and so I did, very slowly. When I walked past him, I made an effort to stay as far away from his hands as possible. My muscles tensed when I stepped into the white of the doorway, but I felt no pain. I felt nothing really, and then I was stepping completely through and into a whole other place.

* * *

It was an office—a rather large one with the usual furnishings and an entire row of closets. I didn’t really take the time to notice my complete surroundings because the man sitting in the room was the same man that tried to kill me the night before.

I gasped, stepping back slightly, the bruises on my neck throbbing.

“Watch it there. You don’t want to accidently bump into me and die,” The Grim Reaper said jovially. If I hadn’t known he was serious, I would’ve thought he was joking.

I jumped forward like a scared cat and landed on a thick sand-colored rug.

The man in the chair laughed. “I knew we would meet again,” he said.

“Your face is bleeding,” I said with satisfaction. Clearly, whatever made him bleed wasn’t a threat to his life, but I still liked to see him suffer a little.