Charmed (Death Escorts #2)(32)
Author: Cambria Hebert

“Yeah, well, I guess that wouldn’t be too hard of a stretch considering I don’t have a body and you kill people professionally.”

“Touché.”

“Anyway, he was going to be gone most of the night.”

“Good, let’s go.”

“Go where?”

“To his house. I’m assuming you can get us in?” The way he just let himself in here minutes ago must mean he was good at picking locks. I was too, but I wasn’t practically invisible.

“What the hell do you want to go to his house for?”

“To search it. You know a man like him has got to have some skeletons mixed in with all those bodies in his closet.”

“Man, you don’t really think that someone like the Reaper is just going to leave his business out for anyone to find, do you?”

“Nope, but I don’t mind digging around until I find it.” I pinned him with a hard stare. “And you’re going to help me.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“For starters, you don’t want him to know about your little visibility problem.” I reminded him. “But also because you need a body and he has a hoarding problem.”

“Okay, I’ll help. I don’t have anything better to do anyway.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

*    *    *

You would think the home of the Grim Reaper would be a dark and creepy place. That it would be shrouded in shadows with winding trees draping the property and ominous-sounding nightlife to warn you away if you dare get to close.

Nope.

The Grim Reaper I knew and hated had his house lit up like the fourth of July on a hot summer night. It’s like he stuck lights in every possible crevice and corner of his home. You would think he was scared of the dark. Of course he wasn’t because whatever else went bump in the night had never met a man that could kill with a single touch.

“There’s more security here now than earlier. And what is up with all these lights? This ain’t New York City,” Storm said from beside me.

“It’s because he’s not home. He’s expecting me to pull something after last night.”

“What the hell happened last night?”

“We had a little confrontation.”

“Geez, man, we need to go. You should have known better than to come here.”

I stood against the side of a four-car garage on the neighbor’s property across the street. This house wasn’t filled with light so the yard was dark, creating a lot of concealment. “No, that’s exactly the reason we should stay.”

“What?”

“He knows I’m pissed and won’t go down without a fight. He expects me to try and pull something. So I do it now, while he thinks everything is on lockdown and I can’t get in. I won’t get caught and he’ll never know I was here. Hell, if I’m lucky, he won’t even notice anything’s missing until I’m long gone.” I paused and then added. “Besides, it has to be tonight. He’s sending me out of town tomorrow on another job.”

“Damn, a double?” Storm said, I looked in the direction of his voice, but I couldn’t make him out in the night. He completely blended in.

“Yeah, so let’s do this.”

“What exactly do you think you’re going to find?” The skepticism in his voice made the challenge of what we were about to do even more appealing.

“A weakness,” I murmured.

He made a non-committal sound.

“Here’s how this is going to work. You’re going to go first, unlock the front door from the inside. On your way through the foyer, flick the porch light off and count to three, then flick it back on. Then get to G.R.’s office. I’ll meet you there.”

“You think you’re going to walk through the front door?” He scoffed. “And if you think three seconds of darkness out there will be enough, you’re a few chips shy of a Pringle can.”

“Just do it.”

“Fine. But if you get caught, I’m not going to play Cinderella to your Prince Charming.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“I’m not really sure,” he muttered.

“Can we just do this please?”

“Fine. Be ready.”

He didn’t say anything else and I didn’t see him move. I didn’t hear the rustle of grass or feel the ripple in the air from a body cutting through it.

“Storm?” I whispered, but he wasn’t there.

When he was in complete ghost form, he was pretty good.

I pushed away from the side of the garage and watched the house, looking for signs of Storm, waiting to see if he would get caught. Even though the yard and house was bright, I didn’t see him once.

I really hoped he didn’t screw this up.

I took a deep breath.

The lights over the front door went out.

One. I took off running, zipping across the street way faster than any human could go.

Two. I took advantage of all the excess kinetic energy around the house, courtesy of the guards, and propelled myself even faster.

Three. I opened the front door just wide enough to get through and rushed inside. I heard the shouts from a guard at the corner of the house as the door closed soundlessly behind me.

The light outside came back on.

I pressed myself up against the back of the front door and zeroed in on the guards who had just managed to rush to the other side. If they opened it…

“What the hell was that?” one of them asked.

“Probably a short in the breaker. All these damn lights,” the other muttered.

They both moved away from the door and I let out a breath, pushing away and moving down the hall just as quickly as I got into the house. As I reached for the office door, it opened soundlessly, and my heart skipped a beat as I waited for G.R. to appear.

But he didn’t.

From inside, Storm said, “Hurry up!”

Letting out the breath, I went in, the door pushing shut behind me. This room wasn’t lit up like the outside. The only lighting in here was from a small lamp on the desk across the room.

“How the hell did you get in here so fast?”

“Fast is a talent of mine. Kind of like becoming solid is yours.”

“Well, let’s see how fast you can find some dirt on the Reaper.”

“Where are you?” I asked, searching all the corners of the room.

He moved so he was closer to the desk, so I could make out a shadow near the lamp.