Charmed (Death Escorts #2)(72)
Author: Cambria Hebert

“All clear,” he said, moving into the kitchen a few moments later.

“Where are you going? Aren’t your clothes upstairs?”

I heard the opening and closing of a drawer.

“Olly, now is not the time for a snack break.”

He appeared beside me soundlessly, causing a strangled sound to erupt from the back of my throat. “Seriously!” I demanded as he ushered me up the steps toward what I assumed was his bedroom. The whole way up he kept one hand on my lower back and the other straight down against his side.

When we made it to the top of the stairs, he went first, rounding the corner and disappearing into the first room on the left. A light came on, sending light out into the hallway and making it much easier to see.

“I thought you said no lights?” I stepped into the doorway of the lit room. It was a bathroom. A very nice, upgraded bathroom with granite countertops and tile floors.

“There are no windows in this room. It will give us a little light to get my stuff from the bedroom.” He turned around. And that’s when I noticed it.

He was carrying a gun.

I felt my eyes round as I stared at the lethal weapon clutched in his hand. “What’s that for?”

“Protection.”

“Do you really think we need it?”

“I think I would rather have it than not.”

“Get your stuff so we can go.”

I followed him into his bedroom where he moved quickly, packing a black duffle bag with stuff while I sat on his giant king-sized bed. From what I could see, the room was really nice. But all my attention on the room was lost when he started taking off his clothes.

“I hope I never see another pair of khakis again,” he muttered, throwing them on the floor. Everything else soon joined the pants.

“I agree they look better on the floor.”

He spun in my direction and prowled to the end of the bed. He grabbed my ankle and slowly towed me down the bed until he was standing between my legs. “If we weren’t in a hurry…” he said, letting the words dangle suggestively. My skin heated from just the hint of seduction in his voice.

I extended my fingers so I could trail them down his torso, but he pulled back, saying, “Oh no you don’t. One touch from you is all it would take.”

He pulled on a pair of jeans and with his back to me, reached for a dark-colored long-sleeved shirt. Even in the dim lighting, I knew even in this body he could totally rock a pair of jeans.

After he was fully dressed and his bag was zipped, I assumed he was ready to go so I hopped off the bed and moved toward the door.

“Frankie, I want to give you something.”

“What?”

He tucked the gun in the waistband of his jeans, slung the bag over his shoulder, and came forward with something clutched in his hand. “Here,” he said, holding it out.

It was a credit card. “I already have one of those,” I said, patting my pocket.

“It’s an ATM card to one of my accounts. I want you to hold on to it in case you need it.”

“Why would I need to hold on to it? Why can’t—” The answer slapped me hard and I flinched. “You don’t think you’re going to make it out.”

He stared at me without blinking for a long time. It’s like he was weighing his words, not sure of what he should and should not say. Finally, he spoke.

“Take it, Frankie,” he said, thrusting the card at me. “I just want to know you’re going to be taken care of.” I opened my mouth to argue with him, but he held up his hand and continued on. “I know you don’t want my money, but I want you to have it. If something happens and I get Recalled, you go to the nearest ATM and pull out everything you can. The pin is nineteen twenty-two. Then you transfer the rest into another bank account in your name.”

I took the card and slid it into my pocket. “Tell me you’re going to make it out.”

“I’m going to make it out.”

“Well, don’t say it if you don’t mean it!” I snapped. Oh God, my eyes were filling with tears. I hardly ever cried and now here I was trying for number two today. I couldn’t help it. The idea of never seeing him again… it was incredibly overwhelming. It was the kind of hurt that had the power to crush everything inside me. There wasn’t enough money in the world that would ever take away the kind of pain I would feel if he somehow got Recalled.

He rolled his eyes and grabbed my chin. “Listen to me. Even before I fell in love with you, I was determined to not let G.R. get the best of me. But now I have you. I have even more reason to fight. I’m not going anywhere, Frankie. Just take the damn money. You can give it back when this is over.”

I sniffled.

He yanked me against him. His shirt was really soft and I snuggled against it. “And stop crying, would you? I really don’t like it.”

A laugh broke through my tears, but it sounded kind of like a sob. His arms around me tightened. I took a deep breath and straightened. I didn’t like crying either. “C’mon, it’s probably about time to pick up Piper.”

He took my hand and pulled me behind him down the hallway, reaching into the bathroom to shut off the light.

“So what’s the plan anyway?”

He glanced over his shoulder at me. “Kill the Target and trade the soul and the bodies for my freedom.”

“And you think the Reaper will go for it?”

“I’m not going to give him a choice.”

We were halfway down the stairs when Olly stopped moving and in one quick move pulled the gun out and used his arm to usher me behind his body. I was afraid to talk, to ask him what he thought was going on; because it was clear he thought we were no longer alone.

My body went on high alert, listening for every little sound that could mean something. I watched the bottom of the stairs like a cat about to pounce on my dinner, but I still didn’t seem to hear what he did.

After several very tense moments, his shoulders seemed to relax and he started moving again down the stairs, keeping the gun at his side.

We made it all the way downstairs and into the yard.

The Grim Reaper seemed to appear out of nowhere. I couldn’t understand how one minute we were walking along with nothing in our path and then there he was, standing in front of us with electric-blue energy crackling from his fingertips.

Olly’s muscles bunched beneath his clothes and he turned, shoving the gun at me. “Safety is off. If he takes one step toward you, shoot his ass and don’t stop.”