Recalled (Death Escorts #1)(50)
Author: Cambria Hebert

The first thing I did when I entered the townhouse was go upstairs and put on my spare pair of glasses. I breathed a sigh of relief when my vision cleared. Thankfully, the trip between my house and Piper’s hadn’t been too long and since I knew the roads, I didn’t have any problems.

I had a headache, probably from my eyes, so I dug out a bottle of pain reliever and swallowed a couple tablets with tap water. Then I changed into a pair of Nike sweatpants and a long-sleeved T-shirt. I really wanted some coffee so I went down to the kitchen to see if I could figure out the coffee maker. It couldn’t be that hard.

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.