“Your new home awaits,” he said, gesturing toward the room.
I wasn’t going back in there. I glanced at the closets, at the closed doors lining the small hideaway. Keep him talking, the voice in my head told me.
“Why did you keep my body? My sister’s body?” As I talked, I moved slightly toward the wall, pretending I was going to do what he wanted. All three guns followed my movements.
“After she was gone, I decided to put her body away for safe keeping, your body too. In case I ever needed something to control you. In case that humanity reared its ugly head again. I never thought it would end like this, Charming. But you’re becoming a liability. And that is why I must Recall you.”
His words angered me all over again. He had taken so much away from me, so much more than I ever realized. He’s the reason I was who I became, and now he wanted to punish me for being too good at exactly who he wanted me to be.
“You’re not Recalling me because I’m a liability.” I snarled. “You’re trying to get rid of me because you’re scared. You created me a little too perfectly and now that I’ve decided I won’t be your puppet anymore, you know you won’t be able to control me. That was your mistake. You gave me too much power.”
I saw the truth in his eyes. The acknowledgement of my words. I was right. He was scared of me. I wasn’t being punished because I overlooked what Dex had done. That was just an excuse. If it hadn’t been that, he would have found something else. I was being punished because he saw me as a threat.
I took my opportunity and grabbed the closest gun that was pointed at me. I ripped it out of the Escort’s hand, snapping his wrist in the process. He howled in pain but didn’t go down like I thought he would. Instead, he plowed into me low, catching me around the legs and sending me forward to fall over his back. I fired the gun, but the shot went wild, the bullet burying into the wall.
“Get him!” G.R. demanded.
I fell onto my stomach and rolled, trying to bring up the gun from beneath me to fire again. But before I could get a shot off, one of the Escorts was there, using the butt of his gun and slamming it into my temple. I collapsed back onto the floor.
Everything went black.
Chapter Forty-Eight
“Sinister - suggesting or threatening evil.”
Frankie
The diner was closing just as I pulled up to the curb. I rushed inside, ignoring the dirty look of the waitress who thought I was there to order, and hurried over to the counter where Piper was standing, refilling a napkin dispenser.
“Hey,” she said, looking up, her eyes traveling behind me. I knew she was looking for Olly.
“Is Storm here?” I said, lowering my voice so our conversation would remain private.
“I’m not sure. He said he would be around. Whatever that means.”
I glanced outside toward the sidewalk. “Meet me outside when you’re done here. Hurry.”
“What’s wrong, Frankie?”
“I’ll explain later,” I said, halfway out the door.
The sidewalk outside was vacant, the hour late enough that most people were already home for the day. I looked around, trying to see Storm and then giving up with an irritated groan when I realized there were just too many dark places here from him to hide.
“Storm!” I whisper-yelled.
A few seconds ticked by and I opened my mouth to yell louder this time when I heard him up ahead. “Here.”
I moved up the sidewalk, looking for the source of his voice, and when I passed by a darkened eave for a shop, he said, “I’m here.”
“Get in the car!” I whisper-yelled again. I went around to my side and climbed in, leaving my door open so he would be able to get inside.
A few minutes later, black fog filled up the back seat.
“That is seriously sinister,” I said, looking in the rearview mirror.
“You’re dating an Escort,” he pointed out dryly. “I would say that’s worse.”
It was the first time I didn’t bother to correct someone when they said I was dating Olly. I wasn’t really sure if that was our official title, but since we both confessed to love and I was ready to do anything to get him back, I figured dating wasn’t too far of a stretch.
Piper climbed into the passenger seat, her eyes going to the black cloud in the back and then doing a double take on the gun I clutched in my lap.
“Where is Charming and why do you have a gun?”
“He’s with the Reaper. I’m going to get him out,” I said, pulling away from the curb.
“You’re going the wrong way,” Storm pointed out.
“No, I’m not. I’m taking Piper home.”
“What!” she exclaimed. “No, you are not.”
I gave her a look. “Yes, I am. You’re my best friend. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
She snorted. “I’m the only person in this car who is safe from the Reaper.”
We all sat there silently, realizing she was right.
“That’s exactly why you should go home,” I pointed out, using her reasoning against her. “You’ve already suffered enough at the hands of the Reaper.”
“I agree,” Storm said.
“You don’t get a vote,” she snapped over her shoulder.
I grinned. “Tell him!”
“You don’t get a vote, either.”
The grin I was sporting vanished. “Excuse me?”
“This is my decision. I’m not going to go sit at home while you rush off to do God knows what without me.”
“She’s just going to sit in the car,” Storm put in from behind.
“Be quiet!” we said at the same time.
She looked at me and I sighed. “Fine.” I didn’t have any right to make her stay home. No one could keep me from being involved if this was about Piper.
The tires screeched as I did a U-turn in the center of the road.
“Tell me where to go,” I told Storm.
“Oh, am I allowed to talk now?” he quipped.
“You may give directions,” Piper told him, glancing over her shoulder.
“Women,” he muttered.
“Tell us what happened,” Piper said when we were headed in the right direction.
As I drove, I explained what happened at Olly’s house. The whole time I had to keep reminding myself not to speed, that a speeding ticket would only make things worse. When I was done explaining, I thought for sure they would tell me I was crazy, that we couldn’t just go to the Reaper’s house and expect to get him out.