by Lori Sjoberg
But it was more than just the physical rush. He liked her, enjoyed her company. Felt better when she was around. He’d been with a lot of women over the years, but he’d never experienced such an intense connection as the one he felt with the shifter. She was like a drug, and he couldn’t wait until he got his next fix.
Which was in a little over twenty-four hours from now. He wasn’t sure he could last that long.
“You sure you don’t want to hang out tonight?” Martin asked as he dropped Adam off at the shopping center where he’d parked his truck. “I’ll spring for the first round.”
Tempting, but he had other obligations, namely in the form of their high-maintenance boss. “Nah, man. I’m good.”
After completing his morning assignments, he’d swung by Cassie’s to pick up a potion for Samuel, along with a detailed set of instructions. Once taken, the potion needed a few hours to saturate his bloodstream and neutralize the dark magic. If successful, Samuel’s powers would be restored, and the pain in the ass would be long gone by the time he got home.
Martin pushed his sunglasses to the top of his head, concern showing on his face. “What’s going on with you, man? You’ve been acting weird the last couple days.”
Adam fought the urge to squirm in his seat. He hated lying to his friends and coworkers. It went against everything his parents had taught him. “Nothing. I just got a few things going on.”
“What kind of things?”
“Personal things.”
“Ah.” Martin leaned back, beaming like he’d just solved some great mystery. “A woman. Who is she?”
He considered denying it, but what was the point? It would get Martin off his back for a few days. Besides, if it weren’t for Samuel, he’d be blowing off the group so he could spend time with Marlena. “No one you know.”
Martin eyed him with open speculation. “Sounds serious. Is she human?”
“No.”
“A witch?”
Adam shook his head. “Uh-uh.”
Now the other reaper looked outright intrigued. “What the hell is she, then? Demon?”
“None of your business.” Adam climbed out of the car and leaned into the passenger window. “Look, I’ll introduce you when the time’s right. Will you need any help tomorrow?”
For a few beats, Martin stared at Adam as if deciding whether he should let him off the hook. Finally, he relaxed against his seat and smiled. “Nah, I’m good. Go have fun with your lady friend. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“Seriously? That only leaves out knitting and sushi.”
Martin barked out a laugh. “You know where to find us if your woman comes to her senses.” He hit the gas and sped out of the lot.
The roads were a mess, as they usually were during the late-afternoon rush hour in Orlando. Adam craned his neck to look over the SUV in front of him, hoping to see the cause of the backup. He found it about a quarter mile ahead. Two cars were parked on the shoulder, along with a state trooper flashing his lights. The back end of one car was pulverized, while the hood of the other car was bent in a V.
“Stupid rubberneckers,” he grumbled under his breath. Like they’d never seen an accident before. He slumped against the seat and fiddled with the stereo until he found a song he liked on the local rock station.
Inevitably, his thoughts drifted to Marlena, and every muscle in his body went tight. He could still remember the sweet smell of her skin, the luscious taste of her lips. That little moan she’d made when he found one of her sweet spots. He groaned out loud at the memory.
Shit. If he didn’t get a grip soon, he’d end up jacking off in the truck.
As soon as he stopped at the next traffic light, he dug out his phone and typed a quick text to the shifter.
Miss me?
He cursed under his breath when a reply arrived at the same time the light turned green. Traffic started moving, leaving him with no choice but to ignore the text until he stopped again. The second he got caught at another red light, he picked up the phone and retrieved the message.
Maybe.
“Oh, that’s a yes.” A huge grin stretched across his face. Giving in to temptation, he dialed her number, and she picked up on the second ring.
“How was the coven meeting?” he asked when she answered.
“Oh, the usual. Spells and hexes, with a curse or two thrown in for good measure. They turned one of the neighbors into a toad, and at midnight, we all got naked and danced under the light of the moon.”
Christ, what a mental image. A bolt of arousal shot straight to his groin. “Keep talking like that, and I’m going to drive into a ditch.”
She laughed. “You shouldn’t be talking and driving. It’s dangerous. Maybe I should hang up.”
“Don’t even think about it. I want to hear more about this naked moonlight dancing. Maybe you could give me a demonstration tomorrow night.”
She made a dismissive sound. “In your dreams.”
Of course. “Tease.”
He could hear the smile in her voice. “Is there a reason why you called?”
“Yeah. I couldn’t stand another minute without hearing your voice.”
She paused before answering, her voice going all soft and husky. “I missed you too.”
The admission made his body burn. If he didn’t have to babysit Samuel tonight, he’d be on his way over to her house. But he already told Gwen he’d return by six, and he couldn’t go back on his word.
He glanced down at the console and noticed the time. Shit, he was running late. Traffic ahead was still bumper-to-bumper, but if he got off the main road and took a few shortcuts, he just might make it on time. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go. I’ll be dreaming about that moonlight dancing.”
She laughed, the sound rich and seductive. “See you tomorrow, reaper.”
After disconnecting, he hooked a right into a subdivision, cut through a ditch to get to another side road, punched the gas, and by some miracle managed to get home at five after six.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said as he barged through the kitchen door. “Traffic on Colonial was a bear.”
Samuel scowled at him from his spot on the couch. The dog was once again parked at his side, his head resting on the boss’s lap. “The witch’s potion didn’t work.”
Great, just what he needed. Now he’d be stuck with the asshole for another day or two while Cassie cooked up another concoction.
Gwen shot him a pained look from her seat at the kitchen table, probably because she felt the same way. “Fifty years as a reaper, and I never realized he was such a whiny bitch.”
Samuel’s eyes narrowed. “It’s bad enough I have to deal with the indignity of being human. The least you could do is show some respect.”
Oh, boy. This wasn’t going to be pretty. Adam patted his leg and Buford hopped off the couch and trotted to his side. He scratched the big lug behind the ears and the dog’s back leg thumped against the carpet.
“Respect?” Gwen barked out a laugh. “Respect has to be earned before it’s given. And after all the shit you’ve pulled over the years, you’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”
Samuel’s chin jutted up. “I’ve done nothing but treat you with kindness.”
Gwen’s eyebrows shot up so high they disappeared beneath her bangs. “Wow, that’s some selective memory you’ve got there. Either that or you’re completely delusional.” With a roll of her eyes, she picked up her purse and shifted her attention to Adam. “What time do you need us here tomorrow?”
“Hold on, let me check.” He powered up his phone and checked his schedule. “I can take Samuel with me on my afternoon appointment, but I could use a little help in the evening. Think you could cover him from six till ten?”
“Yeah, one of us will be here.” Her gaze flicked briefly to Samuel before returning to Adam. “Good luck.”
She was halfway to the door when Samuel asked, “Does he know, Mrs. Stavitsky?”
Gwen froze in her tr
acks and twisted her neck in his direction. “Does who know what?”
“You know damn well what I’m talking about.” He smirked. “Considering his past, it’s inconsiderate not to inform him.”
Gwen’s mouth dropped open. “How do you—”
“It’s rather evident, once you notice the signs.” His smirk widened.
Outrage registered on her pale face, and her hands balled into fists. Her voice dropped down to a snarl when she said, “Stay the hell out of our business.”
“I’m just trying to help.”
“Yeah, well, we’ve had enough of your help.” Her eyes hardened to stone, and for a few seconds she looked like she was about to go Hulk on him. “Keep sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong and I’ll break it.”
Without another word, Gwen stalked out the front door and slammed it behind her.
Adam stared at Samuel, not speaking a word until he heard Gwen’s car roar to life. “What the hell was that all about?”
Samuel arched a brow. “You heard the woman,” he said with his usual drollness. “If I tell you, she’ll break my nose.”
“Fine, whatever.” He was really getting tired of people keeping him in the dark. With a huff, he scrolled through his list of contacts until he located Cassie’s number. The call went straight to voice mail, so he left a message telling her the potion hadn’t worked and asking if she could create something stronger.
After stuffing his phone back into his pocket, he opened the sliding glass door and Buford shot outside. While the dog did his business, Adam crossed to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. He wanted a beer, and he wanted some food, and then he wanted the next twenty-four hours to fly by so he could see Marlena again.
Chapter 12
“How much longer do we have to wait?” Samuel asked from his seat in the waiting room of the Ford dealership.
Today he was dressed in the clothes Adam had bought for him at Walmart. Personally, Adam thought the jeans were too tight, but he’d seen more than one woman check Samuel out, so it couldn’t be that bad a fit.
A half dozen or so people also sat in the room, most of them either watching television or messing around with their phones. Every so often, one of them would approach the service desk and check on the status of their vehicle. But instead of waiting for his truck to be repaired, Adam and Samuel were there to harvest a soul.
The pulse of mortality split the air, subtle yet strong enough to make its presence known. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before death claimed another victim.
Adam glanced down and checked the time. “Five minutes, give or take,” he told Samuel. Which meant four more hours until he saw Marlena again. For him, it seemed like an eternity. “You want more coffee?”
The noise Samuel made said exactly what he thought of the suggestion. Not that he blamed him. The dealership coffee tasted like sludge. With his long legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles, Samuel picked up an old copy of Muscle & Fitness and began riffling through the pages.
Adam walked to the front window and peered outside, searching for his latest client. Most of the activity was in the garage bays, where mechanics worked under a half dozen vehicles hoisted up on hydraulic lifts. He slid on his sunglasses, opened the door, and was hit with a blast of heat and humidity.
“Something I can help you with, sir?” asked a guy wearing a dealership uniform.
“No, just checking to see if my truck’s ready.” Adam inserted a mental suggestion for the employee to move on and was pleased when the man complied. He stepped closer to the bays, ignoring the heavy smells of grease and gasoline. To his right, three men peered up at the undercarriage of an SUV, debating if they needed to remove the crankshaft in order to replace the tank’s fuel pump.
As Adam walked, the pulse of death grew stronger, more insistent, until it practically buzzed in his blood. A life was about to be cut short, but he had no idea which one. There had to be at least twenty people in the area, making it difficult to pin down his target.
Suddenly, someone shouted, and then there was a loud crashing noise. Following the sound, Adam saw men running toward the third bay on the right. A pickup truck had fallen off the hydraulic lift and hit the concrete below.
It also hit one of the mechanics working on the vehicle. His lower body was sticking out from under the truck, a pool of blood forming around his hips.
“Call nine-one-one!” an older man shouted, while three others tried jacking up the truck.
Judging by the looks on their faces, they must have known it was an exercise in futility. Adam inched closer but stayed away from the action, preferring to remain unnoticed while he completed his job. With his mind, he breached the dead man’s corpse, severing the connection between body and spirit and harvesting the wayward soul. The spirit’s thoughts assaulted his senses, and it took Adam almost a full minute to fully block them out.
“Aw, shit. I told Jarvis the right side didn’t look stable. But did he believe me? Noooo. Jackass. Now look at me. Who’s going to take care of my daughter? She can’t work with her disability. I hope she sues the frigging dealership back to the Stone Age. This isn’t fair. I was just doing my job …”
For Adam, this was the part he hated most. It sucked to witness death and feel the emotions of the deceased. But even worse, it made him wonder about those left behind.
How would they cope? Would they ever move on?
Inevitably, he thought about his own mortal death and the friends and family he’d never see again. Their faces flashed through his mind—mother, father, sisters, brothers, friends, coworkers, and most important, the little girl who’d grow up without her father. The last time he checked, Kaitlyn’s mother had married an accountant. It relieved him to know his daughter was loved and well cared for, but the thought of another man raising his child never failed to make his heart ache.
For more than a year Adam had worked undercover, gathering evidence to bring down Johnny Salvatore’s criminal empire. The sick fuck specialized in human trafficking, victimizing scores of women and children without a trace of remorse. After the grand jury handed down the indictment, Adam had led the raid on Salvatore’s main base of operations on the south side of Chicago.
Once inside, he’d found Salvatore in one of the back rooms with a six-year-old girl. The pain in her eyes. All that blood. Rage had overridden years of police training; Adam had raised his pistol and took aim, killing Salvatore and three of his bodyguards before a fourth put an end to Adam’s life. And while he deeply regretted losing his humanity, he found comfort in knowing that Johnny Salvatore would never hurt anyone else.
Adam blew out a heavy exhale and forced the unpleasant memories from his mind. Without looking back, he walked away from the scene, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans. More employees were rushing to the site of the accident, and Adam needed to make himself scarce before somebody started asking questions. When he reached the main building, he yanked the door open and stepped back inside the waiting area.
“Do you know what’s going on out there?” a middle-aged woman asked.
“Accident in one of the bays.” He took off his sunglasses and hung them from the collar of his shirt. “Anyone own a black F-150?”
“I do,” said a burly man sitting next to Samuel. He bolted up from his seat. “Why, what happened?”
The sound of sirens filled the air as a police car, fire engine, and paramedic truck barreled into the dealership and sped toward the service bays. Curious, the people in the waiting room rushed outside, leaving Adam and Samuel alone.
Samuel set the magazine aside and rose from his seat. He gave Adam a long, appraising look, an unreadable expression on his face. “Are you all right? You seem out of sorts.”
No, he wasn’t all right. He couldn’t stop thinking about the daughter he’d never see again. He’d never see her grow up, go to college, get married, have a career, or have children of her own. A stranger had already taken his place, and there wasn’t a fucki
ng thing he could do about it.
“I’m fine. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
Marlena turned in a slow circle in front of the full-length mirror. “How do I look?” she asked Cassie. “Too casual?”
Honestly, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d gone on an actual date. It must have been back when Reagan was in office. If she remembered correctly, the guy had taken her to dinner and a movie. What was his name? Richard? Roger? Honestly, she couldn’t remember. The jerk—whoever he was—had tried to force himself on her after the movie, not taking no for an answer until she kneed him in the nuts.
She didn’t have much in the way of dressy clothes, but thankfully, Antonella was about the same size and had given permission to raid her immense walk-in closet. So far, she’d tried on six different outfits, and her patience was starting to wear thin.
Cassie tapped one finger against her lips as she looked over the latest ensemble. “The skirt looks nice, but I think you need a different blouse.”
“Yeah,” Antonella agreed, her arms crossed beneath her breasts. “Something with a little more oomph.”
“What do you mean, oomph?” Marlena asked. “What constitutes oomph?”
The women ignored her as they searched through the racks in the closet.
“Here, try this,” Antonella said, handing her a sleeveless ivory blouse.
Quickly, Marlena switched shirts and checked how she looked in the mirror. She said, “Oh, no,” at the same time Antonella and Cassie said, “Oh, yes.”
“Really? But it dips so low.”
“That’s what makes it so perfect.” Grinning, Cassie stepped behind her and studied their dual reflections in the mirror. “You’re beautiful, Marley. It’s about time you showed it off.”
Marlena let out a huff. She did a little half turn to see how she looked from behind. Not bad, if she said so herself. She might not have a lot up top, but she made up for it in the rear. “The villagers back home would have stoned me for wearing something this revealing.” Then again, they’d ended up burning her at the stake, so who cared about what they would have thought?
