The left elevator dinged to life, and the doors slid open. I hurried on board as if my ass was on fire.
“Have a good day, Hale.” It was a paltry way to end our conversation, and I knew it. But so far, the morning was shaping up to be different from the usual. It made me wonder whether Ossy was right and my life really was in danger.
Chapter Eight
Ossy
We parked in front, where parking cost money. The parking garage would have been better. It would have been less likely to get a parking ticket there, but the garage was technically part of Donn’s realm. The curb was not. But did Ezul have to pick the curb closest to the building? Shouldn’t we park down the block?
The Soul Management Bureau building looked like any other high-rise in a downtown business district in any city. The name was spelled out in thick gold letters. It wasn’t the tallest building downtown, but it wasn’t the shortest either. It was all glass and metal.
That day, the window-washing crew hung from scaffolding outside. I might be mortal and all, but there were certain things I wouldn’t do. Getting onto that flimsy metal contraption, swaying several stories above the ground, was one of them. I’d surf with sharks any day instead, but I appreciated the window-washers’ bravery.
I rolled my eyes as Ezul took the time to pay the meter. “I hate this plan. We should be inconspicuous, not waving to Donn from the street.”
“Do you see me waving?” Ezul acted as though he had every right to be there. It made me wonder if he did, and if he was leading me to the slaughter. Then I remembered what he’d said in the car about playing with Donn’s emotions. That seemed like a very demonic thing to do, considering how sick it was. Maybe Ezul really was on our side.
“You might as well be.” I followed Ezul because I had no choice but to trust him. And it wasn’t like I would back out. I was here for one thing, and one thing only. To find Phin and take him home with me. I would never let him out of my sight again. Plus, of the two of us, he was the one who would draw less attention. He could still be working for Donn for all anyone knew. He’d just been to work a couple of days ago. It had been longer for me.
We entered through the front door, just like Ezul said we would.
The receptionist’s eyes were like saucers when he saw us. I couldn’t remember his name, but I knew Phin was friendly with him because I’d seen them talk a time or two. We didn’t stop at the desk to talk. Instead, we walked through the lobby as though we weren’t infiltrating enemy territory, even though we very much were.
The lobby was open and filled with natural light pouring in through the glass walls. The seating area featured black leather furniture, and instead of magazines, there were coffee-table books. One caught my eye, so I grabbed it and flipped through it as I walked toward the elevators. Donn had filled the book with images of nature, mostly, though I’d seen an amusement park as well. It was titled The Afterlife, with no author listed.
One picture stood out to me the most. The photo showed a small beach hut with surfboards lined up outside, stuck in thesand. A clothesline stretched nearby, with towels and board shorts hanging from it. Beyond that lay an endless ocean, waves lapping at the shore. Palm trees swayed in the breeze.
For a single captured moment, the photograph held movement. I could see it clearly in my mind. In my version, Phin sat in a beach chair, staring out at the water, waiting for me to join him in the empty chair beside him.
The book must have some sort of magic attached to it. Anyone who picked it up could see their perfect afterlife. The beach hut was mine. The photo was a deliberate act meant to show the living that the afterlife wasn’t something to fear but something tailored. Perfect. Personal.
What I didn’t know was what Phin’s ideal place looked like. I’d never asked him. What a failure on my part. We’d had a thousand moments for me to find out. I’d wasted so many of them.
If I found Phin, I’d make it up to him. No,whenI found Phin, every moment would be about him. That was how it should’ve been from the start. My need to avoid emotions, good or bad, had always felt like self-preservation, but now it just felt like loss.
I set the book on the nearest table.
The receptionist followed us with his gaze all the way to the elevators. I waved at him as he continued to stare. Sometimes people stared without realizing it, and I wanted to make him aware of it.
The guy smiled. His cheeks turned pink for reasons I couldn’t understand. Did he think I was flirting? I wouldn’t. I didn’t even really know how. Flirting with anyone but Phin had been off the table since the day we started fucking. It was unintentional. I just didn’t want anyone but him. I didn’t even really look at anyone else after Phin. I should have known our relationship was more than just a good time. The pull toward him had beenstrong from the start. Not even Donnie Death’s magic could stop it entirely. But I felt it wane as soon as I crossed the threshold into the building. My gut twisted.
Ezul pressed the up button, and then we waited like two morons.
“Are you crazy?” I was asking honestly. Didn't Donn scare him even a little?
Ezul grinned. “I’m a demon. We make other people insane. We don’t go there ourselves.”
That was an excellent answer, probably accurate. Also, it was scary. Ezul had always seemed just a little off. The comment just confirmed what I had suspected all along. “So this is you making me nuts.”
Ezul had the audacity to smile. He would probably have laughed at me if he’d been capable of a sense of humor. He didn’t even have a twisted one.
I expected demon shadows to follow us the second we entered the building, but none of that happened.
I wanted to separate from him, but it had to be at the right moment. It would be dumb of me not to follow his lead, considering that the rest of the reapers and I had been MIA for so long.
The elevator seemed to take forever, as it always did. Maybe it was just another way Donn exerted control, a reminder of who was in charge. It had never bothered me before. I technically still worked for him. Maybe with a slap on the wrist and a few demerits, I could even get my job back. But that would mean turning my back on my beloved and my reaper family. I couldn’t do that. Before Elliot dropped into our lives like a bomb, I might have taken the easy route. Now I just wanted Phin safe. Easy wasn’t better—easy meant distance. Even standing inside the Soul Management Bureau, my chest ached at the thought of that distance. I wanted Phin more than I wanted immortality.
Grym had said he could feel Elliot’s emotions. He sometimes knew what Elliot was thinking. Elliot had the same connection with Grym.
