I swallowed, not really believing what I was about to do. Yet I’d seen too much to simply ignore or deny anything that had happened recently. I could no longer just tell myself there was a way out of this that didn’t require anyone to die. In the world of the Reaper, death was king. Death was the be all and end all of everything.
If there was one thing I learned through all of this, it was that death wasn’t fair. No one wanted to die. No one wanted to simply cease to exist.
Yet there wasn’t a choice.
At least not for me.
“If I kill the Target for Charming, will you consider the job complete?”
Beside me, Piper gasped. “Frankie! Do you know what you’re saying? You want to kill someone?”
No, I didn’t. Killing Rosalyn was the very last thing I wanted to do. But it was her or Olly. I suppose it was selfish to choose Olly because I wasn’t just doing it for him. I was doing it for me too because I couldn’t fathom living in a world that he wasn’t in.
“You—a human—want to take on the duties of a Death Escort?” the Reaper asked.
“Not all the duties. One kill. One Target. I kill her for you, and you agree to let Charming go.”
He sighed. “I really did want to Recall him. However, this is just too fun to pass up.”
So he was going to accept. And I was going to agree to murder.
“But first, let’s see what Charming has to say about this.”
“No!” I said, not wanting him involved. I already knew what he would say to this. But it was too late. He wasn’t going to stop me.
“Send him in!” the Reaper yelled and the door opened and Olly was thrust into the room. He stumbled a bit, like he was out of it, but when he saw me his eyes widened and cleared. He had a gash on his temple, one that was red and swollen.
“Frankie?” He looked at the Reaper. “I told you to stay away from her!”
“Apparently you forgot to tell her the same. She came to me.”
He looked at me like I was insane and rushed across the room to grab me by the shoulders and give me a hard shake. “What the hell were you thinking?”
“I was thinking it was about time someone fought foryou.”
Something behind his eyes shifted. His hard grasp on my arms gentled. “Frankie—”
The Reaper interrupted whatever he was going to say.
“Your lady here has offered me a deal.”
Olly’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “No.”
“She has agreed to kill your Target in exchange for me not Recalling you.”
“No.”
“I was just as shocked as you.” The Reaper went on. He was totally enjoying torturing Olly. “But it made me realize perhaps I was being too harsh. You are, after all, the best Escort I have. I thought maybe you were losing your touch. But this is the first time you’ve ever charmed anyone into killing for you.”
“She’s not killing anyone!” Olly ground out. He grabbed me again. “You are not doing this.”
“Ah, but she’s already agreed.”
I looked at Olly and nodded. Anguish filled his eyes. “You can’t do this. I won’t let you.”
“You don’t have a choice.”
“Just Recall me!” he burst out, turning toward the Reaper, stepping up in front of me. “Recall me right now.”
