“Come on, I’ll help.” They set out to clean the kitchen when they heard a knock at the front door.
“Stay here.”
“I’m coming with you,” Cara said. When she saw Jericho was about to argue, she interrupted, “The shooter from yesterday isn’t stupid enough to come knocking on the door.”
Jericho shrugged, knowing from the look in her eye she had no intention of listening to him.
Cara followed closely on Jericho’s heels as he went toward the door. They were within several inches when a familiar voice rang out.
“Jericho, it’s me, Billy.”
Cara looked at Jericho in surprise as he opened the door. A smiling Billy stared back at the both of them.
“I’m glad to see you’re okay, Cara.” Cara took a step back, unable to alert Jericho without Billy knowing. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?” Jericho took a step back, letting him enter before closing the door behind him. Cara felt panic rising in her throat. Billy was different. The color of his soul was murky, not black, but a blend of grays and mauves. Also, his mother’s ghost was no longer with him.
Billy walked into the living room, staring at Cara while Jericho followed him. Cara tried to catch Jericho’s eye, but he wasn’t looking at her, instead he was looking at Billy with a frown on his face.
“What are you doing here?” Jericho asked.
“Why, I’m here to take Cara off your hands since I dumped her on you. I finally managed to slip away from that small town hick sheriff.” Billy gave them an insincere smile.
Jericho stiffened. “You should have called first. You’ve wasted a trip out here. Cara will be staying with me.” Jericho pulled Cara close to his side, leaving his arm around her waist, staking his claim before the younger man.
Billy shrugged. “I was afraid of that. She is beautiful and hard to resist, even for a hardass like you.”
Jericho didn’t smile. “I’m glad you understand.”
Billy’s laughter was as fake as the smile plastered on his lips. Cara could only hope that Jericho could see that something was off with Billy.
“Well, since I came all this way for nothing, how about offering me a cup of coffee before I head on the long trip home.”
“Of course.” Jericho motioned for Billy to head for the kitchen.
“What in the fuck happened in here?” Billy looked at the disaster area with eggs and juice on the slippery floor.
“We had a little bit of an accident,” Cara murmured with a blush.
“I can see that. It looks like a tornado hit the room.”
“One did,” Jericho said wryly. “Cara, why don’t you make the coffee while I try to clean a place for us to sit down?”
“That won’t be necessary.” Cara looked in dread as Billy pulled a handgun from his jacket pocket. Looking out of the corner of her eye, Cara could see that Jericho did not seem to be shocked at this turn of events. Billy pointed the gun towards her, placing his finger on the trigger.
Again, out of the corner of her eye, Cara saw a doorway open and Grimm enter the room. His stern visage gave no clue as to who he was here for. She knew he would be unable to help. He had been dispatched to collect a soul. Which one, was as yet unknown to everyone except Grimm.
Cara felt her throat tighten in fear. For the first time, she could truly feel the fear that those she had came to escort feel. Even knowing what awaited her, it was still terrifying. Would there be pain? Would it be quick? She also knew that she didn’t want to leave Jericho. She had just found him and did not want to leave him. Sudden terror filled her heart with the sudden realization that he meant to kill Jericho also.
“Billy, why would you want to harm Cara when you went to so much trouble to keep her safe?” Jericho was hoping to distract the man until he had an opening to grab the gun. He had also seen Grimm’s sudden entrance into the room.
“I think I can answer that question. He’s had a spell placed on him. Whoever has done this is powerful enough to remove his mother’s protection.”
“I do not need any protection. My master has punished me for failing yesterday, but he will see I will not fail again. I will be rewarded for your death.”
Sadly, Cara shook her head. “No, Billy, you must understand. Once you have taken a life, there is no going back. You don’t want to do this. I know your soul is filled with a kindness and gentleness I have rarely seen. You can fight the spell placed on you. Try, Billy, please. I would not want to see your soul destroyed because of another’s malice.”
“Shut up. I was warned you would try to sweet talk me out of killing you.”
“Who warned you, Billy?” Cara desperately tried to gain any information she could, not only for her own safety, but her sisters’ as well. She couldn’t believe the same sweet man who saved her life the night she had become mortal was the same man who had deliberately hidden in the woods and tried in cold blood to shoot her and Jericho.
Billy shook his head. “I’m not telling you a damn thing.” He saw Jericho make a sudden move toward him and pointed the gun toward him.
“No!” Cara screamed as Jericho reached and grabbed the gun, jerking it upwards just as it let out an explosion of sound.
The two men began to struggle in the slimy mess on the floor, which made it hard for them to stay upright. They fell with a crash, knocking over the table. Billy was beneath Jericho and his hand with the gun was pinned in a hard grasp by Jericho. Cara saw the muzzle of the gun turn towards Jericho and knew what she had to do. Reaching blindly behind her, she grabbed the first thing she could and rushed forward. Bending down while dodging thrashing arms and legs, Cara brought the heavy frying pan down on Billy’s skull.
Billy went limp and Jericho tore the gun away from his now unresisting hand. He got to his feet, not taking his eyes off the unconscious man.
Both of them stood staring down at Billy, unable to believe how close he had come to killing them.
Grimm moved forward, turning their attention to him.
She gave him a relieved smile. “I’m sorry, you’ll be leaving alone.”
Grimm shook his head. “You know better than that, Cara. Once dispatched, we always have a soul to collect.”
“But I’m fine.” She quickly inspected Jericho when it finally dawned on her who Grimm was there for.
Everyone turned to look at Billy who lay unmoving on the floor. He was not unconscious, he was dead. Cara’s heart broke; she had taken a life. She began to cry as she thought of the sweet boy who had been so kind to her when she had needed help.
Grimm nodded as Cara noticed a dark glow move beside him. A doorway behind them opened as Grimm and Billy’s spirit turned to enter the doorway.
“Grimm, please, ask him who sent him here to kill me."
Grimm turned to the dark glow. They couldn’t hear them speaking, finally Grimm turned back to them and shook his head. “He doesn’t know, only that it was a woman. She wore a cape that covered her body.”
Grimm bent down to the still body and lifted it into his arms.
“What are you doing?”
“His life was taken because an immortal interfered. I can try to repair the damage someone else has done.”
“Thank you, Grimm.”
Grimm nodded. ”Good luck, Cara. Be careful, little one. I miss having you around.” He gave her a smile before turning once again to the dark glow. Both moved toward a doorway that opened as they walked closer. Grimm gave a final wave as they disappeared within.
Jericho turned to Cara. “What will happen?”
Cara began to shake. “I don’t know. We can’t return a life once it is taken, but Grimm will find a way if anyone can. He’s very determined when he sets his mind to something. We have had many fights over a soul. I was never able to save a soul from him.”
Jericho’s arms surrounded her shaking body, trying to share his warmth. It was hitting her hard that she had been responsible for a death, even though she had saved his life. Billy had shown an abnormal stren
gth and Jericho didn’t know how much longer he could have held him off.
“You go lie down and I’ll clean the kitchen.”
“No, I want to help.”
Jericho started to argue, but ultimately thought it would probably help take her mind off Billy and who was trying to kill her.
They set to work and got the kitchen cleaned in little time. To cheer Cara up, he made her favorite for dinner.