Borrowed Souls (Soul Charmer #1)(42)
“Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m working in exchange for one, so—”
“—so you can’t possibly fathom why anyone would want to be in this world if they weren’t hooked on borrowing souls?”
She hadn’t meant that. Or had she? His words rang true to her. She sucked in her bottom lip, and he watched it possessively. Heat zinged down her spine. “You’ve got a marketable skill. You leverage it,” she said simply, “I’m not judging.” Well, she had been, but given tonight’s events, she was willing to adjust her view.
His responding grunt rumbled from deep in his chest and he delivered it with a scowl. She was sure she’d dug four feet of her own grave by this point. Olive branch time. “Why does having extra souls—like beaucoup extra souls—make Bianca move more?”
Derek indulged in his margarita, taking a long sip. Tequila might actually help this conversation along. “All those souls are looking to escape. You can placate them with contact with others.”
Callie thought back to earlier in the night, forced herself to remember Bianca before the flames, before the melted fabric stench had lodged itself in her sinuses. “So that’s why she was touching everyone in that restaurant. Did she hurt them?”
“I don’t really know,” he admitted, as though the words sounded foreign to him. “We’d have to talk to the Charmer. But I wonder if she’s picking up some of Tess’s abilities.”
There had to be a way to do this without talking to the Soul Charmer. Callie racked her brain, attempting to remember what made Tess so special without showcasing yet another inadequacy and asking.
“She steals people’s energy,” he supplied.
She nodded as if she’d already known. “You think she was taking hits of energy off those people tonight?”
“I don’t think anything. Just spitballing.”
“Even if she was, that doesn’t explain why Tess is ripping off the Charmer.” Callie couldn’t imagine not being terrified of the man. She’d held her own only because it was that or die. Badassery came easy when the alternative required a pine box.
To that same end, did the Soul Charmer really need her and Derek traipsing around after this crazy lady and her minion? “Why doesn’t he just take care of her?” Callie asked.
“He doesn’t have to.” He responded so quickly she did a double take.
“Would he make you … ” she trailed off, not wanting to offend him by finishing the thought.
“It’s not like that,” he snapped. “I’ve got hard lines. I don’t permanently damage anyone. Ever. I might break a bone here or there, but I won’t have someone’s death on my record.”
“O-kay.”
He groaned. “Now I have to apologize. Damn it. Tonight’s fucked. Look, magic is crazy complicated. If the Charmer attacks Tess without knowing exactly what’s up, the consequences could be seriously nasty. He’ll be the one to enact them, though. Plus, soul renting is a small world and people have long memories. We don’t know enough about who she might be working with to act.”
“Is that what we’re doing? Gathering info so the Charmer can know when to strike?” What did that mean? Was he planning to kill her? Every time Callie thought it couldn’t get any worse …
“Yeah, doll. We’re the foot soldiers on this one. Even you, with your magic hands.” His melodic teasing voice pleased her more this time. He responded to her genuine smile in kind.
“Well, when you give a girl weapons—”
“We’re going to talk about that. Not now, because I’m too exhausted, but I won’t forget.”
Of course he wouldn’t.
—— CHAPTER ELEVEN ——
Mob bosses were supposed to be scary, intimidating men, but Ford looked nothing like the Mafiosos from the movies. His kind features were better suited for the best-friend role in a teen comedy. His lack of imposing stature was part of what made him so terrifying. He stood a few inches taller than Callie, and carried a bit of muscle.
The ones who didn’t ring alarms were the most dangerous. Serial killers slipped under the radar the same way Ford did. His vicious side made him unforgettable. Once you associated that slightly upturned nose and dimples with a man who collected severed body parts as keepsakes from those who crossed him, he lost any adorable, best-friend shield one might have mistakenly given him.
Callie’s neighbors might not think an early thirties man in a button-down shirt loitering in the parking lot outside was much cause for concern, but Callie had to fight the instinct to scream when she spotted Ford leaning against her car in the morning.
Derek had brought Callie home late the night before. Agreeing to postpone making game plans until the next day had placated Callie’s overwhelmed emotions at the time, but in the hazy morning it looked more like a misstep, a rookie move. She’d burned a person last night. With magic. She didn’t know if she’d see the Soul Charmer about the fuck up today or if Derek could keep it a secret for her. Her gut sank. Unlikely. Now, in addition to dreading quality time with the Charmer, she was going to have to talk to the man holding her brother.
And with only a single cup of coffee under her belt.
Faking forgetting her wallet inside the house wasn’t going to fool Ford. She’d taken the last two antacids in her apartment already, but this anxiety lit her stomach anew. She locked her front door and jogged down the stairs without meeting Ford’s gaze once. His appraisal scrubbed against her regardless. She managed not to squirm.