Borrowed Souls (Soul Charmer #1)(52)

She replied without thinking. “If they’re using other people’s souls for absolution when they sin, why wouldn’t they be interested in something even better, some sort of full redemption offer?”

“Everyone knows that borrowed souls mitigate any celestial misconduct.” The way the Charmer put the emphasis on what the customers knew instead of whether Tess’s offer might have some veracity to it, unnerved Callie. She’d often doubted a higher power would be cool with the sin equivalent of a Get Out of Jail Free Card. Either you did right, or you didn’t.

“She’s messing with repeat business, boss,” Derek said, diverting the conversation away from the theological. “She’s not after the one-offs, either. Oh, shit, I almost forgot. There was some woman, a customer, up front waiting for you.”

“She’ll continue to wait then,” the Charmer said, in the same tone he dismissed Callie’s comments.

Must be nice to not need business. Whatever. She would stick to the script. “Will you rent to those people again?”

“I wouldn’t leave them in need.” Right, because the Soul Charmer was benevolent.

“How big’s the markup when they come crawling back?” Derek knew the game.

“Forty-eight hour wait, and triple price until I’m confident of their renewed loyalty.”

Callie couldn’t fight the shiver spiraling up her spine. Derek gave her a little squeeze, but he didn’t understand. The parallels between Ford’s business and the Charmer’s were becoming clearer each day. Ford’s drugs might drop you down a well faster, but the Charmer leveraged the same kind of business practices. He’d hustle, he’d hunt, he’d punish, and he’d burn those who stood in his way.

“I’m more concerned that our current clientele, the ones who haven’t been approached yet, understands the ramifications of dabbling with that conniving woman.” The Soul Charmer’s monotone whisper belied the barely contained fury dancing in his eyes. Witnessing such restraint should have been impressive. Instead, Callie’s temperature dropped, and it didn’t have a damn thing to do with magic.

“Understood.” Derek was unnerved, too.

The Charmer huffed, and then nodded.

“Next steps?” Derek asked. He bounced his right heel on the floor as though the nervous energy could slip out with a touch.

“You don’t have a plan?” The Charmer had resurrected his coy tone. The sound sent Callie’s stomach sinking.

“Put current customers on notice. Find our souls.”

“Find Tess,” the Charmer added.

“To question her?”

“I’d rather you brought her directly to me first.”

Derek shot a quick look at Callie, but must have decided to go for broke anyway. “That could mean war.”

“Are you doubting your abilities to bring her to me, or mine to handle her?” Simple questions could often be the most threatening.

“If she has the magic to steal our souls, what can I do to nullify her enough to bring her in?” Derek avoided eye contact with everyone. The simple fault of being mortal shouldn’t cause him shame.

The Charmer gestured to Callie. “You have her.”

“Me? I can’t be all magical and stop her,” Callie said in a rush.

“Did you not burn her hanger-on?”

Callie’s jaw started to drop, but she snapped it closed. Had Derek told him? Did he really refer to Bianca as a “hanger-on?” She packed enough power to set Callie’s hands ablaze.

“Word travels,” he said with a saccharine smile, exposing his few rotted teeth. He then turned his back and continued whatever he’d been working on when they’d arrived. “You need to fix this. Both of you. We will eliminate Tess and move forward.”

He didn’t ask if they understood, because there wasn’t an option not to.





—— CHAPTER THIRTEEN ——

“How?” With each step closer to the curb, Callie’s repeated question got louder.

“I don’t know,” Derek muttered. She rounded in front of him, forcing him to stop short and earning her a sour look. “This isn’t the best place to—”

Callie cut him off. “How did he know about Bianca?”

“Don’t look at me like I ratted you out. I didn’t say shit, and fuck you for thinking I would.”

“I’ve known you for a week, Derek. A week. So sorry if you haven’t earned the benefit of the doubt.”

“I’m on your side here.”

“You knew he was going to put magic into me and didn’t say a word. How do I know whatever this is—” she gestured between them, the small motion meaning so much more “—isn’t something he told you to do? Some kind of con.”

“Because he doesn’t own me. I work for the man, and he’s earned my loyalty, but you have, too.” Derek swiped a hand down his face. He took a couple deep breaths, and then continued. “I didn’t know he was going to put the magic into you. I mean, yeah, I knew he was going to try. It normally doesn’t work though.”

“Your excuse is that you didn’t think it would work? Great. So is that the case with telling him about Bianca, too? You didn’t know he’d use it for leverage?”