“Why wouldn’t it be?” Beck asked.
“Just answer her.” Derek loomed over Beck. When they stood this close the differences widened. Derek’s height, his broad shoulders, and his glare offering the plausibility of potential murder were juxtaposed against Beck’s rangy frame and whatever-the-fuck attitude.
Callie rested a hand on Derek’s arm. The cops clearly put him on edge, and she could relate.
“The woman’s sleeping. Miguel is reading a book. No big news from the basement contingent,” Beck said without looking at Callie.
Derek shrugged like it was an apology. Beck nodded. Whatever worked.
“So what news do you have?” Callie didn’t want his take on the Gem City PD visit.
“I heard from the man I’ve got in front of the warehouse. A couple guys just showed up.”
“Nate?” Derek prompted.
“No, but he said they were toting oversized backpacks and were definitely not in school.”
Those backpacks could hold anything: groceries, drugs, souls.
“They still inside or did they drop and dash?” Derek asked.
“Still inside as of five minutes ago,” Beck said. “I didn’t want to interrupt.”
Callie inhaled sharply, and Beck didn’t continue that thread.
“When do you want to do this?” Derek asked.
“They could move tomorrow for all we know.” She couldn’t have that. She couldn’t miss this shot to block those souls from finding hosts. What if Josh had taken one? Or Zara? She wasn’t going to lose someone she loved, and she wasn’t about to be the reason someone else fell into that heartache, either.
She squeezed Derek’s arm, and hoped to absorb some of his stoic determination. She continued, “I think I need to test a few tricks now, and we plan to go tonight.”
Derek rapped his knuckles against the desk. “We can make that work. We keep the guys scouting the place. We need all the entrances and our best guess on a head count.”
“I can help with that,” Beck offered. He picked his phone up from the desk, unlocked it, and began tapping out messages.
“Is that second room downstairs manageable for me to free a few souls to see how I do with control?” she asked Derek. He might not have first-hand experience with the magic, but he understood the Charmer’s setup better than anyone.
“It’s probably safer up here. That room would work if we didn’t have someone in the other room.” He didn’t point out that if it went wrong the soul might find the soul dealer or she might burn something important. Other than herself.
“I can work with that.” She began pulling the souls she’d collected from the well from the shelves. The labels on their jars were bare, but as she picked up each container a glimmer of memory fluttered before her. The familiarity was new, but nice.
Callie phone vibrated. She set the next jar onto the desk, and then pulled the mobile from her pocket. The number was unknown. “Would the hospital call with an unlisted number?”
She wasn’t certain whom she had been asking, but Derek answered. “Probably not, but answer it on speaker.”
Nothing good came from unlisted phone numbers calling her. Collections used that. Her debts were paid up right now, so no one would have to hear about the medical bill she was seven months late on or the disconnection threat on the electric bill. She swallowed her concern, and accepted the call.
“Hello?”
“Callie girl. What cha wearing?” Even without the disgusting commentary she would have recognized Nate’s sleaze-slathered voice.
“Fuck off.”
“Aw, now now. Is that any way to treat the man who spared your mommy’s life? I could take it back.”
Callie’s hand began to shake. Derek slid his beneath hers. The act both kept the phone steady and rooted Callie into the moment, here with her lover. “Why are you calling me, Nate?”
“Well, it would have been nice to get a thank you,” he sneered.
“Pretty sure the bonus gifts I sent along with your soul covered that.”
His breath hissed on the line as though his mouth covered the whole of the receiver. “That was payment.”
Her patience was waning and taking her worry with it. “Did you really call to gloat?”
“I called with a proposition for you, Callie girl.”
She didn’t need to hear whatever he was about to say. “I’ll pass.”
“No you won’t.”
“We’re done. I returned your soul. I gave you what you asked for. The deal is done. Move on.”
“I am moving forward. I’m finding the soul business is easy to break into these days. No wonder the Soul Charmer never leaves his work. Everyone’s looking for a quick soul these days, and the bank on it is fucking nice.”
Callie was not about to snap at that jab about the Soul Charmer. Nate might know he was missing. Whatever. She was not on this call to talk to him. “There’s only one Soul Charmer in Gem City,” she said. Her thumb already hovering over the end button.
“Or none.” He waited for a long moment before giving her anything more. “Funny thing, I liked the souls you brought me. It’s time for round two.”
“If you want to rent souls from the Soul Charmer, you know exactly how that works.”
“You know that’s not what I mean.”
“We’re done.”
“Wonder how dear Henry here feels about that? Henry, did you want to let Callie know how you feel about her disinterest in bringing me souls?” Wood scraped against something harder in the background. Two heavy, wet smacks rang across the line followed by a long, low groan.
“Looks like the priest has taken a vow of silence, too. If you’re not going to help me, I get to find out what it takes to break a man of God. I win either way, but I thought you’d want the chance to save your priest buddy.”
“Nate…” she ground his name between her teeth. If only it would pulverize him.
“Are you not fucking that brick wall asshole anymore? This is his brother. Did you know that? Enforcer for the Soul Charmer and his brother is spending his days trying to save souls. Wonder how their
