Page 106 of Death Trap

He chuckled. “No, God doesn’t have a cell phone.”

“Well, he should get one. There are quite a few things I’d like to tell him.”

His brow arched, intrigued. “Like what?”

“A couple of things I’m sure he wouldn’t like to hear,” I said. “But mostly, where the heck has he been? Ever since he left, things have gone to shit. We could really use his help now.”

“He must have his reasons.” Hank closed the distance between us. When he reached my personal-space bubble, I stiffened uncomfortably. He only smiled, his warm chocolate brown eyes sparkling with information I didn’t know and he probably wasn’t going to share. “But for you, it seems he has more plans. I have been given orders again, and you cannot stay here. I must send you back.”

“Send me back?” I repeated, confused. “But how? You had told me the last time was my only chance to—”

He waved his finger and shook his head. “I said itcouldbe your only chance.”

All words died on my tongue, and I swallowed them back down, suddenly struck dumb. He had said it that way, hadn’t he?

Pesky technicalities. I guess that shit mattered when it came to Hank, the grand-all-keeper of the Void.

“Rules can be bent slightly when it comes to those who sacrifice their life for a righteous cause,” he said. He’d found another cosmic loophole, it seemed. “But I must warn you that when I see you again, it will be under very different circumstances. Do you understand?”

I nodded. “Three strikes and I’m out. Got it.”

He laughed and lifted his wrinkled, age-spotted hand between us. “Until next time, Jade Blackwell.”

I gave him a small smile and a sailor’s salute. “See ya’, Hank.”

Reaching out, his fingers lightly touched my angel mark tattoo. At the same time, the old man disappeared, and the rest of the world tumbled back into place around me.

I was in the center of Azrael’s office, back amongst the mess and destruction. Facing the wall of windows, I spotted Marla and Simon near the broken glass where we had fallen and peering down. Eli, though, was nowhere to be found.

Relieved to see them no longer frozen and under Azrael’s power, I grinned.

“Do you think he’ll be able to reach her in time?” Marla asked Simon, her voice cracking at the end.

“He will,” Simon replied, but even his normally calm tone was tinged with worry. “He has to.”

I was about to tell them I was here, right behind them in fact, but Eli appeared outside the building, floating in midair and looking sickly pale. He shook his head before Marla could even ask her question.

“I…I couldn’t reach her,” Eli muttered, gaze downcast and pain clinging to every word. “She’s gone.”

Marla gasped, clamping a hand over her mouth. “No…”

Simon looked at the floor and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to keep his emotions at bay.

Was this what it was like to witness your own funeral? Weird.

“Hey,” I shouted so every head turned my way. Three pairs of wide eyes found me instantly. “Who died?”

“Jade!” Marla shrieked and ran at me. Throwing her hands around my neck, she gave me another one of her “everything-she’s-got” kind of hugs. Feet dangling off the floor and all. She squeezed me so hard that if I were alive, she probably would have accidently cut off my air supply.

This time, I embraced her back.

Over her shoulder, I saw Simon give me a firm nod. His eyes glistened a bit, and that was enough to know my almost true death had shaken him up. A lot.

I mouthed to him, “I’m okay” and smiled.

When Marla finally let me go, Eli swooped in, grabbed my face with both his hands, and crushed his mouth against mine. Heat flooded me at his touch, and my head whirled with familiarity the way it always did when he kissed me.

Just as it was getting good, he pulled away, muttering to himself angrily.

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