Page 10 of Someone Save My Midlife Tonight

“Harsh,” Missy commented, elbowing the love of her life.

“But direct,” Heather insisted.

“No can do,” Gram announced. “If my Candy girl slips up… which she will, then I get to start pickin’ her outfits. That gal would look just darlin’ in a nice skirt, matching sweater set, pearls and kitten heels!”

Candy paled to the point she looked like she was going to hurl. Getting gussied up was not on her to-do list. “Really ball-eatin’ harsh.”

“But effective,” Gram countered.

Looking around the room, I realized someone was missing. “Where’s Charlie?”

“He went to find someone,” Tim said, sounding slightly off.

I glanced over at Gideon. It was clear by his expression that he had no clue who Charlie had gone in search of. Tory didn’t look too happy. She was in the know. Heather had gone from grinning to scowling, and Candy Vargo rolled her eyes and shook her head. I didn’t expect June, Jennifer or Amelia to know. They weren’t Immortal.

Pressing the bridge of my nose, I took a deep breath and held it together. “Please tell me Charlie did not go after the Higher Power alone.”

Charlie was the Immortal Enforcer. He ranked up there with Gideon and Candy in the terrifyingly powerful department, but I didn’t take the man forreckless or stupid.

“Hell—which is not a cuss word,” Candy Vargo said, quickly clarifying so she didn’t have to wear a skirt, “to the NO! Charlie ain’t got no death wish. He went to get a backup.”

“Abackup?” I questioned. “As in one person?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Tim admitted, wringing his hands.

All of this was unsettling. Tim wasn’t chopped liver when it came to the badass department. In battle, he was insane. The fact that he was wringing his hands didn’t exactly bode well.

“Who?” I demanded. “Who did Charlie go to get? A Demon? An Angel? Who?”

“Neither,” Candy said. “Just a regular old Immortal.

“Okay,” I said tightly. “There is nothingregularabout an Immortal. Thejust ImmortalsI know are anything but regular.”

Candy Vargo, Tim and Charlie wereregularImmortals—not Angels and not Demons. They were some of the most feared in the freaking Immortal world. I’d never asked if there were more. Shame on me, but I’d been a little busy for the past few months, making sure the world didn’t end and I didn’t die.

Gideon handed Alana Catherine off to Heather. He crossed the room and got in Candy Vargo’s face. His eyes spit red sparks and his hands were clenched in fists by his sides.

“No,” he hissed. “Unacceptable.”

I wasn’t sure how Gideon narrowed down the list so quickly since no one had named a name, but maybe there was only one other.

Shit. I didn’t need a bad day to get worse.

Candy Vargo didn’t step back. Most would if the Grim Reaper was in their personal space, but Candy Vargo wasn’t most…

“Shut your penis trap,” she snapped at Gideon. “If the Higher fartin’ Power wants Alana Catherine, we need him.”

“Bullshit,” Gideon snarled. “Are all of you out of your damned minds?”

“First off, it’s bullspit,” Candy shot back. “And yes, all of us are out of our corn nuttin’ minds. That’s what happens when you live for millions of years.”

Tim quickly stepped between the Grim Reaper and the Keeper of Fate before the house went up in flames. While all of the Immortals would heal from being blown sky high, we had human friends the room. Jennifer, Amelia, Missy and June wouldn’t be as lucky.

“Gideon,” Tim said, placing a calming hand on the Grim Reaper’s shoulder. “We need to know what Alana Catherine knows. He can do that.”

“Over my dead body,” Gideon said in a voice so low and vicious that the hair stood up on my arms.

“It’s highly unlikely that Charlie will find him,” Tim admitted, trying to diffuse Gideon’s fury.

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