Where There's Smoke by Karen Kelley Page B

walked nearer. “I didn’t know we had a new tenant.” He yanked his hat off before smiling broadly and bowing in front of Destiny.
    At least he had more manners than the hag.
    “I’m Charles Dickens. Not the writer, of course. Although I have been known to spin a few yarns in my time, me and Mr. Dickens only share the same name.” He was thoughtful for a moment. “But, I did work in a newspaper office back in my younger days. Not writing, mind you. Only sweeping, but I picked up a lot of what goes on.” Confusion showed in his eyes as if Charles forgot the original thread of conversation.
    More mortals! They were coming out of the woodwork! She didn’t need anyone in life and she certainly didn’t need anyone now.
    Charles suddenly smiled, his eyes twinkling with humor. “It’s hell getting old, but having a beautiful woman around makes living a little more bearable.”
    Destiny’s defenses began to crumble. She gritted her teeth, willing herself not to fall for the old man’s charm. It didn’t work. The twinkle in his eye was too much. She returned his smile.
    Then the dark cloud, aka the mortal demon, cast its ugly shadow over the land. “Old coot,” the crone muttered.
    Destiny started to tell her to butt out, but at the last minute she stopped. The woman wasn’t worth the trouble.
    “I caught her coming out of the Dunlops’ apartment,” the old biddy informed him.
    “I happen to be apartment sitting,” Destiny told them both.
    “Of course you are,” he said, then turned toward the old woman. “Now, Beulah, how could you accuse someone so lovely of breaking the law?” He raised his eyebrows and looked down at Beulah.
    Beulah glared at Charles. If she hoped for an ally, it wasn’t going to be him.
    Why the hell was Destiny even hanging around? She didn’t have the time or inclination to become involved with mortals. Besides, it was a huge no-no unless she planned on dragging them back to Hell.
    Hmmm?
    Nope, it wouldn’t work. Beulah would scare the hell out of the demons, and the demons certainly wouldn’t be happy if she stole old souls. Most of them had already used up their energy and were practically worthless.
    These two were sucking her energy, not to mention her time. “If you’ll excuse me,” she hurriedly told them before rushing down the hall and escaping. She jumped on the elevator and jabbed the down button just as Charles rounded the corner.
    “Oh, sorry, I can’t find the open door button,” she called out, pretending to look for the button to hold the door open.
    “No problem, little lady,” he yelled back.
    Destiny snickered. She was so bad. The elevator shifted and she had to grab the rail to keep from losing her balance, but exhilaration swept over her when the elevator clanked to a stop and the door scraped open.
    Free!
    Her exhilaration vanished when she nearly ran into the mortal on the other side of the elevator doors.
    The perky little redhead looked up and smiled as she stepped inside the deathtrap. “Oh, hi. Are you new? I’m Pam.”
    “Gotta run,” Destiny called over her shoulder.
    “Maybe we can meet up later,” the girl called out.
    “And maybe not,” Destiny said under her breath.
    As she stepped out of the building, she breathed a sigh of relief. Freedom!
    Her forehead creased in thought. Now what?
    Destiny wasn’t sure what direction she wanted to go. The street was flat so there was no question about going uphill or downhill. The buildings looked as though they were all leased as apartments.
    She wanted to do something daring, something fun! Nothing boring for her. No, she wanted to live. Even though technically she was dead. Surely, she could find some excitement somewhere.
    South, maybe?
    Before Destiny even took one step, a motorcycle rounded the corner and roared up to the curb where she stood. A motorcycle like none she’d ever seen. The bike was sleek black with chrome so shiny she could see her reflection, and it was sexy as hell.