We came to a jerky halt and the door squeaked open. I hesitantly followed Grim off the elevator and gasped when I saw what awaited us: almost the exact same lobby, except the two potted plants each drooped to one side, looking like they hadn’t been watered in ages. The shiny marble floor was seriously dull and streaked with shoe marks. I spun a circle around the lobby before quickly following Grim through the glass doors.
I was immediately struck by the balmy air outside, so humid, it mingled with my damp skin as heat seeped into my bones. Then I made the mistake of breathing in that air, and almost choked. The smell outside was worse than a rotting colostomy bag. Yeah, mom had forced me to volunteer at a hospice with her every Christmas Eve, and I usually got stuck doing bathroom duty. I had to cover my nose to keep from gagging, that’s how powerful the stench was.
“What’s that smell?” I wheezed as I tried to keep pace with Grim.
“There’s a dumpster nearby,” he answered tersely.
What the heck?
No single dumpster made that smell. Maybe a landfill full of road kill.
Only a few outside lights were working, and I nearly tripped over an overgrowth of limbs from bushes that crowded the gravel walkway. Thank God, I was able to steady myself, or else I would have plowed face-first into Stan’s mole.
“This place is a shithole,” I grumbled.
“Yep, but it sure beats the basement.” Grim spun around, totally indifferent to the moaning naked guy draped across his shoulder. “With several counts of tax fraud, adultery, and embezzlement, he’s lucky he didn’t get stuck there.”
“Why didn’t he get sent down there?” I whispered as I glanced at the gravel beneath my feet. I didn't know why I was expecting flames to shoot out of the ground. As hot as it was outside, my skin broke into gooseflesh at the thought of getting sentenced to the fiery pit of doom.
Grim opened the wooden gate, which looked eerily similar to the one at Stan's condo pool, except the boards were weathered and buckling in several spots, and the rusty latch looked ready to fall off its hinges.
It swung open with a creak, and Grim stepped inside, heedless of Stan's moans as he banged the guy’s head against the latch.
Grim repositioned Stan on his shoulders. “His investment firm raised over two hundred thousand dollars for terminally ill kids last year.”
“That was nice of them.” I managed to squeak as I followed Grim, careful not to step in one of the many holes in the chipped decking.
As we approached the green sludge that should have been a pool full of water, I realized the origin of the smell. Gah! The thing looked like a mosquito breeding ground. Hadn't they ever heard of chlorine in Purgatory?
“Stan was in charge of the fundraiser, which is why he gets into level two.” Grim walked to the edge of the sludge, staring down at the layer of slime and leaves that had to be two inches thick.
“And you say I’m going to the top?” I tried to keep the rattle out of my voice.
Stan had raised a lot of money for terminally ill kids and he’d only made it to the second floor. Shouldn’t he have at least been assigned a few levels higher?
“Yeah." Grim turned to me. “What’s the matter?”
"Nothing." My voice was as flat as a day-old soda.
That assessing look in his eyes made me feel as if he was undressing me, and not in a good way. No, this felt more like his eyes were twin lasers, boring holes into my soul, and he wasn’t happy with what he saw.
He was probably wondering what I was wondering.
How the hell had I gotten into Heaven when the only good deed I’d done was scrubbing toilets at a nursing home? And to be perfectly honest, I hadn’t even done that well. Usually, I just sprayed some disinfectant around the room and called it good.
My mom, on the other hand, volunteered almost every day. She’d tried to get me to help her on the weekends, but after several years of making up excuses, she finally got the hint. Ever since that fateful day in December when I’d found myself jobless and unable to afford groceries, she’d suckered me into repaying her loan by volunteering on Christmas Eve.
Somehow, Mom had found a way of manipulating my community service into a life sentence: a tradition of miserable holidays in exchange for eggs and diet soda. After the incident with Mrs. Johnston’s catheter, they didn’t trust me with the patients anymore, so I’d been relegated to toilet duty.
How much of a dick did you have to be to get stuck in Purgatory?
Stan was stirring more by this point, sounding like he had a mouthful of marbles as he grumbled, “Put me down, affhole.”
“Whatever you say.” Grim grunted before dropping Stan into the pool.
I shrieked and jumped back as green goo splattered everywhere. Stan’s head lolled to one side, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. He made this grotesque gurgling sound as he sank beneath the sludge.
“Is he going to be okay?” I asked. I wasn't sure if Stan could drown since he was already dead, but the guy was half conscious and probably swallowing enough ick to give him the runs for a week.
Grim flashed that annoyingly condescending smirk I was coming to loathe, no matter how badly I wanted to kiss those sexy lips.
“He’s not going to die twice, Ash.” He walked past me to the gate.
I chased after him. “So he’ll just wake up with a mouthful of nasty pool water?”
He chuckled as he held open the gate. “Something like that.”
“Don’t you think that’s a little cruel?” Scowling, I jabbed his chest. “I mean, the guy just died.”
“The guy’s a creep.” Grim thumbed over his shoulder. “Back to the elevator,” he commanded, like I was his dog and he wanted me to fetch his slippers.
Sheesh. Grim must have been channeling his inner-caveman, because he definitely wasn’t oozing with gentlemanly qualities.
I jutted a hand on my hip and gave him my diva glare. “I liked you better when you were kissing me.”
Even in the low light, I could see his cheeks flush. I flashed a triumphant smile and turned on my heel, swaying my hips as I walked away.
Enjoy the sample? I promise lots of panty-melting scenes!
Download book one here:
https://amzn.to/2A5QQeK
Books by Tara West
Eternally Yours
Divine and Dateless
Damned and Desirable
Damned and Desperate
Demonic and Deserted
Dead and Delicious
Say When
Say Yes
Say Forever
Say Please
Say You Want Me
Say You Love Me
Say You Need Me
Dawn of the Dragon Queen Saga
Dragon Song
Dragon Storm
Whispers Series
Sophie’s Secret
Don’t Tell Mother
Krysta’s Curse
Visions of the Witch
Sophie’s Secret Crush
Witch Blood
Witch Hunt
Keepers of the Stones
Witch Flame, Prelude
Curse of the Ice Dragon, Book One
Spirit of the Sea Witch, Book Two
Scorn of the Sky Goddess, Book Three
Hungry for Her Wolves Series
Longing for Her Wolves, Book Two
Desperate for Her Wolves, Book Three
Tempted by Her Wolves, Book Four
Fighting for Her Wolves, Book Five
Academy for Misfit Witches
Academy for Misfit Witches, Book One
School for Stolen Secrets, Book Two (January 2020)
Academy for Courting Curses, Book Three (April 2020)
About Tara West
Tara West writes books about dragons, witches, and handsome heroes while eating chocolate, lots and lots of choc
olate. She's willing to share her dragons, witches, and heroes. Keep your hands off her chocolate. A former high school English teacher, Tara is now a full-time writer and graphic artist. She enjoys spending time with her family, interacting with her fans, and fishing the Texas coast.
Awards include: Dragon Song, Grave Ellis 2015 Readers Choice Award, Favorite Fantasy Romance
Divine and Dateless, 2015 eFestival of Words, Best Romance
Damned and Desirable, 2014 Coffee Time Romance Book of the Year
Sophie's Secret, selected by The Duff and Paranormal V Activity movies and Wattpad recommended reading lists
Curse of the Ice Dragon, Best Action/Adventure 2013 eFestival of Words
Hang out with her on her Facebook fan page at: https://www.facebook.com/tarawestauthor
Or check out her website: www.tarawest.com
She loves to hear from her readers at: tarawestwriter@gmail.com