Only the Lost

by Amanda M. Lee

Lily gurgled, as if agreeing.

  “Isn’t that right?” Cormack beamed at the baby. “I get to spoil my children as much as I want and no one can say a thing about it.”

  I rolled my eyes and shifted when I realized someone else was entering the library. I let out a breath when I realized it was Cillian.

  “You’re late,” Cormack announced when he caught sight of his son. “I texted you twenty minutes ago.”

  “And I was conducting research.” Cillian offered me a brief smile before focusing on his niece. “Hello, beautiful. Did you miss Uncle Cillian?”

  The baby’s expression didn’t change, even when he made a funny face for her.

  “You’re going to smile at me first even if my face freezes like this,” Cillian ordered, causing me to grin. He was the most laid back Grimlock. That didn’t mean he wasn’t keen to win. “I’m taking her back to Grimlock Manor, right?”

  Cormack nodded as Cillian snagged the baby carrier. “Aisling should be on her way back to the manor. She said she’s dropping off her souls and then taking Lily home, but ... try to talk her into staying.”

  Cillian furrowed his brow. “Why? Is something wrong?”

  “No. I just want to spend some time with her, make sure she’s rested.”

  He had ulterior motives he didn’t want to share. I could’ve given Cillian a heads-up, but I didn’t bother. The Grimlocks often stumbled when working out their personal issues, but they always got back up. This time would be no different.

  “I’ll tell her, but I’m not going to make her stay. She bites when she feels weighed down by family pressure.”

  “Just ... ask her to stay.” Cormack slid his gaze to me, something unsaid lurking in the depths of his eyes. “As for Izzy and me, we’re going to visit the returnees again.”

  That was news to me. “We are?”

  He nodded. “I received clearance right before I texted Cillian. I don’t want her in that room in case ... well, just in case.”

  I understood what he wasn’t saying. We still had no idea why the men had returned. They could be dangerous, especially now that they were being treated as lab animals and found themselves locked in a secure hospital ward.

  “When are they going to be allowed to contact their families?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t believe Renley can put them off much longer, but he seems determined to try. That’s a mistake if you ask me. He’s simply delaying the inevitable.”

  “What new information do you expect to get from them? I think they’ve told us everything they know ... or at least everything they seem to know. They might have more locked in their brains, but it’s probably traumatic so they’ve shut it out.”

  “Or they were simply not meant to remember what happened to them,” Cillian added. He was still making faces for his niece’s benefit. The baby looked less than impressed.

  “Or something else entirely is going on,” Cormack countered. “It’s possible they know more than they’re saying and they’re simply very good when it comes to acting.”

  I couldn’t rule that out. “Maybe. That doesn’t explain what you expect to learn from them. Whether by choice or happenstance, I don’t think they’re going to talk about anything important.”

  “I want to ask them about Ray Smith.”

  I was taken aback, although in hindsight I should’ve seen it coming. “You’re not going to tell them what happened, are you?”

  “I am.” He nodded once. “I want to see their reactions. I also want to learn a little something about Mr. Smith. Maybe there was a reason he was separated from the rest of the group.”

  “There’s also a chance his return was blown somehow and he was dropped in the wrong spot,” I argued. “Have you gotten a cause of death from Griffin?”

  Cormack turned grim. “His neck was broken, probably from a fall. He had internal injuries as well. He didn’t die right away. It took an hour or so.”

  My stomach twisted at the news. “Could he have been saved if we’d found him right away?”

  “Probably not, but we’ll never truly know.”

  I dragged a hand through my hair and forced the melancholy to retreat. “I guess it can’t hurt to talk to them. Maybe I’ll be able to get a better reading off them this time.”

  “That’s what I’m hoping for.”

  SECURITY IN THE HOSPITAL ward was much tighter. There were four guards posted outside the doors and two present inside, which made for a tense environment.

  “Well, this is quite the homecoming,” I muttered.

  Cormack slid me a sidelong look. “I was just thinking the same thing. I didn’t realize Renley had so many men in here.”

  “Can you do anything about it?”

  “No.”

  We made our way to the far end of the room, to where all five men sat in chairs and talked in angry tones. Doug was the first to look in our direction as we approached. It wasn’t warmth and welcome that I saw on his features.

  “Get out,” he ordered harshly. “I’ve already told your overlord that we will not cooperate until we’re allowed to contact our families. If you think you can come in here and schmooze us, you’ve got another think coming.”

  His aura was a cloudy blue, which meant he was struggling. Trust wasn’t high on his list right now. I couldn’t exactly blame him for that. “We’re not here to schmooze you,” I offered. “We have a few questions.”

  “Oh, really?” Hank cocked an eyebrow. I’d taken the time to memorize each face so I would have no trouble recognizing the individual men — and any others who might pop up — and I offered him a bright smile, which he returned with an icy glare. “Why would we possibly answer any of your questions?”

  “Because we want to help you,” Cormack replied evenly. “I understand that you’re frustrated — no, I really do — but I can’t change that for you. I also understand what everyone is worried about, so I’m legitimately torn.

  “I think you’ve been through enough and should be reunited with your families right away,” he continued. “The fear is that once your miraculous return has been made public that it will turn into a media sideshow.”

  “That’s already been explained to us,” Manuel snapped. “I want to see my family. I don’t even know if they’re still alive.”

  “I don’t even know that I believe this is the future,” Doug admitted, gripping his hands together hard enough that his knuckles whitened. “For all we know, this could be some elaborate hoax. Maybe you dosed us with LSD and are playing a game.”

  “LSD is a drug from the sixties and seventies that causes hallucinations,” Cormack explained to me. “It’s not really in vogue now.”

  I had to swallow my laughter. “Did you just mansplain LSD to me?”

  He balked. “I wasn’t mansplaining. You’re young. You can’t know what LSD is.”

  “I hate to break it to you, but LSD is still a thing today,” I told him. “Some people use it recreationally and some use it therapeutically.”

  “Which means we’ve been dosed with it,” Doug crowed. “I knew it!”

  “You haven’t been dosed with LSD,” Cormack shot back. “This isn’t an experiment gone awry. You really were gone sixty years. I know that’s difficult to swallow, but it’s the truth.”

  “Maybe we would have less trouble believing it if we were allowed to see it for ourselves,” Manuel pressed.

  “I agree with that sentiment. I don’t think it will be much longer. We’re not here about you, though. We’re here about Ray Smith.”

  Carefully, I watched the men for hints of distress ... or even curiosity. All five faces were blank, however, as Cormack broached the subject of their fallen companion.

  “What about Ray?” Doug asked finally. He appeared to be the de facto leader of the group, although I wasn’t certain if it was by design or something that merely happened upon their return.

  “We found his body earlier today,” Cormack replied. He clearly believed it was best to yank off the band
age rather than to peel it away slowly. “It was on Belle Isle, about a mile from the gate. It looks as if Ray died about the same time you men returned.”

  Doug’s mouth dropped open. “Are you kidding me?”

  “No. We really did find his body.”

  “But ... what happened to him?” Hank asked, his voice quiet.

  “We’re not sure,” Cormack replied. “The coroner believes his injuries indicate he took a great fall. His neck was broken and he had internal injuries. I was hoping you men might be able to tell me something.”

  “We already told you that we don’t remember anything,” Doug exploded, his temper on full display. “We don’t know what happened. We don’t know where the others are.”

  “Wait ... .” Manuel held up his hand, his mind clearly busy. “If Ray came back at the same time, does that mean the others are back? Is it possible they landed in different places?”

  “Anything is possible,” Cormack replied. “We’re checking on that. We’re not sure what to make of any of this.”

  “Oh, well, that’s comforting,” Doug drawled. “I can’t tell you what a comfort that is.”

  “I can’t fix that,” Cormack said matter-of-factly. “We need to know what you can tell us about Ray. We’re trying to figure out the bigger picture, but it isn’t easy. We’re doing the best we can by you. I promise.”

  Doug rolled his eyes. “And we’re just supposed to believe you?”

  “That would be nice.”

  “Well ... we don’t.” Doug’s edginess was on full display as he gripped his hands into fists and rested them on top of his knees. “We don’t believe any of you. We want out of here. We’re not answering a single question until you release us. Period.”

  Cormack opened his mouth, and I was certain he was going to run his usual domineering Grimlock routine. That was a big mistake as far as I was concerned. It would backfire spectacularly if he tried. I sent him an almost imperceptible shake of my head. We had to come up with another solution.

  He held my gaze for a long beat and then nodded, his hand automatically moving to my back as he prodded me toward the door.

  “I’m sorry life is difficult for you right now, gentlemen. Believe it or not, I am on your side. I’ll be back to visit as soon as I can. If we find others of your group ... well ... I’ll keep you updated. That’s the best I can do.”

  “That’s not nearly enough,” Hank groused.

  “It’s all we can do. We all have rules we live by.”

  “Just get out.” Doug flicked his hand in a disgusted manner. “We’re done with you.”

  And just like that we’d been dismissed.

  Ten

  We tried for another ten minutes, but the men were adamant. Cormack waited until we were outside the room to ask the obvious question.

  “What do you think?”

  “I think they’re angry.”

  “That goes without saying.”

  “I think they have a right to be angry,” I added. “Have you considered how you would feel if you were in their position? I mean ... is there anything that would stop you from getting to your children if you found out you’d been separated from them for sixty years?”

  Cormack sighed. “No. nothing would keep me from them. I can’t even think about that.”

  I understood he was sympathetic, but I felt the need to hammer it home harder. “If you went missing when your children were little you would come back at a time when you had great-grandchildren.

  “Imagine missing all the teenage years,” I continued. “Imagine not being able to watch Aisling and Griffin fall in love ... or Lily’s formative years. By the time you got back Lily would be an adult with children of her own. You would’ve missed everything.”

  He looked pained. “I get it. I don’t agree with what’s happening here.”

  “I know you don’t. It’s just ... this feels cruel. If my parents suddenly came back, if I found they hadn’t died, I would burn this place to the ground to get to them.”

  He rested his hand on my shoulder. It was a very fatherly gesture. “I understand loss. It might not be the same way you understand it, but I get it. We are in an untenable position. How are we going to explain the return of these people?”

  “I don’t know. What does Griffin say?”

  “They’ve identified Ray Smith. They’re confused. There are a lot of ideas being bandied about. Most of them revolve around it somehow being a child of Ray Smith, or even a grandchild, but not him. A few people are suggesting it’s a hoax.”

  “Like what? He disappeared sixty years ago, started another family, and now his grandchild volunteered to die on the island to mess with people?”

  “Or maybe he was involved with the mob — this is Detroit after all — and he went into Witness Protection and somehow one of his enemies found his new family and killed his grandson before dumping him close to Ray’s old stomping grounds as a message.”

  Oh, well, that was an intricate hunch. “Do you think they’ll go with that?”

  “I have no idea. Griffin is being careful not to put forth his own ideas. He wants to see this play out naturally. If these other men show up and it becomes public a whole different type of story will begin circulating.”

  “Aliens.”

  “Or government experiments. When something can’t be explained, the human brain will grasp at anything for answers. We’ll be in a pickle regardless.”

  “Those men didn’t do anything to deserve being kept from their families. They’re losing time and a lot of the people they left behind might not have much left.”

  “I agree with you. I’m not the one making the decisions, though.”

  “It just seems so unfair.” I wasn’t the type to turn petulant and pouty, but I couldn’t stop myself this time.

  “I always told my children life was never fair. I stand by that. The thing is, for them, they had a leg up on life because of my money and connections. That didn’t stop them from losing their mother. That didn’t stop her from coming back to terrorize them.

  “Nothing that has happened to you ... or them ... or these men is fair,” he continued. “We still have to do the best with what we’re given and move on. We can’t control what’s happening to these men. We can try to find answers.”

  “Then that’s what we’re going to do.”

  BRADEN MET ME AT THE PARKING lot on the other side of Belle Isle. With the bridge closed, we’d have to take a boat across. I was fine with that, but I expected him to put up a fight. Instead, he gestured with his chin for me to join him in his BMW

  “Hop in. We’ll need groceries before we head over. There are no stores on the island.”

  I was surprised. “You’re not going to give me grief about wanting to stay on the island?”

  He shook his head. “You can’t be away right now. If Oliver and the others find a body, you’ll want to see it right away. I know you.”

  He did. We’d been together only a short time, but he knew me better than most. I found comfort in that despite the fact that I’d been leery of him at the start.

  “Thanks.” I gave him a quick kiss when I hopped in the car. He slid his hand around the back of my neck and deepened the exchange before pulling back to study my face. I felt self-conscious. “What? Do I have food on my face or something?”

  “No. Besides, I’m pretty sure you haven’t eaten since breakfast.”

  How could he possibly know that? As if on cue — and to prove him right — my stomach picked that moment to growl. “I might be a little hungry,” I said.

  “There’s a cool neighborhood market around the corner. We’ll stock up there in case we have to spend more than one night on the island. It’s a definite possibility given everything that’s going on.”

  “That sounds ... good.”

  “I’m glad. While we’re shopping, you can tell me what went on with my father this afternoon. He’s being a little ... funky.”

  That was an odd word choice. “Do y
ou want to expound on that?”

  “Sure. He wants Aisling and Griffin to spend the night at the manor again. He’s volunteered his time to watch Lily all night so they can sleep, even though he took baby duty last night. Usually one night is his limit.”

  “He’s just feeling overprotective because I let slip that Aisling is still struggling with being a new mother.”

  Braden’s eyebrows hopped. “I thought she was over that. She’s been sleeping. She looks ten times better.”

  “It’s still difficult for her because she feels cut off from your mother. She remembers what it was like to grow up with her and she wants to emulate that person. She can’t stop thinking about the person who came back, though, and she’s afraid.”

  “That she’ll be that sort of mother?” Braden looked horrified. “She won’t. She doesn’t have it in her.”

  “And she mostly knows that. Every once in a while, though, the fear returns. That’s natural.”

  “Since when did you become a licensed psychotherapist?”

  “Since meeting your family. It was a necessity.”

  He snickered. “I can see that.” He gave the back of my neck a light squeeze and then moved his hand to the steering wheel. “My sister has always been difficult, but I don’t want her worrying about nonsense. This should be a happy time. They have the baby; she and Griffin are content, and she’s actually getting some much-needed rest. Worrying about stupid things is a waste of time.”

  “I think she knows that, but fear is a funny thing. She’ll be fine. You don’t have to worry about her. I probably shouldn’t have said anything.”

  “Why did you say something? Usually you keep stuff like that to yourself.”

  “It slipped out when talk of Lily smiling for the first time surfaced again. I said it would be best if Lily smiled at her mother first. Your father asked why.”

  “Ah.” Understanding dawned on his handsome features. “Sadly, she’s going to have to find something else to bolster her spirits. Lily is definitely smiling at me first.”

  I shook my head. “Your family should be studied for posterity.”