Only the Devout

by Amanda M. Lee

  “Which is where he got the three M-girls,” I said.

  “I didn’t know he ended up with them. I guess it makes sense. Those girls are trouble.”

  “You’re not the first person to tell me that. If they come around looking for more girls, you need to shut them down.”

  “And why would I do that? They paid money for a tip. It wasn’t great money, but it was free money.”

  “I’m pretty sure they’re going to kill those girls,” I replied, refusing to lie. “Do you want that on your conscience for twenty bucks?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t really care.”

  “That’s not true.” He put on a good show, but he was nowhere near as morally bankrupt as he pretended. “Just don’t let them take any more girls. You can stop them, and I expect you to do it.”

  “I can’t be everywhere,” he pointed out.

  “No, but you have eyes and ears everywhere. You’ll know if they try again. Spread the word.”

  He nodded. “Fine. I’ll make sure people know. Does that make you happy?”

  “I could be happier.” I offered up a toothy grin that was as far from flirty as I could muster. “Now I want to know about the body. You said you didn’t pick it up. Someone did.”

  He nodded without hesitation. “I won’t tell you who. I will say that the pickup was difficult because people in that neighborhood are hyper-vigilant.”

  “They’re not used to crime.”

  “They’re used to sitting on their pampered asses and watching everybody else do the hard work while they sip champagne for breakfast and eat things like goat liver and fish eggs.”

  That was enough to warrant a genuine smile. “I think you might be surprised.”

  “I doubt it. Are you one of them?”

  “Hardly. But my boyfriend’s father is. He’s a hard worker. Does a lot of his own work.”

  “Really? How many times a week does he mow his lawn?”

  The lawn at Grimlock Manor was massive, so the question made me smile. “He doesn’t do his own lawn work. You’re right on that. But he’s not lazy. It’s dangerous to harbor misconceptions about people, no matter where they come from.”

  “If you say so.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m still not telling you who picked up that body.”

  “That’s fine. I don’t need to know the specifics. But do you have any idea where that body was dumped?”

  “Everyone has their own spot. It could be in one of twenty different places depending on who picked it up.”

  That was a chilling thought. “Do you think it will be found again?”

  He shrugged. “Bodies have a way of popping up sometimes.”

  “Right.” I rubbed the back of my neck, the day starting to catch up with me. “Well, since you’re already going to warn girls to stay away from the group, it might be wise to warn other businesses. They’re bad news and the cops are getting involved with them. You don’t want that kind of heat.”

  Zeb snorted. “Please. You just want everyone to shut them out so you can watch them squirm. There’s nothing wrong with that, but at least be honest.”

  “Fine. I want them to squirm.”

  “You might get your wish. Either way, this conversation is done. You need to get out of here before I get in trouble for fraternizing on the job.”

  I smirked as I started moving away. “See, I knew you weren’t all bad.”

  “Don’t press your luck.”

  MAXINE WAS SITTING IN ONE OF HER COMFORTABLE chairs giving herself a tarot reading when I returned to her store. She wasn’t alone this time. There was a brunette woman behind the counter, and for a moment hope filled my chest.

  It deflated quickly when she shook her head.

  “That’s not Olive,” Maxine informed me, her eyes still fixed on the cards.

  “I thought maybe ... .” I trailed off.

  “You thought maybe I was trying to cover for Olive and give her time to put a story together,” Maxine surmised, her eyes focused on the High Priestess card. “Do you really think I would do that?”

  “I think you’re loyal.”

  “I’m most loyal to you.” She finally lifted her eyes and seemed surprised by what she saw. “Why are you so sweaty?”

  “I’ve been running all over Detroit.”

  “Why?”

  “I found a new witch and I wanted to talk to her.” I threw myself in the chair to Maxine’s left, briefly pressing my eyes shut as the blissfully cool air conditioning washed over me. “She’s a real pain, but I think she’s powerful. She has pink hair and a mouth.”

  “Luna. Yes, I’m well aware of the mouth.”

  I slid my eyes to her. “You know Luna?”

  “She’s a spitfire ... and occasionally needs supplies.” Maxine seemed amused by reaction. “You didn’t fight with her, did you? She holds a grudge and is creative with her payback.”

  “No. It was fine. I told her I thought we would eventually become friends. I like her. She has a good heart. She was giving out supplies to the homeless in a park.”

  “She does have a big heart,” Maxine agreed. “The only thing bigger is her mouth.”

  “Yes, she’s definitely a lot of talk.”

  “So she was helping you with the cult?” Maxine looked confused. “How is she involved?”

  “Knight. His girlfriend was the girl killed on the island. She glamoured herself to look like him in his absence, and that’s how we met her. When we returned Knight, she seemed to think that we’d done something special. She’s grateful and willing to help — to a certain extent.”

  Maxine’s chuckle was dry. “That sounds just like Luna. She’s a conflicted little thing. At least she’s willing to help.”

  “She sent me to a valet parker at the Greektown Casino. He confirmed the cult hired local talent to pick up the body in Grosse Pointe. He won’t say who — I’m not sure he knows — but I made sure he’s aware that any girls he sends to them might be risking their lives.”

  Maxine pursed her lips and turned over another card. “And how did he take that?”

  “He said the right things. He tried to act tough, but I argued he didn’t want unnecessary deaths on his conscience. He agreed and said he would make sure word spread that the cult couldn’t be trusted. I think that’s the best I can do.”

  “I agree.”

  “I don’t know what else to do.” I stared at the front window. “It feels like I’m missing a big piece of this puzzle, Aunt Max. There’s just so much on my plate. It seems as if I should be focusing on the revenants, but it’s not as if I can turn my back on what’s happening now.”

  “You definitely can’t,” she agreed, sympathy flooding her face. “You’ve always been the sort of person who cares, Izzy. You love with everything you have and your loyalty is off the charts. You can’t look away from these girls even though you know the revenants are the bigger threat. You can’t overlook one evil to focus on another.”

  “Luna can see multiple future tracks at once. She said that some of mine have good outcomes and others don’t. She warned me to trust my intuition where this cult is concerned.”

  Maxine stiffened. “She told you that?”

  I nodded.

  “Then listen to her.” Maxine was firm. “No, don’t bother arguing. I don’t know Luna all that well. She only lets a select few get truly close to her. She’s smart that way. She wouldn’t have survived this long if she wasn’t careful.

  “One thing I can say without any degree of doubt is that she means what she says,” she continued. “If she thinks you need to be careful, then you should definitely listen.”

  I laughed at her reaction. For some reason, it warmed my heart. “I plan to be careful,” I reassured her, chuckling as I patted her wrist. “I recognize she was serious. I don’t know what to do, though. I don’t know where to look for further answers.”

  “All I can suggest is that you take a little time to think about it. An answer might pop up when you least expect it.�
��

  “Maybe.” I grunted as I pushed myself to my feet. The day was definitely taking a toll. “I still want to talk to Olive. It would be great if you didn’t tip her off.”

  “I’ll do my best.” She flashed a smile. “Until then, call it a day. Track down Braden and relax. You deserve a few hours of respite.”

  I agreed with her, but that was a luxury I wasn’t sure I could afford. “I’ll do my best.” I leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I’ll be in touch. Don’t wander around anywhere alone. If the cult figures out we’re tied to one another they might try to use you against me.”

  “I know how to take care of myself.”

  “Yes, but we’re still family.”

  Her smile broadened. “Right you are. I’ll take care of myself. You do the same.”

  “I always do.”

  Twenty-Three

  I headed toward Grimlock Manor before the end of my shift. Oliver encouraged me to go. It wasn’t as if my head was in the game anyway.

  The more time I spent thinking about the cult, the more sick at the heart I became. When I reached the manor, I slid onto one of the comfortable benches in the foyer and stared at my phone. I knew what I wanted to do, but I wasn’t sure I had the courage.

  “What are you doing here so early?” Cormack asked, doing a double take as he cut through the room. “I wasn’t expecting you for another hour.”

  I dragged my eyes from the phone and stared at him. “I was annoying Oliver, so he told me to leave early.”

  Cormack chuckled and changed his trajectory to sit with me. “I see. How were you annoying him?”

  “Normal stuff. Ranting, raving, complaining about the cult. That’s my normal shift right now.”

  “That’s to be expected.” He patted my knee and glanced at the phone. “Were you going to call someone?”

  I swallowed hard and nodded. “I miss my grandfather.” The words were barely out of my mouth when I burst into tears. I wasn’t a crier by nature, so I had no idea where the reaction came from. But I couldn’t stop.

  “Of course you do.” Cormack slid his arm around my shoulders. Most men run from a woman in tears — my grandfather had hated it when I cried as a child, to the point he’d bribe me to stop — but the Grimlock patriarch wasn’t most men. “Have you tried talking with him?”

  “He doesn’t return my calls.”

  “Have you asked him to return your calls?”

  I hesitated. “What do you mean?”

  “Are you leaving messages without asking him to call you back, or are you requesting return calls?”

  “I don’t know what that has to do with anything.”

  “If you’re asking him to call and he’s refusing, that shows a willful attempt to hurt you. If you’re simply leaving messages that don’t include a call to action, then he’s probably not returning the calls to protect himself.”

  “What does he have to protect himself from?” I used the back of my hand to swipe at my tears, causing Cormack to frown.

  He dug in his pocket for a handkerchief and handed it to me. It was monogrammed ... and linen ... and seemingly way too nice to blow snot on. That didn’t stop me, though. I’d suddenly turned into a blubbering mess with no idea how to rein myself in.

  “Izzy, I can’t speak for your grandfather, but from what you’ve told me, he was against your move to Detroit.”

  “That’s why we’re not talking. He said it was a mistake. I said it was my mistake. Now he pretends I’m no longer related to him.”

  Cormack chuckled at my response. “I’m sure he doesn’t think that at all. From his perspective, you’re his child. He raised you for a number of years, even longer than your parents did. He’s invested in your future, the same way I’m invested in the futures of my children.”

  “Yes, but unlike your children, I was a good girl. I don’t deserve this.”

  He barked out a laugh. “I’m sure you were a perfect child. That might be why this is so difficult for him. My children misbehave so much that it’s impossible for me to be disappointed now. They’ve trained me to accept anything.

  “For your grandfather, it had to be difficult,” he continued. “He understands that you’re an adult and can do what you choose, but you decided to do the one thing he was dead set against. You came back here, to where your parents were lost. Can’t you see how frightening that must be for him?”

  “That’s why he should be talking to me. I need him to help me through this.”

  “I have to believe that he will help you through this, just as soon as he comes to grips with the fact that you’re not leaving. He still believes he can manipulate you into coming back. Once he’s beyond that, he’ll come to you. I promise.”

  I wanted to believe it. “I dreamed about him the other day. When I got hit from behind, I woke up in a dream and he was there. He hadn’t aged a day and was talking to me as if nothing has changed. He yelled at me to wake up.

  “I knew it was a dream, but it felt so good to be with him I didn’t care,” I continued, fresh tears spilling down my cheeks. “I steeled myself that things were going to be rough between us for a bit, but seeing him made my heart hurt.”

  Cormack blew out a sigh and rubbed my back. “I’m sorry for all of this. You don’t deserve it.”

  “I just want to hear his voice.”

  He moved his hand to the back of my hair and started stroking. “Well then, you’ll hear his voice.” He abruptly stood, and when I didn’t join him, he grabbed my arm and gave me a light tug. “Come along. I have a plan.”

  I was morose as I followed him. “What plan?”

  “Trust me.”

  He led me into his office, making a point to direct me to one of the comfortable leather couches. I sank onto it, clutching his handkerchief and hating myself for crying like a seven-year-old girl in front of a man who was technically my boss.

  Cormack busied himself at his desk for a few minutes. He remained focused on his computer for a long time before I heard him speak.

  “Mr. Sage, thank you for taking my call. My name is Cormack Grimlock. I’m acquainted with your granddaughter.”

  I froze in place. I turned slowly, unsure, and watched as Cormack stared at his computer monitor.

  “Did something happen to Izzy?”

  I recognized my grandfather’s voice and almost fell off the couch. Not only was he talking to Cormack, he looked to be doing it via video chat. I never thought I would see the day when he would do anything of the sort.

  “Izzy is fine,” Cormack reassured him quickly. “Well, physically she’s fine. Emotionally, she’s a bit of a mess.”

  The statement was enough to have me straightening ... and frowning.

  “What do you mean.” Grandfather’s voice was tinged with an emotion I couldn’t quite identify. It sounded like fear.

  “She wants you,” Cormack replied simply. “Things are happening here — bad things — and she wants her grandfather. Now, before you say something dismissive, you should know that it’s okay for her to want you. I have five grown children. They all want their father at least once a week.

  “Izzy is a very strong girl,” he continued. “She’s remarkable really. She’s been wonderful for my son Braden. I’m very fond of her. I think she’s one of the brightest people I’ve ever met. She can’t possibly be a pillar of strength for everyone around her every second of every day, though. Every once in a while she needs bolstering — and that day has come.

  “I’m aware that you’re punishing her because you didn’t want her to take this job.” Cormack barreled forward, barely stopping for a breath. “I understand. Your son and daughter-in-law died here. It’s a frightening prospect. But your granddaughter needs answers. It’s unfair of you to stand in the way of those answers.

  “I have every intention of keeping Izzy safe. She’s a part of my family now, and not only because she’s dating Braden. Quite frankly, I think she could do better. We will all stand as her protectors. Despite all of that
, she needs you. It’s time to be a man and take care of your granddaughter.”

  I was shocked. No one had ever talked to my grandfather that way. I had a long memory — all the way back to the time he started raising me — and there wasn’t a single instance of anyone being brave enough to tell him what to do.

  “Is she there?” Grandfather asked.

  Cormack nodded. “She’s on the couch, listening. The look on her face tells me she’s going to scream and yell at me later. I hope it will be worth it if she gets what she needs from you.”

  There was a sigh on the computer. “Put her on.”

  My heart skipped a beat as I caught Cormack’s steady gaze.

  He sent me a reassuring smile as he stood and held out his chair. “Your grandfather wants to speak with you.”

  My feet felt somehow alien as I trudged the short distance to the chair. My heart hammered, my cheeks burned, and a yearning I didn’t think possible overtook me. My eyes were already on the screen when I plopped into the chair.

  There he was. My grandfather. He sat in his living room, which looked exactly the same. In fact, nothing had changed, except that he might’ve had a few additional lines around the corners of his eyes. Those were probably from fretting about my move. “Hi,” I squeaked out and started crying again.

  “None of that,” Grandpa warned, wagging a finger as he drew closer to his screen. It was as if he was studying my face. “Don’t cry, girl. You know I hate it when you cry.”

  Cormack chuckled as he squeezed my shoulder. “That’s the way of it for fathers and daughters ... and probably grandfathers and granddaughters. Speaking of that, Lily should be up from her nap soon. Spend as much time as you need talking with your grandfather.”

  I shot him a grateful smile and nodded, waiting until he’d closed the door to turn back to my grandfather. His gaze was intense, even through the computer monitor. “Why haven’t you been returning my calls?”