“You’re also defensive,” Braden noted, pressing his hand to the small of my back as he ushered me through the double doors that led to the gate. “It’s unnecessary. I was simply curious.”
I bit back a hot retort. I couldn’t blame him for asking questions. In his position, I’d do the same. That didn’t change the fact that I’d promised myself I would fly under the radar when I returned to Michigan. I had barely been back seventy-two hours and almost every magical trick in my arsenal was on display. “I don’t like to talk about it.”
“Why?”
“Because ... people think I’m weird. I don’t like being weird. Do you know how weird you have to be to be termed ‘the strange one’ in New Orleans? I don’t like standing out.”
“I don’t think you have much choice in the matter.” Braden surveyed the room as we entered, his eyes landing on Oliver and Renee. They toiled in the far corner, their attention on a computer, and they were out of hearing distance. “It’s not so bad to be unique.”
“It’s not always a good thing either,” I countered. “You’re a reaper. Do you go around announcing to the women you pick up at the bar what you do for a living?”
He narrowed his lavender eyes. “First, we sign confidentiality agreements. We’re not allowed to tell random people what we do.”
“That’s convenient,” I groused under my breath.
“Second, I would never tell a random hookup what I do for a living because the assumption is that I won’t see her again,” he continued. “I’m curious as to why you think I pick up a lot of women at bars.”
“It was a topic of conversation during dinner last night. At least three of your siblings teased you about what I believe was described as a ‘lazy’ selection process. Aisling even said you wait for women to approach you because it’s too much work to go to them.”
Braden had the grace to be abashed. “Right. I forgot that came up. I didn’t even think about it.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said hurriedly. “I’m not trying to insert myself into your personal life. I simply mentioned it because we both know that it’s necessary to keep secrets in this line of work.”
“I think it’s necessary to keep secrets no matter your line of work,” he countered, leaning his hip against the long rectangular table to his left. “I think that’s healthy. You can’t know everything about one person. It’s impossible. Even Griffin and Aisling, who are codependent as hell, don’t know everything about one another.”
“You could’ve fooled me.”
“Yes, well, there are still some dark corners for them to plumb if they get in the mood.” Braden chuckled, the sound warm as it washed over me. “I didn’t mean that you should volunteer what you can do to virtual strangers. But the people here know about the world we live in.
“Heck, there’s a merrow here and I always thought they were a myth,” he continued. “I at least thought they lived by the ocean. I’ve known Madame Maxine since I was a kid. I’m well aware of what she can do. Your abilities aren’t exactly shocking to me.”
That was an interesting point. “You don’t like my aunt.”
“I used to like her.”
“Something happened that caused you to change your mind. What was that?”
“Maybe you should ask her.”
“I did.” There was no reason to lie. “She said it was your secret to tell.”
Braden worked his jaw, his mind clearly busy. “She didn’t tell you?”
“No.”
“She had a hand in what happened.”
Worry at the way he said it bubbled up. “If you don’t want to tell me ... .”
“It’s not that.” Braden shook his head as he turned his back to me. It was a defensive reaction — one I recognized because I often did it myself — and when he turned back his eyes were on fire. “My mother died when I was barely out of my teens. I was already working full time as a reaper by then, but I was still basically a kid.
“I spent my days working, thinking I was a big shot, and my nights carousing with my brothers,” he continued. “Aisling and Aidan weren’t yet reapers. They’d just graduated from high school and my father gave them the summer off to decide what they wanted to do with their futures.”
I wasn’t sure where he was going with the conversation, so I simply let him talk.
“My mother was called out on an emergency job to a warehouse,” he explained. “She got trapped inside, the roof fell and she died.”
I felt sick to my stomach for making him relive this. “I’m so sorry. You don’t have to tell me about it.”
“It’s too late now.” Grim-faced, he pushed forward. “About two years ago, some weird things started happening. Aisling was getting pushed in a very specific direction, and through a little investigation she found our mother was still alive.”
I was dumbfounded. “Oh. I ... um ... don’t understand.”
“I’m not sure I do either,” he admitted, pensive. “It’s a long story and I’m not going into all the details. Another reaper family took her, kept her, but she was weakened from the fire. They called for a renowned witch to save her. Genevieve Toth. She resurrected my mother, but it wasn’t exactly a good life.
“Eventually my mother took off with Genevieve and they did a lot of bad things,” he continued. “I mean ... a lot of bad things. It turns out my mother’s soul didn’t survive what Genevieve did and she passed on. But her body remained behind. Her memories were intact. That woman had a plan, and it was to essentially kill Aisling and take over her body.”
The story was fantastical, freaky even. I believed every word. The anguish etched on Braden’s face could allow nothing less.
“Nine months ago, a little less actually, there was a big fight,” Braden volunteered. “My mother’s soul returned from the other side to help. Madame Maxine arranged for that to happen. The woman pretending to be my mother, she died. Aisling sacrificed her to save me.”
“And you feel guilty for that?” I was floored. “Why would you possibly feel guilty for that?”
“Did I say I felt guilty?”
He didn’t have to say it. The emotion practically oozed from his pores. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“No, but she’s still dead. My mother’s soul is gone again. Aisling seems to have no trouble dealing with the fact that she killed our mother’s body. Everyone else has moved on. I’m the only one still thinking about it.”
“I doubt very much that’s true.”
“Well, it feels true.” He heaved out a sigh, briefly flicking his eyes to the vaulted ceilings before shifting to face the door. “I’m supposed to meet my father down by the water. He should be here any minute. I’m sure he’ll stop in and talk to you before he goes.”
I straightened. “Okay, well ... .”
Braden didn’t give me a chance to finish, or collect my thoughts. “I’ll see you later.” He pushed through the doors and disappeared, leaving me with a mountain of thoughts I couldn’t quite organize.
“I’ll see you later,” I murmured even though he was long gone. I wanted to add that I was sorry for forcing the issue, but I wasn’t. The information helped me understand him a little better. Of course, I had no idea where to go now. That was a worry for a different time, though. For now, I had to focus on work, so that’s what I did.
I turned to Oliver and Renee and found them watching me with unveiled interest.
“What have we got?” I forced myself to appear chipper. “Update me on everything we have going on. I expect I’m going to have to answer some serious questions this afternoon and I want to be ready.”
SERIOUS QUESTIONS WAS an understatement. Cormack, a team of men dressed in expensive suits trailing in his wake, didn’t wait long to put me on the hot seat.
“Izzy.” There was no warmth behind Cormack’s smile as he regarded me. “We need to know exactly what is going on here.”
“I thought Braden would’ve told you,” I hedged, uncertain.
“Right.” I snapped my heels together, which seemed like a ridiculous thing to do, and nodded. “So, should I start from the beginning?”
Cormack folded his arms over his chest and nodded. For a split-second I thought I caught a hint of mirth wafting through his hardened eyes. The phenomenon was over as soon as it started, though, and I focused.
“So, here it is.” I launched into the tale, internally congratulating myself when I didn’t forget anything and managed to keep emotion out of it. Despite that, I was a nervous wreck when I finished and waited for the men to comment.
“So, what do we have?” The man who spoke looked to be in his sixties, distinguished, and in charge. If I had to guess, he was even higher than Cormack on the food chain.
“That’s why we’re here, Renley,” Cormack replied. “We don’t know what we have. We’re trying to figure it out.”
Renley? I recognized the name. Renley Hatfield was the head of the Michigan reaper arm. There was no position higher than his, except in the national office. The nerves I thought I had tamped down returned with a vengeance when I realized exactly who I was dealing with.
“You must have some idea,” Renley pressed as he regarded me. “You’re in charge of the gate. You must know what happened.”
“I honestly don’t.” I hated — absolutely hated — the way my voice cracked as I tried to gather my courage. “I’ve never heard of anything like this happening.”
“That doesn’t bode well for us.” Renley rubbed his chin. “What do you think, Cormack?”
“I’m not sure what I think.” Cormack was a tall man, imposing, and he towered over Renley. There was also a warmth about him at which I couldn’t help but marvel. When he offered me a wink I let loose the breath I’d been holding and forced myself to calm. I wasn’t completely alone in this. He was with me, at least as much as he could be.
“The wraith isn’t on Belle Isle any longer,” I volunteered. “It clearly fled to the city. I don’t know how to find it, but I think we should start looking there.”
“We have ears to the ground,” Cormack supplied. “We found evidence to suggest the man who died here was sleeping in one of the pavilion bathrooms, though we’ve yet to find an identity. We don’t know if anyone is missing him. I’m sending my sons out to the nearest neighborhoods this afternoon. We’re starting a grid to keep track of the buildings we search. We don’t have nearly enough bodies to cover the area.”
“So, what do you suggest?”
“Gargoyles.”
Cormack’s answer caused me to jerk my head in his direction. “Gargoyles? You mean ... like statues?”
Cormack smiled. “I’m referring to the live variety.”
“I thought the gargoyles went underground after the fight at the theater,” Renley countered. “We’ve had no reports of gargoyle activity since.”
“We haven’t,” Cormack agreed. “I know where to find one, though. We’ll need help if we expect to track down one mutant wraith in a sea of normal ones. The gargoyles hear more than we do.”
“You’re speaking of the creature that tried to help your daughter, the one you asked us to save.”
“I am. Bub. He’s ... a horrible little beast, but he’s been known to help.”
They couldn’t be serious. Gargoyles? I had no idea they were real. Of course, I’d met a merrow only today. The fact that gargoyles were running around shouldn’t have been that big of a surprise.
“Fine. Call in the gargoyles,” Renley capitulated. “I don’t like it, but the gargoyles are the least of our worries. If that wraith goes on a killing spree we all will be in a world of hurt.”
“I agree.” Cormack slid a sidelong look to me before continuing. “We might consider trying to reach out to other figures in the supernatural community as well.”
“Who did you have in mind?”
“There’s that coven over on Mack Avenue,” Cormack suggested. “They’re a bit nutty, but they’re up on all the gossip.”
“Oh, I don’t like them.” Renley turned petulant. “They try to bribe my men with sex whenever there’s contact. It makes everyone uncomfortable.”
“They do that on purpose,” I interjected automatically. “They know it makes you uncomfortable, so they persist. They do it because they don’t want you bothering them.”
Cormack sent me an appraising smile. “I happen to agree with you. I’ll send Aidan. They can’t get him nearly as riled as the others. If the witches know anything, they’ll tell him.”
“Is there anyone else you want to bring in on this?” Renley asked.
The way Cormack shifted his shoulders told me he had a very specific idea, and it was something that neither Renley or I wasn’t going to like.
“I do,” Cormack confirmed. “I have an idea for help, although it might not go over well.”
“Just spit it out,” Renley instructed. “Time is wasting.”
“Madame Maxine.” Cormack spared me an apologetic look. “She’s up on everything that’s going on in this area.”
“I thought you were on the outs with Maxine.”
“It’s a difficult situation.” Cormack chose his words carefully. “I’m not exactly happy with her right now, but I don’t dislike the woman. She’s been a powerful ally throughout the years. I don’t expect that to change.”
“Will you talk to her yourself?”
“No.” Cormack shook his head, his lips curving and causing my stomach to twist. “I have someone else in mind for that particular task.”
“Fine. See what you can do.” Renley made a tsking sound with his tongue as he surveyed the room. “What a mess. We’ve got to get this cleaned up as soon as possible.”
“That’s the plan,” Cormack assured him. “We won’t stop until we figure everything out. I promise. That’s our highest priority.”
Thirteen
If Cormack Grimlock wanted me to schmooze my aunt to get her help, he was going to be bitterly disappointed. I managed to maintain my cool until Renley and his cohorts disappeared into another part of the facility, and then I fixed the reaper family patriarch with a hard glare.
“You look angry.” He folded his arms over his chest and regarded me with a look I couldn’t quite identify. “If you want to yell, now would be a good time.”
I wasn’t quite sure what to say to that. “You want me to yell at you?”
“I’m used to people yelling at me. You’ve met my children.”
“Your children love you.”
“That doesn’t mean they don’t yell.”
“Probably not.” I shifted from one foot to the other, uncomfortable. “I love Aunt Maxine. She didn’t raise me because my grandfather wouldn’t allow it — he set strict rules for when I could see her — but she did her absolute best for me. She fought for me after my parents died. I’m not going to manipulate her.”
Cormack cocked a dark eyebrow. “Is that what you think I want you to do?”
“I know you have issues with her. Braden told me what happened with your wife.” I planned to barrel forward and lay down the law, but something about the way Cormack’s features twisted gave me pause. “I’m sorry if you don’t want me mentioning your wife. I didn’t do it to upset you. I understand why you’re so careful about talk of her, and I don’t blame you. That doesn’t mean I’m willing to manipulate Aunt Maxine.”
Instead of immediately responding, he held up a hand to quiet me. I’m not big on being shushed, so it had the opposite effect.
“I will ask her to help us, but I’m not going to play games with her,” I argued. “She’s a grown woman and my family. If you expect me to play games ... well ... I won’t. You might as well fire me now.”
“Oh, good grief.” Weariness evident, he slapped his hand to his forehead as he exhaled heavily. “You’re kind of a mixture of my children. Do you know that?”
I was fairly certain that wasn’t a
compliment. “I’m my own unique person.”
“You certainly are,” he agreed. “You also have Cillian’s need to soak up knowledge ... and Redmond’s tendency to rush in headlong before the level of danger is ascertained ... and Aidan’s capacity to give ... and Braden’s tendency to turn sullen when things don’t go his way ... and Aisling’s mouth. Although, you’re nowhere near Aisling. I shouldn’t put that on you. You remind me of her a bit.”
“I like her. I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Cormack let loose a loud chuckle that echoed throughout the room. “That’s something she would say.”
I folded my arms over my chest and waited.
“You helped her,” he said after a beat. “Do you have any idea how much perkier she was last night? I guess I didn’t realize how much discomfort she was in until you made things better. I owe you for that.”
“Is that your roundabout way of saying you’re not going to try to force me to manipulate my aunt?” My heart dropped when he shook his dark head. “No?”
“I don’t want you to manipulate Maxine. That’s not what I’m pushing for. I do want you to talk to her, see if you can get her to help. My guess is she’ll be receptive to your request.”
“And she wouldn’t be to yours?”
“Things are ... rough ... between Maxine and my children right now. I don’t blame her for what happened, but Braden is furious and the others are leery. That’s the best way I can think to put it.
“Redmond, Aidan and Cillian will come around, and probably soon,” he continued. “Aisling always had issues with Maxine because your aunt insisted on giving her cryptic readings that drove her batty and my daughter has a bitter streak. Braden, he is dealing with a mountain of guilt.”
“He mentioned some of that to me.” My stomach twisted. “I’m not sure I understand what he was telling me. He breezed through it and then walked out, as if he couldn’t breathe and needed some air. I didn’t follow because I assumed he needed space.”
Only The Lonely (A Death Gate Grim Reapers Thriller Book 1) Page 12
