Secrets from the Grave
B.L. Brunnemer
Copyright 2018 BL Brunnemer
All Rights Reserved.
Created with Vellum
To everyone who helped me pull this book together, thank you! You ladies are always amazing. And incredibly patient with my ramblings and three in the morning texts.
* * *
Also, to Robert. Thank you for being the amazing man you are.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
Zeke
Asher
Isaac
Ethan
Miles
Spanish to English Translations
Sneak Peek
To stay up to date on The Veil Diaries
Also by B.L. Brunnemer
Chapter 1
July 10th, Tuesday Evening
I pulled into a spot in the already full parking lot of Shore Park. It was movie night in the park and Miles had thought it would be fun. I unhooked my seatbelt and climbed out of my Blazer, Hades followed closely, his tail already wagging. After pulling out the folded blanket, I closed the door just as Miles pulled up beside me in his used blue Nissan Altima. Hades barked once as Miles got out.
His high cheek bones and angled jaw made him cute but it was that smile that got me every time. His emerald eyes found me from behind his rimless glasses.
I grinned as he bent down to scratch Hades’ ears with his now bare left hand. “So, he took the cast off.”
He straightened and then flexed his hand. “Yes, he wants me to go to physical therapy in a week or so.”
“Did he say you can start swimming again?” I asked with a grin. Miles was the state champion in his swimming division and he trained year-round. He usually swam a couple of miles a day. Since breaking his arm, he’d been stuck on land.
“Yes, he did.” We started walking through the parking lot. “Though I’m limited to one mile a day for a week or so.”
“Ah, darn,” I said in my ‘aw shucks’ voice.
He chuckled. “I know, I have time to get back in shape-”
I started laughing. Out of shape for Miles was still ripped and drool worthy.
“What? I was up to four miles a day when we were hit by that truck.” His ears started turning pink.
“Oh, it’s just the idea of you being out of shape.” I shook my head and tried to stop smiling.
“Out of swimming shape.” He scratched behind his ear, the long scar on his forearm drawing my eyes. He noticed where I was looking, stopped walking and held his forearm out. “It’s not bad. You have worse.”
I reached out and ran my fingertips over the scar. He was right; my leg had claw marks from the demon that had possessed Isaac. So did my side, but he didn’t know about those. Those didn’t bother me; they were on me, not him.
“How was work?” he asked, sliding his arm back so he could take my hand.
“I did a lot of set up and take down today.” We started walking again. “I didn’t screw up this time and Don, the grumpy artist, actually grunted in approval. I think.”
“That’s good.” He slowly let go of my hand as we headed toward the park.
Asher’s red truck pulled up and parked just as we reached an empty spot. His ocean eyes spotted us through the windshield as we stopped. The light blue, dark blue and white flecks of his eyes found mine. My heart gave a painful beat as his gaze darted away to Miles. Asher shut off the truck and got out. He was your all-American boy, high cheekbones and a sharp chin made him look as if he had stepped out of a magazine. His sandy blonde hair was neat and short. He must have cut it recently; I wouldn’t know, I haven’t talked to him a lot in the last few weeks. Not since our kiss…
“I brought some food.” Asher closed the truck door before reaching into the back.
Miles moved forward to take the blanket Asher brought. Asher pulled out two thermal tote bags as Miles made his way back toward me. “You didn’t have to do that, we could have had dinner after.”
“I had some time,” Asher muttered.
“What’d you end up making?” I asked as Miles started toward the main park.
“Some sesame pasta salad and chicken satay with a peanut sauce.” Asher glanced at me for half a heartbeat before looking somewhere else. “Also, some carrot and apple coleslaw.”
“Sounds great,” I said, trying to be patient. Asher and I hadn’t talked on the phone or even been alone together since our kiss weeks ago. Now, he wasn’t even looking at me. It was going to take time to get back to normal. I got that. But this was starting to irritate the hell out of me.
Miles led us out of the parking lot and onto the grass. The lawn was huge. Trees kept the fading summer sun at bay, leaving most of the lawn in the shade. It was still a little early, so the crowd hadn’t gotten huge, though I did recognize a few faces here and there. I waved at Ryan and Riley who were sitting on their own blanket. They both smiled and waved back. I missed her; we hadn’t spent much time together since she started dating Ryan. I made a mental note to call her this week and get together.
Miles found a great spot next to a log in the back of the crowd, we started to spread the two blankets out on the grass.
“I’m not even fucking talking to you right now.” Ethan’s boiling mad voice had me turning around. The twins were moving through the crowd toward us.
Ethan was a good six inches taller than me with wide shoulders and a muscled body that made it hard not to enjoy the view as he walked through the crowd. Ethan’s jaw length straight black hair was back in a pony tail to beat the heat. Five silver loop earrings ran up his right earlobe. His square jaw, slightly pouty lips and straight nose made him striking rather than handsome. Although, today Ethan was limping a little.
Since they were identical twins, they were alike at least in looks. Though Isaac had vibrant blue hair with streaks of light and dark blue throughout the longer hair on top of his head. They both had the same velvety chocolate eyes but somehow Isaac’s always had a light in them that turned them amber. It was there now, only he was also clenching his square jaw tight.
“You’re an ass,” Isaac bit out as he walked through the crowd. A woman shot him a look and covered her young daughter’s ears. I rolled my eyes.
Ethan reached me first, his own eyes storming. “Hey, Beautiful.” His smooth smoky voice rolled through my ear forcing me to consciously stop myself from curling my toes. He leaned down and kissed my cheek making my heart skip a beat.
“Why are you guys fighting this time?” I sighed. It had been like this for the last three weeks. It was always something stupid, but they kept going after each other.
“Him being an idiot,” Ethan muttered as he passed me to go to sit on top of the log.
Isaac walked up to me and met my eyes. “Hey, Red.” He leaned down and kissed the corner of my lips. My breath caught in my chest. When he pulled back, his eyes were warm as the anger faded.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
The anger was back as he shook his head. “He’s being a dick.” He walked past me as if that was enough of an explanation.
I shook my head, turned and took a spot on the blanket so I could rest my back against the log. Ethan sat on the
log to my right, petting Hades as he sat between his knees. While Isaac sat on the ground to my left.
“So, what’s playing tonight?” I asked as I tried to ignore the twins shooting glares at each other over my head.
“Monsters Inc,” Isaac supplied.
A familiar deep, loud rumble echoed from the parking lot.
“Zeke’s here.” I announced. The others chuckled a little. Zeke had started riding his motorcycle again after the big heat wave at the beginning of the summer.
“That thing is loud as hell,” Isaac muttered.
“You okay over there, snowflake?” Ethan taunted.
Isaac shot a look at him. “Look who’s talking.”
I sighed and leaned my head back on the log to look up at the leaves. This was ridiculous. I lifted my head and looked at them both in turn. “Will you two please remove the sticks up your asses? This is supposed to be fun, and you’re acting like toddlers fighting over what color the sky is.”
The twins shut up and continued to glare at each other. A large figure wearing only black moved through the crowd toward us. Zeke was a huge mountain of muscle. It was just a fact. Add in that he was fourteen inches taller than me and it was hard to ignore him. His wide cheekbones and wide, strong jaw gave him intimidating looks. But the guy was a big softie… well, he could be… okay, with me, he was a big softie. Unless I did something dangerous then he turned into a growling, grumpy giant. His sky-blue eyes met mine as a strand of his black hair fell into his face. He reached us, dropped down to the blanket and stretched out on his back near my feet then growled.
“Bad day?” I asked in a cheerful voice.
He covered his eyes with his forearm. “I’m taking a vacation. The fucking shop can run without me for a couple of weeks.”
“How late did you work last night?” Miles asked. Hades left Ethan and went to Zeke. The big dog laid down beside him and rested his head on Zeke’s stomach.
“Midnight or so. Fucking Dennis quit yesterday leaving everyone in the lurch,” he bit out as he started scratching Hades’s ears.
I scooted forward and ran my fingers through his hair. He moved his arm only enough to see that it was me before covering his eyes again. “You do need a vacation. How many days do you have saved up?”
“About a month straight,” he muttered.
“Damn, Zeke.” I shook my head. That was a lot of hours.
“Work is work.” He dropped his arm and sat up. Hades only moved enough to put his head on his knee for more scratches. I moved back to my spot between the twins as Asher and Miles started handing out plastic containers with dinner inside.
“Thanks for cooking, Asher,” I said before digging in. The others thanked him too.
“You’re welcome,” Asher answered.
The food was delicious, as usual. The guys talked about their days and what their plans were for the rest of the week. During dinner I stayed quiet. Asher still didn’t look at me. My temper smoldered, making me tap my leg.
After it got dark, the movie started. I settled back against the log with Ethan’s leg against my shoulder. Isaac moved a little closer, his side touching mine. My body thrummed as the scent of limes and spice mixed. Keep it together, Lexie.
We were only ten minutes in when the back of Isaac’s fingers brushed my thigh. I went still as chills ran through me. His fingers traced the line of scarring from one of the claw marks on my thigh. He traced it up, slowly so as not to draw attention, to the hem of my mid-thigh shorts. Then slowly back down again. Tingles ran up my leg, making me want to shift on the blanket. Instead, I tried to focus on the movie.
Ethan’s fingers moved to my back then trailed to my shoulder nearest Isaac and started a massage.
Isaac stiffened. “Get your hand outta my face.”
“Screw you,” Ethan countered.
“Now, why are you two arguing?” Miles asked as he pushed his glasses up his nose.
“He’s annoying the fuck out of me,” Isaac muttered, his fingers stilling against my skin.
“He’s being a jackass,” Ethan spat.
“What about this time?” Miles asked in a weary sigh.
“Nothing,” they both said in unison.
That’s it. Between the twins touching me and their bickering, I couldn’t take it anymore. I scooted out from between them and got to my feet. The guys turned to me.
I picked up Hades’s leash and stepped away from everyone. “I’m going to take Hades for a walk.” I left before anyone could even protest.
Away from the guys, I started to cool down. I didn’t know what the hell was wrong with the twins. I’d never seen them like this. I was going to have to talk to Miles, see if he knew what was going on-
“Lexie!”
I turned and found Jake sitting on a blanket with Brooklyn.
“Where ya been, hon?” His short styled blonde hair was streaked with fresh lighter blonde highlights. His green eyes were bright as he smiled up at me.
I shrugged. “Around. It’s been busy.”
Brooklyn shook her head. “We need a girls night here soon.” She pointed at Jake’s long nails. “He’s growing shivs.”
I chuckled as I sat down. “We should, my polish came off my toes a week ago.” Hades sat beside me then rolled his head into my lap. “So, what have you two been up to?”
“Well, Jake has been talking to a certain black and purple haired guy at night lately…” Brooklyn grinned at him.
Jake’s face turned pink as he played innocent.
“Derrick?” I asked, my own smile stretching across my face. Nothing would make me happier than Derrick and Jake getting back together.
“Maybe…” He looked everywhere but at me.
“Spill, bitch,” I ordered.
They chuckled.
Jake sighed. “Yeah, we’re talking again.”
“How’d that happen?” I asked, excited for him.
“He wrote him letters,” Brooklyn supplied. “As in, pen to paper letters.”
I turned back to Jake, my eyes wide. “Really? That’s romantic as hell.”
Jake’s face grew red, he dropped onto his back with his hands covering his face. “Yes, okay, yes. I wrote him.”
I turned to Brooklyn. “Did he keep copies?”
She chuckled. “No, I already tried.”
Jake sat back up and flipped us both off. We snickered.
“It’s private. All you need to know is that we are talking again. I’m working on not being a jealous ass and it’s going well.” He then eyed Brooklyn. “Now, if we could hook Brooklyn up…”
Brooklyn sputtered. “Yeah, good luck.”
“Why?” I elbowed her. “There’re a lot of cuties out there.”
Brooklyn rolled her eyes. “Yeah, and a lot of straight girls with big mouths out there.”
“I know someone.” Jake sat up and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Just trust me.”
Some woman behind us shushed us.
I muttered under my breath as Hades got to his feet and whined. “I gotta take the dog for a walk.” I got to my feet. “Talk to you guys later.”
They said goodbye as I walked with Hades toward the walking path into the trees. The sun was almost gone, throwing the pathway into shadows. Crickets chirped from their hiding spots in the grass. Hades still hadn’t found a spot he liked so I walked further in.
The night was quiet as Hades finally stopped after a while and lifted his leg. The sun sank further down behind the mountains, the shadows grew deeper. My pulse picked up. How far did we walk down the path? A hundred yards? Two hundred? I couldn’t remember. I took a deep breath and focused. Hades was here, he wasn’t alerting me, hell, he was still peeing. Deep breath, I’m fine. I’m safe. I can keep myself safe. I started counting my breaths. At ten, Hades put down his leg and perked up his ears. He moved in front of me into guard position. I took a step back.
A figure walked around the corner and came up short. Eric tucked something into his back pocket. His
shaggy brown hair had been cut several inches since I saw him last. His pointed chin and angled jaw gave him a nice open face. Not to mention his cute dimple. Too bad his personality didn’t match up with his face.
“Uh, hey, Lexie,” Eric said. “What are you doing?”
I gestured to Hades. “Hades needed to go. I thought it’d be polite to do it away from everyone.”
He chuckled as he looked down at my massive dog. “Yeah, especially if he needed to take a dump.”
I laughed. He had a point. Hades just watched him with a tilted head.
“What are you doing back here?” I asked, my gaze going behind him. “Did I just interrupt something?”
He raised an eyebrow. Understanding lit in his eyes before he chuckled. “Oh, no.” He reached into his back pocket and held up a red pack of cigarettes. “Bad habit.” He tapped the pack against his hand. “Do you want one?”
“Nah, I like my lungs, ya know, pink and functional,” I countered.
He grinned. “Yeah, my dad’s been smoking for years. So, I guess it was inevitable I’d get hooked too.” He pulled a cigarette out. “You might want to get your healthy lungs away.”
I shook my head. “Have a good one.”
Hades and I left him to his cigarette and headed back down the path. When I turned the last corner, I found the grumpy giant striding down the path toward me.
“What’s going on?” I asked as we reached him.
“You were taking a while,” he grumbled.
“Yeah, he couldn’t find a tree he liked.” I gestured at Hades as we headed back. “Are the twins still bickering?”
Secrets From the Grave Page 1
