“Okay.” Aisling beamed as she stared into his eyes. It was a nice moment ... which Galen ruined by clearing his throat and tapping his fingers on the table.
“I think you’re leaving some vital information out of your story, Aisling,” he drawled. “Would you like to tell Griffin what you were really doing, or shall I?”
Griffin’s eyes darkened. “Do I even want to know?”
“Probably not,” Aisling replied, tugging him toward the table so she could reclaim her chair. “You’ll be forced to listen to what I’m sure will be an exaggerated story by King Tattletale, though, so you might as well make yourself comfortable.”
After a brief introduction to Wesley, Galen launched into his tale. When he was done, he watched Griffin closely for a reaction. He was expecting one thing and Aisling another, and he was clearly desperate to beat her at her own game. Instead of yelling at Aisling — or forgiving her — Griffin focused on me.
“You can make fireballs with your mind?”
My cheeks flooded with warmth. “I guess. Today was the first time I tried.”
“That’s neat. I’m glad Aisling can’t do that. Her temper would turn her into the kid from Firestarter and I would eventually have to arrest her. It’s cool that you can do it, though.”
“That’s all you’re going to say?” Galen’s frustration came out to play. “She spied on a dangerous cult.”
“That’s hardly the most dangerous thing she’s done this month,” Griffin countered, collecting Aisling’s hand and pressing it to his chest as he grinned at her. “In fact, compared to what went down two days before our wedding she’s being downright angelic.”
“Oh, good grief.” Galen made an exaggerated face as Aisling preened. She graced her husband with a soft smile before flicking a triumphant look toward Galen. She waited a few seconds, until her silent gloating was complete, and then turned serious.
“You were about to tell us about the cult,” she prodded. “I want to hear about them. You said the leader was in school with you and the guy who smells like tomato juice.”
Booker shook his head. “Pregnancy hormones must be making you want wacky things, huh?”
“No. I love tomato juice year round.”
“You’re a weird woman.”
“And you sit over there,” Griffin warned, pointing toward the opposite side of the table. “We may be golfing buddies, but she’s still my wife.”
“Whatever.” Booker rubbed his forehead as he sat between Galen and Wesley. “You guys fought with Barry? That was probably not a smart move. That guy has always been crazy.”
“He definitely has,” Galen agreed. “He wasn’t normal when we were in school. As I was telling you, we were several years behind him, but even then you could see the way he herded people.”
“Herded?” Griffin cocked an intrigued eyebrow. “That’s an interesting way to put it.”
“I don’t know how else to explain it,” Galen said. “He managed to convince people to essentially worship him, even in high school. He had a whole harem of girls chasing him around.”
“Was he spouting this tribe nonsense back then?” Aisling asked, practically purring when Griffin started massaging her shoulders. “Right there, baby. You’re the best husband in the world.”
Griffin smiled indulgently. “I’m glad you finally acknowledged it.”
Galen’s expression reflected overt annoyance, causing me to pat his knee under the table. When his gaze slid to mine, his expression softened, though only marginally. “I don’t know how to explain the things Barry did when we were in school. To my knowledge, he was a garden variety shifter and nothing more.”
“A bull shifter?” Aisling asked, legitimately curious.
“Actually, he can shift into any animal he wants. He can’t turn into other humans – which is a unique gift – but he’s not hampered otherwise. He usually chooses a bull. Why?”
“His name. Taurus is the bull in astrology. That means he’s known for being reliable, practical, ambitious and sensual.”
Galen snorted. “You don’t believe in astrology, do you?”
“Do I personally believe in astrology? I don’t know.” Aisling was matter-of-fact. “I think the question is, does Barry believe in astrology? My guess is yes.”
“I guess that’s a fair point,” Galen hedged. “What else do you know about Tauruses?”
“I know a lot, because my best friend Jerry happens to love astrology.”
“Love it,” Griffin echoed. “It’s ridiculous how much he knows about everyone’s astrological signs.”
“He imparts his wisdom to me all the time,” Aisling added. “One of my brothers is a Taurus, so I’ve heard Jerry recite the information numerous times. Tauruses are patient and persistent. I’m guessing those are necessary traits for a cult leader.”
“He calls himself a tribal chief,” Galen corrected. “You have to be careful how you refer to things around him. He doesn’t take it well if you use the C-word.”
“Well, I don’t think he’s going to take it well if he sees me again regardless,” Aisling said. “As for Tauruses, they’re also stubborn, self-indulgent, lazy, materialistic and possessive. I think all those things play into being a cult leader.”
“What did you see out there?” Galen asked, his eyes on me. “I need specifics.”
“Not much,” I replied. “We found a spot on top of a hill and hid in some trees. At first we heard tribal music, some drums and a thrumming island beat. Then we saw people. They were dressed normally, but they all seemed to be wearing armbands.”
“I think the armbands signify what level they’re on,” Aisling offered. “I know a thing or two about cults — mostly because I watch a lot of television — and the way a leader exerts control is by creating a caste system. The women far outnumber the men, by the way. We barely saw any men until it came time to run.”
“Looks can be deceiving,” Galen intoned. “There are definitely men out there. How many, I can’t say. Barry recruited both men and women. The men he went after were strong ... and most of them were struggling with substance abuse problems. He offered them a way to detox if they pledged their support.”
“Detox?” I absently scratched my cheek, considering. “How did that work?”
“My understanding is that he locked his recruits in one of those huts they’ve built out there, surrounded it with followers so there was no getting away, and conducted a forced detox. The participants were so strung out by the end they thought he was a god and agreed to stay with him.”
“How many people does he have out there?” Griffin asked.
“I have no idea. That’s the problem. No one has ever come back, and we can’t watch them closely enough to get a proper number.”
“Wait ... no one has ever come back?” That didn’t sound right. “Even cults don’t have complete loyalty. Someone must have defected.”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“That means that if someone tried to leave, he or she was probably stopped before they could make their escape,” Griffin noted. “Do you have any missing people that you can tie to that group?”
“Loads,” Galen confirmed. “At least thirty. We have no proof, though, and more than once Barry has produced the person we thought was missing when we went out to check on the group. I think there are certainly some people no longer with them, but my hands are tied for procedural reasons. We can’t do anything without proof.”
“So, what do we do?” I asked.
“We don’t do anything.” Galen’s voice grew stern. “You need to stop poking your nose into this before things get dangerous. Do you understand?”
He sounded as if he meant business. Of course, he was my boyfriend, not my keeper. “You lost the bet,” I reminded him. “I don’t really have to stop doing anything.”
His expression darkened. “Don’t push me.”
“I was just going to say the same thing to you. I’m an adult. I’m able to make my own deci
sions.”
Galen didn’t immediately respond, which allowed Aisling time to stand and dust off her hands.
“Well, my work here is done.” Her grin was broad. “We need to head back to the hotel so I can shower. I’ve had a long and dusty day.”
“Okay.” Griffin stood, along with Booker. “I’m sure we’ll see you guys later.”
Galen didn’t look at him because he was focused on me. “You can count on it.”
“Great. Um ... we’ll see you later.”
“Good luck, Hadley,” Aisling called out. “Just remind him that you hold the keys to his sexual happiness now and it would be better for all concerned if he just rolled over and showed you his belly.”
I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing at Galen’s furious face.
“You told her?” He scowled. “We seriously need to talk.”
“I think we do,” Wesley agreed, his gaze equally dark as he leveled it on Galen. “We definitely need to have a talk about your intentions regarding my granddaughter. I didn’t bring it up over breakfast, but I’m bringing it up now. I have some questions.”
Wow! And here I thought this day couldn’t get any worse.
16
Sixteen
I drove the golf cart back to the lighthouse, Galen following behind. He was still angry, but was doing his best to contain his emotions. He pulled into my driveway after me, watched as I hopped out of the cart and waited for me to walk to him.
If he wanted to be stubborn I could play that game as well as anyone. In hindsight, I understood Aisling and I probably did a dumb thing. I decided to offer him an olive branch of sorts. I trudged to the driver’s side window, which he’d lowered, and adopted my best “we made things official last night so you have to forgive me” smile.
“You’re not coming inside?”
“I have work to finish,” he replied, his expression unreadable. “I was in the middle of paperwork when I rushed out to Wesley’s place.”
“Oh, well ... thanks for coming to my rescue. It was much appreciated.”
His eyes flashed. “Don’t take that tone with me.” He extended a finger. “I have a right to be angry.”
“Did I say otherwise?”
“No, but you’re giving me the look.”
“I have no idea what look you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do.” He exhaled heavily and shook his head. “You could’ve been hurt, Hadley. We have no idea what those people are capable of. Don’t you understand that I would be very upset if something happened to you?”
My heart rolled at the admission. “I’m sorry.” I mostly meant it. “I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s just ... I get carried away sometimes. Aisling has all this energy and she does whatever she wants. I like that about her.”
“Aisling definitely does what she wants.” His lips curved down. “She also has a very strong support system, including four brothers and a father who have bailed her out her entire life. She has a false sense of security that doesn’t work here because she has no brothers or overprotective father to swoop in here.”
“I still like her.”
“I know you do. The thing is ... I happen to like you. Like ... a lot. I don’t want you getting hurt. I can’t take that.”
“I’ll do better.” At least I hoped that was true. “It seemed like a good idea at the time. That’s the only excuse I have.”
“Well, it wasn’t a good idea.”
“No.” I was sheepish. “I guess not.”
“Still, you handled yourself well ... and even saved a pig.” He was cracking a smile when I risked a glance at him. “You’re strong, Hadley. Really strong. But you don’t know everything, and what happened today could’ve gotten away from you.”
I recognized the wisdom behind his words. “I guess I didn’t realize exactly what was going on out there. How was I supposed to know that they were sacrificing animals?”
“You could’ve asked.”
“Next time.”
“Next time?” He shook his head and drew a deep breath. “I don’t want to fight, but I’m not completely ready to make up either. I have to get back to work.”
“Okay.” I deflated a bit. “Will I see you later?”
“Yes.”
I shouldn’t have been as thrilled by his immediate answer as I was. I simply couldn’t contain myself. “Great.”
“We have an outing,” he cautioned. “They’re having a fundraiser for Casey at Lilac’s bar ... to help pay for the funeral and get her some extra money for baby expenses going forward. I have to go, and I expect you to be my date.”
“I want to help Casey ... especially since I made that crack about her being your ex-girlfriend.”
“Then I will pick you up at six.”
“Okay.” I watched him for a beat. He didn’t put the truck into reverse and pull out, but he didn’t lean close to kiss me either. He simply sat there. “So ... um ... is there something else?”
“I don’t know. Is there?”
Ah, well, crap. He expected me to make the first move. I hated that. “I guess there is.” I rolled to the balls of my feet, leaned through the window and pressed a firm kiss to the corner of his mouth. “You won’t stay angry very long, will you?”
His expression turned rueful. “Probably not, but I plan to hold out for at least another few hours.”
“Fair enough.” I stepped back and waved. “I’ll see you later, Sheriff Blackwood.” I added a wink and swing to my hips just because I could.
He sighed. “You’re going to be the death of me. I can feel it.”
“What a way to go, huh?”
I WASN’T SURE what to expect from a fundraiser — especially one under such somber circumstances — so I opted for a plain spaghetti strap dress in a muted blue and a matching pair of sandals. By the time Galen picked me up, I was officially nervous. I didn’t know the people of Moonstone Bay all that well.
“What should I expect?” I waited to ask the question until we’d parked close to Lilac’s bar and Galen was helping me out of his truck.
“From what?” he asked, confused.
“From this.” I gestured toward the bar. It was early, but given the people milling about outside I was convinced it was already packed. “What are we supposed to do?”
“It’s just a fundraiser. Lilac donated the food and liquor. We’ll pay for tickets when we go inside. Then we eat, drink and converse with others. It’s not a big deal.”
“I’ve never been to a funeral fundraiser. That’s not exactly how we do things in Michigan.”
“Ah, well ... don’t act like a ninny and you’ll probably be okay.”
I was affronted. “I never act like a ninny.”
“Not often, but it all depends on your buddy.”
“Which buddy? Lilac? She doesn’t act like a ninny either.”
“I was talking about your reaper buddy.”
“Why would she be here?”
“I don’t know, but she’s headed in this direction.” He pointed toward a familiar couple on the opposite side of the road. Aisling wore a purple dress that matched her eyes, and Griffin had a firm hold on her hand as they waited for the light to change so they could cross. There was next to no traffic on the island, so I never understood the crosswalks. People obeyed them, though, so I followed suit.
“Hey, guys.” Aisling was all smiles as she neared. She seemed to be in a good mood. She’d clearly showered because all the dirt and grime from our earlier adventure was absent from her features.
“Hey. What are you guys doing here?”
“We saw fliers for the event in the hotel lobby,” Griffin volunteered, transferring his hand to the small of Aisling’s back. “We thought we should put in an appearance.”
“You didn’t know the victim,” Galen pointed out.
“No, but I feel as if I know him,” Aisling replied. “Besides, his soul might show up here. I have my scepter in my purse. I wasn’t kidding about the rami
fications if his soul runs around too long unattended. His wife is supposed to be here, so I figure there’s a good chance he’ll show up.”
“And what will happen if he does?” I asked. “How will you absorb him without anyone noticing?”
“I’m sure I’ll figure something out. The island is full of mostly paranormal beings, so I’m not sure about the rules on secrecy. Did your former reaper work in front of an audience?”
“I rarely saw Adam,” Galen replied. “I don’t recall ever watching him absorb a soul, but I guess it’s possible.”
“Yes, well, his soul is out here, too, at least probably,” Aisling said. “I have no idea if the rules are the same for a reaper who dies – you know, the going crazy thing – but we should probably try to find him, too.”
“I believe that’s your job,” Galen argued.
“I’m on my honeymoon. I don’t have a job. I’m trying to help because I’m benevolent of heart and mind. I can stop trying to help if you’re so inclined.”
Galen’s smile was back as he gripped my hand tightly. “I don’t understand how anyone puts up with you.” He looked to Griffin for insight. “Seriously, how have you not killed her?”
Griffin was blasé. “She has some very attractive qualities.”
“You realize you’re looking at her legs when you say that, right?” Galen barked.
“I love the whole package.” Griffin prodded Aisling in front of him and lowered his voice. “If you keep pushing her the way you are, she’ll fly off the handle. I happen to like you, but if that happens you’re on your own.”
“I’m not afraid of her,” Galen scoffed.
“You should be.”
EVEN THOUGH THEY WEREN’T locals, Griffin and Aisling fit in seamlessly with the Moonstone Bay crowd. I felt a pang of jealousy at the way she chatted with two men I’d never met. She seemed friendly, as if she’d known them her whole life, and I was frustrated because I was still so nervous around the paranormal crowd.
“You need to relax,” Booker advised as he moved up beside me, a plate of appetizers in his hand. “People can sense the tension rolling off you from across the room.”
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