Grim Tempest

by Amanda M. Lee

  “So that’s your line in the sand?”

  “It is.”

  “Fine.” Teske got to his feet. “I don’t think you’re going to like how this goes.”

  I snickered. “I can guarantee you’re not going to like how this goes. It doesn’t matter now. We’ve both made our choices.”

  “We certainly have.”

  “WELL, THAT WASN’T TOO difficult, was it?”

  Stan Pine was full of energy as he escorted me out of the interrogation room twenty minutes later. It turned out I wasn’t wrong about Dad’s choice in lawyers. Stan muscled his way inside not long after Teske and I threw down our gauntlets. I didn’t have to say another word because Stan shut Teske down at every turn.

  Finally, Teske had no choice but to allow me to leave … with my pilfered items. The look on his face as I waved while vacating the room was almost comical.

  Dad and Griffin both hopped to their feet in the lobby when they saw me exit the back hallway.

  “Are you okay?” Griffin had his arms around me within seconds.

  I patted his back, amused at the worry flitting across his face. “I’m fine. I’ve been through worse.”

  “That doesn’t matter,” Dad muttered. “I’m suing them for not allowing Stan back with you right away. I’ll own this precinct by the time I’m done.”

  Whenever he gets worked up Dad is full of bravado and threats. I touched his arm to soothe him. “It’s fine. There’s nothing they can do. Green is causing problems. Where is he, by the way?” I scanned the lobby and came up empty.

  “He’s in the back,” Griffin replied. “He seemed smug when he came in, as if he was certain they would turn you over to him. You were right about him looking sick, by the way. I thought there was a decent chance he would fall over. I haven’t seen him since your release.”

  “What about you?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking. “How is this going to affect you?”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  I wasn’t sure I believed him. “He asked about my record. That means he pulled everything. He knew about the drunken fights with Angelina and the multiple charges of car theft that I managed to wiggle out of. That won’t reflect well on you.”

  “I don’t care.”

  I cared. “Griffin … .”

  Griffin pressed his finger to my lips to quiet me. “You and I decided right from the start to take each other fully. I have no problem with that and I actually find your record funny. If my boss has a problem with that, well, that’s his problem. It doesn’t change a thing between us.”

  I couldn’t let it go. “But what about if you want to be promoted or something? This could hold you back for good.”

  “Aisling, the only other job I want right now is to be your husband.” Griffin was sincere. “We’re going to figure it out. I don’t care if everyone here thinks I have the oddest wife in the world and I’m never promoted. I can’t worry about those things.”

  I shifted my eyes to Dad. “Isn’t he cute?”

  Dad groaned. “If you’re going to get sappy let’s take it outside. We parked in the garage, so storms shouldn’t be an issue. I want to get back to the manor before another round hits. With the materials you found and what Braden told me, we have a few things to discuss.”

  I should’ve seen that coming. “Can we have fried chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can we have an ice cream bar, too?”

  Dad inhaled deeply through his nose. He was used to being manipulated, but it still grated at times. “Why not? With everyone staying at the house, what harm could possibly come of introducing pounds of sugar to the equation?”

  I was pretty sure that was a rhetorical question. “I want sprinkles, too.”

  “You always do.”

  22

  Twenty-Two

  Griffin insisted I ride back to Grimlock Manor with Dad in case a storm sprung up and we somehow ended up helpless by the side of the road. Dad shoved me in his vehicle after five minutes of arguing the point, and we followed Griffin the entire way home, me glowering in the passenger seat while Dad did his best to pretend he didn’t notice.

  Five minutes from home, Dad decided to give it to me straight.

  “If you keep pushing him you’re going to drive a wedge between the two of you.” Dad’s tone was serious. “I know you don’t want that.”

  “That’s not what I’m trying to do. He’s being ridiculous.”

  “He’s doing what he thinks is right for you,” Dad corrected. “He’s willing to do anything to keep you safe – which makes me like him more than you right now – and he’s struggling to engage with the rest of the family because he’s weighed down by guilt.

  “Now, I understand that you want him to go back to the way he was and get over it, but he’s not quite there yet,” he continued. “You can’t force him to feel what he doesn’t feel. A good girlfriend would give him the space he needs to recover without pushing him.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Are you saying I’m not a good girlfriend?”

  “I’m saying you’re a lot of work – so very much work – and sometimes you need to put his needs before your own if you expect this marriage to work.” Dad was deadly serious. “You put him first on the big stuff, but then you slip and put yourself first soon after. Maybe keep him first for more than an hour or so.”

  I wanted to argue – it was my first instinct, after all – but I couldn’t. Dad was right, which I really hated, and I needed to get it together for Griffin’s sake. “I’ll … um … do better.”

  Dad didn’t exactly smirk, but his lips curved so much I knew he was basking in his win. “I think that’s a wise choice.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I left the pilfered items on the floor of the car for Dad to collect when we parked in the garage and hopped out so I could meet Griffin in front of the house.

  “I guess I’ll get this stuff,” Dad called after me.

  I ignored him and met Griffin in the driveway. He was barely out of his truck and wide-eyed when I threw my arms around his neck.

  “What’s this?” Griffin was confused as he looked to Dad, who clutched the mausoleum items against his chest.

  “I had a talk with her during the drive and told her to stop trying to force you to her way of thinking,” Dad replied dryly. “I don’t think she really heard what I was saying.”

  Griffin patted my back and snickered. “No, she did.” His chuckle turned into a full laugh after a moment. “She just doesn’t care. She wants to do things her way.” He gave me a hard hug and kissed my cheek. “You’re just going to wear me down until you get your way, aren’t you?”

  “I’ve decided that’s what works best for me,” I admitted, licking my lips as I pulled my head back. “I’m going to sit on you until you do what I want.”

  “Well, that will make for fun dinner antics.”

  “I just want you to be okay, but now I’ve made things worse.”

  Griffin furrowed his brow. “How have you made things worse?”

  “You’re in trouble at your job and all your co-workers are talking about your car thief girlfriend who likes to publicly brawl while yelling obscenities and dousing people with bottles of Nair.”

  Griffin wrinkled his nose. “Nair? I don’t remember reading anything about Nair.”

  “Ah, yes, the great hairless homecoming queen snafu of 2006,” Dad intoned. “It made several smaller newspapers and is still talked about at PTA meetings. Apparently Aisling’s determination to teach Angelina a lesson about rigging votes to get on the homecoming court is something of a cautionary tale.”

  Griffin laughed so hard he had to bend at the waist. The sight was enough to warm my heart.

  “Oh, geez.” Griffin swiped at his eyes. “I needed that.”

  I rested my hand on his shoulder. “I’ll reenact it for you later if you think it will put you in a better frame of mind.”

  “I look forward to that.” Griffin straight
ened when a far-off rumble of thunder interrupted our fun. “We need to go inside.” He kept his smile in place, but was firm. “At least I need to go inside.”

  “We’re all going inside.” Dad shifted his load so he could hand Griffin the books. “We need to look over what Braden and Aisling found and form a plan.”

  “That sounds like a good idea.” Griffin shoved the books under one arm and wrapped the other around my shoulders. “I also want to hear the full story of what happened with Green. The fact that he showed up at a Detroit cemetery makes me exceedingly nervous.”

  “That makes two of us,” Dad said. “If he’s been following Aisling and we haven’t noticed … .”

  He left it hanging, but I knew exactly what he was thinking. “What other weird stuff do you think he’s seen?”

  Dad shrugged. “I have no idea, but I doubt it’s good.”

  He wasn’t the only one.

  “WHAT IS ALL THIS STUFF?”

  Cillian eyed the books with overt suspicion as we dropped them on the coffee table in Dad’s office.

  “That’s a gift for you,” I replied, grinning. “Don’t say I never gave you anything.”

  “Great. I’ve always wanted old books.” Cillian grabbed the top one and flipped it open. “It’s in Latin.”

  “Why do you think we brought them here instead of reading them there?” I challenged. “Speaking of that … where is Braden? I haven’t seen him since I got arrested.”

  “He followed you to the station but then I sent him on a mission,” Dad answered. “He should be home relatively quickly.”

  That was a rather vague response. “What mission?”

  “He’s breaking into Green’s house with Aidan,” Cillian replied. “Dad wanted to do it when he knew Green was otherwise occupied. Aidan was the only one available, so he sent Braden as backup.”

  “You broke into a cop’s house?”

  “I didn’t hear a thing,” Griffin announced, throwing himself on the empty couch and rubbing his forehead. “I don’t want to know that Braden and Aidan are breaking the law right now.”

  “I had no choice,” Dad supplied. “Green makes me nervous. He knows something about us.”

  “Yeah, I expected a call from him after the zombie attack,” Griffin admitted, continuously rubbing his forehead as if warding off a headache as he leaned back and got comfortable. For him that meant resting his feet on Dad’s antique table, which I could tell irritated Dad to no end even though he didn’t immediately say anything. “He was at the house when they moved on us. We left him here with Lily. I never checked on him afterward. Maybe that was a mistake.”

  “How was he that night?” Dad asked, his eyes remaining on Griffin’s feet. “How did he take the zombie attack?”

  Griffin shrugged. “He just kept saying that he didn’t understand and he couldn’t really fathom what was happening. I didn’t have time to focus on him because we knew we had to get to you.”

  “And you left him with Lily?”

  “Yes. She told us to run and warn you guys. She was adamant. We didn’t have many options, so that’s exactly what we did.”

  Dad heaved out a sigh and circled the table, ultimately knocking Griffin’s legs from their perch before sitting in a chair. “I don’t know what to think.”

  Griffin shot him a look. “What was that for?”

  “That table is an antique, not an ottoman.”

  “Oh, look,” I teased, sitting next to Griffin. “You’re back to getting in trouble. All is right in the world.”

  “Ha, ha.” He poked my side. “As for Green, I’m worried. If he followed Aisling to the cemetery, that means he probably followed her before. He could’ve seen something.”

  “What?” Cillian challenged. “If he saw her collecting a soul that means he saw her with a dead body. Why wouldn’t he take her into custody then?”

  “Maybe he saw me coming out of Harry Turner’s house,” I suggested, something occurring to me. “Maybe that’s what kicked his obsession into overdrive. He already knew something weird was going on with me because of the zombies. Even if he refuses to believe that’s what he saw – which is the general theory I’m operating under – he probably thinks I’m up to no good.”

  “Anyone who has ever met you thinks you’re up to no good,” Dad pointed out. “But you’re correct. The fact you were on a job with his boss a few days ago might have sent him over the edge.”

  “The next day I ran into him at the coffee shop,” I noted. “I was surprised but thought it was a coincidence. I was much more interested in messing with Angelina than paying attention to him. Angelina told me at the funeral home that he was asking questions about us.”

  “What were you doing at the funeral home?” Mom asked, strolling into the room.

  Dad lobbed a dark glare in her direction. “Do you knock?”

  “This is still my house,” Mom reminded him, blasé. “I don’t have to knock.”

  “Except you do.” Dad refused to back down. “We’ve come a long way since your return, Lily, but manners dictate that you knock when entering this house. It’s not your home.”

  Mom stared at him for a long beat. “Fine. If it will make you feel better, I’ll knock. Satisfied?”

  “Hardly but it will do for now,” Dad grumbled, turning back to me. “What did Angelina tell you exactly?”

  “Just that Green asked her questions about me,” I replied, watching as Griffin snagged my hand and turned it over so he could trace his fingers across the palm. “He asked her out on a date but he seemed more interested in talking about me. He thought she would be a good ally because she clearly hates me.”

  “How much can she possibly know?” Mom asked as she settled next to Cillian. “What are you looking at?”

  “A book,” Cillian replied absently, his main focus on one of the dusty tomes we stole from the mausoleum.

  “Angelina knows more than you might be comfortable with,” I said. “She certainly knows more than I’m comfortable with.”

  “How?” Mom knit her eyebrows. “It’s not as if she hangs out with anyone in this family.”

  “She did date Cillian for a time,” I pointed out. “She’s also snuck in to spy once or twice, and there have been a few instances when wraiths interrupted my fights with her and she saw me dispatch them.”

  Mom was aghast. “Cillian dated Angelina?”

  “Thanks, Aisling,” Cillian said dryly, never looking up. “I can’t think of a better time to bring that up.”

  “You’re the one who dated her.”

  “Yeah, what were you thinking with that?” Griffin asked, amusement lighting his eyes. I was so glad to see mirth there instead of guilt that I was willing to milk the Angelina thread for as long as possible to elicit a laugh or two.

  “I was thinking that maybe there was something there that there wasn’t,” Cillian replied. “I thought she couldn’t possibly be as bad as she pretended to be and that I just needed to give her a chance.”

  “Yeah, how did that work out for you?” I challenged.

  “Not well.”

  “She cheated on you.” My righteous anger from the incident in question returned. “She cheated on you and was a total asshat.”

  Mom’s eyes fired. “She cheated on you? You deigned to date her and she cheated on you? No wonder you picked the pretty nurse with the heart of gold after extricating yourself from that ridiculous relationship. After Angelina, you knew it was best to play it safe.”

  Something about the way Mom phrased the statement set my teeth on edge. “Maya is fun and exciting,” I argued. “She’s not safe.”

  Griffin cocked an eyebrow. “Was that an insult I missed or something?”

  Was it? I couldn’t be sure. It felt like an insult. “I … um … .”

  “It wasn’t an insult,” Mom supplied. “I meant it as a compliment. Maya is an extremely pleasant woman who puts up with a lot when dealing with this family. She never argues with anyone or complains. That ma
kes her safe. I hardly think that’s an insult.”

  I wasn’t so sure. “Do you think Griffin is safe?”

  Mom immediately started shaking her head. “No. He fights with you all the time. He just tried to kill you.”

  I was moving to leap off the couch and launch myself at Mom as Griffin caught me around the waist and held me tight at his side. “Aisling, don’t. She’s right.”

  “She’s wrong.” Dad was firm. “You were under the influence of a storm.”

  “Is that like being under the influence of whiskey?” Griffin grappled with me. “Knock it off.”

  “Besides that, you do disagree with Aisling and I think that’s good for her.” Dad wasn’t about to get in a huge fight with Mom when we had so much else going on, but he also wasn’t one to back down. “We’ve had this discussion already. Your willingness to call Aisling on her crap is why you’ll survive. Lily is only trying to stir up trouble. Ignore her.”

  “I am not trying to stir up trouble.” Mom made a face. “Why would you say that?”

  “Because it’s obvious that’s exactly what you’re doing, and we don’t have time for it. We need to find out who is in charge of these storms and why they’re being unleashed in this specific area.”

  “This specific area?” I stopped fighting Griffin’s efforts to corral me. “Huh. I didn’t even think about that. You checked to see if other areas were reporting the same problems with storms?”

  “Of course I did.” Dad extended his long legs in front of him, looking relaxed even though I knew Mom’s presence made him edgy. “It would’ve been reckless not to check. The only area reporting this problem is here. That means it’s localized. It doesn’t go north of Flint. Whoever is doing this is based in this area.”

  “And how do you expect to find out who that is?” Mom challenged. “There are millions of people living in southeastern Michigan. We need to narrow it to one person.”

  “And we already have a jump on that. Aisling saw the disc in Harry Turner’s house. She found these other discs in the Olivet mausoleum basement. There’s obviously one missing. That disc had to originate from this set.”