“Rampant sex and drinking?”
“The end of an era,” Aidan replied. “For years Dad had all his offspring close. He never had to worry about any of us growing up because we were too dependent on him. Then you brought Griffin home and the foundation began to crack.
“Now, don’t get me wrong, we have a very strong foundation and nothing will break the Grimlock bond,” he continued. “But Dad smelled change in the wind the first time he saw Griffin. He wasn’t fighting against Griffin because he didn’t like Griffin. He was fighting to hold on to the life we’ve built. Things change, though, Ais. You’re moving forward with Griffin, I’m moving forward with Jerry, and Cillian is moving forward with Maya. Things aren’t ever going to be exactly the same again … and Dad realizes that.”
I considered what he said, realizing there was a lot of truth to his words. “When did you become so philosophical?”
“I’m a man of many moods.”
I grinned, turning my attention to the problem at hand. “What do you think about the mirror monster?”
“I don’t know what to think,” Aidan admitted, sobering. “I’ve never heard anything like it before. I don’t even remember hearing folk tales about anything even remotely resembling what Braden described. He was a little shaken when I got him alone last night.”
“What did Dad say?”
“He wasn’t happy. He wanted to drive to your place right away,” Aidan replied. “I talked him down. First of all, I didn’t know how he planned to explain that to Katherine because she believed you were drunk. As dismal as it is for you to put up with that belief, it’s better than her thinking we’re stalked by evil creatures that live in mirrors.”
He had a point.
“I told him that Griffin was handling you and he would make things worse if he tore through the townhouse with the usual finesse we all know and love,” Aidan continued, causing me to smirk. “We need answers, and you clearly didn’t have them.”
“I saw that … thing … in the shopping center yesterday,” I admitted. “It wasn’t in a mirror.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m pretty sure. It’s not every day that you see a creature without a face strolling through the Holiday Market parking lot.”
“That’s true, but I have trouble believing you really saw it,” Aidan countered. “I’m not saying you imagined it. I’m saying if it really happened in the parking lot that other people would’ve called the police or news and reported a monster. Cillian checked this morning. There weren’t any reports even remotely like that.”
“How did you know I saw him in the flesh?” I challenged. “I didn’t tell Griffin until after you left last night.”
“He called us with the full story after you passed out.”
“He did? Man, that cold medicine is stronger than I thought.”
“When you mix it with alcohol, trauma and pain, I’m guessing that’s true,” Aidan noted. “He carried all of the mirrors outside, locked the doors and then called us. Dad made sure that Katherine was otherwise engaged with Maya before opening the discussion. He made one of the maids watch her to be sure.”
“That sounds very … covert and freaky.”
“Dad knows what he’s doing.” Aidan kept his eyes on the road as he merged with traffic. “We debated a few things last night. Cillian thought it might be a possessed item – like maybe you guys bought a haunted mirror or something – but Griffin said you saw it in several different mirrors.”
“I did. I saw it in the bathroom mirror, the living room mirror and the Holiday Market parking lot.”
“Unless you didn’t see it there and only thought you saw it there,” Aidan muttered.
“I saw it.” I wasn’t sure about a lot of things but I was definite about that. “It was there. I think it was testing me, maybe even teasing me. It doesn’t have a face, but I can almost feel emotions when I look at it. It was having a good time messing with me. I know that.”
“But how could it have been in the parking lot without anyone else noticing?”
I didn’t have an answer. “Maybe humans can’t see it,” I suggested after a beat. “Maybe it looks like a normal man to them. Maybe they were so fixated on their phones … or Pokemon Go … or the new porn video of the day that they simply didn’t bother to look up and register what they were seeing.”
I expected Aidan to laugh, but he didn’t, instead rubbing his chin as he considered the possibility. “I guess that’s possible. You and Braden saw it the same way because you’re reapers. If you want to go with that theory, the one where it looks normal to humans, we’ll need a human subject to test with.”
“I volunteer Katherine for the job.”
Aidan snorted. “Yeah, that should go over well,” he said dryly. “Griffin will want to be the guinea pig. You know that.”
“I don’t want him to be the guinea pig. I want him safe.”
“He wants the same thing for you.”
We lapsed into silence for a few minutes, both of us grappling with the new reality of our existence. Aidan was the first to break it.
“Have you considered telling Katherine the truth?”
I was dumbfounded by the question. “Have you been drinking this morning?”
“It’s an honest question. Maya and Griffin handled the truth really well. Jerry did, too. There’s a chance Katherine could do the same.”
“Jerry accepted the truth because I confided in him when we were kids and he grew up hearing about it from me,” I argued. “Griffin accepted the truth because he saw it with his own eyes. He was there the day the wraith attacked and I killed it. Have you forgotten that?”
“No, but what about Maya?”
“She was there when wraiths attacked the house.”
“Yes, but she believed before then,” Aidan argued. “Well, at least she had an inkling before then,” he corrected. “They’re both believers, Aisling. Katherine could be a believer.”
“I don’t want her to have to deal with it,” I protested. “It’s hard enough for Griffin that his sister has been brought into this mess. I don’t think he’d take kindly to his mother joining the ranks of supernatural believers.”
“And we’re back to you being insecure,” Aidan grumbled. “I know you can’t help yourself … that it’s a chick thing and all … but I really wish you would get over it. I prefer it when you’re full of yourself and believe you can do no wrong.”
“I’m never full of myself.”
Aidan made a face only a sister could love. “Yeah. Whatever.”
“I’m not.” I mostly believed that. Okay, I didn’t believe it at all. I agreed with Aidan’s assessment, which only made matters worse. “I don’t mean to be insecure. It’s just … I love him. If I lose him now, I’m pretty sure it will kill me.”
“Aisling, what you fail to realize is that he feels the same way,” Aidan argued. “He loves you as much as you love him. Have a little faith in him. He has it in you. I think he’s earned a bit of trust.”
I wanted to argue … but couldn’t. “Let’s just get to work,” I suggested. “I want this day to be over.”
“You and me both.”
OUR FIRST stop of the day happened to be Aidan’s favorite retirement center. Summer’s Dream Ultimate Living Center was the exact opposite of Sunset Acres. It was warm, inviting and the women who gathered in the dining room fawned over Aidan as if he was a calendar model parading in his boxer shorts rather than a reaper sent there to absorb the souls of their dearly departed friends. They only cared a little that he was gay, which was a bonus for him.
“We have two jobs here. They’re about an hour apart,” Aidan announced as we walked through the front door. He volunteered for most of the jobs at the facility – and we were here pretty regularly given the age of the residents – so he knew everyone. I merely shook my head as he waved at the security guard eating a doughnut and flipping through the newspaper near the front door. “Hey, Frank.”
“Hey, Aidan,” the man called back. “Your harem was talking about you just yesterday. They’re going to be happy you stopped by … and with a guest, I notice. They don’t like it when they don’t have your undivided attention.”
“This is my sister,” Aidan offered, smiling. “They’ve met her before.”
“Did they like her?”
“Not even remotely.”
I tried to keep the jab from hitting my heart, but it wasn’t easy. I stopped close to the vending machines as I glanced around, happy to have a private moment with Aidan before his gaggle of geriatrics surrounded him and I was shoved to the side for the morning.
“You said we have two jobs,” I prodded. “Are they easy or hard?”
“They’re easy,” Aidan replied. “Dad reviewed every job himself this morning. We got the biggest list, but every single soul on it should be easy. He was very careful when planning who got what charges.”
“That sounds like him.”
“He loves his little Aisling.” Aidan pinched my cheek and grinned, giving it a good jiggle. “We’re about thirty minutes early, so I thought we could hang with Dorothy and the girls.”
That sounded like a unique form of torture. “How about you go ahead and smooth my way?” I suggested.
Aidan balked. “What are you going to do? I promised Griffin I wouldn’t leave you alone. I know the girls are rough on you, but I’ll ask them to be nice. Some of them might agree, because they like me.”
I was fairly certain that didn’t matter. In truth, Aidan’s “girls” didn’t bother me nearly as much as my fragmented memories from the night before. “I’m going to grab a soda and sit in one of the recliners in the hallway. I need a little time to … think.”
“About what?”
“I can’t remember everything that happened last night all that well because I was drunk,” I admitted. “I think if I relax and sit by myself for a little bit it will come back.”
“What good will that do?”
I shrugged. “Maybe none. Maybe there’s some tidbit I forgot, though. Any little bit of knowledge helps.”
Aidan couldn’t find fault with my argument. “There aren’t any mirrors in that area so I’m going to agree. But don’t wander down any dark hallways or anything. If something happens to you, Griffin will kill me.”
“Yes, but Jerry will make a fabulous widow,” I teased. “I can see him now. He’ll wear one of those pill hats with a black veil.”
Aidan smirked. “I’ll give you a few minutes alone because I honestly think you need it. I won’t be far.”
“You never are.”
I watched him go, amused by the added spring in his step when he saw his girls playing cards in the community room. I grinned as he opened his arms to hug the nearest one – I was almost certain it was Dorothy – and then I turned my attention to the vending machine. I was dehydrated from my hangover. I thought a Diet Coke and candy bar were just the ticket to make me feel better. I shoved some loose change in the soda machine and made my selection before sidling down to the candy machine.
I noticed the mirror affixed to the wall between the machines too late. I stilled, the faceless man floating in the middle of the glass as my heart tripped. It was as if he’d been waiting for me, because he didn’t as much as twitch when I moved in front of the mirror. He didn’t have a face, but I would’ve sworn he was sneering. My reasoning skills faded for a moment, and before I could regain them he reached out from the mirror.
His hands wrapped around my shoulders, as if trying to tug me inside with him. I fought the effort as I cried out. He was strong – unbelievably so – and I knew I didn’t have the strength to outlast him.
“Aidan!” I screamed my brother’s name, mostly because I didn’t know what else to do. Then I grabbed the bottle of Diet Coke that had fallen into the trap at the bottom of the vending machine and chucked it at the faceless man.
It hit him dead center in his forehead, but he didn’t let go. Instead my little act of defiance seemed to enrage him. He let loose with what can only be described as a roar from within as he slammed me into the brick wall behind me.
My head hit the concrete … hard. I saw stars as my knees started to weaken. Still furious, the mirror man slammed me into the wall again … and again. I lost the ability to fight, and could do nothing but stare blankly at my assailant. My consciousness was fading when Aidan appeared in the doorway, and even though I was thick and confused – blood running into my eyes – I knew he saw the mirror man and recognized the situation for what it was. The terror and fury on his face was terrible.
“Aisling!” He reached for me, but I was already falling.
I braced myself for the impact, but it never came. Instead I fell … and fell … and fell. I never stopped as the darkness claimed me.
13
Thirteen
I was alive.
I knew it with a grim form of detachment that accompanies those isolated moments in between sleeping and wakefulness in the early seconds before opening your eyes … only I struggled to wake.
The last thing I saw was Aidan’s terrified face as I slipped to the floor and then everything was as dark as my father’s hair.
I wasn’t sure what happened, but I could imagine it. Aidan would panic and call for an ambulance. I would be transported to a hospital where I would proceed to fight with a nurse until my father showed up to boss me around. He would sign me out, and by the time Griffin heard the story later tonight he would be furious, demanding I never leave the house again. I would concede to his demands for a day – mostly because I would get a free day off, but also because I hate seeing him fret.
I allowed myself to float a bit because it wasn’t an altogether bad feeling. I heard bits and pieces of conversation, although they were scattered and seemed far apart. Aidan described the situation to my father, who sounded absolutely furious when he started bellowing.
Braden made an off-color joke, although he sounded weary. I couldn’t believe my father called him in from a job because I got knocked out. That seemed a bit ridiculous.
Redmond promised to spoil me silly and beat up anyone I wanted – including Angelina -- which made me smile because I knew he’d never hit a girl (not for real, anyway).
Cillian read something to me, which seemed odd because I’d only been under for a few minutes and I couldn’t figure out why he’d bring a book to an assisted living center. Of course, it occurred to me that maybe I’d already been transported to the hospital without realizing it, but that still didn’t explain the book.
Then I heard my father – just my father, no brothers in hearing distance – demanding that I wake up. My heart rolled when I heard the way his voice cracked, and I couldn’t help but wonder if something terrible was taking place. Perhaps the mirror man had attacked one of them and I missed it.
Then Jerry was there. He promised to make sure I didn’t look bad if I would just open my eyes. I heard a scuffle, with a nurse admonishing him that now wasn’t the time for makeup.
Griffin was closest to me when I finally began to emerge. His voice choked with emotion as he begged me to wake up, pleaded for me to look at him even for a second. He said the same words over and over.
I love you.
Come back to me.
I’m begging you, baby.
Don’t you dare leave me!
My head felt puffy and far too big for my shoulders when I finally wrenched my eyes open. I could feel crusty creations in the corners of my eyes. I wanted to wipe them away, but I couldn’t seem to find the strength to lift my hand.
My father sat on my left, resting in a chair that seemed much too small for his big frame. His eyes were shut, his fingers joined as they rested on his stomach. His breath came out in easy and regular releases, so I knew he was asleep. Not wanting to wake him, I shifted my eyes to the right and found Griffin.
I knew it was him because of his hair, even though he rested his head on the side of the bed and slept. I couldn’t see
his face – something told me I didn’t want to – but I sensed his distress. It took everything I had to lift a shaky hand. I meant to run it through his hair, perhaps to soothe him and myself, but instead I let it fall with a little more gusto than I envisioned. It bounced fairly hard against his skull.
Griffin jerked his head up, blinking away the cobwebs as the grief broke from his face and he surged forward. “You’re awake!”
“I guess so.” I rasped out the words, my throat burning as I grimaced.
“Thirsty?” Griffin’s eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, as if he’d been crying for days. That seemed ridiculous, because I was certain I’d been out a few hours at most. Even as I thought that, I registered the fact that a beard shadowed the bottom half of his face. He rarely had more than a day’s stubble, and that only happened the one weekend when we decided to pretend to be shut-ins and decided it was more important to shave my legs than his face with our last remaining disposable razor.
I nodded. “My throat hurts.”
“I don’t doubt it.” Griffin shot me a wan smile as he grabbed a bottle from the table next to the bed, a straw poking out of it. “Drink as much as you can.”
“I … .” I didn’t finish, instead sucking the water into my mouth because I was suddenly certain I would die without it. It was refreshing. Even though it wasn’t cold, it soothed my burning throat, and when I pulled away gasping a few moments later Griffin had to force a smile for my benefit.
That’s when I started taking stock of my surroundings. “My head feels kind of big,” I muttered. “Is it big?”
“It’s normal. The doctor said you might feel that way, though, if you ever woke up.” He uttered the last few words as if he was bitter and ready to punch life in the gonads.
I was weak, yet I couldn’t stop myself from lifting my finger to touch his face. Griffin cupped my hand, pressing it to his cheek as a fresh set of tears flooded his eyes. “Please don’t cry. I … I’m sorry I frightened you.”
Grim Holiday (Aisling Grimlock Book 6) Page 12
