Grim Offerings (Aisling Grimlock Book 2)

by Amanda M. Lee

  “Fine.”

  “You’re kind of … fussy,” Griffin said, pouring coffee into two mugs and sliding one across the counter in my direction.

  “I’m not fussy,” Jerry said. “I’m a perfectionist. Why do you think I want to get Aisling’s butt buffed?”

  “I think you just want to throw me off my game.”

  “Well … she still needs to be buffed.”

  “You leave her butt alone,” Griffin said, shooting me a lazy grin. “I like it the way it is.”

  My mind was still on my brother. “Was Aidan better this morning?”

  “I don’t know what his deal is,” Jerry said. “He won’t talk about it. He says nothing is wrong.”

  “Do you believe him?”

  “No. You know your brother, though. He’ll hold it all in until he completely blows, and then we’ll have to pick up the pieces.”

  “Well, I hope he blows soon,” I said.

  “Me, too,” Jerry said, grinning slyly.

  I smacked him. “Don’t be gross.”

  “Sit down,” Jerry ordered. “You two need food in you after your … long night.”

  I narrowed my eyes, but Griffin ignored him. “Yeah, lay this French toast on me.”

  “Do you have to work today?”

  “Nope. I’m off. Because I was on for two straight weeks I get to make my own schedule for the next few weeks.”

  Well, that was interesting. “Does that mean we can spend a whole weekday in bed?”

  “Don’t you have to work?”

  “Are you really turning me down?”

  “You’re right. That was a stupid question. Let’s eat the French toast and go right back to bed.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “I have to work.”

  “You’re such a tease.”

  “Hey, I put out with the best of them.”

  Jerry grinned. “You two are cute. I want to bottle you up and sell you over the Internet.”

  The sound of a door opening caught everyone’s attention. Aidan strode into the kitchen. His greeting was muted, but he settled at the table to wait for his breakfast.

  “How are you this morning?” I asked.

  “I slept well.”

  “Have you looked over our list today?”

  “No.”

  “Are you going to be monosyllabic all day?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you going to pretend I’m not talking no matter what I say?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Oh, good,” I said. “Did you know, when Aidan was in high school, he once dressed up as Marilyn Monroe for a costume party? He even shaved his legs.”

  “I did not!”

  “See, I knew you couldn’t hold out,” I said, poking his arm.

  “I’m not ready to talk to you yet,” Aidan said. “Just … let me get some caffeine and we’ll talk later.”

  “Great. I can’t wait.”

  Someone knocked on the front door and then entered. That could only mean one thing: One of my brothers had come calling. My father refused to visit the townhouse. He said it made him feel claustrophobic. Cillian followed his nose into the kitchen. “Is that French toast I smell?”

  “You’re just in time,” Jerry said, smiling widely.

  “Cool.” Cillian sat at the table and glanced around. “Why is no one looking at each other?”

  “We’re looking at each other,” I said, proving my point by gazing at Griffin.

  “Aidan isn’t looking at anyone,” Cillian said.

  “He had a long night.”

  “Oh, is he still mad about the cheerleading thing? I thought it was kind of funny.”

  I kind of wished I’d been there to see it. “That’s probably it.”

  “Oh, that’s not it,” Jerry said. “When we came home … .”

  “Jerry,” I warned.

  “He’s going to find out anyway,” Jerry said. “This family can’t keep a secret. When we came home last night, Aisling and Griffin were naked on the couch. Aidan is scandalized and he’s not talking to anyone.”

  Cillian stilled. “Naked?”

  “They’d just had sex,” Jerry said, carrying the pan of French toast to the table and setting it on the waiting trivets. “Don’t worry. The couch is being aired out even as we speak. It will be sanitized in a few hours. Everyone dig in.”

  “I think I lost my appetite,” Cillian moaned.

  “Oh, get over it,” I said. “I walked in on Jerry and Aidan pawing each other on the couch a little more than a month ago and I didn’t pitch a fit.”

  Jerry challenged me with a look.

  “What? I didn’t.”

  “You screamed that you were blind and ran outside,” Jerry said.

  “Where you were promptly attacked by a wraith,” Aidan interjected.

  “That wasn’t what happened,” I said. It was totally what happened. “Still, I didn’t freak out like you did last night. You claimed you were having a stroke.”

  “This whole family is too dramatic,” Griffin said, digging into his French toast. “It’s a good thing the food is great. Otherwise, I’m not sure I would be able to put up with the constant sniping and whining.”

  “We don’t whine,” Aidan and I said in unison.

  “They don’t,” Jerry said. “They … complain shrilly.”

  “Is that different?”

  “It’s all about the presentation,” Jerry said. He cuffed Griffin on the back of the head. “Eat your breakfast. Stop stirring the pot.” He pointed a finger in my direction. “You, too.”

  I turned my attention to Cillian. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, but is there a reason you’re invading our breakfast table this morning? Is Dad not feeding you?”

  “Well, we’ve had a change to the lists for today,” Cillian answered. “Dad sent me here so we could tackle your list together.”

  “Why can’t I go with her?” Aidan asked.

  “You’re going, too.”

  “That must be some list,” I said. “Three of us?”

  “It’s not a long list,” Cillian said. “It’s just that … well … Morgan Reid is on it again.”

  It was as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. “Are you serious?”

  “Unfortunately,” Cillian said. “Dad is worried a wraith is going to show up, so he wants us all to go out together today. Reid is the only one on our list.”

  “Hey, that means we can spend part of the day in bed,” I said, turning to Griffin excitedly.

  “No, it doesn’t,” Cillian said.

  “Oh, not you, too.”

  “You’re my baby sister,” Cillian said. “To me, you’re a good girl.”

  “That’s such a double standard.”

  “I’m not denying that,” Cillian said. “In the back of my mind, I know you’re an adult. In my heart, though, you’re the same little girl who cried when the gardener accidentally mowed over your stuffed dog.”

  “Fine,” I said. “We’re not going to spend the afternoon in bed. We’re going to go to church.”

  “Good girl.”

  I rolled my eyes until they landed on Griffin. “Do you want to go to church with me later?”

  “I’m going to go with you on your assignment.”

  I stilled. “I don’t think that’s allowed.”

  “Why not?”

  “I … .” I turned to Cillian for help.

  “Wasn’t he there when you killed the wraith at the retirement home?” Cillian asked.

  “Yes.”

  “What does it matter if he’s there for this one? It might actually be helpful if something goes wrong.”

  “But … do you want to see what we do?” I asked.

  “I do,” Griffin said. “I’m kind of curious.”

  “This one probably won’t be like a normal one,” I said.

  “I can live with that,” Griffin said. “I’d just feel better knowing you weren’t blindly walking into trouble with no one watching your back.”r />
  “What do you think we’re going to be doing?” Aidan challenged.

  “Probably still avoiding eye contact.”

  Aidan scowled.

  “I think it’s a good idea,” Cillian said. “The sooner he understands what we do the easier it will be on Aisling.”

  “He hasn’t been hard on me,” I said.

  “Just hard in … .”

  I interrupted Jerry. “Don’t finish that filthy sentence.”

  “How did you know what I was going to say?”

  “Because I know you,” I said. I glanced at Griffin, still unsure. “If you want to come, I don’t see why you can’t. You just can’t get in the way. You know that, right?”

  “I have no intention of getting in the way,” Griffin said. “And, when we’re done, I’ll take you out for a nice lunch and then we’ll … go to church.”

  “Very good,” Cillian said. “Okay, someone pass me the syrup.”

  Eleven

  “Hand me some chips,” I ordered.

  “No, you said you didn’t want chips when we stopped at the gas station,” Aidan said. “You can’t change your mind now.”

  “Oh, give me some chips!”

  “No.”

  From the passenger seat of Aidan’s car Cillian reached over and cuffed his brother. “Will you give her some chips?”

  “Do I have to spell it out for you?” Aidan asked, irked. “N.O.”

  Cillian studied him for a moment and then he reached over and grabbed the bag of dill-pickled delight from his lap and handed it to me. I shoved a handful in my mouth, meeting Aidan’s gaze in the rearview mirror as I chomped on them noisily.

  Griffin rolled his eyes from the backseat. “Is this how all of your stakeouts go?” We were sitting outside of Morgan Reid’s apartment building. We’d arrived early so we could get a handle on who was going in and out of the building.

  “Pretty much,” Cillian said.

  “Very professional,” Griffin deadpanned.

  Because I’d shoved so many chips in my mouth I was having trouble swallowing. I slapped Aidan’s shoulder and pointed toward his bottle of water.

  “No.”

  I mimed coughing.

  “It serves you right.”

  Cillian sighed and snatched the bottle of water. “What is it with you two?”

  I swallowed half the bottle for good measure before handing it back. When Aidan took it, his face was murderous. “Oh, man, you backwashed!”

  “I don’t backwash,” I argued.

  “I’m going to beat the crap out of both of you,” Cillian warned. “What is going on here?”

  No one answered.

  “Is this because you saw her naked?”

  “I didn’t see her naked,” Aidan said. “Don’t give me nightmares.”

  “Hey!”

  Cillian shifted in his seat, his gaze bouncing between us. “Why are you two acting like this?”

  “We’re acting how we always act,” I grumbled.

  “No, you’re not,” Cillian countered. “I haven’t seen you two act this … poorly … since middle school.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “Ask him.”

  “I’m asking both of you.”

  “They’ve been fighting for days,” Griffin said. “I think it’s because of me.”

  “What did you do to Aidan?”

  “I didn’t do anything to Aidan,” Griffin replied. “He just has attitude with me. I understood when he attacked me because he thought I was cheating on her. I have no idea what his problem is now.”

  “I don’t have a problem,” Aidan sniffed. “She’s just acting like … a beyotch.”

  “Oh, good grief,” Cillian said. “It is like you’re back in middle school.”

  “Did they fight a lot in middle school?” Griffin asked.

  “It was unbelievable,” Cillian said. “Dad finally had to put them in different wings of the house because they kept hurling statues at each other.”

  “That sounds … expensive.”

  “It was,” Cillian said. “They got over it eventually. I’m not waiting three years for you two to start getting along again. Just be forewarned.”

  “Then don’t listen to us,” Aidan snapped.

  “I’m going to have Dad put you in the dungeon,” Cillian warned. “You’re seriously on my last nerve. Either tell me what’s wrong or move on.”

  “She’s irritating me.”

  “How? She just asked for some chips.”

  “And she backwashed in my water,” Aidan pointed out.

  “Oh, I’m totally done,” Cillian said, popping open his door. “We need to break up into teams. Aisling, you’re coming with me. Griffin, you can go with Aidan.”

  “That’s a terrible idea,” I said.

  “No one asked you,” Cillian said.

  “I happen to think it’s a terrible idea, too,” Griffin added.

  “Well, here’s my problem,” Cillian said. “My father ordered me not to let Aisling out of my sight. You could come with us, but that leaves Aidan alone.”

  “I’m fine with being alone,” Aidan said.

  Cillian ignored him. “I need Aisling with me.”

  “I came to watch her,” Griffin argued.

  “Fine,” Cillian said, running his hand through his hair, exasperated. “Sit in the car. I don’t care. Come on, Aisling.”

  I shot Griffin an apologetic look. “He’s technically my boss.”

  “Go,” Griffin said. “Let’s get this over with. I can’t take much more time with your family right now.”

  “Oh, but we really love you,” Aidan snapped.

  “Hurry,” Griffin reiterated.

  “DO you want to tell me what’s wrong with you and Aidan?”

  Cillian led me behind the apartment building, studying every alcove and bush as we moved.

  “He’s being mean to me.”

  “He’s being mean to you?”

  “I don’t know why,” I said. “At first I thought he was just doing it to bug Griffin. Now I think there’s something else wrong with him.”

  “Maybe he has PMS?” Cillian suggested.

  “That’s not funny,” I said. “You can’t call him a girl because he’s gay.”

  Cillian snorted. “I like how you still stand up for him even though he’s being mean to you.”

  “I’m not standing up for him,” I corrected. “I’m standing up for gay men everywhere.”

  Cillian cupped the back of my head briefly. “Okay,” he said. “You two are going to have to figure this out, though. If he’s got a problem with Griffin then … .”

  “Then what? I’m not breaking up with Griffin because Aidan is crying like I broke his favorite doll.”

  Cillian made a face. “You can say that, but I can’t ask if he has PMS?”

  “I wasn’t trying to slur him,” I said. “This whole thing just reminds me of when I broke his doll.”

  “That wasn’t a doll,” Cillian said. “It was an action figure.”

  “If you can take its clothes off and dress it up, it’s a doll.”

  “No, that’s not true,” Cillian argued. “It was an action figure. It had a gun.”

  “And bracelets.”

  “That was a walkie-talkie.”

  “It was a doll.”

  “It was an action figure.”

  “Is this a private argument, or can anyone join in?”

  I froze when I heard the voice. Cillian glanced behind me, his face unreadable. “Can I help you?”

  “That was going to be my next line,” the voice said. “Who is your friend?”

  I clenched my jaw and turned, meeting Morgan Reid’s gaze evenly as it landed on me.

  “Well, hello again,” Reid said.

  “Hi.”

  “Is this Mike Morrison?”

  “Who?”

  “Isn’t that the name of the man you said you were looking for yesterday when you stopped by my apartment?” Reid pressed.


  How could he possibly remember that? “Um, yes,” I said. “This is Mike Morrison.”

  Reid smiled at Cillian. “And you’re selling her a couch?”

  “I am,” Cillian said.

  “In the bushes beside the building?”

  “We decided to get some exercise first,” I interjected.

  “I see.” Reid obviously didn’t believe me. “You do realize you two look almost exactly alike, right?”

  “I think he’s making fun of your hair,” I said to Cillian.

  “I wasn’t,” Reid said. “I was pointing out there’s more than a passing resemblance between the two of you.”

  “That’s because he’s my husband,” I said.

  Reid waited.

  “Why would I look like you if I was your husband?” Cillian was exasperated. “That makes even less sense than me selling you a couch.”

  I fought the urge to strangle him. “I’m … not sure.”

  “Are you two on a stakeout or something?” Reid asked. “Are you cops?”

  I wrinkled my nose. “Do I look like a cop?”

  “You look smoking hot,” Reid said.

  “Hey,” Cillian warned. “That’s my … wife.”

  Reid rolled his eyes. “What are you two really doing here?”

  “We’re … um … thinking of moving into the building,” I said.

  “Together?”

  “We’re very close.”

  “Because you’re married?”

  “I’m her brother and she’s considering moving here,” Cillian said, pinching my wrist viciously. “She really liked the building yesterday when she was here to see the couch.”

  “Did you buy the couch?”

  “No. It looked like someone died on it,” I said.

  “And now you’re considering moving into the building.” Reid pressed.

  He’s so suspicious. I have a very honest face. I don’t deserve this. “I am.”

  “And you brought your brother to look it over?”

  “He wants to make sure it’s safe,” I said.

  “Why didn’t you just say that in the first place?” Reid asked.

  “Because … .”

  “Because she’s a woman,” Cillian answered for me. “They like to play games.”

  Reid’s face softened. “Is that what you’re doing? Do you want to play a game with me?”

  Cillian shifted uncomfortably. “I’m going to check around the rest of the building,” he said. “Why don’t you guys … stay right here?”