Grim Offerings (Aisling Grimlock Book 2)
Page 26
“Well, you can’t get out through that door.”
“So, wait. Are you saying there’s no way for me to get out of here? Are you telling me that a madman just took my brother to do God knows what with him, and I can’t get out of here?”
How does this keep happening to me?
Thirty-Five
“You need to calm down,” Sister Mary Angelica instructed. “You’re going off the rails, girl.”
“Did you see what just happened?”
“A bad man took your brother.”
“He’s going to take him to … .” I had no idea what Fontaine’s plan was, but I knew it couldn’t be good. “He’s going to take him to the cemetery.” How did I know that? Fontaine’s appearance was too much of a coincidence.
“Eternal Sunshine? Why would he take him there?”
“They’ve been using one of the mausoleums,” I said. “I was there about a week ago. It was empty, but there was a flower. Someone had been there.”
“And you think it was these wraiths?”
“I think there aren’t a lot of people comfortable with hanging around in a mausoleum,” I said. “None of the guests in that mausoleum were fresh. So who would be visiting?”
“Fresh? You have a mouth on you.”
“So I’ve been told.” I rummaged around in my pocket for my cellphone. I had to get Aidan some help. Unfortunately, no bars appeared on the screen. “Do you not get cell service here?”
“This place is built like a fortress,” Sister Mary Angelica said.
“Great,” I snapped. “Now I can’t call my brothers. This is your fault.”
“How is this my fault?”
“You put up a fight. I am never talking to a soul again. Period. It always goes badly for me. It’s so … frustrating.”
“You’re a defeatist,” Sister Mary Angelica said.
“Excuse me?”
“Are you just giving up on going after your brother on your own?”
“I’m locked in here!”
“So, go through the tunnel.”
I stilled. “Tunnel?”
Sister Mary Angelica pointed to her closet.
“That’s a tunnel?”
“There’s a door to one in there,” Sister Mary Angelica said. “Even in the Dark Ages, as you like to refer to it, you couldn’t lock someone in a room without an escape route. What if there was a fire?”
“And where does the tunnel lead?” I was already moving. I shoved the limited clothing to the side and studied the back of the closet. “Are there creepy-crawlies in there?”
“It’s a tunnel,” Sister Mary Angelica said, her tone dry. “It’s not clean.”
“Where does it go?”
“It leads to the side lawn,” Sister Mary Angelica said.
I sighed and turned the handle on the door. It creaked as it opened, and the darkness on the other side was enough to squeeze my heart. “How am I going to know where I’m going? I won’t be able to see anything.”
“I’ll lead you.”
“You will?” I had a small glimmer of hope.
“You must have faith,” Sister Mary Angelica said. “Now, come on. Your brother is far too pretty to die.”
“I’VE never been so happy to see a cemetery in my entire life.” I dropped to the ground and kissed it, not deterred in the slightest by my sense of drama.
The trek through the church’s tunnels had been long and arduous. Without a physical touchstone, I’d had no choice but to hug close to the walls and follow Sister Mary Angelica’s voice. By the time we found daylight, I was a filthy mess.
I reached for my phone again. Bars! I dialed Redmond out of instinct. I rushed through the story, despite the plethora of curses and colorful language pouring out of his mouth, and then waited for him to freak out.
“He’s not going to a good place,” Sister Mary Angelica said when I disconnected.
“He’s just worked up.” I climbed back to my feet and dusted the cobwebs and who knows what else from my shirt. “Are there spiders in my hair?”
“Just dirt.”
Well, that was something at least. “Is there a back way into the cemetery? It’s going to take me forever to go all the way around the wall.”
“There’s a back gate. It’s usually locked, though.”
No lock was going to keep me from getting to my brother. “I’ll break it.”
“Won’t you get arrested for that?”
“The police can only help at this point.” I broke into a run as I started moving toward the cemetery. “I’m coming, Aidan.”
“WHAT mausoleum are we looking for?”
After watching me smash an antique lock with a rock, I figured Sister Mary Angelica would hang back. She was an unanchored soul. She didn’t have a dog in this fight. She’d never left my side, though. She was invested in doing good. That’s who she was.
“It’s the Olivet mausoleum,” I said. I scanned the cemetery. I was turned around. I’d never entered from this direction, and my brothers claimed I couldn’t find my way out of a paper bag without a map, so I was lost.
“This way,” Sister Mary Angelica said, pointing.
“Are you sure?”
“We helped maintain the grounds,” she said. “It’s this way. Trust me.”
She hadn’t led me astray yet. “We need to move faster. I need to get to Aidan.”
“Can’t you feel him?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re twins and you’re supernatural. I would think you should be able to feel him.”
“We’re not psychic,” I snapped.
“He’s still your blood.”
I pressed my eyes shut. “I need to get to him. That’s all I know.”
“Let’s go then,” Sister Mary Angelica said. “Pick up your feet.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” I grumbled. “You don’t feel fatigue.”
“Honey, I’m ninety-two years old, and even before I died I was in better shape than you.”
“I’m joining a gym.”
“You should,” Sister Mary Angelica said. “Your body is a temple. God gave you only one.”
“I get it,” I said, pulling up short when we crested a familiar hill. “Oh.”
Sister Mary Angelica ceased her forward momentum. “We’re here.”
I nodded, glancing around. The space in front of the mausoleum was empty. That didn’t mean wraiths weren’t hiding in the shadows of the trees. They’d done that before. “Can you do me a favor?”
“What did you have in mind?”
“Check out the tree groupings,” I said. “The wraiths hide there. I don’t want to approach the mausoleum if I’m going to get attacked from behind.”
“You’re smarter than you look. I’ll be right back.”
It took Sister Mary Angelica only two minutes to finish her loop. “There’s something in those trees over there.”
“Something?”
“It’s really tall and it’s wearing a black cloak.”
“That’s a wraith,” I muttered. “Crap on toast.”
“What should we do?”
I had no idea. “My brothers are on their way. They’ll call my father and Griffin. It won’t take them long to get here.”
“Who is Griffin?”
“My boyfriend.”
“Are you going to marry him?”
“I’m just trying to keep him from killing me on a weekly basis right now,” I said. “Marriage is a long way off.”
“He knows you’re a reaper, though?”
“He does.”
“That’s the basis for a strong relationship,” Sister Mary Angelica said. “Truth is always the most important thing.”
“I thought faith was the most important thing?”
“They’re both important. Do you really want to start arguing dogma now?”
I shook my head. “I have to go in there.”
“Shouldn’t you wait for your brothers?”
“Okay,” Sister Mary Angelica said, squaring her shoulders. “Let’s do this.”
“You need to stay here,” I said. “Wait for my brothers. You’ll recognize them right away. Show them where the wraith is. Tell them … tell them I’m sorry, but I couldn’t wait.”
“I’m sure they’ll understand.”
I could only hope so.
I STUDIED the mausoleum for thirty seconds longer. It was out in the open. The expanse between me and the front door was mostly bare. Odds were good that I’d already been spotted anyway. It was now or never.
I broke into a run straight for the door. I had no idea what I was going to do if it was locked. I doubted Sister Mary Angelica had another tunnel handy. My hand closed around the cold brass of the doorknob and I turned it, hoping something would go my way this week. It gave without resistance and the door flew open.
I stepped into the sanctum, my hands clenched into fists, readied for an onslaught.
“I told you,” Fontaine said. He leaned against the back wall of the mausoleum, arms crossed over his chest, a smug smile on his face. “I told you she would come after him.”
“That still doesn’t explain why you didn’t take her at the church.” Sylvia Dobbs stood a few feet from Fontaine, and she didn’t look happy with the turn of events. “It’s like you purposely had to make it dramatic.”
“It’s more fun this way.”
I glared at them both, jerking my head away from the hanging oil-filled votive lantern on the wall. Setting my hair ablaze seemed counterproductive. “Where is Aidan?”
Fontaine pointed to the floor. I don’t know how I’d missed him. He was sitting on the marble, his hands bound in front of him, leaning against the west wall. His eyes were bloodshot and glassy, the force of Fontaine’s choking clearly taking a toll. He looked angry more than anything else, though.
“You are an idiot,” he said.
“I love you, too.”
“How did you get out of that room so quickly?” Fontaine asked. “I didn’t think you’d be here for hours. We weren’t quite prepared for your arrival.”
In addition to Sylvia and Fontaine, two wraiths hung back behind their human counterparts. The one outside made three. I knew more would be coming. That was okay. I had reinforcements in transit, too. I just had to get a grip on the situation.
“I have many talents,” I said. “They are varied and magical.”
“You can walk through walls?”
“Sometimes,” I said. I fixed Sylvia with a dark look. “So, you’re Sylvia Dobbs. I saw you at the spa the other day. You look better in dim lighting. Harsh lighting makes you look older.”
Sylvia’s lip curled. “I see your reputation is well deserved.”
“Yes. I’m a total bitch.”
“And an idiot,” Aidan said. “You should have called for help. You shouldn’t have come here.”
“My cellphone wouldn’t work in the church. The walls were too thick.”
“So you decided to be the hero and screw us both,” Aidan grumbled.
He was getting on my last nerve. “I think the words you’re looking for are ‘thank’ and ‘you.’”
“Thank you for screwing us both.”
I turned away from him. “So what happens now? You’ve caught me. I’m here for the taking. What’s your grand plan?”
“What makes you think we have a grand plan?” Sylvia asked.
“Fontaine told me.” What? I owe that man nothing. If they tried to kill each other that might be enough of a distraction for me to get Aidan out of here.
“What?” Sylvia knit her eyebrows together.
“Yeah. I followed you from the spa to the parking lot and listened to you two talk. He warned me after that I was in danger.”
“You are unbelievable,” Fontaine snapped. “Sylvia, she’s exaggerating.”
“No, I’m not. He’s the weak link in your operation. You should kill him now.”
“You shut your mouth!” Fontaine exploded.
I glanced back toward Aidan. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you going to sit there and pout?”
“Pretty much.”
“Okay. Tell me when you’re done.” I turned back to Sylvia and Fontaine. “So, does anyone want to give me a hint here? I have a few questions, and I know you weren’t expecting me for a few hours, so I figure now would be a good time to get my answers.”
“Sit down and shut up,” Fontaine ordered.
“Bite me.”
“I’m going to … .” Fontaine mimed ripping my head off my shoulders.
I arched an eyebrow as I regarded Sylvia. “Do you want to answer my questions?”
“Sure,” Sylvia said. “I don’t have anything better to do. It’s not as though I’m running a business or anything.”
“Great.”
“I was being sarcastic.”
“Oh, I know. So, what’s the deal with Morgan Reid?”
“Reid is an associate,” Sylvia said carefully, her dark eyes never leaving my face. “He’s handling a few financial issues for us.”
“Who is trying to kill him?”
“Some guy he ripped off on the east side. He was supposed to take five percent, but he took ten, and it’s a whole big thing. He’s such an idiot. We told him he had to be covert for a few weeks, and then he went and did something stupid. He’s a moron.”
“So, his name appeared on the list, and you knew you had to keep him alive,” I filled in. “Why use wraiths to do it?”
“Why not?” Sylvia asked. “They’re hard to keep fed, and if I can hand over a soul to them and save the life of a business partner, it’s a win-win situation.”
“What is Reid doing for you, though?”
“He’s handling our … investments.”
“What kind of investments?”
“They’re varied. You probably aren’t capable of understanding.”
I hate her. “How long are you going to protect him?”
“Not much longer,” Sylvia said. “We’re just waiting for our final payment. Then he’s on his own.”
Something about the story didn’t jibe. “He doesn’t know he’s in danger, does he?”
Sylvia shook her head. “He has no idea. He’s a financial whiz, but an absolute moron when it comes to reading people.”
“Who does he think I am?”
“You’ll have to be more specific.”
“He’s seen me several times at his place,” I said. “He showed up at my home and asked me out on a date. I’m guessing one of you told him my real name. He clearly had other things on his mind, though. So, who does he think I am?”
“We told him you were an operative for one of his enemies,” Fontaine said. “We figured he might be able to isolate you. He thought he was playing you – until you turned the tables on him at the restaurant that night – and now he’s a little more suspicious.”
“He’s being a pain,” Sylvia agreed. “He won’t be our problem for much longer, though”
“I still don’t understand why you guys need so much money.”
“Money makes the world go round,” Fontaine said, smiling wolfishly. “I love money.”
“You’re a pig.”
“I’m also hung like a horse,” Fontaine said, winking.
I wrinkled my nose. “You smell like one, too.” I turned back to Sylvia. “Who do you work for?”
“What makes you think we work for anyone?”
“I heard you in the parking lot,” I reminded her. “You mentioned someone else being unhappy. That has to be your boss, right?”
“We have a few other associates with whom we do business,” Sylvia said. “That’s not your concern – at least right now.”
“Why do you want me?”
“You’re a commodity,” Sylvia said. “We have a bidd
er interested in your services.”
That sounded gross. “What services?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Sylvia said. “That’s between you and our … associate.”
“Why did you take Aidan?”
“To draw you in,” Fontaine said. “I knew I couldn’t take you without killing him, and I knew killing him would cause your father to amass an army to take us on. We needed a little time.”
“It was a stupid plan,” I said.
“You’re here, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, you’re the stupid one,” Aidan said. “You should have left me.”
“Shut your mouth,” I snapped. “I’ll never leave you.”
“That’s why you’re stupid.” Aidan’s face was drawn. I knew he was terrified. If they took me, there wasn’t a thing he could do to stop them.
“You forgot one thing,” I said.
“What’s that?”
“I’m smarter than I look.” I grabbed the votive lantern off the wall behind me and hurled it, covering my face as the glass shattered on the floor in front of Fontaine and Sylvia and the oil inside ignited into a ball of flames.
Thirty-Six
Taking advantage of the momentary confusion, I rushed to Aidan. I tugged on the ropes, frustrated when they didn’t give. “I can’t get them off.”
“Run, Aisling,” Aidan prodded. “Leave. You can’t get me out of here.”
I pulled him to his feet, irritated. “I will never leave you.”
Aidan’s face contorted with a myriad emotions, love and anger fighting for supremacy. “You have to go.”
“Shut up,” I said, pushing him in front of me. “Your feet work. Just … watch yourself. We have to … oh.” I reached over and grabbed one of the small swords from the Olivet family crest on the wall. I yanked hard, freeing it, and then slipped the small piece of metal between his hands. “Cut yourself loose.”
“What are you going to do?”
I pointed to the corner where Fontaine and Sylvia were busy beating at the flames with their coats. “I have to buy us more time. Start cutting!”
I strode to the other side of the front door and grabbed the second lantern. Because the mausoleum was so old, it lacked electricity. The only way to illuminate it was with fire, and fire was my friend today. I hurled the second lantern in their direction, smiling grimly as it shattered against the scared marble, and the fire exploded exponentially.