“Action figures are not dolls!” Redmond snapped.
Jerry had clearly tired of the argument, because he focused his attention on me. “Bug, I hear you need a special Christmas dress because Griffin’s mother is coming to town and you need to pretend to be a normal girl,” he said. “I think we need to pick a date and go shopping. I think pink is going to be your color this year. I found this dress already. What do you think?”
The huge monstrosity on Jerry’s phone horrified me. “Who told you that?”
“I heard it through the grapevine,” Jerry replied, causing Cillian and Braden to break out in song when they heard the words.
I ignored them both. “Jerry, I am not buying a Christmas dress,” I said. “It’s not going to happen.”
“Oh, it’s going to happen,” Jerry said, unperturbed by my tone. “I guarantee that.”
“Dad,” I whined.
“Oh, where is the bourbon bottle?” Dad muttered, turning expectantly when the butler returned to the table. “Where is Serena? Did she refuse to come down? An actual child might make this conversation more palatable.”
“I’m afraid Miss Serena is gone,” the butler replied, twisting his hands together.
“What do you mean?” Dad asked, straightening. “Is she hiding somewhere in the house?”
“No, sir. I mean that she’s gone. She’s run away from home. She left a note.”
“What?” Dad was on his feet and his voice echoed throughout the long dining room.
“And she took your car,” the butler said. “Here’s the note.”
30
Thirty
“What do you mean she ran away?”
Dad snatched the note from the butler and furrowed his brow as he read it. He didn’t look happy – which was a mild understatement because I was fairly certain steam would boil out of his ears at any moment.
“What does it say?” Griffin asked.
“She thanked us for our hospitality and apologized for stealing the car,” Dad gritted out. “She said it wasn’t Aisling’s fault for giving her the idea.”
Whoops. “Um … .”
Dad silenced me with a dark look. “She also said she overheard us in the office today and knows we were hiding things from her,” he said. “She’s going to find her family.”
“But how?” Cillian was on his feet. “Where does she think she’s going to find them?”
“What did we say in the office today?” Redmond asked. “Does anyone remember?”
“We talked about Aisling meeting Griffin’s mother,” Cillian replied. “Then we talked about the seal.” His face went ashen as realization washed over him. “Holy crap! The seal!”
He bolted from the room and it took me a moment to realize what he was doing. I glanced at Griffin as my stomach sank. “She’s taking the seal to the cemetery.”
“We don’t know that,” Dad cautioned. “All we know is that she eavesdropped on some of what we talked about this afternoon and left. That doesn’t mean she has the seal.”
“Where would she go?” I asked, working hard to tamp down my panic. “If she doesn’t know about the seal, where else would she possibly go?”
“She could go back to her house,” Aidan suggested. “She might think her parents are there if they’re really alive.”
“That’s not what Maxine said, though,” I shot back. “Maxine said that the dead were walking. That doesn’t sound like the Grimleys are alive to me. That sounds as if they’re dead.”
“Maybe they’re wraiths,” Braden suggested.
“Aisling asked that very question,” Redmond said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Maxine stressed that they’re not wraiths. They’re only with wraiths.”
“What exactly did she say?” Dad asked, annoyed. “I wasn’t really listening when you came back. I’ve always found that woman helpful, but often insufferable because she talks in circles.”
“Thank you,” I said lifting my hand to high-five Dad. “At least someone sees things my way.”
“I don’t see anything your way right now,” Dad shot back. “Why would you tell her about stealing a car?”
“I didn’t mean to give her ideas,” I protested. “I just told her that you’d already seen every form of bad behavior known to man thanks to us. The car theft was merely a way to prove my point.”
“I heard the entire conversation,” Griffin offered. “She didn’t mean it in a bad way. She was trying to help Serena.”
“You always take her side,” Braden complained. “She could murder someone and you’d make excuses for her.”
“Yes, because this is exactly the same thing, Braden,” Griffin deadpanned. “Stop being a jerk.”
“Stop being an ass,” Braden fired back.
“Both of you need to stop,” Dad snapped. “Now is not the time for petty bickering. What exactly did Maxine say?”
“Just that there were whispers about the dead walking,” Redmond answered. “She was even more cryptic than usual.”
“That figures,” Dad muttered, rubbing the tender spot between his eyebrows.
“For all we know, that rumor about the dead walking could merely be something people are saying because everyone thought the Grimleys were dead,” I pointed out. “If they’re alive, they would be the people everyone thought were dead. It could be something as simple as that.”
“I … .” Dad broke off when Cillian returned to the room. One look at Cillian’s face told me exactly what I needed to know.
“The seal is gone,” Cillian said. “She took it, and she has your car.”
“That means she heard our entire conversation,” I said. “She’s heading to the cemetery.”
“Then that’s where we’re going,” Dad said, striding through the room. “Everyone grab weapons and be in the garage in three minutes.”
“Shouldn’t someone stay here in case she returns?” the butler asked. He looked understandably nervous.
“That’s Jerry’s job,” Dad replied. “Jerry, don’t let anyone but Serena in this house. If she returns … .”
“I’ll call you.” Jerry is a jokester on a normal day, but he was somber now. “I promise I’ll be on the lookout for her and keep her safe if she heads back here.”
“Stay safe,” Dad said, clapping Jerry’s shoulder. “As for the rest of you, load up, because we might have a fight in front of us when we get to the cemetery. If Aisling is right, something terrible could be behind that door. Serena needs us.”
He left out the part about Serena possibly being dead when we arrived. That was probably for the best. We were already motivated. If the girl was dead when we got there, Dad would leave no one standing as he exacted his revenge.
“Move!”
GRIFFIN gripped my hand as we strode through the cemetery. The gates were locked after dark, but my brothers’ ability to pick locks came in handy for a second time this week. We drove in two cars and the ride was silent. It felt like it took forever, even though the reality was we lost only twenty minutes in the vehicles.
We hit the parking lot running, and after Redmond popped the gate we hurried inside. Dad pushed me to the center of the group and everyone surrounded me for the walk. I didn’t miss his intention, but I didn’t comment on it either. He was worried about me but knew better than asking me to stay behind. Serena was just as much my responsibility as his. If we lost her, the guilt would cripple us both.
As if reading my mind, Griffin squeezed my hand. “She’s going to be okay,” he whispered. “She’s barely ahead of us.”
“It only takes a second to kill someone.”
“Aisling … .” Griffin heaved out an exasperated sigh. “Maybe we shouldn’t think the worst until we have reason to do it. How does that sound?”
“Like wishful thinking.”
“Baby … .”
“Don’t bother trying to reason with her,” Dad said, falling into step with us. His eyes were alert and they almost looked black under the limited light. The way he
clutched the sword in his hand told me he meant business. “She can’t get over her worry right now. It’s impossible for her, so there’s no reason to pick a fight when you can never get the outcome you seek.”
“I barely know her, yet I feel responsible for her,” I said. “I can’t shake the feeling that she’s already gone.”
“I felt the same way when you were a child,” Dad said. “Do you remember when you ran away from home?”
I nodded.
“You ran away from home?” Griffin was incredulous. “You lived in a mansion. Why would you possibly run away?”
“Because Dad was going to make me eat liver for dinner and I was certain nothing that bad would ever happen to me again if I bought my own house,” I replied. “I packed my piggybank and a bag, and I left right after dark.”
“And I found your note and had a panic attack,” Dad said. “I mobilized the entire family to find you. Do you remember what happened then?”
“Yeah. I got scared of the dark and hid in the shed behind the house. Redmond found me.”
“Did you get in trouble?” Griffin asked.
“I didn’t have to eat liver,” I said, smirking at the memory. “I did get grounded, though. Mom sent me to apologize to Dad and I found him crying in his office. That was the first time I remember ever seeing him cry. I didn’t know he was capable. I was an idiot.”
“Children have minds of their own, Aisling,” Dad said. “You’ve done the very best you can by Serena. If something happens here … .”
“I’ll never forgive myself,” I finished. “You’ll never forgive yourself either. You can’t change that.”
“Probably not,” Dad conceded. “That doesn’t mean it’s your fault, though. Seeing you with Serena has given me great pride. You’re going to be a phenomenal mother.”
“Even though I’m spoiled?”
“Despite it,” Dad replied, gripping my wrist with his free hand as the mausoleum slipped into view. He lifted his finger to his lips to quiet everyone and we spread out slightly to make our approach.
We were at the top of the hill when I realized the door was already open. That’s when instinct took over and I broke into a run. Griffin attempted to pull me back but my mind was made up. I had to know what was inside the building – good or bad.
“Aisling,” Griffin hissed, struggling to keep up. “I’ll kill you myself if you don’t slow down.”
Instead of heeding his warning I barreled through the door, my long knife raised. Dad doled out swords to everyone but me. It wasn’t that he thought I couldn’t handle one, but the long knife was lighter and just as deadly. I pulled up short when I found the mausoleum empty.
“She’s not here.” My heart hurt at the realization.
“Hold on,” Griffin said, pushing me behind him as he moved toward the open door on the far wall. “I think she’s been here. She might be … wherever this leads.”
Hope washed over me as I scurried after him. He planted his arm on the doorframe to stop me from plunging into the darkness on the other side of the threshold.
“There are stairs here,” Griffin said, glancing over his shoulder and locking gazes with Dad. “There’s a basement.”
“Oh, well, good,” Braden intoned. “There’s nothing better than going into a mausoleum basement. This will obviously end well.”
Dad ignored Braden’s sarcasm and grabbed one of the lanterns off the wall. Whoever was in here before us had left it burning. Whether that meant they were returning was anyone’s guess. I had serious doubts that Serena was responsible. She wouldn’t have thought to gather matches before running.
“Take this, Griffin,” Dad said, handing him the lantern. “I’ll grab another one from the far wall. We’ll leave the third behind so we don’t lose our way when we’re coming back.”
“It’s cute that you think we’re coming back,” Braden said. “We’re far more likely to die in the basement.”
Dad’s face was a mask of anger and disappointment when he stopped in front of Braden. I didn’t envy my brother his close proximity with our furious father. Braden realized his mistake too late and swallowed hard.
“If you don’t want to go down there, you certainly don’t have to, Braden,” Dad said, his tone icy. “I’m going down there because that girl is innocent and needs help. Your sister is going down there because she’s braver than you. Griffin is going down there because he’ll die for your sister. I don’t know what the rest of you will do, and frankly, I don’t care.
“If I have to hear one more word of complaint from you, though, I’m kicking you out of the house,” he continued. “Do you understand?”
“I was just talking to hear myself talk,” Braden admitted. “I do that when I’m nervous.”
“I know you do,” Dad said, resting his hand on Braden’s shoulder. “We need to be a unit right now. I can’t focus on you when Serena is in trouble. Either join us or … .”
“Die,” I finished.
Dad scowled. “That’s not helping, Aisling.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that was the game we were playing,” I said. “Are we all happy and copacetic now? Great. Let’s get moving.”
Griffin led the way into the basement. He held the lantern in front of him and watched the steps as he descended. I was sandwiched between him and Aidan, and I could hear my brother’s labored breathing as we followed the circular staircase into the depths of Hell. No, I’m not being dramatic. That’s totally what it felt like.
“What do you think is down here?” Aidan whispered.
“Well, if all of the movies I’ve watched over the years are to be believed, it’s a bloodthirsty vampire.”
“Oh, well, that’s better than what I was imagining,” Aidan said. “I watched that AMC marathon of The Walking Dead last week. That’s all I can picture. I don’t want my guts to be ripped out and eaten while I’m still alive.”
“Ooh, I like that show. I’m sorry I missed the marathon.”
“Yeah, it was a fun day.”
“Shut up,” Dad admonished, shaking his head.
When we finally hit the bottom of the stairs, I huffed out a sigh of relief. The feeling didn’t last long when Griffin lifted the lantern to illuminate the small room.
“What is this?” Griffin asked, horrified.
I momentarily squeezed my eyes shut when I noticed the blood coating the floor. It looked old – days or even weeks separating some horrible deed and our arrival – but that didn’t make me feel better.
“It’s an altar room,” Cillian answered, pointing at the stone altar at the far end of the room. A purple velvet cloth rested on the top of the platform, but it was covered with dark stains, too. “It’s used for pagan rituals and … satanic stuff.”
“Like Devil worship?” Griffin asked, confused. He’d learned a lot about the paranormal world since hooking up with me, but he was at a decided disadvantage.
“Not exactly,” Cillian said, moving closer to the altar. “This blood doesn’t look fresh. That’s good for us … and Serena.”
“It’s not good for whoever they had down here earlier,” I pointed out. “What if it was the Grimleys?”
“We can’t make assumptions,” Dad said. “Look around very carefully. Make sure there are no doors that we’re missing. Serena could be locked in here for all we know.”
My brothers scattered while I remained close to Griffin and the light. Instinctively I slipped my finger through his belt loop and pressed my chest to his back. He glanced over his shoulder and shot me a reassuring smile, but we both were thinking the same thing: Something horrible happened down here.
“I found something,” Cillian said, darting behind the altar. When he poked his head back out, he had a sheet of parchment in his hand.
“What is that?” Dad asked.
“It’s a page from a book,” Cillian replied. “It’s in Latin. I’m not going to be able to figure out what it says here. I need to run it through that program we have back at the
house to be able to read it.”
“We can’t leave,” I protested. “We haven’t found Serena.”
Dad’s eyes were kind when they locked with mine. “She’s not here, though, honey,” he said. “I think she was here, but she’s gone now.”
“That doesn’t mean we can leave.”
“There’s no reason to stay, Aisling,” Dad said. “Someone took her. I don’t think they’re bringing her back to this place. We need to go back to the house and regroup.”
“But … no.”
“Your father is right,” Griffin said, his voice low. “We need to save her. We’re not going to do that hanging around here.”
I knew he was right, but leaving felt like betrayal. If we left now, were we giving up all hope of finding her?
As if reading my mind, Dad rested his hand on my shoulder. “We’ll find her. No one is going to stop looking. I promise you that.”
He was so earnest I had no choice but to believe him. “Okay,” I said. “We need to work fast, though. I can’t shake the feeling that she’s running out of time.”
31
Thirty-One
I paced Dad’s office as Cillian diligently worked on translating the book page. I knew he was going as fast as possible, but I couldn’t refrain from staring holes into his back. If Cillian noticed – or cared, for that matter – he didn’t show it. He remained focused on his task while I melted down across the room.
“Have a drink,” Griffin prodded, pushing a glass filled with clear liquid in front of me. “You need to focus on something other than Serena.”
“I can’t drink,” I said, shoving away his hand. “I need to be clear-headed when we go after Serena.”
“It’s water.”
“Oh.” I took the glass and downed half of it before handing it back. “Happy?”
Grim Expectations (Aisling Grimlock Book 5) Page 27
