by K. B. Draper
Ashlyn followed my eyes to the table as Grand slid out of the booth.
Ashlyn’s hand froze on Danny’s back.
“Hello, Ashlyn. I am Chief Whitefang. It has been a long time.”
Ashlyn blinked, glanced at me, and then back at Grand. “You’re him.”
“Why don’t we sit down and have this little reunion over something with gravy?” I suggested.
Danny slid in first with Grand next to him. I took Ashlyn’s hand, encouraging her to take a seat next to me.
“I never thought I’d see you again,” Ashlyn admitted.
“As I you, Child. You have grown into such a beautiful woman.”
“Because of you. You saved me.”
“I remember you had a great part in saving yourself too. And me for that matter.” He patted her hand. “You were such a brave young woman for such a horrific time. For that I am so very sorry.”
Flo came to the table. “A table full of sexy. How’d I get so lucky today? What can I get y’all?”
While Grand was ordering, Ashlyn found my leg with her hand and squeezed. “Thank you, AJ.”
I dropped my hand to hold hers. “It was for both of you.” I offered, having seen Grand’s eyes sparkle with pleasure at the sight of Ashlyn.
She started to pull her hand away, likely wondering whether Grand knew about me, now about us. I smiled at that thought, us, and held her hand tighter, letting her know all was okay.
“So you’re Danny’s …” she hesitated.
“He’s my grandfather,” Danny offered proudly.
Ashlyn let that click in for a second. I had told her the story of my not so graceful tumble into this demon hunter gig, but I had left out names and titles for the most part. She knew Danny was the rightful heir to the hunter’s spirit and that he’d chosen to be with me, to assist me until things could be righted, but I hadn’t told her the history of Grand. I hadn’t explained our encounter, his connection with Danny, and that he just happened to be in town.
She narrowed an eye at me. “Surprise?” I offered.
She chuckled. “Surprise.”
As we waited for our food, Ashlyn and Grand spoke about the night, skipping lightly over her father’s death. Grand gave her pieces and parts that Ashlyn had been curious about for so long and confirmed the events of the Reyna. I added a sanitized version of what Michael had revealed to me this morning. Again, I skipped the “tail-tucking” part of Michael’s actions as I was going to be asking them to put their faith in him when we went to confront the Reyna.
After I received a copious amount of verbal scoldings from Danny, Grand, and Ashlyn for taking off into the forest alone this morning, our food came and we focused on the yumminess of gravy and the fact that we might be dealing with the destroyer of hell and our the world.
Grand was silent for a long moment as Flo came to take our empty plates. “I must talk to the elders,” he finally announced.
Ashlyn looked at me for an explanation.
“He goes into a meditative state and dreamwalks to other planes. He talks to his forefathers and mothers. It’s where we get guidance and Bat Signals, you could say.”
“They carry a knowledge we simply do not possess. They offer insight, information, and serve as our guides,” Grand explained more precisely.
“Danny, why don’t you take Grand to the campsite and watch over him while he handles that. I want to go see someone. Three sets of eyebrows showed concern. “Someone of the human variety, geez. We’ll meet back at camp.”
“Roger,” Danny said, picking up the check and waving Ashlyn off as she started for her money. “I’ve got it.”
Grand stood. “Ashlyn, I am sorry that this has come back to your world.”
Ashlyn stood. “I am too, but I’m not sorry that you, Danny,” she winked at me, “or AJ have come into it. I want to be a part of this fight, Chief Whitefang.”
“Call me Grand, as my other daughter does.” He took Ashlyn’s hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “I believe this fight is part of your destiny, as it is for AJ.” He gave me a knowing smile. “Though I will warn you that, like Danny, my child is spirited and quite challenging at times.”
“Hey! Sitting right here!”
Grand chuckled. “But she has a wonderful soul.”
“Okayyy, super fun dating game over.” I slid out of the booth.
Grand leaned in to kiss my cheek. “I will see you both later.”
Chapter 12
“So who are you going to go talk to?” Ashlyn asked as we stood out in front of the cafe.
Instead of answering, I walked to the end of the street and hitched a thumb over my shoulder.
“Loretta? You really think that’s a good idea?”
“I don’t know about good idea, but I think she should be a part of this if she wants to be. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like the idea of either of you being involved, especially when it comes to facing the Reyna, but …”
“You’re not pushing me out of this fight.”
“I won’t push you out of this fight,” I said. “Nor will I push her to be a part of it. Mostly, I think she can give us more info on her father and his role in this.” And I want to see exactly what side of the good-bad line she’s standing on.
“Her father has a strong hold on her, but I think … Well, you never know.” Ashlyn started down the sidewalk toward the sheriff’s department.
“I have a way with the ladies, so she’ll talk-”
“Seriously, did you just say you have a way with the ladies?” Ashlyn chuckled.
“Yeah, so? It worked on you.”
Ashlyn hip checked me. “Your sexy ass worked on me. Nothing that came out of your mouth worked on me.”
“You think I have a sexy ass?”
Ashlyn stopped and turned to look at me. “You have a sexy lot of things, Miss Mattox, but use any of them on Loretta and we will tussle.” She flicked my bottom lip with her fingertip.
“Tussle? Mmm, I kind of like the possibilities of that.”
She laughed, turned back, and headed up the stairs and through the doors of the lion’s den.
The sheriff was standing at the counter making a good showing of acting annoyed, or she was annoyed. “Please say you’re here to turn yourself in,” Sheriff Linn growled. She looked at Ashlyn. “Or say that you came to your senses and finally arrested this nuisance to society.”
I leaned an elbow on the counter, dropped my chin in it, and batted my eyelashes. “You know, all these continuous offers to get me in handcuffs kind of makes a girl wond-” Ashlyn stomped my foot. “Ouch, geez.”
“Loretta, could AJ and I have a word with you in your office? In private.”
Loretta eyed us suspiciously. “What about?”
“We have information on the recent open cases that we’d like to share with you,” Ashlyn informed.
“You’re kind of wrecking my game here,” I whispered out of the side of my mouth.
“Your game was wrecked long before we walked in here,” Ashlyn murmured back.
The sheriff pointed a finger back and forth between Ashlyn and me. “I don’t have time for whatever is going on with you both. And seriously, Ashlyn, I thought you had better taste.”
“I guess we both thought a lot of things over the years,” Ashlyn shot back.
“Umm,” I started only to have Ashlyn put a hand on my arm.
“Loretta, please. Give me, us, five minutes.”
Loretta huffed. “Five minutes.”
“You and her?” I asked as we started down the hall.
She slapped my hand down when it started to point at her. “In high school, she was my first kiss. Jesus.”
“Still. She’s all-”
Ashlyn spun. “She’s what?”
I stepped back. “Crabby.”
Ashlyn sighed. “She wasn’t always like that. She was rough, sure, but she was also fun, carefree, and sweet when I had her alone.” I held out a talk to the hand and Ashlyn knocked it
down with a laugh. “Knock it off.”
I stopped outside the sheriff’s office. “I just need to know one thing before we walk in there.” I put on my best jealous face.
“What?”
“Who’s the better kisser?”
Ashlyn rolled her eyes. “Seriously?”
“Fine. I’ll take that as I am. One more question, did she always have … um,” I held two imaginary basketballs in front of my chest. “Lucy and Ethel? ’Cause I could overlook the attitude problem too if they … you know …”
Ashlyn fought a smile, not wanting to encourage my ridiculousness. I recognized the effort. I got that a lot. “It’s definitely the ass because …” Ashlyn waved a hand in front of my mouth. “Definitely, no.”
“Your clock is ticking,” the sheriff yelled from her office.
I leaned in to whisper into Ashlyn’s ear. “You weren’t complaining about my mouth earlier.” I heard her heart kick up a notch.
The sheriff was sitting behind her desk, a scowl on her face, and Lucy and Ethel were taking a respite on the desk calendar.
I took a seat in front of Lucy. Ashlyn shut the door and sat in front of Ethel.
“The clock has started, so get to talking.”
I glanced at Ashlyn who gave me a cautious go ahead motion. “So your Dad is a pompous dick and your brother is a country bumpkin wannabe drug dealer that treats women as recyclable trash. I’d like to know if you’re on Team Douche or -”
“AJ!” Ashlyn started to come out of her chair.
I put a hand on her arm, encouraging her to sit as I had this. “Oh, and there’s a demon hunting in your woods. It killed your brother’s butt buddy, Roy, after your bro and his still-wearing-their-letterman-jackets asshats knocked his teeth in for stealing coke and left him there bleeding out in the woods. It also killed Vera. I’m thinking your Daddy had a hand in this one. He took Vera out to the woods or had your brother take her in his truck and left her like an after-dinner mint on a death pillow. I’m pretty sure Vera found out Jr.’s been skimming money from the church.”
“AJ! Loretta, I’m sorry I didn’t know-”
The sheriff raised a hand, stopping Ashlyn’s apology.
“Miss Mattox, why do you think you can come into my office and talk to me this way?”
“Because I think that you’re different. I don’t think you got the jackass gene that apparently runs strong in your family’s DNA. I also think you appreciate someone that will shoot straight and not try to feed you a truckload of shit, because I think you’ve already had your fill up to this point.”
The sheriff leaned back in her chair, a spark in her eyes. She steepled her fingers; her index fingers playing kissy face, no kissy face, kissy face, no kissy face, while she assessed me. I let her assess, not blinking or moving under the weight of her stare.
“Anything else?” she finally asked.
I softened my tone this time. “The same demon was here twelve years ago. She killed your mother and Ashlyn’s father. But, I think you already know that.”
The sheriff’s eyes slid to Ashlyn, pain and concern there before she blinked it away and came back coldly to meet mine. “What do you want from me?”
I was surprised by her response. I believed throwing it out there hard and fast would be the way to handle things with Loretta, but I thought there would be questions, arguments, or a fun verbal duel at least. “Information is all. I want to know what your father thinks he’ll get out of all of this? How? When?”
“You want me to betray my father, for what? I’ve received his wrath once before and though I’ve come to live with it, I’m not particularly inclined to do it again.”
“For the sake of doing the right thing. To stop something that could harm a whole lot of people. To get justice for your mother.”
The sheriff stood, paced for several steps, and stopped at her bookcase. Her eyes locked on a picture of her and her mother. She picked it up and wiped a thumb across the top, sweeping away a layer of dust that had found its home there. “They’re having a special sermon at the church tonight. I don’t know the details. I’m not really privy to them but he’s been excited about tonight for a long time. God is blessing him with a miracle or some bullshit. You might find out something there.”
I stood. “Thank you, Sheriff.” Ashlyn stayed, jerking her head toward the sheriff’s back. I nodded my understanding. “I’ll meet you outside.”
I was trying to pull off “I’m totally cool and not at all concerned about you spending twenty-seven minutes and, I checked my watch, forty-three seconds with your first kissy-kiss-kiss girlfriend.” I totally would’ve pulled it off too if when I looked up I hadn't seen Ashlyn’s red-rimmed eyes coming at me. This caused me to hot potato my keys from hand to hand, ultimately losing control of them, and they triple jumped it underneath Woody. Winner. Back on my feet, after belly-crawling under Woody’s chassis, I popped up just as Ashlyn approached. “Dropped my keys.” I dangled them in the air as proof I wasn’t just crawling belly down on the ground for the fun of it. “You okay?”
“Yeah, just some memory lane kind of stuff.”
My heart did a little mother-fuckery da’ fuck, fuck. “Oh, so you guys still have-”
Ashlyn looked around. “Can we go somewhere else to talk?”
Was begging too much to throw in here? “Sure, but you don’t have to explain.”
“My vehicle?” Ashlyn was already walking away from me at the word “sure.”
Okay, this is going to be awkward. How can I throw a big screaming baby fit after you dump me, and then end it with “now can you give me a ride back to my car?”
Ashlyn was silent as she navigated through town, then out to a rural road. About two miles out, the potholed blacktop turned to dirt. We drove several more silent miles, passing depressed farmhouses, rundown mobile homes, and dilapidated barns.
We finally pulled up to a stop in front of an old country church. According to the brass plate mounted to its white stucco wall, it was built in 1929. Though the grounds around it were well-maintained, there was an emptiness, a sense of abandonment resonating from the property. It had an empty bell tower at its peak, and the two large wooden doors at its entrance were weathered and drying under the sun. Two ornate stained-glass scenes outlined each side of the doorframe. On the left, one of the blue panes of Mary’s dress was broken out and someone had spray-painted a plywood board an ill-matched shade of navy and affixed it over the hole.
“Walk with me?” Ashlyn asked while already opening her door and stepping out onto the small parking lot that was more grass than gravel.
“Sure.”
Ashlyn started for the wrought iron archway leading out to the graveyard that semi-encompassed the small church. This will be convenient if she breaks my heart. I can curl up and die right here next to … I read the closest gravestone, Phil Morelander.
I looked out over the small sea of headstones as Ashlyn wrestled with the lock and gate. Sprinkled throughout were a few newer brown and black marble markers but most of the stones were old, grayed, their sharp lines worn down after years of rain and weather.
I stepped through the entryway after Ashlyn was able to push it open. She held it so it wouldn’t swing back and shut me out. Something it apparently really wanted to do. I didn’t blame it; I got that a lot.
“Kind of odd to bring you here I know, but …” She shrugged.
“No. I can’t tell you how many times a woman has brought me to a cemetery. Most of the time they were carrying shovels so …” I pointed at her empty hands, “an improvement.”
She smiled, reaching out one of those empty hands. I took it, letting her lead me down rows of graves.
When Ashlyn stopped, I stood beside her looking down at one of the newer tombstones, a glass brown marble with the last name “Parker” inscribed boldly at its top.
Ashlyn released my hand to bend down and pluck weeds that were starting to poke up around the base of her father’s tombstone. “I’
ve spent a lot of time out here over the years. My father was the only one that knew the story I told was true.” She looked back at me. “Until now. I know it sounds weird, but I wanted you to meet him.” She laughed at herself. “Not like meet him meet him but … well … I know you have a reason why you’re fighting. I wanted you to know mine. I guess. Silly, I know, but-”
“I get it,” I offered. I held out a hand and pulled her back to me. “How about we sit and you tell me more about him? Then we can tell him how we’re going to send the murdering bitch back to hell.”
We sat on the ground in front of her father’s grave for nearly an hour. She started by telling me about her father; fun childhood memories slipping into more details about the evening of his death; the ridicule and disbelief that surrounded her after she’d told her story. Her brother had been the only one to stand by her and I liked him even more for that. She ended with what the sheriff and she spoke about earlier. I’m pleased to report that it was all demon and family chat ’em up and not a kissy, kissy, let’s go there again reunion. So yay, happy day. Well, not so much for the crowd around us, but my girly bits were pleased so, again, yay, happy day.
“So tonight, we’ll head to church and-”
“And hope we can figure out when the big event is supposed to go down,” I finished.
Ashlyn peered over, assessing me for a moment. “Do you ever get scared? I mean, fighting demons. It’s not like fighting crime on the streets of Seattle.” Ashlyn moved closer as she awaited my answer, snuggling deeper into my arms. She gently tapped her boot against mine as we sat, our legs stretched out facing her father’s grave, both of us using Martha B. Willington as a backrest
I shrugged. “I don’t know if I really think about it. It’s like being a cop in a lot of ways. There’s a job to do, so you just do what needs to be done, I guess.”
“This time is different though.”
“Why, cause I’m fighting a chick demon?” I asked, making light of the small fact that if I failed the world could be ended by an evil Gerber baby.
Ashlyn straightened and looked back at me. “I was thinking more about her being the Queen of Hell, but wait … You’ve never fought a female demon before?”
