Grim Offerings (Aisling Grimlock Book 2) (15 page)

“So, I’m curious. How many rooms does this house have?”

Griffin and I sat in my favorite parlor – the house boasts five – waiting for Maya’s arrival. Griffin sipped bourbon from a cut-crystal glass, which bordered on absurd, but I was trying to make him feel comfortable in my father’s oppressive house.

“I don’t know,” I said, shifting closer to him on the couch. “I’ve never counted.”

Griffin placed his glass on the coffee table and glanced around, nervous. “Should you be this close to me?”

“Are you worried I have cooties?”

“I’m worried one of your brothers – or worse, your father – is going to come in here and assume we’re doing something,” Griffin said.

“We are doing something,” I replied. “We’re sitting on the couch.”

“Yes, but you’re touching me.”

“Three hours ago you shoved your tongue in my mouth in the hallway,” I said. “You didn’t have a problem with that.”

“Shh.” Griffin looked over his shoulder to ascertain if we were still alone.

“I thought you were a big, bad cop?”

“I am,” Griffin said.

“You’re afraid of my father!”

“Your father is terrifying when he wants to be.”

“Oh, you’re such a girl.”

Griffin poked my stomach. “Is that the insult your brothers used to hurl at each other when you were a kid?”

“Why?”

“Because you use it a lot.”

I shrugged. “I guess. I never really thought about it. You are acting like a girl, though.”

Griffin grabbed me around the waist and tugged me down on the couch to roll on top of me and kiss me. We played tongue tag – and “what’s under your shirt” – until the sound of voices stopped the fun.

“This is the parlor my late wife designed,” Dad said, ushering Maya into the room. He didn’t miss a beat when he saw what we were doing on the couch. “And you remember my daughter and your brother, of course. I think they’re preparing their audition for
Monday Night Raw
.”

Cillian walked into the room behind them and snorted. “I think Griffin is winning.”

Griffin jerked away. “We were just … .”

I arched an eyebrow, mildly curious as to whether he would bother trying to come up with a lie.

“I know what you were doing,” Dad said, his tone grim. “I raised five children. All of them have been caught doing … that … at one time or another.”

Griffin smiled sheepishly.

“Of course, they were all teenagers when they were doing it,” Dad said.

“At least they weren’t naked this time,” Aidan said, breezing into the room and heading straight for the bar. “That’s much more traumatic.”

I shot him a harsh look.

Dad’s eyebrows knit together. “When did you see them naked?”

“Oh, don’t worry, it wasn’t here,” Aidan said.

“No, it was at my house,” I said. “My house! My house where you don’t live so you have no right to get all … funky … about what I’m doing in the privacy of my own home.”

“I don’t want to hear this,” Dad said.

Braden pushed his way into the room. “What’s going on now?” he asked. “Hey, by the way, my photo of you and Cillian on the bed has gotten more than a hundred likes on Facebook.”

I shot him a sarcastic thumbs-up.

“Apparently Aidan saw your sister and her friend naked on the couch,” Dad said.

“Oh, I already heard about that,” Braden said, unimpressed.

“Who told you?”

Braden pointed at Cillian.

“What? It’s funny,” Cillian said.

“It’s not funny,” Aidan said. “It’s mentally scarring.”

“And seeing you and Jerry rub each other like cats in heat is fun for me?” I shot back.

“Oh, man, the floor show has already started,” Redmond said, shuffling into the room. He pulled up short when he saw Maya. “Hello, Nurse Maya.” He grabbed her hand and kissed it. “I can’t tell you how nice it is to see you again.”

“Don’t be fresh,” Griffin warned.

“You were just groping my daughter on the couch,” Dad said.

“We hadn’t gotten to groping yet,” I said. “Calm yourself. You’ll give yourself a heart attack.”

“Do you think that’s funny?” Dad asked.

“That you interrupted us before we could start groping? Absolutely not.”

“You’re going in the dungeon tonight,” Dad said. “That’s final!”

“I do kind of want to see that dungeon,” Griffin mused. “Don’t worry. I’ll sleep in there with you. Are there chains on the wall?”

“I’m going to kill you,” Dad threatened.

“Wow,” Maya said, her gaze bouncing around the room. “If this is the floor show, what happens when the main event arrives?”

“I CANNOT
believe how beautiful this room is,” Maya said, her eyes trained on the over-the-top chandelier above the long, rectangular dining table.

“It’s not creepy at all,” I agreed, sliding into my usual seat.

“Creepy? I’ve dreamed about eating in a room like this,” Maya said, scanning every nook and cranny. “I mean, look at the statues.”

“Oh, Monty and Mort,” Redmond said, following her gaze to the marble lions standing guard at either side of the door.

“I used to have nightmares that they were going to eat me,” I said.

“Who named them Monty and Mort?” Maya asked.

Everyone pointed in my direction. “She names everything,” Aidan said.

“Is that because you thought they were pets?” Maya asked, smiling as Cillian ushered her to a chair and held it out until she was seated.

“No. It’s because I knew it drove my father crazy,” I said. “I used to put collars on them, too.”

I watched as Griffin purposely took the chair between Maya and me. He aimed for subtlety but he was drawing a non-too-inconspicuous line in the sand between Maya and my brothers. Cillian stepped right over the line as he sat down in the chair on the other side of his sister.

For her part, Maya appeared oblivious to the musical chairs power play. “Did you put ribbons on them?”

“No,” I said. “Aidan did, though.”

“I did not,” Aidan protested.

“No, but I put rhinestone collars and tiaras on them,” Jerry said, striding into the room. “Sorry I’m late. I had a big catering order come in and it took forever to get the lady to see that rainbows and leprechauns were too over-the-top for a gay wedding.”

“What did you decide on?” I asked.

“Unicorns and elves,” Jerry replied, guileless.

“Oh, are you a party planner?” Maya asked.

“I own a bakery in Royal Oak,” Jerry explained.

“Get Baked,” I supplied. “It’s amazing. If you get the chance, you should stop in. Jerry is a culinary genius.”

“He is,” Griffin agreed.

“You’ve been there?” Maya asked.

“No, he cooks breakfast every morning,” Griffin said.

Dad scowled from the head of the table.

“I know because I stop in to wish Aisling a ‘good day’ every morning before I go to work,” Griffin said. “That’s after I’ve spent the night at my own place.”

What a wuss.

Redmond snorted. “Bravo, detective.”

“Everyone sit down,” Dad ordered. “You all know very well that the staff can’t start serving until everyone is seated.”

“Why is that?” Maya asked.

“Because it gives Dad indigestion,” Braden said.

“Do you remember the time Jerry insisted on performing the entire death scene from
Romeo and Juliet
because he was practicing for the school play?” Redmond asked. “Dad drank an entire bottle of Pepto-Bismol watching him cry over Aisling’s lifeless body, and the staff was freaking out because the roast was drying out because Jerry’s death flop was so over-the-top.”

“You were in a play?” Griffin asked, dubious. “You don’t strike me as the acting sort.”

“Oh, I fake stuff all the time,” I teased.

Griffin’s face clouded.

“I’m just joking,” I said, patting his leg under the table.

“Keep your hands to yourself, Aisling,” Dad ordered.

“How do you even know I’m doing anything?”

“You’re always doing something,” Dad said. “You can’t help yourself.”

“You’re sleeping in the dungeon tonight,” Aidan sang.

“I was not in the play,” Aisling said. “I just helped Jerry practice his lines.”

“We loved it,” Redmond said. “Aisling was quiet for hours on end.”

“Hey, you leave her alone,” Jerry scolded. “Don’t you listen to them, Bug. I’ll have you know she came to every performance to cheer me on.”

“Both of them,” I confirmed.

Griffin smirked. “Don’t Romeo and Juliet have to kiss?”

“We didn’t play those scenes,” I said.

“Aisling said my lips reminded her of a fish,” Jerry said.

“I said they reminded me of Swedish Fish,” I corrected. “You insisted on wearing lipstick.”

“Why did you wear lipstick?” Maya asked.

“Because it was winter,” Jerry replied.

Maya shifted her attention to me. “Did he just explain something?”

“He’s pale in winter,” I said. “He needs the extra color so people don’t mistake him for a really pale straight guy.”

“Oh,” Maya said, running her eyes over Jerry’s bright pink shirt. “Does that happen often?”

“Not since elementary school,” I said. “He’s never gotten over it.”

“It was the worst day of my life,” Jerry agreed.

Maya smiled. “You’re all very close, aren’t you?”

“We’re a family,” Dad said. “Aren’t all families close?”

Maya and Griffin exchanged a brief look. “Not all,” she said. “You’re very lucky.”

Something about the exchange bothered me. It wasn’t something I wanted to explore now, but it occurred to me that Griffin rarely talked about his family. I hadn’t even known his sister lived in the area until I thought he was dating her.

“We are lucky,” Dad said.

“We should play the lottery,” I said.

“You’re definitely sleeping in the basement tonight, young lady,” Dad said.

“I have my own house,” I said. “That threat doesn’t work on me anymore.”

“Did it ever work on you?” Griffin asked. “Were you afraid of the basement?”

“I wasn’t afraid of the basement,” I said. “I was afraid of the snakes.”

“There are snakes in the basement?” Griffin didn’t look convinced. “Don’t you have twenty maids cleaning this place?”

“We have three,” Dad said. “There are no snakes. Redmond told her that to keep her out of the basement when he was doing his … experiments … down there.”

“Experiments?”

“Oh, they’re not the kind of experiments you think,” Jerry said. “I was crushed when I found out what he was really doing. I had a huge crush on him when I was younger. When he said he was experimenting, I thought I had a shot.”

Maya pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. “What kind of experiments?”

“I thought I was going to be a scientist at one time,” Redmond said evasively.

“He bought three grow lights and tried to grow pot down there,” I corrected.

“Hey, there’s a cop here,” Redmond said.

“He doesn’t care that you thought you were growing pot when you were in high school,” I scoffed.

“He was really growing pansies,” Braden said.

“How did that happen?” Griffin asked.

“Stupid Tom Mulligan,” Redmond growled.

“He sold him bogus product,” Cillian said, smirking.

“So, don’t leave me hanging,” Maya said, clearly enjoying herself. “What happened?”

“There was a lot of yelling,” Cillian said. “And Jerry and Aisling really helped matters when they suggested Redmond should have to smoke the pansies as penance.”

“I forgot about that,” Redmond said, rubbing his chin.

“Finally, Mom stepped in,” Braden said. “She reminded Dad that he’d tried to do the same thing when he was in college, and Redmond got off with a simple grounding.”

“Did your mother always take your side?” Maya asked.

A pall settled over the table.

“I’m sorry,” Maya said, realizing her mistake. “I didn’t mean to pry.”

“It’s fine,” Dad said. “She did always take their side. That’s why they got away with murder as children. And why they’re such pain-in-the-ass adults.”

“Well, they seemed to have turned out okay,” Maya said.

“They did indeed,” Dad said, gracing her with a small smile. “Now, where is my dinner?”

“So, do you always have nightcaps as a family?”

Dad was going above and beyond in his efforts to seduce Maya for Cillian.

“No,” I said. “Most of us storm out halfway through dinner.”

Dad shot me a look. We were back in the parlor, and he was busily pouring drinks from behind the bar. “Aisling is exaggerating. We don’t fight very often.”

“What’s your definition of often?”

Dad pointed at me. “You’re on my last nerve.”

“Oh, look, he just got another gray hair,” Redmond said as he moved up beside me. “Isn’t Aisling the one responsible for all of your gray hair?”

“She is this week,” Dad said.

“Hey, Cillian was the one who almost died,” I said.

“Because of you,” Dad said.

Maya shifted her gaze. “How is it Aisling’s fault that Cillian was mugged?”

Dad faltered. “Everything is always her fault,” he said finally.

“Hey!”

Griffin rubbed my back. “Let it go,” he said, his voice low. “You’re going to tip her off that we’re all lying if you’re not careful.”

He had a point. That was the last thing I wanted. “You can’t possibly still be blaming this all on me,” I exploded.

Dad shot me a look. “Who else am I supposed to blame?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” I said, snarky. “What about Morgan Reid?”

“Who is Morgan Reid?” Maya asked.

“No one,” Griffin said.

“But … .”

“He’s no one,” Griffin pressed. “He’s … .”

“Aisling’s imaginary friend,” Jerry supplied.

I glared at him.

“What? I’m trying to help.”

“Well, stop helping,” I said.

“Don’t you yell at him,” Aidan said.

“He’s my best friend.”

“He’s my boyfriend.”

“He was my friend first,” I said. “I can speak to him however I want to speak to him.”

“Is that a new rule?” Aidan asked. “It seems I can’t speak to your boyfriend any way I want to speak to him.”

“What’s going on now?” Dad asked, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Is this about the Trivial Pursuit game?”

“He cheated,” Aidan said.

“I did not cheat,” Griffin said. “You’re just a poor loser.”

“We’re all poor losers,” Braden said. “You should see us play billiards. There are balls flying everywhere.”

“And not in a fun way,” Jerry said.

I couldn’t swallow my snicker.

“Oh, so now you’re friends again?” Aidan asked.

“We’re always friends,” I said. “Stop being a … girl.”

“You’re a girl,” Aidan said.

“You take that back.”

“All of you, shut up right now,” Dad ordered. “You’re giving me heartburn.”

Braden pushed around to the back of the bar and rummaged for something out of sight. When he stood back up, he handed Dad a bottle of pink medicine without saying a word. Dad chugged it down straight from the bottle.

“Have you guys ever considered therapy?” Maya asked. “We have some nice family therapists on staff at the hospital.”

Maya sucked all of the energy – including the electricity – out of the room with the suggestion, because the room went black.

“What just happened?” Maya asked, worried.

“The Earth tilted on its axis,” Redmond said.

“Therapists everywhere just used their combined mental power to send us a very distinct message,” Cillian said.

“Or Dad imploded and took the electricity with him,” Braden suggested.

“You’re the one sleeping in the dungeon tonight, Braden,” Dad said.

I clapped my hands. “The snakes are going to get you.”

“The rhythm is going to get him,” Jerry corrected.

“Everyone shut up!”

“Jeez, Dad, lighten up,” Aidan said.

We all cracked up at the joke.

“I hate you all,” Dad said.

The room fell into silence for a few moments.

“Do you have an emergency generator?” Griffin asked.

“It’s in the back,” Dad said.

“Does it automatically come on?”

“No,” Redmond said. “We have to start it manually.”

“Don’t you think we should?” Griffin pressed. “I’m starting to feel odd about just standing here in the dark together. Hey! Whose hand is that?”

“Mine,” I said.

“Keep your hands to yourself, Aisling,” Dad barked.

“I was touching his arm,” I said.

“That wasn’t my arm.”

“I know,” I replied. “You didn’t need to tell my father that, though.”

“Okay, that’s enough of that,” Dad said. I heard shuffling in the direction of the bar. “We need to get the generator up and running.”

“I think we should check to make sure that someone isn’t trying to get through the front gate,” I said.

“Why?” Cillian asked.

“Why do you think?” I challenged.

The room was silent.

“All right,” Dad said after a beat. “New plan. Griffin, you and I are going to start the generator. Redmond, Braden and Aidan, you’re going to check the front gate – and walk the perimeter.”

“Why are they walking the perimeter?” Maya asked.

“What should I do?” Cillian asked.

“You stay here and rest,” Dad said.

“I’m not an invalid.”

“Fine, you stay here and watch the women.”

“Hey!” Jerry was incensed. “I am not a woman.”

“Fine,” Dad snapped. “Jerry, you come with Griffin and me.”

“I’m not staying here like an idiot,” Cillian said.

“Fine,” Dad said. I could practically imagine him running his hand through his hair until it stood on end. “You come with us, too.”

“I want to go with the other group.”

“No!”

“Am I missing something?” Maya asked.

“Oh, this is just how they get along,” Griffin said. I felt his hand on my back. “You’re going to stay here, right?”

“This is where the bar is.”

“Stay with my sister,” he whispered. “I don’t want her to wander away on her own in case … .”

“I know,” I said. “It will be fine.”

“It had better be,” Griffin said, giving me a quick kiss. “You two stay together.”

“I heard the lip smacking,” Dad said.

“How do you know we weren’t smacking something else?” I asked.

“You’re going into the dungeon with your brother, young lady.”

“Kinky,” Braden deadpanned.

“That’s your sister, you sicko!”

“THERE’S
something different about your family, isn’t there?”

I’d managed to find my way to Maya, and then to the couch, and we sat in the parlor uncomfortably waiting for the lights to come back on.

“What was your first clue?” I asked.

“I’m not talking about the way you interact with one another,” Maya said. “That is interesting, though.”

Uh-oh. “What are you talking about?”

“You’re not antiquities dealers, are you?”

“Why would you think that? We have tons of antiques in this house.”

“Yes, but you’re something else,” Maya said. “You’re all hiding something.”

“We’re not hiding anything.” I was so glad she couldn’t see my face.

“Whatever it is, Griffin knows,” Maya mused.

“I … .”

“It’s okay,” Maya said. “You don’t have to tell me. It’s really none of my business.”

“Okay.”

“You can tell me if you want to, though.”

“Mmm … I’m good.”

Maya shifted on the couch. “You’re really not going to tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“What’s different about your family.”

“We’re incredibly childish,” I said.

“I got that,” Maya said. “I actually find that cute to watch.”

“Your brother doesn’t.”

“Oh, you’re wrong there,” Maya said. “He was smiling all through dinner.”

I’d missed that. “He acts as though he doesn’t like it.”

“It does get old after the tenth time someone tells someone to ‘shut it,’ but it’s still cute,” Maya said. “You’re trying to distract me.”

“Is it working?”

“Does it ever?”

“I once distracted my father so long he forgot I took his car without asking and wrecked it,” I said.

“I doubt that.”

“No, really.”

“Okay,” Maya said, inhaling heavily. “If you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to.”

“You already said that.”

“I meant it.”

“Then why did you continue to push?”

“I didn’t,” Maya protested.

I leaned back on the couch.

“So, are you guys like spies or something?” Maya asked.

I snorted, but the sound of distant shuffling caught my attention. “Did you hear that?”

“Is this going to be your new tactic?”

“No, I’m not joking,” I said. “I heard something.” I got to my feet.

“Are you just going to leave me here?” Maya asked, alarmed.

“I … .” Crap. I’d made Griffin a promise. I held out my hand and felt around.

“What are you doing?” Maya asked.

“Looking for your hand.”

“That wasn’t my hand.”

“I know,” I said. “They’re very nice, though.”

Maya laughed. “Thank you.” I felt her hand slip into mine. “Are we really going to investigate the noise? Isn’t that how everyone dies in horror movies?”

“It depends on the franchise,” I said. “If we were in
Friday the 13
th
or
Halloween
, yes.”

“Oh, that makes sense,” Maya said. “What movie are we in?”

“
Poltergeist
.”

“Didn’t the little girl get eaten by her television in that?”

“That was before flat screens,” I said, jerking her hand. “Don’t worry. It’s probably just my brothers.”

“Then why are we investigating?”

“Because I can’t not look,” I said. “It will drive me crazy.”

“Fine,” Maya said. “If we die, though, I’m going to tell my brother to break up with you.”

“Duly noted.”

We crept through the dark, me taking the lead and Maya shuffling uncertainly behind. I knew where every doorway and statue was located, so we made the trek relatively quickly. We found ourselves at the front of the house, the moonlight from outside giving us some ambient light to work with as it filtered through the glass panes on the door.

Maya released my hand. “I don’t hear anything.”

“Shh.”

“But … .”

“Shh.”

“You’re really bossy.”

“Don’t you hear that?” I said, pressing my head to the large door.

“It sounds like a cat is trying to get in,” Maya said. “Do you have a cat?”

“Just Monty and Mort,” I said. “They’re not very much fun to cuddle with.”

“You have a really odd sense of humor.”

I jumped back when the door handle started to turn. The movement was slow, as though someone was striving for quiet.

“Isn’t that locked?”

“Not unless my brothers locked it after they walked out of it,” I said.

“Shouldn’t we run?”

“Not if it’s my brothers.”

“Do they always try to sneak in?” Maya was beside herself.

“It depends on the mood my father is in,” I whispered.

I watched as the door pushed forward, curiosity mingling with dread in my stomach.

The head that poked through the door was about a foot and a half shorter than it should have been if a wraith was trying to sneak in. Even though it was dark, the moon provided enough light that I could clearly see it wasn’t one of my brothers.

Without hesitation, I reached out and smacked the face. I’d recognized the slope of the nose and flat hair without even taxing myself.

“What the hell!” Angelina grabbed the side of her face.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

Angelina straightened and faced me, unsure. “I’m … here to see if you want to sell your house.”

I smacked her again.

“Stop doing that,” Angelina screeched.

“You broke into my house,” I said. “I can legally kill you and get away with it.”

“Not when there’s a witness,” Angelina said, gesturing to Maya. “What are you doing here?”

“She’s on a date with Cillian,” I said.

Maya’s mouth dropped open. “I was invited to dinner with the family.”