Intellectually, I knew Aisling wasn’t really the person I thought of her as. When we’d first met, she was pregnant and due to give birth any day. After, she struggled in the wake of new motherhood. Not everyone embraces it with happiness and light. She needed help. Luckily she came from a family that liked to help.
Now she was throwing herself back into work and I didn’t know what to make of it. I’d seen her fight the previous day — and she was scrappy — but I couldn’t help feeling I would be spending all day entertaining her rather than getting any work done.
“I wish she was going with you guys.”
Braden’s eyes twinkled. “My father would never allow that. He’s taking Lily with him. I would love to be a fly on the wall in Renley’s office when my father strolls in and starts yelling with Lily strapped to his chest. She’ll smile. It will be something to behold.”
He was far too thrilled with the image. “Too bad your father won’t take Aisling with him to headquarters.”
“He says it’s because he doesn’t think she’ll be safe there, but that’s not true. The majority of the reapers are loyal to him, even over Renley if there’s an issue. If he honestly believed there was going to be trouble he wouldn’t take Lily. He doesn’t want Aisling there because she’s liable to stir up trouble.”
I could see that. “So instead, I get stuck with her.”
Braden snickered. “I can tell you’re thrilled about it. The thing is, you might be glad you have her. I know it doesn’t seem like it now, but it’s true. She’s a righteous pain in the behind, but she also thinks outside the box, and in this particular case she’s motivated to help. That’s good for all of us.”
He was so earnest I could do nothing but shake my head. “I never thought I would see the day you’d take up for your sister.”
“I know. It’s baffling.”
I laughed before giving him a hug. “Don’t worry about Aisling. I’ll take care of her.”
“I know you will. Even though you might not be able to see how or why just yet, I believe Aisling might help you, too. She’s smarter than she seems ... and she wants to keep Lily safe. She’ll work harder than you think.”
I knew I was acting out of line simply because he was so determined to stick up for Aisling. When it came to big things, the Grimlock siblings were loyal to a fault. When little things popped up, they enjoyed messing with one another. The fact that Braden showed no inclination to mess with his sister told me he was convinced this was a big deal. It would be wise, I rationalized, for me to do the same.
“I’ll do my best for both of us,” I promised.
He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead before moving his lips to mine. “You always do.”
AISLING WAS QUIETER THAN I’D EVER seen her when we arrived at the small dock. Belle Isle was still closed to visitors — something that was being described as an environmental precaution by the local news to keep looky-loos away — so there was only one way to get to the gate. That was via water.
“This is a nifty little boat,” Aisling announced, perking up for the first time as she climbed into the back of the vessel. “I’ll drive.”
The declaration caught me off guard. “What if I want to drive?”
“Then you can drive tomorrow.” She was firm. “I haven’t been on a boat in ... well, years. My mother liked boating. She would take us out on Lake St. Clair when we were kids. No one really wanted to get on a boat after she was gone.”
The story should’ve touched me. but I was instantly suspicious. “Are you just saying that because you want to drive?”
She nodded without hesitation. “Yes. My mother did like boats, though. My father wasn’t as much a fan. We didn’t go out as much after she died. I took lessons when I was a kid.”
“You took lessons?” I didn’t want to be stuck on this side of the river forever, so I climbed into the front of the boat and got comfortable. If Aisling turned out to be a bad captain I would probably regret giving in. I had to suck it up because it was too early for an argument. “I didn’t know they gave motorboat lessons.”
“This is a huge boating area.” Aisling started the engine with little difficulty and got comfortable as she steered away from the dock and into the river. “Boating is a big deal because of the weather. We get only five months a year when we can enjoy the lakes, so people treat it like the pastime of kings. Even though my father wasn’t a big fan, he wanted to make sure knew our way around boats.
“We had classes a lot when we were kids,” she continued. “Sailboats ... speed boats ... smaller boats with outboard engines like this. We learned how to operate them all. My father was convinced we were a calamity waiting to happen, so we also had to take survival classes. We learned to strip out of our clothes while treading water so we could survive an extended period in the water.”
I watched her for signs she was kidding. “My grandfather saw to it that I took boating lessons, too. New Orleans is surrounded by water. We would head out at night a lot because he liked to collect things for spells. He turned me into his boat captain at a young age so he could focus on the plants and critters he needed.”
If Aisling was bored by the story, she didn’t show it. “I bet you had fun with your grandfather. I mean ... I know you would’ve given anything to have your parents back, but your grandfather sounds fun. My grandparents are more boring than a mole in an armpit. You’ll find out. They’ll be visiting in a few weeks. They’re both jerks.”
It took everything I had not to laugh at her morose expression. “You don’t like your grandparents?”
“They’re awful. They used to call us hellions and tell my father he should make us behave.”
“And you don’t think your father should’ve made you behave?”
“No. We turned out absolutely fine.”
She said it with so much conviction it was impossible to argue with her. I decided to change the subject instead. “Why are your grandparents coming? Braden mentioned they were visiting — he’s just as thrilled as you, by the way — and he let it slip that they’re almost never around. Why are they visiting now?”
Aisling’s lips curved down. “They want to torture us.”
“Why really?”
“My grandparents moved out of Michigan when I was young. I can’t even remember how old I was. I used to joke with my father that they moved because they didn’t want to get stuck babysitting us. He didn’t disagree.
“They came to visit after my mother died,” she continued, taking on a far-off expression. “They thought my father would fall apart and not be able to care for us. That was true to an extent — he was absolutely wrecked — but he didn’t completely collapse.
“We were teenagers. I think Redmond was in his twenties. Our grandparents swooped in and tried to take advantage of the situation. They even suggested taking Aidan and me to live with them.
“That’s when my father put his foot down and told them to back off.” Aisling smiled at the memory. “He said he would raise us as he saw fit and wouldn’t allow us to be separated. I remember thinking at the time that we would be okay. It still hurt to lose Mom, but we were going to be okay because Dad would make sure of it.”
I nodded in understanding. “Even though your father overindulges you — all of you — he’s a phenomenal man. He did an amazing job.”
“He did,” Aisling confirmed, smiling. “My grandparents were angered by his attitude and took off. They split their time between Aspen and Florida these days. I was convinced we might never see them again. They barely call once a month to check in with Dad and they always have attitude when they do. They don’t like his stories about us.”
“And yet they’re coming,” I noted. “Something must’ve changed. Maybe they’ve had a change of heart.”
“They said they wanted to meet Lily. She’s their first great-grandchild.”
The expression on Aisling’s face told me she wasn’t thrilled at the prospect. “Maybe they’re telling t
he truth,” I suggested, the early morning sun making me shield my eyes. “They’re getting older now. They’re feeling their mortality. Perhaps they realize they made a mistake.”
“I think you’re giving them far too much credit.” Aisling went back to sulking. “I just know they’re going to be rude. To them, marrying a cop is pretty much the worst thing I could’ve done.”
“They dislike cops?”
“They dislike anyone who doesn’t make seven figures a year.”
“Ah. I understand.” Actually, that wasn’t entirely true. I didn’t understand in the least. I’d met all sorts of people over the years – rich people, poor people, happy people, sad people – and I could only imagine how these people thought. Cormack was rich and his children spoiled rotten, but they were all surprisingly down to earth. The privilege aspect was bound to come in somewhere. “Just tell them that you’re happy with Griffin and if they don’t like it to stuff it.”
I remained focused on the approaching shore. I was almost positive I saw movement in an area where nothing ever happened. Maybe fishermen. I happened to love a good morning spent with a rod and reel in hand. If there was a local group that was about to join together for a quiet morning, I wanted to know ... mostly because there was a likelihood I would join. The one thing my grandfather and I liked to do together even as I grew older and discovered my own interests – as well as boys, of course – was fish. We never argued when fishing.
Frogging and reed cultivating was another story.
“Oh, I’ll tell them to stuff it. I ... .” The boat grazed something below the waves, the metal walls screeching as Aisling frowned. She slowed the engine and glanced around, confused.
We were dead center in the channel. I’d been over this area several times. There was nothing out here that should’ve scraped against the bottom of the boat.
So ... what was that?
“Do you think a boat sank or something?” I asked, turning away from the shoreline and focusing on the water. It wasn’t exactly the cleanest body of water I’d ever seen, but it wasn’t full of garbage either. Still, the water was murky. I couldn’t see beyond the first few inches.
“There aren’t usually a lot of boats out here,” Aisling replied absently. “Most people with boats take them to Lake St. Clair to avoid the current.” She looked over her shoulder. There was something about her expression that bothered me.
“What’s wrong?” I wasn’t worried, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was about to happen. We were in a fresh-water channel of the river. Thankfully there were no creatures in the water big enough to attack — sharks were a real fear of mine — so I couldn’t figure out why she’d gone so rigid.
“I don’t know.” Aisling rummaged around the bottom of the boat until she came up with a paddle. They were there in case of emergency, like the engine overheating or the boat springing a leak. I’d paid them zero attention the few times I’d been in the boat the past few days.
“What are you going to do with that?”
“See what’s under here.” Aisling lowered the paddle into the water, frowning as she leaned over the gunwale. She looked as if she was concentrating, and I almost wanted to laugh at her expression because it was so grave. She was so serious that she almost looked like a different person.
When she didn’t immediately find anything, I was ready to call it a morning and complete our short voyage to the island. “There’s nothing down there. Maybe whatever it was came from a boat way out that way.” I gestured vaguely toward Canada. “It might’ve brushed against us in the current. It was probably nothing.”
Aisling didn’t look convinced. “Probably,” she murmured, moving the paddle around again. Suddenly, she gasped, both hands grabbing the paddle.
“What?” I gripped the side of the boat and peered over. I couldn’t see anything. Still, I felt something ... and it wasn’t good. “What do you think it is?”
“Something is pulling,” Aisling gritted as she gripped the paddle and gave it a vicious tug. “There’s something down there.”
“Let it have the paddle,” I ordered. “We don’t need it.”
“No way. I’m not giving whatever is down there a weapon.”
“Let it go,” I repeated. “Crank up the engine and get us out of here.”
“No, I ... .” She pulled so hard the paddle jerked several inches out of the water and soared in her direction. For a moment I thought she was going to win the tug of war.
That feeling of exhilaration lasted only a split-second.
That’s when I saw a black hand wrapped around the paddle bar. It was mutated ... and rubbery. I knew exactly what that meant.
“Did you see that?” Aisling’s eyes were as big as Frisbees.
I nodded, dumbfounded. “The revenants are in the water.” I glanced back toward the shore to study the movement I was convinced I’d seen moments before. The shore was still, but my suspicions were out of control. “We have to get to Belle Isle right now. We can’t screw around.”
Aisling continued to tug on the paddle.
“Now isn’t the time for your ‘win-at-all-costs’ attitude,” I hissed, grabbing the paddle so I could pull it from her. “Screw the paddle and get us to the island. We need to prepare for them to invade. It might already be too late.”
Aisling held my gaze for a moment and then acquiesced, releasing the paddle. “Okay, but that’s the last ground I’m ceding to them. This means war.”
I could do nothing but shake my head. “Over a boat paddle?”
“Over everything. They can’t have this world. I won’t let them.”
On that we could agree.
Twenty-Three
Aisling had no fear when it came to navigating to the island. She aimed right for the shore rather than the dock, which was a stroke of genius because we wouldn’t have to worry about being dragged into the water from below the rickety wooden contraption. We rammed the shore hard enough that I pitched forward, scraping against the rocks that littered the shoreline.
“Son of a ... !” I glared at Aisling, who didn’t look bothered in the least about how I landed.
“Get up,” she ordered as she joined me on the beach. Her eyes were on the water as she scanned for movement. “We’re too exposed out here. We have to get inside.”
I glared at her as I dusted myself off, frowning at the small tear in the knee of my jeans. “You’re a menace,” I muttered. “I mean ... seriously a menace.”
“I got us here safely, didn’t I?”
That was a matter of opinion. “You didn’t have to ram us in so hard.”
“Oh, suck it up.” She scuffed her shoe against the ground and then shook her head. “The revenants could be coming from any direction. They’d be stupid to follow us. Given the way they attacked yesterday, I assumed they were stupid. What they pulled off today shows actual planning. We need to get inside.”
I nodded in agreement. I was still annoyed, but she was right. “Oliver will be at the aquarium. He might know what to do. Even if he doesn’t, at least we’ll have more backup.”
“Then let’s go.”
WE RAN, BECAUSE IT SEEMED the thing to do, and were out of breath when we reached the aquarium. The island was shut off to guests, so the workers who toiled in front of the aquarium were gone for the day. Those who fed the aquarium creatures stopped in, but at night. At least that’s what I was told. That meant, conceivably, the only people on the island were Oliver, Brett, Claire, Collin, Aisling and me. That wasn’t enough bodies to wage a war.
My hands were steady as I swiped my keycard in the reader. We waited until we were inside, the doors separating us from the outside world, to glance over our shoulders. There was nothing out there and yet it felt as if death was closing in.
“Come on.” I hurried away from the door and headed for the hallway that led to the gate room. I wasn’t particularly thrilled at the idea of returning to where all of this began, but I didn’t see that we had much choice.<
br />
Oliver was at his computer, a spreadsheet open on the desk next to him, but he was engaged in a conversation with Brett. I pulled up short. I couldn’t ever remember Brett just stopping by for a visit.
“Is something wrong?” I blurted out the question without thinking.
“They should be asking us that,” Aisling noted. “Just FYI, guys, there’s definitely something wrong.”
Oliver furrowed his brow, confused. “I wasn’t sure you were coming to work today. I got a cryptic message from Cormack. He said something about members of his team stopping by, but he didn’t mention you specifically.”
Oh, well, I was part of his team. That was a nice sentiment. It wasn’t, however, something I could focus on now. “What are you guys working on?”
“We’re not working on anything,” Brett replied. “Oliver simply mentioned he was feeling lonely working here alone the past few days so I thought I would surprise him with a mid-morning snack.” He crossed the room to hug me. He was the demonstrative sort, unlike Oliver. I returned the embrace even though I was agitated. “What’s going on with you?” he asked as he pulled away, taking a moment to push my wild hair from my face. “You’re flushed.”
“If Braden is here with you, I wasn’t kidding when I said I would tie it in a knot,” Oliver commented. “I don’t care how much you like him. He’s a pervert.”
“He’s totally a pervert,” Aisling agreed. “But he’s not the reason she’s so disheveled.”
“Yes, you’re the reason I look like this,” I groused, rolling my eyes. “You drive like a maniac and I’m going to make you pay for it later.”
Aisling didn’t look worried in the least. “I’m looking forward to the effort, but we have other things to worry about now.”
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