“Passed out?” I wrinkled my forehead as my mind drifted to the previous night. “Something happened last night? Something ... oh!” The female ghost, the unhappy one with the dark glare, infiltrated my thoughts. “We had a seance.”
“Yes, and that was about the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard of.” Braden groaned as he sat upright and raised his arms over his head. “I think I’m too old to sleep in a chair.”
“Why did you sleep in the chair?”
“I was worried about you.”
His answer was so simple it made me feel guilty. “You didn’t have to worry. I just ... was tired. I’m fine now that I’ve slept for a few hours.”
“You slept for eleven hours,” Braden corrected, causing my eyes to widen. “I got you back here at about seven last night. It’s almost six. You were more than a little tired.”
He wasn’t wrong. The aftermath of the botched seance was misty in my mind. I remembered seeing him, talking to him, and then everything became a blur. “Well, I’m sorry you felt the need to babysit me.” I swallowed hard. “That shouldn’t have been your responsibility.”
He rolled his eyes, managing to irk me even though I knew I should be grateful. “It wasn’t all that bad. Your golf cart was outside, so I used that to transport you. Luckily for you, I happen to love driving golf carts.”
“Should I take that to mean you were hot dogging all over the island?”
“I never hot dog ... unless at a ball game and they’re on the menu.” He winked, his full arsenal of charm on full display. “I drove you straight here. Madame Maxine offered to do it, but she wasn’t certain she could get you up the stairs. I sent her home and handled it myself.
“I planned to watch you for an hour and then leave you with nothing but a note and a lot of guilt, but some freezing rain rolled through last night,” he continued. “Oliver warned it wasn’t safe to drive across the bridge. I was stuck here anyway, so I decided to keep watch over you. I figured it couldn’t hurt after the ghost ordeal.”
“Freezing rain?” The term meant very little to me. Of course, I understood that it was a weather condition that made for hazardous travel, but I couldn’t remember ever seeing it. “I guess I’m sorry I missed it.”
“You’re a Michigander now.” Braden’s tone was teasing. “You’ll put aside that notion fairly quickly.”
“I guess.” I rolled my neck and lifted my hands to study them. “All the ghosts are gone, right?”
“Don’t you remember?”
“Kind of. It’s all hazy.”
“I think that’s because you expended so much power there at the end that your mind shut down. That’s probably normal, or maybe I’m just hoping that because I don’t want to see you suffer.”
My stomach threatened to revolt. “Power? What do you mean by power?”
“I mean that you have magical abilities.” He was matter-of-fact as he got to his feet. “I don’t know why you insist on lying about it — frankly, I would be screaming it to the skies if I had magic to wield — but I recognize what happened last night.”
That was interesting because I had no idea what had transpired. “I don’t think ... .”
“Shh.” Braden’s eyes lit with amusement as he pressed his finger to his lips and admonished me to shut my mouth. “I know it. You can’t change the fact that I saw you in action. I know you can do more. I know you can hear something when you’re around the gate.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but no sound came out.
“You can trust me.” He turned plaintive. “I know you don’t believe that. Your grandfather probably told you to keep your abilities a secret. That was smart on his part. But you can trust me.”
I found my voice. “It’s not that I don’t trust you.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s that ... I don’t know what to tell you.” That was mostly the truth. “I don’t fit into one group. I’m more than one thing.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“There is in the reaper world,” I argued, my voice becoming stronger. “You’re supposed to be a reaper and nothing else. That’s why I was so interested in your sister’s relationship with her husband. Marrying outsiders is frowned upon. I don’t remember much, but I remember that.
“My mother wasn’t a reaper and she got a lot of grief for it,” I continued, warming to my topic. “She always felt like an outsider. She worried I would feel like an outsider. My grandfather warned me when I decided I wanted to work for the reaper council that they wouldn’t accept me if they knew everything. That’s why he left the fold. He was more than one thing, too.”
Braden looked as if he was struggling to understand everything. “Okay, I get that,” he said after a beat. “Reapers aren’t always the most welcoming bunch. That’s a given. I don’t think it’s for the same reason you think it is.”
“Oh? Why do you think reapers are such jerks?”
“I think that reapers are militant about keeping their secret,” he replied, refusing to allow himself to be drawn into a needless argument. “Can you imagine the panic that would go through the populace if they found out there was a group of people who sneak into their homes and places of business to absorb souls after they died? That we get lists of who is going to die before it happens?”
Oddly, that hadn’t occurred to me.
“I mean ... think about it,” he continued. “There’s very little we can do about some of the medical emergencies, but in a lot of cases people could be saved through intervention. But that’s not our job. And think about the murders. If people knew we were aware when a murder was going to happen, how do you think they would react?”
“That’s a fair point,” I admitted as I combed my fingers through my hair, grimacing when they snagged. I figured, given the way I’d passed out the previous evening, I’d slept deep. That meant my bedhead was probably out of control. “That doesn’t change the fact that they see me as an outsider.”
“I don’t think anyone sees you as an outsider but you.”
“If people knew ... .”
“What?” Braden held his hands out. “What would they say? I know. I’m not bothered by it.”
“You haven’t had a chance to really think about it.”
“Perhaps, but I don’t think anything will change.”
I had a feeling he was deluding himself. “If people find out, the odds of me losing this job are much greater. I can’t lose this job.”
“Because you want to find out what happened to your parents?”
“Partly.”
“Well, I asked my father about that,” Braden volunteered. “I figured he would know something. He doesn’t. He doesn’t know what happened to your parents because no one knows.”
“That’s impossible,” I protested, my anger returning with a vengeance. “Somebody had to find me. I was in the hospital. I remember being in the hospital. I doubt very much I managed to get there myself.”
“They found you in the rubble of the house,” he corrected. “Search crews went to the house because it was clear something very bad had happened. They found your parents right away. They were dead. They couldn’t find you, and there was debate about whether you’d been kidnapped. Then someone — I’m not sure who, the report was vague — but someone found you. You were unconscious and transported to the hospital. Once there, Madame Maxine was called and the reaper council lost interest ... mostly because when they asked the obvious questions you couldn’t answer. You couldn’t remember anything.”
I shook my head. “How can they not know what killed my parents?”
“They weren’t there. They know your parents died — and they were ugly deaths — but they don’t know who or what did it. They only know you somehow survived.”
That wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I was certain the reaper council knew what had happened and simply refused to share the information with outsiders. Now it seemed I had been wrong ... and apparently about a great many thing
s. “I came back to find out what happened to my parents. I’m not going to turn my back on that mission even though I’m going to have to dig harder than I initially envisioned for answers. I’m not simply going to let it go.”
“I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t give up either.”
“Well ... that’s good.”
Braden’s lips quirked. “As for the magic, I don’t care that you’re more than one thing. I’m fine with it. You mentioned my sister and her husband, and you’re right. My father wasn’t especially thrilled when she brought him home. It wasn’t because he was a normal man. It was because my father could tell there was something different about him.
“I know you think the reaper council is full of a bunch of stodgy old men who want things a certain way,” he continued. “They do like history, and there are rules for a reason. They’re also willing to change if necessary. I’ve seen it happen. We had so much going on with my mother and other stuff that was happening that the council had no choice but to get with the program or be left behind.”
“And you think they would accept me no matter what?” I was beyond dubious. “I don’t feel that’s true, and I’m not willing to risk my future on your hunch.”
“I don’t want you to risk anything either,” Braden supplied. “It’s okay if you want to hide who you really are and what you can do. I don’t blame you. But keep in mind that everybody has secrets. You’re not the only one hiding something. Half the people in this business are hiding something and the other half are too stupid to realize they need to hide something.”
“Yes, well, I need to worry about my own secrets.”
Braden’s fingers were gentle as he reached over and slipped a strand of hair behind my ear. He hesitated a moment before pulling away. “You don’t have to worry about me sharing your secret. I have no interest in doing so. I understand about loyalty. Whatever else you believe about me, I don’t break confidences.”
“I believe you.”
“Good.” He pressed the heel of his hand against his forehead as he regrouped and directed the conversation to something else. “You should probably get cleaned up. I need you to give me a ride back to the aquarium so I can collect my vehicle and then head home to shower.”
“Oh, right.” I rolled out of bed, taking a moment to make sure I was solid before shaking my head. “Thank you for staying with me last night. It wasn’t necessary, but it was sweet all the same.”
“That’s my middle name.”
“Sweet?”
“Yes.”
“Is that something you tell your friends at the bar?”
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Well, it won’t work on me.”
“I think it’s already working on you.”
“And I think you’re dreaming.”
“We shall see.”
BRADEN WAS IN A good mood when we reached the aquarium. The roads were clear thanks to a warm-up, but his BMW still had a layer of ice on it that required some massive heating power from the vents.
While he was waiting for that to happen, he stepped into the aquarium lobby with me.
“If you need something today, you know how to reach me. I have to get home so I can change out of yesterday’s clothes — I wasn’t planning on spending the night — but I’ll be available this afternoon if something comes up.”
Tara, already behind the counter, widened her eyes. That let me know she heard Braden’s statement, and she was clearly intrigued.
“Thank you.” I felt like an idiot as I stared at the floor. “I’ll be fine. I know how to take care of myself.”
“I didn’t say otherwise, but you don’t have to do everything by yourself. It’s okay to ask for help.”
“I honestly can’t see any reason why I’d need help today.”
“I can think of one reason,” Braden said grimly as Edgar Mason pushed his way through the doorway.
“Oh, good morning.” Mason seemed chipper as he tugged each finger of his gloves to remove them. “I didn’t realize I warranted a personal greeting in the lobby. That’s rather sweet.”
While I found Mason’s reaction amusing, Braden clearly saw it differently. “Yes, we’re sitting here to greet you,” he drawled. “We thought that was the best way to spend our time when there’s a rogue wraith on the loose.”
That reminded me of something. “I take it your family didn’t find the wraith last night.”
“No.” Braden shook his head as he glared at an oblivious Mason. “Cillian selected three likely places for it to show. It didn’t.”
“Cillian? That’s the man who couldn’t read the Sumerian texts yesterday, right?” Mason queried.
“I believe he said they were in Italian,” I corrected, doing everything I could to keep from laughing at Braden’s huffy demeanor. He clearly didn’t like Mason ... an emotion I understood. “You’ll have to take that up with him.”
“Oh, I look forward to doing so.” Mason offered me what I’m sure he thought was the most charming smile in his repertoire. “So ... you’re the gatekeeper at this particular facility.”
I nodded, unsure where he was going. “I am.”
“Good. You’ll be having lunch with me this afternoon. I have a number of things I want to discuss with you.”
“Oh, well ... .” I was at a loss.
“What if she doesn’t want to have lunch with you?” Braden challenged, his cheeks flushing as his temper made an appearance. “You can’t just order her to eat when she doesn’t want to eat.”
Mason’s expression was blank. “Why wouldn’t she want to eat? Is there something I don’t know about lunch in this area? Granted, I don’t expect a panoply of choices. As far as I can tell, it’s coney or bust. Still, I’m sure she can find something to her liking.”
“First, coneys are awesome,” Braden snapped. “Second, you’re not in charge here. You can’t just order her to go to lunch with you.”
“I don’t believe I ordered. I need to talk to her about a few things. In her job as gatekeeper she is the most likely individual to answer those questions.”
“I haven’t been on the job long,” I hedged, uncomfortable when I felt Braden’s eyes land on me. “I might not have the answers you’re looking for.”
“It can’t hurt to try.” Mason was back to being oblivious as he skirted around Braden and headed toward the hallway at the back of the room. “I’ll meet you in the gate room so we can firm up plans. I have a full agenda today and no time for dillydallying.”
I purposely avoided Braden’s gaze. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
“Lovely.”
Twenty-Four
Braden suddenly didn’t want to leave the aquarium.
He stalled, hemmed and hawed, and feigned a leg cramp to get rid of Mason so we could talk without an audience. Sure, Tara was still around, but Braden barely registered her presence.
“You can’t go out to lunch with him,” he hissed the moment we were alone.
I remained immovable for a long moment. “Why?” I asked finally. In truth, I knew why he didn’t want me to go out with Mason. I couldn’t help but wonder if he would admit it.
“Because he’s a tool.”
“I need more information than that,” I said dryly. “When you say ‘tool,’ my mind immediately goes to a home improvement situation.”
“That’s because you’re trying to drive me crazy,” he fired back. “That dude’s ego is so big he could float away. I don’t want him to take you with him. You could die thanks to the fall back to Earth.”
I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing at his serious expression. “I think I can take care of myself.”
“I didn’t say you couldn’t.”
“You’re acting as if I’m an easy mark.”
“I’m simply trying to protect you. That guy is a tool. You can’t go out with him.”
“I don’t think he wants me to go out with him in the way you’re suggesting,” I argued, deciding to put
my foot down in an attempt to end this ridiculous argument. “I think he wants to talk to me about the room and its proximity to the gate. He probably found something important.”
“That guy couldn’t find something important if I glued it to his face.”
“Now, don’t get bitter,” I chided, amused despite myself. “You too can puff out your ego to the size of California if you simply stop trying to think rationally.” I was trying to placate him, although I had no idea if it worked. “There’s no reason to get upset. It’s lunch. I’ll answer his questions and that will be it.”
Instead of immediately responding, Braden wrinkled his nose and shifted to look out the aquarium’s front window. “Maybe I should see if I can get Cillian to take my charges today. That way I could go to lunch with you.”
That seemed an overreaction. “I’m an adult who can make her own decisions.” I debated continuing but ultimately decided he needed to hear it again despite the fact that he’d stepped in and saved me the previous evening. “Besides, I thought we agreed that getting too close was a bad idea.”
“Yeah. Bad idea.”
“So ... why are you freaking out about this?”
“What?” Braden jerked his head in my direction, alerting me that he hadn’t been listening at all. “What did you say?”
My temper flared. “I said that we agreed getting close was a mistake,” I repeated. “You agreed.”
“No, I didn’t.” He shook his head, firm. “You said that, and I backed off because I needed time to think. Well, I’ve thought about it, and I’ve decided I don’t want to do what you suggested.”
My mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” He made a face. “I think we should try dating.”
His about-face was so jarring I had no idea how to respond. “But ... you said that it was a good idea to stay friends and nothing more. You don’t like dating someone for more than one night anyway. I’m not a one-night stand girl. Our lives don’t mesh.”
Braden was unnaturally calm as he leveled his gaze on me. “I changed my mind. We can date for more than one night. In fact, we can date for a lot of nights. If that’s what you need to hear, I understand. I’ve said it ... and I mean it.”
Only The Lonely (A Death Gate Grim Reapers Thriller Book 1) Page 22