"Is he dead?" I asked.
"No. We don't kill if we can help it. But Brandy has time to call for help. He'll be out until the police can get here, though. Let's go."
I followed Celeste out of the apartment in awe. "You're really strong," I told her once we were out on the street.
"You have to be. There's a gym on the premises that we all use. You need to keep in shape. Run around the property. You never know what you'll come up against. The other day Mauricio had to lift a car off of someone."
"Whoa." I had a lot of work to do.
"You remember where the chamber is?" Celeste asked.
She was testing me. "On Seventh and E Street in front of the tourist gift shop."
"Very good. The next time we go out, I'll let you do the intercepting."
I didn't think I was ready for that at all. "What if it's something hard? What if I don't know what to do?"
"You'll figure it out. You'll get better and better every time you go out. I'm sure you've thought about it before, when you were on assignment following a Fated. I know you've wondered as you watched them walk into their deaths how you could save them."
I hadn't because we weren't supposed to, but now that Celeste brought it up I felt guilty.
We found the chamber and went back home just the way we'd come. Bram still wasn't there when I got back. I hoped he wouldn't be on a long assignment. I snuggled into my sleeping spot next to Naomi , thinking about the job I had just done and wondering if I wanted to do it for the rest of my life.
26
The following morning after breakfast , I went to see Marshall. He was in his office copying something off of the computer. Probably more assignments. I wasn't sure if I wanted another one just yet.
I cleared my throat , since he didn't seem to hear me enter. He turned and smiled. "Keira, how was your first job?"
"It was good," I said. "Celeste stopped a woman from getting murdered."
"And how do you feel about that?"
I shrugged. "I know that deaths are supposed to happen. It's a part of the cycle. But last night felt different. We'd only followed Brandy for a little while and just by that I could tell she didn't deserve to die in the way that was coming to her. She was just a girl who worked hard and was trying to meet a nice guy. She has her whole life ahead of her."
Marshall nodded. "Exactly. Some deaths just don't have to happen. Brandy's time will come, but thanks to you and Celeste, it wasn't last night."
"You mean thanks to Celeste."
Marshall turned back to his computer. "Don't worry, you'll catch on. But don't compare yourself to Celeste. She's half superhero."
"Yeah, she handed that guy his ass last night."
Marshall laughed. "I'm sure he deserved it."
"Marshall, I wanted to talk to you about something else."
He closed the notepad he was writing on and rubbed his face. "What's that?"
"My brother Josh. He has really bad allergies , and the hay makes him sneeze all the time , and he's having a hard time breathing."
Marshall tapped his pen on his desk. "Sy and Eva have an extra bedroom in their house. He can sleep there."
"Thanks, Marshall," I said as I stood to live. My hand was on the knob of the door when Marshall said something else.
"Admit it. Doing this is much more fulfilling than being a Grim."
I gave him a small smile. I wasn't sure if I felt that way just yet.
Naomi and Chase were going on an assignment that day. Neither Bram nor I had one. He had come back that morning complaining about how boring his assignment had been.
"I can't believe you guys got to stop a murder. All I got was an old guy who choked on a piece of gum he had been chewing when he fell asleep. And Mauricio made me stick my fingers down his throat to get it out," he had told me at breakfast. I'd told him that I was sure he would get more interesting jobs. I hoped he would. It was easy for Bram to get bored , and a bored Bram was bad news.
After lunch we went to the gym to work out together. Bram had made a big show of bench-pressing weights. I tried not to seem impressed, even though I was, kind of. Afterwards we sat outside to rest and drink water.
"You know, as long as we're not on a job and we're back by curfew, Marshall says we can do whatever we want," Bram said.
"Yeah, what do you have in mind?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. We have the vehicles. We could drive out somewhere, just for a change of scenery and have a picnic or something. We could go to a restaurant. The movies. Whatever. So, you want to get out of here?"
"Brametheus Grim, are you asking me out on a date?"
"Absolutely not. Grims don't date. Besides, you're engaged."
I nudged him in his side. "Grims don't date, but I guess we aren't Grims anymore, are we?" It felt weird saying that, especially since it was our last name.
"Well, in that case, yes. Yes, I am asking you out on a date."
I stood and brushed myself off. "Good. I'll be ready at seven. I expect flowers, or candy, or something."
Bram frowned at me.
"What? That's how humans date."
"Yeah, in the 1960 ' s."
"I don't care. That's what I want."
Bram threw his hands up. "Okay, okay. So where are we going?"
"Bram, you asked me out, so you tell me. See you at seven."
He laughed as I walked away. I was kind of glad Naomi was gone because I knew she wouldn't be thrilled about me going on a date with her brother, but I was.
Unfortunately, Naomi came back at six, right after dinner. While she wasn't ecstatic about it, she did let me borrow a black dress that had been in her closet, compliments of Mr. Lawson.
I tried the dress on and spun around for her.
She sighed. "That dress looks great on you. It was made for someone with boobs, anyway."
"Naomi…" I hated when she compared herself to me and downplayed her own looks. Naomi was beautiful. "Maybe one day you and Chase could come along with us for a double date."
Naomi frowned. "Oh, so, you're already planning for this to not be a one-time thing?"
I realized what I had said. I was going to laugh it off, then I realized there was really no point in that. "Naomi, I know to you he's just your jackass of a brother, but I really like Bram. You know that."
She waved her hand at me. "Yeah, yeah, I know."
I told Bram I would be waiting in the gazebo for him to pick me up. He arrived at two minutes past seven with a bundle of lilies I knew he had picked from the garden. I stood and accepted them.
"Thank you."
"I wasn't sure what kind of flowers you like, so I figured couldn't go wrong with whatever these are."
I grinned. "They're lilies." I had never given any thought to what my favorite flower was, but I guessed they were now lilies.
Bram drove us to a lake not too far away. We stopped on a low cliff where Bram pulled a blanket, a large lantern, and a picnic basket from the back seat. He placed the basket on the ground , and we each grabbed an end of the blanket to spread out on the grass. Bram put the basket between us.
"I had Eva whip us up a little something," he bragged.
I found that surprising , since Eva seemed to not like any of us. "How'd you manage to do that?"
He winked at me. "I have my ways."
He opened the basket and pulled out a beautiful spread—turkey wraps, potato salad, watermelon slices, deviled eggs, and brownies. Bram must have really worked a number on Eva.
We ate until we were full and then lay watching the stars. I rested my head on Bram's chest , and he wrapped his arm around me. It was simple, but I couldn't ask for more out of a first date.
We pulled into the yard at a quarter till eleven. One of the men, someone whose name I hadn't learned yet, was guarding the gate, ready to close it at eleven on the dot.
As we entered the barn, the others were settling into bed, except for Josh. Dorian wasn't there either. I figured he had gone to keep Josh company at
Sy and Eva's.
"Really?" Nokomis said as I entered. "You ditched kitchen duty to go out?"
I slapped my forehead. I had completely forgotten about kitchen duty.
"Why don't you mind your own business, Nokomis?" Bram asked.
"No, she's right. Nokomis, I'm sorry. I totally forgot about that. I'll do the dishes tomorrow morning all by myself."
She made a face and then turned over. I had a feeling she wasn't angry about the dishes at all. I changed into my pajamas underneath my blanket to avoid making the trip to the washhouse.
It must have been almost dawn when I was awakened. Some movement was going on to the left of me, Bram's side.
"What the hell are you doing?" Bram yelled.
"What's going on?" someone called from the other side of the barn.
I could feel Naomi moving to my right. "Turn on the light," she called.
Someone had turned on one lamp and then another. Doyle had Bram pushed up against the side of the barn.
"Are you crazy? Get off of me!" Bram said, pushing Doyle away. The rest of us crawled out of our beds.
"Doyle, what are you doing here?" Naomi asked.
"What am I doing here? What are you doing here? You signed a contract with that man? You gave up your inability to die? What the hell were you thinking?"
Dunstan stepped from out of the shadows. "After all we've done for you, after all we've been through. My people just saved your lives. This wasn't part of the plan."
"Yeah?" Bram said. "What is the plan? Because you sure as hell have left us out of it."
Dunstan rubbed his eyes. He looked tired. "This wasn't just about you. This was about my people and the people of Litropolis—the people who are dying now because you left. We were trying to find a way to make a better life for all of us. Not just you."
"So, talk to Marshall," I said. "Everyone can't stay here, but he can talk to you about what he does—"
Doyle cut me off. "We know what he does, and it's totally against what we do, or have you all forgotten that quickly? Human deaths are how we live. I don't know about you, but I plan on living as long as possible and as comfortably as possible. This thing they do here isn't lucrative at all."
"Everything's not about money," I said quietly.
"Like hell it is," Doyle said. "You want to be like them? Working at some two-bit job for chump change. You're sleeping on the floor of a barn like animals! Is that why you risked your lives to leave Nowhere?"
"Doyle, what's done is done," Bram said. "Sorry to ruin your plans, but what we've done can't be taken back."
Doyle narrowed his eyes at Bram. "That's what you think. I don't care what he put inside of you. You belong to Nowhere and that can't be reversed. That branding on your shoulder outweighs any paper you've signed. You were born Grims and you will always be Grims. I can snap my fingers and tell Dunningham your exact location. I can have you all brought back to Nowhere."
"And we can tell Dunningham your part in all of this. We couldn't have done it without you."
Doyle pursed his lips and then backed away. "Enjoy your little vacation. You won't be staying long."
Everyone looked at Bram.
"What does he mean by we're not staying long?" Greyson asked.
Bram shook his head. "Nothing. He's just trying to scare us. He can't do anything. Go back to sleep."
I lay back down and tried to get comfortable, but Doyle's words kept echoing in my head. I didn't want to get used to this place , only to have to go back to Nowhere and face Dunningham.
27
The following day , Naomi and I decided to take the vehicles to do some shopping. Naomi insisted on driving. She wasn't very good at it, but she figured she needed to learn since we would be living here.
It took us an hour and a half to reach the nearest mall following directions from the GPS.
"Um . . . we don't have any money," Naomi said as she turned off the ignition.
"Oh, yeah." I had been so excited about getting off the compound that I hadn't even realized. "So what. We'll window shop. When we have some money, we'll come back for what we want , and it'll probably be on sale by then."
"Good point."
We walked toward the mall. I'd been to a mall before, but there weren't any in Nowhere. "We're going to have to get jobs," I said.
Naomi nodded. "I know. That's going to be weird. Our only job has been collecting lifestones."
"It might be fun to learn something else," I said as we entered the mall through a huge department store.
Naomi ran her hand over a glass counter filled with watches. "Wanna look in here?"
I looked at the price tag on a pair of sunglasses and quickly discovered that this store was way out of our league. "Why not? We're just window shopping."
In the junior ' s ’ section , we each grabbed a few dresses to try on. Naomi thought we had enough jeans and hoodies and that we should spice things up.
We tried the clothes on , and I decided that I would definitely have to save for the red dress because it looked especially good on me.
"Keir, I'm going to grab this in another size," Naomi called from the stall next to mine.
"All right." I changed back into my clothes. As I grabbed the dresses I had tried on, the dressing room went dark.
I groped for the lock in the darkness and let myself out. I bumped into someone. From the limited light coming from the rest of the store I could make out the tall profiles Blair and Seymour. My stomach dropped.
Blair grinned eerily. "I told you, man. Sooner or later girls are going to show up at a mall."
"Dunningham is going to love us," Seymour said. "You're in a lot of trouble, girl."
Blair grabbed my arm and pulled me from the dressing room. "Let's get her to the chamber."
I tried to pull away from him and kicked Seymour in the groin. He grunted, grabbing my foot and then the other. I screamed as the two boys carried me from the dressing room. I heard commotion coming from outside of the dressing room.
Blair and Seymour carried me to the very last dressing room. Seymour kicked the door open, revealing the chamber. They hauled me inside.
"Keira!" Naomi sounded as if she were running toward the fitting room.
I tried to answer her, but Blair stuffed some kind of cloth into my mouth , and the door of the chamber sealed us in.
Part 4
Dunningham's House
28
The chamber transported us back to Nowhere—specifically to the wall that separate d s Farrington from Litropolis. Reynold and a few other Watchers were huddled in a group. Blair and Seymour dragged me from the chamber. I was trapped between them as they dug their fingers into my arm.
Reynold froze for a moment and then marched toward me. "Where the hell have you been?"
I didn't answer him , and he didn't press any further.
He spoke into a device on his wrist. "She's here." Then without warning, he brought his hand back and slapped me across the face.
Everything went white , and I couldn't keep myself from falling. The entire right side of my face burned. I had never been hit like that before.
The other Watchers surrounded me , and I quickly lost the fear of being killed by Dunningham. His Watchers were going to do it before he could get to me. One of them pinned my arms behind me and slapped handcuffs on my wrists. I felt like a prisoner, but I guessed I was now.
Reynold grabbed my chin and squeezed. "We all lost ten years of our lives because of you. Run away again and see what happens." I'd never seen his eyes so cold before.
A black car pulled up. Another Watcher grabbed my arm and led me toward it.
"Let's go," the Watcher barked. "Dunningham is waiting for you."
The Watcher opened the door and shoved me inside. I landed on my side. The driver took off hastily. I rocked from side to side, trying to steady myself as we crossed the ford of the stream, but that was difficult given the fact that I was handcuffed. Finally the ride became smooth. I savored the vie
w of my city, the place I'd always called home, knowing there was a very good chance that I would never see it again. I longed to stop and at least say hello to my parents. To let them know that I was alive and well, at least for the time being.
I sat back in the seat , thinking about what was going to happen. What was Dunningham going to do to me? Was he going to kill me? Make me disappear like as he had his other wives? I had to come up with some reason for what I had done. One that might cause him to forgive me.
The ride was a lot shorter than I'd wanted it to be. The tall wrought-iron gates opened , and the car moved toward the estate. I took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. As soon as the car stopped at the entrance of Dunningham's house, the front door flew opened and his butler came toward the car. He opened the door and pulled me out. He was a lot more gentle than the Watcher had been.
Without a word, he led me upstairs to Dunningham's lounge, a room Dunningham used to relax and entertain. The butler opened the door and I stepped inside nervously. Dunningham sat in a chair facing me, his hands clasped together in front of his face. He stared at some point on the wall, but not at me.
I stood there, still handcuffed.
"You look a mess," he said finally.
"I'm sorry, but this was the best I could do after being hit and tossed around by your Watchers." How I looked at that moment was the least of my worries.
"You can't blame them for being angry. They each lost ten years for the disappearing act you pulled."
How many years was I going to lose? "Why?" I asked. "It wasn't their fault I ran away."
He looked down at his bony hands. "But it was. I told them that wall was to be guarded at all times. Had someone been there, they would have seen you leave."
Their lack of diligence had worked to my advantage.
"It's been weeks. Where've you been?" he asked, still not looking at me.
I cleared my throat. "On the Outskirts."
Keira Grim: The Final Breath Chronicles Book Two Page 20