The Zig Zag Scam (Afterlife Book 12)

by Kaitlyn Meyers

  "Thanks, Dad," Brittney said.

  "Now I'm going to turn the conversation over to your mother," Craig said.

  Alice looked between the two of them. She clasped her hands on top of her lap. "We had a long talk about your future," she said. "And I realize that I've been selfish."

  "Mom--"

  "--No, let me finish," Alice said. "I've been selfish, Brittney. I had this idea for you when you were just a little girl. You were going to grow up and get married to a handsome man, and bear me grandchildren. We'd have Sunday dinners every night at the house, and we'd play games, and drink wine. We'd stay close friends.

  "When you told me that you had a girlfriend, my thoughts went exactly to what the members of the country club would think. And of course, I thought about that little girl that I always imagined. The one who was going to grow up and be my best friend."

  "You can still have those things," Brittney cut in. "We can still have dinner at your house, and we can still drink wine and play games. And we can still give you grandchildren to spoil. Chloe and I want a family. That's one of the reason that we're getting married. Just because it's not what you envisioned doesn't mean that it's wrong."

  "That's what your father told me," Alice said. "Almost word for word. And I've had a lot of time to think. I could continue to disapprove and be miserable for losing that dream I had, or I could embrace this new dream, and your new family."

  "What are you saying?" Brittney asked.

  "I'm saying that the two of you have my approval," Alice said.

  Chloe sat up straighter. "Thank you, Alice. That means a lot. I didn't think you'd ever approve of me."

  "It wasn't you that I had a problem with," Alice said. "You're a very nice girl, Chloe, and I never meant to make you think that I felt otherwise. It was the idea of you. The idea that you came in and swooped up my daughter and ruined my plans for her future."

  Brittney cleared her throat. "Before I met Chloe, I was just jumping from man to man, Mom. I wasn't going to settle down and give you that family. I got drunk almost every night, and I had more hookups than I can count. I spent all my time shopping and going to parties. Chloe has changed me for the better."

  "And we can see that," Craig said. "You've matured a lot, Brittney. I'm very proud of you."

  Alice leaned forward and took Chloe's hands in her own. They were wrinkled and a bit clammy, but Chloe clasped them anyway. "I want to welcome you into the family, Chloe, like I should have done when you first told me. I want to make you feel as though you're a part of the Conley legacy."

  "The Conley legacy?" Brittney laughed.

  "I mean it," Alice said. "Your father is a great businessman, and someday he's going to pass along that business to you and Peter, whether you want it or not. Now he can pass it onto Chloe too, and your future family."

  Chloe sniffled a little, and realized there were tears in her eyes. She pulled her hands back and wiped them away. "I appreciate that more than you'll ever know."

  "We have a gift for you," Craig said.

  "What?" Brittney asked. "If it's a housewarming gift, please keep it. We have everything we could ever need."

  "No, this is something far more valuable," Alice said. She reached over and grabbed her purse. From it, she took two ring boxes. She handed one to Brittney and one to Chloe. Chloe opened hers and saw a slim golden band. On the inside, the word 'forever' was etched delicately. She glanced over at Brittney and saw a thicker, but obviously matching one.

  "Mom!" Brittney exclaimed. "Are these what I think they are?"

  "Yes," Alice said. "These rings belonged to your grandfather and grandmother before they passed away. I think they would want you and Chloe to have them."

  Brittney jumped up from her seat and launched herself into her mother's arms. "Thank you, Mom. You have no idea what this means to me."

  "And to me," Chloe said softly. Her eyes were still sparkling with tears as she stared down at the ring. "They're very beautiful. I'll cherish this forever."

  Brittney's father joined in on the hug and then Alice looked over at Chloe. "Come on and join us. You're part of the family now."

  Chloe got up and went and joined the group hug. It felt strange, but it also felt nice. Once they all broke apart, she saw that both Brittney and Alice were crying too.

  "We should go now," Craig said. "We just wanted to tell you that and give you those rings."

  "We'll come to your house this Sunday," Brittney promised. "Just as long as you promise to make your meatloaf. Chloe hasn't tried it yet."

  "I'll do that," Alice said. She went the door and looked back quickly. "I love you."

  "I love you too, Mom," Brittney said.

  Then Craig and Alice left, and Chloe let out a happy sigh. "That was so kind of them. Can you believe it? These rings are beautiful."

  "They really are," Brittney said. "But I'm worried that we shouldn't have accepted them."

  "Why?" Chloe asked. "Isn't that what you wanted? For your mother to accept us?"

  "I'm just worried about what Mikael said," Brittney told her. "He said there was going to be tragedy in our future. That's what I'm concerned about. I wish he'd given us more details."

  Chloe took Brittney by the hands and looked into her eyes. She saw doubt reflected back in them, and shook her head. "Brittney, listen to me. I don't care what any cupid has to say. We're meant to be together, and nothing is going to drive us apart. Alright? Nothing."

  "Promise me that," Brittney said.

  "I promised you that when I agreed to marry you," Chloe said.

  "Well promise me again."

  Chloe rolled her eyes and then leaned forward to kiss her fiancée. "I promise, nothing will tear us apart. Nothing and nobody. Not now, and not ever."

  TWENTY

  Harper stood on a hill while snow fell all around her, staring at her great-grandmother, Ileana. It had been sometime since she'd last dreamed of visiting the woman, but Ileana looked the same as ever; beautiful and timeless in her patchwork dress and her silver locket.

  "Harper, how are you, dear?"

  It used to be that when Harper would appear on the hill, she would become Ileana. But more recently, she had learned how to project herself into the dream as herself.

  "I'm good," she said.

  "Still heartbroken over that boy? Conner?"

  Harper shook her head. Then she thought about it. "Maybe a little. It was nice being with him. But I have Alec now, and I feel a lot for him too."

  Ileana's face melted into a smile. "He deserves happiness. That's all I've ever wanted for him. If you can provide that, then I'm happy for you two."

  "I think I can," Harper said. "When we're together, it's like nothing else in the world matters."

  "I used to feel that way too," Ileana said. "But soon it became apparent that it wasn't enough. I hope that doesn't happen with the two of you. I never dreamed my great-grandchild would end up with one of the great loves of my life. But it pleases me, Harper. Hold onto him for as long as you can, alright?"

  Harper nodded. "I'm not planning on letting go anytime soon."

  Ileana started to say more, but was interrupted by a voice that echoed throughout the area. "Harper, wake up."

  Harper groaned and pulled her blanket further over her head. She felt Alec take hold of it and pull it back down. "Five more minutes," she grumbled.

  "Up and at 'em," Alec said. "You have places to be."

  "Right," Harper said, remembering that they had the demolition to attend. She got out of bed and stretched. She grabbed her phone and checked the time. "No time for a shower," she mumbled to herself. She got dressed and slid her tennis shoes on, then grabbed her purse and checked to make sure it had her supplies in it.

  "Here," Alec said, on her way out. He handed her a lemon and poppyseed muffin. "I baked them while you were sleeping."

  "You know, you're just about perfect," Harper said. She leaned up for a kiss.

  Alec rolled his eyes. "Far from it. Text me if an
ything goes wrong, alright?"

  "Nothing is going to go wrong," Harper said.

  "But if it does..."

  "Yes, I'll text you."

  "Thank you," Alec said.

  He kissed her again and then pushed out the door. She made her way down through the empty club and to the VIP parking area. She slid into her convertible and took a bite out of her muffin. It was delicious. She wasn't surprised.

  By the time she reached Locust Lane, the others were already there. Conner looked a little bit on the irritable side.

  "Hey," Harper said.

  "Hey," Conner said.

  "Something wrong?"

  "No," Conner said. "Well, yes, but I don't want to talk about it. Not now. We have too much going on today."

  Harper nodded. "I understand."

  Brittney and Chloe approached. They both looked as exhausted as Harper felt. "What time is the demolition team supposed to get here?" Chloe asked.

  "In about half an hour," Harper said. "Which is perfect, it gives us time to prepare." She took her sage stick out of her purse and a lighter. "Come on, let's go in."

  Conner led the way inside. Harper knew that he and Alec had already spread the word to empty the place out, but it was still a surprise not to see demons littering the area. Instead of looking like a hangout place for the supernatural, it looked just like a simple deteriorating building.

  Harper went through the motions of casting a barrier spell anyway. It wasn't to keep anyone inside like she'd told Rebecca though; it was to keep anyone from entering. That was her hope, anyway. She remembered the way the vampire, John's skin had blistered when he'd crossed her line.

  Once she was done, and they were sure nobody was hiding inside, they exited the building. Harper blinked when she saw a television crew setting up. Rebecca Stanley was there with them. Harper walked up to her. "What are you doing here, Councilwoman?"

  Rebecca gave her a large, false smile. "I've come to oversee the demolition of this house. It's been an eyesore on the community for far too long. When it's gone, we can begin rebuilding -- together, as a team."

  Harper understood the double meaning behind the words. She wanted to say something snarky, but remembered that they were there to give a show.

  "Well, alright," she said.

  Rebecca turned to one of the men that was with her. He was human, as far as Harper could tell. Everyone with her was.

  "This is Harper Hawthorne. She's one of the detectives--"

  "--Agents," Harper corrected.

  "Yes," Rebecca said. "She's one of the special agents who took down the Trinity gang. She's here to offer her support as we make this monumental step in cleaning up Las Vegas. Her team has worked diligently to ensure that this will be a safe demolition."

  "That's right," Harper said. "Nobody can get in -- or out."

  Rebecca gave her a triumphant smile and a nod of approval. "Good. We wouldn't want any innocent bystanders getting hurt."

  "Of course not," Harper said. "Excuse me, Councilwoman. It looks like the demolition team has arrived."

  "Certainly," Rebecca said. As Harper started away, she reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Thank you, Agent Hawthorne. You have no idea how much good you've done for the people of this city with your tireless efforts to support my campaign."

  Harper jerked her wrist free and headed over to where Chloe, Brittney, and Conner were speaking to the man in charge of the demolition. Conner used his persuasive powers to convince them that they didn't need to do a double check that nobody was inside.

  The men with the hardhats eventually shepherded everyone back away from the building. The four of them stood in a tight knit circle as the men got to work.

  "I saw you talking with Stanley," Brittney said. "What's she doing here?"

  "Using the opportunity for more press," Harper said. "I think she also showed up to make sure we got the job done. Don't worry though, I convinced her."

  "Good," Brittney said.

  Conner just shrugged. Harper studied him for a few minutes and then realized she felt bad for him. It had hurt when he'd broken up with her, but she realized now that their friendship was more important than their romantic relationship had been. He deserved to have someone to talk to and she made herself a promise that she would help him out with whatever problems he was facing as much as he could. Even if that meant just being there as a supportive ear.

  "Oh hey, guess what?" Brittney said to her, drawing her thoughts away from Conner.

  "What?"

  Brittney grinned. "My parents came over late last night. My mother finally said she approves of Chloe marrying me."

  "What?" Harper asked. "That's great!"

  "I know," Brittney said. "Even better, she gave us my grandparents' rings to use for the ceremony. They're slim and gold, which is perfect. Our engagement rings are flashy enough that we needed a simple wedding band. They'll be wonderful."

  "I guess that means I should include your mother on the guest list for your bachelorette party?" Harper asked.

  "Absolutely not," Brittney said. "She may be accepting, but I still want to have a good time. You can invite her our engagement party when you and Sarah throw it, alright?"

  "But the fey..."

  "The fey gave us a feast, and Marissa will be the one officiating," Brittney said. "But our real engagement party has to include all of our friends and family, and you're in charge of that. So make sure it's something classy, alright? No burger joints. I want my mother to continue to approve, after all."

  "No burger joints," Harper promised.

  "What about burger joints?" Chloe asked, approaching the pair of them.

  "Oh, Brittney doesn't want me throw your engagement party at one," Harper said.

  "Why not?" Conner asked, joining the conversation. "What's so wrong about burgers?"

  "Let's just say that Brittney's parents are a little too upscale," Harper said.

  Brittney leaned toward Conner. "That means they're snobby."

  Harper laughed. "I was trying to be polite."

  "You know, if you really want something classy..." Conner trailed off for a moment. "You could have catering done at your home. Alec and I could do the cooking."

  Brittney blinked. "That would be great, Conner! Don't you think, Chloe?"

  Chloe gave Conner a radiant smile. "And deal with your cooking? Are you trying to kill us all before the wedding can even happen?"

  "You know you enjoy my cooking," Conner said. "Though I might whip up something special for you, and then I can take Brittney all for myself."

  "Like she'd have you," Chloe teased.

  Before Conner could retaliate with something witty, they heard a large bang. They looked over and saw that demolition was taking place. They all watched in fascination as the house was destroyed.

  "Guess you'll have to look for a new way to get to the underground," Harper said to Conner.

  "There are plenty of other houses," Conner said dismissively. "The important thing is that our work here is done, ladies. I don't know about you, but I'm ready for some coffee. What do you say we go hit up a coffee shop and load ourselves up on some sugar while Sarah's not here to lecture us?"

  "I'm down," Harper said. "Alec's going to be sleeping for a while."

  "Sure," Chloe said. Brittney nodded.

  They all went to their cars. Harper turned and saw a chartered bus going past. On the bus would be all the demons that were supposed to have been killed in the demolition. She grinned as one of the women -- a succubus -- waved at Conner. He waved back.

  She glanced over at Rebecca Stanley. She was in the middle of giving a press conference. Briefly, though, their eyes met, and Rebecca gave her a nod of approval. Harper went to join her friends, feeling glad their favor had been repaid and that nobody had been killed in order to complete it.

  TWENTY-ONE

  Sarah picked up her phone, debating who to call. In the end, she scrolled down to Chloe's name and hit the call button. She'd have called Alec, but
he was probably sleeping.

  After a few rings, Chloe picked up. "Hey, Sarah."

  "Chloe," she said. Her voice broke on her name, and she couldn't seem to say more.

  "What's going on?" Chloe asked. "Are you okay?"

  Sarah shook her head and then realized he couldn't see her. She cleared her throat. "Are you at Afterlife? Are the others with you?"

  "Yeah," Chloe said. "We're celebrating. Why? What's going on? You sound terrible."

  "The bus never arrived, Alec," Sarah said. "Turn on the news."

  She hung up the phone and turned her attention back toward the television. The volume was turned down, but she could still hear every word being said. Alicia Sterling was the news reporter at the scene. She had a serious expression on her face and a haunted look in her eyes.

  "Nobody yet knows the cause of the explosion," Alicia said. "Some have suggested that a fuel tank exploded. Others are suggesting more far more sinister, such as a terrorism attack. We'll know more after the investigation led by Arizona State Police. There's no word yet on how many casualties but dozens of bodies have been pulled from the rubble of the chartered bus."

  Sarah couldn't hear anymore, so she turned off the television. She paced around her room, wishing she had someone to talk to. She wished that she was home, with the others. More than that, she wished she could find Rebecca Stanley and take her head off.

  But since she couldn't, she grabbed her jacket, and purse and headed out into the night. She had been running for a little more than fifteen minutes when she saw Samuel on a street corner waiting for the light. She watched him for a moment, thinking of Peter.

  Then she put Peter out of her mind. She had sent him home, after all, and for good reason. She wasn't going to let him treat her the way he had. She approached Samuel.

  Samuel looked over at her, starting to say hello. The greeting died on its way out. "Sarah, what is it? What's wrong?"

  "Dozens of men and women were killed today," Sarah said. "I know they were demons, but they weren't bad, Samuel. They only wanted a chance at a new life, and now they'll never have it."