Grim Holiday (Aisling Grimlock Book 6)

by Amanda M. Lee

  “Whatever.” Cillian rarely gets flustered, so I figured he had a busy slate and I was bothering him. “Hello, Aisling, my favorite sister. What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing is wrong,” I hedged, suddenly uncomfortable. I felt as if I was being a bit of an alarmist. “I’m your only sister, too. That ‘favorite sister’ bit would mean more if you told me I was your favorite sibling.”

  “You’re my least favorite right now,” Cillian growled. “What do you want?”

  “What’s your deal?”

  “What’s your deal?”

  I heaved out a sigh, annoyed. “Never mind. Forget I called.”

  Cillian’s tone softened almost instantly. “I’m sorry. I have a lot going on. I didn’t mean to snap at you. Do you need something?”

  “I have a question.”

  “About?”

  “Have you ever been to Sunset Acres Assisted Living Facility?”

  “No, but that’s an absolutely terrible name for a place like that,” Cillian replied. “Why? What’s wrong with the place?”

  “Other than it looks like a torture hospital from a bad movie? I swear they look to be performing experiments on the inmates or something.”

  “Is that true or are you exaggerating?”

  What kind of question was that? “What do you think?”

  “I think you’re exaggerating,” Cillian answered without hesitation.

  “I think you’re a butthead,” I muttered, rolling my neck. “The building looks odd from the outside … although I can’t really figure out why it bothers me. I thought you might know because you’re into architecture and stuff.”

  “I’m into architecture when it’s old libraries, museums and even apartment buildings,” Cillian clarified. “I don’t spend a lot of time staring at retirement centers.”

  “Okay.”

  Cillian was quiet for a beat. “Aisling, is something wrong on your job? If it is, I can get to you in twenty minutes. You’re in St. Clair Shores, right?”

  “Nothing is wrong,” I replied. “I don’t think, at least. This place just gives me the creeps. I feel as if I have a hundred spiders dancing up and down my spine.”

  “And we all know how you feel about bugs,” Cillian muttered. “Of course, Jerry calls you ‘Bug’ so … .”

  “Cillian, it was a simple question,” I snapped. “I think the building looks odd. I don’t like it inside. I’m going to use my ring now that I’ve seen the layout. I’ll have to follow a visiting guest past the front door and then hopefully sneak out the back. It shouldn’t be a big issue.”

  “Suck and run,” Cillian ordered. “If that place is as nasty as you make it sound I don’t want you wasting time talking to a soul when you should be getting out of there.”

  “I’ve got it.”

  “Aisling … .”

  “I’ve got it,” I repeated, my temper wearing thin. “I have no intention of staying here for longer than is necessary. Trust me. Jason Voorhees would quake in terror at this place.”

  “You watch far too much crap,” Cillian muttered. “Do the job and then get back here. I want to see you as soon as possible to make sure you’re okay.”

  My heart warmed at his admission. “I’m fine. I promise. If I was going to be hurt today it would’ve happened an hour ago when I ran into Angelina on the Nautical Mile.”

  “Is she alive?” Cillian never wanted to talk about the time he spent with Angelina, but he did enjoy a good girl fight story, especially if it ended with me beating the crap out of my nemesis.

  “We just called each other names and made a few pimp jokes.”

  “So … situation normal?”

  “Yup.” I sucked in a steadying breath. “Okay, I’m going to put my ring on and get inside. I should be back to the manor within the hour.”

  “Be careful, Aisling,” Cillian ordered. “If you feel something is wrong, that might be because something is legitimately wrong. You have good instincts.”

  “I thought you said I had a hard head.”

  “That, too. Come home as quickly as you can.”

  “That’s the plan.”

  IT WENT WELL. Better than I expected really. I put on my ring, slipped inside following a sad-looking family visiting an Alzheimer’s-afflicted grandmother for the first time. Even though she couldn’t see me, I fixed the young granddaughter clutching her mother’s hand with a sad smile as she was led into the bowels of the building. If the place freaked me out, I couldn’t imagine how it appeared to a kid.

  Ned Kurth wasn’t difficult at all when it came time to collect his soul. He looked as if he almost expected to see me when his spirit separated from his body. Sure, I don’t believe he was expecting me exactly, but he was ready to cross over to the other side. Given the state of his room – which was worse than the lobby, if you can believe that – I didn’t blame him.

  I absorbed him into my scepter with minimal fuss and made for the back door. I planned to hit the alley behind the facility, remove the ring and then saunter to my car before leaving. It shouldn’t have been an issue. Of course, because it’s me, I had nothing but issues.

  I was barely out the door, ring slipping into my pocket, when I bounced off the wraith loitering near the Dumpster and felt a jolt of shock as I careened backward. The wraith looked equally surprised to see me, which was saying something, because wraiths really don’t have faces. They look like pale aliens intent on probing whoever crosses their path.

  “What the … ?” I hit the ground hard, rolling to my right side and glaring at the befuddled wraith. “This day couldn’t possibly get any freaking worse. I swear … I hate you ugly things.”

  I knew it was a stupid move, but I didn’t hesitate as I slammed my foot into what I assumed was the wraith’s knee. The wraith let loose a scream that was more silent and eerie than vocal, lifting its head to the sky and extending red fingernails that resembled talons more than anything else as it clawed at me, forcing me to crawl to increase the distance between us.

  “Aisling Grimlock,” it hissed, causing my skin to crawl. “You must come. You must … mine.”

  “Shut up,” I snapped, irritated. I checked my coat pocket to make sure the scepter was still safely ensconced inside. The wraith would eat Ned if it got the chance. That’s why it was here, after all. Wraiths feel when a person is about to expire. I was guessing the only thing that waylaid this particular wraith was the security system on the door. “It’s over and done with. You missed your meal. Think better next time and shop in a prison or something.”

  The wraith’s hollowed out eyes shifted, the creature tilting its head as if it didn’t understand me. I was in a bad situation, prone on the ground, but the wraith would have to be stupid to go after me in broad daylight.

  “Aisling Grimlock must not be harmed,” the wraith muttered.

  “That’s right. You can’t harm me.” Sometimes the wraiths repeated that phrase over and over again upon recognizing me. Sometimes they didn’t and went straight for my jugular. “You should leave now. In fact, you should … .” Whatever threat I was about to utter died on my lips as the door popped open and the blond girl I saw when sneaking into the hospital appeared in the opening.

  The child looked as if she’d been crying, her eyes red-rimmed and puffy. Her mouth gaped open as she registered the wraith. She didn’t so much as look in my direction. “Oh, my ... .” The child started shaking as the wraith shifted its eyes in her direction. I could practically read its mind as I struggled to my feet.

  “No!”

  The wraith sensed me closing in and slashed out with its right hand, dragging vicious nails across my chin and neck. When a wraith touches a reaper they can absorb our very life essence. Thankfully for me the wraith merely struck a glancing blow. It wanted a meal, and because someone had ordered it not to eat me it focused on the girl.

  “You freaking jerk,” I muttered, searching the ground for a weapon to use as the girl quaked and gasped at the wraith closing the distance bet
ween. There wasn’t a lot to choose from other than a piece of wire that looked as if it would bend if I tried to use it as a stabbing implement and piece of rebar that was probably steel and not silver. I didn’t have much choice, so I grabbed the rebar and jammed it into the wraith’s back.

  The wraith let loose another scream, this one positively blood curdling. It slapped out with its hand, backhanding me and slamming me into the side of the Dumpster. My hip screamed in pain as I fought to maintain my balance. That’s when I saw the snow shovel wedged between the trash receptacle and the wall.

  Despite the pain in my hip … and the pain in my neck … and the pain in my knee from the first fall, I knew I had one last chance. I gripped the shovel with both hands. Even though the blade was silver in color I knew it wasn’t real silver. That didn’t mean I couldn’t kill the wraith with it.

  I swung as hard as I could, aiming the blade for the creature’s neck. The girl shrank back, covering her face as the wraith reached out for her. The wraith turned to ash and fell on her, saving her from death but not a mess. My blow resulted in the best outcome I could hope for, the instant death of the wraith. I had only one second to feel good about myself before the girl burst into tears and started screaming.

  “Oh, well, stop that,” I muttered, giving the child a long look. “You’re okay. You’re just a little dirty.”

  “I want my mom!”

  “Yeah, I want you to find your mom, too,” I offered. “If I leave you alone out here will you keep crying? You seem like the type of kid who will curl into a ball in the corner instead of surviving should something bad happen. Am I right?”

  What? I’m terrible with kids. Did I mention I hate it when kids cry? That’s the absolute worst.

  5

  Five

  I was stiff and sore by the time I hit Grimlock Manor. The adrenalin kept me moving, but I knew I would be in absolute anguish once I sat down for five minutes. Then I would feel like crawling into an isolated hole so I could die in peace. But before that, I was determined to get some much-needed sympathy.

  “Where is everyone? I think I’m dying!”

  I made the announcement the second I hit the foyer. No one poked a head in to see what I was screaming about – which was a minor irritation – and that included the help.

  “What the heck?” I bellowed moving toward my father’s office. “I saw everyone’s vehicles in the driveway. I know you’re here. I need some sympathy. I almost died an hour ago. Someone needs to dote on me.”

  Still nothing.

  “You all suck balls, you know that?” I shoved open my father’s office door and whipped my scepter at his empty desk chair. “Seriously? Does no one care that I saved a small child from certain death and almost gotten eaten by a … .”

  My oldest brother Redmond moved in at my left and grabbed my elbow, offering me a firm headshake as he cut off the rest of my statement. He looked somber and grim, a combination that caused my stomach to flip.

  “What now? Oh, geez, did Mom eat someone?”

  “And this is my daughter Aisling,” Dad announced, moving to stand next to a middle-aged brunette with a curious smile. “She’s … dramatic.”

  “I am not dramatic,” I shot back, annoyed. “What’s this? Another girlfriend? I don’t think I can handle another new girlfriend. No offense to you, ma’am, because you look nice and everything, but I’m not really in the mood to deal with another of Dad’s romantic interests.”

  “Is that so?” The woman’s mouth twitched as she glanced between Dad and me. I realized we were dealing with a full house – Redmond, Cillian, Braden, Dad and Maya all grouped together in the sprawling office – and I couldn’t figure out what I was missing. It was definitely something, though, because the dark looks my father lobbed in my direction promised mayhem when we were alone. “I don’t think you have to worry about that.”

  “Really? That’s good.” I brightened considerably. “Who are you? Are you from the home office?”

  “She’s not from the home office, Aisling,” Dad gritted out. “In fact … .”

  He didn’t get a chance to finish because Griffin picked that moment to walk through the door. I was surprised because his shift shouldn’t be over for another two hours. He never stopped by Grimlock Manor unless he knew I was already there. My father and brothers messed with him too much when I wasn’t there to act as protector.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, rubbing my hip. “I guess it doesn’t matter. Do you want to hear about my day?”

  Griffin ignored me and kept his eyes on the woman, moving closer as if caught in a trance. “Mom, what are you doing here so early? You weren’t supposed to show up until tomorrow.”

  “Yes, well, I couldn’t wait to see my children,” the woman who I recognized far too late from dated photographs as Griffin’s mother replied. “Surprise!”

  Oh, holy crap. Mom? This couldn’t be happening. I pressed my eyes shut as Redmond slung an arm over my shoulders. “Welcome home, big mouth.”

  Crap. Crud. Son of a … !

  “I’M SO HAPPY to see you, Griffin. You look marvelous.” Katherine Taylor threw her arms around Griffin’s neck, seemingly thrilled to see her son. “You look … happy.”

  Griffin returned the embrace, his cheeks flushed with surprise and pleasure. “You look great, too, Mom. I’m happy to see you. It’s just … why didn’t you tell anyone you were coming early?”

  “Then it wouldn’t have been a surprise.”

  “Yes, and we can’t have that,” I muttered, rubbing the tender spot between my eyebrows. “I just … I need a do-over on today. Maybe if I wish really hard I’ll wake up and it won’t have even started yet.”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Redmond offered. “This seems like a perfect entrance for you.” He flicked his eyes to my ripped jeans and disheveled hair. “You look as if you’ve been ridden hard and put away wet, whatever that expression means. You haven’t been taking special lunches with Detective Dinglefritz, have you?”

  “Oh, no. This is entirely wraith-related.”

  Redmond’s grip on my neck tightened. “Are you serious?”

  “No, I thought Griffin’s mother’s surprise arrival would be the perfect time to dust off my wraith humor and see if I could make a living as a professional comic,” I deadpanned, keeping my voice barely above a whisper.

  “Oh, come on.” Redmond looked pained as he forced a smile for Katherine’s benefit when her gaze flicked to us. “Katherine here – who is lovely, by the way – surprised us by showing up about thirty minutes ago. She was early and asked the cab driver to find us and he didn’t have a problem.”

  “Not at all,” Katherine enthused, her dark eyes lit with amusement. “He referred to the house as a castle. I thought he was exaggerating, and then I saw it. It does resemble a castle.”

  “Yes, I’m hoping for the house dragon to show up and swallow me alive right now,” I said, earning a snicker from Braden and Redmond, and a scowl from everyone else. I needed to dig myself out of this hole … and quick. “Who needs a drink?”

  “Hold it,” Dad ordered, shaking his head as he looked me up and down. “I believe you have an important story to tell me before we start hitting the hooch. Am I right?”

  Well, he certainly wasn’t wrong. “I … it can wait.” That wasn’t exactly true, but racing off to a corner to talk to my daddy didn’t seem like the appropriate first impression when dealing with my boyfriend’s mother. “It’s not a big deal.”

  “That’s not what you said when you came in,” Katherine countered, leaning her shoulder against Griffin as he swiveled to face me. It was if he’d only now noticed I was even in the room. “You said you almost died and saved a girl from certain death.”

  “Yes, well, Aisling is a dramatic little thing,” Dad interjected, chuckling. The sound was anything but humorous. “She often tends to tell dramatic stories about her work because she thinks it will force me to give her a raise.”

  Speaking of
that … . “I deserve a raise,” I argued. “As for my work today … um … it was no big deal. It was simply a long afternoon.”

  “That’s not what you said when you came in here and threw that thing at your father’s desk,” Katherine interjected.

  Crud. She saw that? “My father is used to that, too,” I hedged. “When I was a kid I pretended the house was a castle and I was a queen,” I explained. “Everyone here served as my subjects. I still enjoy playing the game when I’m feeling agitated with work. My very, very boring work, of course.”

  “Yes, we love being peasants in Aisling’s imagination,” Braden offered. “It’s always the highlight of my day.”

  “Don’t make me kick you,” I hissed.

  “Oh, I don’t think I have to worry about that,” Braden sang out, clearly enjoying himself. “You’re in too much trouble to even consider that.”

  He had a point. Crap! “I … .”

  “I’m sorry,” Katherine offered lamely. “I seem to have interrupted something important. I can head to the hotel if that makes things easier for everyone. I didn’t mean to disrupt the work day.”

  She was good. I had to give her that. She obviously recognized the fact that my father took pride in being a good host. He would never allow anything of the sort.

  “That’s not necessary,” Dad offered, shaking his dark head. “I merely need five minutes to talk to Aisling. We love having guests.”

  “We really do,” Cillian added. He looked nervous even though he was clearly going to be the favorite, given my entrance. “Maya and Griffin can finish your tour while we talk about work, and then everyone can meet in the parlor for a nice drink.”

  “That sounds like a good idea.” Maya shot me a sympathetic smile. “I’m sure all of the drama will be wrapped up relatively quickly. It always is.”

  “Yes, well … .” Griffin studied my face. “I think that I will stay with Mr. Grimlock and the boys and talk about Aisling’s work day, if you don’t mind. Maya can give you the tour on her own.”