Only the Quiet Read online

  “No.” Jerry vigorously shook his head when I held out my hand for him. “Wait ... what are you doing?”

  I stilled. “Are you saying no to me or her?”

  He pointed toward Aisling. “I’m just curious about what you’re doing.”

  “I’m trying to get the three of us in the same area so I can do something about these ghosts.”

  “Oh, well ... that sounds like a good idea.” He readily grabbed my hand so I could help him off the chair, and turned back to Aisling. “You’re going to be my best woman. We already talked about this.”

  “I thought we agreed that we were going to have one wedding party and share all the attendants,” Aisling argued, hopping off her chair and shooting the nearest ghost a look that promised mayhem if it dared touch her. “Aidan wants me to stand up for him, too.”

  “Yes, well, I come before Aidan.”

  “I know you don’t like to be reminded of this, but we shared a womb. Technically, I think he has dibs over you.”

  Jerry’s mouth dropped open as incredulity washed over his features. “Are you kidding me? We’ve been best friends since kindergarten.”

  “Yeah, but Aidan and I were embryos together.”

  “I can’t even.” Jerry folded his arms over his chest as I gave him a little shove toward the hallway. “You’ve broken my heart, Bug. I hope you know that.”

  “Oh, don’t be that way, Jerry.” Aisling made a face as she moved toward us, pulling back slightly when the nearest ghost — he looked to be a teenager with an eyebrow ring and a bad attitude — made a threatening lunge in her direction. “You know I love you. I have responsibilities to Aidan, too. Why can’t we just go back to the way things were supposed to be and share one big wedding party?”

  “Because I want designated grooms people ... and you were supposed to be the lead one.”

  “Oh, geez. I ... .” Aisling’s reflexes were in full gear as she hopped back at the exact instant the overzealous ghost tried to jump on her.

  I reacted on instinct, lashing out with my magic and slamming a bolt of power into the ill-mannered ghost. The boy instantly shredded into a million pieces and dissolved in front of us.

  He never made a sound.

  “That was interesting,” Aisling noted as she fought to regain her breath.

  “It was just a spell my grandfather taught me. He wanted to make sure I was safe no matter what area I happened to walk in. After Katrina ... well ... there were some rough months.”

  “Oh, the spell was impressive,” she said. “But that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about what just happened with your face. You kind of looked like a Catrina.”

  I was taken aback. I’d seen the transformation before, mostly in mirrors and window panels. It generally only happened when I expended a lot of energy funneling my magic, which I did not do today. “Oh, well ... .”

  “What’s a Catrina?” Jerry asked from the hallway. He still sounded petulant.

  “It’s a Hispanic icon of the dead, usually a female skeleton,” Aisling replied, her eyes still on the spot where the teenage ghost had been standing. “Did you destroy him?”

  That was a very good question. “I don’t know.” I looked to the other ghosts, who were watching me with wary eyes. “You need to go,” I ordered. “I don’t want to shred you, but I will. You’re not supposed to be here.”

  Lauren met my gaze with a mournful one of her own. She looked wretched, as if she was being dragged through the very depths of Hell and had no recourse.

  “I’m sorry.” I felt helpless. “I’ll try to do what I can for you ... but now is not the time. You need to go.” I made little walking motions with my fingers. “If the technicians see you ... well, I can’t let that happen. You’re too hard to explain. You have to go. Right now.”

  “Definitely go,” Jerry agreed. “You’re ruining our spa day and that’s just rude. Come back when we’re not paying hundreds of dollars to be buffed and pampered.”

  Aisling rolled her eyes. “I don’t think they care about that, Jerry.”

  “Well, I care. I want to go back to you choosing Aidan over me.”

  “That’s not what I said.”

  “It’s exactly what you said.”

  I only half listened to the argument as the ghosts slowly dissolved. I had no doubt most of them were still around, but they’d made themselves invisible and that was the most important thing. I wasn’t sure about the teenager, who seemed angry about pretty much everything, but for now things were back to normal.

  “That was pretty good,” Aisling offered, smiling. “You got them to go away.”

  “Yeah, but for how long?”

  She shrugged. “Long enough for us to finish our spa day.”

  “That’s what we need to focus on above all else,” Jerry agreed.

  I wasn’t sure, but I was outnumbered so I merely nodded. What the heck was going on with the ghosts?

  “WAIT ... YOU’RE SAYING YOU sat back down in the chairs and pretended nothing happened after a ghostly mob tried to attack?”

  Braden was positively apoplectic when we returned to Grimlock Manor and told the story that afternoon.

  “Hey, nobody gets between me and my massage,” Jerry barked, holding out his arm as he sat on the couch in Cormack’s office. Aidan, who looked as if he had zero interest in “oohing” and “aahing” over Jerry’s soft skin, forced a smile and nodded as he made a big show of running his fingers up and down his fiancé’s forearm.

  “They didn’t come back,” Aisling offered helpfully as she slid closer to Griffin, who sat with Lily on his lap on the couch closest to the fireplace. The baby was awake and alert — well, as alert as a two-week-old infant could be — and hadn’t as much as made a peep as she happily rested in her father’s arms.

  Griffin watched Aisling with speculative eyes and then tipped his head in the direction of the open seat next to him. “Do you want to hold her?”

  The look on Aisling’s face clearly told me she thought that was a trick question. “I don’t want her to start crying.”

  Griffin smirked. “Just ... try. If she starts crying, I’ll take her back. You need to get over the fear.”

  Aisling swallowed hard, but did as he asked, holding her breath as he shifted the baby to her. Once Lily was settled in her mother’s arms, she merely switched her gaze from Griffin’s face to Aisling’s and continued doing whatever she was doing before. As far as I could tell, that was nothing.

  When I glanced at Cormack, I found him watching the scene with a certain measure of trepidation. He relaxed when he realized the baby wasn’t going to start squalling and turned to me.

  “It sounds like you fought off the ghosts the best way possible,” he offered after a beat.

  “There wasn’t much fighting. I only took out the one and then ordered the others to leave.”

  “That was smart. Now we know they can understand and even follow instructions. We also know they can’t be absorbed. It’s a good thing Aisling took her scepter with her.”

  The look Aisling shot Jerry was triumphant. Jerry merely rolled his eyes and went back to stroking his own skin.

  “We need to figure out what’s going on,” I insisted. “They’re not normal ghosts. They’re green ... and I swear that Lauren’s mouth looks as if it’s been sewn shut. I’m pretty sure that’s not normal ghost behavior.”

  “Agreed,” Cormack nodded. “We need answers. We managed to come up with some interesting information while you were out, but piecing it together remains a chore.”

  “What information?” I asked, straightening.

  “Ryan Carroll,” Cillian volunteered, grabbing his tablet from a nearby end table. He’d been engrossed in his work when we entered, something he shuffled to the side as we started telling our thrilling tale. “We managed to get some files that we didn’t have access to previously.”

  “The sealed files?” I was officially intrigued. “What do they say?”

  “We s
till haven’t been able to access the sealed files.” Cormack grimaced, his distaste for the bureaucracy of the home office evident. “The file we did manage to open came from one of Carroll’s co-workers. He filed a complaint because there were rumors abounding about Carroll, saying that he stole a book that detailed harnessing the power of the dead.”

  “Stole a book from where?” I asked.

  “The library.” Cillian made a disgusted face. “I mean ... who steals books from a library?”

  Braden snickered and patted his brother’s shoulder in a form of solace. “I’m sorry you had to read about that. I know it’s going to give you nightmares.”

  Cillian shrugged off the teasing. “Shut up. You know what I mean. No one should ever steal books from the main office library. They’ve been collected for a reason, so everyone can use them for research.”

  “Yes, it’s a travesty,” Braden agreed, his eyes lighting with amusement.

  “What did the complaint say?” I asked. “I mean ... other than that.”

  “Apparently Carroll was talking long and loud to anyone who would listen about enslaving ghosts,” Cormack replied, his expression twisting into something dark. “He’s hardly the first one who thought souls could be used for nefarious means. Reapers have always existed, but the organization involved in the process of collecting souls has steadily grown and evolved.”

  I never really thought about that. “Were there reapers back in days of the Neanderthal?” The question popped out, causing Braden to snicker. However, he sobered quickly.

  “Wait, were there Neanderthal reapers?”

  Cormack shrugged. “I have no idea. Neanderthals lacked the brain power to develop writing and keep journals.”

  “And do anything other than point sharp sticks at each other,” Aisling noted. She looked ridiculously relaxed as she held the baby and rested her head on Griffin’s shoulder. For his part, Griffin looked like a blessed man. Their little family appeared as comfortable as I’d ever seen.

  “I’ll ask about Neanderthal reapers during the next conference call,” Cormack said. “I don’t have an answer right now ... and I don’t think it’s important given everything we’re dealing with.”

  “Is there any more information on Carroll?” I pressed. “I mean ... all we have on him right now is a rumor reported by another co-worker. That’s hardly concrete.”

  “That’s all the information we’ve been able to dig up,” Cormack replied. “We did find one other interesting tidbit, though.”

  “What’s that?”

  “It seems Ryan Carroll was Angelina Davenport’s paternal great-grandfather. I didn’t know that until I looked into his personnel file, which is missing several important pages. One child is listed, and it’s Angelina’s grandmother.”

  Aisling was officially paying attention now as she leaned forward. “Are you serious? Are you saying Angelina’s great-grandfather was a nut who believed in enslaving ghosts?”

  “I don’t believe I used the word ‘nut,’ but it’s surprisingly accurate.”

  “I guess that explains why Angelina’s mother was so freaking crazy, too.” Aisling appeared lost in thought. “I wonder if Angelina knows anything about her great-grandfather.”

  “Wait.” I held up a hand to silence everyone. “Angelina is the woman you had the weird fight with in the mall, right?” I racked my brain as I thought through the confrontation. “She’s the one who you kept teasing about being a slut.”

  “Prostitute,” Aisling corrected. “And that wasn’t teasing, that was the truth. She’s a complete and total prostitute. Her pimp thinks she’s lazy so he often slaps her around, but she’s not really lazy. She often gives it away for free when he’s not looking.”

  I knit my eyebrows. “I’m not sure that makes sense.”

  “It doesn’t have to make sense,” Braden offered. “Aisling only cares that it’s mean.”

  “Oh, well, it’s definitely mean.” I focused on Cormack. “Does this mean we need to track down this Angelina and question her?”

  Aisling’s hand shot in the air as she clutched Lily to her chest with her other arm. “I would like to volunteer for that assignment.”

  Cormack let loose a weary sigh and shook his head. “I’m not sure what it means yet. All I know is that we have a predicament I have no idea how to resolve.”

  Fourteen

  I thought I should return to Belle Isle and relieve Oliver — he’d been covering every shift for almost twenty-four hours — but when I called he seemed fine. In fact, if I didn’t know better, I would almost call him cheery.

  “I narrowed down your list of possible employees to five,” he announced. “I emailed the files. The rest is up to you.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to head back so we can discuss their merits?” I pressed.

  “Absolutely not. It’s been quiet here for a full day. I’ve enjoyed it. Besides, things are light today. I only have two more intakes before calling it a day. I’ll be done before you can get here.”

  “Oh, well ... .” I felt like a slacker. “I’ll be back to help with things tomorrow.”

  “Just call,” he suggested. “It sounds to me as if you’re getting important information. We need that if we’re going to make sure no more teachers drop dead in the middle of tours at the aquarium.”

  “But ... .”

  “Just keep doing what you’re doing,” he insisted. “Spend another night at Grimlock Manor if it becomes necessary. I’m sure Braden will be happy to have you there.”

  I narrowed my eyes and glanced around suspiciously. I was alone in the parlor, but I almost expected Braden to jump out of nowhere and yell “a-ha” and perform a smug little dance. “I am sleeping in a guest room,” I announced. “I am not sleeping in his room, so don’t you dare start spreading that rumor.”

  “I’m here alone,” he noted. “Who would I spread that rumor to?”

  “Oh, well ... there’s Collin ... and his wife ... and your boyfriend.”

  “I’ve already told Brett that you and Braden are hot for each other. He says he can see it because you’re both so pretty. As for Collin and Claire, I haven’t seen them all day. Apparently they’re not speaking to each other.”

  “When do they ever speak to each other?”

  “That’s a fair point. I still haven’t seen them.”

  “Well ... .” I trailed off, uncertain. I thought for sure he would insist I come back and relieve his work burden. Once he did the opposite, I found myself at a loss. “I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do here,” I admitted. “I mean ... I went to the spa today. I’ve never been to the spa before.”

  Oliver chuckled. “You’re making friends with Aisling. That’s ... entertaining.”

  “I like her.”

  “I’m sure you do. You have a lot in common.”

  “Is that an insult?”

  “No.” Oliver was matter-of-fact. “Aisling may be full of herself, but she’s a survivor. Also, she’s charming ... in her own way. I find her delightful, especially when she’s giving her father and brothers a hard time. They’re all alphas who basically bow down to her, which is interesting to watch because that makes her the ultimate alpha.”

  “You’re talking about them as if they’re a psych experiment,” I admonished.

  “Yes, well, there’s a reason I find them interesting. I was a psychologist at one time.”

  “Really?” That was news to me. “When was this?”

  “Almost a hundred years ago. My, how time flies when you’re having fun.”

  The more I thought about how old he was, the more my brain hurt. “We’ll talk about that fascinating topic later. Just be careful when you’re leaving ... and if you see anything, don’t hesitate to call. I’m still not sure if these ghosts can do any real damage, but I’d rather not find out the hard way.”

  “I’ve got it under control. I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it a very long time.”

  “Yeah? Well, I’m
not done pulling information out of you regarding my parents. For example, I’m dying for you to tell me about the time you rescued me from the rubble of a house right after my parents died. I’m pretty sure you never told me that.”

  His silence stretched a little too long.

  “Oliver?”

  “We’ll talk about things when the time is right,” he stressed, his tone grim. “I don’t know who told you that ... .”

  “Does it matter? It’s the truth, isn’t it?”

  “It is. But I wanted to wait before talking about that. You’re not ready.”

  Who was he to tell me if I was ready? “You know what?”

  “I have to be going.” Oliver cut me off with smart efficiency. “I have a load of souls coming in. I’m almost done for the day. You should have fun and take a break, perhaps dig into the research more. Don’t worry about me.”

  “This isn’t over, Oliver,” I growled. It was too late. He’d already hung up. “Oh, bite me.”

  Braden lifted an eyebrow as he strolled into the room. “Are you talking to me?”

  I shook my head. “Oliver says he’s fine. He doesn’t need me this afternoon. I still want to head back to Belle Isle tonight. I don’t want to spend another night here.”

  His expression didn’t shift, but I was almost positive I scented a hint of disappointment wafting off him. “I can make sure that happens. You don’t have to go right now, though.”

  “I guess. What did you have in mind? If it’s another meal with your family, no offense, I think I’ll pass. Aisling and Jerry are busy going at each other over the wedding party fiasco and Cillian is still griping about stealing books from the library. I don’t think I can take three more hours of either.”

  He snorted, genuine amusement rolling off him. “How about I take you out for a simple dinner? There’s a good place right around the corner.”

  That sounded a lot like a date. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

  He didn’t back down. “It’s also a bar. We can get a few drinks and then I can get one of my father’s drivers to take you back to the island.”