Cormack cleared his throat to get everybody’s attention. “I don’t want to be the downer here, but you guys need to clear out.” His gaze was pointed when it landed on Zoe and Aric. “We need to call the home office to clean up this mess and I think it would be best if you’re not here when they arrive.”
If Zoe was offended by the statement, she didn’t show it. “Fair enough. How are you going to explain this, though?” She gestured toward the disgusting remnants of the revenant.
“Are you worried we’re going to out Sami?” Cormack queried. “If so, don’t be. I know a little something about protecting children.”
“He definitely does,” I agreed. “His children make yours look like an angel.” Even as I said it, I wondered if it was a mistake. Nobody wanted to hear a virtual stranger disparage their child ... even if the parents in question were currently annoyed with that same child. Aric and Zoe, however, appeared amused by the statement.
“That’s ... truly frightening.” Aric grinned. “We have no problem taking off. We need to check into the hotel and get cleaned up anyway.”
“Yes, I’m worried some revenant slid down the back of my shirt and landed in my underpants,” Zoe supplied. “There might be a crack issue when it comes to cleaning that can’t be addressed in a public bathroom.”
Sami made a disgusted face. “Omigod!”
Cormack’s smile was back. “I absolutely love her.”
Zoe shot him a sidelong look and then shook her head. “You’re a strange man.”
“What hotel are you staying at?” Paris queried. “I don’t think you told me.”
“The Townsend in Birmingham,” Aric replied. “We have a suite. We need to check in and get cleaned up. Once you get everything settled here, you can call us and we’ll figure things out from there.”
“That sounds like a plan.” Cormack stepped forward and shook his hand. “I know this all seems ... odd. While you might be angry with your daughter, she ultimately did the right thing. It was a monster trying to come through.”
I opted not to remind him that it could’ve been his father. That seemed like a conversation better suited for another time ... and definitely another place. The gate room wasn’t the appropriate location for this conversation.
“I’ve never doubted Sami’s bravery,” Aric offered. “She always jumps right in to help. Of course, sometimes she doesn’t think before she does the jumping. That’s what we need to work on.”
Cormack nodded in agreement as he sent Sami a sly smile. “I think she’s going to fit in fine with my brood. They’re all jumpers.”
“See,” Sami said pointedly to her mother. “He doesn’t get mad at his kids for doing the same stuff as me. How come you have to be such a pain about it?”
“It’s what keeps me young,” Zoe replied, placing her hand on the back of Sami’s neck and prodding her forward. “We’ll head to the hotel. Let us know what’s going on when you get this settled.” She cast a final look at the gate. “I have a lot of questions.”
“We all do,” I said. “Hopefully, together, we can come up with answers.”
“Hopefully,” Zoe agreed. “As for now ... I have that crack issue.”
“Oh, you’re so sick!” Sami stomped her feet on the floor as she headed toward the door. “Why do I have to have the sickest parents in the world?”
“It’s probably karma,” Aric offered. “Unfortunately, I think we got the mouthiest daughter in the world for the exact same reason.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
Cormack continued smiling until their voices faded, then he turned serious and focused on me. “I think it’s time to call the front office. They need to know what happened here.”
I nodded in agreement. “What are we going to tell them about how the revenant exploded?”
“We’re going to tell them you did it.”
I was taken aback. “What?”
“They already know you’re magical.” His tone was measured. “I don’t want to put you on the spot but I don’t see where we have a lot of choice. Sami might be the most powerful child we’ve ever come into contact with but she’s still vulnerable. We can’t put her at risk.”
“I happen to agree.” Paris nervously rubbed her hands together. “I know she seems self-assured. She’s at an awkward age, though.”
“I remember the age.” Cormack’s smile was back. “When Aisling was fourteen she started asking around at various businesses in Grosse Pointe about hiring a hitman. She’d heard that mobsters frequented the Italian restaurants along the water, and she wanted to use her allowance to find someone willing to take out Angelina.”
Oddly enough, I could believe that. Angelina Davenport was Aisling’s archnemesis and an all-around horrible person. The Grimlock family’s hatred for her ran deep. “How did you catch her?”
“One of the men she approached called me. He thought I should know what my daughter was up to.”
I laughed at the picture he painted. “What did he really do for a living?”
“That’s the truly scary part. She found exactly who she was looking for.”
I swallowed hard. “Seriously?”
He nodded, bemused affection causing his lips to curve. “The individual in question said he was willing to do it on principle given the stories Aisling told him about Angelina, but he thought she might come to regret it in time. I thanked him for contacting me, offered to pay him for his time — I didn’t want him to seek out Aisling down the road — but he declined. He said he had a fourteen-year-old daughter, too. He understood about hormones and mouths that simply wouldn’t quit.”
“Huh.” I had no idea what to make of the story. “Did Aisling ever realize that she’d actually found the right guy?”
“I don’t think so. Even if she did, though, I doubt there would be any regret. Aisling has learned that death is a quick solution — at least most of the time. If you want to really torture someone, you have to drag it out. That’s what she does with Angelina.”
“I think it’s more than that with them,” I argued. “I’ve seen them throw down. It’s like a cardio workout for both of them.”
He chuckled. “Yes. They’re entertaining.” He straightened and glanced around. “We need to make the call ... and then I have somewhere I want you to go with me, Izzy.”
I was surprised by the request. “Sure. May I ask where we’re going?”
“I think it’s time I visited my mother.”
My heart dropped. “Oh. Are you sure you want me to go with you?”
“I think you’re the best choice. First things first, though. We need to get rid of the goo.”
I couldn’t agree more.
MARY GRIMLOCK’S PRISON LOOKED LIKE AN OVERSIZED house in Detroit. It was in one of the nicer areas, one that had seen revitalization over the last twenty years, and the street was clean and quiet. There was only one vehicle in the driveway and I knew it belonged to the jailers keeping Mary under wraps.