Free aisling grimlock 03 - grim discovery by Amanda M. Lee Page A

nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
    “Don’t let it go to your head,” I warned. “I just … I don’t see another way to get the information I’m looking for. We need a list of the rogue reapers and I know Dad keeps one in his office.”
    “Do you think the guy with the wraith last night was another rogue reaper like Fontaine?”
    “That’s my best guess,” I said, turning my eyes back to the hulking manor house where I spent my formative years. “Wraiths don’t usually hang out with the general populace, because they try to suck the life force out of them so they can survive. Who else would hang around a wraith?”
    “Rogue reapers collect souls for money, right?”
    I nodded.
    “Whoever employs these rogues has to have access to a lot of funds,” Griffin said. “We need that list so we can start going through bank records. Are you sure you’re up for sneaking into your father’s office and getting the list?”
    “What other options do we have?” I asked. “If I ask him for it, he’ll want to know why.”
    “I know we’ve talked about this, and I really don’t want to have an argument, but … you know you’re eventually going to have to tell your family what Fontaine told you, right?”
    Griffin’s eyes were sympathetic when I risked a glance in his direction. “Will you think I’m a total idiot if I tell you I’m hoping we can prove Fontaine lied before I have to tell them?”
    “I know that’s what you’re hoping for,” Griffin said, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles. “You’re in a no-win situation here. If your mother is alive, you should be able to celebrate. Because you are who you are, though, your mother could very well be trying to kill you.
    “I don’t pretend to know what you guys went through when your mother died,” he continued. “You can’t keep this secret forever, though.”
    “Because I’m betraying them,” I supplied. “I know.”
    “It’s not that, Aisling,” Griffin argued. “I don’t think you’re betraying them. You’re taking this huge thing on yourself, though, and it’s not healthy. You need them just as much as they need to know.”
    “They’ll be angry that I kept it from them.”
    “They’ll get over it,” Griffin said. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned about this family, it’s that you love with your whole hearts. You pick at each other … and you tease each other … and you beat up on each other whenever the mood strikes.
    “There’s not one person in that house who doesn’t love you, though,” he said. “They’ll be angry at first. They will get over it.”
    “I know you’re right,” I said. “It’s just … it would be so much easier if she was really dead. That’s awful to say, isn’t it?”
    “If your mother is behind the attempts on your life, that’s a lot worse than wishing she was dead so that you can hold onto the good memories you have of her.”
    “It’s just a mess.”
    Griffin leaned over and dropped a soft kiss on my mouth before resting his forehead against mine. “I’m right here. We’ll get through this.”
    “Thank you.”
    We sat in silence for a full minute before I reluctantly pulled away, jumping in my seat when I found Braden standing at outside the passenger door. He didn’t look happy.
    “What the hell?”
    “If you’re done molesting my sister, we’re ready to serve drinks in the parlor,” Braden said, glaring at Griffin. “Keep your hands where I can see them when you’re getting out.”
    “Did I mention how much I love spending time with your brothers?” Griffin asked.
    “They’re nothing if not entertaining,” I agreed.
     
    BY THE time Griffin and I joined everyone else in the main parlor, I managed to calm myself enough to fake mindless conversation with my family … and by that I mean joining in with the endless sniping.
    “I would not look like Fonzie if I wore a leather jacket while riding this motorcycle,” Redmond argued, tightly gripping his