I print out the messages and pass on the link to his profile to our cyber unit to see if they can locate him so I can bring him in for questioning. It’s getting late, so I close the computer to bring it home with me so I can continue my search through the night. I’m making dinner tonight instead of buying takeout, and need to stop at the grocery store.
By the time I finally pull into the driveway, the sun is almost setting. I put my Charger in park and get out, going around to the passenger side to get out my grocery bags, purse, and everything I brought home from work. I’d rather kill my arms by carrying everything at once than make two trips.
The sun dips lower in the sky, and I can feel the guys start to awaken. I have to set one bag down on the porch to unlock the door. Gravel crunches behind me, and at first, I think it’s bits of stone falling from Thomas and Gilbert, who are frozen as statues right behind me.
Then I realize the crunching of gravel is coming from the driveway behind me. I whirl around and see a car headed right toward me.
7
“Motherfucker,” I grumble, recognizing the car and the people inside. They’re my neighbors, so to speak, and the teenage boy in the driver’s seat has given me grief in the past. I caught him and the girl sitting next to him creeping around the property looking for paranormal activity, specifically the lack of stone gargoyles attached to the house.
If they don’t leave in the next five minutes, they might be seeing more than they bargained for tonight.
Sighing, I set my parcels down and walk along the cobblestone path. Jared puts his car in park and gets out. Thankfully he’s not holding a camera this time.
“Can I help you?” I ask, folding my arms over my chest, anxiety forming. The sun is close to setting. I shift my eyes to the girl in the car. She hasn’t gotten out, but she’s not secretly filming either. Not as far as I can tell, at least.
“We have a Memorial Day party and my dad wanted to invite you.” He pulls a crinkled piece of paper from his back pocket and tries to smooth it out. He hands it to me, eyes going to Thomas and Gilbert, who are getting closer and closer to waking up. I can feel it.
“Thanks.” I take the paper, not even looking at it, and fold it in half. “I’ll try to make it.”
“If you don’t want to come, then don’t,” he scoffs. “Don’t act like you’re interested when we both know you’re not.”
This little asshole gets under my skin. He doesn’t know how good he has it. “You know nothing about me, and let me remind you, murderers don’t take holidays.”
His face pales a bit and he lowers his gaze to the ground. “Right.”
“I have work to do. Tell your dad I said thanks for the invite.”
He nods, looking back at the house again as he tries to think of a reason to stay. He’s an arrogant kid, but not the smartest. One look around this place tells you I’m in desperate need of yard work. An offer to help clean up this place would buy him time and an excuse to look around.
“The gargoyles look the same.”
I lift my eyebrows. “Okay?”
“You said you had them cleaned and restored. But they look the same.”
“That’s the point. To keep them in the same condition without wear and tear from the elements.” I have no idea if that’s even true, but I say it in a way that makes it sound believable. “Thanks again. I have work to do now.”
He nods, looking up at the house. Hasan can’t be seen from the front, but Jacques can. This kid needs to leave. I wave my hand at his car, eyeballing the girl, whose head is turned down to her cell phone.
Jared leaves, and I hold my breath and curl my fingers into my palms to keep flames from erupting from my hands. I’m not in danger, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared the guys would wake up when Jared and his girlfriend were here.
The guys are far from defenseless, but I honestly don’t know what they’d do if someone was around when they woke up. I wait until Jared’s car is out of sight before unlocking the door and going inside.
Setting my groceries on the counter, I preheat the oven and take Lily’s laptop, going out onto the porch just in time to see the stone on Thomas and Gilbert crumble and turn to dust, disappearing before it hits the earth.
They wake up slowly, stretching and brushing off gravel. Before they’re even on their feet, Jacques jumps down from the roof, flesh more gray than usual.
“Ace,” he breathes. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah, why?”
Stone continues to crumble away from his skin. “I felt your fear.”
“Really?”
Thomas steps closer. “So you were afraid of something? Who do I get to kill?”
