Only a Mother Could Love (Afterlife Book 3) Read online

"What'd you find out?"

  "Ten years ago, there was a masquerade party. A dark haired woman in a red dress was killed there. We think she might be the demon haunting the roads," Alec explained.

  "Wouldn't she be a ghost then?" Harper asked. "I didn't realize they could attack people."

  "I don't know," Alec admitted. "I've never really dealt with ghosts before. It's something outside my area of expertise. How is she killing them? We know she maims their faces, and then snaps their necks, but if she's a ghost, then how does she have the strength for that? Does she have a corporeal form? Or is she using some kind of magic? We just don't know, and I don't think we will until we confront her."

  Harper put her coffee on the table. "I guess we'll find out soon enough then," she said. "As soon as I can move from this couch without getting yelled at."

  Alec smirked at her. "That's not going to be for a while," he promised. "Don't worry, though. I'll keep making you coffee."

  TEN

  Harper didn't leave her couch-bed until almost a week later. In that time, she had Brittney, Chloe, and Conner to keep her company. Alec had relented on his stance of allowing nobody in his apartment when he saw how bored Harper was getting. Sarah was still missing; none of them had seen her or heard from her since Harper's run-in with her at the Reynold's house.

  When she was able to leave Alec's apartment, it was with Brittney at her side. She couldn't drive with her sling on, so Brittney chauffeured her around the city. They got their hair cut, had their nails done, and ate sushi at one of the casinos.

  "Well, what now?" Brittney asked.

  "Let's look at apartments," Harper suggested. "Or we could get an actual house, like what Peter has."

  "That's a great idea!" Brittney said. "Actually, I already wrote down a few places in my phone for us to check out. I just didn't know when you'd be well enough or when your warden would let you out of jail so you could see them with me."

  "Great," Harper said.

  Over the next several hours, they stopped by at least six different houses, but none of them was quite what they were looking for. It wasn't until the end, when they saw a red house, that both of them fell in love with a place.

  It was open and spacious with a large kitchen, three bedrooms, and three bathrooms. The floors were hardwood, and the walls painted a soft off-white color; except for one in the living room, which was a dark maroon. Both of them loved this, and they both adored the bedrooms. Harper let Brittney pick out her room first, and she was satisfied when she didn't pick the one that Harper wanted for herself.

  Her room had a huge walk in closet, a large window, and built in shelving. The bathroom connected to it was smaller, and only had a shower, but Harper didn't mind. She was already imagining the ways she could decorate it when they moved in.

  The real estate agent allowed them to pay the deposit with Harper's shiny Afterlife card, and when they left, both of them were excited for the future they would have in the new place. It wasn't too far from Afterlife, and it was in a nice neighborhood with a park that was only a five minute walk away.

  "Can you believe it?" Brittney asked. "We're finally moving in together! This is going to be great, Harper! Just imagine being able to see each other all the time!"

  "Sure," Harper said. The day had taken a toll on her, and all she wanted to do was return to Alec's apartment and get some rest. The agent had told them they could start moving in another week. They were just finishing up re-carpeting the bedrooms. Since they'd gotten there before the process had started, the agent had allowed them to pick out the colors themselves. Brittney had chosen a sleek brown color that would match pretty much anything, and Harper had picked out a deep purple plush that would be soft on her feet, and would add to the artistic flair that she was already envisioning.

  "Before I take you back to Afterlife," Brittney said, "why don't we walk around a little? Explore the neighborhood, maybe meet some of our neighbors?"

  Harper sighed. "I don't know." When she saw Brittney's disappointed look, she forced a smile in place. "You know what? That sounds like a great idea."

  "Awesome," Brittney said. She led Harper over to a side gate, and they walked through it, arm in arm. They strolled around the subdivision, looking at the different houses, and commenting on things of interest they saw. They wondered about the homeowners association, and what regulations they'd have to follow.

  "You know," Brittney said slowly, "we could get a pet. Neither of our last apartments would allow us to have animals, but this house said we could have up to two dogs. We could get a puppy!"

  Harper shook her head. "Do you really want that extra responsibility? On top of everything that we have to do?"

  Brittney considered for a moment. "Actually, yes," she said. "It'll train us for when we have children someday." She laughed at the expression on Harper's face. "Oh come on. You've been telling me since middle school that you've wanted a puppy. We'll get a really cute one. Oh, please, Harper? Please, can we get a puppy?" She batted her eyelashes at Harper.

  Harper couldn't help it, she burst out laughing. She winced, and put a hand up. "Alright," she agreed, "When we finish with these current problems -- the masked lady, and Sarah -- we'll get a puppy. No kick-me dogs, though. If we're getting a dog, it has to be big. So I can cuddle it."

  "Agreed," Brittney said quickly. She made a triumphant gesture in the air. "Hell yes! We're getting a dog! Let's get a girl dog!"

  "Of course," Harper said, suppressing another gale of laughter. "We can't have a male living with us. Two unmarried women? No, it wouldn't be proper."

  Brittney snickered and said, "I'm thinking of a German Shepard. What do you think? We can train it as a guard dog."

  Harper shook her head. "No way. My uncle had one. I hate their barks. They sound so irritated all the time. What about a black lab?"

  Brittney paused for a moment. "Well," she finally said, "they are supposed to be super loyal. Alright, black lab it is."

  "We should adopt one," Harper said. "Even if it's not a black lab. There are too many animals on the streets as it is."

  "Stop sounding like one of those ads," Brittney said. She saw Harper's expression and shrugged. "I'm alright with adopting, as long as it's a puppy. I don't feel like retraining an older dog."

  "We're on the same page there," Harper said.

  They continued to walk down the street, taking turns every now and again so they could see more of the subdivision. Harper found herself falling more and more in love with it as they looked. There were kids playing outside, fathers watering the lawns, and women packing in groceries from their SUVs. "You know," Harper said, "we're going to be the only twenty-somethings in this area. Everyone else has a family."

  "Oh well," Brittney said. "It just means it's a better neighborhood, that's all. Do you really want to live in one with a bunch of immature kids?"

  Harper shook her head. "No way. We'd never get any sleep. I mean, not that we get much now, but we wouldn't get even more. And I need my sleep or I turn into a giant--"

  "--Right," Brittney said. "Okay, let's head back to the car, and I'll get you to Alec's. You look dead on your feet."

  "I am," Harper admitted.

  "Well, let's go," Brittney said.

  They started back towards their new house, where the car was parked. They got a few blocks, and then Brittney grabbed Harper by the arm. She let out a low cry, because Brittney had grabbed her injured arm. "What?"

  "Hush," Brittney said. "Come on, we have to go."

  "Why?"

  "Quiet," she hissed.

  "Alright, alright," Harper said in a whisper, "What is it?"

  "Look at our car," Brittney said.

  Harper glanced at the car. Her eyes widened; it was the two men who'd been in Peter's basement; the one who'd shot at them, and the one who'd taken a bullet in the foot. They were conversing, and smoking cigarettes.

  "Great," she said, "Just what we need."

  "Do you have your gun?" Brittney asked.


  Harper shook her head.

  "Damn it," Brittney said. She dug in her purse and got her own out. She checked the safety on it, and then backed further away. "What now?"

  "I guess we go and see what they want," Harper said. "They're not idiots. They're not going to attack us in the middle of of the day." Brittney didn't look convinced, so she added, "If they followed us here, they've obviously been following us -- or at least looking for us -- for a while. Which means they're not going to stop. So we need to confront them. You have your gun."

  Brittney scowled. "But you don't."

  "I can't shoot with this arm anyway," Harper said. "Look, I'll text the crew right now. You know how Chloe drives; they'll be here in ten minutes max. So we have backup coming. We'll be fine. Come on, we've faced demons. These guys can't be much worse."

  "Except they work with demons," Brittney pointed out. "You heard what Peter said. They're working with vampires. And who knows what else?

  "What, are you scared?"

  Brittney rolled her eyes. "Fine, let's go."

  The two of them approached the car. Brittney kept her gun low, but ready. "Gentlemen," she said. "What can we do for you?"

  "You know," the man who'd been shot in the foot said, "I've thought about you two a lot over the last week or so. I thought about how the doctor said I'll always walk with a limp, and how much it hurts to put any pressure on my foot, and how I lost a toe."

  Brittney flashed him a large, sunny smile.

  "I've also thought about how you didn't arrest us," he said. "That seems odd. Doesn't it, Michael?"

  "Yeah," Michael said. "It does. See, if you were real FBI, you'd at least want to question us, find out what we wanted with your witness."

  "We had our reasons," Harper said.

  Michael glanced over at her. "Who hurt you? Remind me to send them flowers."

  Harper made a face at him.

  "Mature," he said.

  "What do you guys want?" Brittney asked.

  "Well," Michael said, "We want to know what exactly your doing here in Vegas, for starters. We want to know your names, what you do, who you do it with, and why you were concerned with some little boy who didn't want to pay his debts."

  Brittney gave in. "We were interested because he's my brother."

  "Oho," the other man said. "We have some honesty, finally. That's a great start. Now what do you do here in Vegas?"

  Harper glared at them both. "We clean up the scum."

  "Yes," Michael said. "We thought as much after you killed our vampire team. That was smooth, leaving one alive to come back with the message. So you work with Afterlife. The last we checked, they only had a team of four. A vampire who decided he doesn't want blood, an incubus that doesn't sleep around, a cute little fairy girl, and a... what was it, George? A shape-shifter chick?"

  "A hot one," George confirmed.

  Harper and Brittney said nothing.

  "Here's the thing," Michael said. "We want to strike up a deal with you."

  "A deal," Harper repeated.

  "Yes," Michael said. "Isn't that right, George?"

  "That's right," George said. "We want to make a deal. You leave our people alone, we leave yours alone. And that includes your little brother."

  Harper snorted. "We don't make deals with criminal trash."

  "Hey now," George said. "Watch who you're calling trash. We happen to be very suave businessmen. People like us. I've heard we're very charming. Wouldn't you say we're charming, Michael?"

  "Very charming," Michael said.

  "We're not striking any kind of deal with you," Brittney said.

  "Well then," Michael said, "I guess we'll kill you now and get it over with."

  "Right," Harper said. "Right here, in the middle of the street. That's real smart. This is a family-friendly neighborhood. You really want to scar that little girl playing with her ball over there? Or how about the boy on his bike just behind us?"

  Michael and George glanced at each other. "Not here," George said. "We'll wait until your somewhere more... unwatched. Unless, of course, you decide to change your mind. Talk to your boss. Get his opinion. I've heard he's struck up deals of his own in his time."

  Before Harper or Brittney could say anything, a loud noise seemed to eclipse everything else. It sounded like a thunderstorm. Harper closed her eyes briefly and cursed their luck. Suddenly, Sarah had appeared at their sides. Harper hoped that she'd be a little more human, but the exact opposite was true; she looked more feral and beast-like than ever.

  "Are you threatening to kill them?" Sarah tilted her head, her voice coming out in a gravelly hiss.

  "Well, actually, yes," George said.

  "Sarah, this doesn't have anything to do with you," Harper said.

  Brittney glanced between Sarah and the two loan sharks. "She's right, Sarah. We've got this under control."

  "Be quiet, gypsy," Sarah said, "And you too, human girl. My words are for these men alone."

  Michael let out a laugh. "It's a nice costume," he said. "Really, quite nice. But what exactly are you supposed to be? A harpy? No, some kind of bird? Oh, I know. You're an angry fairy! We should be shaking in our boots, George. She's going to throw some pixie dust at us. Don't worry, freak, we'll get you too."

  "Are you threatening me?" Sarah asked coldly.

  "No," Harper said. "They're not."

  "Be quiet," Sarah demanded. She flashed her eyes briefly at Harper, and Harper saw nothing there; no recognition, no sympathy, no friendliness. Nothing but cold rage. Sarah turned her attention back to the two men.

  "Are you threatening me?"

  "Yes," Michael said. "I suppose we are."

  George nodded. "I wouldn't really call it a threat, though. We've earned reputations by fulfilling promises."

  "Idiot," Brittney said.

  George flashed her a grin. "You love it, don't you, babe?"

  Harper's phone buzzed. She grabbed it from her pocket and quickly checked it. It was a message from Chloe, asking where they were at. She quickly typed in the address, and added an ASAP message.

  "Calling for back up?" Michael asked. "That's not going to stop us, you know."

  Sarah tilted her head one way, then the other. "You threaten these humans, and you threaten me," she said. "You are bad men."

  "Sweetheart," George said. "We're the worst."

  Before anyone could say anything more, Sarah had dashed forward, and grabbed George by the neck. In one quick movement, she'd snapped his neck. She darted to Michael next. He tried to put up a fight, but he was nowhere near strong enough to defend himself against a fury. Harper realized that her power must be growing every day that she hadn't returned to her human self. She snapped Michael's neck, and then turned to Harper and Brittney.

  "You are safe."

  Then she rose into the air, and took off. Brittney and Harper didn't bother to call after her, both of them staring at the bodies. The men had died without even having the chance to scream.

  "Harper," Brittney said, "we have to get out of here, right now. Get in the car."

  "What? We have to help them!"

  "They're dead," Brittney said, barely sparing a glance for the two men. "And if we're caught here, they're going to think we did it. Who's going to believe that they died from an angry fury's attack?"

  Harper considered the wisdom of these words and nodded. They hopped in their car, and drove as quickly as they could away from the neighborhood. As far as Harper was aware, nobody had noticed the men yet. She knew that wouldn't last long, though. Someone was bound to see them, and call the police.

  As they drove, she realized that Chloe was still on her way there. She yanked out her phone, and sent a group text saying to stay away and that they'd meet back at Afterlife.

  "Don't speed," Harper told Brittney. "We don't want to draw attention to ourselves right now."

  Brittney nodded, and slowed down. Harper could tell it took all her willpower not to rush into traffic, run through red lights, and sw
erve around the other cars. It took them about fifteen minutes to reach Afterlife. It was already starting to fill with people. They made their way through the building crowd into the back room.

  Chloe darted to her feet as soon as she saw them. "What's happened?" she demanded. "You're both pale as ghosts."

  Conner pulled out a chair, and guided Harper to it. She flopped down, and closed her eyes. "It's bad," she said.

  "Then don't mince words," Alec said. "Tell us exactly what happened."

  Brittney and Harper exchanged a glance, and Brittney slowly took the other chair. Harper saw that her hands were shaking. When neither of them spoke, Conner got back up, went to the mini fridge, and got out two sodas. He slid them down to each of them, and nodded for them to drink.

  Harper picked up the ginger ale he'd brought her, popped the tab open, and took a long swallow. "Sarah killed two men."

  "What?" Alec asked.

  Everyone started talking at once, demanding more details. Harper slowly explained what had happened, all the way up to the point where Sarah had appeared and killed the two men she perceived as a threat. "They were telling us how they planned to kill us," Harper said.

  "They would have too," Brittney said. "If they thought they could get away with it."

  "So she was protecting the two of you," Conner said. He wiped a hand over his face. "This is bad, you're right about that. We don't kill humans because we don't want to get caught by the real police. We don't want that happening to Sarah. Especially not while she's a fury. She's bound to get upset, and then there'll be a massacre."

  "You think she'd kill police officers?" Brittney asked. "She made sure they were bad men before she killed them."

  Alec said, "I don't know, but I don't want to find out. It could be that she could become frightened, and attack them. Or she could simply interpret her arrest as an attempt to stop her from meting out justice. That right there might send her over the edge into attack mode."

  "What are we going to do?" Harper asked him.

  "We have to wait for her to return to her normal self," Alec said. "Until then, we have to try and keep her from killing more. God, I just don't know how! .t's not like we can follow her... wait, Chloe, can you?"