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

  "I'm not singing," Alec said. He looked as moody as ever, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, his hair pulled back into a ponytail.

  Chloe stuck her tongue at him and then launched into a happy birthday song. Sarah joined in, and after a moment, so did Conner. Harper had never appreciated how beautiful Conner's voice was before.

  When they were done singing, Alec said, "Okay, can we get down to business now?"

  "No," Sarah said. "First, Brittney has to blow out her candles and make a wish."

  Brittney looked up, met Chloe's eyes, and then turned her attention to the cake. She took a deep breath and then blew the candles out all at once.

  Chloe applauded. "You know what means! Your wish will come true!"

  "Lucky me," Brittney said. "Now, let's cut this cake. Who's got a knife?"

  Chloe bent down and picked up a plastic bag that was lying on the floor. She took a stack of paper plates out, a container of plastic silverware, and a cake knife.

  "Do you want to do the honors?" Chloe asked Brittney.

  "Sure."

  Brittney cut a slice off the cake for everyone. Alec didn't look too pleased, but he accepted the cake graciously enough. Conner looked pretty excited for birthday cake, and even Sarah had a piece, despite her otherwise healthy lifestyle.

  They were all mostly silent as they ate their cake. Chloe commented on the good flavor; it was chocolate, with a strawberry filling and butter creme frosting. When they were all done, she cleaned up the mess and then rejoined everyone at the table.

  Alec turned the lights on. "Okay, so we can actually get started now?"

  "Such a buzzkill," Chloe commented, turning from Alec to Brittney. "See what I have to put up with?"

  Brittney laughed.

  "So what kind of job do we have?" Harper asked.

  "That's the thing," Alec said. "I'm not quite sure. My contacts told me that there's some sort of supernatural creature killing people; all victims are male."

  "A succubus?" Conner suggested.

  "No," Alec said. "Hold on."

  He picked up the remote, and turned on one of the monitors. He tossed it to Chloe, who pulled up the pictures that were saved on it. They were gruesome; there was a collection of men with terribly disfigured faces, and what looked like snapped necks.

  "Look," Alec said, "a succubus wouldn't bother with that. They don't kill by breaking necks and I've never known a succubus to mutilate corpses like this."

  "Are we sure it's supernatural?" Brittney asked.

  "My contacts are certain," Alec said.

  "Do we have any leads?" Conner asked.

  Alec shook his head.

  "Then how are we supposed to figure out who's doing it?" Brittney asked.

  "Well, we do have one lead, I guess, if you could call it that," Alec said. "There's a road that nobody really uses up by Nellis. That's where the victims are all found. Their cars are all left there, usually with the bodies draped over the hoods."

  "So a hitchhiking demon?" Harper suggested.

  Alec shrugged. "That's what I thought."

  "Are the mutilations done postmortem?" Sarah asked. "Or were the victims still alive for that?"

  "It was done while they were alive," Alec said.

  Everyone winced.

  "So the first thing we have to do is see if there's any connection between the victims. I have their names. We need to go to their families and see if they knew each other."

  "Brittney and I can do that," Chloe said. "She's got her FBI badge, and I have the one you made for me."

  Alec nodded. "Conner, I want you to go check with our demon sources. See if any of them know anything about this."

  "And me?" Sarah asked.

  "Take Harper to the gym," Alec said. "She still has a lot of strength to build up."

  "So everyone gets a job, but us?" Harper asked. She felt a little disappointed.

  "Listen in while you're there and see if you pick anything up, it is a sanctuary after all," Alec said. "Right now, we really can't do anything without more information. But you can at least go burn off that cake."

  Harper glared at him.

  "It's alright," Sarah said. "Go get your clothes, Harper. We'll see if we find anything out at the gym. If someone is snapping necks, they're bound to be strong, right? Maybe someone knows whoever is doing this."

  "True," Harper said, feeling a little better. She went upstairs and grabbed her workout clothes and met Sarah downstairs. "Are we taking your car or mine?"

  "Mine," Sarah said.

  "Just don't forget about dinner," Brittney said, "Six o'clock, alright?"

  "We have a demon out there killing and disfiguring people, and the two of you are going out to dinner?" Alec asked, barely keeping the annoyance out of his voice.

  Brittney shot him a dark look. "Of course we're having dinner. We have dinner with my parents year on my birthday. I'm not going to give up on everything else in my life because we hunt demons."

  "Fine," Alec said. "But just so you know, you all smell like alcohol. Maybe leave the drinking for when we're not taking a job that requires all of our senses to be sharp."

  "We didn't plan on having a job today," Harper said cuttingly. "Calm down, Alec. You're being a jerk."

  They glared at each other for a moment. Then Alec turned on his heel and went to the door that led to his apartment stairs without another word.

  "Come on," Sarah said. "Let's head to the gym. My clothes are already in the locker there."

  "Did you get me accepted?" Harper asked. "You said we could only go once until they accepted me as a member."

  "I put in a good word for you," Sarah said, "You've been accepted. Actually, here..." she dug in her purse till she found her wallet. She took Harper's gym key card out of it and handed it over. "Just remember, we get into any fights there, and we automatically lose our memberships."

  "I'm not going to fight anyone," Harper said. "I'm probably going to be too sore to even lift a finger."

  "The worse it hurts, the stronger you get," Sarah said. "Let's get going."

  Harper stopped to hug Brittney on the way out. "Happy birthday," she said.

  Brittney beamed at her, and then linked arms with Chloe. "Come on, let's go talk to the families."

  "Yes ma'am," Chloe said, making a two fingered salute.

  Harper and Sarah left, and as they climbed into the car, Harper heard her stomach rumble. "I guess I should have eaten something besides a mimosa and cake," she said with a shake of her head.

  "It's alright, we can stop on the way," Sarah said.

  Harper nodded, and the two of them took off. They stopped at a drive-through and ordered their burgers protein style. Sarah insisted, saying they needed the protein, but not the carbohydrates. They also ordered large ice teas. Harper hadn't realized she was thirsty till she took a long swig from her drink. After that, she couldn't stop drinking. They parked in an abandoned parking lot and ate.

  "You really need to start coming with me to the gym every day," Sarah said. "The thing is, I can shape-shift into something more feral and powerful, Conner and Alec can fight their way out of anything, and Chloe can handle herself. You need to be strong, though. If there's ever a fight, you have to be able to defend yourself."

  If there was one thing Harper didn't want to do, it was go to the gym every day with Sarah. The last time they'd went, she'd been sore for days.

  "It''ll get easier," Sarah assured her, with her usual lecture. "Soon, you'll start craving the endorphins that are released when you exercise. Then it'll be impossible not to go, because you won't feel right taking a day off."

  "Great," Harper said.

  Sarah laughed and started the car up again. "Really," she said, "I mean it."

  "Why don't you make Chloe work out with you?" Harper asked, "It isn't like she's that strong."

  "I tried," Sarah said. "But she said it affected her ability to move quickly, and also her levitating."

  When they got to the gym, they headed straigh
t for the locker rooms. They both changed into workout clothing.

  "What are we working on today?" Harper asked.

  "Everything," Sarah said, leading her over to the free weights. They spent nearly an hour doing different muscle building exercises. The worst was the plank that Sarah had her do. Harper felt like her arms might collapse from holding herself up for so long. Luckily, Sarah only made her keep the position for a minute. By the time she stood up, though, her arms were shaking, and she felt like she could hardly breathe. She went over to the fountain and got a long drink of water.

  Then they went over to the treadmill, where they ran for nearly an hour. By the time she was done running, Harper felt like her legs were made of jello. She followed Sarah back to the changing rooms, and showered before putting on her regular clothes.

  "Happy now?" she asked. "I feel like I'm going to die."

  Sarah just laughed.

  "Oh, you think it's funny," Harper said. "I bet you weren't always as strong and resilient as you are now."

  "No, I wasn't," Sarah admitted. "To be honest, when I was in pre-med, I hardly got the chance to workout at all. I must have gained thirty pounds before I quit, and joined up with Alec, Chloe, and Conner. I decided to lose the weight, and I guess I got carried away. I'm sorry if I pushed you too hard."

  "It's alright," Harper said. "But what do we do now?"

  "We head back to the club and let Alec know that we didn't find anything out," Sarah said. "I was hoping someone might have mentioned it, but I guess this isn't a demon that associates with these ones."

  As they got back into Sarah's car, Harper couldn't help but ask, "So these employers of Alec, you have no idea who they are? You've been working with him for so long that he must have let something slip."

  Sarah shook her head. "No, he's never mentioned them beyond telling us they have a job for us to do."

  "It bothers me," Harper said. "It's frustrating not knowing where we're getting our work from. I mean, they pay well, so clearly they have plenty of money. And why don't they just handle things themselves? Do you think they're just regular humans?"

  "I don't know," Sarah said. "I wouldn't think so. I mean, they know all about the supernatural world. They know when something is happening. They must know about the underworld at the least."

  "I'm going to find out," Harper decided.

  "Good luck," Sarah said. "The rest of us have been trying for years."

  "You don't share an apartment with him," Harper said. "Maybe I'll just blare loud music until he gives in and tells me."

  They both shared a laugh at the mental image. Harper knew there was little chance at actually convincing Alec to share his secrets, but she was determined to try. If he couldn't trust her, then what was the point?

  THREE

  They were nearly back to Afterlife when Sarah's phone rang. She reached into her purse and pulled it out.

  "You're not supposed to be on the phone while driving," Harper said.

  Sarah shrugged and pulled over. She checked the screen and then answered. "Monica? What is it? Hey, hey, stop crying. Tell me what's going on. Okay, don't worry. I'll be there soon. It's going to be alright. I'm only twenty minutes away. We'll get this sorted out. Stay on the phone with me."

  Ignoring Harper completely, Sarah turned the car back on, and made a U-turn. She drove way past the speed limit, ignoring red lights where she could and cutting cars off left and right. Some of them honked at her, but she ignored this too.

  Harper was glad she was wearing her seatbelt, because they made rapid turns, and she felt like a rag doll, pulled one way then another. Sarah stayed on the phone the entire time, ignoring Harper's reminder that she shouldn't drive and talk at the same time.

  They pulled up outside a white two-story house. It was beautiful from the outside; the paint looked fresh, there was a large red door, a perfectly maintained yard, and neatly trimmed shrubs. There was a flower garden underneath a large glass window.

  "I'm here," Sarah said. "Just hang on."

  She hung up the phone and turned to Harper. "You can stay here if you want. I just need to go check on somebody."

  When she got out of the car, Harper followed. She was too curious not to. Sarah didn't bother to knock or ring the doorbell, but let herself inside. Harper followed, feeling uneasy. Something was going on here, and she wished she'd brought her gun at least. If there were demons to fight... well, she wasn't exactly prepared.

  If it was a demon, though, why hadn't Sarah asked her to call in the others for backup? She knew Sarah was strong, that much was obvious, but she didn't like to think of the two of them handling an angry demon alone.

  Then again, she and Alec had handled a succubus between the two of them with no problem. I mean, sure, she'd almost seduced Harper, but in the end it had worked out, and the demon had died. Maybe this was part of her training; learning how to work with each team member by themselves.

  She reminded herself that when she and Brittney had been kidnapped, she'd broken through her bonds using nothing more than her willpower. She was stronger than she gave herself credit for.

  A tall, broad shouldered man with a beer gut came down the stairs, stopping at the base of them. "What the hell are you doing here?"

  "Where is she, Lewis?" Sarah asked. Harper tried focusing on the man, but got nothing from him. He appeared to be completely human. Her mind was racing. What were they doing here?

  "It's none of your damn business, Sarah," Lewis said. "Now, get out of my house, or you'll regret it."

  Sarah laughed, but it was a cold, disingenuous laugh. "I'd like to see you try. We both know you only pick on women half your size that have no chance of protecting themselves. Now listen to me, I can call the cops right now. They'll be here in minutes. If I were you, I'd clear out before they get here."

  "You're trying to kick me out of my own house?" Lewis said, approaching them. He glanced at Harper. "And who's this, your little girlfriend? It all makes sense now. You're a lesbian."

  "You're an ass," Sarah said. "One who likes to beat up on women. What's wrong? Never faced someone who can defend themselves before?"

  Harper was getting more nervous and confused by the second. It seemed like Sarah was actually looking for a fight.

  Lewis threw a swing at her, and Sarah ducked under it. She brought her knee sharply into his groin. As he doubled over in pain, she sent a solid fist into his face, breaking his nose. He howled in agony.

  "Harper, call the police," Sarah said.

  Harper pulled out her phone, but before she could dial, Lewis was back on his feet.

  "Alright, alright, I'm leaving. But don't think I won't be back. This is between me and my wife, and I don't need you sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong."

  "Get out of here, or you'll have more than a broken nose," Sarah said.

  Lewis muttered a few choice curse words and stormed out of the house. A few seconds later, they heard his car start. Sarah didn't waste anytime; she ran up the stairs, with Harper on her heels.

  "What's going on, Sarah?" Harper asked.

  Sarah ignored her, and checked the first bedroom. It was empty, so she went back to the master bedroom.

  Lying huddled on the bed was a woman in bad shape. She was had marks that looked like they were made from a belt, her face was bruised, and it looked as though she were cradling a broken arm. Her phone was lying next to her.

  Sarah went to her, and knelt down beside her. "Monica, you're going to be alright. Harper, call an ambulance."

  "No ambulance," Monica muttered. "Please. He didn't mean it."

  "Yes, he did," Sarah said. "And he meant it the time before this, and he meant it the time before that. It's time to leave him, Monica. This keeps happening."

  "He just gets so angry," Monica said. She reached or a tissue from beside the bed and wiped the blood from her nose. She winced as she did it. "He needs help. If I leave him, he's never going to get that help."

  "What he needs is some time in
jail," Sarah said. "Now, we can call an ambulance, or you can get in my car. Either way, you're going to the hospital."

  Monica let out a sigh and then got up. "I'll go to the hospital, but no police."

  Sarah sighed, but put an arm around her, helping her walk. Harper moved to her other side, so she'd have more balance between the two of them. Together, the three made it down the stairs and out to the car. Monica took the front seat, leaving the back for Harper.

  "So what happened this time?" Sarah asked.

  "He wants me to quit smoking," Monica said. Her voice was clogged and nasally from the swelling. "I told him I would. But he came home, and I was smoking, and he just got angry. It's my fault; I told him I'd quit. But I just wanted one, to calm my nerves. My mother is in the hospital getting her appendix removed."

  Sarah glanced over at her. "It's not your fault," she said. "It doesn't matter what you said you'd do; he doesn't have the right to treat you like that. He's going to kill you one of these days, Monica. I'm serious."

  "He can change."

  "Men like that don't change," Sarah said, and Harper heard a bite of bitterness in her voice that she'd never heard before.

  Monica seemed to sense that arguing further would do no good, so she lapsed into silence as they drove. Harper could see her in the mirror though, and saw the tears running down her puffy face. Once they were at the hospital, Harper and Sarah helped her get inside.

  There was a wait, but after seeing her condition, the triage nurse took her straight to one of the rooms. The doctor came in a little later. "Do you want them in the room?"

  For a moment, Monica said nothing. Then she took a quick look at Sarah, and her angry expression. "They can come back after you're done examining me," she said. Her voice was laced with embarrassment.

  Sarah and Harper filed out of the room into the waiting area. "I'm going to kill that prick," Sarah said. "I'm going to tear his jugular out."

  "How do you know Monica?" Harper asked.

  "I work with abused women," Sarah said.

  Harper blinked, surprised. "You do?"

  "Yeah," Sarah said.