Page 16 of Graveyards & Greed

I grinned and patted her leg. “And I’m yours.”

Her eyes drifted down to the faint scars on my forearms, and her voice got soft. “I know you are, Syl. Now tell me what you’re thinking?”

As a child, when Luna’s father locked her in a closet, I broke a window to get her out, and sliced the hell out of my arms. She would’ve done the same for me.

Sliding off the couch, I started pacing. “I'm thinking something symbolic but with a mortician’s flair. A creepy little gift that has a big shock value.”

“What little gift?” Luna asked cautiously.

“A middle finger.”

She stared at me. “Tell me it’ll be fake.”

“Okay.”

“It’s not going to be fake, is it?”

“Nope.”

“Where are you going to get a middle finger?” she asked cautiously. “On the black market or the dark web?”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re so dramatic. No, I’m going to do what any normal, law-abiding citizen would. Order it online.”

She tilted her head and stared at me. “You can get body parts online?”

“Yes, which is kind of messed up. There’s a company in Portland, Oregon that brokers bodies and body parts all over the world. I’ve packaged a few for delivery, which is no small feat in this Vegas heat.” Luna's mouth hung open, and she stared at me. “What?” I asked.

“Only you would know where to buy body parts and think a severed middle finger is an acceptable form of communication.”

A few days later, Alexa and Luna stood behind me as I opened the insulated package on my workstation in the embalming room. Fog wafted from the box, and I waved it away, peering down at the bubble-wrapped hand nestled in dry ice.

“Turns out, single phalanges cost more than buying a whole hand, and the middle finger is the most expensive. Go figure.” I pulled on a latex glove with a satisfying snap. “It’s a bargain if you think about it—five digits for the price of one." I snickered at my own joke.

“Way to go, saving money by buying bulk body parts,” Alexa shook her head. “Estás loca.”

Ignoring her insult, I studied all the items I’d lined up to prepare the finger. A small box, the scalpel Drakos had gifted me, and clear plastic wrap sat on my desk.

Pulling the stiff digits away from the middle one, I positioned the hand so I could cut the middle finger off.

Alexa held up her hand. “Wait. I can’t believe I’m encouraging your juvenile behavior, but what if you sent the whole hand to him, and positioned it so the middle finger is extended?”

Luna tilted her head. “Like it’s flipping the bird. Huh, that’s a good idea. I mean, without the finger being attached to the whole hand, it looks a little like a Jimmy Dean sausage link. Are you sure you want to do this?” Luna asked again. “It’s going to stir the pot.”

“Hell, yes, and I like Alexa’s idea, but I need flesh-colored thread and a bigger box.” Luna found a fancy perfume box and I worked on curling the other fingers down and stitching them in place. Then I leaned back and examined my work. It looked almost cheerfully ghoulish.

Alexa shook her head as she watched me assemble the package. “Ignoring him would be your smartest move.” Alexa was whip-smart and gave solid advice, but I couldn’t let his challenge go.

“Doing nothing goes against every fiber of my being.” Carefully, I wrapped the hand and placed it in the box, then put the box in a black silk bag. I also scribbled a note on a small linen card that read,“I believe this speaks for itself. S.”

“Subtle,” Luna commented dryly, peeking over my shoulder.

“Alright. I want to deliver it tonight. That way it will be on his desk first thing in the morning.”

“Shoot. I have class tomorrow morning, so I won’t be there when he opens it. I really wanted to see his face,” Luna muttered.

“Who’s going to help me figure out how to deliver it?” I asked, studying the benign-looking package.

Alexa sighed. “Against my better judgment, I can help with that. The building’s security system is tight, but if you get the package to the outer door of their office with Drakos’s name clearly on it, the receptionist will bring it in and set it on his desk.”

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