Page 156 of Like Grim Death: Part One
FuckingFinn.
“We still have to do it,” Mav whispers in my ear, trying to overcome the darkness burrowing inside my mind. “It doesn’t matter who it is, we have to—”
“There’s someone in here, Ms. Esther.” Finn’s voice is high-pitched and lacking fear.
I blink, trying to focus, but all I can see is a crack of darkness into the bedroom. It’s a mercy I can’t seehim.
“No one is here, Finn,” the woman croons softly. Kindly. She doesn’t even sound irritated Finn probably woke her up. “Get back to your bed.”
There must be two in there. They’re sharing a bedroom though.
“It’s my uncle,” Finn whispers, and I know even though I can’t see him, he sees me.
Uncle.Did Julie tell him I was his uncle? What a lousy fucking uncle I was, doing lines in his house.
I think of Mav, and how he’d never do that with Rain.
The warmth in the apartment suddenly feels cloistering, like I’m catching fire despite my wet clothes.
I hear the creak of a step.
Another.
I knowEstheris coming closer, and I turn to look over my shoulder. “Move out of view,” I mouth to Maverick, my eyes locked on his.
His jaw clenches, like he wants to argue, but as Esther’s footsteps get closer to the door, he finally nods, then grabs Sevryn’s arm and jerks him back too, aiming the gun at his head.
Sevryn’s eyes widen and I know Maverick doesn’t need to do that, but clearly he’s still pissed Sevryn was alone in a room with Ella.
Can’t say I blame him.
I turn back to the door just as it opens all the way, a light inside the room flicking on before a woman appears in the doorway, blocking any view I might have had of Finn.
She’s older, with white, curly hair and a wrinkled face. Wearing a long, shapeless yellow nightgown, she clearly just got out of bed.
Her mouth opens, eyes wide as I hear her suck in a breath at the sight of me, dressed all in black with a skeleton bandana around my neck and gun in hand.
She starts to close the door, her body moving again, reacting, and I’m mildly impressed it only took her seconds to respond.
But I close the space between us, no longer bothering with being quiet, and put my black boot in the door so she can’t slam it closed.
“Finn,” she says, still attempting to shut it, “go to the bathroom. Shower,” she hisses, but she doesn’t look away from me. I hear small footsteps, then a door slams. They must have practiced this, and the thought makes me queasy.
I hold out my hand, smacking my palm on the door to resist her futile efforts to shut it. She’s shorter than I am, this room smells like baby powder—something soft—and yet when she glares up at me with blue eyes, I know she’d still try to fight me off to save him.
“Who are you?” I ask her, my words low.
She narrows her gaze. “You broke into my home. Who areyou?”She tries to hide it, but her voice shakes and I watch her swallow after she asks the question.
“Why are you with Finn? Do you know what happened to Julie?”
Her face pales, eyes widening.
“Did youknowJulie?” I press, seeing her surprise.
She shakes her head once, her eyes darting past me, no doubt looking for my backup, but I know she didn’t see Mav or Sevryn yet. “He says her name,” she whispers. “His mom?”
I nod once, flexing my fingers against the wood of her door. I take in her small bed, a tinier one beside it, only a mattress but it has a comforter with cars on it, flung back and messy now. “Why are you with him?” I try again. “Who gave him to you?”
