Page 87 of The Price of Mercy
“Exactly.”
With a grunt, he pulls the final box out of the way, creating a makeshift path that leads to a cobweb-encrusted nightmare door whose wood looks like it came from the hull of the Mayflower. When he pushes it open—because the handle’s fucking missing—it spits dusts. “Anyone got a flashlight?”
Sam pulls his cell phone from his pocket and turns on the flashlight. Inside the doorway is a narrow set of stone steps leading down into the dark.
Malachi grabs a handful of taper candles and shoves them into his jacket pockets, followed by two lighters, a hidden pack of cigarettes from a desk drawer, and a box of matches. Then he chucks one of the white tablecloths down the stairs. “Let’s go.” He steps into the darkness and disappears after the first few steps.
Must not be afraid of the dark or whatever bugs have infested the creepy ass cellar.
“I’ll go first.” Sam ignores his father as he steps in front of us and descends the first few stairs, lighting his own way but not ours. Great.
“You wouldn’t kick your own son down the stairs, would you, Samuel?” After pushing Sam’s dad onto the first dusty step, I shove a folded cloth napkin into my pocket and nab one of those heavy metal candleholders, wishing I had the knife clipped to Zane’s belt. Hopefully when he comes looking for me, it isn’t lying on the morgue floor, lost and forgotten after his impromptu romp with Mercy. I’m a little relieved that Malachi picked up Samuel’s gun, but shooting in a dark, cramped space is risky even for me. I’d rather handle this quietly beneath everyone’s noses—or in this case, their feet.
By the time I come up for air, Samuel Wright better have taken his last.
Chapter 34
Zane
Glass crunches under my feet,and I look down to find blood on the floor. Smearing the shards the sole of my shoe, I stare at them as though they can speak and tell me what happened, or when.
Mercy’s gaze drops to my shoe. “Is that… blood?”
I scan the hallway for Kane and listen for his booming laugh, but neither are present.
It makes me nervous.
“Let’s find Kane.” Leading Mercy around the building, we check every room. Party guests have dwindled since the night began, few of them equipped for late nights drinking and playing games, but Grandma Star sits at her table with her tarot cards out, idly pulling a five-card spread and staring intently at the card faces.
Slipping from my arm, Mercy approaches her grandmother. “Have you seen Kane, Grandma? Or, well, anyone? We can’t find Sam or Malachi?—”
Granny clasps Mercy’s hands in her own and peers up at her for a long moment. “You’ve blossomed into a beautiful young woman, Mercy, just beautiful.” Her smile is as soft as her gaze. “I remember when your mother first came here. She was just astaken with the business as that young man of yours is.” Patting the back of Mercy’s hands, she turns her head towards the cards on the table. “I’ve been telling that other boy, the sour one, that he needs to take deep breaths and drink more tea. It’s good for the soul, you know.”
I crinkle my nose. She’s been telling me that same shit for weeks now.
As though she can hear my thoughts, Granny tuts. “Don’t be like that. The others are waiting for you downstairs. But be a dear and bring a drink with you; I think someone’s parched.” She makes a pained sound and touches her fingertips to her throat. “I don’t know why he’s so angry. It’s bitter. So very bitter.” Taking a shallow breath, she stands from her seat and hobbles towards the fireplace. “I think I’ll have your father start a fire. It’s cold tonight.”
Mercy’s panic ignites my own. She glances back at me with wide eyes before helping her grandmother sit in the rocking chair beside the brick fireplace. “I’ll start the fire, Grandma. Do you want a blanket?”
“Downstairs,” she murmurs, holding her hand out and pointing at a spot on the wall. “Your brother is downstairs. Didn’t I tell you? He’s thirsty. Bring him some tea with a nice splash of whiskey and lemon. It’ll clear him right up.”
Mercy tucks a knit blanket around her grandmother’s legs. “You shouldn’t be alone, Grandma. Where did everyone go?”
“I’m not alone, darling. I’m never alone.”
Frowning, I pinch the bridge of my nose and take a deep breath. She’s always been eccentric, but this is senile. “I’ll keep looking for Kane.”
“Wait!” Spinning around, Mercy grabs my wrist. “Thereisa basement, but it’s been closed off for years. They can’t have gone down there.” She glances back at Grandma Star. “No one knows about it but us.”
“Who?”
She gives me an annoyed look. “My family.”
I glance at Granny and blow out a breath. She’s falling asleep. “I think your grandma had too much to drink.”
“I’ll get my dad to watch her.”
“Stay,” I insist. “I’ll find out what the guys are up to.” I have a feeling that they’re trying to get away with murder—something we didn’t exactly tell Mercy was in the plans for tonight.
