Grave (Dark Kingdom, #3) — Chapter no 4

CHAPTER FOUR

GRAVE

“WHERE ARE YOU going?” Lucy asks, sitting up in her bed.

“I have somewhere to be,” I lie, yanking my jeans up my legs.

She frowns but doesn’t say anything else. She knows when I’m done, I’m done, and there’s nothing she can do to make me stay.

“What are you doing tonight?” she asks.

“I don’t know.” I grab my shirt off the floor and slide it on. Fuck, I really

need a shower and some clean clothes.

“Grave—”

“I’ll call you,” I interrupt her and exit her room. I make my way out of her penthouse and into her private elevator. As the doors close, I pull out my cell and press call.

“Hello?” Luca answers on the first ring.

“Hey, I’m out. You have anything?” I ask, leaning my head back against the wall. I get most of my shit from Luca Bianchi. My brother hates that he’s my main supplier, but there’s nothing he can do about it.

“Yeah, I’ll swing by Kingdom later and drop some off.”

“Sounds good. Thanks.”

“Anytime.”

We hang up as the door slides open, and I step off into the parking garage. I fall into my car, not really sure where I’m going but knowing I can’t stay here any longer.

I’m not in love with Lucy and she’s aware of that. Regardless of what she feels for me, she knows where she stands. And you have to respect a bitch who doesn’t push something that she knows won’t ever happen.

I drive through town, my radio blaring “Mansion” by NF on max volume to drown out all my thoughts. I haven’t called my brother back, but he sent me a message an hour ago to call him. I didn’t respond.

He’s probably getting his morning wood sucked now. Since Titan is up for sharing his woman with him, he’s probably drowning himself in Emilee.

They have some fucked-up threesome thing going on.

I come up to a stoplight and sit there while a car with two girls pulls up next to me. They barely look sixteen. The driver smiles at me, and then her eyes run over my neck tattoo and sleeve, and her smile grows. I look away from her, staring straight ahead, not having the time to deal with a girl who has daddy issues. Most women who want to fuck me do it to piss off their fathers. The only flaw in their plans is that I don’t ever stay around long enough to meet their dads.

The song changes to “MONSTERS” by Shinedown, and I rev my engine, waiting for the light to change as well. I look to my left and see a flower shop. It’s got a blood-red awning and glass storefront. A red rose is painted on one of the windows. It reminds me of my mother.

Seventeen years old The service is about to come to an end. We’ve only been to one other funeral before, and they had a picture of Aunt Beth and the front of the church was full of flowers.

My brother sits to my right, back ramrod straight. Emilee’s hand in his on her lap. “Where are Mom’s flowers?” I ask him.

He leans into me but keeps his eyes facing ahead. “Dad said no flowers.

He didn’t want them cluttering the house afterward.”

I fist my hands. Dad hates them. Always said it’s a waste of money to pay so much for something that is just going to die within a matter of days.

“Mom loved flowers,” I tell him.

He sighs heavily. Even he knows it isn’t right, but he doesn’t challenge Dad. I don’t know why he cares so much about what Dad thinks of him. I guess if I were the chosen child, I would feel differently about the situation.

“Will you shut the fuck up, Kyle?” my father growls in my ear. “Show some fucking respect.”

The light turns green, and I pull into a front row parking spot at the flower shop and come to a stop. Sitting in my car, I don’t know what I’m doing. But without any more thought, I get out. I open the glass door that reads Roses and step inside. The smell of flowers hits me like a fucking punch to my face. It makes me nauseous. This is why my father never bought them for my mother. He hated the way they smelled and what they represented—life.

I don’t want to be anything like him.

“Hello?” I ask when I don’t see anyone behind the counter in front of me.

I look to my left and a row of glass doors holds all sorts of flowers inside. Each door is labeled with its contents.

“Hello?” I call out a little louder.

Still nothing. I look to the other side, and there are shelves of vases in various sizes. Some are just your simple glass, but others have been painted.

I walk over and pick up one that has a beach scene on it. A big, bright yellow sun is setting in the background, giving the beach a soft yellow glow. The waves are rolling in, and the sand has seashells on it. It makes me want a vacation. I don’t even remember the last time I went on one.

I set it down and walk over to the counter. There’s a bell and a sign that reads—ring if not at counter. I ring it twice. “Hello?” I call out again.

My phone vibrates, and I dig it out of my pocket. It’s a message from my brother.

Bones: Where the hell are you? I’m at Kingdom.

I ignore him and put my phone away. “Anyone here?” I shout and ring the bell again.

Turning back to face the door, I double-check the open sign and see that they are. I push off the counter and walk past it farther into the shop.

There’s a door behind the counter, and I push it open, thinking it’s an office.

I storm in to go off on whoever has abandoned their duties but come to a stop when I enter.

It’s not an office. It’s a freezer of some type. A shiver runs over me as the cold hits me, instantly soaking into my skin and chilling my bones. I hate cold weather. But that’s not what has me pausing. It’s the girl in front of me.

She faces me, but her head is down, and there is a glass vase in front of her on a white table. She is cutting the stems off a set of yellow lilies before placing them in the vase. Then she picks up the white ribbon next to her.

She pulls it off the spool to where she wants it and cuts it.

I take a second to look over her. She wears a pair of faded blue jeans with the knees torn out. They sit low on her narrow hips. A white shirt that has a big red rose in the center. One petal has fallen off and lies below it by itself.

And it reads until the last petal in black ink at the top. Her hair is a vibrant purple that she has pulled up into two messy buns.

Her hips sway back and forth, and her head bounces up and down gently.

An iPhone sits next to the arrangement she is still working on and earbuds

are in her ear.

She’s listening to music. That’s why she didn’t hear me calling for assistance.

I stand just watching her. My body shivering slightly from the coldness.

It doesn’t seem to bother her.

She stands back and examines her work with a smile. Straight white teeth beam proudly at her work. Her plump lips are covered in the same shade as her hair.

Picking it up, she turns and places it on the fourth shelf. She has to stand on her tiptoes to reach, and the back of her shirt rides up, showing off two little dimples and sun-kissed skin. My eyes travel up over her back, and it’s hard not to notice the straps of a black bra that you can see through her thin white shirt. If you’re paying attention like I am. I get to her hair and see she has two braids on either side running up to the two messy buns.

She gets it where she wants it and spins around. That’s when she screams, pulling me out of my trance. She shoves her back into the shelves, making them rattle, and rips the earbuds out of her ears. She places her hand on her chest, and her tits bounce up and down from her heavy breathing. Ice blue eyes meet mine, and she swallows nervously as they take in my face. Her gaze lingers on my eyebrow ring, before dropping to my lip ring and then moves to my neck tattoo that peeks out from underneath my shirt before they go to the sleeve I have on my right arm.

“Sorry,” I announce, raising my hands to let her know I’m not about to rob her. Or worse. I know what women think when they first see me. Most don’t like tattoos and piercings. They call us thugs. “I rang the bell …”

Her body instantly relaxes, and she takes a deep breath. Then her laughter fills the small room. It’s light and innocent. “I’m so sorry,” she apologizes, her voice shakes a little from the near heart attack I just gave her.

“I didn’t know we were open yet,” she adds when I just stand here.

I frown and point my thumb back to the closed door to this ice box we’re in. “The sign said open.”

She stops laughing and steps back up to the table. “Have you been waiting long?” She places the scissors in her back pocket and then grabs the

spool of ribbon.

“Maybe five minutes.”

“I’m so sorry about that.” Walking over to me, she opens the door and gestures for me to exit, and I notice the silver hoop—a septum piercing. A row of little diamonds. It’s dainty and barely noticeable at first glance.

I place my hand on the door above her head and hold it open. “Ladies first.”

She gives me a kind smile and walks out. She takes a hard right, and I follow her, taking us deeper into the shop. She comes to a new door and rips it open. A younger, teenage boy sits behind an old wooden desk. His mop of dark hair is covering his eyes. His arms crossed over his chest, and his head is back as the chair looks like he’s about to fall backward. The kid’s asleep.

She walks over to the desk and shoves his feet off the scratched surface.

He jumps up, eyes springing open. “What …?”

“We had a customer. What are you doing in here sleeping?” she snaps at him.

He pushes the long dark strands from his face. “It was an accident …”

“Go make some arrangements in the cooler,” she orders.

He nods once and mumbles, “Yes, ma’am.”

She seems satisfied with that and turns back to exit but comes to a stop when she sees me. Her eyes meeting mine, and I instantly begin to back out.

I didn’t mean to follow her in here. “Sorry,” I say again.

She walks out and goes to stand behind the counter. “What can I get you?”

“Uh …” Words get lodged in my throat as my mind runs wild. Why did I even come in here? I’m not going to buy flowers for my father’s funeral.

And our mother is buried in another state, so it’s not like I can go place flowers on her grave. She moved here when she was sixteen and met my father. They got married right after she graduated high school. When she passed, he had her body moved to her home state of Illinois. Like she’d know the fucking difference. I think he just wanted to get rid of her. Out of sight, out of mind type of thing. And a way to punish me so I wouldn’t get to visit her grave.

I run a hand through my hair. “What do you suggest?”

“Is this for a girlfriend? Wife?” she asks, and I don’t miss her eyes dropping to my left hand to check for a ring.

I almost choke at the question. Clearing my throat, I shake my head.

“Neither.” I’ve never bought flowers for Lucy before, and I’m not about to

start now. The only time I’ve ever purchased flowers were for my mother.

On her birthday. She died five months later. “My mom’s birthday,” I say and instantly tense. It’s eight months away, and she’s fucking dead.

What am I doing?

She beams at me, her ice blue eyes shining with excitement. Her purple painted lips pull back into a big smile. She’s gorgeous. I’ve never seen anything like her before. So colorful. So real. I find myself leaning toward

her. My hips pushing into the counter.

“What do you have in mind?” she asks.

“What do you suggest?” I ask again, my eyes following the line of her square jaw and full lips.

She begins to rattle off all the options of arrangements and various flowers, and it makes my head hurt. I’m still feeling whatever pill Lucy gave me last night. “Why don’t you surprise me?” I offer.

Her smile widens, and it’s beautiful. Reminds me of that sunset I saw painted on the vase when I walked in. “When do you need it by?”

“Thursday.” I almost roll my eyes at that.

She nods and writes that down.

“I’m sorry if that’s last minute.” I add.

Liar.

She shakes her head. “No worries.” Then she looks up at me through her long, dark lashes. They’re lined with thick black liner that fans out to the side. Lucy refers to it as cat eyes. “I apologize you had to wait.”

It was worth it sits on my tongue, but instead, I wave her off. “It’s okay.

I’m sorry I frightened you.”

“Here.” She gives me the paper that she had written on. “Write down your name and the best number to reach you at. I will give you a call as soon as they are ready.”

I bend over and begin to write down my information.

“Will you need them delivered?” she asks.

I put the pen down and push it back over to her. “Nope. I’ll pick them up.” Then I turn and walk out, but one of the vases she has sitting on the shelf catches my attention. “Are these for sale?” I ask, turning back to her

and pointing at them.

“Yes.”

Walking over, I pick up a black vase that has a dark purple butterfly on it.

The inner wings fade to a dark pink. It too reminds me of my mother. She

loved butterflies. She had this picture that she kept in the family room of two butterflies sitting in a field. She loved it. My father had it boxed up and sold at an auction after she passed.

I place it on the counter. My eyes lift from the butterfly to hers, and I notice the purple color of the body matches her hair and lips perfectly. “I’ll take this one.” Before she can say anything else, I turn and get the hell out of the shop.

APRIL

I WATCH THE man exit the front door and then I turn to the cooler door and barge in. “Just what do you think you were doing?” I bark at my little brother.

He stands behind the small table, trying to make an arrangement for the Blitz wedding this weekend. Stopping, he looks up at me and releases a sigh. His blue eyes are heavy, and he has bags under them. His band T-shirt and ripped jeans look like he picked them up off his bedroom floor this morning.

“What time did you get in last night?” I ask him. I went to bed at

midnight, and he wasn’t home yet.

“Late.” Comes his clipped answer.

“Where were you?” I pry.

“At a party.”

He’s lying. “Ethan …” My younger brother is my responsibility. I have to protect him, but he fights me every step of the way. I’m only three years older than him. Since he still lives with me, he thinks he’s the man of the house and that he can do whatever he wants.

“Just stop, April. I don’t need you going all mom on me. It’s too early, and I’m too tired.”

I refrain from rolling my eyes at him. “I’m gonna cook spaghetti tonight.

Your favorite.” I try changing the subject.

“I won’t be home until late.”

“Where are you going?” I ask through thin lips.

“Out,” he says.

“Ethan, you need to get some sleep.”

He just ignores me.

I run my hands over my jeans and close my eyes. “Are you in trouble?” I ask. It’s been my biggest fear for a while now. He didn’t always hang with the best crowd. Between getting thrown out of school on multiple occasions and his run-ins with the law, he’s already on a dangerous path. He snorts,

and my eyes spring open.

“No.”

“I’m serious, Ethan. I’m worried about you. You’re never home. You’re sleeping at work …”

He slams down the glass vase onto the table. “You wanted to keep this fucking store!” he roars. “Not me!”

I swallow nervously. “It’s all we had left of Mom,” I whisper, and my chest tightens. How could he not want to keep a part of her? This was all she had to leave us. Every time I walk into Roses, I think of her. I see her. I smell her. In a way, she lives on as long as I’m here. This was her life. Her dream. I couldn’t sell it to someone else who would most likely close it and turn it into another coffee shop.

He places his hands on the table and bows his head. “I know.” He growls, pushing off the table. “You wanted this, April. I didn’t.” Then he shoves past me and out the cooler door.

I follow him back through the flower shop and into the office. “Where are you going?” I ask when he yanks his jacket off the back of the chair.

“Out.” Comes his clipped answer. “And don’t wait up for me tonight.”

It’s seven in the morning. “Ethan?” I call out as he makes his way to the front door.

He doesn’t respond or stop before he shoves the front door open and storms out. I walk back into the office and plop down into the chair. I rip both of my buns out and run my hands through the back of my hair to undo the braids, allowing my hair to fall over my shoulders and down my back. It was giving me a headache. Looking down at the floor, I see what looks like a key card to a hotel room of some sort. A black circle is in the middle with a gold K in the center. Then below that it says Kingdom Members Only.

It must have fallen out of his jacket pocket. I fist it in my hand and sigh.