Death's Dilemma (DHAD #2) Read online

  “I don’t think you need to be here for this.”

  “While you’re in the dressing room, I thought it’d be pertinent that I was close by, just in case,” he said with a wink.

  “Sometimes they surprise you when you get them on. Just try it. Stop being a child,” Lacie scolded as she went into her dressing room with a dark purple gown.

  I changed out of my outfit and stood there for a moment, staring at the dress as it hung on the inside of the door. No way in hell this thing was going to look good on.

  “Are you ready to show us?” Lacie called from outside the dressing room. Apparently we were racing.

  “It’s ugly. I’m ready for dress number two.”

  “You have to show us first. You think anything that isn’t black is ugly. Cendall, come on, just do this for me please.” I let out a frustrated breath, took the bodacious pink ensemble off the hanger, and slid it over my head. It looked worse than I imagined. I did a once over in the mirror, and instead of looking like cotton candy, it looked more like a wadded up piece of chewed gum that fell into a bucket of sequins.

  I opened the door, and their faces confirmed my thoughts. Trevor bent over laughing while Lacie tried to cover her mouth.

  “Okay, you were right. Dress number two,” she said as she handed me a dark crimson dress. I stepped back into the dressing room and closed the door.

  This dress was strapless and had a heart shaped neckline with black rhinestones and beaded embroidery. It slid on super easy. I wouldn’t even have to have it altered in any way; it fit my body like it had been created for me. It hugged against all my curves, complimenting them as it traveled down to just above the knees. At this point, the silhouette flared out like a mermaid tail. This would give me easy access to my scythe that would be underneath. This, unlike the bubble gum wonder, made a smile hit my lips as I checked myself out in the mirror.

  “Ready to show us dress number two?” Lacie called out again from behind the door.

  “Yes.” I opened the door and glanced at Lacie’s face first. She smiled wide in approval.

  “You look freaking HOT in that dress. Red is definitely your color. That is your dress. You’re going to get that one, right!?” she said in excitement.

  “It’s okay.” I downplayed it as I looked over to Trevor. He said nothing, but I watched his eyes travel down to the ground and back up to my face again. His eyes narrowed, and he looked like a lion before tackling its prey. I hadn’t seen that look since we’d wrestled in the woods so long ago.

  “Doesn’t she look amazing?” Lacie asked Trevor, and her question took him out of whatever trance he was in. His eyes went back to normal, and he took a deep breath.

  “It looks fine. It seems like you guys have this under control, so I’ll let you be.” And with that, he left. Lacie laughed

  “What?”

  “What he meant to say was that you looked delicious,” she said, and heat slapped my cheeks.

  “I’m sure if that’s what he meant, he’d have said that. I know you think that there is something between us because of that kiss you witnessed last year, but it was a dare, that’s it.

  ”Right, It’s not like you guys started practically dry humping each other in front of me or anything.” She laughed as she went back into her dressing room.

  After Lacie tried on thirty more dresses, she finally found “her” dress as well. It was a deep blue, and it complimented her blonde hair and blue eyes perfectly. The last things on our agenda for the day were masquerade masks. The store was called Lucy’s Lingerie, and my cheeks burned as I looked around at the corset get ups and frilly, barely-there undies.

  “We’re looking for masks,” Lacie said to the bubbly blonde associate behind the counter. She had on a pink corset with a black petticoat skirt and hot pink fishnet stockings. The associate gave us a suspicious look but then led us into a room that had its own door. As we entered, I could see why. There were chains, whips, and leather ensembles everywhere. Lacie pointed to the ball gag and laughed.

  “You’ll find masks over here,” the associate said, taking my eyes away from all the gadgets around me. It looked like items I’d seen in torture chambers back home, but we were in a lingerie store, which meant people actually used these things for pleasure.

  “This one is perfect for mine,” Lacie said as she pulled a mask off the shelf. It was a half mask that would cover just her eyes. It was royal blue and lined with lace and silver sequins.

  “It is,” I agreed as the dress she’d gotten was the same color.

  “For me?” I laughed as I picked up a mask that, if I put it on, would wrap around my entire head. It had three belt straps in the back and would leave only my eyes and mouth visible. Lacie’s mouth dropped, as she mouthed oh my god. I put it back and found one that I thought would fit. It was black with red lace covering the entire front. It was only a half mask, and the lace had a flower pattern to it that would complement the black embroidery on my dress.

  “Much better. Now, let’s get out of here. I already feel like we’re getting strange looks from the worker. Wouldn’t want her to start formulating a story for what we’re going to use these for.”

  As Lacie and I left the store, we found Trevor sitting outside on a bench by the bubblegum machines. I hadn’t felt him around since he left the dressing room. As we approached, he looked at the store we’d just came from and then back to me. His left eyebrow rose.

  “We needed masks for the dance. It is a masquerade you know. Get your mind out of the gutter,” I said.

  “After what I saw earlier? Impossible,” he said in a low tone as he got off the bench and walked past me. I looked to Lacie, but she had no reaction like she’d caught the comment. Her comment had been dead on earlier. He did like the dress.

  Chapter Nine

  Date Night

  “Who are you texting so much?” I asked Lacie when we got home and exited the car. The whole way back, her thumbs were getting a major workout.

  “Brad. He wants to take me out on a date tonight. Is that doable?”

  “Where?”

  “His house.”

  “Why don’t you just have him come here? We’ve already been out on one adventure today. It would make it easier.”

  “Nothing’s happened in four months. Do you really think they’re coming tonight?”

  “Really. Nothing? Have you already forgotten about the gym?”

  “That was different. It was Reapers there for you. But fine, our house works. ”

  “Who is Brad anyway?”

  “He’s in our second period science class. He sits right behind me.”

  “The one everyone calls ‘QB’?”

  “Yea, that stands for quarter back. His real name is Brad.”

  “Oh.”

  “When did you start talking to him?”

  “I didn’t really. He just broke up with his girlfriend, so I’m probably just a rebound, but at least I’ll have a jersey to wear Friday night.”

  “His jersey?”

  “Yeah, you’re supposed to wear their away jersey since they’ll obviously be wearing the home one.”

  “Why?”

  “To give them good luck.”

  I looked at her, confused. No matter how hard I tried, I didn’t get the human high school dating thing. Good thing I didn’t have to deal with that in my Reaper classes. I couldn’t imagine asking Drake or Dave if I could wear one of their extra Reaper uniforms to root them on.

  ***

  “Where are your parents?” asked Brad as he walked in the door.

  “Oh they went out to the casino in North Carolina so they won’t be back till late.”

  “Nice,” Brad said as I approached. “Oh, hey Cendall.” His enthusiasm dropped; he’d thought they’d be alone, which was hilarious considering our house had at least thirty Guardians staying in it. He just couldn’t see them.

  “Your house is huge. Your parents must be doctors or something,” he said to Lacie.

&n
bsp; “Plastic surgeons,” we said in unison. We’d made up that story thinking that only plastic surgeons or a celebrity could afford the house we lived in.

  “That makes sense. They should have had like twenty kids with how big this place is though.”

  “They’re not much on kids, but they like to have parties.”

  “Ah. Well, I brought a few movies,” he said as he and Lacie went down to the basement.

  “I don’t have to be down there to watch them make out, do I?” I asked Trevor as we entered the kitchen.

  “Nope. You’re off make out duty tonight. I’ve got five down there with her, so you can remain upstairs.”

  “Phew!”

  “At least someone in this house will get a little bit of action,” he said as he started pulling out pots and pans. He was just full of innuendos today. Maybe Catherine cut him off.

  “Well, I’m sure you can call Catherine over if you need to meet your weekly quota.” He rolled his eyes and started pulling food from the fridge.

  “I don’t know why you even bring her up. Jealously maybe?”

  “I am not jealous in any way, shape, or form of your girlfriend.”

  “She is not my girlfriend.”

  “But she used to be.”

  “Yes, keyword being ‘USED’ to.”

  “Did she not get the memo? Or why else would she get an assignment so close to you and try to threaten me at school?”

  “She told me about that. It wasn’t a threat. She’s just worried you’re going to bring Reapers around her first assignment. Her being here can’t really hurt anything with how I look at it. It’s just one more Guardian that’ll be nearby if and when they come for Lacie.”

  “I can’t even say that’s true because she’s useless and will just get in the way. Distract you.”

  “We’ve been over this. She doesn’t distract me. You,” he said, letting out a breath “…Listen. Before we start to bicker again, there is something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about.”

  That phrase never meant good news.

  “Okay.” I looked over to him as he set the pans down and turned my way. He walked over and stood on the other side of the kitchen island.

  “Since we’ve been getting along more lately,” he said, meeting my cynical laugh. “Hey, I know it’s not perfect, but it’s been better than usual. You know I’m really trying to make this less difficult, but I have an idea. I know you said that you didn’t want to be my friend on that first day we were on assignment, and I’ve tried to accept your wishes…Keep up the co-worker etiquette and all, but I don’t think I want to listen to you anymore. You see, I have a theory.”

  “Uh huh,” I got out. I had no idea where he was going with this.

  “I just think it would be better for Lacie, you know, if we were at least friends. When I’ve tried not being your friend, it just makes things more complicated. We don’t talk, and no partnership is good without communication. And as much as you hate to admit it, we are partners in this mission, so communication is key. Most friends have great communication, so can we at least try to be that for Lacie’s sake?”

  “Sure.” Putting it that way, he did make sense, but when we’d started our friendship before, things got complicated in a much different way, at least on my side, as much as I hated to admit it. “As long as it doesn’t get complicated.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked as one side of his mouth turned up into a smile, letting me know he knew exactly what I was talking about. I stared him down. He couldn’t make me say it.

  “Nothing, fine. Friends. I can agree to that.”

  “Good.” He smiled wide like he’d just won a minor battle and turned back to the food on the stove. “Now that we’ve agreed on that, are you going to help me cook dinner?”

  “I don’t cook, and I didn’t know you could.”

  “I’m sure there are many things you don’t know about me. If you’d ask, I’d let you know. I’m surprised you can’t cook. You seem to know how to do everything else.”

  “I’ve never really tried. My dad always cooked for me.” He laughed. “Why are you laughing?”

  “I just can’t picture the ‘most terrorizing Reaper known to history’ cooking for his daughter that’s all. I didn’t mean to offend.”

  “Well, where did you learn to cook?” I asked

  “My father and mother. They both specialized in different areas. My mother was great at desserts, and my father with entrees. They always cooked at home. Made it a point when I was growing up to always sit down together as a family, which is what we’ll be doing tonight.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I’m going to cook for everyone who’s here, except the couple down stairs of course. The human boy would surely start freaking out when stuff started moving on its own. I feel bad for yelling at some of the guys the other day, so I thought I’d cook for everyone tonight.”

  “So, you’re trying to buy their forgiveness with food.”

  “I’m not asking for their forgiveness. They know what they did was wrong. I’m just smoothing things over. I’d call it more of a peace offering.”

  “Do I have to attend this Thanksgiving feast?”

  “I’d like you to. My family always bonded over dinner, and it could work for us, too.”

  “And who shall I bond with first? Abram, perhaps?” He grinned and handed me some onions and a wooden board

  “I’ll assume, since you’re handy with a blade, that you’ll be able to chop up all the veggies for me?”

  “What are we even having?”

  “Just something simple—tacos.”

  Once I got past the onions making my eyes water, the rest wasn’t so bad. “Anything else you need me to cut?” I asked. Along with onions I’d chopped tomatoes, lettuce, cilantro, jalapenos, and habaneros.

  “Nope, thank you for helping. If you want to just wait, the meat is almost done.”

  “Okay.” I looked down at my hands; they were covered in veggie guts. As I took a step off the stool and moved towards the sink, I whiped my eye as it itched from hair being in my face. I froze in place as a burning sensation filled my right eye.

  “Holy shit! My eyes are burning! Is it on fire!?” I screamed, assuming the worst. It felt like someone had taken a lighter to my eye and just held the flame there.

  “You didn’t wash your hands after cutting the habaneros, did you?”

  “I was about to, but my eye itched. HOLY SHIT IT BURNS!”

  “Relax. Here, come over to the sink.” I obeyed. He tilted back my head, and I heard the water run. He then put a glass of water over my head. “Don’t move. I’m going to wash it out.”

  “Just hurry.” He slowly poured it into my eye, and to my surprise, the burning diminished slightly. The water dripped out of my eyes and onto my chest where he’d put a towel that I hadn’t noticed until now.

  “Better?” he asked as my eyes started to rapidly blink and I tilted my head forward.

  “Much, thank you.” As I went to walk back towards the stool I’d been sitting on, he called my name.

  “Cendall.”

  “Yeah? He pointed to his chest, and I looked down at mine. The towel was still there. He laughed as I threw it at his face.

  “So what other skills, besides cooking and paramedics, do you have up your sleeve?” I asked as I took a seat at the island and watched him finish up.

  “Well, where I should start. As you already know, I’m a super skilled Guardian, chef, kisser, and I dabble in card games.” My stomach fluttered with the thought of his kiss. Yes, he was right there, but that wasn’t something I would try again.

  “What are you not good at?”

  “I don’t really think….”

  “Oh shut up! Everyone sucks at something.”

  “Bowling,” he answered, and I laughed

  “Bowling, really?”

  “Yes, don’t tell the others though. They mustn’t know of this weakness. Let me guess, you’re a pr
o at it.”

  “I’ve never tried it actually.”

  “Ah, so I’ll put you in the same category as me when it comes to that,” he said as he took the pan out of the sink and placed it on the counter on top of a dish towel.

  “You’ll want to make your plate before I call the others. They’ll destroy this.”

  “Okay.” This would be the first dinner I’d eaten with all of them. Usually Lacie and I ordered something and it was brought to us.

  I got up and took a full view of our taco buffet. Thanks to me, there were chopped fixings, but Trevor had done the rest. There were beans, chopped chicken, seasoned beef, guacamole, salsa, soft and hard shells, and fried tortilla chips. It all smelled delicious. I put a big stack of chips on my plate and started piling everything on. I topped it all off with a dab of sour cream and shredded cheese.

  “You got all of this done while I was chopping those veggies?”

  “Didn’t you see the four pans I had going on the stove? I’m a quick multi-tasker.”

  “Apparently. It all looks amazing though. Thank you.” I went to take my plate to my room.

  “Cendall, I wasn’t kidding about the sitting together part. I think it’ll make things so much easier if they at least don’t hate you as much. I’m not asking you to become their best friend, but at least attempt acquaintance level.”

  “Only because you cooked all of this and it smells delicious.”

  “Don’t forget, it wasn’t all me. You helped, some.”

  Chapter Ten

  Friends with Frustration

  I took a seat at the dining room table just as the other Guardians entered the kitchen and started stacking their plates. The table was a dark cherry red and large enough to fit twenty-two people. We were a little short on staff today, so it should seat everyone. I sat awkwardly at the table, not knowing if I should start eating or not. To be safe, I waited, staring at the mountain on my plate I’d soon destroy.

  Abram was the first to sit. He didn’t even acknowledge that I was at the table, which was a blessing compared to what the others did. Each came in, first doing a double take, surprised to see me sitting at their table. Then, they would sit at the farthest spot away from me. It became a game of musical chairs as I watched them struggle to try and get away from me, especially when the table started to fill up. You’d think I had spikes sticking out of me with how far they were sitting. Now with only two spots by me, Trevor came in and sat to the right of me, which also happened to be the head spot of the table. The left remained open which I was fine with. I leaned back in my chair and put my feet up on the spot.