Chapter 34 – Lily
LILY
“We are so screwed,” I whisper to Aster, scanning the room for an escape. It’s the second time tonight we’ve almost been caught, but at least he’s not currently knuckle-deep in my pussy.
“It’ll be fine,” he promises, but I’m as reassured as a fish in a toilet bowl.
“What are we gonna do this time?” I snap, waving a hand at the skeletons. “Pretend to bang next to the piles of bones?”
“Some people are into that kind of thing,” he replies, and my mouth falls open.
“Not me! Some people.” On the opposite side of the room, I spot a second door and rush towards it.
Aster’s quick on my heels as I grip the cool handle, and he unsheathes a knife that was hidden in his waistband.
“Just in case.” My costume didn’t leave much room for hiding things, and my tote would have looked out of place, so I’m grateful to him for having forethought.
Slowly, I peer around to find another staircase leading up. I glance at Aster, and he shrugs. It’s not like we have a lot of options. The jingle of keys on the other side of the door we came through throws us into motion, and we rush out, then close it quietly behind us.
“Let’s go,” Aster says, ushering me forward with a hand on my back.
In almost complete darkness, we rapidly ascend the stairs, and I gasp as my heel misses a step.
Aster grips my elbow, steadying me, and I catch my breath as we continue towards the top.
When we finally make it, he nudges me out of the way, then opens the door slowly and pops his head around it.
Seconds later, we’re outside, fresh air infiltrating my lungs.
Aster points to where we just exited. “This is where they brought that box the other night.”
“Do you think there was a body in it?”
“That’d be a good guess.”
“Where are the guards?” I glance around at the empty courtyard.
“Maybe they don’t do the same rounds during events since everyone is inside?”
My eyes wander to the red structure across the way. “Should we check the barn tonight? There could be more bodies.” Chattering on the balcony above pulls our attention there. “Guess we found the guards.”
Aster grits his teeth, hesitating. “I don’t want to leave again with nothing. I think we should try.”
Using the shield of the garden and the distraction of the party, we rush across the vast yard until we’re finally flat against the side of the barn closest to the forest.
The front has wide, large doors, and I’m afraid opening them would be far too obvious. “Let’s check for another entrance.”
With one hand in Aster’s and the other holding the hem of my dress, we make our way towards the back of the barn.
Aster pokes his head around the corner, then he’s tugging me behind him.
A small door with a latch is illuminated by a low light on the center of the wall.
“We should hurry. Not sure how long we have.”
He drops my hand, and I breathe out a sigh of relief when the door opens immediately.
We hurry inside the pitch-black room, and a foul odor assaults my senses.
“What the hell?” I gag, throwing an arm over my nose.
A second later, Aster turns on his phone’s flashlight.
I take the hint, pulling out my own. “That smell is rank.”
“Something’s dead in here,” he says, and I shudder walking through a row of gardening tools.
“Something or someone?” My heels clank on metal below me. Illuminating it, I find a material different from the concrete floor throughout the rest of the barn. Checking the perimeter of it, I notice a handle-like object on the far side. “Aster, I think I’ve got something.”
He rushes over and crouches to take a closer look. “Seems like some kind of cellar door.” He breathes in, then grimaces, shining at the edges. “Looks sealed.” He places his hand on the concrete next to the metal. “That’s weird.”
“What?”
“The floor is warm. It should be freezing in this weather.”
“Why would you heat a barn floor?” I make the mistake of breathing through my nose and gag for real this time. “Is it just me or is the stench getting worse?”
Aster’s eyes find mine. “We already know they have skeletons in their basement.”
“You don’t think…” I shuffle off it onto the concrete.
“Guess we’re about to find out.” He hands me his phone to grip the handle, and the hinges squeal as he lifts it open. By the time I’ve thought to shush him, my light catches on a deep hole scattering with movement.
“Shit,” Aster says, hopping back, and the door remains ajar.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, pointing the light towards him as a cloud surrounds me with a smell worse than anything I’ve ever experienced. Another gag racks my body, and I hand Aster his phone, craning my head for a molecule of fresh air.
He flicks at his arm. “Another beetle.”
I struggle to laugh through the stench, returning my light to the hole, my own flood of expletives slipping out as I scuffle away. The scene before us is abhorrent. Half-decayed bodies lie parallel, beetles flooding them by the thousands like they’re underwater. “What the hell is this?!”
Frantically, we zigzag the lights. “There seem to be,” Aster begins, “two…” He shines his light further, the beetles scattering as he does. “No, three different corpses.”
“But… why?”
Aster cranes his neck to get a closer look. “Those are Dermestid beetles.”
“Is that supposed to mean anything to me?”
“They eat decomposing flesh. They’re usually used by museums and stuff to clean carcasses before preserving them for presentation.” Aster gasps, a full body shudder racking him. “Disgusting! I had dead people beetles on me!” He gags dramatically. And then again with his hands on his knees.
“Eww,” I mutter. “So, this is where they put the corpses before bringing them to the studio?”
Aster clears his throat, regaining composure. “Looks like it.” With his burner, he snaps a few quick photos, then closes the lid, resealing the horrific scene.
“Okay, we need to get out of here before these beetle shits make us their next meal.”
“They only eat dead flesh, but yeah.” He shudders again. “I’d still prefer we get out of here sooner rather than later.”
“How are we going to get back inside the mansion?” I ask as we slip out the door and round the barn.
“Let’s head across the yard, then straight for the car.”
“How will we explain why we’re out here?” He retrieves cigarette out of his jacket pocket, and a lighter appears a second later. “Since when do you smoke?”
“Since the easiest explanation to ‘why are you wandering outside?’ is ‘I’m having a smoke.’”
“Oh, okay, that’s very logical.”
We make it to the cellar door we escaped through, then head towards the front of the house.
“Ready for that milkshake?” he asks, lighting the cigarette and holding it between his fingers.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to eat ever again after that.”
“Well, I was promised a real date.”
“I was actually hoping to go to your place. There’s a theory I’d like to test.”
“That so?” he asks with a wicked grin.
“Sorry, I mean regarding the case.”
“Lame. Can’t the murder stuff wait till tomorrow?”
“I don’t know.” I glare his way. “You’re the one who can’t go twenty-four hours without offing someone.”
He scoffs. “I’ll have you know, I once went sixty-two days between kills.”
“Well, I better call Guinness World Records! My apologies for underestimating you.”
He grins, eyes skating along my body in a way that has me squirming. “I’ll forgive you if you let me bury my face between your legs again the second we’re home.”
“Has it also been sixty-two days since the last time you had pussy? You’re insatiable. And have you forgotten everything we just witnessed?”
“Baby, the second my eyes land on you, I forget my own name,” he says as we near the bushes to the front of the house.
How can I argue with that? He slides a hand around my lower waist, taking the first drag of the cigarette as we round the corner.
An unconcerned guard looks to us, and Aster blows out a puff of smoke, then bites the cigarette between his teeth and digs something out of his pocket, along with a $100 bill.
A valet comes our way, and Aster hands them a ticket, then retrieves the cigarette between his fingers once more, blowing another puff of smoke to the side.
“You’re dripping in money too?” I scoff, and he cocks a brow. “Sorry, I forgot. I’m sure contract murder is quite lucrative.”
He sighs. “It is. But I also happen to be excellent at investing.”
“Oh, god,” I groan. “Please don’t give me a lecture on the Dow. I am not looking for a man in finance.”
“That’s funny coming from someone who’s figured out how to code a crypto automation,” he tells me as a car comes to a stop before us. A familiar car that’s not Aster’s.
“Shit,” I mutter.
“What’s wrong?” Aster asks as Jackson steps out of the vehicle and rounds the hood.
“That’s my brother’s partner,” I tell him, and he glances Jackson’s way.
“Lil?” Jackson says, pulling my attention, and I force a smile. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s a party.” I wave a hand. “What are you doing here?”
“Like you said.” He gestures to his fitted tux. “It’s a party.”
An awkward beat passes between us. “Oh, sorry.” I point to the unexpected guest. “Aster, this is—”
“Jackson,” Aster says, holding out a hand, and my brows knit.
“Hey,” Jackson replies, returning the gesture. “How you been?”
My confusion heightens. “Do you two know each other?”
“Yeah. We, well, he was good friends with my brother.”
“Oh,” I say. And the surprises keep coming. “Small world, I guess.”
Jackson glances between us, grinning wide. “Are you guys on a date?”
“No,” I blurt at the same time Aster says, “Yes.”
“No?” Aster repeats, glaring at me. Shit.
“Well, yes, but…” Words are hard. Why are words so hard?
“Don’t worry.” Jackson winks my way. “I won’t tell Liam.”
Relief floods through me. “Appreciate that.” I’m not ready for him to be in my business. The familiar rumble of Aster’s car engine nears. “Well, that’s us,” I say, pointing to Aster’s Porsche pulling before us. “See you around.”
“See you.”