Page 31 of Crown of Death

I curl a nasty smile onto my lips. “Can’t wait.” I spin on my heel and walk to the frontdoor.

The deadly woman follows me outside. She slips on a pair of dark sunglasses just before we walk out the door. Silent, she slips into the passenger seat of mycar.

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to explain you to my boss,” I say in annoyance as I put the car into reverse and back out. I start down the driveway. “I don’t exactly qualify to have a shadow at my work. I’m theapprentice.”

“He’ll never know I am around,” she says, looking all around. She studies the drive in front of us, the side lawn. And I get the feeling she’s more than adequate at security. “I do not need to stay directly at your side to keep an eye onyou.”

I glance over at her before I turn onto the main road. “I still don’t really understand. Yes, Cyrus says I’ll resurrect after I die. But I don’t understand why he, in particular, cares, or why he’s in such ahurry.”

“That is an answer that is for him alone to provide,” she responds simply, and her silence tells me she’s done with thisconversation.

So with only the quiet drone of the radio, we make our way through town. I round the block to my work, and park at the side of the building. With a wary look in Mina’s direction, I climbout.

I walk to the front doors, and look over my shoulder. Just as I pull it open, I see Mina blow a kiss to me and slink into the shadows of thebuilding.

How? How did my life get so weird in less than twodays?

Things are quiet when I get inside. I head to Emmanuel’s office and find him at hisdesk.

“Morning,” he says distractedly as he stares at his screen. “How was yourweekend?”

I actually chuckle. How am I supposed to answer thatquestion?

“It had lots of unexpected turns of events,” I say. And realize that was dumb. If he asksquestions…

But he only makes a grunt noise, his eyes still fixed on thescreen.

“I assume today’s a down day?” I ask, placing a hand on the doorframe. “Down to the dungeon forme?”

He takes a few seconds too long to respond, and when he makes some kind of affirmative noise again, he looks over at me, blinking four times, as if he’s just realized I’m standing here. “Sorry, Logan. Some administration stuff going on this morning.” His eyes flick to the screen again. “Yes, take today and let’s get everything all cleaned up.Thanks.”

I actually smile, shaking my head as I turn and walk out of hisoffice.

I walk out and head down the stairs. Down to the lower level, and down to where I am most comfortable atwork.

On slow days like this, when there are no loved ones who have passed beyond the veil, we play catch up. Emmanuel goes about the business of running Sykes Funeral Home. Craig and Katie occasionally come in to help me, but usually they get the day off. But me? I get to clean the preproom.

Meticulously, I clean the tools. I clean out the fridge. I sweep. Idust.

And as I work, I blast mymusic.

I love alternative. Rock. Punk. Anything loud and passionate and…aggressive. Anything that gets my blood running and gives me the feeling that I can doanything.

Emmanuel calls it awful noise. He says that you can’t even understand the words, and constantly questions how I’m not a vile, stupid-people murderingperson.

But we like what welike.

True to her word, I never once see any signs of Mina. It’s just me in this building, and considering I never hear Em question anyone who doesn’t belong, she staysoutside.

I’m grateful for a day like today, where Em and I don’t have to work side-by-side, face-to-face. It would be hard to act normal, when everything is turned upside down in mylife.

It’d be hard to hide the constant worry twisting in mygut.

Cyrus ordered that Eli be taken into custody. Somewhere, Eli is tied up, watched over by Edmond Valdez. Possibly taken back to Las Vegas, where Cyrus says theylive.

Is he okay? Will they hurthim?

I still as I wipe down thetable.