Page 64 of Collect the Pieces

“Shut up,” Teller snaps. “You asked for a story and she’s trying to tell it. Jesus.”

“Well, Heidi’s right,” Margot says. “That’s why my dad had me handle things. He thought she’d be more comfortable with someone her own age helping to make the arrangements. But since it was one of my firsts, he hired my friend April as a consultant.”

“Is this April chick hot?” Rav leans forward, vibrating with degenerate anticipation. “Girls named after months are always smokin’ hot.”

“I can confirm.” June lifts one hand and lets out a giggle. Her laughter and bright smile are nothing like the quiet, skittish girlshe’d been when we rescued her from the South of Satan MC’s campgrounds.

“Virtue names as well.” Trinity raises her hand, then points to Hope, who lifts her hand in agreement.

“Amen!” Rav raises his hands toward the sky.

“Is there any category of woman youdon’tfind hot?” Z asks Ravage.

“No.” Rav points at me and my stomach twists, anticipating what he’s about to say and not wanting Margot to hear it. “I’m with Jiggy on this one. I appreciate and enjoy women of all shapes, sizes?—”

“We get it,” Sparky shouts. “Can youpleaselet Margot finish her story?”

I lift my chin at Sparky, and he nods.

Margot’s watching my brothers’ antics with a faint smile, like she finds all of this amusing instead of obnoxious. Or maybe she missed what Ravage said about me.

“To answer your question, yes, April’s very pretty,” Margot says.

“But is she single?” Birch shouts.

Margot ducks her head and laughs. “Yes, she is.”

Time to get things back on track. “So, it was just a small, simple funeral?”

“Not exactly.” The glow of the firelight dances over Margot’s face, highlighting the seriousness of her eyes. “She was so nervous. Throughout the whole consultation, she kept wringing her hands. Like she was carrying something heavier than grief.”

“She murdered her mother!” Hoot shouts.

Margot rolls her eyes. “No.”

The fire crackles, emphasizing the silence. Is she waiting for more guesses or trying to come up with more pieces of the story? I haven’t decided if she’s telling a true story, something she made up, or a combination.

“April and I discovered that the woman had a number of what she told me were Slavic superstitions and rituals she wanted us to follow.”

Lilly groans. “I can guess a few of them.”

Margot nods. “This wasn’t that unusual. We have a lot of different clients with various backgrounds. It’s important to us that we respect people’s traditions. But the fear the daughter had as she listed each ritual was…unnerving.”

“What were they?” Hope asks.

“First, we had to cover all the mirrors in the funeral home with black cloth.”

“To make sure the spirit doesn’t get trapped between worlds?” Lilly asks with raised eyebrows.

Margot nods quickly. “That’s what she said. We’d done that before, so it wasn’t a big deal. I have black velvet cloths to fit each mirror in the house.”

Lilly nods with approval. Z leans in and whispers something in her ear and Lilly shrugs.

“Then, she asked for a window to be left open during the service.” Margot pauses, waiting to see if anyone will take a guess. When no one pipes up, she adds, “For her mother’s soul to escape in case it was trapped. That one was odd but doable.”

Rav rolls his eyes, and I shoot him a death glare.If he interrupts Margot one more time…

“Then she asked for a bell to be tied inside the casket,” Margot says. “She told us it was a tradition.”

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