Gods of the Dead (Rising Book 1) by Tracey Ward Read Free Book Online

that’s what I’m going to do. If you listen to me, you’ll be fine. You got it?”
    She nods grudgingly, her eyes still angry. “Yeah, I got it.”
    “Alright. Good.” I reach up and run my hand over her cheek before I lean in to kiss her forehead. I linger for a moment and I can feel her relax from my proximity, under my touch. When I step back her eyes are half closed. She leans forward, unconsciously following my hand as it leaves her face. “Now show me where your dad keeps his gun.”
    She leads me to the master bedroom. It’s a space bigger than my apartment but that’s no shock. The garage is bigger than any house I’ve ever known. The bedroom is modern with sleek black cabinets that don’t have handles. You have to push your hand against them in the right spot to get them to pop out and it leaves a small smudge when I do it. I wonder if that happened to Mr. Money Bags too. It seems like a hassle to have to wipe them down every time you touch them, but maybe it’s just me. Maybe my hands are just that dirty.
    “You already have a gun,” Sin protests, watching me open the huge floor to ceiling doors on the closet.
    I pause to pull out my gun and show it to her. “It’s small. More for show and convenience than anything else. If we’re going to defend ourselves we need more than this.” I stow it back in my pocket, feeling to make sure the safety is still on. “Besides, all the bullets I have are loaded in it. Six in all and I’m not a great shot. I don’t fire it very often.”
    “Have you ever killed anyone with it?”
    I’m surprised by how casually Suburbia Barbie asks the question, but I don’t flinch and I don’t let it show. “No.  I’ve never even fired it at a person.”
    I turn toward her and whip it out quickly, aiming for the wall behind her head. I’m careful to keep my finger off the trigger.
    She jolts, staggering back with wide eyes.
    Just as quickly as I pulled the gun out, I put it away. “That right there is why I carry it,” I explain.
    She breathes out shakily, her hand on her chest. “To scare the shit out of people?”
    “Yep.” I step into the closet and scan the shelves. “When someone steps to you on a dark street or tries to jump you in a backroom, they think twice about it with a gun in their face. They don’t care what kind it is.”
    “Do I get a gun?”
    “Have you ever held one before?”
    “No.”
    “Then, no. You don’t get a gun. I’m not looking to get shot by mistake.”
    “How do you know it’d be a mistake?”
    I ignore her. I’ve found the safe in the back of the closet. It’s a serious one because of course it is. I’m in Scrooge McDuck’s mansion and he doesn’t play around. There’s not even a number pad. Just a fingerprint scanner.
    “Hey, Sin, can your fingerprint open this thing?”
    “Can I have one of the guns inside?” she presses.
    I hang my head. “Is there more than one in here?”
    “Maybe. Guess you won’t find out without me.”
    “I won’t find out without your finger,” I mumble to myself.
    “What’d you say?”
    “I said get in here and open this safe,” I call out to her.
    She comes to stand in the open doorway, arms crossed over her chest. “Do I get a gun?”
    “Yes, fine. You get a gun.”
    “With bullets.”
    I chuckle, sitting back on my ass to get out of her way. “Don’t push your luck. Open it.”
    She steps inside the large closet and presses her index finger to the pad. It scans it, beeps a few times, then unlatches. When I see what’s inside I can’t help but laugh.
    Stacks of cash. Stacks and stacks of cash. How much I have no idea because I’ve never seen this much money in one place in my life. And it’s just sitting here doing nothing.
    “What is all of this for?” I ask Sin.
    She shrugs. “Just in case. You never know.”
    “You never know what? When you’re going to need to buy Greece? In cash?”
    “I don’t know. Maybe.”
    I shove aside the money and let it spill