I was afraid he would ask me when I’d move into the house. I had no answer if he did. Though I loved it as a kid, I didn’t as an adult.

  Someone knocked on the door, and Gigi entered.

  “Come on in,” I said. “Uncle, this is Gigi.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, sir.”

  Uncle smiled, and I cringed. “You fucking her, Ludwig?” He studied her hips. “She’d push out three or four healthy Ushers. Get all this sickness bullshit out of our DNA.”

  “Yes. He’s fucking me, Uncle,” Gigi said. “We’ll see about the three or four kids.

  Uncle reached for her hand, and she didn’t hesitate. “Keep him in line. Those bikers are going to get him dead.”

  “Uncle, there’s something I need to ask you.” I cleared my throat and shifted on the bed’s edge.

  “Shoot it out, Ludwig.” He released Gigi’s hand and held mine. The man smelled old. The entire room smelled like death. “And don’t sugarcoat whatever it is.”

  “I’ve been hearing voices the last couple of years, and they’re getting stronger, more violent. I’ve killed men because that’s what the voices were telling me to do. I need them to stop.” I moved a little closer and held his hand.

  “It’s the Usher line, Ludwig.” He coughed, and a spittle of blood appeared on his lip. He didn’t have much time. “You remember when you were little, and I would never allow you in the basement?”

  I nodded, and Gigi put her hand on my shoulder. Nothing good was about to follow. ‘What’s in the basement?” I asked.

  Uncle coughed again and went wide-eyed. “The answers to all your questions about your heritage, Ludwig. It all belongs to you now. Do with it what you wish. Keep the house or destroy it. I don’t care one way or another.”

  “Go get Cloie, please,” I said to Gigi. As soon as Gigi left the room, Uncle sat up in bed.

  “Ludwig. It can all either end with you or continue with you. It’s your choice.” He fell back onto the pillow and never spoke or moved again.

  “Is he gone,” Cloie asked, entering the room with Gigi. She stood by Uncle’s side, tears filling her eyes. She held her stomach, and at that moment, I knew I was not the last of the Ushers. He made sure of that. Cloie pulled the sheet to his chin and rubbed his head.

  “Do you know what he wanted after his death?”

  Cloie nodded. “He has it all written down in his journal in the study. I’ll find it.” She rubbed his head once more and left the bedroom.

  “You okay?” Gigi asked.

  “Yeah, I am. Wish I knew more, though.”

  Gigi kissed my cheek. “I’ll leave you alone with him. Come and get me when you need to.”

  14

  Gigi

  I met Skittles at the staircase. Everyone else sat in the dining room, eating sandwiches from a well-stocked refrigerator. “He’s dead,” I said. “I thought Diesel needed some time alone with him.”

  “Did he say anything about the voices?”

  “It was weird, Skittles.” I’d never get used to calling her that name. “He told Diesel all the answers could be found in the basement. For all the times Diesel was here as a kid, he never went to the basement. I think they intentionally kept him away. I’m worried about what he will find.”

  We went to the dining room and joined everyone but Trixie.

  “Where’s the little leg spreader?” Skittles asked. Wendy laughed.

  “Enough,” Beast said. “She took her food upstairs. Cloie showed us our rooms. The woman is a little strange.”

  “She’s pregnant,” I said. “I could tell by the way she held her stomach.”

  “No way that old motherfucker knocked her up,” Brainiac said. “Hell, the climax alone would kill the man. I’ve got twenty bucks that says someone else knocked her up, and she’s pretending it was him so she could get her hands on his money.”

  “That’s fucked up,” Wendy said. “But I’m sure that outfit gave him a little boner. Hell, it gave me one, and I don’t have a dick.”

  “Can you people get any more fucked up?” Beast asked.

  “I’m going to turn in for the night,” Cinder said. “Fucking monkey butt from riding so far.” He left, and Skittles waited to make sure he was gone before talking again.

  “You don’t think he’ll go up there and try to kill that bitch?” Skittles asked.

  Beast shook his head and finished the turkey sandwich. “I don’t. Besides, I’m sure she’s sitting on her bed right now, holding a gun, waiting for him to break into her room. If he’s that dumb, fuck him. The club doesn’t need that kind of man.”

  “We going to vote on his punishment when we return to Pine Bluff?” Brainiac asked. It’s the same thing I’d been wondering. The club put up with a lot of bullshit from its members and officers, but killing an innocent woman was not something taken lightly.

  “Let her kill him,” I said.

  “Let who kill who?” Diesel asked. He grabbed a sandwich from the kitchen and sat beside me. “The Usher funeral director will be here shortly with his crew. Cloie shared Uncle’s journal. There’s a location in the basement that has his name on it. All the Ushers are entombed in the basement.”

  “That’s why he never let you go down there?” I asked.

  “I don’t think so.” Diesel watched the painting above the fireplace at the end of the dining room.

  “Who is that?” I asked.

  “Roderick Usher.” He got up and approached the painting. Everyone watched, but nobody joined him. The painting is almost 200 years old.

  Diesel’s uncle had said Diesel was the last Usher. Assuming Cloie was pregnant by someone else, the uncle was telling the truth. A fear gripped both me and the future. What if Diesel and I married? What if we had kids? Would they have the same issue as Diesel?

  “Who’s up for a little adventure?” Diesel asked. I was the only one to volunteer. The others excused themselves to their rooms, Beast grabbing Skittle's ass, Brainiac with his arm slung over Wendy’s shoulder. Great. They were all going to fuck while I roamed around in an old basement full of dead bodies. Yeah, it's a great tradeoff.

  “Before we go,” I said, “you saw Cloie holding her stomach, right.”

  “Yeah, and I know what you’re getting at.” Diesel didn’t seem to be bothered.

  “She and whoever knocked her up will try and get what belongs to you.” I put my hands on his chest, the green in his eyes deeper than usual.

  “It’ll never happen, G.” Diesel had a way of smiling that suggested he had everything under control even when he didn’t. “Uncle got snipped years ago and never told anyone. He didn’t want to be responsible for continuing the Usher legacy.”

  “What about you?” I asked.

  “I’m not snipped. Before we leave, I’m going to figure out where the voices are coming from and fucking fix it.”

  “Sorry, I thought everyone was in their rooms.” Trixie turned to leave, but I stopped her.

  “We’re heading to the basement. You should come along.”

  “Diesel,” Gigi said.

  “It’s okay, G. She’s harmless. Aren’t you, Trixie?”

  “No more bullshit,” Trixie said. “I know you didn’t kill my sister. Cinder did.”

  “Now what? You kill him?”

  Trixie walked around the dining room and stopped at Roderick’s painting. “I thought that story was just a bunch of crap written by a drunk writer who couldn’t make a living off his art.” She turned to Diesel. “But here you are, living proof the Ushers were real.”

  “What do you care?” I said. “You’ve done everything you can to tear this club apart.”

  “What would you say if I told you I liked the club? That I wanted to be part of what you have? That’s what Kristine wanted. That’s why she kept fucking you assholes.”

  “And that’s what you’ve been doing,” I said.

  “Yes. I was doing it because I wanted to find her killer. I found him. But somewhere along the way, I started to enjoy life. I enjoy the freedom and not being held down.”

  “You think this club would have you?” Gigi scoffed.

  Trixie shook her head as if we were all morons. “I could hear through the walls, Gigi. I know what they were discussing.”

  “So you are a federal agent,” Diesel said.

  “I am. And I know all about your gun running, the pussy you deal in, and the new dick house. I’m sure you think those are legitimate businesses, but I’m sure the FBI and the ATF can find otherwise. The guns alone are enough to send every one of you to prison. I can call that off. I can make the whole case disappear.”

  “That’s Beast’s call, not mine,” Diesel said. “I need to find a flashlight.” Diesel held my chin in his hand. “Can you stay here without trying to kill her again?”

  “She can,” Trixie said. “I told you. No more bullshit.”

  Diesel kissed me, glanced at Trixie, and left.

  “He loves you,” Trixie said. “Must be nice.”

  “That didn’t stop you from fucking him,” I said. “You’re a lying whore. I don’t trust you, no matter how far you stretch the truth.”

  “I guess telling you I’m sorry is out of the question.” Trixie moved closer. “Seems like you forgot what you and I did.”

  “Come on,” Diesel said. He handed Trixie and me a flashlight.

  We followed Diesel behind the staircase, where he opened a door we hadn’t seen yet. A musty stench of death quickly rose up the stairs, and I doubted I could continue.

  “Cover your mouth and nose with your shirt,” Trixie said. “It’s worked for me.”

  Reluctantly, I did as Trixie suggested and then followed Diesel. I wasn’t thrilled with Trixie following behind as we descended dark, dank stairs.

  “You really think the answer is down here?” I asked Diesel.

  “It’s a fucking curse, G. I need it to stop. Uncle knew it was real.”

  Diesel lit a series of candles in the basement as we walked along a single room. As the room illuminated, the catacombs along the wall came into view.

  “What the hell?” I said.

  “No,” Diesel replied. “What the fuck?” He approached the wall, his feet kicking dirt and rock. I didn’t know much about catacombs, but I did know they were supposed to be sealed in the United States. “Every seal is broken and every casket torn open.”

  “Who would have done this, Diesel?”

  Trixie poked around the caskets. She pulled out a skeletal arm and examined the hand. She went to another and did the same thing. Diesel and I watched with curiosity as she checked every casket. “All the jewelry is gone. Unless the Ushers were never buried wearing jewelry, you’ve got a grave robber in your midst.”

  “Cloie,” I said. “It doesn’t explain the voices.”

  Diesel stood at Roderick’s casket—the skeletal remains grotesque. If any of them crawled out, my ass was up the stairs and gone. “Actually, I believe it does. Every one of these fucking things are open. Whatever you believe in is fine. But the Ushers were different. They could speak from the grave. Ghosts? Fuck if I know. But I believe when these seals were broken, they started to speak to me as the last known surviving Usher.”

  “They weren’t telling you to kill those men,” I said. “They were telling you to kill her because of what she was doing.”

  “What the actual fuck?” Trixie said. “And you believe that?”

  “I do,” I said.

  “So do I.” Diesel began rummaging around the room. He flashed his light on a large pile of bricks. “Trixie, I need you to go back upstairs and get the others. Tell them I need help in the basement.”

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “Do what I told you.” Diesel opened a box of candles and handed half to me. “Light those. I want this fucking room illuminated.”

  Trixie, huffing and puffing like a scolded child, went upstairs.

  “You going to tell me what you’re doing?”

  Diesel started stacking bricks below the broken seals. “They wanted me to stop her. I am. I need to seal these fucking things so the dead can go back to being dead.” He pointed at the bricks in the corner. “Twenty bricks for each seal should do it. There are bags of concrete over there in the corner.”

  We were halfway finished when Beast and the others joined us: everyone but Trixie. Diesel explained what was happening, and every seal was enclosed with bricks in a few minutes. Cinder brought a bucket of water to the basement, and Diesel mixed the concrete. We spent the next hour sealing off the catacombs.

  “You really think this will work, brother?” Beast asked Diesel.

  “I do.” Diesel started up the steps. “Now, I need to find Cloie.”

  Upstairs, we found Cloie in the foyer, hands tied, sitting in Uncle’s favorite chair. Trixie sat on the box sofa, reading her phone.

  “She was on her way out the door,” Trixie said. She showed us the phone. “Unfortunately, she figured out what you were doing and called in backup. The guy she’s been working with is on his way with some friends.”

  “Good,” Diesel said. “The voices aren’t telling me shit. They don’t have to.” He shrugged at Beast, and Beast nodded. “Who knocked you up?” Diesel asked Cloie. She didn’t answer.

  I moved in front of Diesel. “He won’t hit you, but I will. Answer the question.”

  “My boyfriend,” Cloie said.

  “You were going to fuck over the Usher family, weren’t you?” I asked.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “You’re sorry?” I raised my hand to hit the woman, but Diesel stopped me.

  “Did you take the jewelry from the caskets in the basement?” Diesel asked.

  “No. Of course not. That’s gross.”

  “She’s lying,” Wendy said.

  “Untie her and let her go,” Diesel said.

  “What the fuck?” Brainiac said. “This bitch was gonna take everything coming to you.”

  “I don’t care. Let her go.” Diesel cut the rope with his knife. “Go upstairs, get your shit, and then leave.”

  She stared at Diesel as if he’d grown another eye. “Seriously?”

  “There’s a spot open in the basement. Would you like me to bury you in it?”

  I remembered Madeline being buried alive in The Fall of the House of Usher and cringed.

  Cloie got up and went upstairs. A few minutes later, she returned with her stuff: a jacket, a suitcase, and a small box. She started toward the door, but Diesel blocked her way. He grabbed the box and opened it.

  “You lying bitch,” I said and punched the woman, dropping her at Diesel’s feet.

  “You didn’t have to do that,” Diesel said. “You’re becoming a Tammy Wynette song.”

  “And you are showing your age.”

  “We got company,” Brianiac said. “Two pickup trucks.”

  “Biker trash versus rednecks,” Beast said. “Just the way I like it.”

  Each man drew a gun and started toward the front door. I tried to join Diesel, but he sent me back. “You watch this little bitch and send her out when I say.”

  “Make sure you come back,” I said.

  Diesel squeezed my ass the way he did in front of my father and walked outside.

  “You’re going to need anger management.” Skittles turned my hand over to look at the knuckles. “You can’t keep slugging people.

  “I’m in love with that man. I can’t help it. I know it’s fucked up, but I am.”

  15

  Diesel

  There were no voices when I went outside to confront our new visitors. No voices told me to kill Cloie or anyone else. I’d returned the dead to the grave and my insanity to sanity. No doubt I would kill again, but that would be under circumstances when I had no other choice.

  The rednecks climbed out of their trucks and lined up in front of me. I laughed and put the Glock away. The four guys held bats and chains—my kind of fight.

  “What do you want us to do?” Beast asked.

  “I guess just you. Think you can handle it?”

  “You wanna tie one of my hands behind my back first?”

  “Nice trucks,” I said. “Beast, back off for a minute.”

  “What the fuck are you doing?”

  “I’m gonna get us a ride back to Arkansas. Watch and learn, boss.”

  I descended the steps alone and approached the four men. I pointed at the man smirking. “I’m guessing you’re the ring leader of this little shit group.”

  “That’s right,” the man said. He gently beat the end of a baseball bat in his hand—a real badass.

  “I lay you four out, and I get the trucks.”

  All four men laughed. “You’re joking, right?” he asked.

  I pulled a wad of cash from my back pocket. “There’s two thousand dollars plus the jewelry the little bitch inside stole from the caskets.”

  The man moved to his toes, trying to look through the windows.

  “She’s inside with a bloody lip.”

  “Okay,” the man said. “You and us. If you’re the last one standing, the trucks are yours.” He tossed his keys on the cash and motioned for the other driver to do the same. The man did, confidently shaking his head.

  To my surprise, they came at me one at a time. The first guy got in a lucky shot with his bat, and the second guy, swinging his chain, accidentally wrapped the chain around the first guy’s neck. I hit both men, and they went down one beside the other. The other two guys looked at one another, and I waved them forward.

  They were both big dudes, and the first got a glancing blow off my chin. Guy number two did the same, but I pretty much let him hit me. I wanted to feel the pain, which I would turn into anger.

  Guy number one swung again, but I caught his arm under mine and knocked him the fuck out. Guy number two tried a kick, managing to hit my left thigh. I laid him out next to guy number one.

  “That was quick,” Beast said. He grabbed the keys, and I grabbed the cash.

  I waved at the window, and Cloie came outside.