A Job From Hell (Ancient Legends #1)

my brother a call.” And kill
him.
    Greta patted the saucepan dry and put it
away. The kitchen looked as sparkly clean as before. I made a mental note to
remember to wash the dishes rather than let them soak in soapy water overnight,
which was my usual procedure.
    “So you have family nearby? How lovely,”
Greta said.
    “Just a brother. Dallas. He moved to
Inverness a few weeks ago.” I finished my breakfast, dropped the plate into the
sink and looked around for washing up liquid.
    “Leave it, dear. We have a dishwasher.”
Greta opened a cupboard door to reveal a large dishwasher smelling of lemons.
    I placed my plate on an empty tray. “If you’ll
excuse me. I should get started on the housework.”
    “Of course. I’d better dash too.” Greta
picked up her basked and made a beeline for the hall. “One last thing. Just a
word of advice, stay away from Aidan’s friends.” The old woman inched closer
whispering, “Most of the time, it’s only him, Aidan’s brother and the blonde
girl. But I’ve seen the others hovering outside the gates, glaring at me when I
pass.” She made a disparaging gesture with her hand. “I keep telling him they’re
strange.”
    I stared at her, utterly terrified. The job
advertisement didn’t mention visitors. For how many people was I supposed to
cook? “How many people are we talking about?”
    “Ah, the housework,” Greta said, ignoring
my question. “You should start with the washing. God knows what Aidan does with
his shirts. They’re always so dirty from the woods. If you need anything, you
know where to find me.” With a wave of her hand, she walked down the narrow,
paved path behind the house.
    I stared after her for a while. What was
that all about? I hadn’t seen anybody the evening before, but now I remembered the
noises that woke me up. Could there have been other people in the house and
Clare hadn’t told me? Come to think of it, I was just an employee. No one had
to tell me anything. Shrugging, I went in search of the laundry room.
    Ten minutes later, I found it in the
basement next to a locked door marked DO NOT ENTER. The laundry pile on the
floor next to the washing machine stood almost as high as the ceiling. I kicked
the pile and lowered to pick up a white shirt, my lips curling in disgust at
the large brownish stains on the front. Either McAllister was into rolling in
the mud, or he just enjoyed making my life a living hell because I sure had no
idea how to get the dirt out of his clothes.
    My phone vibrated in my pocket, startling
me. Strange to have reception in the basement, but not in a bedroom. A smile
stretched across my lips as I peered at the caller ID. Dallas dressed in
diapers—he called it his Cupid outfit—at the last Halloween party
after a glass too many.
    “Hey, sis. How’s life?”
    “I should be barking mad at you for sending
me to this forsaken part of the world. Do you have any idea what you got me
into? I can’t cook, or clean, or do anything around a house, and you know it.”
    “You’ll be all right. You weren’t that bad
at home.” Dallas paused. “Come to think of it, you were. But that’s not the
point. Don’t worry about it, just listen.”
    I sighed. Of course he wouldn’t show any
sympathy. My brother couldn’t care less about my job because he didn’t like any
kind of work. Part-time job or placement, he had never been one to stay in the
same job for more than three weeks. “What do you want, Dallas?”
    “I can’t talk over the phone. Let’s just
meet and I’ll tell you everything.”
    “It’s my first day. I can’t take off
already.”
    Dallas snorted. “I wasn’t expecting you to.
I’ll be there in half an hour.”
    “But—” I couldn’t have guests over
already. Was I even allowed to have visitors?
    Dallas cut me off. “And keep me some of
your boss’s glorious lunch, won’t you? I’m starving.”
    “No, you can’t pop over just like that,” I
said, but my brother had already hung up on me.
    No need to worry. McAllister was away, so
he’d never know. My thoughts returning to Dallas’s strange phone call, I
started to sort through the pile, throwing all the whites into the washing
automat.
    What did Dallas want? He never visited
unless he needed a favor. Getting me a job was the biggest surprise ever, like
he really cared to help me after my family realized my chances of affording
college were slim. He even helped me lie to Mom and Dad about my job duties. But
my brother