Heaven and Hell (Beautiful Beings, #2) Read Free

pristine uniforms and youthful beauty, the couple was sorely out of place, yet the beautiful youths passed them by, oblivious of their presence.
    The parents, I thought.
    In my great absorption of Braxton’s absence and the troubling nightmare, I’d set aside the late night visit.
    My stride was strong and determined as I closed in on them.  I anticipated a complicated chase or fierce battle, but they simply stood there, their eyes hopeful and their mouths grim.
    As my lips parted to question them, they vanished in the shadows, leaving me to wonder if I’d really seen them at all.
    If they really were Brax’s parents, why were they coming to me now?
    His parents had disappeared while investigating paranormal activity. Perhaps they’d been caught in the middle of something far bigger and stronger than they’d imagined.
    Theirs was no doubt a supernatural disappearance.
    It all left me with too many questions; annoying questions I didn’t have the answers to.
    Returning my focus to my initial aim, I shook the ghostly parents from my head and turned to the principal’s office.  I needed some answers, some clarification about Brax.
    Foregoing the polite rap on the door, I barged into Ms. Bright’s office.
    Standing at the filing cabinet, she turned to me with a start, her eyes wide and alert.  In a heartbeat she regained her composure.
    “Lux,” she said with a professional smile.  “You startled me.  I thought you were someone else.”
    “Or something else,” I muttered as she shoved a file back into the cramped drawer and pushed it shut.
    “How is your father doing?  I know he was close to Dr. Kingsley.”
    I had little time for chatter and wanted to hurry to the topic of Brax.  “He’s doing better, thank you.”
    “So unfortunate.  So tragic.”
    “It certainly is,” I said with controlled impatience.
    “Though I had few encounters with him, I do miss Dr. Kingsley.”
    “Ms. Bright, I wanted to ask you about Braxton.”
    “Oh my, yes.  That’s the most tragic aspect of this whole sordid story.  Poor young man; to be orphaned and left to his uncle only to lose his uncle so violently.  It’s an unfair amount of tragedy for one young life.  And now to be separated from his friends and sent to a boarding school in England.  I do hope he’s faring well.”
    “Ms. Bright, why was he sent to England?  He’s old enough to stay here on his own.  He inherited his uncle’s estate, his fortune, so money’s not an issue.  He has friends here and a school and neighborhood he knows and feels comfortable in.”
    She looked at me with chagrin.  “I wished he’d stayed, too, Lux.  He really is a fine boy, an admirable young man, but he was offered various options upon the death of his uncle.  I guess, in the end, there were just too many bad memories here and England appealed to him.”
    That was impossible, I wanted to argue.  He had far too much here.
    “The estate needs tending.  It needs him.”
    I need him.
    “Yes, I’ve heard it’s been temporarily left in the hands of a neglectful caretaker.  Such a beautiful home.  Apparently Dr. Kingsley’s immaculate garden is already overrun with weeds.”
    “Braxton needs to come back.”
    Ms. Bright’s eyes softened.  “You know, the bizarre circumstances surrounding Dr. Kingsley’s murder left Braxton very shaken.  Chances are he won’t return until it’s resolved.
    But we all know Shayne so brutally killed Dr. Kingsley, I wanted to shout out.
    “Asher was wrongly imprisoned,” I said.
    “I’ve heard some people say that.  I must say, I was surprised when I heard he’d been formally accused.  Despite his gruff exterior and bad boy persona, I’ve always liked him.”
    “Isn’t there anything you can do to get Brax back to St. James, back to San Francisco?”
    She chuckled softly.  “I wish I could, but it’s completely out of my hands.  As bad as I feel about this whole episode and about Asher’s imprisonment,