death at a funeral

First Rule of a funeral, you wear black.

Second Rule of a funeral, you still dress to impress the dead.

Third Rule of a funeral, you respectfully held your tongue when facing down the Wicked Bitch out of respect for your father you were currently putting in the ground.

Unlike the night she’d learned of her father’s passing, Amber Eden had yet to allow any tears to fall during the service. She’d put on her well-placed mask, which she often wore in front of her father’s friends and business partners. Her usually sunny self wasn’t present. Ironic that the sun wasn’t present as well, reflecting her inner mood.
She was dressed in a tailored, black jumpsuit that left one shoulder bare and the other covered. A simple gold necklace hung from her throat, and her mass of blonde hair was up in a tight bun. She wore heels that put her on a level with most men in attending, a power move she quite thoroughly enjoyed using, and her outfit was complete with the designer shades she wore to hide her red puffy eyes.

She’d only removed them for when she got up on the podium to say a few things about her father. Mostly for Harper’s sake, as they really didn’t have much family, and non-worth mentioning in attendance.

It was a long, painful experience, to have to bury your father when you’d expected more years out of him. Amber felt like she’d blinked and the ceremony was over, which was probably a good thing. She’d been sitting between both Harper and Kyler. The only two she cared most about in the world now and squeezed both their hands. Fizzgig was back at the Condo in his Kennel. Amber hadn’t felt the need to fight Bitricia on whether or not dogs were appropriate for funerals.

Amber joined Harper in tossing in the flowers. Feeling that all too familiar feeling of being surrounded by bodyguards. Amber had Kyler though, and she looked behind her, looping her arm through his like she always did. Needing him to center her so she could get through this day. She glanced over at Harper just as she tripped, and her body was already shifting to move towards her to help steady her (she really needed to stop dressing Harper in heels…) when the shot rang out.

It was unexpected and one moment, Amber was standing, and the next, she felt an arm wrap around her waist and pull her down. Someone was barking out orders to get her out of there, and Amber was wide-eyed. It took her brain a moment to realize what had happened and for her eyes to land on the fallen bodyguard near Harper, realizing what had happened. “HARPER! HARPER!” She screamed as dread and panic started to fill her.

She’d just put one family member in the grave, she wasn’t about to lose another. She scrambled towards her sister as the bodyguards raced forward, and Amber gathered her sister up in her arms, trying to move aside strands of her blonde hair. Not caring if she smeared blood. “Harper, Are you hurt?” She all but demanded. She didn’t get an answer before she was yanked to her feet and ushered towards the car.

Kyler forced himself to take a deep breath and release it slowly, although he couldn't bring himself to relax into the seat of the now-moving car. He was still sitting almost sideways in the back seat, looking at the rear window at the receding crowd. The receding crime scene. The thought made him want to throw up.

He forced his eyes away from the scene and back to the people inside the car. He looked at the driver, first, and was glad to see a man he recognized. "Thanks, Frank," he called to the man, who nodded once.

Kyler turned back to the girls, watching Amber help clean her sister up. Her generosity made his heart clench uncomfortably and softened his harsh expression a few degrees. She was a good sister. Somehow, that only made him angrier at whoever had dared to ruin the funeral, something meant to be reverent, to give the family closure. What kind of person was cruel enough to use a funeral as bait?

He clenched his hands into fists, and his teeth ground together as he clenched his jaw as well. Now wasn't the time, but he was going to get to the bottom of this.