“Every time someone leaves, they end up dead,” Tyson informed them. “Leaving isn’t an option. We have to wait for help to arrive. No offense, but we need real help.”
“Most of us haven’t slept in two days,” Cody remarked then took a large swallow of scotch. “We’re about ready to fall over from exhaustion.”
Harris looked at Vander with concern and shook his head with conviction. “We need to get to the bus and warn the others. Ghosts or not, something killed those people.”
“You can’t go back out there--not in the dark,” Ravin informed them with a look of concern. “You’ll never make it past the woods. There’s something out there, and you won’t see it before it sees you. You’ll end up like the others.”
“Your ghosts don’t scare us, Ravin,” Vander remarked. “We’ve been through the woods. How do you think we got here in the first place?”
“It’s not the ghosts you need to fear, Agent Hawk,” Devon said almost too soft for him to hear. She couldn’t sense whatever it was that had the entire group completely spooked and on edge, but she knew there was something evil within the hotel and surrounding the resort grounds.
Vander glanced at Devon alongside him and attempted to understand her comment. Her expression, although grave, offered him nothing. He then looked at Novak.
“We’ll wait until daylight,” Vander informed Novak. “Monica said she’d take care of the injured people on the bus.” He glanced at the others seated within the lobby. They were generally relieved that the four weren’t going back out into the woods tonight. “Is there anything safe to drink?”
“Wine and bottled water,” Cody informed him. “I also found a couple of bottles of the hard stuff, if you’d prefer.”
“I think we’ll pass on the alcohol,” Vander replied then indicated Cody’s glass. “You may want to take it easy on the hard stuff yourself.”
“Perhaps you’d like some dry things to wear,” Ravin announced and cast a look at Devon as she shivered. “We have some waiter’s uniforms cleaned and pressed from last season. If you’d like, I could get you some rooms, so you can clean up a little and maybe get a little sleep.”
Once Tyson finally brushed off Felicia, she made her way closer to the damp, weary travelers and watched them intensely with lust in her eyes.
“I’m sure you’re exhausted from your ordeal,” Ravin said sympathetically.
“Yeah, a little,” Vander replied but lacked enthusiasm considering their situation. “We’d appreciate some dry things and a place to rest.”
“How many rooms?” Ravin asked then wagged his finger with a lustful smile between Harris and Devon.
Harris eyed Devon and grinned his approval. Devon glared back at him, successfully wiping the smirk from his face.
Felicia smiled lustfully and clung to Vander’s arm, startling him. “There’s room in my guestroom for one more,” she cooed softly.
He stared at her a moment with surprise then gently pulled his arm from her clinging hands. The other three from his group were equally surprised at her forwardness.
Vander looked back at Ravin. “No one should be alone in their own room,” he announced. “Give us two connecting rooms. We’ll work it out between us.”
Devon eyed Vander with surprise. What was he suggesting? If he was trying to be funny, she didn’t appreciate it.
He caught her look and chuckled softly. “Hey, you wanted to join the boy’s club,” Vander teased.
Felicia’s disappointment quickly faded, and she linked onto Novak’s arm instead. He just stared at her with his mouth hanging open. She grinned sweetly.
“What about you?” she said seductively.
Novak wriggled out of her grip as well. “I’m on duty,” he replied while studying her. Despite not knowing the woman, her behavior seemed off.
She looked at Harris and raised her brows suggestively in silent question. Harris grinned. Before he could speak, he caught Vander’s stern glare. Harris gently cleared his throat and politely waved his regrets.
†
Ravin led the four cold, damp newcomers along the second floor hallway toward their guestrooms. Vander stopped before one of the rooms that displayed a crudely installed slide bolt lock outside the door.
“What’s with this?” Vander asked.
The others stopped. Ravin approached and stared at the slide bolt outside the door.
“Oh, that,” he announced. “We locked our baseball bat wielding friend in there for safekeeping.”
“When’s the last time you checked on him?” Vander asked.
“Two days ago.”
“Two days?” Novak demanded with surprise. “Didn’t anyone bring him any food in two days?”
“I checked on him four hours after we’d locked him in there,” Ravin informed them. “He slit his wrists in the bathtub. We left everything exactly the way it was for the arrival of the police.”
Novak and Vander exchanged looks but neither man commented. Ravin led them further down the hall and paused before one of the rooms. Vander and Novak approached the room next door and let themselves in with a key card. Ravin unlocked the guestroom for Harris and Devon and opened the door. He held up the card between them and smiled slyly. His lustful expression was easy to read without psychic abilities. Ravin seemed to be in hormone overload, which was somehow unnatural from the vibe Devon was getting from him. She couldn’t figure out exactly what was wrong with him, but she was almost positive he wasn’t normally so uninhibited. Harris grinned and took the card without reservation. Devon sharply glared her disapproval. There was a loud thumping from the connecting door between the two rooms. Ravin casually unlocked and opened the connecting door to reveal Vander in the attached guestroom.
Vander glared at Harris and pointed a warning finger at him. “This door stays open.”
Harris frowned, seemingly scolded. Ravin left the room without further comment, although he was heard softly snickering as he walked away. Once Vander disappeared into his shared room with Novak, Harris turned to Devon.
“Did you want the shower first?”
She fidgeted and attempted not to shiver. “I’ll wait for the dry clothing,” she replied. “You can go first.”
A sly grin crossed his face. “Of course, we could take one together--”
Vander loudly cleared his throat from somewhere within the adjoining room, causing Harris to flinch.
“Or not,” Harris replied then headed into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.
Devon rubbed her chilled, damp shoulders as she approached the window and looked outside into the darkness. Vander appeared in her room through the open, connecting doorway and studied her a moment while her back was turned.
“How’s your head?” he asked gently.
She glanced back at him only briefly. “Okay, I suppose,” Devon replied softly.
Vander casually leaned in the doorway and watched her. “I saw you at that charity benefit in the city earlier tonight.”
She turned with surprise and looked at him. “Oh?” Devon didn’t recall seeing him there and was actually surprised he’d seen her. “Not exactly the sort of event the FBI would crash,” she teased while grinning.
“That’s actually kind of funny, because we did crash it,” Vander informed her and returned the playful smile. “We arrested a fugitive who was working there. It all went down quietly in the kitchen, so we wouldn’t disturb the gala.”
She laughed softly at his response. “Sounds like you had more fun than I did.”
“That depends on your idea of fun,” Vander teased. “Novak is a good dancer, but he never lets me lead.”
Devon had to smile at his boyish charm. Vander wasn’t nearly as serious when he wasn’t around others or his partner. Perhaps it was just his tough guy act. She’d never actually met a federal agent, so she only knew what she saw on television. As she stared at him, her look turned serious. Their situation was no laughing matter, and she was still deeply disturbed by mor
e than just the mass killings within the hotel. She was now convinced it was the restless, tortured spirits who commanded her presence, and things like that never happened to her.
“What do you think really happened here?” she asked almost timidly.
Vander straightened stiffly and shook his head. “I have a few theories I’ve been kicking around, but none seem to quite fit. We have a whole bunch of dead people and a handful of very frightened and confused people,” he replied.
“But you agree that they’re all a little off, right?” she asked gently.
“Off as in out of their minds?” Vander suddenly asked then laughed softly. “Yes, they’re a little off. My first guess would be drugs, but I don’t think they took any knowingly, and I certainly don’t buy that mass suicide theory either.”
“If you and Agent Delano are going to investigate further tonight, would you mind if I tagged along?” she asked then immediately fidgeted. “I promise not to touch anything.”
He was surprised by the request. “Wouldn’t you feel safer here with Harris?”
Devon’s expression suddenly dropped at the suggestion. “You’re kidding, right?”
He snorted a laugh then smiled gently. “He’s harmless,” Vander informed her. “Just a spoiled, rich boy used to getting his own way.”
“If it’s all the same, I’d feel safer with you,” she informed him with little emotion.
Vander made an effort to conceal his pleased smile. He was obviously smitten by the comment and perhaps read a little too much into it. He sent a strong sexual vibe, which she easily detected, even with her limited psychic abilities.
“How can I argue with that?” he replied while grinning.
That the vibe he transmitted diminished quickly from her senses told her he was merely entertaining a wayward thought, with which he had no intention to act. Devon actually had her own reasons for wanting to tag along, and it had nothing to do with Harris or feeling more secure around her new FBI friends. She wanted answers to her own questions; questions they didn’t even know existed. She was already feeling overwhelmed with sensory overload, but she needed to be involved. Her concern for their safety was frightening, but if she didn’t open her mind and let the spirits tap dance on her brain, she feared something bad would happen to the others. She feared it would be something she could have stopped or possibly given them warning. She felt an odd need to keep Vander safe, and she wasn’t entirely certain why. As she secretly studied Vander, something stirred inside her. It wasn’t simply some secret sexual desire she was feeling, although the thought had crossed her mind, especially after the vibe he’d unwittingly sent her way. Agent Hawk was undeniably a handsome man, but this was something different. Devon desperately prayed her abilities weren’t expanding or sharpening. She didn’t want or need to become a full-blown psychic. She didn’t need any more images floating around in her mind than there already were. She studied his handsome features a moment longer. Still--?
Chapter Thirteen
Ravin stood by the door to the indoor pool area and watched Vander and Novak, who stood several feet away from the in ground pool. It was three o’clock in the morning. Both federal agents stared at the grisly sight of a dozen bodies floating in the water. Between the floating bodies and the amount of spilled blood, the pool resembled a grotesque stew of the dead. Devon stood near Novak and Vander with a pen and notebook in her hand. All three were freshly showered and changed into black pants and white shirts, which were the hotel’s borrowed wait staff uniforms. Both federal agents proudly displayed their shoulder holsters worn over their shirts. Devon watched the spirits aimlessly circling the pool while Vander visually examined the bodies. He had no clue as to what she was seeing just above him.
The feeling she got within the indoor pool area wasn’t nearly as intense as what she had felt within the dining room. It possibly had to do with less spirits in a confined area. A few fleeting images of a razor blade slashing across wrists invaded her mind, but to her surprise, there was no fear among the dead. They had been relaxed at the time of death, but she didn’t know how that was even possible. She wished she understood what it meant, but she didn’t. How could there be no fear among those who died? Fear was a natural response no matter how they met their demise.
“Their left wrists were slashed,” Vander remarked then indicated the straight razor within a pool of blood by the pool’s edge. “It’s safe to assume that’s our weapon.”
“That’s the same way we found the bodies in the lounge,” Ravin informed him while placing his hands in his pockets. “We were gone from the lounge less than an hour.”
“No signs of struggle,” Novak remarked while glancing over the bodies with an equally puzzled look. “No other injuries that I can tell. I don’t get it.”
“Even with hallucinogenic drugs, I don’t see how this is possible,” Vander pointed out.
“They were murdered?” Ravin suddenly asked while staring dumbfounded. “But you agreed they didn’t struggle. You’re suggesting they just allowed someone to slit their wrists.”
Devon wondered the same thing. Although, it would explain the lack of fear among the spirits in the pool area. It had to be drugs. There was no indication from the spirits that they willingly took their own lives. Their confusion confirmed that much.
“We’re back to drugs,” Vander replied.
“That’s a lot of people to drug at once,” Novak said while sighing deeply. He didn’t appear convinced it was possible either. “I don’t know how it could have been done.”
Devon stared at the spirits of the dead people as they floated above the water. The spirits were now staring at her. She attempted to read their expressions. It was almost as if they wanted to speak to her, but that would be impossible. She’d never spoken with any ghosts in the past. Of course, they never seemed inclined to talk to her either. She just assumed it wasn’t possible. What if they could? She didn’t even want to consider it. That would mean her psychic powers were growing, and she didn’t want the responsibility that came along with it.
†
Devon sat on one of the oversized chairs within the lobby and watched Vander and Novak talking quietly across the room while sipping bottled water. It was nearly four o’clock in the morning and the others had already returned to their rooms in an attempt to sleep. How they could sleep under the circumstance was a mystery to her. Ravin approached Devon and handed her a bottle of unopened water. She smiled her thanks and accepted the water. He sat on the arm of the sofa closest to her chair and studied her with great interest. Something about the way he stared at her peaked her curiosity. He was difficult to read. She desperately wanted to read something from him, but she couldn’t sense anything.
“You saw something back there, didn’t you?” Ravin asked while tilting his head.
She gave him a bewildered look. “What do you mean?” she suddenly asked. He couldn’t have known what she saw, unless he really did see ghosts too.
“The way you looked at those scenes of horror. You weren’t looking at the bodies,” Ravin stated then appeared curious. “Did you see the ghosts too?”
An odd feeling swept over her. It was almost a feeling of relief. Finally, someone else saw what she saw. For the first time, she didn’t feel so alone in her bizarre world. Devon drew a deep breath and slowly nodded. “Yes, I see ghosts,” she said softly. “But if you see them, you must realize they’re not responsible for any of this.”
“I’ve seen them carrying bloody axes and bloody knives,” Ravin informed her. “That’s enough to confirm they’re responsible, don’t you think?”
“No one was killed with an ax or a knife,” she said simply. Her heart suddenly sank. He didn’t see ghosts, at least not real ones. She hadn’t found a kindred spirit after all, and it saddened her. “Ghosts don’t kill people, Ravin. The only ghosts I’ve seen are those who’d died.” She shifted in her chair while studying his expression. She desperately wanted to share her gift with someone. Perh
aps he wasn’t like her, but he wasn’t going to laugh at her either. Confiding in him wouldn’t be such a bad thing, and she desperately needed to get it out. “I saw the look on their faces. They’re confused. They don’t understand what happened to them.”
“You saw the faces of those who’d died?” Ravin asked with surprise. “I only saw horrible, evil faces. Unfamiliar faces,” he informed her then shook his head. “Something’s wrong with me. I’m in a fog. My memory is sketchy, and that’s not like me. I’ve loved Gemma my whole life, but somehow it doesn’t seem real. Like it’s a lie.”
“There’s a good chance you and the others have been drugged,” she replied. “Do you remember anything before you felt like you were in a fog?”
He considered the question and seemed to have difficulty remembering. “I, uh, remember doing inventory with Gemma.” He grinned. “She told me I was sophisticated and intelligent.” Ravin then drifted out momentarily and tensed. “After the killings, I remember finding her alone in the wine cellar. I tried to comfort her, but she was afraid of me. No, it was as if she was terrified of me. I remember holding her while she hit me.” He stared off and appeared to realize something. “Gemma and I were never lovers. I’m her boss. Nothing more. Why did I think we were something more?”
Ravin was extremely confused and concerned. Devon could finally feel some emotion from him. He was conflicted as his true personality attempted to surface. He was sad and lonely. She waited with anticipation for him to continue, for the real Ravin to reveal himself. She wanted to understand him, and in order to do that, she needed to sense some emotion. Any emotion would do. Gemma stepped into the lobby, approached him from behind, and leaned over his shoulder while smiling lustfully.
“Baby, are you coming to bed?” Gemma cooed soft and seductively.
The sexual vibe Devon received from the two was staggering, and she had to block them out before erotic images flooded into her mind.
Ravin looked at Gemma and smiled affectionately. “Absolutely,” he announced then looked at Devon while grinning. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m wanted.”
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