“Mmmm. Ditto.”
When she turned to face him, he looked so very calm. It was like the brewing storm was released from him, and he was, once more, at peace.
“Promise me something,” he finally said when his brain stopped being a hazy mess of pleasure.
“What?”
“That no matter what happens, you’ll stay with me for the rest of our lives. When you’re with me, I’m at peace too. Fate put us together to calm each other’s demons.”
“I promise, Beau.”
A she cuddled into his torso, she knew this was the happiest day of her life.
Not only was she no longer alone, she found a good, decent man to call her own.
He’d protect her.
He’d chase away the evil.
When it came down to it, he’d be the one who stood up for her, acting as her shield--even dying for her.
Nyx heard the voice in her head, telling her all that, but it wasn’t hers.
It was Trey’s.
And instead of peace, calm and harmony, it brought her terror--like she never felt before.
Now she had everything to lose.
AGAIN.
CHAPTER Eighteen
Darkwood Monastery
To say that Julian was hesitant would be an understatement. He was expecting the worst, and that wasn’t shocking.
As his wife was getting ready to take a little trip to Creepyland, he was freaked out. Whenever she slipped into that darkness, where he couldn’t reach her, he was scared stupid.
“We could wait,” he offered. “Roman might dig up the names, and then you can skip this.”
“You know I can’t,” she offered.
Julian couldn’t help but think how easy their lives used to be. Now that the dead were visiting their days, it was driving him insane.
As she got relaxed, his phone rang.
“Hold on,” he ordered, grateful Christina was calling. Maybe she came up with something.
“Hey, bosses!” she said cheerfully.
“What did you find?” Julian asked. Obviously, his employee heard the tone in his voice. For once, Christina didn't mess with him and dove right in.
“The boss lady asked us to play on social media, and we did.”
“What came up?” Tori asked.
“We found someone else linked to Pearlie Nelms,” Christina replied.
“Who?”
“Long story short, she posted a picture on her page and linked it to someone who works there. We have her cuddling up to Cordell Burdett.”
“Really?” Julian asked. “He works in the tasting room. We found a towel shoved into the air conditioning. He might have been the one trying to start a fire.”
“Oh boy.”
“So, he was dating Pearlie?” Tori asked.
There was laughter from Kane. “Not quite.”
“What then?”
“Let’s just say that she liked random hookups. She was working for cash.” Kane was pretty sure they got it, but just in case they didn’t... “She was hooking.”
“What?” they said at the same time.
Julian’s mind was going a mile a minute. They’d found a shitload of money in Romeo’s room, and that couldn’t be coincidental.
“Your missing woman was a working girl.”
“Thanks. We appreciate you finding this. We’re going to pass this one off to the local law. I’m not playing vice with the client’s daughter and the pimpin’ son.”
Julian explained the money to his team back at the office, and they agreed that it couldn’t be a coincidence. If it smelled like a rat, it probably was one.
“You should pass this one off,” Christina said. “It gives the brother motive in her disappearance. Maybe she wasn’t bringing in the Benjamins, and he got a little out of control or possibly Pearlie decided to own her own real estate.”
It made sense.
“This family is a hot freaking mess. Sheila is cheating, Pearlie was prostituting, Romeo is playing pimp to his own sister, and dear old dad is in the middle and as ignorant as the day is long.”
“How do you not know your daughter is sleeping around for money?” Kane asked.
They had no idea.
“Thanks for the great work. We’re going to pass this off to the cops. It may be why she was taken.”
“If you need anything else, just call,” Christina stated.
“Oh, guys,” Tori began, “Julian hired a reporter to work with us at the office. He’s going to be on the team.”
There was a gasp.
He glared at his wife. “Really? Right under the bus, Victoria? You couldn’t even soften the blow?”
“He what?” Christina said. “Reporters can’t be trusted. He’ll betray…”
Julian hung up. The last thing he needed was a lecture from his team.
Tori was amused. “Hey, I’m not going down for this one. You hired him, so it’s your reputation on the line.”
He was well aware.
There were days he hated being boss.
* * * L i t t l e m o o n * * *
Thursday Evening
Julian knew what was next.
He was about to watch his wife go deep into herself to talk to the dead. It bothered him, but he had to admit, he was getting accustomed to it. At least he could be there to make sure she was safe.
“I need the names of those girls, and then I’ll see if Bethany can give me anymore.”
“Just be careful, and don’t do all the spirits at once. You’re pregnant, and shouldn’t stress your body like that.”
She patted his cheek. “Catch me if I fall, okay?”
“Always.”
Julian held her hand, afraid to let go. As Tori began relaxing, staring forward, she called to her spirit guild.
“Bethany, I’m ready.”
The music began.
It was low and familiar, lulling her into the calm. The second she was at ease, she began falling. The slide into oblivion was getting easier and easier. With each trip, Tori could see and understand more. As soon as she blinked, the room was back in focus.
“Hey, Victoria,” said the dead girl.
“Are you ready to help me?” Tori said, getting down to business. “I don’t know how hard this is going to be on me, so we better get to it.”
Bethany didn't disagree, and that freaked Tori out even more.
“Here comes the first child,” she said as the room shimmered. Soon, a small, disheveled little girl appeared. She was covered in dirt, leaves, and looked like someone had hurt her. There were big circles under her eyes, and her flesh had a deathly glow that was only present on a corpse.
Yeah, Tori wasn’t ready for this.
Not at all.
“Who are you?” Tori asked, taking a step back as the child moved toward her. “What’s your name?”
“Joie Allias.”
Her voice sounded like the scary child in the horror movie--the one that was distorted and out for blood. The way she moved, freaked Tori out. It was disjointed and almost enough to make her call this whole thing off.
“Who hurt you?”
“A man.”
“Where are you?”
She looked around. When she shivered, Tori realized she wasn’t in the room with them. She was wherever the killer put her.
“It’s dark. I can’t see. It smells bad. I want out. You have to get me out.”
“How did he hurt you?”
Her little child hand went to her head. “He hit me. He told me he was going to take me to my mommy, but instead he did horrible things to me. He touched me, and I was scared.”
Tori’s breath hitched. She wanted to vomit. The last thing she wanted, while carrying her own daughter, was to work a case that involved sexual abuse.
It made her want to be sick.
“Find me. Please find me, Victoria. He said you’re good. Please don’t let me rot here.”
She couldn’t deal with her anymore. “Next, Bethany. I�
�m ready for number two.”
The girl shimmered away, and the next arrived screaming. It was obvious that she’d died the way she appeared in Tori’s vision.
This couldn’t be good.
“Shhhhhhh,” Bethany whispered. “This is Tori. She’s going to get you free.”
“The man said not to talk to you. He said you’ll trick us. He’s protecting us now. No one keeps us safe but him.”
“Who are you?” Tori asked, needing that information first. Once she got that, she’d address the rest.
“I’m Alise Cochrane.”
Bethany moved between her and Tori, and that worried her. This girl looked somewhere around twelve, but death hadn’t been kind. She had a wild look about her, and her one arm was bent at a painful angle.
“How did he hurt you?”
“In ways I can’t even talk about. He violated us, and then he stole our lives.”
“Where are you?”
“We’re with him. He’s protecting us.”
“Who is he?” she asked, making mental notes. She wanted as much detail as possible.
“He’s our father now.”
That creeped her right out.
The last thing they needed was a vengeful spirit who liked collecting abused girls.
“Next.”
Bethany forced the girl away, and lastly, a small child appeared.
“Help me, Victoria.”
She looked so small and weak.
“Who are you, honey?”
“I’m Marilyn Fort. He took me and hurt me.”
She moved around Bethany to approach the girl. As soon as she did, the little child morphed and rushed Tori, her hands now claws. The nails cut into her arm.
Tori screamed in pain.
Bethany sent the girl away. “Are you okay?” she asked, moving toward her.
“She’s pissed,” Tori replied, looking down at the gouges in her arm.
“Death does that to you. She and the others died in a bad way, and the male is making them angry. He’s adding fuel to the fire.”
Tori understood.
“Can you summon my brother?”
“Tori, four spirits are dangerous. You know that. Your husband will flip his lid.”
She was well aware, but that didn't negate that she needed to talk to him. “I want to see my brother. Alone.”
Bethany tried to talk her out of it, but it wasn’t working. Tori wouldn’t back down.
“Please?” she asked. “If you could see that one person you loved one more time, what wouldn’t you do?”
“Fast, okay?”
Suddenly, the room shimmered, and there stood Trey. Only, he didn't look good. He, too, was in his death form. It shocked Tori to see it.
In fact, it made her sick.
“Hey, sprout. It’s funny meeting you here. I never thought I’d be dead, and you’d be talking to my ghost.”
“Trey, I miss you.”
“Awww, sprout, you have Beau. We look alike. Well, what I used to look like before the bombing.”
Her heart skipped.
“You gotta pack up and leave, Tori. There’s something here, and it’s sucking us in. It’s collecting spirits, and you need to run.”
“I can’t. This is my life now. I’ll leave when my job here is done. I can’t until then.”
He went to touch his sister, but his burnt hand went through her solid torso. The closer he got, the worse he looked.
“I’m sorry I hurt the other woman. I understand now. She hears me. I don’t have to shout. I got to see you. That’s all I really wanted.”
His image degraded further.
“Tomorrow, keep her safe. Keep all of you safe. Bad things are coming.”
“Trey, is this how you died?” she asked, moving closer.
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not. I died serving my country. I died a hero, and in the end, that was my mission. My life was sacrificed for the men in my group. I was protecting my country and people.”
Tori wanted to be sick. “Did you suffer, Trey?”
He didn't answer. Instead, he began backing away. “Retreat, soldier. Retreat. The things that go bump in the night are very real, and very scary.”
Before she could say anything, he was gone.
“Bethany, bring him back!”
She couldn’t.
“We’re empty, Tori. You gotta go. You can’t risk you or the baby. We’ll talk later.”
She didn't want to leave. Tori wanted an answer. Deep in her gut, she already knew the truth.
Trey had suffered terribly.
As the darkness closed in, Tori felt herself floating up until light exploded around her. When she opened her eyes, she was staring into Julian’s.
His hand was on her wrist.
Tori glanced down at the scratches on her arm. They apparently came with her.
“Are you okay?”
“No.”
“Honey, what happened?” he asked.
“Oh, Julian!” With that, she went into his arms and began sobbing. “It’s my brother!”
He held her close. “What happened?”
“He suffered. I saw him how he was. I saw what was inside that closed casket.”
It was all she had to say.
Julian let his wife weep, and he did the best thing for her.
He let her get it out.
* * * L i t t l e m o o n * * *
Darkwood Monastery
Wine Tasting
As they stood there, Julian was wearing a suit and smirk. They were getting ready to tap a new vintage of wine, and if he never tasted the red mess, he’d be more than fine.
He was so over wine, that if his wife ever even mentioned that word, he might weep.
Speaking of crying…
Tori was now grinning at him, and that made him feel better. After her meltdown and purging of emotions, she’d managed to get it under control. Tori was like a storm. She’d erupt, and after getting over it, she’d be back to normal.
He was just glad that the trip to visit Bethany didn't hurt her.
The last thing he wanted was for his woman and child to be injured.
As they stood in the winery’s storage area, in front of the ‘special’ vintage, Mr. Nelms was trying to talk about the grapes and process.
Julian and Tori weren’t listening.
Instead, they were looking around the room. The Wirth’s were there getting ready to commence guzzling, but the Bunchen’s were gone.
Surprise.
Surprise.
It seemed that after their talk with the Martin’s from the neighboring winery, there was some family emergency, and they had to take off.
Who would have seen that coming?
Not far away, standing near his ‘partner’, was Roman Remington. When they arrived, Julian slipped the man the paper with the girls’ names. He’d start working, and that was a good thing.
Sheila was around too, and she was red eyed. They just didn't know if it had to do with being outed by the Littlemoons for cheating, or if her ‘lover’ had broken it off.
Either way, they were just glad that there weren’t that many group functions. They were mostly concerned with the next night, and the séance.
Julian couldn’t believe they were taking that route. In all honesty, a part of him thought it was total bullshit. Then his wife emerged from her trance with scratches down her arm. Scratches he watched appear without anyone, or thing, touching her.
It was scary.
It was something new.
For some reason, with each trip to ‘the other side’, Tori came back stronger and with something new in her arsenal. It was a little creepy.
No, it was scary as hell.
And there was nothing Julian could do about it.
As they watched Romeo, they noticed he was busily typing away on his cell phone. Was it work related?
Why didn't he look nearly as distraught as his dad?
&n
bsp; His sister was missing, and he didn't seem to give a rat’s ass.
Curious.
This whole case was wonky.
They had a missing girl, a cheating wife, some treasure, which may or may not be what was causing the sabotage, and three dead girls. Toss in a priest, Tori’s dead brother, and Julian was at his max.
He’d tried vetting clients, and it was as if fate was telling him to put his big girl panties on. No matter what he did, they still ran in to the dead.
Maybe this was just what life was meant to behold for them. He never saw this one coming.
That scared the bejezuz out of him.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re about to uncork our special vintage. We created this wine the week the winery opened. In fact, it’s the only barrel of its kind. We’re going to taste it tonight, and then bottle the rest. We wanted you to enjoy it with us.”
Everyone clapped.
“Yay,” Julian whispered sarcastically. “I’m not drinking it. I can’t. I’ll pretend, but they can’t make me.”
Tori was amused, but she didn't blame him.
“We hope you like it,” Kirby Andrews added. “It’s my first recipe here at Darkwood Monastery.”
They handed out the glasses. Immediately, everyone began drinking, except Tori and Julian.
“This doesn’t taste right,” stated Cara Wirth.
“She’s right,” Kirby added.
As if they were crazy, Sheila and Romeo each grabbed a glass.
The grimace after tasting it proved that the ones drinking the wine had a point.
Roman glanced over as he sniffed his wine. His face said it all. He wasn’t drinking it. ‘Something’s wrong,’ he mouthed.
“I don’t get it,” Kirby stated. “It tastes foul. This has never happened with a vintage this old.”
“Something had to get into the wine,” stated Daniel. “This is absolutely putrid.”
Tori was glad she couldn’t drink. Picking up Julian’s glass, she detected a scent of something odd. She’d smelled it before, but not where wine was concerned.
Surely, she couldn’t be right.
“There’s something in my glass,” Cara said, pulling some hair out of her wine. “Eww! Gross!”
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