Dead Moon Rising

by Dead Moon Rising [Siren Menage Everlasting, American Heroes- South Dakota] (lit)

  She opened the bag. Inside lay a small container of sea salt, a tied bundle of dried herbs, an abalone shell, and a feather. She looked up at him. “What’s this?”

  “If you believe there are bad energies, then you believe in good ones too, right?”

  She nodded. She had no choice but to believe after what she’d been through. She didn’t understand it or want to accept it, but she believed it.

  “It’s a sage stick,” John explained the cleansing ritual. “I thought about it after I left Tom’s. I’ve never done it before, but the lady at the shop assured me there’s no wrong way to do it.” He smiled. “Unless we accidentally set fire to something in the process. Then, of course, that’s wrong.”

  She laughed. “Okay. After the groceries are up?”

  “Yeah.” He hugged her, and she was relieved to find not an ounce of the dark energy seemed to cling to him.

  “I was never this sensitive to stuff before. Why now?”

  “I don’t know, babe. This whole area has a lot of stories. Maybe it’s the land. Maybe your fear triggered something.” He kissed the side of her neck. “Maybe getting your brains fucked out by two guys who love you like crazy has your hormones in overdrive.”

  She froze, not sure she heard him right.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Mmm hmm.”

  He looked into her eyes. “Did I just scare you by mentioning the L-word?”

  She smiled. “No.” She rose up on tiptoes. “I love you guys, too.”

  “Hey,” Del protested as he walked in loaded down with groceries. “You’re starting without me again.”

  She took some of the bags from him and kissed him.

  “What’s that for?” he asked.

  She smiled. “I love you.”

  The widest, brightest smile she’d ever seen on his face erupted like a volcano. He dropped the groceries onto the floor and grabbed her, kissing her hard and deep. “Oh, baby, I love you, too.” He looked at John over her shoulder. “I’m guessing you told her.”

  “Sorry. Can’t keep a secret like that forever, you know.”

  He grabbed her shoulders. “So you’ll stay with us, right? If you leave us, you wouldn’t just break one of our hearts, but both of them.”

  “I won’t leave.”

  John walked over and they both hugged her. “We’ll hold you to that, baby. Life wouldn’t be worth living without you around now.”

  * * * *

  With the groceries safely put away, Del sat on the front porch steps and watched as John and Sarah opened all four of the Explorer’s doors and the back hatch, lit the sage and blew on it until it smoldered, then wafted the smoke throughout the entire car.

  Del called out, “Open the hood. Do under there, too.”

  “Good idea,” John said. He did, and they smudged the engine compartment.

  Sarah felt the negative energy dissolve as the sage smoke chased away all remnants of the black cloud. She took a deep, easy breath and smiled. “Wow. That’s great!”

  John handed her the shell and the still smoldering sage, then he scattered a few handfuls of the sea salt crystals inside the passenger compartment, front and back, as well as in the cargo compartment. “There.” He looked at Del. “Thank you.”

  Del looked puzzled. “I didn’t do anything.”

  “You didn’t bust our balls over it, either.”

  He frowned. “Do you honestly think I would after what I saw? What I felt?” He stood and joined them. “Just because I didn’t help doesn’t mean I didn’t believe.” He pulled Sarah into his arms. “Honey, I know he told you about his accident. Any time you want to watch that DVD, it’s down in the basement in the fireproof safe with the other stuff. I’ve never watched it again because it creeps me out, but go for it.”

  She didn’t want to watch it, but she had an idea. “Can we go out there tonight?”

  “Out where?” John asked.

  “To the highway. To that spot.”

  “Why?”

  She held up the shell and the sage. “Maybe it’s bullshit, maybe not. But I feel better after doing this. It can’t hurt, right?”

  The men exchanged a long, silent look. Del broke first. “What do you want to do, John?” he quietly asked.

  John stared at the ground for a few minutes before taking a deep breath and letting out a long sigh. “Okay. What can it hurt? Let’s go after dinner. I have a feeling I might not have much of an appetite later.”

  * * * *

  The family-owned restaurant smelled delicious when they walked in. It felt warm and homey. Maybe it didn’t have trendy decor, but it felt every bit as inviting as John and Del’s house.

  The hostess waved to them from across the dining room. “Sit anywhere,” she called out. “I’ll be right with you.”

  The men guided Sarah to a corner booth. In the dim light, sandwiched between the two men, she felt safe. Riding in the Explorer, now that it felt untainted again, hadn’t bothered her at all. They had a good meal, and as full as she was from extremely delicious and homemade eggplant parmesan, she was tempted to call off her plan.

  Then the cloud descended again.

  Del noticed first. He grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Babe? What’s wrong?”

  She tried to shake off the feeling. “I don’t know.”

  Cindy Davies walked into the restaurant and up to the register, apparently there for a take-out order. A waitress fetched a large paper bag for her. Cindy saw them in the corner and waved as she waited for her change, then walked over.

  The feeling didn’t grow stronger as the woman approached. “Hey, John, I forgot to tell you when you were in earlier today. Del, the state called me, they said they’ll be picking up the Subaru sometime this week or next and taking it to Sioux Falls for more testing.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  She offered Sarah a kind smile. “Do you need anything else out of it, like the insurance cards or anything before they take it? I don’t know how long they’ll have it.”

  Del answered for her. “I’ll stop by in the morning before I go out on patrol and get all that.”

  “Okay. Oh, Bobby wanted me to tell you thanks for telling him about that guy over in Murdo. They’ve been emailing back and forth all week.” She remembered Sarah sitting there. “My boyfriend’s into black powder hunting,” Cindy explained to her.

  Sarah nodded as if she had the slightest clue what the hell the woman was talking about. “Ah. That’s nice.”

  She felt John’s hand pat her thigh under the table. When she dared glance his way, he winked, obviously amused. He knew she had no idea what that meant.

  “Well, I need to get back home. Tom suddenly decided he had to have Italian tonight, and I was too damn tired to fix lasagna myself. If you boys know of any single women who might want to marry a mechanic, let me know. I’d kill to get him out on his own.”

  Del laughed. “Why would he want to live anywhere but with his big sister? He’s got it good with you.”

  “It’s cramping my style,” she teased. “See y’all later.”

  Sarah knew the men were talking to her, but she didn’t listen to them. Instead, she watched Cindy walk out, saw her climb into her brother’s black Ford, and drive away.

  The dark feeling eased.

  The car. That explained it.

  “Maybe we should offer to smudge his car for him after they get rid of my car and the truck and trailer,” she grumbled.

  Del glanced at her, then at the Ford’s disappearing taillights. “What?”

  “Nothing. Never mind.” He probably worked on hundreds of cars in town. Maybe thousands. Some of them no doubt in his garage at the same time as hers. If she was going to live here with these two men and make her life here, she’d have to learn to deal with the incidental contact until the energy faded.

  * * * *

  An hour later, they were pulled safely off of the westbound I-90 shoulder, the Explorer’s emergency flashers blinking. Very little traff
ic passed them. That was something else she’d have to get used to, the desolation compared to Seattle’s bustle and traffic. “So this is where he died?” she asked in a low voice. It didn’t feel right to speak loudly.

  “Yeah,” John said, his voice unusually flat. “Right in this area.”

  She felt…something. “Where did you wreck?”

  Del pointed into the field, to the northwest. “He landed wheels up about seventy-five yards over there. But this is about where he saw the little boy and left the highway. You can’t see the marks anymore because they repaved this stretch two years ago.”

  “And where was the RV?”

  Del pointed across the road and west. “Right over there, about thirty yards. Close enough.”

  She shivered, but the energy she felt here didn’t compare to the darkness of the auto repair shop. “Okay.” She lit the sage and took the shell and feather from John. With the bundle of sage in the shell, she used the feather to waft the smoke all around. She had no idea what to say.

  Closing her eyes, she tried to feel what was right. Reddish orange energy filled her mind, and she heard a little boy’s voice.

  “I’m okay.”

  When she opened her eyes, she realized she physically still stood there in the grass beside I-90, but in her mind it was daylight and she stared down at the little tow-headed boy.

  He smiled at her. “It’s okay. You’ll be okay too.”

  “I will?”

  He nodded and pointed back toward Mitchell. The interstate’s asphalt was gone, replaced by a dusty country road. In the distance, she saw workers with horse-drawn equipment working the field. “They didn’t know I’d gone. Then he came and found me.”

  “He who?”

  “I don’t know his name. Never knew it.” She felt him tug at her shirt and she looked down into his sad eyes. “They love you.”

  “Who?”

  “Those two guys. I saw the one, at night once. I scared him. I’m sorry about that. Please tell him. I never meant to scare nobody.”

  “I will.” This felt unreal, and yet totally solid. She felt the breeze on her skin, the sun warming her hair, the smell of the crops and grass.

  “You’re the first one I’ve ever wanted to talk to. Others come to find me, but I trust you.”

  “Thank you.” She didn’t know what else to say.

  “Can I come with you?”

  Again, she felt stumped. “I don’t mind, but can you do that?”

  He nodded. “If I don’t, he’ll come back and find me again. He always comes back. He can’t hurt me anymore, but it still scares me when he comes back. I feel safe with you.”

  Her heart broke for this little boy. He never got to grow up. Worst, he died cruelly, suffering horrible, unspeakable things no child should have to endure.

  “Okay, Robert. You can come with me.” She held her hand out to him.

  His face lit in a beaming smile. “You know my name!” He reached out and grabbed her hand. It felt warm and solid, not ghostly. “Call me Robbie. My family called me Robbie.”

  She gasped for air and realized she lay on the ground, cradled in John’s arms. John yelled something at Del, who was arguing with him.

  As her senses came back, she realized Del wanted to call an ambulance. “I’m okay,” she gasped. “I’m all right.”

  John helped her sit up as Del raced over. “Babe, what happened?”

  “I was going to ask you two that.”

  The men looked scared to death. “You stood there,” Del said, “and your lips started moving, but we couldn’t hear anything. Like you were talking to someone. Then you opened your eyes, looked at us and said, ‘He’s coming with us,’ and then your eyes rolled back in your head. You fainted.”

  “How long was I out?”

  “Unconscious or talking?” John asked.

  “What?”

  “You stood there for nearly twenty minutes like that, moving around a little, turning and nodding your head, like someone was showing you something. You acted like you were in a trance or something. You were only unconscious for a few seconds once you fainted.” He stroked her forehead. “You scared the crap out of us.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to call an ambulance?” Del asked.

  “I’m okay.” Her eyes filled with tears. She felt a new energy within her, the light blue of a clear South Dakota summer sky. She didn’t believe it, but remembered every second of her conversation with Robbie. And she felt him with them. “Let’s go home.”

  They helped her to her feet. John retrieved the smudge stick and extinguished it before scattering some sea salt over the area. She climbed into the back seat, John insisting on sitting with her. Del quickly pulled out onto the highway, found a turnaround, and headed for home.

  With John’s arm securely around her shoulder, she dared look in the rearview mirror. She didn’t say anything to the men when she spotted Robbie’s smiling face.

  She offered a little smile back. For better or worse, it looked like they had a new house guest.

  Chapter Eleven

  Del didn’t want to go to work the next morning, but John and Sarah finally convinced him she was okay. She still felt Robbie’s light blue energy in the house, sometimes near her, sometimes flowing around just outside, but she didn’t catch sight of him.

  After breakfast, and once Del had left for his shift, John finally made her fess up. In the office, he rolled his chair over to her, caught her hands, and stared at her.

  She broke down crying and told him the whole story as he pulled her into his arms.

  “Shh, it’s okay.”

  “No, it’s not okay! That bastard murdered him, and he’s been scared all this time. He was just a little boy!”

  “I know, babe, I know. He’s safe. Like he said, he can’t hurt him anymore. And now he’s with us, right?”

  She sniffled and nodded. “Do we tell Del?”

  He contemplated it for a while. “Maybe not,” he finally said. “Not right now. He’s open-minded, and he saw the DVD, but I think if we push him too far, that might stretch the boundaries of his ability to believe. Let’s let Robbie decide if he wants to show himself to Del, ’kay?”

  “Okay.” Actually, maybe that was the best plan.

  For lunch he made them sandwiches and forced her to leave her laptop. They settled under a huge tree in their sloping backyard, which overlooked a small, shaded creek. She closed her eyes and leaned against John, enjoying the feel of his strength.

  “You feeling a little better now?”

  “Yeah. That was freaky last night, though.”

  He snorted. “You’re telling me? You managed to freak me and Del out, and let me tell you something, we’re men who don’t spook easy.” He kissed the top of her head. “We were so scared something happened to you, that you had a seizure or something.” He nuzzled his chin in her hair, and she realized how right, how good that felt.

  Comfortable. As if they’d been together for years instead of days.

  “I love you,” she whispered. It still frightened her to feel this strongly for them so soon, but she was quickly learning to love that tingle of fear.

  “Baby, you have no idea how much we love you.”

  She tipped her face up to his and met his sweet, caramel gaze. Warm and sexy, just like the man. “Even though I’ve brought a shitload of crazy into your life?”

  He smiled. “Hey, think of it this way, what better place to land than in our laps?” He rubbed noses with her. “We accept you for who you are, and you brought my ghost home with you.”

  She laughed. “Remind me of how perfect this moment is when I’m freezing my ass off during the first horrendous blizzard of the year. I’m not used to snow like that. I’m used to dreary, rainy days.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap so he could kiss her. “We’ll keep you warm. The three of us will melt the snow off the roof, baby.”

  She smiled. “I’m glad you two didn’t make
me choose between you. I’m a lucky lady.”

  “We’re the lucky ones, babe.”

  * * * *

  They ended up in bed, slowly making love. She knew his leg still bothered him, so she gently pushed him back to the bed before straddling him. She teased him, stroking his cock until he nearly begged her for relief before she rolled a condom on him. She flashed a seductive smile at him as she slowly lowered herself onto his rigid member, letting out a moan of her own as his hard flesh stretched her, nerve endings sizzling as she rode him.

  His thumb found her clit and stroked, driving her closer to that sweet, nerve-shattering release she now desperately craved with them.

  Just as she closed in on her climax, the front door flew open, and they heard Del screaming their names.

  She jumped, startled. “We’re in here!”

  As she climbed off John, Del raced into the bedroom, gun drawn.

  “What the fuck’s going on?” John asked.

  Frantically looking around, Del kicked the door shut behind him and threw his robe and John’s at them. “Get dressed. Now. We’ve got company coming. He raced out again, shutting the door behind him just as they heard other vehicles roar into the driveway.

  She felt fear take over, but John was already scrambling to get dressed. She didn’t miss his grim look as he added his gun to his ensemble. He leaned in and kissed her. “Get dressed,” he said. “Now.” He left, closing the bedroom door behind him.

  Ten minutes later and shaky as hell, she emerged from the bedroom to find an armed trooper standing guard in the hallway. He nodded to her. “Ma’am, they’re in the living room.”

  She spotted John sitting on the couch and looking enraged. Del stood next to him, fear mixed with his anger. The house seemed filled with law enforcement, and through the windows she spotted more in the yard, including a K-9 team heading out back.

  “What’s going on?” she managed, her voice feeling very thin and tight.

  They’d set up a laptop on the kitchen table. John’s face softened when he looked at her. He stood and limped over to her, taking her hand and leading her to the table.