by G. R. Lyons
“Don't,” Ryley insisted. “Not yet. I'll be there in a few minutes, alright? Just…don't log in.”
Vic's skin prickled. “What's going on, Ry?”
“I'll tell you as soon as I get there. Just don't log in, alright? Promise me.”
Vic pulled his phone away from his ear and checked the screen. Scrolling across the top were a series of notifications, some of which were clearly emails from work, contracts to process and case alerts to look into, all of them truncated or in code so they wouldn't be clear until Vic actually logged in to the company's database and pulled up the relevant case files.
Just how bad could it be?
He put the phone back to his ear, and heard Ryley say, “I'm on my way, Vic. Just wait until I get there.”
“Alright,” Vic promised, then rang off, slowly and deliberately tucking his phone back into his inside jacket pocket, then reached for the other pocket instead, clutching the blood-stained bracelet.
“Vic?” Colby whispered.
Vic looked over at the boy. Colby was watching him with wide eyes, his hands tucked up under his chin. Clearing his throat, Vic forced on a smile. “Ryley's coming over for a minute. We have to talk about some work stuff. Why don't you go play with Cam for a bit, yeah?”
Colby eyed him curiously, then gave a shy nod and slipped down off the rocking chair, crawling away to his room. Vic watched him go, and waited for the door to close before he made himself get up and go through the motions of putting the cello away and fussily tidying up the room before Ryley got there, though there wasn't much to do in that regard.
Finally, the doorbell rang, and Vic hurried over to answer it, his imagination playing havoc. Just what was so serious that Ryley wanted to come tell him in person? The only thing he could think of was that one of his rescue kids had died. That was something that would have certainly come across Ryley's desk. The thought made Vic's heart ache. Gods, he did not want to lose one of his kids.
The look on Ryley's face when Vic opened the door just spiked his nerves even more.
“Hey, Vic,” Ryley said, his expression more serious than Vic had ever seen.
“Hey.” Vic stepped aside to let Ryley in.
Ryley looked all around. “Where's the kiddo?”
“In his room.”
“Ah. Good.” He paused. “You should probably sit down.”
Shit. Vic headed for the living room and took a chair, bracing himself for the worst. Was it Zoey? Austin? Any of the dozens of other kids he'd rescued over the years?
“So,” Ryley began, perching on the edge of a chair across from him. “You remember how we always used to swap alert requests?”
Vic gave a grim nod, his suspicions confirmed. This was definitely about a dead kid, but he couldn't begin to guess which one it might be.
Years ago, when Vic and Ryley had first started dating, they'd started swapping any alert requests they submitted to the company's database. The system allowed them to flag particular cases, contracts, or keywords for future reference, and the central computer would constantly scan any new information to see if it matched up with any of those requests, instantly sending an alert to the agent who'd made the request in the first place. Since Vic's and Ryley's cases often overlapped, any time one of them submitted a flag, he would tell the other, who would submit the exact same request. That way, if one of them was out of the office and an alert came in, the other would be able to address it.
So if one of Vic's rescued kids had died, and that information hit the Sturmwyn database, the computer would let both Vic and Ryley know.
“I got an alert this morning,” Ryley said, stating the obvious. Vic nodded along, gesturing at him to continue. Ryley sat forward. “Vic…” He hesitated, fidgeting in his chair. “It's about Cam.”
Vic froze, trying to process the sudden change in direction. “What?”
Ryley nodded slowly. “A DNA sample came in, and it flagged a match in the system.” Ryley paused again, and Vic's heart raced as he braced himself, a chill rushing through him.
“What match?” Vic whispered.
Ryley looked up at him from under his eyelashes, watching him carefully, then took a deep breath and said, “We finally have a name for Cam's attacker.”
Chapter 13
COLBY LOOKED up when Cam's laughter broke off.
“Cam?”
The ghost looked over at the door, frowning. “Vic's thinking of me really hard.”
“What?”
Cam fidgeted. “It's…I'm not really sure how to explain it, but I can tell when he's thinking of me. It's how he can call me to him when I'm not around.”
Colby frowned. He had no idea what Cam was talking about.
Cam hesitated, then said, “Hang on. I'll be right back.” He went to the door and disappeared right through it, leaving a heavy silence in his wake.
Colby waited, watching the door. Several minutes passed before Colby gave in to curiosity and crawled over to the door. He held his breath, listening. There were voices coming from the living room—Vic's for sure, and he thought the other one must be Ryley's—but he couldn't make out what they were saying. He was just about to reach up and grab the door handle when Cam suddenly burst back in.
The ghost floated right through the door, panting heavily as he began to pace from one end of the room to the other. Cam looked on the verge of panic.
Colby's eyes went wide. “Cam?”
Cam shook his head, barely sparing Colby a glance as he kept pacing.
“What happened?” Colby asked, drawing in on himself. Should he hug Cam? Hold him, like Vic held Colby when he was scared? He had no idea what to do, and Cam wouldn't stop moving. “What's wrong?”
Cam turned and paced toward him, then went back the other way, still shaking his head.
“I can't–” Cam gasped.
“Cam?” Colby followed the ghost with his eyes, growing wider with worry at every passing moment.
Cam choked out a cry. “I have to go.”
Before Colby could say anything, the ghost vanished. Colby blinked, then stared at the empty space where Cam had just been. Where had he gone? And why? Cam had been so cheerful just a few minutes ago. Laughing freely like nothing was wrong. And now this? It didn't make any sense. What had he seen? Or heard?
What was so bad that it could leave Cam looking as haunted as Colby felt at the memory of Bad Man?
* * *
FIFTEEN YEARS. Vic slowly shook his head. Fifteen years, he'd been waiting for exactly this moment, and now that it was here, he thought he might shatter into a million pieces.
Cam's attacker had been identified. They had proof. A DNA match. It didn't get any more concrete than that.
“Here,” Ryley murmured, handing Vic a tablet.
The device was already logged in to the company's system, the case flag already on display on the screen. Vic looked at the DNA analysis, comparing the profiling markers between the new sample and the one that had been logged after Cam's body was recovered. The analysis linked the two with a calculated 99.9% certainty.
Fifteen years, and they finally had a name: Logan Jarvis.
Vic's hands shook, and Ryley caught the tablet before Vic could drop it. Ryley set the tablet aside and took Vic's hands instead.
“Babe?” Ryley asked. “What do you need? Tell me what you want me to do. We can go after this guy. We've got his name and address now–”
Vic shook his head.
“Are you sure?” Ryley asked. “We can go right now if you–”
“I have to tell Cam, first,” Vic said, staring at the tablet even though the screen was off. “Fuck,” he gasped. “How am I gonna tell him, Ry? After all this time? We'd given up hope that this guy would ever be found…”
“He's a tough kid, Vic. You're always saying how well he's done despite everything that happened to him.”
“Yeah, but…this?” Vic pulled his hands free and gestured at the tablet, then sank back into the couch with a heavy sigh. “W
hat if Cam isn't ready to hear it? What if Cam isn't ready to face him?”
Ryley eyed him for a moment, then asked gently, “Are you ready to face him?”
“Of course I am,” Vic answered quickly. Too quickly, even to his ears.
Ryley reached out and gave his knee a squeeze. “Babe, it's alright if you're not. There's nothing wrong with that.”
Vic shook his head. “Doesn't matter. If Cam's ready, I have to be. But how can I tell him? What if it sets him back? Or what if he thinks he's ready to face the guy, and we go, and all it does is crush him?”
Ryley grimaced. “I don't know, babe. Gods, I wish there was something I could do…”
Vic looked at Ryley and reached out to give the man's hand a squeeze. “Thank you for coming to tell me. Thank you for being here.”
“Anytime, hon.”
A few minutes later, Ryley left to go back to the office, and Vic sank into the rocking chair, idly pushing the thing into motion as he stared at the floor.
He lost track of time as he sat there, trying to sort through all his thoughts and feelings. Vic traced the scars across the knuckles of his left hand, the memory of that awful day coming back in full force and weighing heavily on his heart. Someone had attacked Cam, yes—and now that someone's name was known—but it didn't change the fact that it never would have happened if Vic hadn't done what he had.
If Vic hadn't said those awful words.
He was vaguely aware of the shuffling sounds of motion before Colby crawled up into his lap and snuggled up against him. Still staring at the floor, Vic wrapped his arms around the boy.
“Hey, kiddo,” he mumbled distractedly.
Colby was silent, though Vic could feel the boy watching him. Vic blew out a breath. He needed to get his shit together and focus. There was so much to do, and just sitting there—dwelling on the past—wasn't getting any of it done.
But he just wanted a few more minutes. Just a little more time to bear himself up for facing the darkness and calling on Cam so he could tell his brother what he'd learned.
A feather-light touch trailed across his forehead, and Vic's eyes drifted shut. His lips parted as a subtle, pleasurable shiver ran through him. The touch moved down his cheeks, over his nose, along his jaw. Vic forced his eyes open, and saw Colby watching him curiously, the boy's little hands trailing all over Vic's face and somehow managing to make all the tension disappear.
Vic closed his eyes again and sighed, going boneless in the chair. “My sweet boy…” he whispered.
Colby's touch stuttered for a split second before continuing on just as it had, somehow easing every inch of Vic's body from just that little bit of contact.
He blew out a breath and looked down at the boy, feeling a slight smile on his face.
Colby tilted his head. “You don't look so sad now,” the boy whispered.
Vic's smile grew. “How did you think to do that?”
“It helps me,” Colby said, giving a slight shrug.
“Does it?”
Colby nodded.
“Hmmm.” He'd have to remember that. Vic grabbed Colby's hand and kissed his knuckles. “Thank you for that.”
Colby frowned, looking puzzled, and Vic realized what he'd done.
“I'm sorry, kiddo.” Vic let go of Colby's hand. Shit. “Sorry. I shouldn't have done that.”
Colby looked down at his hand, fingering the spot where Vic had kissed, then looked up and opened his mouth like he was about to say something.
Instead, something across the room caught his eye. Colby did a double-take, then shrieked, scrambling on Vic's lap as he tried to pull his body in as tight as it could possibly get while grasping for something to hold on to.
“Colby?” Vic froze for a moment, eyes wide, before wrapping the boy tight in his arms and pulling him close to his chest. “What is it? What's wrong?”
“Bad Man!” Colby gasped, ducking his head, his little hands clutching Vic's jacket so hard that his fingers turned white.
“Bad Man?” Vic looked all around, frowning. What the hells was the boy talking about? “Colby? Hey, champ, there's no one here.”
Colby peeked up at him, then started to look out, only to shriek and curl up again.
Vic blinked. What in the gods' names was going on?
“Colby–”
Cam's notepad flew off the coffee table, the pen frantically writing before the note was shoved in Vic's face.
I think there's another ghost here.
Vic frowned at the words. “What?”
I can't see it, the pen hurriedly added, but I can sort of sense it, I guess. There's another ghost here.
Vic stared, then scanned the whole room before he looked down at the boy in his arms.
Oh gods. Colby could see ghosts. And Ahriman was dead. Long enough dead that he must have learned to take visible form.
The Bad Man had returned.
Chapter 14
VIC LAY Colby on the couch and covered him with a blanket, even pulling it over the boy's head so Colby would have the comfort of darkness if he woke.
The poor kid had shivered with fright in Vic's lap until he'd fallen asleep from sheer exhaustion. And Vic had no idea what to do. Colby had been finally free of Ahriman. Free of the basement. Free of his torment. Just starting to open up and live. And now this!
Vic should have realized it sooner. With Colby able to see Cam, and mere thought able to draw a ghost's presence, it should have been obvious that the ghost of Ahriman would ultimately make an appearance.
And all this after Vic had promised that the Bad Man would never hurt him again.
Now, they'd probably be starting all over. Of course, that was assuming that starting over was even possible. How in all seven hells would Colby ever heal properly if Bad Man could follow him anywhere he went?
Would he never be free?
Vic went to his office, looking for a distraction, only to find the notifications on his screen for messages from work, the one that Ryley had told him about seeming to glare at him amidst the others. It looked like Vic would never be free of his own torment, either.
He went through his inbox, trying to ignore the alert tied to Cam's case, but his attention kept getting drawn back to it. The only thing that successfully distracted him, if only for a moment, was an email from Denmer General, confirming that Colby was, in fact, half Tanasian.
Vic sat forward and read through the blood analysis for both Colby and his late mother. According to their genetic markers, Colby's mother was full-blooded Tanasian, and his father was presumed to be Agori, though they still had no identity for the man. Vic set the file aside and pulled up what information he had on Summer Vas-kelen, the only other Tanasian he personally knew. According to her file, she was only 1/32 Tanasian, yet her telepathic abilities were highly developed. So with Colby being half Tanasian? There was no telling what his mind could do.
But that would have to wait. Maybe he could talk to Summer—assuming she could understand his request, and he could understand her answer—but first he needed to get a handle on more pressing matters.
He no sooner started to think of Cam than a notepad lifted from his desk.
He's still asleep out there. Is he gonna be alright?
Vic blew out a breath. “Gods, I hope so.” He paused, his hand going to the bracelet in his pocket. “Cam, listen. We need to talk.”
I know.
Vic hesitated, then said, “It's about–”
Cam interrupted him by double-underlining his last words. Vic read them over again, a sense of dread washing through him as he picked up on Cam's meaning.
“Cam–”
Sorry. I was there. You were thinking of me really hard, so I couldn't resist showing up. Cam paused, then added, I heard everything Ryley said.
“Shit,” Vic breathed. “Cam, I'm so sorry.”
The pen waggled in a way that Vic had learned was meant to represent Cam shaking his head, then wrote, It freaked me out for a bit, but I'm alright. Af
ter a moment, he added, I think. How are you with it all?
Vic shook his head. “Doesn't matter.”
Sure it does. You had to deal with it, too.
“Not like you did.”
Yeah, well…
Cam left it at that, and Vic cast about for something to say. He glanced at his computer screen.
“Do you want to see any of this?” he asked, closing out the files for Colby and Summer and pulling up the new DNA record that linked to Cam's case.
No, that's fine, Cam wrote, stopping him. I'll take your word for it.
Vic nodded slowly. “We know his name now.”
I know. I heard that part.
Vic hesitated, then asked, “Do you want to go see him? We have his address. You can finally have a chance to face him.”
Cam's pen wavered for a long while, then finally wrote, No. I guess I'm not as ready as I thought I was.
Vic slowly let out the breath he was holding. Thank gods. He really wasn't ready, either. Maybe it made him a coward, but so be it.
Which was odd, considering how long they'd waited for exactly this chance. So many years spent agonizing over the fact that Cam's attacker could never be identified, and now he had been. Of course, if Vic ever had to look the man in the eye, he wasn't sure anything could stop him from beating the man to death for what he'd done to Cam.
And, for Cam's honor or not, Vic didn't want Cam to see him like that. Hells, Vic didn't want to see himself like that, but it didn't change the fact that he'd dreamt of doing exactly such a thing ever since he'd found Cam's body.
So what are we going to do about our unwanted visitor? Cam asked.
Vic flinched, trying to catch up to the subject change. “Oh.” Ahriman's ghost. Vic cringed. “I have no idea.” He paused, then asked, “You said you can't see him?”
Not really, no. It's a weird thing. I mean, there's millions of ghosts out there, but not all of them make themselves visible, not even to each other. Not all of them know how. The pen stopped for a moment, then continued: Of course, time and motion work differently in this state, too, which probably plays a part in it all.