No. Focus.
* * * *
Kal hoped her eyes didn’t bug out. What the heck was it about this guy? She should be lambasting him for his poor manners, yet she struggled not to drool over him. Shaking his hand felt like getting a shock, started fires burning deep inside her, ignited feelings she’d never experienced before.
“Yeah, okay,” she mumbled. “Thanks. I appreciate that.” She hoped her tone sounded as chilly as she intended. She had to come off sounding professional and not like she panted over him.
And she was panting over him.
Will ran a hand through his dark hair. Kal fought the urge to jump up and help him with that personal grooming task. This was so not like her!
“Aidan,” Will said, “I’m going to run outside for a few minutes.” He picked up a two-way radio. “Call me if you need me. I’ll help out with the investigation tonight. You stay here at base with…her.”
Before Aidan could answer, Will quickly turned and left. Kal couldn’t pull her gaze away from the sight of his tight jeans clinging to his firm rear end.
She shook her head. Okay, she needed a cold shower, that’s all. There was no way in heck she’d get involved with someone she worked with, especially not a TV personality.
Dang sure not a guy who chased ghosts for a living.
Aidan said something and Kal tried to focus. “Sorry, what?”
He laughed. She’d immediately liked Aidan, felt at ease with him, a total contrast to his brooding cousin. “I asked how many shows you’ve produced before.”
“None. This is my first one. I mean, I’ve worked on others, but not been in charge.”
He almost hid his surprise, but she noticed the subtle arch of his eyebrows as he tried to digest that news. “Ah. So we’re the lucky ones who get to pop your cherry?”
She blushed. He immediately realized how it sounded. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said it like that. I’ll warn you now, my big mouth gets me in trouble. Just do what everyone else does and tell me to shut up.”
She laughed. “No, that’s okay. It was funny. I’m just…I’m nervous.”
He did a horrible Bogart imitation. “Shtick with me, shweetheart. I’ll take care of you.”
She laughed again. “Thanks, Aidan.”
“Hey, we’re on the same team.”
Chapter Three
The shoot wrapped around three in the morning. It took over an hour to break down the equipment and pack, and was nearly six o’clock by the time they returned to the office and finished unloading. Aidan waited until everyone cleared out of the office. Once alone, he stepped into the back room, closed his eyes, and touched his amulet. He opened his eyes in Ryan’s Atlanta condo.
Ryan sat in an overstuffed chair, his long legs crossed. The only lit lamp in the corner cast dim, yellow light across his face. Despite the early-morning hour, he sipped a glass of what looked like—
“Merlot, Aidan?” he offered.
Aidan dispensed with the pleasantries. “What the fuck? What’s the deal with this girl? You know how Will feels. She’s never worked on a show before, and you’re sending her to us?”
As always, Ryan acted so cool ice wouldn’t melt in his mouth. “I have my reasons.”
“How am I supposed to keep Will on the show if she’s around? Even I could feel the attraction between them. And you hired her yourself? You never get involved in the grunt work. What’s going on?”
“I like to handpick my top staff. You should know that after this many years.”
Aidan nervously paced, ran a hand through his scruffy hair. “Look, when you cooked up this scheme, I agreed to help by getting Will to work on the show, but I didn’t agree to this. I feel bad enough already. I didn’t think it would hurt anything. Now you’ve dumped this girl in his lap? What’s the deal?”
“If Will comes to me and asks, I will tell him you had no part in this. All I need you to do is keep Kal and Will working on the show together. I will take care of the rest.”
Aidan turned on Ryan. “You owe me an explanation.”
Ryan’s green eyes darkened. “Regardless of our past, I owe you nothing. As head of The Firm I have a job to do. Without Will Hellenboek’s services, I’m unable to properly do that job.”
“Can’t you just promote another archdemon or something?”
Ryan leaned forward and set his glass on the coffee table, then unfolded his legs and slowly stood. Long and svelte, he moved with the smooth, practiced gait of an ageless predator. “You know very well it doesn’t work like that. Again, I must say that I have my reasons. I would never do something without a damn good reason, you should know that by now. As your boss I’m telling you that your job is to keep Kal and Will together, in close proximity, on that show.”
“How much does she know?”
“Nothing about The Firm, if that’s your point.”
“That’s my point.”
* * * *
Ryan walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows and stared out over the slowly awakening skyline. “I’ve told her I’m a network VP, nothing more. She’s a total innocent. Just do your job.” Without turning, Ryan waved his hand and sent Aidan back to Tampa. Then he stood there and watched the sun rise.
No, Aidan didn’t need to know his reasons. Ryan wasn’t sure how much power Will still possessed. It was dicey using Aidan and risking Will sensing his thoughts, but Will’s loyalty to his cousin made Aidan the only logical choice.
Ryan closed his eyes as dawn’s light warmed him through the glass. Will wasn’t the only one in pain, but where Will’s strength lay in mind and body, his own lay in heart and soul. The greater good must be considered, always.
It was his job.
If others thought of him as a heartless bastard for doing his job, so be it. His pain belonged to him and was no one else’s business.
Will Hellenboek had no idea how truly lucky he was.
* * * *
Kal fumbled the key in the lock and stumbled through the door. The apartment turned out to be, thankfully, clean and bug-free. A typical executive apartment with tasteful but plain furniture and a basic layout. The complex was neatly landscaped and located in a not too bad part of east Tampa. Better than she could have afforded on her own if she’d had to pay for it with her salary, and it came with all the amenities.
She found the bathroom—also clean—and used it before investigating the single bedroom. Queen-size bed, decent furniture, functional.
Well, that’s a good sign.
The network assured her the apartment’s rent, utilities, and high-speed Internet would be paid, in advance, for a year. That meant since she didn’t have to pay for her car or housing, Kal could stash most of each paycheck in savings.
This job was well worth it for that alone, even if it meant putting up with Will Hellenboek’s garbage.
What was with that guy, anyway? Forget a chip on his shoulder—he hauled a friggin’ boat anchor’s worth of attitude. Handsome or not, he needed to suck it up and learn to get past having a girl as a producer. She didn’t see him smile a single time during the shoot. Kal assumed the magic of television and editing made Will look like a serious, brooding guy, but that really was his everyday persona. He acted no different off camera than on.
Kal felt too tired to figure it out. She’d been up for over twenty-four hours and still had to find the production office later that afternoon. She dragged her suitcases inside, locked the door, and collapsed on the bed.
Two hours later, her cell phone rang, waking her.
Crud.
“Hello, Mom.”
“Did you get there okay? Your father was getting concerned.”
“I’m fine, Mom. I was asleep.”
“But it’s so late in the morning. Are you sick?”
Kal rolled over and stared at the ceiling while trying not to groan. “Mom, I got off the plane and went straight to a shoot. I didn’t get home until seven this morning. A lot of the shoots take place overnight, it’s how the
production schedule is set up. Some of the locations are only available at night. I told you that.” She just hadn’t told them what the show was about yet.
Chicken.
“Oh. Well, I certainly didn’t mean to interrupt your nap.”
Kal closed her eyes. And so it begins. “Mom, I’m hanging up now. Tell Daddy I’m fine, life is fine, the apartment is fine, my job is fine. I’m not calling every day. I told him that when I left. I love you.”
“Love you, too, honey.”
Kal shut the phone off and stared at it. Now wide awake, even as tired as she felt, chances were she wouldn’t go back to sleep anytime soon.
Her parents could make a fortune. The Guilt-O-Matic Alarm Clock. Guaranteed to take your good mood or deep sleep and chuck it right out the window, leaving you wide awake and stewing.
Cripes, I’m a horrible daughter.
The shower felt good. After unpacking, Kal found the apartment complex manager’s office and arranged for them to let the shipping company unload her things in the apartment when they arrived. One less thing to worry about. She also got directions to the nearest Starbucks.
An hour later she used her map to locate Will’s office. Aidan told her she’d have a desk. While the production staff had been assigned by the network, most of the editing for this particular show happened on-site. That would be another of her eventual duties. It made her a little nervous, but Ryan Ausar assured her it was more a supervisory role than hands-on, at least for now. She could take time to learn before she dove in and started cutting shows together on her own.
There was more to it, a lot of postproduction work done at network headquarters once the shows were in the can—sounds, titles, effects. Not her problem. Ausar said he’d handle those details for now.
Will wasn’t at the office, thank goodness, but Aidan bounded out of the back room to meet her as soon as she walked through the door. He acted like a young puppy to Will’s lumbering old-dog attitude, even though the two men appeared close in age, probably late thirties or early forties.
“Hey, you made it in early,” Aidan chirruped. “Didn’t expect to see you until well after lunch.”
Kal had already decided she would try to act as professional as she could today to get off on the right foot and counteract Will’s less than welcoming air. “It’s my job. Where should I put my things?”
“I’ve got an extra desk in my office for you. I rearranged this morning to make room.” He led the way. She felt touched that he’d made the effort. Again, the polar opposite of his cousin.
The office was large enough they wouldn’t trip over each other. “I hope this is okay,” he said, pointing to one of the desks.
She nodded, setting her coffee and laptop case on the desk. “It’s fine, Aidan. Thank you. It won’t bother you having me in here?”
“Not at all. Might be the other way around in a few weeks though.” He laughed. “My mouth, you know.”
She grinned. Working with Aidan was no big sacrifice. Without feeling a hint of sexual tension from him, she knew they’d most likely come to be good friends. Okay, maybe she could be friendly with him, at least. “Should I keep a supply of duct tape handy to shut you up?”
He laughed. “Hmm. You never know, I might like that.”
* * * *
Will lay in bed with his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling. He should be at the office. Would be, except he knew she would be there. He couldn’t be there with her.
Even though he wanted to be.
He forced himself to stay still, to listen. A few years ago, he could hear conversations across the street if he listened hard and quieted his mind. Now it was all he could do to hear more than a normal human.
If he closed his eyes, he’d see Abby’s face. Worse, he feared he’d see Kal’s. Why this woman? Why now? He was so close. Another year or two, possibly three, he could finally break free. All those nights spent with his soul in agonizing misery. Alone.
Lonely.
His every breath since Abby’s last marked by pain.
Now it was all in jeopardy.
Fucking Aidan and his stupid show. He knew Aidan didn’t want him to die, but dammit, Aidan hadn’t suffered through twenty-five-plus years of agony. Every day.
Without her.
Will did eventually close his eyes. Abby’s face, the sound of her laugh, even the scent of her hair. All crystal clear in his mind.
His soul ached, painfully throbbing worse than normal.
Will took a deep breath and tried to clear his mind. He saw Kal’s face, her golden-honey hair and dusty-green eyes. He should quit. He should call Aidan right now and tell him he was done with the show and to get the Otherworlds crap out of his office. But if he did that…
He wouldn’t see Kal anymore.
Then again, how hard could it be? Keep his distance, let Aidan have his fun. It wouldn’t be much longer before he could go. He didn’t want Aidan getting himself in trouble with The Firm. No matter what, he owed Aidan that much.
Shit.
Will opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, at the familiar shadows and imperfections.
It was going to be a long day.
* * * *
Will still hadn’t made an appearance by five o’clock. “When will he come in?” Kal asked.
Aidan’s tense body language told her more than she wanted to hear. “He’ll probably come in later when it’s quiet. He’s funny like that sometimes.”
Earlier, Kal had spent time talking with Purson and Gery. Both men acted friendly and accommodating. Neither would talk about Will beyond the business end of things.
“You’re Will’s cousin, aren’t you?” she asked.
Aidan nodded. “Yep. Lucky me.”
It was a calculated risk, but Kal needed to know. “What did I do to get off on the wrong foot with him?”
“Seriously, it’s not your fault. It’s really all him. He’ll settle down. He’s just very set in his ways and it’ll take him some time to adjust to having you around.”
“How much time?”
He wiggled his lips in a delicious way that would be sexy if it wasn’t doofishly funny. “How much time you got?”
By seven o’clock that evening, still no Will. Aidan practically dragged Kal out of the office. “Come on, dinner. My treat.”
“You don’t have plans?”
“Nope. I never have plans. I have work and home.”
He had to be pulling her leg, especially after the rumors she’d heard about him. “A guy like you? You expect me to believe that?”
“You’ve been cruising TMZ.com about me, haven’t you? Hey, I’m a busy guy. Come on, you like Cuban food?”
She’d never had Cuban food and assumed—incorrectly—it was like Mexican food. Aidan took her to a wonderful family restaurant near Ybor City for a meal that left her comfortably stuffed and in possession of a huge takeout carton of leftovers for her lunch the next day. Then she drove back home to her new apartment.
Kal locked the door behind her and looked around. Quiet, peaceful.
Father-free.
Despite the aggravation Kal knew Will Hellenboek would invariably cause her, she enjoyed working with Aidan. Not to mention being away from Columbus made it all well worth it.
* * * *
Not wanting to run into her, Will waited to go to the office until Kal and Aidan had left for the day. He should have called Aidan and asked him to get her out of there sooner, but he didn’t want to deal with the hassle. As soon as Will stepped through the door, Kal’s natural, sweet scent hit him. It was apparently the last of his senses to fade. Following her trail, he closed his eyes and walked through the building.
Still strong in the office she shared with Aidan. Will couldn’t help but picture her sitting behind her desk, working, maybe with her hair loose down her back instead of pulled into a—
His eyes snapped open. What in home’s name am I doing?
Off limits. She was totally off limits.
He felt bad he had to treat her so gruffly.
Okay, rudely. If he didn’t, he risked getting involved. He couldn’t afford that. Not now. Not when he was so close to his goal.
Not when he was so close to being out of pain for good.
Chapter Four
Kal figured it best to get this call out of the way now before she got busy. “Hi, Mom.”
“Kalyani Martin, why haven’t you called sooner?”
Kal closed her eyes. “Mom, it’s only Friday morning.”
“Your father is having a royal fit. You were supposed to call every day.”
“I told you I wasn’t calling every day. I told Daddy that, too. More than once.”
“And he told you that you would.”
Kal pinched the bridge of her nose. Which aggravated her more, dealing with Will Hellenboek, or dealing with Kenneth Martin?
At least she could tell Hellenboek to go to hell.
“Mom, I just wanted to say hi.”
“Hold on, let me get your father.”
“No—”
Too late, she’d set the phone down.
Crumzola.
A moment later, her father picked up the phone. “I hope you’re happy with yourself, young lady,” he scolded. “Your mother has been beside herself with worry. What happened to calling every day?”
Aw, cheese and rice. Kal suspected her mother was just fine but her father didn’t like her not being under his thumb.
“Daddy, I already told you I’m not calling every day. I’m an adult.”
“What? You don’t want to talk to your parents? Are you too busy for us now, Miss Big Shot TV Producer?”
“That’s not the reason and you know it.”
“I knew I should have put my foot down about you going to that college. I should have forced you to—”
“Daddy.” Kalyani didn’t know where the strength in her voice came from. “I am an adult. I have a life to live, a very hectic and unusual schedule, and it’s unreasonable to expect me to call every day.”
Dalton, Tymber - Good Will Ghost Hunting: Demon Seed [Good Will Ghost Hunting 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 3