Love & Ghosts: Crescent City Ghost Tours

by Pulkinen, Carrie

  “Help her.” Jessica’s voice no longer sounded strangled, but she still wasn’t giving him any new information.

  He glanced at the door and turned to Emily. “Lock it.”

  Emily furrowed her brow. “What?”

  “Didn’t you say your sister told you to lock it when she came to you in a dream?”

  The ghost nodded, her lips curving into an encouraging smile.

  Emily adjusted the setting on the thermostat. “Yeah. Why?”

  “The door’s unlocked.”

  “Oh, right.” She reached for the deadbolt and turned the knob.

  The spirit’s posture deflated. That must not have been what she meant. Maybe she just wanted to be seen. For Emily to know she was there, watching over her.

  “How would you feel about your sister’s ghost being here, inside your apartment? Would you want her here?”

  “No! Sean, I’m trying really hard to deal with this whole spirit thing, but I definitely don’t want them in my house. Why? Is she here?” Her gaze darted about the room.

  He hesitated. Should he tell her the truth? “Do you want her to be?”

  She ran a hand through her hair and paced the room. “Oh, god. She’s here. I don’t… No, I don’t want any ghosts in here. No offense, Jessica, if you can hear me. I need a safe place, Sean. You blocked them out of your house. Can’t you block them out of mine?”

  “This is your space. Only you can do that.”

  “How?”

  “State your intent and mean it. Human spirits have to obey the living when they’re in our realm.”

  She took a deep breath and blew it out in a huff. “I’m sorry, Jessica. But ghosts aren’t allowed in my apartment. Please leave.”

  The spirit shot him an angry glance and disappeared. If he knew what the hell the ghost wanted him to help Emily with, he’d have done it already. “She’s gone.”

  “Good. What did she say?”

  “Same. She wanted me to help you, but she doesn’t tell me what I need to do.”

  She rolled her head from side to side and circled her shoulders. “Maybe she was the one making me sick. I’ve got a headache now.”

  “Come sit down. I’ll rub your shoulders.” He’d never heard of a human spirit making living people sick. Emily sat between his legs on the sofa, and he massaged the tight muscles at the base of her neck. “Why do you think your sister would make you sick?”

  “Maybe she knew about the mold. She knew I’d eventually get really sick from it, so she made me feel like I was getting sick, so I’d have it checked out.”

  It was a nice theory. Impossible, but nice. If an entity was making her feel this way, it wasn’t a human spirit. But he didn’t sense anything negative lurking in the shadows. Of course, if the entity were powerful enough, it could easily hide itself from his perception.

  The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Could there be something else in the apartment? Could that be what Jessica wanted him to help Emily with?

  “Other than the headaches, have you experienced anything else weird here? Any feelings of anger or strange temperature fluctuations?”

  “Just the nausea that goes with the headaches and the time everything got thrown around. Why? You don’t think it was her?”

  He kneaded his thumbs into her muscles, and they relaxed under his touch. “She won’t be coming inside again, so if it was her causing the headaches, they should stop now.” And he’d have to pay extra close attention to the atmosphere. Just because he didn’t sense anything now, it didn’t mean there was nothing here. “How’s that?”

  She rolled her head from side to side. “Better. Thank you.”

  He kissed her cheek and wrapped his arms around her as she leaned into him. It was possible something evil had resided here before Emily moved in. But if that were the case, she should have been feeling the effects from the beginning. He cut his gaze to the kitchen counter where she had that box the first time he came here. The space sat empty, and she’d told him she was getting rid of it. But if something had been attached to it, could it have stayed behind when she threw out the box?

  “Emily, do you remember—” The chime of the doorbell stopped him midsentence. “Are you expecting someone?”

  “No.” She padded to the door and peered through the peephole. “Oh, for crying out loud.” She turned the lock and paused with her hand on the doorknob. “I’m sorry, Sean. I’ll get rid of him.”

  She swung open the door and crossed her arms over her chest. “What are you doing here, Phillip. I told you I’m not having dinner with you.”

  Phillip? Her cheating ex? Heat flushed through his body, and he shot to his feet. Wait. Why was he angry? Emily certainly didn’t look happy to see the guy. He sat on the arm of the sofa closest to the door and relaxed his clenched fists.

  “Can we please talk, baby? I miss you like crazy.” His words sounded slightly slurred like he was balancing between tipsy and completely buzzed.

  “Well, I don’t miss you, and I’ve asked you nicely to leave me alone.”

  “Hey.” His fingers grasped the door jamb, but his face still wasn’t in view. “Whose Tesla is that in the alley? Those cars are fine.”

  “It’s mine.” A wave of possessiveness washed over Sean, and he stepped behind Emily and wrapped his arm around her waist. “And she’s mine.”

  Phillip let out a nervous laugh and took a step back. His dirty-blond hair was slicked to his scalp, and his eyes were such a pale blue, they were almost transparent. Anger rolled through Sean’s body like a freight train, and he tightened his grip on his woman’s waist.

  Phillip straightened his posture. “This is the guy you’ve been screwing?”

  Emily stepped out of Sean’s grip and rested a hand on his shoulder. “This is my boyfriend, Sean. Sean, this is Phillip, and he was just leaving.” She stepped farther into the living room and tried to pull Sean with her. But Phillip didn’t budge, so neither did he.

  “I’m staying right here until you talk to me, Emily.” Phillip crossed his arms and widened his stance.

  Another rush of anger flashed through Sean’s body, tinting his vision red. The next thing he knew, Phillip lay sprawled at the bottom of the stairs. Emily crouched over him shouting something, but he couldn’t make out her words. He stood there in the doorway, staring at the scene as the memory of the past few moments slowly came into focus.

  Oh, god. What had he done?

  * * *

  Emily glanced over the chart on the end of the hospital bed while Phillip lay there moaning and rubbing his head. Nothing like a fall down the stairs to sober a guy up. “They’ll be releasing you soon. Nothing’s broken. Bobby’s on his way to pick you up.”

  “I’d rather you take me to my hotel.”

  She sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, resting her hand on the sheet. “That’s not going to happen. We are never going to happen.”

  “Cheating on you was a huge mistake, and I’m sorry. What do I have to do to convince you?”

  “I’m convinced you’re sorry, and I forgive you. But I will never go back with you, Phillip.”

  He placed his hand on top of hers. “I love you, Emily.”

  “I don’t love you. Not anymore.”

  He cut his gaze toward the open door. “Do you love him?”

  “Sean?” She slid her hand from his grasp. “Yes, I do.”

  “He tried to kill me.”

  “He didn’t try to kill you.” Though she’d never seen so much anger in Sean’s eyes. The way his face contorted with rage, she almost didn’t recognize him.

  Phillip crossed his arms and stuck out his bottom lip like a pouting child. “He pushed me down the stairs.”

  “He punched you, and you fell down the stairs.”

  “And then he just stood there like a zombie. Something’s wrong with that guy, Em. He’s crazy.”

  “Sean is not crazy.” He was in shock. Surely he didn’t expect Phillip to tumble down the stairs. She had ru
shed after him because she was trained to react in emergency situations. Sean wasn’t; that’s why he just stood there. “Don’t tell me you’ve never been jealous before.”

  “There’s something wrong with him.”

  “Hey, Buddy.” Bobby stepped into the room. “You okay? I hear Emily’s new boyfriend laid you out.” He didn’t even try to hide the humor in his voice.

  “I’m fine.”

  Emily stood and made her way to the door. “I’m glad you’re okay, Phillip, but we are over. Do you understand?”

  “Yeah.” He stared at his hands in his lap. She lingered in the doorway for a moment to see if he would say goodbye, but he wouldn’t meet her gaze. Letting the door fall shut behind her, she padded toward the waiting room. Now she had to deal with Sean.

  He’d been silent on the drive to the hospital. Once she’d examined Phillip and determined his injuries weren’t life-threatening, she’d opted for them to drive him there themselves. She could tell Sean was still rattled, because he’d let her drive his Tesla. And he didn’t even react when she nearly rear-ended a pickup truck that slammed on its brakes at a red light.

  She found him in the waiting area, sitting with his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands. Tentatively, she approached him. Would she find that same scary-wild look in his eyes? The violent way he’d reacted to Phillip had been so out of character for Sean she was almost afraid to speak to him.

  “Sean?” She sat on the edge of the chair next to him and rested her hand on his back. “Bobby’s here now. We can go.”

  “You’re not going to take him home?” He didn’t raise his head.

  “Why would I?”

  “I saw you holding his hand in there. I was going to come in and apologize again, but then I saw you…”

  “Oh, Sean.” She slid her arm across his back and laid her head on his shoulder. “He was hurting. I was comforting him. Nothing more.”

  He took three breaths before he spoke again. “Do you still have feelings for him?”

  “Not at all.”

  He lifted his head and let his hands fall between his legs. “I’m sorry I hit him. You have to understand that wasn’t me.”

  “I know. It was jealousy.”

  He sat up straight. “No, it wasn’t even that. It wasn’t me. I don’t fully remember what happened, but I would never throw a first punch. Ever.” He held her gaze with piercing sincerity. “I’m not a violent man.”

  “I know you aren’t. Things got out of control. Tempers flared.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t have a temper like that. Something made me act that way.”

  “You were standing up for me.”

  “No.” He shot to his feet. “I mean, yes. I was standing up for you, but not like that. I think there’s an entity in your apartment.”

  “But I told the spirits they weren’t welcome.” She lowered her voice and stepped toward him to avoid drawing any more attention. “You said that was all I had to do.”

  “That works for human spirits, but I don’t think that’s what we’re dealing with.”

  “There’s another kind of spirit?” Her stomach turned. “You had me convinced spirits weren’t scary, Sean, but you didn’t tell me everything, did you?”

  He clenched his fists at his sides and drew in a deep breath. “I think it’s something evil.”

  Her mouth fell open. “That’s for real?”

  “Evil is very real.”

  “And you didn’t tell me about it because…?”

  “Because you’re having a hard enough time dealing with the existence of human ghosts. And evil doesn’t just show up in your house. It has to be invited in. All I can figure is it was there before you moved in, or you brought it in with that box. You did get rid of it, didn’t you?”

  Her sister’s box. She’d been so wrapped in Sean lately; she’d forgotten about the stupid thing. It was still sitting on a shelf in her closet, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. The only thing inside it was a freaking crow feather. Nothing sinister flew out of it when she opened the lid, so that obviously wasn’t the cause of Sean’s tantrum. He just needed to deal with the fact that he was jealous, and he acted like a stupid man. Even Mr. Perfect was allowed to make mistakes sometimes.

  She straightened her spine, but she couldn’t meet his eyes. “I told you I would throw it out.” It wasn’t a lie. She did tell him that. And she still planned to get rid of it the first chance she got. A stupid chunk of wood was the last thing they needed standing between them. It would go in the dumpster as soon as she got some time alone, and she’d be done with it. No need to argue about it now. She glanced across the waiting room where a mother sat clutching her little girl and staring at them.

  She took his hand. “Let’s get out of here. We’re making a scene.”

  He followed her into the parking lot and stopped. “We need to cleanse your apartment. Salt the perimeter and keep it fresh. We can pick up the supplies from my place and do it tonight.”

  She fought the urge to roll her eyes. He was as serious as could be about cleansing her apartment, and if it made him feel better about punching a drunk guy, she’d go along with it.

  He shoved his hands in his pockets. “And once that’s done, I think you need to stay at your place for a while.”

  “Why do we need to stay at my place? To make sure the bad guy doesn’t come back?” She smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

  He leveled his gaze on her. “Not we. You. To give you some space from me.”

  Her chest pinched. “What? Why?”

  He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Because I’ve been smothering you. You’ve been a good sport about the ghosts and all, but I can tell even now you’re having a hard time believing me. Maybe if you took some time on your own to process things, sort through your feelings…” He dropped his arms at his sides. “I love you, Emily, but I can’t keep pretending you feel the same. Some time apart will do us both good.” He shuffled toward his car.

  “Sean, wait.”

  He stopped, but he didn’t turn around.

  “Please don’t do this. I don’t want to spend time apart. I want to be with you.” Tears welled in her eyes, and she didn’t try to stop them. This couldn’t be the end. She couldn’t let him leave her.

  Shoving his hands in his pockets, he slowly turned to face her. “Emily…”

  She stepped toward him, determined to keep this amazing man in her life, but she tripped over a parking block and fell face first toward the ground. He caught her before her face smacked the concrete and pulled her upright.

  “Damn it, Sean. How many times do I have to throw myself into your arms to convince you I love you?”

  His dark eyes searched hers with uncertainty.

  “I don’t want time away from you. I want to be with you always. Forever and ever. I love you, Sean. I’ve loved you all along, I just—”

  He took her mouth with his, slipping his tongue between her lips to tangle with hers, and she lost herself in his familiar embrace. The firmness of his chest. The warmth of his body pressed to hers. The minty taste of his kiss, and the soft tickle of his tongue as it traced the bow of her lips. She needed this. She needed him.

  Placing her hands on either side of his face, she peered into his soulful eyes. “Life without you would be…”

  “Inconceivable.”

  “Unbearable.”

  “I love you, Emily.”

  “I love you too.” She laced her fingers through his. “It’s late. I’ve been working all day, and I’m exhausted. I think we should spend one more night at your house, and we can battle evil tomorrow. What do you say?” She leaned in and nibbled on his ear lobe.

  He shivered. “It’ll be easier to banish the bad guy in the daylight anyway. Let’s go home.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  By the time Emily finished showering, Sean had already packed a bag full of evil-vanquishing gear, along with a stack of DVDs, two bottles of wine, snacks, and an ove
rnight bag. He seemed to think once they performed their banishing rituals—or whatever they were going to do—they should stay inside all day to exert their control over the property. She was happy to play along if it meant spending the entire day snuggled up on the couch with the man of her dreams. Hopefully, once he was satisfied there was no evil living in her apartment, they could put the whole ordeal behind them.

  As soon as they walked through her front door, Sean dropped his gear on the table and stood in the center of the room with his eyes closed. Aside from the rise and fall of his chest with each deep breath, he went utterly still. As the moment stretched on, anxiety tightened her chest. Could something already be affecting him?

  “Is everything okay?” She rested a hand on his shoulder and gave it a little squeeze.

  His eyelids fluttered open, and he exhaled a hard breath. “There’s a low vibration in the air I’d never have noticed if I wasn’t looking for it. Let’s work fast, so it doesn’t have a chance to get to us.”

  He opened the bag and pulled out a giant bundle of herbs and a half-empty bag of salt. Handing her the salt, he pulled a lighter out of his bag. “This is sage. I’m going to do something called smudging. The smoke from the burning herbs will cleanse the area, and I want you to pour the salt around the entire perimeter of your apartment. Keep it along the walls, under the shelves and cabinets. Make sure the entire area is enclosed in salt to keep away whatever I’m about to force out.”

  “Okay.” She smiled and opened the bag.

  “Emily.” He stopped her with a heavy stare.

  “Sean?”

  “This is serious. I know you still don’t fully believe in this, but—”

  “I understand. And I do believe you. I have experience with salt, remember?” She kissed him on the cheek and made her way to the bedroom, where she vacuumed the remnants of her old ring around her bed. She wouldn’t need that if the whole apartment was protected.

  She applied the salt around the entire room, even going to the back edge of the bathtub to be sure nothing evil could lurk behind the shower curtain. Her knees ached by the time she reached the closet, and she was tempted to apply the barrier across the front of the door and be done with it.