by Deanna Chase
Well, there was nothing else we could do. Staying on the side of the road wasn’t an option.
Julius shoved his phone into his pocket, fired up the motorcycle once more, and took off down the road. Everything looked the same, familiar but not. Greenery and cypress trees and water was everywhere. Had we been down this road before? I couldn’t be certain. The skies were darkening with thunderclouds, and shadows cast us in darkness.
Then the first of the fat raindrops started to fall.
Son of a monkey. I gritted my teeth and pressed my face to Julius’s back. There was nothing worse than riding on a motorcycle during a rainstorm.
Soaked to the bone, Julius finally pulled over, seeking shelter under the overhang of a deserted gas station. We climbed off and huddled together while we waited for the worst of the storm to blow through. We’d been standing there for a good twenty minutes when we spotted headlights on the road.
“I’m going to wave them down,” I told Julius right before I shot off to the side of the road. The rain started to let up, and I sighed in relief. If we had any idea which way to go, we could get back on the road and hopefully make it out of there before the sun set completely.
I waved my hands and shouted, “Stop!”
The white truck slowed.
“Stop!” I cried again, jumping up and down.
The truck pulled into the defunct gas station. I ran over as the man rolled the window down.
“That bike givin’ yous trouble?” he asked, peering through the still falling rain.
“No we’re— Otis?” I asked in surprise as I recognized the grizzled face I’d seen every day since we’d wandered into Mayhem. “What are you doing out here? I thought you were married to that restaurant.”
He blinked, then recognition flashed over his weathered face. “It’s you.”
I smiled, holding my hands over my head as if that would shield me from the rain. “It’s me.”
“Didn’t I tell ya not to go skulking around the bayou?” He scowled and reached up to tap the shotgun mounted behind his head. “You’re askin’ for trouble, little girl. Go back to town before someone decides to feed you both to the gators.”
Surly old man. “We’re trying, but we took a wrong turn and can’t seem to find the main highway. Do you think you can point us in the right direction? If you’ve got a minute that is,” I said, raising my eyebrows as I spied a bouquet of red roses on his passenger seat. There were also a couple of cartons of takeout next to them and what appeared to be a pie box. “Looks like you’ve got a date.”
He put his hand over the flowers as if that would hide them and shook his head. “It’s nothing. Tell that young man of yours to follow me. I’ll lead you out of here.”
“You got it. Thanks, Otis. You’re the best. And tell your date we appreciate it too.”
“I don’t have a date,” he grumbled and then yanked the steering wheel and made a U-turn.
I chuckled as I ran back to Julius and told him to hurry up. The sooner we got back to the inn and into dry clothes, the better.
12
The hot water sluiced over me, warming my chilled bones as I stood in the shower. We’d finally made it back to the inn, relieved that Stella was the only one to greet us. Neither Moxie nor Hale were anywhere to be found. Thank the gods, because I was too busy worrying about Bo and Mia to deal with another Moxie meltdown.
The image of the biker shoving Bo into the SUV kept playing over and over in my mind. What were they making him do? Where had they taken him? Every part of my being was screaming a warning that the Twin Forks motorcycle gang was Trouble with a capital T. And they were seriously messing up that poor kid. As for Mia, I’d bet my last dollar Emerson Charles had her stashed somewhere. Likely Sterling had sent us to Bo because there was no hope of getting anyone else in the club to talk.
“Pyper!”
I poked my head around the shower curtain and found Julius frowning as he stood in the doorway holding Stella. “Yes?”
“Your dog is losing her mind.”
I glanced at the pup cuddled against his chest. “You sure about that?”
He gave me a flat stare. “Just finish up, will you? She’s been barking at the door since you got in there.”
I laughed. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.” He gently put Stella on the floor and then shut her in the bathroom with me.
“Are you going to behave?” I asked her.
She let out a yelp and ran past the curtain into the shower, circled around my feet, and darted back out.
“I guess not.” I turned the water off, and after I was once again dressed in clean clothes, I dried Stella off and carried her back into the room.
Julius sat on the bed, computer open as he pecked around on the keyboard with both index fingers.
“If you’re going to continue to try to type up your notes, you might want to take a typing class,” I said, smiling.
“I’m fine.” He closed the computer and stared at Stella. “That dog is already spoiled rotten.”
I glanced down at her and patted her still-wet head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Right.” Julius climbed off the bed, paused to kiss my temple, and then disappeared into the bathroom for his own shower.
I put the little troublemaker on the floor, picked up my phone, and typed in Twin Forks Cycles. Since we’d lost Bo, Emerson Charles’s garage was the most obvious place to check out next.
I’d just landed on the bed when Stella’s piercing bark filled the room. I glanced down, spotting her standing in front of the rocking chair, her teeth bared.
“Hush, Stella,” I commanded and went back to studying the route to Twin Forks. The last thing we needed was to get lost in the bayou again.
Stella went on another barking jag, this time accompanied with a snarl.
I got up and reached for her, but just as I was about to pick her up, she lunged forward and latched onto… nothing.
“Ouch! You little schnitzel. Get off!” Ida May suddenly appeared in front of the rocking chair and kicked her leg out, dislodging Stella from her ankle. Ida May turned to me, hands on her hips. “You can’t take that thing home.”
I glanced back and forth between the two.
Stella cowered next to my feet, shaking slightly while Ida May scowled at both of us. “Did you see what she just did? She nearly took a toe off.”
I reached out a hand, waving it right through Ida May’s transparent body.
“Hey!” She jerked away and proceeded to float back and forth as if she was pacing in midair. “That was rude. Wait until you’re a ghost and someone violates your space.” She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. “Not cool.”
“Sorry,” I said, rubbing my forehead. “I’m just trying to figure out how a dog bit a ghost. I mean, I know you’ve been solid a time or two before, but… you’re clearly not now.”
Ida May stopped and stared at the dog. “How did you do that?”
Stella barked once, ran forward, and wiggled her little body in excitement. It appeared that since she could now see and hear Ida May, she was no longer afraid of the ghost.
“Oh, cut it out.” Ida May reached down and picked Stella up with both hands, holding the little dog out in front of her. A huge grin spread over the ghost’s face as Stella started to wag her tail.
I widened my eyes in surprise. “This is not normal.”
Tears filled Ida May’s eyes as she pulled the little puppy in close and snuggled her. “Nothing is normal around you,” Ida May said, smiling. She closed her eyes and rocked back and forth in pure bliss.
I just stood there, my heart swelling at Ida May’s sudden happiness. What must it be like to be a ghost and then suddenly be able to connect with another living being?
“I’m going to call her Twinkles and feed her pigs in a blanket.” Ida May grinned at me.
“Twinkles? Her name is Stella,” I said, amused at Ida May’s abrupt change of heart.
>
“She tried to take a toe off. It seems fitting.” Then Ida May sat down in the rocker and Stella, aka Twinkles, curled up in her lap, blissed out as Ida May scratched behind her ears.
“I’m telling you,” I said to Julius as we peered into the darkened windows of the small green building marked Twin Forks Cycles. The door was locked and no one had answered when we knocked. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Stella can interact with Ida May as if she’s a solid, in-the-flesh, human being. The dog nipped her foot for goodness’ sake. How is that possible?”
Julius shook his head. “I have no idea. Never encountered something like that in all my years. Maybe Stella has an affinity for ghosts, and that’s why she bonded with you but not Moxie.”
I shrugged. “Maybe. But it looks like Ida May has a new best friend. Of course we’ll be expected to feed her, take her to the vet, and get her groomed. “But there’s no doubt in my mind that Stella is going to have Ida May wrapped around her little finger.”
Julius shook his head again, only this time in mild disbelief. “A dog that bonds with Ida May. Now I’ve seen everything.”
“Maybe not quite everything.” I pointed down the gravel driveway toward the open garage that sat behind the main building.
“Christ,” Julius muttered. Inside we spotted Hale stripping his jeans and black T-shirt off, leaving him only in hot-pink boy shorts. “I don’t think society is moving in the right direction if that is an acceptable fashion choice.”
I snickered. “Is it the shiny material or the color that’s the most offensive to you?”
“Both. And the fact that they are so tight they leave nothing to the imagination. I do not need that image plastered in my brain.”
He had a point. Hale’s junk was on full display. “Just avert your eyes.”
“Hard to do when a two-hundred-pound man is strutting around like a Playmate.”
I raised my eyebrows in question. “Playmate, huh? Since when do you read Playboy?”
“I don’t. Err, not anymore. But it was damned boring being a ghost sometimes. Pretty much any form of entertainment would do.”
“Right.” I let the subject drop as I watched Hale climb into overalls. After shoving his feet back into his work boots, he picked up a wrench and went to work on one of the many Harleys occupying the shop. The sharp stench of motor oil filled my senses as we entered the bay. And because the music was blaring, he didn’t notice us until we were only a few feet away.
His head suddenly jerked up when our shadows fell across the bike. He pulled out a remote and muted the radio as a dark shade of red stained his cheeks. “Julius… Pyper. Uh, when did you two get here?”
“Just now,” I said, staring past his shoulder in an effort to not snicker as the image of him in hot-pink undies flashed through my mind. “We parked in front of the shop. You probably didn’t hear our bike because of the music.”
He glanced down the lane toward the office. “The customer service department isn’t actually open right now. Did you need something? I could take a look at your bike if—”
“No. The bike is fine,” Julius said. “We’re actually here looking for Bo.”
“Bo?” Hale frowned. “He doesn’t usually work in the shop.”
“Yeah, I know,” I said. “But we had an appointment with him this afternoon for a private swamp tour, and when we got Mayhem Tours, a couple of the guys from the Twin Forks Motorcycle Club forced him into their SUV. To be honest, I’d like to make sure he’s okay.”
Hale rubbed his left shoulder and averted his gaze. “Ah, that’s nothing to worry about. I’m sure the boys are just messing around. I’ll get him the message to call you.”
Julius and I shared a glance. Hale couldn’t even look us in the eye.
I cleared my throat. “Where do you think your boys would take him?”
Hale’s brow pinched as his dark eyes finally met mine. “I don’t think this is something you should be worried about.” He glanced at the clock and sucked in a short breath. “In fact, I think it’s best if y’all go now. Emerson doesn’t really like people hanging around the shop. It’s a liability thing.”
“Listen,” I said, trying my best to rein in my frustration. “I’m really uncomfortable with what I saw earlier. I’d feel a lot better if I could just talk to Bo. So if you could help us out here with any suggestions on where to find him, I’d really appreciate it.”
Hale pressed his lips together, opened his mouth, then shut it and shook his head. “I don’t know what to tell you. I’m sure he’ll be at work in the morning.”
He knows, a male voice said from behind me.
I glanced over my shoulder and spotted the biker Sterling Charles floating toward us.
He’s just too afraid of Emerson to say anything.
“Why?” I asked the ghost.
“What do you mean, why?” Hale asked, frowning at me. “If he wants to get paid, he’ll be there.”
I ignored Hale and gave Sterling my full attention.
The biker studied Hale and then curled his right hand into a fist as if he was dying to take a swing at the man. And who could blame him? Hale’s lack of concern for the teenager made me want to kick him in the junk. Because Emerson has dirt on everyone who works for him. It’s how he motivates them to do whatever he asks. I don’t know what he has on Hale, but you can bet it’s something dirty. Tell him Mia’s alive and that Bo is the key to finding her. That will get him talking.
“Bo is the key, then?” I blurted out, but before Sterling could answer, he vanished into thin air. “Dammit!” I kicked a stray screwdriver, sending it skirting across the cement floor. “Why does he keep disappearing on me?”
“You know the answer to that,” Julius said, his tone calm. “It used to happen to me all the time.”
He was right, of course. When I’d first met Julius in his ghost form, he’d appear and then disappear when he’d exhausted his store of energy. It was likely the same for Sterling. Talk about frustrating. There was nothing like getting vague, cryptic messages about a five-year-old abduction case.
“What are you two talking about?” Hale asked, confusion lining his face. “Bo is the key to what? And why do you two care so much about that kid?”
“Tell him,” Julius said.
I turned and looked Hale straight in the eye. “We have reason to believe that Mia is still alive and that Bo can lead us to her.”
13
Hale took a step back, bumping into a rolling toolbox. The red chest moved a few inches and knocked into the bike he’d been working on, causing the entire thing to crash to the ground. The echo of metal on concrete filled the garage, but Hale didn’t even seem to notice. “What did you just say?”
“We have reason to believe Mia is still alive. Bo seems to be the key to finding her,” I said again.
Hale shook his head. “No. I don’t know what people have been telling you, but you’ve got entirely the wrong idea. Bo would never hurt his sister. Not for anybody or any reason.”
“Bo is Mia’s brother?” I gasped out. Holy hell balls. Was he serious? Did that mean Bo was living with the man who was responsible for Mia’s disappearance? My stomach rolled, and I felt bile rise up in the back of my throat.
“You didn’t know that?” Hale started pacing the garage and grimaced when he noticed the fallen motorcycle. “Where did you get that information? Because whoever that jackass is, he or she is stirring up trouble you don’t need. If I were you, I’d climb right back on that bike of yours and leave this town before someone decides you’re more trouble than you’re worth.”
“Is that a threat?” Julius asked, taking a half step in front of me.
“No. It’s a fact.” Hale glanced up at the big wall clock, grimaced again, and then pointed down the drive. “It’s time for you to go.”
“No,” I said quietly. “Not until you tell us where we can find Bo. He and Mia are both in trouble, and I’m not leaving until you help us.”
“You d
on’t—”
“Listen, Hale.” I moved forward until I was right in front of him. “There are things about me I should probably explain.”
The man pulled a greasy rag out of his pocket and gripped it with both hands. “I don’t care if you’re the governor of Louisiana or a voodoo priestess with the power to curse my manhood,” he said between clenched teeth. “If you don’t get out of here in the next few minutes, there’s going to be hell to pay.”
I laughed. “I’m neither the governor nor a voodoo priestess, but I am a medium, and guess who was just here?”
“A medium? As in a ghost whisperer?” He let out a mocking laugh of his own. “Stop playing games, Pyper. Now isn’t the time.” He grabbed my upper arm and started to pull me out of the garage.
“Hale, let go of her,” Julius said, a low growl in his voice. “Now.”
“I’m just escorting her off the property,” Hale said without looking back.
A crackle sounded from behind us, and Hale froze. He turned and glanced over his shoulder. His eyes widened, fear rolling through them as he let me go.
I rubbed my bicep and eyed Julius. Magical light shimmered over his right hand and halfway up his arm. “It’s okay,” I said, trying to defuse the situation.
“It’s not.”
“Dude.” Hale held both hands up. “There’s no need for any of that magic stuff. I’m just trying to protect you both.”
“And we’re trying to save Mia and Bo.” I let out an exaggerated sigh. “Listen. Sterling told me Mia is still alive and that Bo is the key to finding her. That doesn’t mean Bo has anything to do with her disappearance, but he most certainly has some information that can help us find her. And on top of that, if Emerson has anything to do with her disappearance, then that means Bo could be in trouble too. So please, Hale. If you have any idea where Bo is, tell me now. If not for them then for Moxie. You know how much she misses her friend.”
Hale’s face went ghost-white at the mention of Moxie. Then his shoulders slumped and he gave me a small nod. “I might know something. But you have to promise to be careful. Emerson is—”