The Dirty Dozen: Damsel Edition

by Kay Maree

  “Okay,” Gina acquiesced, taking an uneven breath. “I have recently encountered a dead man.”

  She waited for Victoria to laugh or maybe roll her eyes, but neither Tori or Damien said a word.

  Tori seemed to find her tongue. “You mean dead man, as in a ghost.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Yes, a ghost,” Gina admitted. “He’s not the first one I’ve seen. I had one reveal herself to me several years ago in my bedroom, late one night.”

  Damien held up a hand. “How is it that you can see spirits?”

  “I’m told it’s because I carry the White Buffalo totem,” Gina explained. She went on to tell him about the significance of the totem and what it meant to the Cherokee people.

  Damien looked intrigued. “That’s astounding. So, this spirit you recently encountered. What did it want?”

  Remembering what had happened between Colton and herself, Gina blushed. “I don’t know what he wanted. I didn’t give him a chance to explain his appearance in my home.”

  The food arrived, relieving Gina of further explanation. She quickly changed the subject. “How’s your mom doing, Tori?”

  Tori paused in the middle of cutting up her steak. “She’s better. We’re planning on paying her a visit soon.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be glad to see you.” Gina buttered her baked potato. “She’ll no doubt harass you about giving her grandchildren.”

  Something flickered in Tori’s eyes.

  Gina laid her fork aside. “I didn’t mean to overstep. I was only teasing.”

  “I know,” Tori softly replied. “You didn’t say anything wrong. It’s just that, Damien and I aren’t planning on having children. I know that sounds strange, but that’s how we feel.”

  Gina blinked. “It doesn’t sound strange at all. I hadn’t planned on having children either. Not that I don’t love babies. I do. It’s just that being a mother is not something I’ve ever desired to be.”

  Tori took a drink of her Bloody Mary. “Well, this is the twenty-first century. There are so many homeless children in the world. I figure if we ever get the desire to be parents, we’ll simply adopt. Or steal Claire and Jaxon’s baby for a day or two.”

  “Speaking of Claire,” Gina interjected. “How is she doing? I haven’t seen her around for a while.”

  Tori grinned. “She’s too busy making babies to mingle with us common folk.”

  Gina’s eyes grew round. “Is she pregnant again already?”

  “Not that I know of,” Tori answered in a humorous tone. “But the way they stay holed up on that ranch, pawing at each other like dogs, it won’t be long before she’s expecting again.”

  Damien’s chuckled. “Dogs being the keyword.”

  Gina became instantly aware they referred to an inside joke, only she had no clue what it might be. “I’m not even going to ask.”

  “So, what about this ghost?” Damien pressed, obviously interested in the paranormal. “Did it seem aggressive or try to harm you in any way?”

  Swallowing her recent bite of steak, Gina shook her head. “Not at all. It— He. I mean, he.” Clearing her throat, she tried again. “Apparently, I’m the only person who’s been able to see or hear him.”

  Damien seemed to relax after her explanation. “Good to know.”

  Dinner went by in a flurry of conversation and Bloody Marys.

  Gina couldn’t recall the last time she’d enjoyed herself as much. She moved to stand. “I believe I’ll call a cab to drive me home. I’ve had one too many alcoholic beverages.”

  “A wise decision,” Damien agreed, gaining his feet as well. “We’ll wait with you until the cab arrives.”

  Gina shook her head. “There’s no need. I’ll be perfectly fine. But thank you so much for the wonderful evening. I thoroughly enjoyed it.”

  Tori came around the table as Damien trailed over to the hostess to get them out of debt.

  Wrapping Gina in a hug, Tori murmured, “Don’t be a stranger. I’m always here if you need me.”

  “Ditto…”

  Chapter Nine

  Colton watched Gina’s friends exit the building, stroll hand in hand to the corner, and disappear in the blink of an eye.

  It still astonished him that vampires truly did exist, but not as much as meeting, not one but two, in the same night.

  Gina exited the restaurant, sending Colton’s heart into overdrive. All he had to do was look at her and his emotions took over.

  What was it about her that affected him so? Sure, she had beauty and grace, but his interest in her went beyond mere looks alone. She had a depth that warmed his dead insides.

  A cab pulled up along the curb in front of the restaurant. Gina opened the back door and climbed inside.

  Colton knew he should return to the shipyard and leave her in peace, but he couldn’t seem to make himself do that.

  Instead, he willed himself into the back seat of that cab with her.

  She stiffened as if sensing his presence.

  “Where to, miss?” the driver inquired over his shoulder.

  Gina rattled off her address, her fingers fidgeting in her lap.

  “Why are you following me?” she whispered, keeping her gaze straight ahead.

  Colton knew she spoke to him. He remained quiet, not wanting to draw unwanted attention to her from the driver.

  The vehicle slowed to a stop outside Gina’s home approximately five minutes later.

  Gina quickly got out, handed the driver a twenty-dollar bill, and rushed off without waiting for change.

  Colton followed.

  “What do you want with me?” Gina demanded, spinning around to face him the second she entered her house.

  Colton peered down at himself, realizing in more than a little awe that he stood before her in solid form. And that it had taken very little effort on his part. “I just want to talk.”

  Gina’s shoulders seemed to relax slightly. She blew out an exasperated breath. “Fine. As much as I wish this wasn’t happening, it is. Stay here while I change clothes.”

  She turned toward the hallway. “I mean it. Stay in there. I’ll be out in a minute.”

  Colton would have waited in the street if she’d asked him to. “I won’t move. You have my word.”

  Though Peanut allowed Gina to pick him up the moment she’d entered the house, the little dog hadn’t taken his gaze off Colton. At least he remained quiet this time.

  A squelch sounded from a table at the end of the couch, followed by voices.

  Colton grinned. He’d owned a police scanner as well. He would listen to it on his days off to keep up with what happened in town.

  Most everyone he’d worked with had owned one. He supposed it was the same in every county.

  Gina returned a couple minutes later, wearing a pair of sweatpants and a baggy T-shirt. If she thought that detracted from her sexiness in the least, she was sorely mistaken.

  She gestured toward the sofa. “I would offer you something to drink, but I doubt you could taste it.”

  Colton took a seat on the sofa, amused by her candor. “To be honest, I haven’t thought much about food and drink for the last three years. Of course, I’ve only appeared in this form a handful of times. And that took considerable effort and energy. But with you, it comes easy.”

  A small indention appeared between her eyes. “Why is that?”

  “I don’t know,” he admitted with a shrug. “I only know that when I’m near you, this form comes natural to me. It’s hard as hell to hold otherwise.”

  She meandered over and sat in a chair across from him. “So, I’m the only person who can see you?”

  “I thought so,” Colton explained, crossing his booted foot over his knee. “Your friends at the restaurant approached me also. Until tonight, I would have never thought that vampires really existed. Imagine my shock—”

  “Wait—what? Vampires?”

  Colton stilled. She obvi
ously didn’t know about Tori and Damien’s supernatural existence. “I’m sorry. I thought you knew.”

  Gina surged to her feet. “You’re insane. I’ve known Tori since we were children. What are you talking about?”

  Colton stood as well, both hands coming up in front of him. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  “First, you follow me around, breaking into my home. Now you make accusations about one of my closest friends? And vampires, for God’s sake? Everyone knows they’re a myth.”

  “Like ghosts?”

  That comment hit the mark. She stumbled back a step and bumped into the chair she’d just vacated.

  Colton extended a hand. “Look, I wouldn’t have said anything if I’d thought you hadn’t known. I mean, you can see me…”

  “You’re not the first dead person I’ve seen, and as much as I hate to say it, you probably won’t be the last. But you’re a spirit. Vampires… Well, they… They can’t possibly exist.”

  He simply stood there, staring back at her in silence.

  Gina slowly shook her head as if in denial. “You can’t be serious. Please tell me you’re not serious.”

  “I’m sorry. It came as a shock to me as well.”

  Dropping heavily back into the chair behind her, Gina stared up at him in disbelief. “How can this be?”

  “How can any of this be?” Colton murmured, moving to kneel at her feet.

  He took hold of her hands. “I know this is all a lot to take in, and I’m sorry for blurting it out like that.”

  “Why are you here?” she whispered, pulling her hands free of his hold.

  Colton glanced away and then met her gaze once more. “I wish I knew. I’m stuck for reasons unknown to me. I have been for the past three years. And as I’ve said before, until recently, you are the only contact I’ve been able to make with anyone. Alive or dead.”

  She seemed to take in his words, her expression changing from one of dismay to acceptance. “I’m listening.”

  Chapter Ten

  Gina listened as Colton talked about the fire that took his life, explaining how his last memory was of running back inside to free some people trapped on the third floor.

  “So you don’t remember dying?” she interjected before he could continue.

  Colton shook his head. “I don’t recall anything but the screams as I ran back inside.” He glanced away. “Those screams haunt me day and night. I can’t get them out of my head. The only time I seem to get even a modicum of relief is when I’m saving a life. Or…”

  “Or what?” Gina pressed, hanging on his every word.

  He momentarily dropped his head before raising his gaze to her once more. “Or when I’m with you.”

  Gina’s heart stuttered. She looked at him, really looked at him. He had the most incredible hazel-colored eyes. They appeared green with golden flecks scattered throughout.

  Her gaze traveled over his jaw—a jaw that needed a shave—before stopping on his full lips.

  It took her a second to realize she stared, and another to realize he’d spoken again.

  “Gina?”

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  He remained on his knees but sat back on his haunches. “Are you okay?”

  Embarrassed that she’d been caught ogling him in the middle of his tragic tale, Gina surged to her feet. “I need a drink. I’ll be right back.”

  She rushed to the kitchen, noticing her hands shook as she grabbed a glass and filled it with tap water.

  Several deep drinks later, she set the glass in the sink and rested her hands on the countertop.

  How had she gone from having a simple life with friends, family, and a dog to talking to ghosts and learning that vampires really existed in a matter of days? And to top it all off, one of her closest friends happened to be one? She didn’t know, but the only person who seemed to have any answers sat on his knees on her living room floor.

  Gina pushed away from the counter and turned around.

  “Jesus!” she gasped, nearly running into Colton. “You scared the crap out of me.”

  Though a certain sadness reflected from his eyes, the corner of his mouth lifted. “Isn’t that what I’m supposed to do?”

  “Not funny,” Gina mumbled, feeling a tiny spark of humor amid the pounding of her heart.

  With him standing so close, she had to tilt her head back slightly to look into his eyes. “How tall are you?”

  His eyebrows lifted. “Pardon?”

  A nervous laugh threatened. “I know, crazy question, isn’t it? It’s just that I’m five-eight, and… Never mind; it’s not important.”

  “Six-four,” he rumbled, the deep timbre of his voice sliding through her like honey. “Or, I was before…”

  Gina’s gaze lowered to his lips. She licked her own in response—an old nervous habit—and shifted her focus to his cheeks. Big mistake. He had adorable dimples. Dimples?

  Her gaze flew to his eyes to find him smiling down at her. “Have you always been this easy to read?”

  “I—”

  Colton chuckled, a soft, sexy sound that wrapped around her in a cocoon of warmth. “Lighten up. I’m only teasing you.”

  Flustered, Gina slipped past him and returned to the living room. Only she didn’t sit in the chair she’d recently vacated. No, she lowered herself onto the couch.

  Colton followed close behind, nodding toward the cushion next to her. “May I?”

  “Of course.”

  Lowering himself to the sofa, Colton rested his arm along the back.

  Gina folded one leg beneath her and turned on the couch to face him. “Look, I’m really sorry for the way I acted last night. But this really is a lot to take in.”

  “I can’t imagine what you must be feeling,” Colton admitted. “I could have shown a little more finesse with my approach. I guess I was just overwhelmed with the knowledge that you could see me and hear me.”

  Gina grew more comfortable with Colton by the minute. “I did some research on you last night. I’m sorry about your sister and your father. But your mother is still alive. Have you seen her?”

  “Once. She never knew I was there.”

  “Was she okay?” Gina pressed.

  A shadow passed through his eyes. “She was sitting in a chair in front of the dining room window, staring out at something in the yard. She appeared thin and frail as if she’d aged twenty years.”

  “I’m sorry,” Gina offered, somehow feeling Colton’s pain. “I can check in on her if you’d like.”

  Colton stared back at her so long, Gina thought he wouldn’t answer. “And tell her what? You’re there on behalf of her son?”

  Gina grew flustered. “Of course not. I’m sure I can think of something.”

  “I appreciate you doing that, Gina. I just don’t understand why you would want to.”

  Why did she want to? She wasn’t sure. She only knew that for some strange reason she did.

  She shrugged, feigning indifference. “I would want someone to do it for me.”

  An uncomfortable silence fell between them.

  The squelch of the police scanner shattered the quiet, drawing both their attention to the small device resting on the end table.

  Gina listened carefully as an officer requested backup while responding to a call. “The mother advised that she arrived home to find the house vandalized and her daughter Signal 8.” He rattled off the address. “Copy?”

  Chills ran up Gina’s arms and legs. She knew a Signal 8 meant missing person. She also recognized the address as belonging to the sheriff’s ex-wife.

  Colton touched her on the arm, bringing her attention back to him. “Are you okay?”

  “That’s the sheriff’s old address. His ex-wife and their daughter, April, live there.” Pulling her cell phone from the pocket of her sweatpants, Gina dialed Kristin’s number.

  “This is Kris.”

  “Kris? Hi, it’s Gin
a. What’s going on at the Dennison place?”

  There was a brief pause. “Give me a minute to step outside, and I’ll call you back.” The line went dead.

  Gina stared at her phone, a sick feeling settling in the pit of her stomach.

  “What’s wrong?” Colton pressed, sliding closer to her on the couch.

  The phone picked that moment to ring. “Hello? Kris? Talk to me,” Gina demanded, ignoring the fact that she could practically feel the heat from Colton’s thigh where it rested next to her own.

  “Sheriff Dennison’s daughter is missing,” Kris responded in a worried tone. “Her mother had been out of town for a couple days. She returned home tonight to find the front door standing ajar. It appears there was a struggle in the front room. Some furniture was overturned, and a broken lamp lay by the front door. There’s been no sign of April.”

  Gina clutched the phone in a death grip. “When was the last time she spoke with April?”

  “Last night,” Kris admitted in a low voice. “And apparently none of April’s friends have heard from her since then either.”

  Blowing out a breath, Gina asked, “Will you call me the minute you know anything? If I don’t hear from you beforehand, I’ll see you the day after tomorrow.”

  “Will do,” Kris assured her before ending the call.

  Gina returned the phone to her pocket and faced Colton. “The sheriff’s daughter is missing.”

  “How old is she?”

  “She’s eighteen,” Gina breathed. “But she’s never done this sort of thing before. She’s always been a responsible kid. Besides, there was evidence of a struggle in the house.”

  Colton shifted in his seat. “Would you feel better if I went to have a look?”

  Gina blinked. Colton appeared to be as alive as any other man. She found it hard to wrap her mind around the fact that she sat on her sofa, conversing with a ghost. “How do you get from one place to another?”

  “I’m not sure,” Colton confessed with a shrug. “I only know that if I concentrate on a particular place hard enough, that’s where I end up.”

  Gina studied his handsome face. “I’m sorry for the way I’ve reacted to you. It’s just all so strange…”