Aiden moved her out of the way and waved for Keith to join him. “Let’s see if the two of us can kick this thing open.”
On three, they both kicked, and the door swung open with a loud crack as the lock gave way under the force. Alana’s worried gaze landed on her friend, huddled in the corner. She rushed forward, oblivious to the men cautioning her.
Deep gouges in Lisa’s skin oozed blood over her face, chest, and arms. Alana gasped as she tried to wipe some of the blood from her friend’s face. “Lisa,” she whispered. “Can you hear me?”
Lisa just continued to stare straight ahead, her eyes glassy and fearful, her hands trembling. Aiden squatted next to her and wiped a strand of blood-soaked hair from Lisa’s brow.
“My God,” he whispered. “Someone call an ambulance.” He turned and stared at several stunned faces. “Now!”
Three members of the team pulled cell phones from their pockets to do his bidding while Tray began to walk a circle around the room, studying the walls. The window was shut, not to mention the fact they were at least twenty feet off the ground, so it was doubtful whoever it was had gone that way.
“Do you see anything?” Alana asked.
“Nothing,” he said in exasperation.
She turned to Aiden. “How the hell would whoever did this get out of here? Where did they go?”
Aiden sighed. “This house is full of secret passages.”
“Oh, come on,” Tray exploded. “The two of you don’t really believe that whatever did this was human?”
“Not now, Tray!” Alana snapped.
She glanced back at Lisa, who continued to stare off in the distance as though in a trance, her body shaking from head to toe.
“She’s in shock,” Aiden said softly.
Alana looked around the floor. “Where’s her camera?” Lisa always carried a small handheld with her. It had to be there.
“It’s here.” Tray bent down to retrieve the small camera from the far corner. “I’ll take this down to the van and see what’s on it.”
Lisa grasped Alana’s wrist with a hard grip. Alana met her friend’s fearful gaze. Tears sprang to her eyes as she studied the deep scratches over Lisa’s face and neck.
“Not,” Lisa whispered through chattering teeth. “Not human.”
Chapter Two
At the hospital, Aiden stood back, trying to stay out of everyone’s way as they awaited answers from the doctor examining Lisa. Alana had remained by her side, holding her hand through everything. She still hadn’t said anything beyond “not human,” at least that Aiden knew of.
What the hell had happened up there?
Alana stepped from the exam room, and Aiden pushed away from the wall. Other members of her team came forward as well, anxious for word of their friend.
They all began to ask questions at once, and Alana held up her hand, silencing them. “Physically, she’s going to be okay. Although the cuts look bad, none of them were deep enough to cause any real damage. Mentally is another story. She’s still in shock, so they’re going to keep her here for a couple of days.”
“Did she say who or what it was?” Tray asked.
Alana glanced at him, then shook her head. “No. She hasn’t said anything, really. Why don’t you all go back to the hotel? They gave her a sedative, so she’s going to sleep the rest of the night.”
“What about you?” Tray stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulders. “You need sleep too.”
“I know, and I will. I promise. Did you find anything on the camera?”
Tray shook his head. “It had gone dead. Some kind of battery drain, I think. Keith said it happened to his also.”
Alana nodded sadly.
Aiden stood back and watched the exchange with a strange feeling of…jealousy. He’d felt an almost unreal sense of longing whenever he looked at her, which was odd considering she wasn’t really his type. Aiden and his twin brother Noah both preferred blondes. He’d never in his life been attracted to a redhead.
But there was something about Alana, something he’d felt since the first time he’d talked to her on the phone.
Her eyes were the most unusual shade of deep green he’d ever seen, her hair a bright auburn riot of ringlet curls, and her skin fair. She reminded him of a fairy, and he half expected her to sprout wings and fly away. She wasn’t as tall as other women he’d dated—somewhere between five-five and five-six, maybe. Her curves were fuller, more rounded, but God in heaven, she looked good.
She stood just a few feet away from him, perfectly proportioned for her height, her lips full and—he’d bet—soft and delectable. He could feel himself getting hard, and he silently cursed a blue streak. She’d just brought her friend to the hospital, and all he could think about was consoling her between the sheets.
Noah would be having a field day right about now. His twin could always tell what he was thinking and more often than not let him know it.
“You don’t have to stay, either.”
He frowned at her softly spoken words, realizing she’d said something and he should damn well be paying attention and not thinking about screwing her.
“I’ll stay as long as you do,” he said. “What’s the significance of a battery drain?”
Alana waved to the others as they left, then moved to the sofa at the far side of the waiting room. Aiden followed. “There’s a theory that ghosts will drain batteries when they’re trying to manifest themselves.”
He sat down next to her and let his thigh rest against hers. He could feel the tension in her body and reached out to grasp her trembling hand. Her fingers were ice-cold, and he wrapped them up in his, warming them.
“A theory?” he pried. “You sound skeptical.”
“I am skeptical.” She shrugged. She wouldn’t meet his gaze and instead glanced toward the hall. “Why would someone do this?” Her voice was soft and shaky.
“I was listening to your team while you were with Lisa. They all think it was a ghost of some sort. Is that why you didn’t tell them what Lisa said?”
“They already believe it was paranormal; why give them even more reason to think so?”
Her worried gaze met his, and for a second he stopped breathing. She was frightened. He could see it in her eyes.
“I want to stay and really check this house out. Maybe the additional time here will give the police time to find who did it.”
Aiden was surprised. Here she was, obviously terrified, yet she wanted to leap forward and keep going. She had guts, and that impressed him. Suddenly, he wanted to know what made this girl tick; how she’d gotten started in all this and why.
“So you don’t agree with your team,” Aiden said, studying her, “that it was paranormal?”
“Of course not. Ghosts don’t do this.” She waved her hand toward the door. “At least not to that extent. We’ve all been scratched before, but this… There’s no way.”
“I would agree, but I have a feeling getting the others to agree will be harder than finding the responsible party.”
She sighed. “Me too.”
He reached up and touched the back of her head, allowing her strands to curl around his fingers as he gently combed through them. It had been intended to comfort, to console, but Alana jumped up as though she’d been shot, and walked swiftly over to the coffeepot.
He watched her, wondering if she’d felt the same bolt of electrical current he had the second he’d touched her.
“Why don’t I take you back to the hotel?” he asked.
She stared at him, startled, before quickly composing herself. “You don’t have to do that, really. I’ll be fine here.”
“Alana, I don’t think you should sleep here.” He waved his hand around the room at the various seating. “There’s nowhere for you to stretch out. You’ll need your rest if you’re going to hit that house tomorrow night, right? You won’t get it here. Too many people in and out. Not to mention the fact the hospital doesn’t allow guests to sleep in here.”
<
br /> She glanced around with a frown. “You’re probably right,” she reluctantly agreed.
“Come on. The doctors put Lisa out for the night. There’s nothing more you can do here. I’ll drop you off, then, if it’s okay, meet you back at the house tomorrow night around sunset. Deal?”
She nodded, and he escorted her out of the waiting room. She’d ridden in the ambulance, leaving her truck at the house. He wasn’t sure if her reluctance was due to not wanting to be a burden or not wanting to be alone with him.
He walked her out to his truck and helped her inside. He already knew what hotel to take her to; he’d made the arrangements for them. She and her friend Lisa had the presidential suite on the seventh floor at the Johnson Hotel. It was a little dated but roomy with two bedrooms, a living room, a small kitchenette, and two and a half baths.
He’d been told they would need something with a lot of room so they could use it to set up the equipment for when they examined everything they’d gotten the night before.
The ride to the hotel was silent as he made his way through the quiet streets of historic downtown Dandridge. Occasionally he would sneak peeks at her from the corner of his eye. She looked adorable as she bit down on her lower lip, her brow creasing with worry. He wanted so badly for some reason to relieve those stresses.
What the hell was wrong with him? Someone would think he was a horny teenager with no self-control.
He stopped at the main entrance and climbed out, tossing the keys to the valet. “Keep it close. I won’t be long.”
“We can just leave it here, if you want. It’s so late, there won’t be anyone coming in.”
Aiden nodded and reached out to help Alana down from her seat. He probably didn’t need to, but he liked the feel of her hand in his. Once on her feet, she pulled her hand free, and he felt the loss like a punch. With a curious frown, he studied his hand as he followed her into the lobby.
She continued to remain silent all the way to her room, and Aiden let her. He was sure she needed time to think, to mull around in her mind what had happened. Without a word, she opened the door to her room and held it open for him to follow.
Once inside, she headed straight for the makeshift bar that had been set up in the far corner. Worried, Aiden stood back and watched her down three small glasses of vodka before finally slowing down.
“Feel better?” he asked as he leaned against the wall.
She snorted before taking another sip. “I think drunk is the only way I’ll be able to sleep tonight. I keep hearing her screams in my head.”
Aiden pushed away from the wall and walked over to her. He took the glass from her hand and set it on the bar. “That’s not how you should deal with this, Alana.”
“Who are you? My mother?” she countered, reaching for the glass.
He snatched it from her reach and was rewarded with an adorable scowl. “God, you’re cute as hell,” he murmured.
Her eyes widened in surprise. “Excuse me?” she croaked.
Aiden was at a loss for words. Had he really just said that out loud? “I said you’re cute as hell,” he repeated.
“Oh.” Her shoulders lifted into a dismissive shrug. “And you’re sexy as hell.”
A blush moved over her cheeks briefly. He had a feeling the alcohol she’d just downed had a little something to do with that comment. He’d spent a lot of time talking to her on the phone, and he doubted she was the straightforward type. At least not without the help of a little liquid bravado.
He grinned, wanting so desperately to grab her and kiss her senseless, but the last thing he wanted to do was take advantage of a woman when she’d been drinking. Even a little. He didn’t do that. If he was going to have sex with a woman, he wanted her in full control of her actions. No regrets later.
Keeping his eyes on hers, he lifted the glass and downed the rest of her vodka. He had a feeling he’d need it to dull the growing ache in his balls. Damned if it didn’t make it worse.
“I think you need to go to bed,” he said as he set the glass down. “And I think I need to get out of here before I end up in that bed with you.”
He turned to leave but didn’t miss her softly mumbled reply: “Chicken.”
Aiden left the room before chuckling all the way down the hall to the elevator.
Alana stood staring across the room in stunned silence. Had she seriously just called him chicken? She leaned her hips against the bar and sighed tiredly as she gazed upward toward the ceiling. Her best friend slept quietly in the hospital, her face a maze of cuts and scratches, her screams still echoing in her head.
And where was Alana? she asked herself. She was in her hotel room, daring her gorgeous business acquaintance to kiss her.
She’d lost her mind. That’s all there was to it.
Guilt ate at her insides; fear tightened her stomach. Tray slept down the hall, and she knew all she had to do was call, and he’d be here in a flat second. But the one person she really wanted by her side, holding her, keeping her safe and her nightmares at bay, was Aiden.
Why? She barely knew him. Yes, they’d flirted—sort of. That didn’t mean he should stay and warm her sheets, make her feel more alive than she had in years.
She glanced down at the bottle of vodka, wavering between wanting to drink herself into a stupor and calling Tray. Or better yet, calling Aiden back.
She squinted her eyes closed. “Stop it, stop it, stop it. God,” she whispered. “But I really don’t want to be alone tonight.”
* * *
Noah lifted his head from the book he was reading just as Aiden came through the front door looking a little worse for wear. He’d been informed of what had happened hours ago. As sheriff, it was his job to remain in the loop.
“Good to see you’re still alive, brother.”
Aiden shot him a look that clearly said he wasn’t in the mood. “Like you didn’t know.”
Noah smiled. Yes, it was true; Noah knew Aiden wasn’t the one who had been hurt. Not because he’d been told, but because if he had been, he would’ve felt it. That had been the case since they were teens. They had no idea what started it or why. It had just happened one weekend when they were apart and had been a part of their lives ever since. If one of them was physically hurt, the other felt it. If one of them had a hard-on, the other did too. Which reminded him…
“Which one had you horny?” he asked, snickering as Aiden glared at him over the bar separating the kitchen and den area.
“Aren’t you the least bit curious about what happened tonight?”
“I already know what happened tonight as well as the girl’s current condition. That’s one of the perks of being sheriff.”
Aiden rolled his eyes in irritation. “You don’t have a clue, Noah. I’ve never seen or heard anything like it. Whatever it was that was in there had that woman terrified, but from the looks of things, no one was in that room with her.”
“That you know of,” Noah added. “That house is full of traps, hidden passageways, and God knows what else, Aiden, and you know it. More than likely he came in through the passageways. Please don’t tell me you’re starting to fall for all that ghost-hunter nonsense.”
“I’m not falling for anything.” Aiden grabbed a beer from the fridge and moved to the den to sit in the recliner facing the television. “And to answer your other question, it was Alana.”
Noah tipped his head to the side in acknowledgment. “Which one is she?” he asked.
Aiden’s hand holding the beer stopped halfway to his mouth as he stared at his brother in exasperation. “Have you not paid any attention to me at all over the last month? Alana is the redhead. The lead investigator and author.”
Noah’s lips twitched. There was nothing he loved more than pushing his brother’s buttons. “God, you sound like a wife, do you know that? I don’t need to ever get married; I have you.”
“Fuck you,” Aiden drawled, making Noah chuckle.
“Well, from the pounding in my balls, and
the deep frown on your face, I guess I can surmise you didn’t get anywhere with the girl.”
Aiden grumbled incoherently before lifting the bottle of beer and taking a sip.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that,” Noah said as he studied his brother.
“I said I’m not an ass, Noah. Her friend is in the hospital, for crying out loud. Besides, the second she got back to her room, she started downing vodka. I think the attack really freaked her out.”
“I would imagine so.”
“Did you send anyone to check things out?” Aiden asked.
“Yeah, but so far they haven’t found anything.”
“Have they looked for another entrance into the room?”
Noah nodded and closed his book. With a sigh, he set it on the table next to him. “I plan on going out there tomorrow sometime when it’s light, see if I can find anything. We spent some time in that house as kids. I remember where some of the entrances are, but I’m not sure where the ones on the second floor are at. Maybe if I walk around a bit, some of it might come back to me.”
Aiden frowned. “I know there are passageways on the first floor that lead to the third level, and one in the attic on the fourth that will take you back down to the first, but I don’t remember any on the second.”
Noah gave his brother a firm stare. “I know they’re there. I remember Gram telling us the history surrounding some of them. The entrances are there; it’s just a matter of remembering where they are. Whoever did this to that girl was flesh and blood, not a ghost. There’s no such thing.”
“Gram always thought there was. And so did you at one time.”
Noah nodded sadly as he ignored Aiden’s last comment and thought back to his Gram. She’d practically raised him and his brother. Well, not practically—she had.
Both her and the owner of that house, Karen Sharp. She’d been Gram’s best friend since they were kids. When Ms. Sharp had died, she’d left the house to the town, with him and Aiden as trustees.
A couple of developers had tried to buy the place back from the town and turn it into a massive shopping complex, but most of the township wanted to keep the small-town feel and had voted the idea down, especially after hearing the plans for Halloween.
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