Elizabeth agreed. “I want to talk to the bartender.”
“By talk, do you mean punch him in the face repeatedly?” Callen asked.
She smiled sweetly. “I was going to flash him some breasts.”
He looked horrified. “WHAT?”
“Kidding. Don’t forget who rules this roost,” she said, pointing at the two of them.
Callen relaxed. “Oh, I can’t forget that you’re the boss. I’m well aware.”
“How was your interview?” she asked, noticing that neither man looked excited to share the details.
Immediately, he laughed, and Elizabeth recognized it. That was the nervous laughter that came out when Callen was hiding something and she was about to drag it out of him.
“What?” she asked suspiciously.
Julian looked just as uncomfortable as he began grinning too.
“I don’t see how this is so darn funny,” she admitted. “Did something happen?” Elizabeth asked.
“Well, after Tori stole that cell phone from the crime scene, we opted to one up her. You know…raise the bar for next time,” Callen teased. “We broke into Regina’s home.”
Julian took over the story, and he told them about the hormones, the drugs, and the sex toys.
“Well, because she’s transgender doesn’t mean she doesn’t like dick,” Elizabeth stated.
That befuddled all the men in the room.
“So, a man, who feels he’s a woman, wants penis, but not his own?” Julian asked.
“Yeah, basically.”
“So, does that make him gay?”
Elizabeth knew she didn’t have enough time in the day to discuss this one. It was best to let it go.
“Sure, in order not to freak you out, let’s go with that. What else did you find?”
Julian threw Callen under the bus.
“Your husband bribed two junkies with cash, and he found out that our transgendered stripper likes to dance at ‘Beat Around the Bush’,” he stated.
“So, you’re going there tomorrow, right?”
And here it came.
“Uh, no,” Callen stated.
“What?”
“Remember when the media caught me bringing a hooker to that cheap hotel?”
Oh, did she ever. He’d rocked her world that night and she’d never forget it.
“Yes,” she answered, keeping it clean.
For once.
“Wow! You really have an open relationship,” the detective said, confused as hell.
“It’s not that open. I was the hooker,” Elizabeth admitted. “Callen likes to kink it up with playing dress up.”
“ELIZABETH!”
“Well, you do.”
“Julian does too. Don’t feel bad, Callen. He likes a side of hooker every now and then. He’s a dirty boy.”
“HEY!” Julian objected when he was pulled into the little game of ‘talk shit about the husband’s sex life’.
Oh, Vivian was getting in on this. She was going to carry two babies, and give birth. She had to have some fun.
“So does Justin. It must be genetic.”
Beckett raised his hand. “It is. I can attest. Claire is a freak too. She likes calling me Daddy.”
“Jesus! Beck! One time, and you go there?” Claire hissed. “Really?”
They all started laughing.
“Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Who is going to the strip club?” she asked.
“I finally got Cat to stop asking about hookers. If I go, I’m going to be cheating. If you go, they won’t say that,” he stated. “Please don’t make me go look at men dressed as women, stripping as women to attract men, to get laid as women.”
She snorted.
That had to be one of the funniest things her husband had ever said to her, and the most confusing.
“I don’t know if I even understood that.”
He stared at her.
“Okay, Callen James. It’s a deal. You get the soldier, who was an accidental call—to cover our bases—and the hubby who was cheated on. Tori and I will take the stripper. We’ve both done that before, so we can relate.”
“Wait. What?” Arsen asked, nearly choking on his water. “You were both strippers?”
He was ignored.
“I’m so damn lost,” he muttered.
Justin patted him on the back. “You get used to it. You’ll catch up.”
He was about to say something when they heard footsteps.
“It has to be Beau and Nyx,” Julian stated. “They’ve been suspiciously absent the entire day. I wonder what those two crazy kids were doing?”
Tori hoped it wasn’t getting shitfaced drunk and fighting for hours on end.
Their employees were predictable if nothing else. When you didn’t hear from them at least once in a while, the chances were that they were up to something bad.
She knew these people.
They.
Were.
Trouble.
When they came through the door, they were holding hands and smiling like two cats who got into a cage full of canaries for an afternoon snack.
Something was definitely up.
“Uh oh. What did you two do?” Tori asked.
Beau dropped the bomb.
“We got married.”
Tori stared at her brother.
“I’m sorry, you what?” she asked. There was no way she’d heard him right the first time.
No.
Freaking.
Way.
“Nyx and I didn’t want to wait any longer, so we went to the courthouse, we found a judge, and we got married!”
Tori looked at her husband and the floodgates opened.
She cried.
And caught Beau completely off guard.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Thursday Night
B efore dinner could even start, Beau and Tori were left alone to talk. They had some issues to discuss, and from the look on Beau’s face, he was expecting the worst-case scenario to come from it.
As the room emptied out, Beau was faced with a very distraught Tori. He hated that he’d hurt her.
She was his only blood left in the world.
“I know I should have called you, Tori, and I’m sorry that this hurt your feelings,” he stated. “We were dealing with Evangeline, and I just felt the need to get Nyx to the altar as soon as possible.”
Tori let him explain.
“Over the last few weeks, it’s been chaos, and I really just needed to ensure that she’d marry me. I was pushed on by the fact that we might be driving me to jail at some point. I wanted to give her something. If I go in, she’s alone in the world.”
“You’re an asshole.”
He stared at her.
That was the first time she’d ever said anything like that to him. Normally, Tori was extra gentle with him. He assumed she was making up for all the years where they were apart.
“Uh, probably. You’re not the first woman who has called me that, so…”
“I am so angry, Beau.”
“And you have the right to be. I got married behind your back.”
She stared at him. “What?”
“You got screwed out of being in a wedding. You would have been my best man.”
“You could have called. I would have come, Beau.”
He knew it.
“But that’s not all that has me upset. Yes, my last living brother tied the knot without me, and that stings, but seeing you move on…”
He moved toward her. “Victoria, I’ll never move on. You’re my sister. I spent years searching for you. While I was in the Army, I never felt whole. I always thought there had to be more out there than just Shelby. Then there was you.”
Tori wiped her eyes.
“I don’t want to lose you, Beau. You’re mine. I kissed Trey goodbye for deployment, and then I got the news. I couldn’t be in the same unit with him in case something happened, and I couldn’t save him. Now I’m kissing you goodbye
.”
He tugged her into his body. Tori’s head stopped below his chin, so he rested it on the top of her head as he held her. “Victoria, you’ll never say goodbye to me. I’m part of you. Like Trey, even IF something happened to me, I’d stay. You’d be channeling me too.”
She tried to laugh. “That doesn’t make me feel better.”
“This is about Nyx, isn’t it?” he asked.
She hesitated.
“Victoria.”
Her heart skipped in her chest. There were only two people who used her full name. Julian when she was being bold, and Beau when she was just being herself. She loved hearing it come from his mouth.
It made it special.
“She has really bad decision making skills.”
There.
She said it.
That surprised him.
“Really? And I don’t?” he asked. “Look at what I did. Julian told me to avoid Shelby, and I ran right to her. I got tossed in jail, and now I’m wearing a cop’s target. None of that screams good decision making.”
He had a point.
“Just be careful. She’s carrying something so dangerous in her. I can’t stress that enough.”
The radio came to life.
“SHE. IS. A. TICKING. TIME. BOMB,” Trey offered.
“I have to save her,” he stated. “She’s my wife.”
Tori hugged him. “I’m scared for you. Just don’t sacrifice yourself on the altar, okay, Beau? She may be your wife, but you’re our brother.”
“I love you both,” Beau stated, holding his sister in his arms.
“WE. LOVE. YOU. BEAU. BE. CAREFUL. BAD. THINGS. COMING.”
Tori wasn’t done. “I have a confession to make.”
“What?” Beau asked, staring into her eyes. They were the same as his, and they connected him to her and Trey. They all had the Christensen stormy blue gaze.
“I’m afraid. What if I can’t figure this out? What if this asshole commissioner wins and they take you away?”
His heart ached.
His sister was carrying a huge weight on her shoulders.
“He won’t. I know my family, and they will save my bacon. I trust you all. I trust you so much that for the first time in weeks, I’m not scared. Besides, this mess is my fault.”
“You went to see Shelby. You couldn’t have known, Beau.”
“I’m not talking about that. It’s all because I came back into your life. Before that, you guys had happiness and peace—for the most part. Our mother ruined that. Maybe if I stayed away…”
She punched him in the arm.
HARD.
“Hey! Ouch!”
“Shut it, Beau.”
The radio kicked to life.
“SPROUT. IS. RIGHT. YOU. ARE. OUR. FAMILY. WE. PROTECT. OUR. OWN.”
Beau jumped. “Hey! Watch the hands, Bethany,” he warned. “I’m a married man now.”
Tori started crying again. Her baby brother was a married man. It staggered her.
“Oh, geez. Is this some post baby thing-y?” he asked.
“Probably, but I’m still happy for you,” Tori said, hugging him so tight. Truthfully, she didn’t want to let him go.
Ever.
She’d lost one brother—sort of, and she couldn’t bear to think she’d lose the second one.
They were her blood.
“I’m happy for me too,” he said.
“Can you call Nyx in?” Tori asked. “Trey and I would like to talk to her.”
He hoped they took it easy on Nyx. She was a battered mess too.
When he did, Nyx came in, and she was scared to face them down. Everyone knew the bond Tori had with her brothers. Now she had to worry if she’d told Beau that their impromptu marriage had been a mistake.
Could she blame her?
After all, she’d caused a mess.
“You wanted to see me?”
Tori hugged her.
“Welcome to the family. I’m so happy for you and Beau. A girl can always use another sister.”
Tears filled Nyx’s eyes.
“Do you really mean that?” she asked.
“Yes, I really do. I’m blessed. I married into a family having no one. They opened their arms and accepted me. I know what it’s like to be that orphan.”
“It sucks,” she said.
“I want you to know you have us. You have Julian, Justin, Claire, and even Clarissa. We will be your family. I’ll be your sister.”
Nyx hugged her. “I love all of you. I’m sorry for…”
She stopped her.
“Family doesn’t keep track. We simply have your back when you need it most.”
“I need it right now. I’m scared of what’s coming,” she admitted.
“WE. HAVE. YOU.”
“Thank you, Trey.”
“GIVE. ME. A. KISS.”
“Trey!” Beau said, laughing.
“I. WANT. TO. KISS. THE. BRIDE.”
Tori grinned at her brothers—one in the flesh, one…not so much. This was her reality, and she was okay with that.
“It’s just a normal day in this family,” she said, wrapping her arms around Beau and Nyx’s waist.
“I’m starving,” Beau said. “Want to get our dinner on?” he asked. “Clarissa is making enough to feed an army.”
Yeah, that sounded like the perfect plan.
“Afterwards, and I know it’s your honeymoon, but would you be willing to help me out?” Tori asked.
“Channeling?” Nyx asked.
“Yeah, we have a heart to mend.”
“I’m in,” Nyx offered, wanting to be part of the Littlemoon family more than ever. She felt safe. “It’s going to be a busy night,” Nyx admitted. “There’s a male here.”
Tori was aware.
“He needs to talk to Elizabeth.”
“I hope she’s ready,” Nyx offered. “I’ve never felt anything like him before.”
Tori hoped she was ready too.
It was going to be one hell of a night.
For all of them.
* * * L i t t l e m o o n * * *
Two Hours Later
Oh, Elizabeth was nervous.
BIG TIME.
It wasn’t every day that you were told you were going to be talking to the dead. While she knew Timothy was around, it was hard to believe it.
A part of Elizabeth was wary.
How could she not be?
If what she was going to do was real, that meant that every dead person could remain.
She’d stood over quite a few in her career, and if they hung out, she had quite the following.
Literally.
That freaked her the hell out. It made her want to look around to see if she was alone. Elizabeth knew she was being ridiculous, but still…
Ghosts existed.
Who would have thought?
This went against everything she’d ever known to be true. When people died, she never considered them sticking around.
At that moment, she wondered if Charlie was there.
She really missed her dad.
So, she was going to keep an open mind, try not to freak out, and hold on to her lifeline.
Callen.
When Tori told her that it would just be her, Elizabeth, and Nyx, she couldn’t do it.
Callen was the one who had held her up during the storm, and she really needed him.
Besides, he was good at grounding her.
While she trusted Tori, she didn’t necessarily trust Nyx. The woman could be a con artist, right? That was always a possibility, and it would explain a lot.
Elizabeth had guarded optimism as she hoped for the best.
While the whole team remained upstairs, having cake for Nyx’s impromptu wedding, the four were downstairs in the office setting up.
“What’s with the candles?” Elizabeth asked.
“They help me focus. When it’s just my spirit guide, I don’t need them, but I have to find the ones who want to spe
ak to you,” she offered.
“They don’t just pop in to say ‘hi’?” she asked.
Nyx looked over.
“You don’t think I’m for real.”
That was an understatement.
“Listen, at this point, don’t take it personally. I’m a cop to the core. To me…this seems…”
“Like a scam?” she asked.
“Yeah, it does.”
“I get it.”
Tori understood her friend’s fear. She was like that, too, at the beginning. Now it was second nature.
“I promise to make this as easy for you as possible,” Nyx offered. “I will tell you this,” she said, sitting in the circle of candles. “There’s a man here, and he’s insistent that he speak to you.”
“Oh look, Callen. The dead want me too.”
He laughed. “Not nearly as much as I do, angel,” he admitted, wiggling his eyebrows. Callen couldn’t wait to get her back to the inn. There were roses waiting for the love of his life, and she deserved them.
Nyx glanced up at her.
“Okay, let’s get this woo-woo craziness going. I’ll come to my senses soon enough,” Elizabeth teased.
Nyx went still, and then she looked up at Elizabeth.
“He told me to tell you to knock it off, raven. He could be with Naomi.”
Okay, that had her attention.
As far as she knew, no one in that room but her and Callen knew Timothy’s wife’s name.
“I’ll focus,” she said, holding Callen’s hand as they sat just outside the circle.
Nyx did her thing.
When she focused on Elizabeth, her eyes went blank. The channeling began.
To say it was bizarre would be an understatement.
Hell!
It creeped her right out.
Without warning, the room got cold, and when Tori and Nyx breathed out, there was the puff of mist.
“Sweetheart,” Nyx said, beginning to channel the dead man.
She knew who it was without him even going any further. She knew Timothy had come through.
“Yeah? What?”
Nyx focused on Elizabeth. “Don’t give her a hard time. You know it’s me.”
“Prove it,” she ordered. “What did I do when I came to your cabin the first time?” she asked.
“You were bossy and you pretty much told me off. You defended my grandson, and were ready to go to war to keep me from riding his ass.”
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