“Yeah, I guess I am.”
It didn't take long to drag themselves out of the stream. Julian handed her his shirt and let her use it to dry off. If one of them had to ride topless back to the stables, it wasn’t going to be her.
He was warm, not out of his damn mind.
Mounting back up, they rode Knight across the field, laughing the entire time.
It was cathartic.
Sex in the sun, the icy cool dip in the stream, and the quick ride were making it a really good day.
What made it even more entertaining was when they arrived in the barn. Tori couldn’t help but snicker as everyone was staring at a shirtless Julian, but more importantly the large tattoo of her name across his chest.
Yeah, he was all hers, and she was damn proud of it.
“What happened?” Leroy asked, taking the reins. “Did you get thrown? You’re both wet.”
“Skinny dipping,” she answered, much to Julian’s horror.
“Victoria Rose!”
All the men around them began laughing, since they got it. What man didn't want a middle of the day break with a beautiful woman?
Tori nodded at Candy and Katy as she wandered past. Yeah, she was disheveled, but in all honesty, she’d roll around in mud if it meant some sexy interlude with Julian.
If they wouldn’t with their husbands, then they were all doing something very wrong. Outside the barn, he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms.
“Really, Tori?” he growled, nipping her ear. “I think that maybe you could have let them wonder!”
Now, she was snickering. “Wonder what exactly? How some Native man had his wicked way with me out in a field, and then decided to make us both go skinny dipping?”
He stared at her open mouthed, unsure how to reply to that.
“You liked that one time with handcuffs,” she began, taping her head, “and I like being ravaged by some wild Native man outdoors. There’s nothing wrong with acting out some sexy fantasy. Don’t judge.”
What could he do but laugh?
“Point taken,” he replied, running his hand lovingly over her derriere. Since she was fantasizing about him, what was there to get worked up about? They were a married couple who had really great sex. If anything, he should get a gold star for today’s performance. Now that he knew that it made her all hot and bothered, when he played the role of savage Native, there was certainly going to be more.
Lots more.
Running up the stairs, they headed to their room. Once the door was unlocked and Julian stepped in, a transformation occurred. His body went on alert and he protectively stepped in front of his wife until he saw who the visitors were.
Since it was their team, he immediately relaxed.
“Wow, what happened to you two?” Christina asked, taking in their wet, disheveled appearance.
Kane didn't need to ask. He was a man and was pretty sure he could figure it out on his own.
Tori went to answer, and Julian put his hand over her mouth and hissed in her ear. “Not happening, Victoria!”
When she began laughing, he let her go.
Julian changed the subject fast. “How was the polo game?” he asked, going to his suitcase and pulling out a dry t-shirt. Tori also mimicked the same motion, only she headed into the bathroom to swap out her damp one.
Kane updated them on just about everything there was to discuss. “It was boring, mundane, and torture.”
Julian nodded. “Why do you think I opted to do anything else but that? I’m not crazy. I would rather have a lobotomy with rusty tools than watch Fredrick doing anything with a ball.”
Tori left the bathroom, changed and snickering. “Yeah, Julian had other pressing things to handle today,” she alluded.
He pointed at her menacingly. “Don’t even think about it,” he warned, and then winked at her.
“I figured as much, but you get the next Fredrick emergency,” Kane stated. “More than one is cruel and unusual torture and is outlawed.”
“Outlawed, huh?” Tori said, using the one word wickedly to tease her husband. “I like outlaws too.”
Christina wasn’t getting it, and stared at them. “I’m so confused.”
Kane leaned down and whispered something, and the woman went red. “Ohhhh.”
It made Tori laugh even more when Julian blushed.
“Enough, Victoria!” Julian scolded. “We have things to do tonight. I need to search Bev and Richard’s room.” Julian then told them everything that they had learned from the sheriff. Both Kane and Christina stared at him with their mouths open in disbelief.
“Seriously?” Christina asked.
Julian simply nodded.
Tori wasn’t planning on leaving his side, not when it came to those wackos. “I’m joining you.”
Kane moaned. “Shit. We have to be the distraction.”
Julian began laughing. “You didn't say shitty assignments. You only mentioned Fredrick. Next time, watch out for the boss technicality. It’ll get you every time.”
They moved toward the door. “What do you want us to do exactly?” Kane asked.
Julian had to think about it.
“I can make a really great distraction,” Christina offered.
“NO!” the men said together.
Tori was incredibly amused that a tiny brunette could terrify both men so easily.
“After dinner, you two need to stay down there and keep Bev and Richard busy. Talk to them about how you don’t believe in this bullshit. That should keep them occupied long enough for us to toss their room.”
Kane was willing to let Christina lead this one. She still didn't believe in any of the ghost business, so this would be fun to watch unfold. He on the other hand was torn. Part of the Native gene pool demanded he believe, and the other part called him a fool. Then again, he did hear music right before someone cold cocked him on the back of the head.
“I wish I could tell if Beverly was fake or for real,” Christina stated offhandedly.
“It’s going to be easy to tell,” Tori answered. “If she suddenly jumps up and runs toward her room, the spirits warned her we were in there.”
“If not, she’s full of shit,” stated Julian grinning. “I’d bet on the latter.”
Their bosses had a point.
They never thought of it like that.
* * *
Sunday Night
Once downstairs, they found the two people sitting in the lounge at the table with some old books. Christina took the lead, since she was better at undercover bullshit.
“Hey, what are you two doing?” she asked, pulling out a chair all the while smiling at them.
“We’re doing research on the ghost,” Richard said, putting down his pen. “Have you heard any of the singing?” he asked, curiously.
Christina was about to say no, when Kane took one for the team. If they wanted to keep their attention, he was going to have to offer it up.
“I did. I was up in the attic and heard a piano playing,” he added, praying that Christina wouldn’t think he was insane.
“Really?” Bev asked excitedly.
“Yeah,” he replied. The last thing he wanted was to amuse these two, but he would do it for the sake of the case.
“Wow! Can we ask you some questions?” Bev asked, sliding her chair closer to Kane. “I love a ghost story,” she stated, enthusiastically.
“It won’t take too long,” Richard reassured.
Kane glanced down at his watch. “I tell you what, you can tell us what you’ve found, and then after dinner, I’ll tell you all about it.”
They both looked more than satisfied with that.
Christina winked at him, signaling that he had successfully lured them in. The Currys would be busy for a while.
Mission accomplished.
Of all the things he saw in his life, Kane never saw this one coming. He was going to cuddle up to a medium and entertain the crazies.
Chapter Twenty Four
&nb
sp; Dinner seemed to drag by, but when they could finally escape, they did. Upstairs, they waited until Christina sent them a text, giving them the go ahead. For now, the coast was clear, and they both hoped and prayed that it stayed that way,
Neither of them wanted to be surprised by the medium or her husband, as they tossed their room for evidence of their misdeeds.
It was a slow moving process, since Julian and Tori had to place each item back where they found it. They really couldn’t be sloppy and leave a trail.
The first big break was a video camera. Rewinding the content, Julian found digital evidence that the two wackos were watching just about everyone. When the majority of the recordings were focused on Tori, he didn't doubt why.
Here, when she said that she had heard the singing, she put a big shiny target on her back. Bev and her husband were studying them like lab rats.
Okay, now he was pissed off.
Pushing the delete button, he erased the entire camera’s memory, hoping that they didn't have time to save it to a computer or tablet.
Hopefully, it was gone forever. They didn't need that video surfacing, especially since they’d just been the subject of a media firestorm.
When Julian placed the camera back in the stack of folded shirts, he realized that his wife was being exceptionally quiet.
“Tori, are you okay?” he asked, watching her. When she didn't reply, he started to get worried. Moving to stand in front of her, he stared into her eyes. They were blank. Normally, he would be worried, knowing that she had slipped into a blackout but here in this house, he was scared shitless.
“Tori!” he hissed, immediately going on alert.
She didn't hear him.
At all.
What could he do, but stand there and hope that Kane and Christina did their job?
For now, he needed to buy her some time.
Tori heard the music, and it lulled her into a sense of peace. This time, there was no fear as this warmth washed over her, covering her body in calming energy. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she could hear Julian, but she couldn’t make out a single word he was saying.
Was he even talking to her?
He sounded so far away.
Everything around her went dim. The lights changed and the air became stagnant. Suddenly, she couldn’t breathe. In front of her, something began materializing, taking shape. It was almost as if it were little dots coming together out of nowhere to form a shape.
First, it was an outline.
Then, she could see more of a silhouette.
Finally, there was a form.
Tori could hear the music getting closer and closer as the form materialized in front of her. Her own body began to grow warm as heat radiated from her stomach in little waves of energy.
“Who are you?” she could hear herself ask, yet her mouth didn't move.
“I’m Bethany,” came the voice.
Tori reached out to touch her, and her hand moved right through the mist, only leaving her with a trail of goose bumps across her flesh. The dots broke apart and rejoined, like magic.
“What do you want from me?”
“I need to find peace. You need to set me free. No one else hears me. You’re the first in a long time.”
Tori wanted to be afraid, but the girl was nothing more than a child. She looked so young. It was hard to be terrified.
“Who hurt you?”
“I don’t know. All I know was that I was hiding the book.”
Tori looked around the room. Oddly enough, Julian was gone. The room was empty and all that was there were her and Bethany.
Suddenly, her heart began to pound.
“He’s still here. He’s trying to get you to come back.”
Tori wanted to in the worst way. This was all too weird. “Why are you after me? What did I do to you?”
Bethany took one step closer. Her empty black eyes were frighteningly hollow. As if all life and love had drained out so very long ago.
“I’m not here to hurt you. You wanted a child and to find the book, and I’m trying to help you.”
Now, she was panicked and could feel the fear climbing up her body with its cold claws.
“I lost my child, but you won’t lose yours. I gave you one, so you would help me.”
Tori didn't know whether to think she was losing her mind, or if she should start dancing. It took incredible will to focus on the task at hand. “Do you know where the book is?” she asked, pushing down the excitement.
“Yes. I hid it many years ago, so my son would find me. I placed it in a secret drawer in the piano. The woman found it and brought it here. I’m tied to that. I need you to set me free. Please, help me get out of here. I want to go home.”
“Where is it?” Tori asked, scanning the room.
“First, make the vow. I helped give you life. You need to help give me a peaceful death!”
It was a no brainer.
“Deal.” What wouldn’t Tori do to give Julian a child? If it meant playing detective and finding who killed Bethany Duvaul, so be it. Forget the insanity behind making a deal with the dead.
This was more proof that she had to be out of her mind.
“How can you talk to me?” Tori asked, looking around the room. Everything was wavy and almost out of sync. Sound was off and so were the colors. “Why can I see and hear you?”
Bethany stared at her, blank eyes watching her every move. “We all have gifts, and this is yours.”
Tori swallowed. If she didn't think she was crazy before, this was certainly her ticket to Loonyville.
“You made the deal, so you have to help me,” Bethany reminded her.
Tori would keep her promise, if only out of her beliefs in keeping her word. “I will.”
Bethany didn't speak out loud, but instead went to Tori and whispered, before walking right through her. “Help set me free. The world must know the truth,” she whispered, before breaking apart.
As quickly as it started, it ended. Tori could feel everything start to change back to normal, as Julian’s lips moved desperately across hers. When she kissed him back, he broke away, revealing the fear in his eyes.
“Tori, you’ve been gone thirty minutes. What the hell happened?” Julian hissed.
She shook her head and dropped to her knees to crawl beneath the bed. When she found what she was looking for, she dragged it out.
Julian watched her in fear and trepidation. Something had happened. The entire time he tried to get Tori to come back, she only stood there, unmoving and ice cold.
It was like she was a corpse, and it scared the hell out of him.
“What is that?” he asked, staring incredulously.
“It’s the family Bible,” she answered, as she pulled a very old book from beneath the bed.
Julian didn't know if he should laugh, cry, or ship his wife the hell out of there ASAP.
“What the hell, Tori? How did you find it?” Julian doubted that the book had been hidden there all those years. It would have been found earlier.
She wanted to lie, but she couldn’t. “It was Bethany. I just saw her.”
Okay, it was option C. He was sending Tori home before something happened to her. The ghost was a little too fixated on her for Julian’s liking.
“I know!” she said, standing with the book, before he could even utter a word. “I can’t explain it, but it happened. How else would I know where the book was?” she asked. What she wanted to do was start to tell Julian about what Bethany had said about her being pregnant, but this wasn’t the time or the place.
For now, she needed to wait.
“I can’t believe any of this,” he muttered, running his hand though his hair in frustration. “Are you really telling me that you saw her, she told you where to find the book, and that ghosts exist?”
Tori touched his cheek. “Julian, would I ever joke about shit like this? I didn't believe in it before I got here, but I’m holding the family Bible that was tucked up into the b
ox spring covering. How the hell would I know that?”
Julian didn't know what to think.
“What do we do now?” he asked.
Tori knew they couldn’t leave it there. “Bethany is tied to this book. We need to put it somewhere safe, and not where it’s easily found.”
Julian was good with that. “We can’t and AREN’T putting it in our room. I don’t want it anywhere near you.”
She was good with that.
“How about in plain sight?” she asked, grinning. Part was because she had a plan, and part was because if Bethany had been right about the book, she may be right about the pregnancy. As far as Tori was concerned, she was going to keep her vow.
It was worth it.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
“The lounge has all those bookshelves. We can head down there, place it on a shelf that’s really high up, and no one will see it.”
Julian was good with that. “We better take the passageway in the attic. We don’t need to be found with that book.”
He was well aware that being afraid of a stupid book and a ghost was childish.
And yet…
“Okay. Let’s go! Get Kane and Christina to get Beverly and Richard out of the lounge. We’ll hide it and be back in our room before anyone knows we’re creeping around.”
Julian pulled out his cell and sent the text, hoping that the team could pull it off. They needed to get into the lounge and soon.
What he really wanted now was to get the hell out of there, and he didn't just mean that room. He meant that estate, town, state, and part of the country.
In his gut, he could feel something bad coming, and he believed Tori was going to be the ultimate cost.
He was going to lose his wife.
* * *
Kane could feel the vibration of an incoming message, and he passed it off to Christina under the table for her to read. This was excruciating and Julian owed him. It was one thing to do your job but hanging out with Bev and Richard was torture.
Christina jumped in, trying to help Kane out. “I heard from one of the staff that the attic was really haunted,” she began. “I don’t know if I believe it though. I mean, it’s not like we can call up the ghost and find out. We would need some sort of psychic medium, or whatever they’re called.”
Lost & Broken (LIttlemoon Investigations Book 2) Page 36
