by Pandora Pine
“Madam Aurora.” It wasn’t a question.
Ronan nodded. “Your mother said she’d check out other mediums in the area to see if they know anything about the spirits in Ten’s sleep thing, but...” Ronan stopped in his tracks, almost too worn out to say another word.
Cole pulled him in for a hug, as if he knew that was exactly what Ronan needed. “The two of you have been shouldering so much these last few months, between the cases you’ve been working on, your new relationship, and now with Ten losing his gift. It’s okay to ask for help, Ronan.”
He nodded against Cole’s shoulder. “I’m asking.” Just saying those words out loud felt like a huge weight off his mind. There had been so much going on in their lives and Ronan knew his and Tennyson’s friends were there for them, but how many times could you tell the same story over and over before people got sick of hearing it and told you to just let it go? Instead of letting things get to that point, Ronan had just bottled them up.
He’d seen too many awful things in the Michael Frye case. There’d been more awful things after that in the Justin Wilson case. Not to mention Ten being kidnapped and the flying bullets, one of which had his captain’s name written on it. It really was too much.
Cole snorted. “I kinda got that. Let’s go see what’s going on with Ten and Carson and then we can figure out what the hell to do next. Okay?”
Ronan let himself be led to the reading room door. Cole opened it without knocking.
Tennyson was sitting next to Carson and it looked like they were practicing deep breathing. Ten’s eyes were shut, but just looking at him, he looked plum worn out. There were dark circles under his eyes and his usually springy curls looked limp.
Carson cracked an eyeball open at them and motioned for them to have a seat and keep quiet.
Ronan obeyed, taking the seat closest to Tennyson. He closed his eyes too and matched the cadence of their breath. Try as he might, he couldn’t manage to slow his heart rate down. It was still pounding like a jackhammer. He understood now why people who were having a panic attack often mistook the symptoms for a heart attack.
Cole reached out for his hand and Ronan wasn’t afraid to take it.
“Okay, how are you feeling now, Ten?” Carson’s voice was gentle.
“A little better,” he admitted. Ten’s shoulders were so tense, they were up around his ears.
“Are you feeling well enough to tell us what happened?” Carson asked.
“Why is Ronan here?” Ten’s voice had an edge to it that Ronan didn’t expect and didn’t like. It made his heart pound a bit harder.
“Why don’t we hear what happened with you first and then Ronan can tell you all about his day?” Carson’s voice was almost hypnotic.
Ten nodded, still not looking totally onboard with the plan. “I went to the Reiki place. It’s over on Essex Street. The studio was sunny and warm. It was nice there. I wasn’t getting any kind of a bad vibe, but then again, I can’t get any kind of a bad vibe because my gift is gone.” He was glaring at Ronan as if the detective were the reason for it.
Carson reached out and put a hand on Tennyson’s hand. “It’s okay, Ten. The studio was nice and sunny.”
Ten turned his attention back to Carson. “I was thinking about what happened last night and how scared I was and the woman, Laura, called my name. I jumped and yelped.” Ten’s attention was back on Ronan again. His top lip was curled into a snarl.
“Ten, that happens to me all the time. Truman catches me daydreaming and I squeal when he says my name. We both have a good laugh about it.”
“Yeah...” Ten crossed his arms over his chest. “I followed the woman back into the treatment room and she asked why I was there. I told her I was a psychic who lost my gift. I mentioned what I’d been doing to get my gift back and she looked me up online. When she asked why I was seeing her, I told her that I wasn’t close enough to finding my gift yet and I told her about my bruises. I showed her the ones on my arms and she asked if someone in my life was hurting me.” Ten was back to glaring at Ronan.
“Jesus Christ. She thought I hurt you?” Ronan was going to be sick. “She thought I beat you?” Ronan felt his emotions start to spin out of control. When Tennyson was shouting when he’d run into the store he sounded like he was in a panic, now he sounded angry. Angry at himself? Angry at Ronan? “Ten, why are you so angry at me? What did I do?”
“What did you do?” Ten’s voice was cold as ice. “What didn’t you do? This is all your fault. You’re the reason my gift is gone. You and your guns and bullets and kidnappings and dead children and serial killers!” Tennyson took a ragged breath. “My life was perfect and happy before you walked into this store with your bad attitude, disbelieving in everything I do. Now look at me. It’s gone. My perfect life is gone, Ronan!”
Ronan actually felt his heart stop beating in his chest. The man shouting at him from the next chair wasn’t the man he fell in love with. This man was a complete stranger. “Carson, is it possible one of the spirits from last night managed to glom on to Ten and is influencing his mood right now?”
“Oh, ho! Look who paid attention.” Ten wore an eerie Joker-like smile.
“I’m not sure what’s going on here.” Carson exchanged a wordless glance with his brother.
“Nothing glommed on to me.” Ten rolled his eyes. “I’m sick of my life being out of my control. I’m sick of being scared and alone”
“You’re not alone, Ten. You have all of us,” Cole said.
“No one has been able to help me so far.” Ten sounded like a petulant child in need of nap.
“I need a break.” Ronan stood up and moved toward the door.
“Why were you here?” Ten shouted. “You told me you were going to work. I needed you to be here for me today and you went off to work like nothing out of the ordinary happened last night. You should have been here for me today.”
Ronan barked out a rough laugh. “Jesus Christ, Tennyson, why the hell do you think I’m here and not in Boston? I lied to you when I told you I was going to work because I was coming here to see Carson about what happened last night. I was so freaked out and scared that I needed to talk to him alone. I knew that if I told you, you would just tell me I was being ridiculous and that everything was fine and that you were safe. You’re not safe.” Ronan’s voice cracked. “Your entire body is bruised, sweetheart, and I couldn’t save you. Do you have any idea what that did to me, seeing you like that?” A rogue tear slid down his cheek. Ronan batted at it angrily. “You think your life is out of control? Look at mine! The man I love more than my next breath thinks I’m the reason his life crashed and burned around him.”
Unable to breathe in the tight room, Ronan yanked open the door and strode out.
29
Tennyson
If Tennyson thought he felt like shit before, that was nothing compared to how he felt now. Ronan’s words played over and over again in his mind. His voice had sounded devastated, the look in his eyes was pure heartbreak and Ten had done those things to him.
After Ronan left, Cassie had rushed in with chamomile tea and shortbread cookies. The tea was Ten’s favorite relaxation blend and Ronan loved the shortbread. Cole had pulled his wife aside to explain what was going on and Ten hadn’t missed the dirty look Cassie shot him on her way out the door.
Making friends and influencing people…
Ten shook his head. He was still having a hard time believing he’d said those words to Ronan. Hell, at this point, he was lucky he still had friends left.
There had been a lot of texting going on after Ronan left. Ten assumed Carson and Cole were trying to find him and make sure he was okay. The problem was, neither of them were getting any return texts.
Around lunchtime Carson had taken Ten home with him. He’d sat in the living room with the babies while Carson filled Truman in on what was going on. Truman, usually thrilled to see him, had been cold after that point.
Now, two hours later, Ten was starting
to worry. The babies were down for their afternoon naps. All of the lunch dishes were done. The dog had been fed and the downstairs floors were dry-mopped. The house was spotless. It was time to pay the piper.
Grabbing the portable baby monitor, Tennyson headed outside. Carson and Truman were sitting at the patio table talking quietly together, their hands joined. Sweating glasses of lemonade sat, barely touched, in front of them.
He felt like public enemy number one about to interrupt them. “Hey, guys.”
“Hey, Ten.” Carson smiled. Truman did not.
“I did the dishes, fed Sadie, dry mopped the floor…” He looked down at his feet.
“Ten, I didn’t bring you home with me so you could clean our house. Although, we do appreciate that very much. Don’t we, Tru?” Carson elbowed his husband.
Truman muttered something Tennyson couldn’t quite make out.
Looking up at the sky as if he was hoping for divine intervention, Carson took a deep breath. “Have a seat, Ten.”
Ten did what he was asked. He hoped that whatever it was Carson was about to say was going to make the situation better and not infinitely worse. The last thing he needed right now was more bad news.
“Have you heard from Ronan since he left the Magick shop this morning?” Carson asked carefully.
Ten had his phone in his hand a dozen times, at least, since Ronan stormed out of the reading room, but he hadn’t been brave enough to use it. “No. He hasn’t called or texted and neither have I.”
“We haven’t heard from him either. By we, I mean me, Tru, Cole and the captain.”
“You called Kevin?” Shit, if Fitzgibbon was involved that meant that he knew Ronan wasn’t working on the Owens case today. He knew Ronan was playing hooky.
“Ronan taking a day off the Owens case to help you isn’t a problem, Ten. Kevin knows what you’ve been going through. The fact that it’s been nearly four hours and no one’s heard from Ronan is what’s concerning.” Carson sighed.
Ten didn’t know what to say. There were a couple of places around Salem that Ronan loved, but would he have stayed here in town? Was he home in his shitty apartment in Dorchester? Was he at the closest bar breaking his sobriety? Ten dropped his head. He felt his chin hit his chest. “He loves to sit at Dead Horse Beach. Henderson Ice Cream is his favorite. It’s possible he’s at my apartment. I just don’t know. I’ve never seen him like this before.” Ten’s last words were barely above a whisper. “Usually he’s full of piss and vinegar when we fight. Today he was like one of those punching bags boxers use, but with all of the stuffing beat out of it.”
“Look, Ten, I don’t mean to stir the shit here, but, what the hell were you thinking today?” Truman asked “I get that you went through something traumatic last night. I saw the pictures. I hope you don’t mind, but Carson showed them to me. Ronan has been there for you through all of this. Why did you use him as your punching bag?”
It was a fair question. There was no doubt about that. Ten just couldn’t answer it. “I don’t know what got into me, Truman. One minute I was freaking out because I was so scared that the Reiki woman was going to call the police. I was actually terrified that she wasn’t going to let me leave and she’d call the Salem Police.”
“That was the anxiety talking,” Truman said.
“Yeah, I figured that out once my heart wasn’t pounding so hard in my ears it was all I could hear. She kept asking questions about Ronan. She obviously didn’t believe me about the bruises and how I got them. I felt my fight or flight instinct kick in. It was like pure adrenaline pumping through my body. It was like there was so much of it that I was drunk on it.”
Carson nodded. “It was an adrenaline high of sorts. You’ve heard of those crazy people who base jump or cliff dive? They do it for the adrenaline rush. What you got was something similar, but yours was purely fear-based, not thrill-based.”
“Right, well when the adrenaline stopped pumping, it felt just like being hungover. My head was pounding. I felt like I could sleep for a week and drink a gallon of water. Then I was just bitchy and mean. I don’t know what got into me except that what happened today, coupled with what happened last night was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I don’t know where to turn now.”
Truman sat forward in his chair. A deep frown furrowed his forehead. “What are you saying?”
“I’m not going to hurt myself, if that’s what you’re thinking. What I mean is that I’ve tried massage, body treatments, visualization exercises, energy healing, rough sex, soft sex, lots of sleep, too much ice cream. So far none of these things have helped. In the last three weeks I haven’t heard one voice or seen one spirit.”
“Except last night,” Carson pointed out.
“I don’t know how to explain what that was, Carson. I’ve never been hurt by a spirit before.” Talking like this was nice, but he didn’t have any more answers now than before.
“When Ronan was with me earlier, Mom stopped by. I almost wish she hadn’t, because it meant she wasn’t with you. She didn’t know if the spirits could hurt you more than what they had done, if they could draw blood, put you in the hospital, or… worse.”
Well, that sure as shit didn’t make Ten feel any better. “Christ, so my best bet tonight is to not fall asleep? Reminds me of those teenage slasher movies about the guy with the razor blades for fingers.”
“Mom said she was going to check with the other psychics around town. I wish I had more information to give you, but this is all we have.” Carson looked as lost as Ten felt.
“Ronan really came to see you today?”
Carson snorted. “Booked an appointment under a fake name.”
Ten found his first smile of the day. “He did? What fake name? Columbo? Miss Marple? Sherlock Holmes?”
“Nope! Sam Spade.” Carson grinned.
“Oh, The Maltese Falcon. Good movie. Not a big Humphrey Bogart fan, but that’s a hell of a movie.” Ten reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone. When he hit the home button a selfie of himself and Ronan filled the screen.
The shot was one of those silly moments when they were working and Ten would lean over and snap a picture at a red light while they were driving through Boston. Ronan got so used to him doing it that he’d perfected his pose and smile. Stoplight Selfies, Ronan called them. They both looked so damned happy. Thanks to his earlier actions, they might not ever be as happy as they were when that picture was taken. “Is he ever going to speak to me again?”
Truman shrugged. “I think that’s up to you.”
30
Ronan
Ronan didn’t know why he was still in Salem. Glutton for punishment, he guessed. Tennyson knew Dead Horse Beach was his favorite spot in town and he’d been sitting here for nearly four hours on the off chance Ten decided to come look for him. What a god-damned fool he was.
The beach was small, only fifty yards or so of shoreline. It had light waves that lapped at the beach and a pretty view of Salem Harbor in front of it and the Salem Willows Park behind it.
The only thing looking for him was a curious squirrel who was somehow convinced he had a nut hidden in his pocket. Or maybe the squirrel knew he was a nut. Either way, he was sitting alone on a park bench.
If he had to guess, Ronan would say the reason why he was still sitting here was because he hadn’t figured out what was going to happen between him and Tennyson yet. He understood that Ten was suffering something fierce with losing his gift. What happened last night just added a new layer to that. A new and terrifying layer.
Why hadn’t Ten asked him to stay home today? Ronan gladly would have. He would have driven him to the Reiki appointment and would have ended up giving that woman a piece of his mind, which would have added fuel to the fire in her thinking Ronan had been the one to hurt Tennyson.
“This seat taken?” a familiar voice asked. Captain Fitzgibbon sat down next to him and handed him a fast food bag. He was holding a similar bag in his other hand.
Well shit…If the captain was here then he knew Ronan wasn’t chasing down a lead on the Owens case. “Hey, cap.”
“Calm down, Ronan. I come in peace and as a friend. Now eat. Rumor has it you missed lunch.” Fitzgibbon dug into his bag and pulled out a large sandwich. He unwrapped the top half and took an enormous bite.
Eating was the last thing on Ronan’s mind, but now that he could smell the cheeseburger, his body reminded him that it had been hours since breakfast. He opened his bag and pulled out the fries. He supposed he could eat a few of those.
At the sight of the golden-brown fries, a couple of sea gulls screamed in glee and flew over to the men.
“Christ, rats with wings!” Fitzgibbon rolled his bag up and stuck it under his arm.
“Not a bird fan?” Ronan had gotten to appreciate the gulls during his time here today. They were hardworking and determined birds. They kind of reminded him of himself. Plus, they liked French fries. Who didn’t like those?
“I don’t like anything that tries to steal my lunch.” The captain took another massive bite out of his burger. “Except Greeley. I like him.”
Ronan laughed. “I’m sure your son will be glad to hear that. The last thing that kid needs is for you to bite his hand off, mistaking it for your lunch.”
Fitzgibbon crinkled up the empty wrapper and dug back into the bag, pulling out a second cheeseburger. “So, you gonna tell me what this is all about? Or am I gonna have to rely on eyewitness testimony? We both know how unreliable that can be.” Kevin grinned at Ronan before digging back in to his lunch.
It was obvious Kevin had been briefed on the situation, possibly by multiple sources. Ronan dug out his phone and flipped to the pictures of Tennyson’s bruises. He handed the phone to his boss. “Ten had a nightmare last night, but this was unlike any dream I’ve ever heard of before, Cap. Spirits attacked him, mobbed him and beat him because he couldn’t help them. He was crying out for me and thrashing like he was in a fight for his life. When I was finally able to wake him up, I saw the bruises.”
