Nico’s lips twitched. “It was kinder than Francis.”
Nahia blinked at him in response, because agreeing with him out loud felt rude. “Okay then. So your MS is in astronomy?”
He shook his head with a wry grin. “What made you think that?”
His grin and question left her with a growing well of embarrassment. “Um…well, last night…on the bridge…” her words were coming out against their will, held back by a wave of mortification, but forced out because the silence filled with indistinct notes of something she could only identify as The Cars was even more frightening.
Turning into the driveway of their destination, Nico took her hand and put her out of her misery. “Psychology. Astronomy minor.”
It was when he killed the engine and got out to open her door that Nahia realized where they were. Though the sun was out, the house was still imposing and more than a little creepy, like it was looming over them with an air of expectation. He held the door for her as she emerged from the car, a concerned look coloring his features. “You look upset.”
‘Upset’ was the least of her feelings, with terror and mortification leading up the group. She shrugged and stared at the cobblestone driveway. “Well, you admit to someone with a psychology degree, a couple of them, that you hear voices no one else does, see things other people don’t, and I’m sure you can see my dilemma. I mean, Jesus, poster child for schizophrenia right here. Psychosis at the very least.”
Nahia’s body radiated agitation as she spoke and paced. Her hands were practically shaking as she gesticulated. “Hey.” His attempt at capturing her attention was ignored as she pivoted on her heel to walk away from him.
“I mean, I get that. I’m sure I look like a great doctoral thesis to you.” She started walking back toward him, eyes studiously on the ground in front of her. “You know, ‘Debunking the Ghost Hunter: a walk on the psychotic side’, though I’m sure you’re better at titling things like that than I am. Not to mention—”
“Nahia Wellington.” He grabbed both her arms to stop her footbound circuit, holding her still as she faced off with him. She looked up at him with dark eyes filled with hurt and disillusionment. “Stop. Really.” She simply blinked at him and said nothing else, though he felt at least a little better about the situation when she didn’t pull away from him immediately. “You need a middle name.”
Her slow blink turned into a cock of the head that seemed to indicate they should be discussing his sanity and not hers. “Any particular reason?”
“I was tempted to call all of it and came up bereft.” Her lips twitched but she didn’t speak, leaving him with the feeling that he was drowning in the fathomless depths of her eyes. “I’m not sure what experience you’ve had with the psychiatric community before—” her eyes widened immediately as she opened her mouth and he held up a finger. “But you don’t have to worry about me. I know what I saw the other night, and that’s not up for debate. You’re okay.”
She watched his face, and he could feel her scrutiny like a tactile sensation. Finally she nodded and stepped back. He released her instantly. “Nizhoni,” she muttered under her breath as she shoved her hands into her back pockets and rocked back on her heels.
“I’m sorry?” His eyes darted from her to the gargoyles at the end of the driveway, not out of disinterest, but concern. His surprise should have been here already.
“Nizhoni,” Nahia repeated as her gaze followed his to the end of the drive. “Means ‘beautiful’ in Navajo.” Her cheeks flushed in the midday sun as he studied her from her artfully messy braid past her pink Butler University t-shirt that left a tanned stripe of skin visible above her jeans when she moved, down to her cute little toes with silver-painted nails.
He moved to stand in front of her and placed a finger beneath her chin to tilt her face to his. “That sounds about right,” he whispered against her lips before sampling her taste. He was only a man, Nico reasoned, and could only be expected not to kiss her for so long, until the urge became too great for simple willpower to overcome. And though the only point of connection between the two of them was their lips, he felt her as surely as he could feel himself.
Their kiss was interrupted by tires on the cobblestones as Nigel pulled into the driveway behind them in his burgundy Charger. “Don’t make me turn the hose on you, kids! You’ll scandalize the neighbors!” he hollered as he leaned over his open door to goad them.
Nahia’s eyes narrowed as she snarled at the rude interruption. “What the hell are you doing here, brat?”
Slamming the door and walking around to perch on the hood, the picture of a man of leisure in his designer jeans, appropriately too-tight Aeropostale shirt and tan boots, Nigel sniffed. “I was invited.” The way he looked down his nose at her had Nahia growling softly and clenching her fists.
Nico didn’t know that much about their friendship, but wasn’t really all that interested in extensive bloodshed. “Did you bring it?” he asked over her head. At her sharp look of confused suspicion, he took her hand and entwined their fingers. Brawl averted, advantage Nico.
Nigel yawned and nodded at the same time, bringing both hands to his mouth to keep his jaw from running off unaccompanied. Once he was done, he went to the back of his car and pulled her massive backpack from the trunk.
Seeing her gear in her friend’s hand startled her into motion. “How in the actual hell…?” She grabbed her bag and clutched it in front of her, looking at both of them accusingly.
Nigel pulled his own pack from the trunk and shut it, locking the car with a cheerful chirp of the alarm. “The ‘how’ is so much less interesting than the ‘why’.”
Nahia slowly lowered her bag to her side, still watching them both with an expression full of skepticism and suspicion. “Okay, then we’ll come back to the ‘how’. Why are you here, Ni?”
Nigel scoffed, looking between his friend and the looming structure behind them. “Duh! I wanted to see the house!” When she blinked in response, her eyes barely opened, looking more annoyed by the minute. He crossed his arms and leaned a hip against the side of his car. “So, I sent Nico a text asking if he wanted to hit the courts today.” He looked up to meet Nico’s eyes with a devilish grin. “He said he was with you and wanted to know if I wanted to come and see this place.”
“And my stuff?” She shifted from foot to foot as she struggled with the weight of the satchel she cradled like a baby.
Nigel shrugged. “He asked if I had a way to get your stuff or bring my own, so I did both. It’s not like I went through your underwear drawer, Nye.” He paused, “Much.”
At his sassy look, she snorted a laugh. She could never stay mad at him for long and he knew it. Looking over her shoulder at Nico, her eyes were still filled with speculation. “I thought you were just playing Sudoku at lunch.” Point, Nahia.
The lack of rancor in her voice pleased him enormously. “I was. I just happened to text when you got up from the table.” He hadn’t wanted to admit the house was never far from his mind. The events of a few days ago changed something within him fundamentally, and he felt drawn to the old place, but not quite comfortable saying so out loud. He figured having Nigel with them during the day would make it a less intense experience for him, also something he wasn’t going to say. “Is this cool?”
Nahia shrugged and hefted the pack over her shoulders. The smile she gave him left him rooted to the spot, overwhelmed with happiness and affection. All the annoyance in her stiff and somewhat growly demeanor had vanished. “Yeah, this is cool.” She took his hand and stuck her tongue out over her shoulder at Nigel, who only smiled indulgently.
When they reached the door, it almost felt like the house was holding its breath. Like something dark was waiting for them just beyond the threshold, regardless of the time of day. Since he was holding her hand, he suppressed the slight shiver that chased down his spine.
Nahia took the lead, but stopped with her hand on the doorknob. “Question for you two.”
> “Yes, oh fearless leader?” Nigel asked as he leaned against the stonework adjacent to the door.
She shifted her weight to one hip as she looked her friend over. “You’re cops. I’m hunting for proof of an afterlife. We’re trespassing.”
Nigel blinked at her. “I’m sure there’s a question in there somewhere, yes?” At her look of impending violence, he held up a hand and moved it gently to the gun on his hip. “Okay. We’re cops. We’re checking an abandoned building.”
Nico grinned at her look of vexed amusement, warming do the idea. “Yeah, we’re checking the premises and you’re our ridiculously cute assistant.”
Her cheeks flamed at his mention of her ridiculous cuteness, but her grin was definitely worth it. “Okay then. On we go.” Game, tied.
She reached for the doorknob again, and cocked her head to the side. “Huh.”
Something about her tone had Nico resting his hand on his gun as a comfort. “Yeah?”
Nahia straightened back up and rolled her shoulders, like she was psyching herself up for a prizefight. “Nothing. Just found it odd that the whole time we’ve been talking here, there’s been no glass in the door inset. Nothing at all between us and the house.”
Might as well have said that they were talking in front of a tiger cage and it just so happened to be open. She turned to go inside with Nigel following closely and Nico didn’t bother hiding the shiver. Nothing about this felt good all of a sudden.
“I’m gonna put the camera here,” she said as she dropped her bag at the foot of the stairs. It took a moment to warm to it, but having Nigel butt in on her date with Nico was actually going to be helpful if they were going to tackle the house. Honestly, she wanted to run upstairs and explore the back hallway first, but she also really wanted to see what the downstairs looked like in the daylight. Not to mention, it was hot as an upper level of Hades in there, and the upstairs would be even more stifling. “I need yours set up in the kitchen, facing the hallway to the sunroom.”
Nigel nodded and headed off to the sitting room with the brass light fixtures and the peachy-orange walls, on his way to put a camera and a digital recorder in the kitchen. Nico, bless him, stayed by her side as she set up her camera, offering her a hand up as she stood. He even picked up her backpack like he did last time.
“You ready?” She laced her fingers with his, seeing the stress in his face with the set of his jaw. The hand she held was stiff and trembling slightly, but she wasn’t going to point that out. This was the hard part, coming back after an intense encounter and hoping to have it again. She wouldn’t blame him for backing out, but she really wanted him with her.
Nico swallowed hard and nodded. “Yeah, let’s do this.” Nigel rejoined them and they all set off, walking around the ground floor with recorders in hand and cameras at the ready.
“We’re back, sir. Would you like to come out and talk to us?” It was an innocuous enough start, she figured. Everyone stilled as they listened, the only real sounds they heard were the wind outside and the road noise of the busy street at the end of the drive. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, stilling her mind and reaching out to whomever was there.
She walked the same route they’d taken the last time, around the circuit of the ground floor, and still she felt nothing. All her instincts said upstairs was where the real action was, as gorgeous as the house was in the daylight. Now, she could see the beautifully detailed— if a bit time-worn— wallpaper and the delicate wainscotings and crown moldings. All the fixtures, hinges, lights, everything was in tarnished brass, and every doorknob they came across was cut crystal. This house must have been breathtaking to behold in its heyday, which only made her sad to think of it now in its disrepair.
The rundown and ramshackle appearance had everything to do with the previous family who lived there, though. She couldn’t blame anyone for not wanting a house with that kind of history. Not everyone was her. Though it would take more money than she’d see in a lifetime, Nahia wanted nothing more than to fix the old place up and live there.
As she mounted the stairs, she laid a hand on the banister, an image of a woman, beautiful and stately with red hair and a warm smile flashed into her mind. Everything was polished and clean, there was furniture in the foyer, the sound of kids playing upstairs from down the hallway. It was so vibrant, so fresh, that she stopped, leaving the guys to crash into her back.
Nico was beside her instantly. “You okay, Nye?”
The look of concern on his face made her feel bad for upsetting him. It wasn’t an image that hurt her, per se, just something she’d never experienced before, and would need to discuss with Mags as soon as possible. Visions with sound were definitely a new thing for her. “I’m cool. Just…” she trailed off, not sure how to explain what had happened without sounding like she needed medication and extensive observation. “I’m cool.”
Looking completely unconvinced, he nodded and let it go. They continued up the stairs to the first landing. The view through the dusty glass of the window was the same as she remembered, greener, and showing off a large stone fountain that had been hidden in the shadows of the night. The four-car garage/guest house was more visible, as well, and in the same state of disrepair.
“That is a creepy-ass view,” Nigel remarked as he stood behind her. She looked up to follow his line of sight to the area occupied by the hallway. It was nice to have her opinion validated.
“I don’t suppose we can just post up out here and see if he comes to us,” Nico mused as he looked out as well.
Nahia shook her head and started up the last flight of stairs, feeling the thin glaze of sweat form on her skin as the temperature rose with each step. “Nope. That’s called ‘waiting’. What we do is called ‘hunting’. We go to it.”
“Hunting implies that you kill it once you get there,” came the grumbling response.
She and Nigel chuckled as they moved onto the open area of the second floor. It only took a moment to set up the recording equipment, and then they converged on the mouth of hallway.
A scent wafted past her, kind of like the sulphury smell of decomposition, one she’d encountered before, but didn’t bode well. “This could get ugly,” she muttered out of the side of her mouth in Nigel’s direction. He nodded and pulled off his pack, digging around until he came up with something that made her smile. Though she knew he didn’t believe in such things, he kept salt, holy water, and chalk on hand just in case.
At Nico’s less than subtle curiosity— the big guy was leaning over her like he planned to shelter her from the rain or something— she opened her hand to show him the small silver vial and a leather pouch not unlike the one he’d seen back at the store before she stuffed them in her pocket.
Holding the small silver recorder in front of her like a flashlight, she said, “We’re coming down the hallway. If you’d like to talk, we’d love to hear what you have to say.”
The passage had no windows, making it almost as dark as it had been on their previous visit, and the heat made the darkness that much more oppressive. It was a lucky thing for them that the hallway was large enough to accommodate them walking three abreast, because they were all a little too keyed up to manage single file. It was a slow walk, too, since they all were testing the floorboards beneath them before proceeding, lest this turn into a bad situation involving the fire department and some less than pleased coworkers, for at least two of them.
The feeling of being watched was magnified since the hallway was lined in gold-veined mirrored glass, from floor to ceiling, and even overhead. More than once Nahia thought she saw someone walking with them when she glanced quickly at the mirror, but she wasn’t sure if it was just her eyes playing tricks or if it was actually someone there.
“As if this place needed to be creepier,” Nico whispered, though they were the only living things there. “I figured the walls would be covered in blood or something.”
She hummed in agreement. Given the history of the place, th
at certainly wasn’t out of the realm of possibility, but she hoped it wasn’t the case. Blood could hold lots of things, and could definitely bind a spirit in place, at least in her experience. The feeling of not being alone was becoming almost stifling, and she had to stop walking to catch her breath.
This wasn’t an attack, as such, just a kind of burdensome sensation that made it hard for her to breathe. She moved to the wall, careful not to touch it given her previous experience with the banister, and she bent over with her hands braced on her knees. The guys waited while she shored up her strength, Nico dividing his attention between her and the entrance from which they’d come, in case someone had followed them down the corridor. Nigel merely looked ahead into the room just beyond the darkness.
With the door ajar, the red-walled room seemed to beckon to them from the hall. She could make out shafts of sunlight from the windows she’d spied from the landing, but there was a darkness there, too, as if the sunlight was expressly forbidden. The whole set-up felt a bit off to her.
Though she hadn’t yet regained her fortitude, she watched as Nigel made his way gingerly down to the door. “Ni, get back here.”
“What? This? This is okay.” He pushed the door open further, and a sick dread filled her stomach as an intense burst of the sulphur smell wafted past her face.
She was moving down the hall quickly, and felt Nico fall in behind her, down the hall to her best friend, because whatever was in that room was not in the mood for fun and games. She grabbed his arm to pull him back, and they were all sucked inside, the door slamming resoundingly shut behind them.
Nico was on the knob, quick as a minute, trying desperately to get out. Though he didn’t say anything, the abject terror in his wide eyes was clear to her.
After collecting the recorder that had skittered into a corner of the room and shoving it into her back pocket, Nahia returned to the center of the room and reached her arms out to draw Nigel, who’d ended up across the room next to an old chifferobe— the only piece of furniture in the room— and Nico to stand with her. It would be easier to protect them if they were next to her.
Dead and Disorderly (Behind the Blue Line Series Book 2) Page 8
