by Flynn, Mac
Quinn stepped forward. "Stop scaring her," he ordered the man.
Sebastian folded his arms over his chest and shrugged. "It's more of a friendly warning. But if you'll excuse me, I must fetch my Phantoms and make a report to my superiors. Goodnight."
His eyes flickered to me for a moment before he turned and walked out of the room. His footsteps paused for only a moment at the opposite end of the attic before he left through the main door.
Quinn slammed his fist into his other palm. "Damn that guy. I'd like show him some superior punching power."
Ian helped Cronus to his feet and shook his head. "I hate to admit it, but he's right. It is dangerous." He glanced at Cecilia. "Ceci, you ever heard of a Blessing coming from skin?"
She shook her head. "Never."
"That doesn't mean she's going to blow up," Quinn argued.
"How about we talk about this after we figure out if our job's done," Ian pointed out.
"It is. There aren't any more spirits here," Cecilia confirmed.
"Even the servant ones?" Ian asked her.
She nodded. "Even them."
Ian slung one of Cronus' arms over his shoulders and headed for the hole in the wall. "Then let's get out of here. This place still smells like death."
CHAPTER 12
Ian and Cronus led the way towards the second floor. Quinn paused on the landing to the third floor and glanced at the open door that led in the hand room. Cecilia held onto his arm, but he pulled her off.
"Let me go check something," he requested as he handed her off to me. "I'll be right back."
He hurried into the room. We heard Ian's voice rise up from the landing to the second floor.
"What's going on?" he called to us.
"Quinn is being stupid again," Cecilia replied.
Ian's snort echoed up the stairwell. "Any particular reason why?"
"I'm not being stupid," Quinn argued as he popped out of the room. "Cecilia said the ghosts were gone, and I wanted to make sure."
"How?" I asked him as I handed Cecilia back to him.
"By checking the hands. They're nothing but dust now," he explained.
I raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"
"It means that the only thing keeping the bodies intact was the woman's spirit," Cecilia told me.
"That's right," Quinn added. "With her gone the bodies crumbled and the spirits were freed."
"I guess that means we have less to explain to the owners," I pointed out.
"And the authorities," Quinn added.
"Are you guys coming or not? Cronus isn't light," Ian quipped.
"I no longer need your assistance," we heard Cronus gruffly reply.
"You don't? All right." There was a pause and something heavy dropped to the floor. "What do you know. It looks like you still need me to support your weight."
"Be quiet," Cronus growled.
We three upstairs smiled and met the men on the second floor landing. Cronus was once again slung over Ian's shoulders, and Ian had a big grin on his face. Cronus had a deeper scowl than usual, and for once it wasn't aimed at me but his partner.
Ian jerked his head in the direction behind him. "Let me put Cronus to bed and we'll meet in the girls' room."
We three nodded and walked into the room shared by Cecilia and me. I happily plopped myself on the foot of the bed and Cecilia joined me. Quinn leaned against a wall close to the door, and in a few moments Ian rejoined us.
"I gotta ask," Quinn spoke first. "I thought we were dealing with a guy ghost, but that looked like a lady, or a really cute guy in drag."
Ian strode over to the small table and plopped himself into one of the chairs. He lit a cigarette and tucked it into the corner of his mouth. "That was probably Mrs. Black."
Quinn frowned. "The wife? Why'd she want to haunt this place?"
"Why does any woman want to haunt a home she herself helped to design? Our clients themselves noted the touch of a woman in the doorways," Ian revealed.
"She was happy here," Cecilia spoke up.
Ian nodded. "Yep. My guess is that when Mr. Black lost the place she lost her mind and killed everybody. Her husband, their servants, and then probably herself upstairs in that shut room."
"Just because they were going to lose the house?" I pointed out.
"Not just the house. Cronus told us they lost pretty much everything," Ian reminded me. "A woman goes from a life in a nunnery to fabulous wealth, and then loses it all. Maybe she thought she'd be abandoned by her husband and forced back into the nunnery."
"A woman like that might not have even been let back in," Quinn pointed out.
"True, and that would've made the situation that much worse for her," he agreed. "There weren't many professions then that an abandoned wife could take up."
I raised my hand. "I know she tried to kill all of us, but I didn't destroy her, did I? I mean, exorcise her or something like that?"
Cecilia turned to me and shook her head. "The Blessing doesn't destroy souls. It purifies them so they can go to the other side."
"So she's at peace?" I guessed.
She nodded. "Yeah."
"So that was a Blessing, huh?" Quinn spoke up. "I've never seen one before."
"And you won't be seeing one for a long time because she needs to stop using them so much," Ian scolded me.
I glared at him. "It's not my fault. It just happened."
"Cronus and I told you you needed to start controlling yourself," he reminded me.
"If she's using instinct more than skill it's because she hasn't had enough time with me," Cecilia spoke up. "You need to bring her over more often, Mr. Ian."
"I don't have the books yet," he revealed.
"Then stop spending all your time trying to get yourself killed and get them," she retorted.
Ian stood and stretched his arms over his head. "Where's the fun and money in that?"
"Speaking of money, I don't work for free," Quinn spoke up.
Cecilia and I snapped our heads to Ian and glared at him. "You don't pay me, Mr. Ian."
"And I don't get any money, either," I reminded him.
He sheepishly grinned and sidestepped closer to the door. "Maybe we can talk about this tomorrow, ladies." He faked a yawn and covered his mouth. "Really tired and all. I need lots of sleep. You guys should get some, too. Goodnight."
He slipped out the entrance and in a moment we heard his door shut. Cecilia and I turned our angry eyes on Quinn. He held up his hands and slid towards the door.
"I guess I'll-um, say goodnight, too," he replied as he, too, escaped our combined wraths.
Cecilia's eyes flickered to me. "Tomorrow?"
I nodded. "Oh yeah."
I had to admit sleep wasn't such a bad idea. Our shared living space meant Cecilia got the bed and I got a pile of blankets on the floor. I lay on my back awake for a long time thinking about what Sebastian had told me and offered.
I raised a hand and studied my palm. It didn't look ready to explode, but then again it didn't look like it could shoot out beams of light. I sighed and dropped my hand to my side.
"What a mess you've gotten yourself into, Enid," I whispered to myself.
I rolled over and soon fell asleep.
CHAPTER 13
To make a long story short, the next morning we found ourselves alone in the house. Even Sebastian was gone. Our clients arrived after breakfast and were pleased to hear about their de-ghosted house, but not too thrilled with the minor renovations we made to the attic and third-floor closet. It didn't help that most of our evidence was now piles of dust. That meant Ian didn't get quite as much money as he wanted, but enough to pay us off for our time.
We stepped outside into the crisp morning air with our packs slung over our shoulders. I turned and looked up at the house. There were no prying eyes or eerie sense of awe. It was now just an old building.
"Don't forget to call when you need us again," Quinn shouted from his beat-up old car. Cecilia already sat in the f
ront passenger seat.
"Not if I want to make any money," Ian called back.
Quinn grinned and ducked into the driver's seat. In a few moments the pair roared off down the road. The valet brought our car and we climbed in. Cronus was a little worse for wear with his chest, but he managed to get into his usual seat. Our grateful clients waved to us from their front step as we drove off.
I watched the house until it slipped from view, and then turned in my seat and sighed.
"Bored already?" Ian teased as he chewed on a fresh cigarette.
I shook my head as I glanced out the window. "No, not that."
"You don't miss the ghosts, do you?" he wondered.
I leaned back in my seat and pursed my lips. My eyes remained averted from Ian's gaze, but I could tell he watched me through the rear view mirror.
"I was just thinking about Mrs. Black, and I think I can relate to her," I told him.
Ian raised an eyebrow. "Really? How? You're not going to try to kill us, are you?"
A small smile slipped onto my lips and I shook my head. "No, I meant when she was alive. She-" I paused and ran a hand through my hair. "Never mind. It sounds corny, even in my head."
"Spit it out. We'll tell you if you're being an idiot," Ian assured me.
I rolled my eyes. "Thanks. That really helps."
"Speak what is on your mind," Cronus spoke up. Ian and I turned our faces and gaped at him. He looked straight ahead and scowled. "To brood is to rot the mind with useless thoughts. It is better they were said and be done with them."
Ian smirked and glanced over his shoulder at me. "I think that means he wants you to spit it out, too."
I shrugged and stared at the floor. "I was just thinking how she didn't really give herself a chance with a new life, you know? She decided if she couldn't have her old life she wouldn't have any life. I just-" I bit my lower lip. "I just thought maybe I was being a little like her. Maybe I needed to let go of my old life a little better or I'd end up like her."
There was a deep silence in the car. The men stared straight ahead with furrowed brows. A puff of smoke rose from Ian's cigarette and wandered out his partially open window. I squirmed in my seat.
"Stupid, huh?" I asked them.
Ian shook his head. "I don't think so. Actually, I never really thought of it that way, but I guess you're right. She didn't give herself much of a chance, and she didn't give anyone else a chance, either."
I snorted. "Now you're making me sound even worse. Like I don't give you and Cronus a chance."
He smiled. "You are a pain in the ass to us a lot of the time."
"It takes one to know one," I retorted.
"Touche. Very mature comeback."
"I've learned from the best."
He winced. "That one hurt. It really did."
My smile widened and I jerked my head towards Cronus. "Actually, I was talking about him."
Ian's snort was so loud I thought he'd blown his nose off. Cronus stiffened and he slowly turned his head to the side so one evil eye looked at me.
"You are mistaken," he told me.
I shook my head. "No, I'm pretty sure somebody who pouts as much as you has to be the biggest baby among us."
Ian laughed. "She's got you there, Cronus!"
Cronus' eyes flickered to Ian. "She has me nowhere. I do not pout, I merely remain silent."
"And with a glare on your face like you hated the whole world," I returned.
He turned his face away from both of us. His voice was quiet and his words were slow. "Not the whole world. . ." he murmured.
I glanced at Ian. He shrugged and tapped the side of his nose. I rolled my eyes. I hadn't asked Cronus his back story, and Ian just reminded me he wasn't going to give me any answers.
I leaned back against the seat and shrugged. "Well, anyway, I thought I'd give this new life of mine a more serious try."
"So no more hyperventilating during cases?" Ian teased.
"Only if the occasion calls for it," I quipped.
"And you'll take your studies seriously?"
"Just as soon as you pay Ceci so she'll teach me."
"All right, but if I hear you've been leaving tacks in the teacher's chair I'm going to have to take you to my room and spank you," he warned me.
I cringed. "Isn't that against the Geneva Convention?"
He grinned. "Care to find out?"
I snorted. "Calm yourself, wolf boy. I said I was going to give this life a better try, not dive head-first into your bed."
"A guy can hope."
"Keep hoping," I quipped as I glanced out my window.
The countryside sped by as blurs of color. It was a visualization of my life over the past few weeks. I only hoped my accepting of my current predicament would slow things down.
Time and our next adventure would tell.
For all books by Mac Flynn visit her author's page or visit Mac Flynn's website.
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