by Mary Behre
He strode over, tapping the phone against his chin.
“Everything okay with the little woman?” Ian asked with a shit-eating grin. “Need ya to bring home some milk?”
Dev didn’t speak until he stood, literally, on Ian’s foot. “We’ve got . . . a concern, you might say.”
If his puckered lips were any indication, the concern was going to be a pisser of an issue.
“What?” Ian asked, sliding his foot from beneath his cousin’s. He appeared to snap to attention.
Dev turned to Hannah. “That was Shelley on the phone. She got a call from Jules, who had a visitor early this morning. A young man by the name of Brandt. Seems he’s worried about a friend yours, Hannah.”
“Wh-which one? All my friends are in Ohio.” All the color drained from her face. “Except for the ones who work here.”
“Do you know someone named Ross?”
* * *
“YOU’RE WRONG,” NIALL snapped. “Ross is at home.”
Hannah reached to touch him, to calm him, but he acted as if she wasn’t there. As if he didn’t need her.
“When was the last time you saw him?” Dev asked as Ryan and Ian stepped up to flank Niall.
“Last night, at the reception. He was supposed to clean up and meet me here. This morning. He didn’t show. But that’s not surprising. I told him to sleep in, that I’d cover opening the Cat this morning.”
“Did he show up late? Call? Has anybody seen him since the reception?” Ian asked, notebook and pen at the ready.
“No. I-I don’t know. That is we, uh . . .” Niall tossed a confused glance at Hannah.
“We didn’t get here until late this morning. Virgil opened the restaurant,” Hannah answered for him. She wanted to reassure him, but with each passing second the fear mounted. She took his hand in hers. “And Niall and I left around noon to get supplies for a wiring issue.”
“Did you call him when he didn’t show?” Dev kept the questions coming.
“No, shit. I promised Virgil I’d call Ross and Paulie. Neither of them showed today, but I got distracted.” Niall pulled his hand free of Hannah’s and began to pace. “I’ll call him now. You’ll see, he’s sleeping off his latest hangover. He is not in fucking danger.”
Niall tugged his cell phone from his pocket and pressed it to his ear.
Answer the phone, Ross. Please God. Answer your brother’s call.
“It’s ringing,” Niall said and hope sparked in Hannah’s chest. Then he rolled his eyes and her heart sank. “Voice mail. Ross, it’s Niall. Call me back.”
Niall’s green eyes were dull and his face had turned pasty white. “I had to leave him a message . . . Are you sure Jules’s visitor was right? I thought the Brandt guy was the name of the dead guy Hannah had a vision about earlier in the week. Maybe Jules got it wrong.”
“Niall, I told you earlier about Jules’s crift.” Hannah forced the words out around the tears clogging her throat. “She talks to ghosts. I doubt she’d get the names wrong. Would she, Dev?”
Niall turned a vacant gaze her way. She opened her mouth to say more but the words wouldn’t come.
“You’re right, Hannah. She’s never wrong when it comes to names. Jules and her ghostly visitors have helped us solve two murders and put us on the path to solving two others,” Dev said. “Why don’t we go back to the picnic table and have a seat, Niall? You look like you could use it.”
Dev reach for Niall but was shrugged away. “I don’t want to sit down. I want to find my brother, now.”
“We’re going to do everything we can—” Ian began but Niall cut him off.
“Fuck that! I’m a Marine. I was an MP. I want in. I want to find this bitch holding my brother.”
“We need Hannah to do it,” Dev said, nodding to her. “She’s given us our best lead yet.”
“What about Jules? Does her ghost have any more information?” Niall clapped a hand to his head. “Fuck me. I can’t believe I just said that.”
“Jules is driving back from her honeymoon right now.” Dev’s words surprised Hannah. “She and Seth were supposed to board a plane to Greece this morning from DC but only got as far as Jamestown before the ghostly visits started. As soon as Jules heard the ghost mention your name, she called Shelley, who told her you were in town. Jules made Seth turn around. They’ll be here in about two hours.”
“We’re not going to wait two hours, are we?” Hannah cast a wary glance at Niall, who was steadily pacing a groove into the parking lot.
“No,” Ryan said. “We’re going to do it now.”
CHAPTER 25
HANNAH TRIED NOT to be nervous stepping back into the bathroom. But being followed into a restroom by four big guys, even big guys whose job was to protect you, was intimidating. She flipped on the light and said, “You know, Niall, I could install an energy-saver switch and bulb here. Wouldn’t take much time.”
“Hannah—” Niall started but Dev cut him off.
“I know you’re nervous, Han. You don’t need to be. We won’t let anything happen to you.” He patted her gently on the shoulder.
She couldn’t quite suppress the smile. “I haven’t been call Han since I was little.”
“Oh, sorry. It’s what Jules and Shells call you when they talk about the past.” Dev glanced at his cousins as if for help, but Ryan’s impassive expression never changed and Ian looked mischievous, as usual. “Ready, Hannah?”
“Han’s fine. I kind of missed the nickname,” she admitted. “Yeah, I’m ready.”
At her words, Ian’s face hardened. It was unnerving and fascinating. And just a little scary.
She blew out a breath. “Come on, universe. Show me a sign,” she said, stretching out her hand toward the faucet.
Before her fingers contacted the metal, Niall put a hand on her wrist, arresting the movement. “You don’t have to do this. We can find another way.”
“Yes, I do.” She met his gaze. A war of emotions raged in his eyes. Fear, anticipation, hope, and despair were all there playing across his face. Then that beautiful green aura began to glow around him. It made her heart swell to the point it nearly choked her. He was afraid for his brother and wanted to protect her. God, she loved this man.
She’d suspected it the night they had met, impossible as it sounded. In this moment, suspicion gave way to truth. She loved him. She’d do anything to erase the loss he’d experienced over the last year. She might not be able to save his friends, but she might be able to save his brother.
“Niall, you need to let me do this. I need to. It’s why the universe brought you to me.” She moved his hand from her wrist. Before he could stop her, she clamped a hand onto the faucet as she had done earlier.
The world around her faded to light gray smoke.
Behind her came the faint scuffling of shoes on tile. Muffled male voices faded with the room. And she was no longer herself.
* * *
ROSS SAT AT the bar sipping his scotch. Mercy couldn’t stop her heart from racing. He was beautiful, kind, and so damned lonely. He didn’t know what he was. She would show him.
She moved through the crowd at the pub. No one noticed her. No one ever did. Tonight, she counted on it. The only person who needed to see her was Ross. Sliding onto a stool next to him, she palmed the drug in her purse. Just a little in his scotch and he’d go anywhere she suggested. He only needed a little help to be the man he truly was.
Just like her first time. The brownie had helped her to see what she was.
She’d be gentle with Ross, as she’d been with the others. Wait for him to come to her. Show him he could be loved. Show him they were soul mates. After they made love, she’d set them both free.
She signaled the bartender. He strutted over and leaned on the bar.
“What’ll it be tonight?” he asked. He might have been cut with
that tight powder-blue shirt with O’Reilly’s Pub emblazoned across the center of his chest, but he wasn’t her type.
“Stoli Martini, extra dirty with three olives,” Mercy said.
She felt more than saw Ross shift on the seat and face her. Pretending not to notice, she waited for her drink, setting the cash on the bar. Mr. T-shirt returned with her drink and swept up the money in one deft move. She held the drink with one hand, being careful to keep the other one with the drug out of view. No one could see what she held there and she needed the distraction.
She hated the costume but it was a necessary evil. Anyone who bothered to remember seeing Ross tonight would only remember a woman leaving with him.
Sipping her drink, she glanced at Ross.
He nodded at her, an impersonal smile on his face. The grin gave way to surprise. He opened his mouth to speak, but she put her finger to his lips. “Shhh . . . our secret, okay?”
Ross glanced around the pub.
Mercy didn’t hesitate. She dropped the drug into his scotch. It had already dissolved by the time he’d glanced back at her.
She sipped her martini again, giving him her most innocent face.
“I had no idea I’d see you here tonight,” Ross said, lifting his own glass to his lips. “You’re the dead last person I ever expected to find in the pub dressed like that.”
Mercy shrugged, pretending his words didn’t hurt. How could he not have known? She’d known him the moment he’d hired her at the Boxing Cat.
Her mother’s awful voice screamed through her mind, “Stupid freak! I should have had an abortion.”
Go away! Go away!
Then her sister’s voice rang out, “You stole my boyfriend. I told you, Mom. The freak’s a whore!”
I killed you once you fucking bitch. Why won’t you die?
“Hey? You okay?” Ross covered her hand with his. His touch silenced the voices in her head until she only heard him. “You look a little ill. Do you want to get out of here? Go somewhere and talk?”
Mercy’s heart leapt.
Maybe she hadn’t needed to drug him after all. He was already offering to leave with her. She didn’t trust her voice not to crack and simply nodded.
During the short walk from the pub to her first-floor apartment on Arctic Circle, Mercy let Ross do most of the talking. He was still riding high from the success of the catering event. “The bride loved everything. We’ve got to remember to hire an extra couple of servers if the next wedding we cater is that big.”
He swayed and cradled his head in his hands.
“You all right?” Mercy asked, fishing her key from her purse.
“Yeah, too much celebrating, I guess.” He reached for her, missed, and face-planted into the sidewalk. Rolling onto his back, he laughed. “Crap. Niall’s going to kick my ass if I show up hungover tomorrow.”
Mercy bent to help him up and into her apartment when someone called out.
“Ross?” Paulie came around the corner. “What are you doing?”
Mercy gave him her back. She couldn’t risk him seeing her face. One look and he’d know.
Stupid interfering bastard.
“I’ve got him,” Mercy whispered, letting her blond hair fall in front of her face. “Thank you, sir,” she said, pretending not to know Paulie.
“Hey, Paulie!” Ross threw his arms around the man. When he kissed Paulie on the lips, Mercy’s vision went bloodred. She’d planned to let Paulie go. Not anymore.
“Actually, if you could hold him while I open the door,” Mercy said, using a sugary tone that made her own teeth ache.
“You’re going in there? With her?” Paulie’s tone was incredulous. “Who the hell are you? You don’t live here.”
Mercy ground her back teeth as she jammed the key into the lock. Without looking back, she flung the door wide and reached for the bat she kept just inside. Without hesitation, she grabbed and swung wide.
Paulie threw up an arm to block the swing. There was a satisfying crack as the bat broke his arm. Ross, who’d been leaning on Paulie, crashed to the sidewalk. His eyes rolled up.
Mercy smiled at her sleeping lover, then glared at Paulie.
“What? Why?” He gaped in recognition and his eyes widened in horror. “God, please! Don’t!”
He tried to crawl away, only making it as far as the mouth of the alley before Mercy hit him twice more. Blood poured from his ears and his head. His body didn’t even twitch.
Satisfied with a job well done, Mercy turned to where Ross lay on the ground. She lifted him into her arms and carried him inside. Once he was secured on the bed, she returned to the alley.
Had Paulie moved?
Her mind was playing tricks on her again. He couldn’t have moved. Snatching up his wrist, she felt for the familiar thump, thump, thump. Nothing. With a sigh of relief, she dragged his body deeper into the alley. She considered putting him in the Dumpster, but didn’t want to risk it. No, she’d leave him buried beneath the empty boxes tossed out by the Save-N-Go. If he was still here tomorrow night, she’d cut him into manageable pieces and toss him into the ocean. If someone found him sooner, they’d assume it was a mugging gone bad.
Whistling “Mercy” by OneRepublic, she headed home.
CHAPTER 26
HANNAH LOOKED AS if she were being electrocuted. Her body trembled and jittered. Her eyes rolled back in her head but she remained upright.
“We’ve got to stop her,” Niall said, reaching for her. Someone, probably that Hollywood wannabe, shoved him back. He swung around to face a human wall of McKinnons. “You ever put your hands on me again, I’ll fucking feed you your own dick.”
Ian laughed. “Try it, asshole.”
Dev jabbed an elbow into the cocky bastard’s ribs. “Not helping, Ian.”
Ryan stared at them all with his fucking impassive expression. The man was a human cyborg. “I know this is hard, but she wanted to do this.”
“Yeah, she did. Now it’s time to stop it.” Niall reached behind him and grabbed a fistful of her shirt. He yanked her free of the sink, breaking the connection. With an inhuman cry, she collapsed. Niall pivoted in time to catch her.
The scent of honeysuckle and fear-soaked sweat permeated the air. Her head lolled back and her eyes remained closed. He shook her gently in his arms. “Hannah. Hannah, wake up and talk to me.”
“Give her a second,” Dev said, squatting down and taking her pulse at her neck. “She’s alive. Probably just fainted. She’ll come around.”
“What makes you such a fucking expert?” Niall couldn’t—wouldn’t—disguise the venom.
“Her sister Jules has done this a few times,” Ian said, all humor gone from his face. “First time she did it, scared the piss out of me.”
“Dev.” Ryan handed him the small white trash can that was usually under the sink.
“Right. Thanks,” Dev said. “In case she needs to vomit. Happens with Ju—”
“Happens with Jules. Got it.” Niall shifted, trying to reach the paper towels.
“Here.” Ian pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, ran it under the sink, then handed it to Niall.
“Thanks.” Niall dabbed her forehead, willing her to open her eyes. It didn’t work. “Tell me something, since y’all seem to know so much, when this happens to her sisters, do they risk their sanity too?”
The trio wore matching expressions of surprise on their faces. Niall’s heart sank. “Yeah, I didn’t think so.”
“What makes you think her sanity is in danger?” Dev asked, tugging his cell from his pocket and glancing at the lit screen.
“Hannah warned me. It’s why I was trying to break the connection when she started to convulse. She’d been connected too long. She told me she becomes the person sending her the vision when she’s there. The more she visits, the harder it is for her to co
me back to herself.” Niall stared into her blanched face, regret eating a hole in his stomach. “Come back, Hannah. Come on, love. I need you to open your eyes.”
“Did you know about this part of her crift?” Dev asked his cousins. “Her sister’s going to kill me if something happens to her.”
“She was only touching it a few seconds,” Ian argued, but there was no heat and no humor in his voice.
“St-stop talking about me like I’m not here,” Hannah said, weakly. Her eyes fluttered twice but didn’t completely open. She licked her lips as if thirsty. “Mercy is one cray-cray woman . . . or not.”
“What does that mean?” Ian knelt beside Hannah. “What did you see?”
“I know who’s not the killer. It’s not Paulie. He’s bleeding to death. I beat him with a baseball bat because he knows who I am. He’s dying behind my . . . no. Her, her apartment building.” Tears leaked from Hannah’s closed lids. “I’m Hannah Ha—Halloran. I’m Hannah.” She repeated her name several more times.
The men glanced at Niall in confusion.
“She’s still connected. She’s trying to break free.” Niall took her hand in his free one and squeezed gently. “Come back to me, Hannah. You’re safe now. Hannah Halloran. Say it with me. All safe now.”
“All safe now,” she replied dutifully, then fell silent again.
“What’s Paulie’s last name?” Ryan asked, nodding to Ian who rose and pulled out his cell.
“Hurst.”
Ryan and Ian didn’t answer but exited the bathroom, like men on a mission.
“Check the hospitals and morgues,” Dev said. He gestured with his chin. “Looks like she’s coming around again. Welcome back, Hannah.”
Those golden eyes opened. Niall’s heart actually ached in relief. “It’s the fairy queen,” he said and got what he wanted. A smile. It was weak, brief but there.
“Oh, Niall, I’m so sorry. It is Ross. Mercy has Ross.”
* * *
