With Me Now

by Heather Hambel Curley

  Mike wiped a napkin across his mouth. “I’d say it’s a combination of both. The tourist season is right around the corner and they want the farm scrubbed down and open for tours. Supposedly, I mean, I don’t know if our finding remains changes that.”

  “After the dig is finished, where does everyone go next?” Ed nodded down the table. “What about you, Enigma?”

  “I’m going to sleep in a bed with a decent mattress until the next job rolls around.” Liam smirked. “Maybe I’ll find a nice man to keep me company.”

  “What about you?” Jack stared at Mike. “Just going to bum around until the next dig falls in your lap?”

  “No, there are artifacts to clean and catalogue and reports to write. By the time all that’s done, Brad will have the next site set up. That’s how it’s worked for the past few years.”

  “Are you happy letting Brad run the show?” Ed asked. “I mean, really, from what I can tell, the two of you have more field experience and dig time than he does.”

  Mike shrugged. “He’s good at what he does.”

  “Is he, or are you just saying that?”

  “Take it as you will.”

  “How about you, Madison?” Jack leaned forward and picked the salt shaker off the table. “If this dig is done by the first of June, you’ll still have, what, two months before school starts?”

  “I’m sure I’ll find ways to keep busy.” Madison didn’t want to acknowledge the fact the dig had to end. If she did, she’d have to start figuring out how she could stay with Mike as long as possible and still manage to start her final year of college at the end of August. “I like cataloging artifacts. There’s a certain catharsis to putting everything in its place.”

  “I assume you’ll be turning something in for your graduate school portfolio? Do you think this field experience will be enough to get you in?” Jack punctuated his sentence with a thrust of his fork.

  “I hope it’s enough. I mean, it still has to go up in front of a board and they review a lot more than just the dig. It’s based on my grades and my entrance essay and…you know, everything.”

  “Somehow, I don’t think they’ll be judging you on more than this dig.”

  “I’m not going to try and get excited at that prospect.”

  “Well, I’ll tell you right now.” Jack took another bite of sea bass. “I’ve talked to a lot of diggers and so-called authorities in the field over the last few years. You impress me, Madison, you really do. I think you’ve got what it takes to bring archeology to a whole new level. You’re young, you’re fresh, you’re—no offense meant, Mike—gorgeous. And, moreover, you stood up to this prick’s interrogation. That’s impressive.”

  “Well, thanks.”

  “You stay smart and stay sharp and you’ll be at the top of the field in no time.” He scribbled a few more notes on his pad and then pushed it aside. “I think I’ve got all I need for a decent cover story. We can send a photographer out to the dig site tomorrow around lunchtime if that works for you.”

  “Is a photograph completely necessary?”

  “Actually, yes. We’re running a magazine here.”

  She groaned. “They’d better make it fast, because we only break for an hour for lunch. I’d like to spend part of that time actually eating lunch.”

  “I’ll let them know nothing dramatic.” He rubbed his hands together. “I have just enough room for dessert and more drinks. Anyone else?”

  Madison wasn’t going to say no to dessert. The conversation was pleasant enough from that point on, but despite the fact she tried to distract herself with warm Whiskey Caramel Toffee Cake, she could tell Jack was still staring at her. Even with Mike beside her, the douche was still ogling her. His foot brushed against hers several times; maybe an accident once but not three times. She was ready to sit on her feet to keep him from reaching under the table to touch her. Creeper—even more so than Brad, and she thought he was the Creeper King.

  Once dessert was finished and drinks were refilled and quickly consumed, the group broke up. Mike looked irritated, Liam was drunk, and Madison was plain tired of Ed’s cockiness and Jack’s wandering eyes. She couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

  Jack walked with them as far as the edge of the rear parking lot. “I’m going to push this into production as fast as I can. I’ll call you and let you know when it’s ready so I can get a copy out in the mail to you.”

  “Thanks, man, that sounds great.” It didn’t and she couldn’t care less if she saw a copy. She just wanted him out of her face.

  “You’re tough, kid.” Ed reached out and shook her hand. “I’m going to see about doing an online feature on top of the story for our print edition. Keep up the good work. I’m going to be keeping tabs on where your career takes you.”

  “I appreciate it.”

  Jack extended his hand to Mike. “No hard feelings man.”

  “Yeah.” Mike slowly reached out and accepted the handshake. “Got it.”

  “It’s always a pleasure to see you, Madison.” Jack turned to her and took her hand, holding it far longer than she could stand. “I’ll be in touch.”

  She tried to restrain an outward shudder. “Thanks, Jack. Take care of yourself.”

  Looping her arm around Mike’s, she snuggled against him and pulled him toward the Jeep. “Get me out of here.”

  “That was excruciating.” He kept his voice low, holding her tight against him. “If he came onto you one more time, I was going to slam him against the wall.”

  “You’re sexy when you get angry.”

  He smirked.

  Liam flopped dramatically against the Jeep, rubbing his palms against his face. “My God, that was the best food I’ve ever eaten. If I die now, I’ll die happy. Seriously.”

  “Get in the Jeep, Liam.” Mike nudged him toward the back of the vehicle. “I want to go back to the hotel.”

  “I know why you want to go back.”

  “Fine, then we’re all on the same page and understand the urgency of the situation.”

  “I can almost forgive your friend Jack for being a dirty bastard.” Liam half fell, half rolled into the back of the Jeep. “He was beautiful. Hairy, but beautiful.”

  “You’d probably get lice if you humped on that mess.”

  Mike turned the key in the ignition and stared at the steering wheel. He rested his hand on the gear shift but made no movement to the clutch with his foot.

  “You’re not still mad, are you?” Madison touched his arm. “He’s harmless. I think. Don’t let him get to you, though, because then he wins.”

  “It’s not that.” Mike sighed. “I think…I’m just blowing something way out of proportion.”

  “Tell me.”

  “It’s just been bothering me all night.” He shifted the Jeep into reverse and pulled out of the parking place, working his legs against the clutch and the gas in perfect synchronization. “I went to park headquarters tonight to drop off those files for Brad. But…Frye just wanted to review them. There wasn’t any meeting with joint staff of the Smithsonian or the Department of the Interior. It was just him.”

  “Maybe he was meeting with them later.”

  “No, I asked him because I thought it was strange that the Department of the Interior would want menial, daily reports from the dig. It didn’t make sense. Frye said that Brad must have misunderstood.”

  “He seemed pretty sure of himself to me.”

  “I know.” Mike shifted gears and then turned and looked at her. He was frowning. “That’s the part that bothers me most.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  …Can’t get there in time…

  Madison opened her eyes, her heart pounding in her chest with such force she could feel the percussion up her throat and into her cheeks. His voice was loud, so close; it was like he was talking to her from inside her head. There was something he was trying to tell her and, even in the state of deep sleep, her subconscious couldn’t hear him.

  She rolled to he
r side, being careful not to wake Mike, and squinted at the alarm clock next to the bed. 3:00 am. Still three hours until she needed to get up. That wasn’t too bad.

  Settling back down against the pillow, she closed her eyes and forced herself to take slow, deep breaths. In. Out. In. Out. He was watching her. She could feel his gaze locked on her face as if he was crouched down next to the bed. His face seemed only inches away from hers, a stance so close and intimate she could almost convince herself she felt the soft exhalation from his lungs, the gentle kiss of his eyelashes as they brushed her cheek.

  She opened her eyes.

  Nothing.

  She let her eyes fall shut again, this time concentrating on the darkness around her. “I know you’re here.”

  You found her.

  “I thought I was going to find you.”

  Her redemption was her innocence.

  “I don’t know how I can help you, Ben. What’s left to find? We pulled her out of that pit; we know it was a woman. Tell me who she was. Why is it so important that I know?”

  …save you…save me…

  “Save me?” She frowned. “There’s nothing to save me from, Ben. I’m fine.”

  Anger….he knows…anger, anger, anger.

  “Knows what? Ben, I don’t understand what you want me to do.”

  Be…be…

  Be what? Be mindful? Be thankful? He sounded so desperate, so bitterly impassioned. His effort was overwhelming; she could feel the vibrations in the air around her. It felt like it was popping and pulsating. He was with her, so close she felt like she could reach out and hold him.

  …Be…afraid.

  The light on the nightstand beside her switched on.

  She jumped into an upright position and scrambled backwards, slamming her hip into Mike’s shoulder as she moved. She wanted to disappear into the headboard, to hide from the voice—the touch—that haunted her.

  Mike was awake and looked far more alert than she felt. “What’s wrong? What are you doing?”

  Tears spilled over Madison’s cheeks. He looked so concerned, so in control despite being woken out of a dead sleep by a kick to the shoulder. “He was here, he was right beside the bed talking to me and trying to tell me something. The only thing I could understand was ‘be afraid’ and the next thing I know the light turns on—”

  “Hey, hey slow down.” He cupped her face in his hands and brushed her tears away with his thumbs. “He told you to be afraid.”

  She nodded. It made her want to throw up.

  “Of what?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Do you think of him?”

  Madison fell silent, searching her mind and trying to reach out to Ben with her being. “No. I think he’s trying to warn me.”

  Mike wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. “Then, you’re okay. It’s something else.”

  “That’s what bothers me. I feel like he knows something bad is going to happen to me, but he can’t muster up the energy to explain what it is.” She rubbed her eyes. “I don’t know what to do anymore.”

  He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “Then…then I guess we do your séance.”

  “Really?”

  “Baby, I don’t want you to feel like he’s stalking or taunting you. If you think a séance will help—and it does—then it’s worth it, in my opinion. We’ll drag Liam with us.”

  She relaxed in his arms, but couldn’t bring herself to close her eyes. “Thank you for not thinking I’m a loon.”

  “I’m just worried about you.” He stroked her hair back with his fingertips. “This can’t happen again. Look at you. He has to know he’s hurting you.”

  “I think whatever it is that he wants trumps that.” She shivered. “But, yeah, this pretty much sucks.”

  “Just get some more sleep. Sleep will help.”

  She shivered again. The thought of lying there, asleep and vulnerable, wasn’t appealing in the least. He could do anything he wanted while she slept. She couldn’t stop him. “That’s not even remotely appealing, actually.”

  “I’ll stay awake.” He leaned over and grabbed the television remote. “You know, just keep an eye on things.”

  “You don’t have to stay awake for the next three hours.”

  “Sure I do.” He yanked the sheet and comforter up, tucking it around her. “I like late night television and, moreover, I like looking at you.”

  “There’s a certain creepiness factor to that, buddy.” She looked at him and smiled, then turned serious. “But…thank you.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. You just need to sleep.” He pushed her head against his chest and hunkered down against the pillows. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Madison. I swear.”

  Madison was fairly sure sleep wouldn’t come easily. She tried to focus her attention to Mike, to the soft, gray Army PT shirt he was wearing and the faint smell of his cologne that seemed to emanate from his skin. He was so sweet, so caring; he never judged her despite the fact he, most likely, didn’t believe half of what she was saying….

  ….She opened her eyes and stretched out her legs, arching her back as she tried to relax her knotted up muscles. “How long did I sleep?”

  “Almost three hours.” Mike leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I kept an eye on you and, I can confidently report, you didn’t move once.”

  She crawled into a sitting position and stifled a yawn. “Please tell me you got a little sleep.”

  “I may have dozed once or twice.”

  “You should have just gone to sleep once I fell asleep.” She pulled the elastic band out of her hair and shook it loose over her shoulders. “I’m going to feel bad when you fall asleep face down in a test pit.”

  “Nah, I’m good. My mom said even when I was a baby, I just never needed sleep. It’s those kind of qualifications that helped me excel in the Army. Fire watch, guard duty, sentry, whatever. I’d stay up all night and still get up for PT.”

  “As a child and teenager, I routinely slept in until lunchtime.”

  “It’s called beauty sleep and you’re gorgeous.” He leaned over and kissed her. “Do you know what you’re doing tonight at the séance?”

  “You’re still willing to do that?”

  “I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t mean it.”

  “Uh, no, I actually have no idea what I’m going to do.” She slid off the bed and crossed to the dresser, rifling through her clothes for a t-shirt. “I read about glass divination on the internet. It sounds easy enough.”

  “Hear me out on this.” He joined her at the dresser. “When you’re contacting a spirit, how do you know you’re limiting to him? I mean, couldn’t any spirit in the vicinity drop by? Or a demon? Or…whatever’s lurking around out on the field.”

  “I have no idea.” She stripped her sleep shirt off and pulled on her bra. “I’m just under the assumption Ben will be there. He’s always with me. No matter where I’m at or what I’m doing, he’s there. Watching. He’s always trying to talk to me and, honestly, I’m hoping that with three of us trying to help him, I can at least figure out what he wants. Maybe then he’ll leave me alone.”

  “I just don’t want you to be disappointed, especially if Liam and I turn out to be useless.”

  Madison stared at her reflection in the mirror. “And I don’t want to be disappointed in myself anymore.”

  * * * *

  They arrived at the Spangler Farm parking lot just in time to catch what appeared to be the tail end of an argument between Brad and Cianna. Her back was pressed against the closed tail gate of the pickup; Brad was leaning over her, forcefully pointing in the direction of the bank barn. She wasn’t looking at him.

  “This sets a great precedence for the day.” Mike pulled the Jeep into a parking place. “He’s going to be in a fantastic mood.”

  Madison unbuckled her seatbelt but hesitated before opening the door. “You know, let’s go back to the room. Jack’s photographer is
going to be here this morning and, frankly, I’m not interested. I don’t want caught up in whatever that mess is over there and…and, no. Let’s just bail.”

  “He’s already seen us.”

  “Tell him I had the sudden urge to vomit. It’s not that far from the truth.”

  Mike chuckled. “Just because you’re my archeology princess doesn’t mean you get to sit back Cianna-style and coast through the rest of the dig. We still have a competition going on. Yes, quality of finds, you’re winning. But quantity? Ha, lady, there’s no way you’re going to catch me by the end of the dig.”

  “You have a good point. I mean, really, you’ve found enough rocks and nail bits that you could construct a monument to me.” She forced her legs to move, plodding along beside Mike toward the dig site. “Site of the world famous discovery by the world famous Madison Monroe.”

  “Archeology princess comma Army veteran seductress.” He shrugged. “It’s true. You totally took advantage of me.”

  “False. You took advantage of me.” She playfully shoved him. “I’m just a sweet, young college girl. You’re an old man who can’t keep his hands to himself.”

  “I think it was you who dragged me back to your room.”

  “Maybe.”

  He smiled, grabbing her wrist and pulling her against him, and acted as if he was going to lead her right past Brad and Cianna. If that was his plan, it was quickly thwarted by Brad. “Hey, Mike, I need you to run me down to park headquarters. I have some reports to file.”

  “And you need me to go with you because…”

  “Frye wants a couple trays of our artifacts dropped off in their facilities, since it’s more secure than just leaving them in the summer kitchen. I guess that osteo-archeologist wants to take a look at what else we pulled out of the pit.”

  “She’s going to be disappointed. We only pulled a button and the gum blanket out of that pit.”

  “Dr. Spada’s been examining the blanket.” Brad pulled two trays out of the back of the pickup and headed to Mike’s vehicle. “Dr. Williams is too busy basking in the glow of her report on our remains. She took our work and made it her lifetime achievement.”