Ghost Trapped

by B L Maxwell

  “No,” I whispered, “not even a little.”

  He rolled me gently onto my back and lightly feathered his lips against mine, igniting a want in me that still burned brighter and brighter each time we were together. “The more I have you, the more I want you, I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you,” he whispered between soft kisses that made me want more.

  “Jason, fuck me.” I froze for a second, which made him pull back to meet my eyes.

  “What is it? Am I hurting you?”

  “No, I just realized, a few months ago I would never have dreamed I’d be saying that to you. Or that you’d be kissing me and sleeping in my bed. I was afraid to hope, but I’m so glad it came true.” I told him this often, but he never made me feel uncomfortable for it, he seemed to sense my need to confirm it was real.

  “It’s real, baby, it’s all real. There’s nothing else in this world I want more than you.” And then he was kissing me, and I needed to take a breath, but I wanted him to kiss me more.

  Finally, I moved my mouth to the side and took a deep, panting breath. He reached over his shoulder and pulled his shirt off, and I ran my fingers over his toned chest, enjoying the smooth feel, and scratching my nails in the few hairs he had. Our eyes locked briefly before he leaned back down and kissed me again, his lips sliding over mine, and his tongue wasted no time in teasing my own in what was now becoming a familiar and enticing way.

  He rolled me to my uninjured side, and after making sure—way too many times—that I wasn’t in any pain, he was finally pushing slowly into me, and I groaned and arched my back. My ribs complained, but there were so many good sensations, I ignored the pain—but he felt me flinch. He didn’t say anything, just trailed his fingertips along my side, nearly tickling me, but as he slowly pressed deeper into me, all I felt was him. My head tipped back on his shoulder, and I felt his warm breath in my ear.

  “I love you, Wade, I love you so much,” he repeated over and over, gripping my hip and rocking into me as he trailed kisses up my neck and along my jaw. He reached past my hip to my bent knee and pulled it closer to my chest. “Is this okay?” he asked.

  “Oh god, yes, harder. I want to feel you tomorrow.”

  He groaned and started to thrust harder, causing us both to gasp. I reached the arm that I was lying on back and gripped his hair. I didn’t have to see him to know his eyes would be rolling back in his head. He had me so on edge already, if he touched me, it would all be over, far too soon.

  “I want to come so bad, but I don’t want it to end,” I groaned. He didn’t say a word, just reached for my dick and started stroking. There was nothing but him, he was every touch, every sensation, everything that I’d ever need. “I love you,” I managed before my orgasm ripped through me, triggering his. He continued to rock into me as jolts of passion and love rolled through me. Avoiding my ribs as much as he could, Jason pulled me back against his chest, and I could have fallen asleep in his arms with him still inside me.

  He kissed my shoulder before moving to pull out of me. We were sweaty, and I knew I’d be sleeping in a wet spot I’d created, but I reached back and held him to me. “Not yet,” I said, and held his hand over my heart.

  I awoke to Jason still wrapped around me, his breath soft on my cheek, and dying of heat. I tried to slip away from his grasp, but he tightened his arms around me. My ribs protested, making me flinch. He was awake in an instant.

  “Wade? Are you okay?”

  I gritted my teeth to hold back a groan. “Yeah, I’m fine, just stiff from sleeping.”

  He slid off the bed and was in front of me in an instant with his hand offered. “Come on, let’s get you in the shower and see if that helps.”

  The shower did help, and the ibuprofen helped even more, and afterward we sat at my kitchen table, mapping out the areas of the restaurant we thought would be best for each device.

  “We need four cameras in the basement, one on each corner,” Jason said. He was in his element, using all the gadgets he’d collected over the years, and trying to prove anything we caught was real. “What do you think of the laser grid down there, too? Maybe we’ll get lucky and actually catch some of the activity we know goes on down there.”

  “That’s a good idea, I know we caught some audio interactions on the ovilus and the spirit box, but I’d like to see something visual too,” I said as I leaned closer to look at his sketch. “Should we put some motion detectors in the restaurant? I’d feel better knowing we’d be aware if there was something upstairs while we’re down there.”

  He leaned closer into my side and kissed above my ear. “I like how you think,” he said, and sketched out the restaurant, highlighting the areas that were most vulnerable, and offered the best views of the whole area.

  “Yoo-hoo,” Mom called, poking her head in the door. “Are you boys busy?”

  “Hey, Mom, come in. We’re just planning out our next move. What’s going on?”

  “I don’t want to interrupt you, but I wanted to show you something.” She stepped over to where we sat, carrying a box, then setting it down in front of us and opening it up.

  “Is that—?” Jason asked.

  “Yes! Boys, your shirts and stuff are here.” We both jumped up and rummaged through the box, taking out shirts at the same time. A cartoon chicken ran across the front, with the words “Running Scared Paranormal Research” across the back. “Well, what do you think? Too much?” She grabbed the shirt I held and started looking at it closer.

  I grabbed it back. “These are awesome! I love them.” I said, pulling her in for a hug.

  “Looks like we’ve got our uniforms, now we’re ready to get down to business,” Jason said, and slipped his shirt over his head. “Now we just need some ghosts.” His phone rang right then, and he smiled when he said it, but we both knew he wasn’t joking.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Jason

  I hoped we were all ready for this, but something niggled at the back of my brain, telling me this wouldn’t be easy, or safe. I tried to convince Dean he should stay away from the restaurant when we were there, but he refused to listen.

  “I’m going, I won’t have you, Wade, or James risking your lives for my business,” he’d argued.

  “Fine, but you make sure you’re never alone when we’re there. You’re glued to Jimbo’s side the whole night. Can you promise me that?” I demanded.

  “Yes, whatever it takes, but I will be there.”

  “Fair enough,” I said, then hung up. I turned to Wade. “I need to call Jimbo.” Wade was still busy with Deidre, looking through the box of shirts and other items she’d ordered for the business. He nodded without pulling his eyes away from the box of business cards he held in his hand.

  “Jimbo, I just talked to Dean—” I started, and he promptly cut me off.

  “Don’t start, Jason, I know he wants to be at the restaurant when we’re there, but I’ve told him it’s too dangerous. If he’s there, I have no hope of hiding myself from the spirits, and believe me, they will find us.”

  I listened to him, and realized I was smiling. I must have not responded when he expected me to, because now he was uncharacteristically quiet. “Jimbo? Sorry, I’m listening.”

  “I’m not kidding here, you’ll all be in danger if he’s there,” Jimbo said, sounding genuinely worried.

  “We’ll make sure we do everything we can to protect each other. I told him none of us should be alone while we’re there. If we look out for each other, we should be fine.”

  “I don’t want to put him . . . or you guys, in danger, I need you to take this seriously,” he pleaded.

  “I do, I do take all of this seriously. But I really think we’re all better off together. And if Dean is there, you two can handle one area, while Wade and I investigate another. We can cover more of the place all at once, and make sure everyone is safe and accounted for.”

  “Jason, are you sure Wade’s up for this? He was hurt pretty bad, I—” I moved into the bedr
oom, not wanting Wade to overhear us.

  “He’ll be fine, he won’t admit it, but I know he’s been in pain. I worry about him going with us, but at least if he’s with me the whole time, I know I can keep him safe.”

  “But you don’t know. And I like having Dean around, I’d like to keep it that way if you don’t mind,” he snapped, sounding more like himself.

  “We’ll do our best, Jimbo, I promise.”

  “Make sure you do, I’ll see you Sunday.” Without another word, he hung up, just as Wade walked into the room.

  “Everything okay?” he asked. I reached for him and pulled him into my arms. He flinched when I pressed against his ribs.

  “Sorry, still a little tender,” he said, and rested his forehead against the side of my head.

  “I’ll be more careful, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  “I know, and your concern makes me love you even more,” he said with a laugh. “It sounds so hokey but it’s true.”

  “I don’t think it’s hokey at all. I’m glad you finally made me realize what I was missing.” I held myself back from squeezing him tighter to me, it never seemed to be close enough.

  “I’m hungry, what do you think about getting something to eat?”

  “I think that sounds like a great idea.”

  It seemed like time rushed by, and before I could think about it, it was Saturday night. Tomorrow we’d be staying the night at The Hitching Post.

  Wade was already in bed when I slipped in next to him. “Don’t worry, Jason, we got this. We’re all packed and ready to go, and we have everything mapped out for where we’ll put the cameras and other equipment. We can’t do anything else until we’re there.”

  “You’re right, let’s get some sleep,” I said, and turned off the light. Wade lay his head on my chest, and within moments I was asleep. The soft sound of Wade’s breathing was soothing and a constant—then something changed. First, I felt the temperature drop in the room. It was midsummer and hot as hell, and we had the air conditioner on, but it suddenly felt like it was midwinter. I imagined it was cold enough I could see my breath. I curled closer to Wade, hoping to steal some of his warmth, and pulled the blanket up tighter.

  The room went deathly quiet then, like a night silenced in a thick blanket of fog. I couldn’t hear anything—no cars on the street, no crickets chirping, and not Wade’s rhythmic breathing. I breathed in, and it sounded deafening in the total silence of the room. I started to inhale, and became aware of something in the room, something that wasn’t there a moment ago, and something that shouldn’t be there. I tried to move, to wake Wade and warn him, but I couldn’t. My arms and legs were like lead, and my eyes remained closed. My body seemed to anticipate something, but I had no idea what it was, only a sense that I should be afraid.

  I felt a weight settle onto the bed next to me, and I hoped it was Deidre, coming in to wake us because we’d slept late, but somehow, I knew it wasn’t. I felt the weight lean closer to me, and still I couldn’t move. My breathing changed to short pants as I started to panic; I couldn’t move, and whatever was sitting on the bed next to me could do whatever it wanted, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to stop it.

  Suddenly a thought hit me: I knew what this was. And in that moment, I knew we had to succeed, or we’d never be free of the influence of whatever was in that basement. In that moment, I knew what was sitting on the bed next to me was one and the same.

  As cold fear licked up my spine, I knew without a doubt what we were facing, and what had found us here.

  Evil.

  I snapped awake and sat up, breathing hard from the fear that coursed through me, I looked over at Wade and he still slept soundly, unaware that anything was wrong. He’d know soon enough, we all would. The rest of the night was spent wide awake, and going over every detail. Whatever was in that basement had to go, or nothing would be the same ever again.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Wade

  Something was bothering Jason. I could see it in the way his shoulders tensed, and how his eyes darted all around the house, checking and rechecking the equipment we’d packed to take to The Hitching Post.

  “Is everything okay? We’ve done about all we can to be ready,” I said, trying to reassure him.

  “Yeah, yeah, everything’s fine. I just have a feeling this is way more than we’re expecting, and it’s not going to go as planned. Not that we can plan for how a spirit will react, but I don’t think Janis had any idea what’s down there, and her protections aren’t going to do shit.”

  I set down the case I was holding and stepped closer to him, putting my hand on his arm. “Is there something you know that you’re not telling me?”

  He covered my hand with his, closed his eyes, and let his head dip forward. “I’m not sure, I just have a weird feeling about this one.”

  “You do realize, all of our jobs are weird. We’re in the business of clearing out spirits that have become a nuisance. Like I said, weird.” I tried to lighten his mood, hoping if he thought I wasn’t worried, he wouldn’t be either. But deep inside I knew he wouldn’t believe me, and he’d still be apprehensive.

  “Wade, I know I’ve said this before, but I need to know you’ll do what I say. Do not leave my side when we’re in there. Not to check equipment, not to grab a pair of pliers, not even to go to the bathroom. We stick together like glue, you got me?” He gave me a hard look, not of impatience, but more of worry. I held his gaze for a moment before I answered.

  “Whatever you say, Jason. I trust you more than anyone. I know you wouldn’t put me, or any of us, in danger if you could help it. I’ll follow your lead and do whatever you say.” His eyes bounced between mine, and whatever he was looking for there, he must have found. He leaned in, and after pressing our foreheads together, he kissed me.

  “I love you. Don’t ever doubt that,” he whispered against my lips.

  “I never thought I’d hear you say that, and now that I have, I know it’s true. I won’t ever doubt you.” I meant every word, and I knew by the intensity of his gaze, he did too.

  After promising Mom we’d call her if anything happened, we left for the restaurant, hopefully with enough time to spare since it was Sunday evening and traffic was heavier with all the people returning home from their weekend getaways.

  When we finally found a parking space a street over from the restaurant, we were half an hour late. I took out my phone and tapped out a quick text to Jimbo, asking where he was. My phone rang almost immediately after I hit Send.

  “What the fuck? You guys were supposed to be here a while ago.”

  “Yeah, sorry. We didn’t allow for traffic. Can you help us carry the equipment in?” I asked Jimbo.

  “I’ll meet you there, don’t move,” he barked out.

  “We’ll be here.” I slipped my phone into my pocket and turned to look at Jason.

  “What did he say?” he asked.

  “Same shit, different day,” I said with a laugh, and opened the door. Jason met me at the back of the car, and we started gathering everything we’d need, including ten pounds of salt we’d taken from the garage. We didn’t get much ice around here, but my dad always worried we would and kept it stocked.

  Jimbo sauntered up to the two of us, and without saying a word, started unloading the rest of the equipment. “Hey, man, sorry we were late,” Jason said.

  “It’s okay, traffic was bad for me too, but I left Coloma early. I didn’t want to take a chance on it.”

  “Good thinking. Is Dean inside?” I asked.

  “Yes, he’s just closing out the last customers, maybe we should wait until everyone leaves. I don’t think he’d appreciate us scaring off his clientele.” Jimbo took out his phone and tapped on it for a second, then smiled, before he looked at us and realized we were watching him. “Fuckers, don’t even say it,” he warned.

  I walked over to him and clapped my hand on his shoulder. “Jimbo, it’s great to see you happy. We haven’t known you
very long, but this is the happiest I’ve ever seen you. Good for you.”

  His eyes widened before he ducked his head. “Yeah, well, he makes me happy.”

  Jason glanced over at us and tried hide a smile of his own. “Everyone ready?” he asked, effectively ending the conversation about Jimbo’s love life.

  “Yep,” Jimbo piped in, looking a little too happy to end the conversation.

  We walked the short distance to the restaurant, all of us lugging various backpacks and equipment cases. As we approached the door, a couple was just about to leave the restaurant. Dean held the door for them with a smile, as they walked out onto the street. He looked directly at Jimbo and that smile grew, the same way Jimbo had smiled at his phone earlier. Oh my god, these two had it bad.

  “Hello, everyone, your timing is perfect, my last customer just left. I let the kitchen staff leave just a few minutes ago. We should be good to go,” Dean said.

  I started through the door and glanced back at Jason—gone was his usual look of curiosity and adventure, and in its place was an expression I’d never seen on his face at any of the other places we’d visited: fear and dread.

  I continued into the restaurant and set down the equipment I’d carried in, and as I stooped down to set it on the floor, I was shoved hard. I turned to look, but no one was near me. When I met Jason’s eyes, I could see it again: fear.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Jason

  I rushed over to Wade’s side as soon as I realized what had happened. “Wade? Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, just . . . I got shoved. I didn’t see anything, or hear anything, just felt a good hard shove.”

  He looked around the restaurant, appearing confused at what had just happened. We’d had much worse than that, but not as soon as we’d walked in the door. Something really didn’t want us here, and it was making sure we knew it.