Six Times a Charm

by Deanna Chase

  The ghost lowered his arms, turned back to face me and just as my hand was about to reach his outstretched one, the door flew open with a bang. He vanished into a dark shadow and disappeared. “Damn it!”

  Kane, Ian and John barged into the room. Equipment filled their hands and hung from straps around their necks.

  Kane shot me a weary glance as he strode toward Pyper.

  “Where have you been all this time?” I asked.

  “Dealing with your ghost.” He stopped in front of Pyper. “Are you okay?”

  “I think so.” She turned to me. “Thank you, Jade.” Her arms wrapped around me. She hugged me hard and whispered, “I’ll be right back.” She moved toward her bedroom. I thought I saw a single tear roll down her cheek.

  I watched her disappear through the door then turned on Kane. “What the hell are you talking about? The ghost was here.” Kane raised his eyebrows and Ian’s eyes went wide. “At least for a little while, anyway.”

  Ian didn’t question me. He said something softly to John, and the two of them went about setting up equipment around the room.

  I grabbed Kane’s arm. “What did you mean? What happened after I left?”

  “What happened here?” he said at the same time.

  “You first,” I said, poking him in the ribs. “It must have been something compelling to keep you away when Pyper was passed out on the floor.”

  “Passed out?” His voice rose and he turned in the direction of Pyper’s room. “She was screaming just like you did last night. I couldn’t get her to come out of it. I thought—”

  “She’s all right.” My heart squeezed with his pain. “What happened?”

  Kane led me to the couch and tugged me down to sit next to him. “When you left, I followed you.”

  “No—”

  “Yes. I did. At least, I tried to.”

  My eyebrows pinched together, causing a wrinkle just above my nose.

  He reached his hand out to smooth it. “Don’t do that. You’ll give yourself a headache.”

  I frowned, in no mood to be teased. “Go on.”

  “I was right behind you when you left. You ran out the door. I turned to follow you, only Ian yelled for me to stop and I hesitated. Both of them, Ian and John, went crazy taking pictures.” He shook his head. “I thought they’d gone mad. I couldn’t see anything, so I turned to follow you. Only…well, when I tried to go out the door, it was blocked somehow.”

  “Blocked? With what?”

  He shrugged. “I have no idea. I couldn’t see anything except you turning the corner at the end of the stairway. I called out. Didn’t you hear me?”

  “No, I didn’t. How could the door be blocked by nothing?”

  “You’ve got me. Ian said it was the ghost’s energy keeping us trapped in the room. It was hot, like fire. I could get right up next to it and feel nothing, but as soon as I tried to go through I’d burn.”

  I gasped. “How did you get out?”

  “Right after the lightning struck, the doorway turned bright orange then dissipated into thousands of tiny particles and flew down the stairs.”

  My heart started hammering again. “Then what did you do?”

  “Came here, obviously.” He took my hand and held it lightly in his own.

  “Here.” My voice was weak and my head swam. “You said it broke right after the lightning?”

  He nodded.

  “Shit.” My skin went cold and the gooseflesh came back. “I called him. That’s why he left.” My voice shook. “Well, we both did, actually.” I tilted my head toward Pyper’s room.

  Kane’s face turned red. I could see him try to control his anger. “Why would you do that on your own? One or both of you could have been seriously hurt.”

  I threw my hands up in frustration. “Because we’re both sick of being out of control. I guess I figured if we called him, we might have the upper hand.”

  “And did you?” He looked skeptical.

  “In the end, yes I did.” I smiled with satisfaction and filled the three of them in on what happened.

  When I finished, Ian stopped his frantic recording of my account, put his notebook down and looked at me thoughtfully.

  “What?” I asked.

  “I was just thinking about the timetable of events. It seems we were encountering something in your apartment at the same time something was going on with Pyper when Kane came to get us.”

  “Can a ghost be in two places at once?” It seemed unlikely to me.

  Ian scratched his chin, pursed his lips and said, “Not that I know of. At least, I’ve never heard of such a thing. But if it’s the same ghost—”

  I cut him off. “It is. I saw him materialize in front of me. I recognized him.”

  “I know, I heard. What I was going to say is, if the same ghost has connected with both of you, I wonder if he can be in one person’s mind, while physically somewhere else. Like in Pyper’s mind, while interacting with you in your apartment. That would take a lot of energy. More than I’ve ever encountered.”

  Kane and I started asking questions at the same time. Then a movement caught my eye. I glanced up to see Pyper, emerging from her room. She’d changed into tiny black hot-pants and a large grey sweatshirt.

  “What the hell are you wearing?” I asked in disbelief. “You’re not going to work at the club after all of that, are you?”

  She rolled her eyes. “What am I supposed to do? Sit around here and waste my life waiting for more abuse?”

  “Make her not go,” I demanded, turning to Kane. “She’s in no shape to be dealing with the club. Take her home or out to eat or something, but do not let her go to work.”

  He patted my hand like a father would his daughter. “Of course I won’t let her work. Pyper, are you insane?”

  “I hear that’s up for debate.” She flipped her pink hair over her shoulder and headed for the door.

  Kane leaped up from the couch, scooting in front of her. He folded his arms over his chest and stared her down. “Charlie’s there. She’s got it covered.”

  Pyper narrowed her eyes, pointed her finger and walked right up to him. “You cannot keep handing everything off to Charlie, Kane. It isn’t right.” She stabbed him in the chest. “That girl deserves a raise and a promotion based on how much you take advantage of her.”

  “Done,” he said.

  Pyper took a step back, clearly not ready for that. “You gave her a raise and a promotion?”

  “Not yet. But I’ve been planning to.”

  “Oh.” Pyper backed off. “But you better give her a bonus or something for time already served.”

  Kane looked up, as if to ask God for help, or patience. “Fine. Just stay here until we’re ready to go.” He strode off toward his part-time room.

  “Go? Go where?” She turned in his direction and found John staring at her ass, camera pointed and ready. “Jesus, just take the damn picture already.” She stripped off her sweatshirt, revealing a black lace push-up bra, and posed, sticking her ass right in John’s face.

  I covered my mouth to hide the laughter bubbling up. John’s face went beet-red as he stood, staring.

  “Hurry up. I’m freezing.” Pyper reached around, snapping her fingers in front of his eyes a few times.

  John quickly snapped the picture then retreated to Ian, who made no effort to hide his laughter on the other side of the room.

  Kane cleared his throat and gestured to Pyper. “If you want to put some more clothes on, the three of us—” he nodded, indicating me, “—should get some food.” His tone of voice made it more of an order than a statement.

  “What’s wrong with my outfit?” Pyper cooed from the chair.

  Kane rolled his eyes, and I shrugged.

  “Oh, all right.” She bounced off to her bedroom, clearly feeling more like herself.

  “Would you mind if we stayed to do more readings?” Ian asked.

  “Fine,” Kane answered. “Stay as long as you like. The girls can stay
at my place.”

  Kane glanced at me in question. Despite my earlier concerns that he might be a link with the pain the ghost was causing, I nodded in agreement. I wasn’t up for an argument, nor did I want to be alone.

  Chapter 14

  With a promise from Ian he’d call sometime the next day, we left in search of food. An hour later we sat at Kane’s table with takeout from the Gumbo Shop. The conversation was nonexistent, as the three of us sat pretending to be absorbed in our meals. Letting out a barely audible sigh, Pyper picked up her plate and carried it into the living room, where she curled up in the overstuffed chair. I wanted to do the same but decided she might like a bit of time to herself.

  I looked up to find Kane watching me intently. I gave him a weak smile and asked, “Wine?”

  Without saying a word he rose, grabbed a bottle of red and two glasses from his wine rack. A small pop sounded, causing Pyper to look our way. Kane held the bottle up in question, but she shook her head and went back to moving the etouffee around on her plate. After handing me a full glass, Kane set the bottle on the table, sat down next to me and focused on my face as he sipped.

  “Thank you.” I raised my glass slightly.

  He gave me a small nod, still staring.

  The heat rose to my face as I examined the blackened swordfish on my plate. It was one of my favorites, but it sat untouched. “Stop,” I said in a low voice.

  “Stop what?”

  Whipping my head up, I looked him straight in the eye. “You know damn well what. Stop staring at me like that.”

  “Am I making you nervous?”

  “No.”

  “If you say so.”

  I glared at him.

  Kane scooted closer, bringing his face mere inches from mine. “I wanted to get your attention.”

  “There are easier ways.”

  He shrugged. “This was a pretty low-level effort for me.”

  My eyes slanted. “Now that you have my attention…”

  “I just wanted you to know. What we started last night and this morning isn’t over.” He brought his face so close, I could almost feel the smooth silk of his lips.

  I jerked back. “No? I don’t think that’s for you to say.”

  “I do. I know there’s something different about you. I just don’t know what yet.”

  A chill ran up my spine. “You mean, apart from my ghost attracting abilities?”

  He took his time before he spoke. “No, Jade. This isn’t about your ghost. I can sense your energy. I don’t know how to explain it, but even if I can’t see you, I always know when you’re around.”

  The statement couldn’t have surprised me more. It hit me hard as if he’d punched me in the gut. “You do? How?” Mortified, I gnawed on my lower lip, suddenly very interested in my hands now lying in my lap.

  I risked a glance, catching his eye.

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. I just feel it. Probably the same way you feel me while I’m dreamwalking.”

  “Does this happen with anyone else? Can you sense Pyper?”

  “No. I’ve never experienced this before. It’s something special about you.”

  I stood up and carried my dishes to the sink. How could I possibly tell him about my own abilities? I knew my invasion of his privacy was just as bad as his dreamwalking, but I’d told myself I didn’t do it on purpose. Of course he’d said he didn’t either, he just didn’t do anything to stop it. Well, neither had I. Worse, I hadn’t even wanted to, until this morning when things got too intense. My stomach knotted, making me glad I hadn’t eaten much.

  Overcome with emotion, my eyes filled. I blinked rapidly, trying to keep the tears at bay.

  Kane walked up behind me. “Jade, are you going to tell me about it?”

  “I’m sorry,” I said, so low even I could barely hear it. I turned around, realizing he deserved an honest answer. But I just couldn’t tell him. The last person I’d told was Dan, and that had turned out disastrous. In my heart I knew Kane was different. He wasn’t likely to cast me aside. I just wasn’t ready to face what I’d done, especially after how I’d reacted to his confession. “I really am sorry. I just can’t talk about it right now.” Unable to hold it back, a single tear fell down my cheek.

  Cupping my face with his palm, he caught the tear with his thumb. “There’s no need to be sorry,” he said softly. “We’ll talk later. It’s all right.”

  The tenderness made the tears flow fast and hot. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me close. For the first time all day I felt safe. My world narrowed to all things Kane. His fresh scent. The hand gently stroking my hair. The way he held me, patiently waiting until my tears were spent.

  Finally I removed myself and made my way to his bathroom. After a long hot shower, I changed into a T-shirt and a pair of Kane’s boxers and returned to the living room.

  The two of them were huddled together, talking quietly. The image gave me a small jolt, reminding me how close they really were. I was in danger here and didn’t know how to stop my growing emotions. They both said they were just friends, and I didn’t have any reason to think otherwise, but my rational mind wasn’t convincing my inner jealous woman.

  Not wanting to interrupt, I tried to make my way quietly to the guest bedroom.

  “Where are you going?” Kane asked just as I was about to open the bedroom door. Caught. Damn.

  I put a smile on my face before turning around and said, “To bed. I could really use a good night’s sleep.”

  “In there?” the two asked in unison.

  “Uh, yeah. Is that a problem?”

  Kane gazed at me with an intense look, while Pyper glanced back and forth between the two of us.

  Kane turned to Pyper. “And where are you sleeping?”

  “Here, I guess.” She patted the couch cushions and failed at the attempted smile, resulting in a smirk.

  ‘No,” I said quickly. “You can sleep in here.” I pointed to the queen-sized bed through the now-open door. “I don’t mind sharing. As long as you don’t snore.” I teased.

  Pyper lifted her eyebrows, questioning Kane.

  He stared at the ceiling. “It’s college all over again.”

  “Huh?” I asked.

  Pyper giggled and punched his arm. “Get over it already.” She turned toward me. “I dated one of his ex-girlfriends in college.”

  “Dated? More like stole,” Kane said.

  “You can’t steal someone from someone else, Kane,” Pyper replied.

  “Close enough.”

  “Umm…” I didn’t know what to say.

  “Don’t worry. I haven’t hit on a girl in ages, and I’m not going to start with Jade.” Pyper turned to me. “I don’t mind sharing if you don’t.”

  “Not at all.” I waved as I turned toward the room.

  ‘I’ll be right there,” Pyper called.

  “Take your time. Once I’m asleep there’s no waking me up.” I closed the door behind me and crawled into bed.

  The dream came on in a vibrant cascade of soft white light. My awareness floated somewhere near the ceiling, giving me a clear view of the room. There I was, snuggled up with a pillow, Pyper curled up next to me. Beautiful light illuminated both of our faces. We looked so peaceful. The light was like a protective layer of warmth and love. As my awareness drifted back to my body I spotted Mr. Sexy at the foot of the bed, keeping a watchful eye over us. The last thing I saw before I drifted back into unconsciousness was a small reassuring smile from him.

  I woke, feeling thick and groggy. The sun was doing its best to shine through the shade on the window. Blinded with sleep, I stumbled to the bathroom to complete my morning ritual. When I’d finished I found Pyper sitting in an armchair in the corner, waiting.

  “Morning. The bathroom is all yours.” I shuffled over to the bag Kane had packed for me the day before and found a blue cotton skirt and form fitting white tee. He couldn’t have done better if I’d given him a list.

  “I had a dream,” P
yper said, still sitting in her chair.

  Her words trigger the memory of my own dream. I stopped rummaging through my bag and sat on the bed opposite her. “And?”

  “I slept better last night than I have in weeks. The dream was full of warmth and light. I felt safe, protected even.” She gave me a small smile.

  I frowned. It made no sense. This was the ghost that had hurt both of us. “I had the same dream. Did you see anyone in it?”

  “No. Why, was Kane there?”

  I shook my head. “No. Someone else.” She tensed. Should I tell her? I bit my lip, then decided she had a right to know. “Our ghost was there, but all I sensed was him protecting us.” Her face went white. “Both of us.” I added reassuringly.

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. I really don’t, but you felt it just the same way I did. It didn’t feel threatening, did it?”

  She shook her head.

  “It’s definitely odd, but better than the alternative, right?”

  She plucked at the blanket. “I guess.”

  “Then let’s consider it progress.” I stood, not wanting to dwell on it any longer. “Did Kane make something to eat?”

  Her lips quirked. “Yes. I don’t know what you did to him, but I never got breakfast before.”

  “Well, I didn’t steal his girlfriend.” I winked and headed for the door. When I glanced back, she stuck out her tongue. I was still chuckling when I found Kane.

  “Sleep well?” he asked, giving me a light kiss.

  I nodded. “You?”

  “No.”

  “Really? After all that happened yesterday, I’d have thought nothing could keep you up.”

  “Nothing but the knowledge of the two of you sharing a bed.” He gave me a rueful smile and I rolled my eyes.

  “Men.”

  ***

  Later that day, Pyper and I worked late closing down the café. I was covering for Holly, who’d been working extra while we played ghost hunter.

  “He’s coming at five?” Pyper asked, referring to Ian.

  “Yep. When he called, he said he wasn’t finished analyzing but wanted to share what he had.”

  “Did you tell Kane?”

  “No.” That would be counterproductive, since I wanted to avoid him. I still hadn’t found the nerve to be honest with him. And as each hour passed, my anxiety about it grew.