Demons LLC (Damned and Cursed Book 7) (24 page)

"I am not."

"I'm just saying.
 
I don't think I'd fall through you."

"I'm sorry, but we're going to have to come up with something else."

"You can sit on
my
lap," Nate offered.
 
"I know it'll help
me
."

"Shut up."

"Tell me about the night you died," Alex said.
 
"Don't skimp on details.
 
Tell me everything."

"You said you didn't want to talk about the case until you were sure my mother was going to hire you, pay you."

"I changed my mind.
 
We might as well get started now."

"Well, I won't be able to help much.
 
I don't remember dying.
 
At all.
 
I remember stumbling around in an alley.
 
I called out Zoey's name, but she wasn't there.
 
I almost fell in a wall.
 
When I made it to the street, no one could see me."

"You don't remember your own death?" Nate asked.
 
"Wow.
 
You're lucky you didn't get stuck in a loop."

Kylie frowned.
 
"A loop?"

"Caught in your own death," Alex explained.
 
"Sometimes a violent death can mess with a spirit's memory.
 
And that trauma can lead to reliving your death, over and over.
 
It happens in quite a few haunted houses."

"That's horrible."

"It is.
 
Okay, what about before?
 
What's the last thing you remember before that alley?"

"I was in the club, with Zoey.
 
She was dancing with a guy, and I was in the corner."

Nate furrowed his brow.
 
"Why were you in the corner?"

She gestured to her clothes.
 
"This is what I had on when I died.
 
Do you think any guy would walk up to this?"

"I would, in a second."

"Whatever, Nate."

"I'm serious.
 
I never went to a club when I was alive.
 
Shit, that's obvious, right?
 
But I've been in plenty since kicking the bucket.
 
Everyone looks the same.
 
Showing off their tits, their ass, wearing clothes so tight it might as well be body paint.
 
Now, don't get me wrong.
 
I'm not complaining."

"Of course you're not," Kylie said.

"But you're the one I'd notice.
 
You stand out in a crowd, more than anyone else."

Alex and Kylie were both quiet as they stared at Nate.
 
He shrunk in the seat, uncomfortable with the attention.
 
In the short time Alex knew him, that was the nicest thing he'd said.
 
Kylie was confused, but wore a small smile.

"What?" he said.
 
"I'm just saying Kylie's got it going on, that's all."

"Anyway," Alex said.
 
"So you were in a corner watching Zoey dance, and then you woke up in an alley."

"Yeah."

"Damn, that's a lot to cover.
 
What do the police say?"

"How should I know?
 
It's not like they interviewed me."

"They interviewed your mother, right?
 
Do they have any leads?
 
What about Zoey?
 
I'm sure they talked to her."

"Alex, look, I'm sorry, but I don't know.
 
I spent some time with my mom, but after seeing her cry her eyes out for the millionth time, I bailed.
 
I haven't seen Zoey since that night.
 
I've seen cops going in and out of my house, but I was too chicken to listen in.
 
It took everything I had to go to my own funeral.
 
Zoey wasn't there.
 
Three people were there, and they were my mom's friends.
 
I heard about you, and I started hitching rides."

Alex pursed his lips and swallowed.
 
He thought Kylie would have more details than that.
 
It took her a lot of time to travel to Maryland.
 
For all she knew, the police might have solved her case already.
 
All the effort in getting to Stewardtown would go to waste.

He should have called Kylie's mother before leaving.
 
He should have made his case over the phone as best he could.
 
But he thought it was better for Kylie's mother to see what he could do in person.
 
She would certainly hang up after hearing a lunatic claim he'd spoken with the ghost of her daughter.

As terrible as the thought was, he hoped the police hadn't found her murderer.

"Kylie, that's not much to go on," he said.
 
"Are you sure you were even murdered?"

Her eyes went wide as the emotion burst.

"Of course I'm sure!
 
I heard the cops talking at least about that!
 
Wait…are you talking about drugs?
 
I've never touched a drug in my life!
 
I can't believe—"

She let out a tiny scream as she fell through the truck.
 
Alex gasped, and looked in the rear-view mirror to see her rolling on the road.
 
He turned on the truck's emergency flashers and pulled over to the shoulder.

He closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat, trying to subdue the frustration.

"That probably could have gone better," Nate said.

"Yeah.
 
Not exactly my plan.
 
Shit, Nate, she really doesn't remember
anything
about her death.
 
What if she was raped?
 
How will we all deal with that?"

"God, I don't know.
 
All we can do is help her through anything she needs help with.
 
I'm sure it won't be easy, but if we talk to the right people, go to the right places, we'll find who we're looking for."

Alex nodded.
 
He was glad Nate came along.

"The trick, it seems," Nate said.
 
"Is just getting down there."

Alex agreed.
 
If Kylie could only teleport back to her hometown, Alex and Nate could have caught a plane.
 
They would have already checked into a hotel.
 
Instead, they were still in Virginia, waiting for Kylie on the interstate.

Kylie approached the passenger's side, her eyes glassy.
 
Her lip quivered as she fought tears.
 
Alex rolled down the window.

"Kylie, I didn't mean you took drugs," he said.
 
"I just meant—"

"I know, I know," she said, holding up a hand.
 
"I know I'm irritating.
 
I'm not exactly the best witness to my own murder.
 
Can we get going now?"

"No.
 
Not yet."

Making sure the traffic was clear, Alex left the truck.
 
He circled around to Kylie while Nate watched in confusion.

"The first thing you're going to learn, right now, is how to get inside of a car."

She looked at the ground, pushing hair away from her face, embarrassed.
 
"Here?
 
I don't know."

"Trust me, we'll get it."

"No offense, Alex, but how are you going to teach me?
 
Just because you can talk to ghosts—"

"You've seen the wings.
 
I can do a little more than talk."

Alex spent the next twenty minutes guiding Kylie on how to slide into a car.
 
Nate stayed in the truck and offered advice and encouragement.
 
Kylie fell on her butt several times.
 
She tried to use her hands, grabbing the roof and door, but it was useless.
 
She wanted to hold Alex's hand for assistance.
 
He refused.
 
Kylie needed to learn on her own.

"It's just a lift of the leg, and a quick hop," he said.

Nate demonstrated the motion for her once, and then Alex.
 
Her jaw dropped at the first sight of him moving through a solid object, putting the lesson on hold for several minutes.

"Yeah, Alex can move through shit, just like us," Nate said.
 
"Pretty cool, right?"

After the initial amazement wore off, Kylie resumed her lesson.
 
Just when Alex thought that maybe he should relent, and let her crawl into the truck, she got it.
 
Her movements weren't crisp, but he was confident she'd get better.
 
She even hopped out of the truck so she could try again.

"Holy shit," she said, sliding to the middle.
 
"It's not that hard."

Alex simply smiled and shook her shoulder.
 
He settled in behind the wheel as Nate slid in next to Kylie.
 
She noticed the frown on his face.

"What's wrong?"

"I was kind of getting used to seeing you crawl like that.
 
It looked like a music video."

"Asshole," she said, but without the usual anger.

They drove nearly another hour.
 
Kylie laughed and smiled, joking with Alex and Nate both.
 
Maybe that was all she needed.
 
Just for one good thing to fall in place, even if it was only learning how to get in a car.
 
She didn't fall out of the truck, didn't even worry about it.

Alex noticed the signs for gas and food.
 
As much as he wanted to push on, he needed to stop.
 
Gas was the main concern, but a sandwich was calling his name.
 
Taking the exit, he had to drive another twenty minutes down a long, windy road, to a small diner with a gas station across the street.
 
Alex parked in the half-full lot and killed the engine.

"Damn," Nate said.
 
He stood and poked his head through the truck's roof.
 
"Where the hell are we?"

Kylie slid out, with a slight stumble, but otherwise landed on her feet.

"You have to love the country," she said.
 
"Actually, I'd love to live in a log cabin, in the middle of nowhere.
 
That is, if I was still alive."

The middle of nowhere
was an accurate description for their location.
 
It was difficult to believe that they weren't far from the interstate.
 
The road stretched in both directions, with only huge fields on either side for company.
 
The diner had seen better days.
 
A broken window on the side had been fixed with duct tape.
 
Paint peeled from the walls.
 
But the food smelled delicious, even from the parking lot.

"I won't be long," Alex said.
 
"Just a quick bite, some gas, and then we're off again."

"Kylie and I will stay out here."

She leaned away in surprise.
 
"Uh, we are?"

"Yeah.
 
It's training time.
 
We'll practice some simple stuff, maybe a little teleportation."

Kylie nodded with enthusiasm.
 
Her spirits were bolstered since learning how to get in a vehicle.

"That's a good idea."

Alex didn't argue.
 
Kylie was right, and he didn't mind some time to himself.
 
Being cooped up with two others, even if they were ghosts, had taken its toll.

"Okay.
 
I'll see you guys soon."

"Uh, Alex?" Kylie said.

"Yeah?"

"You might want to stop talking."
 
She pointed over his shoulder.

Two men and a woman were making their way across the lot.
 
They stared at Alex with confusion, almost anger, as he engaged with his ghostly companions.
 
The woman was amused, but the men nearly snarled as they whispered to each other.

Alex quietly said goodbye to Kylie and Nate, then approached the diner.

The interior of the place didn't match the exterior at all.
 
Very cozy, pleasant.
 
The scent of quickly thrown together meals was heaven.
 
He didn't realize how hungry he was until the aroma invaded his nose.

He sat in the first empty booth he came to.
 
Several minutes later a waitress took his order.
 
Some caffeine to keep him going, and a grilled cheese sandwich with chips.

He pulled out his phone and traded texts with Cindy while waiting for his food.
 
She was at work, and more than happy to enjoy a distracting chat with her husband.
 
It didn't take long for the conversation to turn dirty, with Cindy providing great detail on what she was going to do to him when he returned.

His food arrived, and he was halfway through his meal when two shapes appeared next to him, followed by a loud voice.

"Alex!" Kylie shouted.
 
"It worked!"

He jumped in shock, and glared at Kylie.
 
Nate stood next to her, smiling.

"Sorry, but it worked!"

"We teleported all around this place," Nate said.

"It's not that bad, really.
 
All I have to do is picture a place in my head.
 
See all the details, and focus.
 
Then I just pop up right there."

"That's great, guys," Alex said, not minding his voice.
 
"Do you mind if I finish—?"

"We even teleported into rooms, once I saw them.
 
I popped into the women's bathroom."
 
Kylie nudged Nate's arm as she pointed at a large man at the end of the counter, sitting alone.
 
"I'll bet that's him.
 
He fits what the woman in the bathroom was saying.
 
Alex, there's actually a man and woman
having sex
in one of the stalls.
 
She's in there talking about her guy, who I'm guessing is right here."