Ghost of a Promise (12 page)

“
Oh boy,
”
Sammy said.
“
Okay, everyone calm down. Let
’
s regroup in the library and talk this through. We need to rethink our whole approach here.
”

…

Jackson paced the library, needing to do something to expel this energy as the crew argued over whether it was safe for Jackson to remain on site and if Ava needed medical attention. His skin was crawling, his heart pumping.

He’
d never been in love, but he was confident that in those few minutes he
’
d held Ava, he loved her. Not Ava, but someone. Yet it was her. He couldn
’
t decipher the difference in his head. They were one and the same, the ghost and Ava. The memories he couldn
’
t possibly have and the present here and now.

“
I
’
m fine,
”
Ava said for the thousandth time, her voice weary.
“
It was like a daydream almost. Nothing to get so upset about.
”
Her words were calm and assured, but her actions belied them. She was most definitely rattled. Her bottom lip quivered and she wouldn’t look any of them in the eye.

“
You didn
’
t see the look on your face, Ava.
”
Jackson turned to her, torn between temper and outright fear.
“
You were so pale I could see every vein under your skin. At one point, you were gasping.
”
And God, that was the most freaked he
’
d ever been. For a suspended time, he wanted to die right along with her.

Kerry slapped her hands down on her lap.
“
Here
’
s my take. I think something is trying to show you memories. Both of you. What we need to do is find out if this female entity is Sarah Kerrick. We also need to find out who the other active spirit is. Until we determine that, we won
’
t know how to help them or get this stuff to stop.
”

“
I agree,
”
Terrance said.

Sammy shook her head.
“
It
’
s that other spirit that worries me.
”
She looked at Jackson with determination.
“
You
’
ve already been pushed. Now we
’
ve got possible possession and manipulation.
”

None of that bothered Jackson. Protecting Ava was the only thing that mattered. Not that he
’
d say so out loud. The crew was freaked enough.
“
Then we
’
d better figure out who these spirits are and what they want. Because I
’
m not leaving and Ava needs help.
”

Amir leaned forward in his seat.
“
How do you suppose we do that?
”

“
Provoking,
”
Sammy said.
“
We provoke the angry spirit and hope we catch an EVP. As for the female, we need to figure out a way to talk to her.
”

“
Spirit board?
”
Kerry supplied.

“
Oh no.
No
,”
Terrance said.
“
We agreed not to use those anymore. It can open a door and let other things in.
Bad
things.”

Sammy sighed.
“
He
’
s right. We
’
ll use that as a last resort. I say we bust out the ITC Device and the White Noise Dowsing. Use
’
em every chance we get.
”

“
What are those?
”
Ava asked.

Jackson, glad to see her color finally returning, sat down next to her.
“
ITC is a voice box. It detects energy and allows spirits to talk through the box. The white noise dowsing creates white noise. It
’
s an energy source the spirits can feed from. That
’
s the theory anyway.
”

Ava swallowed and looked away.

Sammy ran her hands through her short, black hair, her worry and frustration showing.
“
When these episodes occur between you two, we need to make sure the digitals are on. Tom, Earl, you need to be attentive to them. Keep the camera on them at all times. We might catch something.
”

They nodded their agreement, unfazed by her tone. Sammy got testy when nervous, an endearing quality Jackson loved about her.

“
We should also instill the buddy system,
”
Kerry said.
“
No one investigating alone for longer than a few minutes. I think Sammy needs to investigate with me so Amir and Terrance can watch the monitors together. Then nothing gets missed. We
’
ll find irregularities sooner.
”

“
I don
’
t like the idea of Jackson and Ava alone,
”
Sammy countered.

“
They won
’
t be,
”
Kerry said.
“
Tom or Earl will be there. We can teach Ava how to use the equipment.
”

Terrance took Amir
’
s hand in his, a subtle move, but one Jackson had rarely seen. In the five years they
’
d been on air, the couple never showed public displays of affection. Not just because of the homophobia still out there, but because they wanted to keep their personal life apart from their public. This just proved how on edge they all were. Ava
’
s gaze darted in their direction and Terrance dropped Amir
’
s hand. Amir skilled his face neutral like Jackson had seen him do a thousand times.

Ava leaned forward, taking both their hands and reuniting them. Not for the first time, his chest tightened at her strength of character. Her unwavering ability to allow others the comfort in being themselves. Something, it seemed, no one in her circle let her do.

“
Whatever you need from me, I
’
ll help.
”

Terrance and Ava exchanged a long look and Terrance
’
s face morphed from apprehension to respect. Sammy looked at Jackson with raised brows and nodded once. Seemed as if Ava had Sammy
’
s full approval now, too.

Terrance squeezed Amir
’
s hand in his and smiled.
“
I
’
ll teach you how to use the equipment in the morning,
”
he said to Ava.

Jackson glanced at the clock, noting that it was almost four a.m.
“
Let
’
s call it a night. We can pick this up again tomorrow.
”

They began filing out of the library. Ava made the motion to rise. Jackson set his hand on her thigh to still her. Her brows rose, but for once, she didn
’
t argue. When they
’
d all left the room and Sammy closed the door behind her, Jackson turned on the couch to face Ava. She looked wiped. They
’
d been up for almost twenty-four hours and just had one hell of an emotional upheaval.

“
I don
’
t know what to say to you,
”
she said quietly, staring ahead as if she couldn
’
t bear the thought of looking at him.

“
I
’
m trying not to be that guy who bolts when a woman declares her love for him.
”

For that, she turned her head. Her pretty gray-blue eyes scanned his face, taking in his grin, before she let out a hesitant laugh. After a moment or two, she completely let go, her laughter growing near hysterics. He couldn
’
t help himself, he went mad with her until his side felt like it had split open.

She leaned her head back against the couch and sighed.
“
Am I going crazy, Jackson?
”

“
If so, I
’
m right there with you. We can share a room at the institution. I
’
ll basket weave and you
’
ll give me your red Jell-O because you secretly hate it.
”

She laughed again.
“
Sounds like a decent plan.
”

She really was a beautiful woman. Graceful, kind, understated. He stared at her profile, suddenly wanting to bury his face in the curve of her neck, run his hands through her red curls and plunge so deep inside her she couldn
’
t even call his name. Maybe it was the exhaustion talking, but this he could relate to. This physical, had-to-have-her-now need.

“
Look at me, Ava.
”

She did with no hesitation and that did something funny to his gut.

“
For the record, this is all me and has nothing to do with what happened earlier.
”
Before she could respond, he grabbed her by the back of the neck and hauled her sideways across his chest. He registered her shocked gasp a second before he sealed his mouth to hers.

Oh bloody hell
. As if expecting his move, her lips parted without hesitation. His tongue found hers, mated and conquered. No, this wasn’
t anything like before. There were no errant thoughts other than wanting her. Her. Wanting Ava, any way he could get her. She tasted good. Like sugar and peppermint. Her hands cradled his face, but apparently she didn
’
t like the position. Without breaking away, she slid one leg over and straddled him.

Bloody.
Hell
.

He gripped her hips and ground his erection against her core, cursing their clothing. She made a mewling noise in the back of her throat, which he swallowed whole and returned with a growl. His fingers dug into her backside through her denim, stopping her hips from rocking before he exploded. A plan which backfired because she crushed her perfect breasts against his chest and battled with him for control of the kiss.

He had to have her now, the need to claim so fierce.

She broke away to skim her mouth over his jaw, so he utilized that opportunity to breathe. The joke was on him. All he could breathe in was her. He slid his fingers under the hem of her shirt, up her sides and cupped her breasts through her lace bra. One surprise after another with Ava. He’
d expected satin or soft cotton. He
’
d had more than one fantasy where lace was concerned. Noting how well her breasts fit in his hands, he used his thumbs to bring her nipples to a peak, earning another satisfying mewl.

He debated switching positions, wanting her beneath him, wanting control back, but he was wrung so damn tight he thought he
’
d hurt her.

Finding her mouth again, he plunged inside, doing with his tongue what he wanted to do with a different, very demanding part of his anatomy. Her long, delicate fingers coursed down his chest, to his abs, which jumped beneath her touch. Bugger. He was going to die. Lower.
God, lower
her fingers moved. His hips jerked in response. His hands drove into her hair, clenching the soft, silky strands between his fingers as he’
d wanted to do since he first saw her.

The library door opened with an echoing click.

They simultaneously stilled, lips still locked.

Panting, she broke away.

No one was standing there.

He sucked in much needed air. He was too turned on to be rattled.
“
Ghost or human?
”
he muttered.
“
I might kill either.
”

She slid off his lap and stared at him with sleepy, husky eyes. Her hair was a tangle of red curls from his fingers and her pink mouth swollen from his kiss. Damn if he didn
’
t have the worst imaginable withdrawals.

She peeked around the doorframe and shrugged.
“
Ghost. I wonder if she was leaving the room to give us privacy or telling us to cool off.
”

“
It would be nice if she made up her mind.
”

She bit her lip.

His dick throbbed.

“
You
’
re not coming back over here, are you?
”

She looked at him and he could all but see the thoughts in her head.
“
I think we should call it a night.
”

“
Separately.
”

“
Um
…
yes.
”
She was doing that stare-at-everything-but-him trick again.

“
Ava.
”
He waited until she looked at him.
“
I
’
ve never wanted anyone more in my life.
”

Shock registered before her eyes narrowed and he
’
d bet his entire salary at
Phantoms
that she didn’
t believe him. He rose, painfully ignoring his erection, and walked over to her. He dropped his mouth to her ear and his voice teasingly low.

“
Two things you need to know about me, luv. I
’
m a patient man and
…”
He traced the outer shell of her ear with his tongue and smiled at her sharp intake. He pulled back and walked to the door.

She breathed heavily from several feet away.
“
What
’
s the other thing I need to know?
”
Her voice was as hesitant as it was curious.

“
I don
’
t like red Jell-O either.
”

Chapter Eleven

Jackson crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. Terrance had been going through the equipment with Ava in the dining room since Paul arrived an hour ago. With all the activity, they’d decided to call their historian back to the site for the remainder of the investigation. Kerry and Amir were getting Paul up to speed on what went down since he left. Sammy sat next to Jackson, staring at him as he stared at Ava.

Fun and games.

Ava was a quick study. She listened to Terrance, asked very few questions and never interrupted. She’
d also been ignoring Jackson since he awoke early this afternoon.

“
You
’
re going to stare a hole through her head if you keep it up,
”
Sammy said.

Jackson grinned and tore his gaze away from Ava to look at Sammy.
“
What do you care?
”

Sammy matched his grin.
“
I don
’
t. I find it funny how enamored you are by the one female on the planet who doesn
’
t think you walk on water.
”

He grunted and returned his gaze to Ava. Perhaps that was why he liked her so much. Maybe he just liked the challenge. Or maybe he couldn
’
t shake the desire to kiss every freckle on her nose and follow the path down to see where else on her beautiful body she had them. Fist her auburn hair around his hand and kiss the defiance out of her. Slide his hands up her thighs until she wrapped those long, long legs around his hips.

All viable reasons for his enamoring. He cleared his throat.
“
Why aren
’
t you going crazy about Ava and me investigating alone together tonight?
”

Sammy shrugged.
“
I had a nice chat with her earlier. She said some things that eased my mind.
”

Did she now? What could she have possibly said to calm Sammy down after last night? He wondered if she could repeat it for his benefit. He
’
d done some freakish things for this show, gone into some very daunting places, but he
’
d never felt a connection or apprehension like this. Not even for himself. For Ava.

The picture of her from last night sent ice up his spine, a knife in his gut. When she
’
d collapsed against his chest and he
’
d carried her outside, he
’
d never had such a need to protect. Such a bone-deep urgency to
…
Christ. He didn
’
t even know.

When she
’
d said she loved him, even when he knew it wasn
’
t her talking, he wanted to hear the words. Drowned in them. Liked that rush of warmth they gave him.

He swiped a hand down his face and replaced the image of her from the investigation with the one from the library when they were alone. And hell, that wasn
’
t helping either. Her little sounds of arousal, how she pressed her curves against him as she kissed the sense God gave him right out. Yeah. Still turned on hours later.

Terrance stood.
“
I think we
’
re good here.
”

“
The lasagna should be done,
”
Ava said.
“
Let
’
s get some food in you guys before you investigate.
”

“
We, luv. Before
we
investigate.”

Yeah, totally didn
’
t know why he
’
d said that. Why it was so necessary to not only include her, but make her understand she was included. She just stared at him through those amazing eyes as the team ping-ponged their gazes between them.

“
Lasagna
’
s my favorite,
”
Paul said lamely.

Sammy laughed and stood.
“
Food coma, here I come.
”

They tore through three pans of Ava
’
s lasagna
—
incredible, that
—
and were working through her tiramisu
—
more incredible
—
before he leaned back in his chair.

Paul and Kerry stood to help and in no time the kitchen was restored to order. Kerry suggested she and Paul start out in the parlor while Ava and Jackson work the upstairs central hall. That way Sammy could investigate upstairs too, but be within earshot of help. They agreed and dispensed to the dining room to grab their gear.

Ava chose the digital recorder and the thermo, while he took the voice box. Earl followed them up the stairs and into the central hall. Ava closed the stained-glass French doors behind them and took the room in. Jackson did the same.

The room was large square floor plan. Aged hardwood beneath them and an impressive chandelier above. Other than a few forest prints on the walls, the room was empty. Ava cut the light and looked to Jackson for direction. The west wall had floor to ceiling windows flanking a fireplace and let in enough moonlight to gather bearings. He sat on the floor up against the south wall, so she followed suit and sat against the north one. Earl kept near the French doors and swept the room, camera in hand.

“
It
’
s cold in here.
”
Jackson shivered and fisted his hands. The moisture from his breath crystallized before his face.
“
What does the thermo read?
”

Ava turned on her digital recorder and set it down on the floor by her hip before switching on the thermo. An orange glow lit her face, allowing him to see her stoic expression.
“
Fifty-eight degrees. It is chilly. This room never retained much heat, though.
”

Her breath wasn’t visible like his. Dread filled his gut and he had to fight the urge to stand and pace. He nodded and turned on the voice box. The little red light on top indicated it was working.

“
Just a warning, if we get any responses, this thing will say what the spirits are trying to say. Theoretically.
”
He set the box on the floor in front of him.
“
Is anyone here?
”

“
I
’
m not seeing anything.
”
Her gaze was trained on the device.

“
Come on,
”
he bellowed. Remembering Ava’s pale face from last night and her shallow gasps allowed anger to rise up. Surge.
“
You pushed me the other night, didn
’
t you? I
’
m here now. Let
’
s see what you
’
ve got.
”

A few seconds passed before the voice box robotically said the word
“
get.
”

Man, that electronic voice always creeped him out. His skin tingled and his fine hairs rose.

“
Get what?
”
Jackson kept one eye on Ava to make sure she was okay.

“
Get
…”
the box repeated. Then,
“
Out.
”

He froze, every molecule understanding the warning.

Her jaw dropped.
“
You want us to get out?
”

“
No,
”
the box said in delayed time.

The thing wasn
’
t always a hit for them in the past, but Jackson knew to wait at least a minute before asking another question. Sometimes it took that long to generate a response. He held up his hand telling Ava to wait.

“
You
…
stay.
”

Ava sucked in a breath.
“
I can stay? What about Jackson?
”

A few minutes passed with no response.

“
It
’
s sixty-five in here now,
”
she said.

It didn’t feel any warmer. The cold grip of apprehension slid all the way to his bones.
“
Must
’
ve left.
”
He scratched his jaw.
“
It wants you to stay and me to leave.
”

“
Guess my ghosts are immune to your charm too.
”

She wasn
’
t immune last night in the library, but he kept that retort to himself since they were on camera. He picked up his walkie and radioed Sammy.

They met up in the hallway and went downstairs. Kerry and Paul were already seated at the table.
“
The parlor was quiet,
”
Paul informed.

Jackson told them about the voice box. Sammy reared back in her chair as he loaded Ava
’
s digital recorder to the laptop. He rewound the play to when they first arrived in the room while watching the screen for wave patterns. His voice wave was obviously in normal range, as was Ava
’
s. The voice box recorded at its usual frequency.

“
That
’
s strange,
”
he mumbled.
“
There
’
s no EVPs. None. Something was in there with us.
”

Kerry and Paul
’
s digital recorded zip in the parlor either.

They switched things around, with Kerry and Paul going into the kitchen and Ava and Jackson into the living room. Sammy decided to sit in the parlor alone. Ava passed him the thermo and took the voice box this time, sitting in a corner chair as far away from him as possible.

After nearly an hour of nothing, Jackson radioed for the team to reconvene in the dining room. The digitals caught little of significance. It was frustrating. He leaned back in his chair and stretched.

A thud of footsteps sounded above their heads, ceasing their chatter on a dime.
Boom, boom, boom
. The ceiling vibrated and the thunder of it hit him in the chest.

Everyone stared at the ceiling in unison.

“
We
’
re all accounted for,
”
Sammy whispered.

“
Then who
’
s walking upstairs?
”
Paul asked, swallowing hard.

“
It sounds like boots,
”
Kerry supplied.
“
Heavy soles.
”

Jackson whipped his gaze to the monitors.
“
You see anything?
”

Amir and Terrance shook their heads.

A door slammed upstairs. So loud Jackson’s teeth rattled. The team jumped. Gasped. No one dared move.

After a tense beat, Amir pointed to the upper left side of his screen, which was camera one in the hallway.
“
Your bedroom door just closed.
”

He stood so fast his chair tipped over.
“
Ava, let
’
s go.
”

Digital in hand, he ran up the stairs with Ava and Earl at his heels. She switched on the thermo just outside the door and turned the knob. She entered first and stepped aside for the others to enter. He looked over her shoulder at the thermo.

“
There.
”
He pointed to the floor near his bed. A fading set of blue footprints contrasted the heat signature of the room. But no one was physically standing there.

Screw fear. Jackson kicked the door shut with his foot and crossed his arms.
“
I know you
’
re in here. I
’
m blocking the door. You
’
re not leaving. Tell us why you want me out.
”

The air was so still, so thick, he had a hard time breathing.

“
Please?
”
Ava pleaded, playing good cop again.
“
Tell us your name. Do you know how you died?
”

Much later, Jackson shook his head as they headed back downstairs. The others were already finished doing their digital playbacks. Amir loaded Jackson
’
s into the laptop.

They listened together as Jackson goaded the spirit by blocking the door. Seconds later there was a muffle. Very faint. His gaze darted to the screen. Sure enough, it was at a low, inhuman frequency.

“
Play that again.
”

Amir played it back, louder this time.

And what Jackson heard gave fear a new name. Its voice raked like a claw down his back.

“
A laugh,
”
Sammy said, awe hollowing her voice.
“
It
’
s laughing at you.
”

“
Sounds male.
”
Paul shifted in his seat, earning a nod from Kerry.

On film, Ava asked for the spirit
’
s name and how they died. Seconds passed in silence before a male voice came through. Quiet, just like before. And just like the laugh, at an inhuman frequency.

I died alone.