Spirited 1 (38 page)

Given that his meaty fingers easily fit around her wrist, struggling was out of the question. For now. She nodded her acquiescence and he released her.

They sat in silence for several minutes before she couldn’t take the tension any longer and asked, “How do you know about Shelley?”

“You look so much like her.”

She glared at him and he laughed. “And now you really do. She could make a Navy SEAL quake in his boots when she was ticked.” Admiration mixed with a hint of sadness in his voice. “I guess I should say
she
looked like
you
, since you’re older.”

Her heart bounced between her chest and her throat, making speech not only impractical but impossible.

He grinned. “I’m pretty sure I made that same face when I saw you at the Dumpster. For a moment, I thought you were Shelley. But your eyes are green not blue.”

“How-how do you know . . . her?”

“We went to college together. She tutored me in English.”

Tears sprang to her eyes. “Really?”

Dev nodded, a soft, almost shy smile played across his face. He twisted slightly sideways, and rested his arm along the back of the couch. “Shelley was my best friend.”

“You keep using the past tense.” Panic made a balloon swell in her throat. She managed to choke out, “Is she dead?”

“God no!” Horror flashed in his eyes, then he blinked and it was gone. Wearily he explained. “After graduation, she moved back to her hometown, well, the one she’d lived in before going to college. I tried to get her to stay here but . . .” He shook his head.

Dare she hope?

“Does that mean . . .” Jules cleared her suddenly dry throat. “Do you
know
where Shelley is?”

“I do.” He nodded slowly. “She lives in a little town in Northern Virginia.”

Silly as it sounded, the room spun. Jules leaned forward and cradled her head in her hands, swallowing back tears. “I’ve been looking for her for so long. I even hired a private detective agency to help.”

“Tidewater Security Specialists,” he said, rubbing her back consolingly.

“How did you know that?” She stiffened.

“My cousin, Ian, asked me to look into your case for you.” Dev smiled. “I haven’t been able to reach Shelley yet, but knowing her, she’s out communing with the woodland creatures or rescuing birds caught in an oil slick.”

Jules took in his lost and lonely expression. She softened toward him. “You’re in love with her?”

“Nah.” Dev gave her a weak smile. “We’ve only ever been friends.”

Well, he was either lying to himself or to her. Maybe both.

Aimee-Lynn’s ghost rose up from the center of the couch between Jules and Dev like a genie from an ancient lamp. Jules jumped back.

“Are you okay?” Dev asked at the same time Aimee-Lynn said,
“Have you done it yet?”

Jules glanced through Aimee-Lynn to Dev, uncertain how to answer. Before she could think of an adequate reply, Aimee-Lynn vanished, only to reappear seconds later to Jules’s right, her aura pulsing a muddy red.

“It’s still here!”
Aimee-Lynn pointed at the purse peeking out from behind Jules. The words vibrated through her skull like razor blades on a chalkboard.
“Why didn’t you give it to Seth yet?”

Jules clapped her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stave off the pain.

“Jules, what’s wrong?” Dev put his hands on her shoulders, shaking her slightly. “Tell me what’s going on.”

Aimee-Lynn continued to yell at her but the words were no longer intelligible. Just that repetitive razor-blade-serrating-slate noise.

“Stop!” Jules tried to shout, but it came out as a hoarse whisper.

Still, it worked. Aimee-Lynn stopped shouting and Dev dropped his hands from her shoulders.

The silence that followed was interrupted only by the soft thumping of her heartbeat in her ears.

“Ghosts,” Dev breathed.

Jules opened her eyes to find him staring at her in wonder.

“Shelley said you saw ghosts as a child. Do you see one now?” He whispered the words, slowly and softly, as if trying not to frighten her or maybe the spirit away.

“Yes.” She nodded toward her right.

Aimee-Lynn floated there. Her face drawn, and her image ended at her upper torso and arms. Smoky and transparent, she looked sickly.

Since he already knew what she could do, Jules turned to Aimee-Lynn and said, “I know you asked me to give them to Seth, but I haven’t been able to find him. I’ll do it as soon as he comes home.”

Aimee-Lynn moved closer until she floated just behind the couch. She eyed Dev speculatively and frowned.
“Who’s this?”

“His name’s Devon Jones. He’s Seth’s partner.”

Dev sat a little straighter and looked toward the front door, nowhere near Aimee-Lynn, and said, “Pleased to meet you, ma’am.”

Aimee-Lynn smiled wanly and nodded.
“Nice to meet you. Finally.”

“She said it’s nice to meet you,” Jules relayed.

When Dev arched an eyebrow, Aimee-Lynn added,
“Tell him Aimee-Lynn Masters has something to give to him.”

“But you said to only give it,
them
,
to Seth.” Jules frowned, glancing between the spirit and Dev.

Dev’s eyes widened. “Give what to Seth?”

“Don’t worry. You can trust this man too.”

Not certain the ghost was right, Jules considered her options. Instinctively, she trusted Dev, but giving him the diamonds seemed like betraying Seth. Then again, Dev had no problem accepting that she saw ghosts. Would Seth be as accepting?

“Oh, Jules, it’s so beautiful,”
Aimee-Lynn whispered.
“It’s more than just a light. There’s my nana. She’s waving to me. I want to go so badly. It’s warm and wonderful. I’ve never seen it before. This has to be the right thing to do. Please, I want to take my baby home.

“Give him the diamonds and tell them what really happened. Tell them, and my mother, I tried to make it right.”

Aimee-Lynn’s aura, which had been gray earlier in the evening, glowed silvery-white now. It pulsed bright then dark then bright again. The ends of her blonde hair sparkled. She was so beautiful, looking at her almost hurt Jules’s eyes.

“It’s okay, Aimee-Lynn. Go home. I’ll take care of everything,” Jules said.

The light faded and Jules was filled with an overwhelming sense of peace. In the distance she distinctly heard a baby giggle and Aimee-Lynn say,
“Thank you.”

Jules needed to clear the sudden lump in her throat. She’d just helped someone. Two someones, really. Aimee-Lynn and her baby. And her crift didn’t feel like a curse at the moment. It felt like a gift from God.

The spirits barely departed before Dev spoke. “What just happened?”

“Aimee-Lynn Masters said to tell you hello.”

“Aimee-Lynn Masters is
here
?” His eyes widened so much, she thought they might pop out.

“Well, not anymore. She’s gone.”

Jules regarded Dev and the amazement on his face, then thought of Aimee-Lynn’s words. The lump in Jules’s throat became a ball of fear.

Giving the diamonds to Seth meant risking he’d think she’d been lying. Or worse . . . crazy. But giving them to Dev could mean destroying Seth’s career if anyone ever found out that not only had she had the stolen gems the whole time, but that they were found in Seth’s apartment.

“Why was she here?” Dev asked.

“I’ll tell you, on one condition.” Jules squared her shoulders. As she spoke, she slipped the bag from behind her back and clutched it to her chest. “You have to swear to help me find a way to keep this from harming Seth’s reputation.”

Dev scowled at her. “If he’s done something illegal—”

“He hasn’t,” she assured him. “But he’s dreamed for years of being promoted. Worked for it. Sacrificed for it. If he lost that opportunity because of this, I’d never be able to forgive myself.”

“You love him,” he said.

“That’s not the point.” She shrugged, suddenly self-conscious. Truth was, she did love Seth, even though she hadn’t told him everything. She only hoped that when she did, he could love her in return. “I won’t have him hurt by this. He never knew I had them.
I
didn’t even know until a couple of hours ago.”

“Had
what
exactly?” Cocking his head, Dev waited for her to answer, but her tongue was suddenly thick and dry. She couldn’t have spoken if she’d wanted to. He sighed and said, “You have my word, Jules, if he hasn’t done anything illegal, I’ll make sure
my partner
is protected.”

She unsnapped the purse and exposed the diamonds.

CHAPTER 19

S
ETH’S USUAL PARKING
space was taken by an old blue Buick. Swinging his head from side to side, he searched for an open spot on his street. Given the time of evening, it wasn’t surprising that spaces were hard to come by. Harmon’s patrol car poked out of the mouth of an alley, but the officer didn’t appear to be in it. Jones’s black Lexus gleamed beneath the streetlamp. It too appeared unoccupied.

Swinging his car into the alley next to the patrol car, Seth killed the engine and jumped out, his gun drawn before the car door slammed closed. The street appeared deserted, save for the parked cars. A glance down the alley behind him showed even Sam wasn’t home.

In quick, silent strides, he hurried down the sidewalk and into his building. The stairwell, still as death, creaked and echoed with each step he climbed.

The entire time, images of Jules beaten as her mugger had been or strangled as Aimee-Lynn had been played through his mind like a horror movie.

He reached his landing. With his hand on his doorknob, he listened but heard nothing. Twisting the handle, he breathed a small sigh of relief. It didn’t budge. Perhaps she was okay after all?

Extracting his key from his pocket, he silently unlocked and pushed open the door.

Jules sat alone in the room. On one end of the couch she had her legs drawn up to her chest, her fingers wrapped over her toes and her forehead pressed against her knees.

Letting the door close with a slam behind him, he dropped his gun to the coffee table, where it landed with a thunk.

Her head snapped up and she appeared startled at first. Her face relaxed and split into a wide grin. Jules was off the couch and in his arms before he’d pocketed his apartment key.

His arms wound around her waist at the same time she looped hers around his neck. Their lips smacked together, almost bruising in the rush. She thrust her tongue into his mouth with a ferocity to match his own. Her sweet scent on his skin and the heady taste of her combined with a rush of relief so strong, he could think of nothing but losing himself inside her warm, welcoming body.

Bearing her down to the couch, he dropped his head to her neck and said between kisses, “I was so worried about you.”

Of their own accord, his hands found her breasts and kneaded them.

“Oh, Seth!” She arched into his touch. “I was worried too.”

He nipped her neck and placed a knee between her spread thighs. “You’re safe, precious.”

“Seth, we can’t.” She pushed her hands against his chest.

He sat up and found lust still hazing her eyes. Leaning forward, he stole another kiss. She eagerly participated, then shook her head, placing a hand between them again. “No, Seth, you’ve got to listen to me. I’m not the one in danger. You are.”

Surprise had him sitting back. “What?”

Jules sighed and straightened her shirt. She slid back to the other side of the couch, as if worried he might attack her again. Crisscrossing her legs, she folded her hands in her lap then delivered, “I found your diamonds.”

His jaw went slack. The words were clearly spoken and yet foreign. “You found my . . . diamonds?”

A wan smile ghosted across her face and she nodded.

Panic, fear, and fury ripped through him. “Juliana, I gave you specific instructions not to leave this apartment. Why would you risk your life like that? Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been? I tried to call but you didn’t answer. Why didn’t you stay put?”

“Seth, I didn’t leave.” She winced, tugged on her earlobe, and admitted, “Okay, well I ran to my apartment for two minutes. Maybe that’s when you called because I promise had I heard your phone ring, I’d have answered. I’ve been trying to reach you for hours. I only left long enough to grab some clean clothes.” Gesturing to the small stack of clothing sitting on the floor, she added, “But I swear, I didn’t go anywhere else.”

A dull ache formed between his brows. “Then how did you find the diamonds?”

More earlobe tugging. She appeared to wage an internal battle that ended with a sharp nod of her head. She lifted her chin and met his gaze, and something steely sparked in her eyes. “Seth, I need you to listen to me and keep an open mind. I-I’m crifted.”

“Crifted?”
He’d never heard such a term before.

“Yeah, I’m gifted or cursed, depending on your perspective. I’ve seen spirits my whole life. It’s not something I tell most people. I mean, what a way to start a conversation. ‘Hi, I’m Jules and I see your dead aunt Willa standing behind you.’”