Мишель Роуэн - Hot Spell

It was as if a decade had gone by since then. She felt as if she knew Jacob better than anyone she’d ever known before in her life. Sure, it was mostly to do with her being able to wade through his thoughts, but it was more than that. There was a connection between them that went way beyond the physical.

Although the physical was pretty nice, too.

It was all just part of the spell.

What if it isn’t? a little annoying voice poked at her. What if this is real?

“Thinking about me?” he asked, his voice breaking the silence in the car.

“Yes,” she replied immediately and then pressed her lips together. Reading minds was handy, but compelling someone to tell the truth was embarrassing.

His attention left the road for a split second as he glanced at her. “Patrick thinks we’re being rash.”

“He said that?”

He nodded.

“Does he want us to come back?”

“No, but he warned us to be careful.”

She crossed her arms. “The ghosts won’t be a problem. I actually think they’ll welcome the opportunity to leave their misery behind.”

“How exactly do you exorcise them?”

“Don’t you know these things already?”

“If I did, I wouldn’t be asking you.” He flicked her a glance. “I’ve never been sent out on any exorcisms before. Since I’m an empath, ghost-busting isn’t exactly my specialty. Is it anything like in The Exorcist? ”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “No. That’s demonic possession. Ghosts are a bit different.”

“How?”

“Their ties to this world are less strong, so it takes less effort to remove them. Actually, every clairvoyant I know has a different method. Some stick to the books, but I’ve found that lighting three candles, surrounding the candles with a small circle of salt—well, that will draw the ghost to me. I have an incantation I’ve memorized—a Latin one. It cleanses the house and makes it completely inhabitable to the ghosts.”

“What happens to the ghost then?”

This was all common knowledge to her. “Most of the time it gives them the push they need to go on to the afterlife, kind of like scraping a splattered bug off your windshield. But if they’re very resistant to leaving, then an exorcism will decimate the spirit completely.”

“Decimate?”

“Yeah, obliterate. Make it as if it never existed.”

“Sounds harsh.”

She shrugged. “If the spirits are evil they can be dangerous. It’s the best way.”

“But Catherine and Nathan aren’t evil.”

“No, they aren’t. But bottom line, PARA is a business. We work for our clients. If we didn’t do what they wanted, within limits, then we wouldn’t be able to stay in business very long, would we?”

“We?” he repeated. “Remember, you quit. You’re basically a freelancer now.”

“Right.” She’d forgotten about that for a moment.

“What’ll you do in New York?” he asked. “I assume you’re not going to take the job at David’s ad agency anymore, are you?”

She shook her head. “I can do something else. I have some money saved up, a nest egg to last me long enough to figure things out.”

“Very smart.”

“My mother raised me to be practical.”

“ Practical is definitely a word I’d use to describe you, Amanda. And your mother, too, for that matter.”

She cringed at the subtle insult, but then thought about it for a moment. “I know you probably think she’s a horrible person, keeping the truth about my father from me for all of those years, but she’s only been trying to protect me. She’s not a bad mother.”

He was silent for a moment. “You know her better than I do.”

“I’m not saying that it makes what she did right.”

“No, it doesn’t.” The angry twist of his lips slowly changed to curl up with borderline amusement. “She really couldn’t stand me.”

“Of course not. You’re one of the psychic freaks who have corrupted her daughter all of these years.”

He raised an eyebrow. “ Card-carrying psychic freak, and proud of it.”

She smiled at that. “You really don’t look like a freak.”

“I appreciate that.” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “And just for the record, neither do you.”

She reached out to touch him, she couldn’t help herself. She slid her fingers through his dark hair. “I really think you mean that.”

He captured her hand with his and brushed his lips against it. Then he blinked and looked at the road again. “Another hour and we’ll be there. I’m making good time.”

“I feel like I’ve been apologizing all night long, but I want you to know how sorry I am, Jacob.”

“Sorry? For what?”

She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “That this couldn’t be real.”

The softness that had grown in his gaze hardened and his jaw tightened. “Right. Can’t forget that for a second, can we?”

She frowned. “I don’t want to fight with you.”

“Me neither. So maybe it would be better if we just don’t say anything else for the rest of the ride.”

She licked her dry lips. “Fine with me.”

She’d already called the owner of the haunted house, Sheila Davis, to let her know that they’d be performing the cleansing ritual as requested. Ms. Davis had been curt and unfriendly, but she did seem pleased that everything was going according to plan and ahead of schedule.

“The sooner I can sell this house, the better,” she’d told Amanda before ending the call.

The cold way she looked at such a beautiful, historic property made Amanda flinch a little. Ms. Davis was going to take every penny she’d get from it and spend it on that shiny new condo in Chicago rather than attempting to live there, or even refurbish the place to give it the respect it deserved.

She supposed she couldn’t fault the woman that much. It sounded a lot like what she was doing herself.

But moving to New York would grant her everything she’d ever wanted. She’d settle in before too long, find a great apartment, meet new friends, get a new job—and eventually start dating.

But she couldn’t even think about something like that right now.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity—although Jacob had turned on the radio and blasted some loud music which helped distract her a little bit—they pulled up in front of the Davis house.

“So what’s the game plan?” Jacob asked without enthusiasm.

“We go in, I give Catherine and Nathan one more chance to leave of their own free will, explaining to them what will happen if they refuse. If they give us a hard time, I will exorcise them.”

“Will it take long?”

“A couple of minutes. I just have to light the candles, spread the salt and read the incantation. Easy.”

“Can I read it if necessary?”

She shook her head. “It has to be somebody like me. Otherwise it would take a really long time and more accessories would be required—like crucifixes and holy water—”

“So you’re a real, honest to goodness, ghostbuster.”

She shrugged. “It’s rare, I guess, to be able to do what I do.”

“Which is what makes you so special.”

She turned to look at him, but he’d already averted his gaze to open up the driver’s-side door.

“So you do your ghostbusting,” he continued, “and then we’ll tear that clock apart. Hell, who knows? We might make it back to O’Grady’s for last call.”

“You never know.”

He pushed open the door and got out. “Come on, LaGrange. Let’s not wait another minute. Let’s get it done, get out and then we’ll both be free to go our separate ways.”

He seemed to call her by her last name when he was either amused with her or annoyed. She didn’t have a hard time figuring out which he was at the moment.