8
MADDOX
Even though Addie’s couch was more comfortable than anything else I’d slept on in years, I couldn’t find the blissful release of sleep. Something kept brushing my cheek. I’d swipe at it only for the creeping sensation to return a few moments later. I turned on my phone’s flashlight to search for whatever spider seemed to have it out for me, but there was nothing there.
That’s when I heard the soft laughter echo through the room. When it faded, it lingered in the back of my mind as if I’d imagined it. Immediately, I knew exactly what was going on.
I threw my feet off the couch and stomped upstairs to Addie’s bedroom. I strongarmed the door open.
“Tell your ghost friends to leave me the hell alone!”
Addie yelped and pulled her blanket up to her chest. Though I could see nothing in the dark, my face still warmed. I threw myself out of the room and turned my back to the door. Heart thundering, I wondered what I could have seen.
What a horrible line of thought.
Not because Addie was ugly—she was quite the opposite, in fact. I appreciated her dark hair and pale eyes, and the way they contrasted prettily. I couldn’t help but admire her strong frame, made curvaceous by her love for hiking.
No, this wasn’t where my mind should have been going. I shouldn’t have been thinking about the woman I’d just walked in on or what I could have seen in the process. Addie was being hunted by a supernatural killer. The last thing she needed was some creep busting into her room to peep at her body.
I buried my face in my hands and tried to ignore the pull tugging me back into her room.
She groaned and got out of bed. I could tell from the way the floor squeaked with every step. This old house was a ghost all by itself. I wondered if that was why she loved it so much. Though the house seemed devoid of use, I could see the love and care put into the antique woodwork and the well-loved furniture carefully placed here and there.
Thinking about the house kept my mind off the beautiful woman behind me.
The beautiful woman who was likely responsible for the ghosts tormenting me downstairs. I understood that I deserved it after accusing her of murder, but I would be of no use to anyone if I couldn’t get some sleep. Should something happen, I wouldn’t be able to protect either of us.
It was bad enough that I was only human. Not for the first time in my life, I realized just how useless I was. The best I could do was grab Addie and run from any threat that might come our way. If I could pinpoint the person responsible for these attacks, then I might be able to get a shot off to keep them from summoning zombies.
That required near perfect circumstances. While I could make the attempt, there was no promise that I would do what needed to be done. That meant I had to prioritize Addie’s safety over capturing the culprit.
I didn’t like making sacrifices, but I wasn’t a stranger to them. This kind of life required sacrifices. I wouldn’t let them come out of someone else’s flesh, though.
“What are you on about?” Addie asked.
There was no grogginess in her voice which meant that she hadn’t been sleeping. Knowing that, I surmised that she very well could have orchestrated a bit of ghost pranking.
“Perse? What are you doing? I was wondering why it was so quiet up here.” Addie grumbled under her breath.
I half turned before remembering that Addie had rushed to cover herself earlier. However, she was fully clothed when I saw her. I put my hands on my hips and stared her down until I got an explanation.
Addie’s attention remained on someone who wasn’t there—a ghost.
“Perse, you’re not helping him sleep. You’re creeping him out.” Addie sputtered. Her jaw dropped as her gaze tracked something moving unseen across the room. “Not you too! This isn’t a convention! My bedroom is not a meeting place!”
Addie sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
Addie
This washow I found myself crowded in my own bedroom. Sleeping alone in the city was always a struggle. I was never truly alone, but tonight seemed to be a special instance. Not only did I have two—no, three—ghosts in my bedroom, but there was a homicide detective without a shirt standing in my bedroom doorway.
I don’t think Maddox realized that he was shirtless. I couldn’t look directly at him or else the spread of golden hair across his defined chest would make my face turn warm. He might not be able to see the flush in the dark, but Perse always caught on.
Now I had Hector Valdez and Jaden Jones making themselves comfortable in here, too. Hector grinned and elbowed me suggestively, like a father who saw good prospects in the man I’d brought home. I shook my head at him, but Hector wasn’t in the mood to listen to my protests.
“Good man,” Hector said in a thick Spanish accent.
I groaned and buried my face in my hands. Thankfully, Maddox couldn’t hear any of this.