An Unwanted Visitor
Chapter seventeen
Jake
After Alex’s haunting misadventures, things return to normal at the hotel.
Well, as normal as things can be with a pair of ghosts running around, a stoner assistant manager and the equally stoned psychic who’s been increasingly present.
And Kayla. We’re an interesting bunch. I’d never tell Alex this, but I’m starting to appreciate this place, despite my best efforts to stay indifferent.
I’m lounging in the lobby by myself today. Alex is in his room brainstorming ways to haunt the guests. He doesn’t want the experience to get stale, he said.
The front door suddenly swings open, and in walks the last person I ever expected to see again. My breath catches in my throat as he walks up to the front desk like he owns the place. Andrei. I stop breathing, frozen in place. He has nerve, showing back up here after what he did.
He sets a duffel bag he was carrying onto the desk and says, “We have business to discuss. There have been a few complications since I was here last. Elder Covington is trying to renegotiate our deal. We need to discuss options.”
Kayla looks at him with hatred in her eyes. That surprises me, because I know she’s been working with him for a while apparently, laundering my father’s blood money through this hotel. “Did you kill him?”
“Who?”
“Jake,” she draws out his name, glaring at him.
“I didn’t hurt the boy.”
“Bullshit! I saw the way you left him. How are you not dead? I’m surprised Mr. Covington hasn’t had you killed for what you did,” she says hotly.
Andrei raises his hand and points a finger at her. “Careful how you talk to me, girl. Covington and I are partners. Coming after me would start a war.” Kayla looks away, chagrined. “Why do you care anyway, were you in love with him?”
I swear I see her blush. “No, nothing like that.” She pulls the duffel bag off the front desk.
“Let’s take this to the office.” Andrei follows her out of the lobby.
I stand there, rooted to the spot in disbelief.
I feel myself start to shake. I know Andrei can’t see me, can’t hurt me, but my body is not getting the memo.
Fuck, I need Alex. I back out of the lobby, not wanting to turn my back to Andrei, realizing how stupid I’m being as I do it.
He can’t see me. I repeat it over and over in my head, trying to convince myself.
I run up to Alex’s room and open the door without knocking.
He’s lounging on his bed, writing in his notebook.
I sit down on the bed next to him and drop my head into my hands.
He sets his notebook to the side and turns to face me.
“What’s going on, Jake? What happened?” he asks, concern lacing his voice. It takes me a minute to find my voice.
“Andrei,” I spit out, chest heaving.
“What about Andrei?” When I don’t answer he says, “Jake, you’re scaring me. Please tell me what’s going on.” He sets a hand gently on my shoulder, hoping to comfort me. It’s not working.
“He’s here at the hotel. Doing more of my father’s dirty work. He’s with Kayla right now, in her office.” I cover my face with my hands, feeling like I’m going to be sick.
“Oh my god,” Alex says. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me into a tight hug.
“I’m going to kill him. I think I’m charged enough to do it.
I just need to find a weapon. A knife, or a baseball bat.
Maybe I could light him on fire. That might be too complicated.
I think I have a pair of scissors around here somewhere.
” He rambles on, and while I appreciate his vivid imagination, I need him to keep holding me more.
“Alex, please stay with me. Don’t go looking for him, please.” I shudder and he tightens his grip on me.
“I’ll stay,” he says, voice low. He crawls onto my lap, and we hold each other for a long time. Eventually my breathing slows down and my panic fades. He can’t get to us. We just have to stay here, in this room. I tuck my face into Alex’s neck and breathe him in while he rocks us gently.
“Everything will be okay. We’ll find a way to get rid of him. Have you seen Brandon or Seth lately?”
“I think I saw Brandon coming out of the attic a day or so ago. He’s probably up there again. He mentioned something about writing a book? I don’t know. Seth is probably up there with him,” I say against his skin.
“Okay, I’ll go check in a bit.” I just nod.
A loud crash comes from somewhere in the house, making us both jump. He flies off my lap towards the door and I follow close behind, trying to figure out where it came from. Another crash sounds. It sounds like it’s coming from the front of the house. We make our way towards the lobby. Empty.
“The office?” I ask, and Alex runs down the hall that leads to the office.
He stops suddenly when he gets to the door, which is being propped open by Andrei’s body.
Kayla is standing over him with a paperweight in her hand, tears streaking down her face, breathing hard.
Andrei’s blood is splattered all over her face and clothing.
I heave as I see a little piece of brain matter sticking to her shoulder.
“That’s for Jake,” she tells his dead body.
“Kayla, oh my god. We really need to talk about your penchant for murder. Gross,” Alex says. Kayla lets the paperweight fall out of her hand onto the floor, landing with a loud thud. She pulls out her cellphone and dials a number.
“Mr. Covington,” she starts, still breathing hard.
“There’s been an accident at the hotel, can you send a cleaner?
” She listens for a minute before continuing, “Yes, it’s your associate Andrei.
He… slipped and fell. Hit his head pretty hard.
Judging by the amount of brain matter on the floor, I’d say he’s pretty dead.
” She listens for another minute. “Okay. Yes, okay. Thanks, I’ll wait here for them. ”
She ends the call, sliding her phone into a back pocket. She kicks Andrei’s corpse a few times in the side, and once in the head for good measure.
“You fucking asshole! How dare you, you absolute motherfucker. Jake was a good guy, he never hurt anyone. Fuck you!” She continues to wail on Andrei’s body for a bit.
Alex leans into me and smirks. “Looks like you’ve got an admirer.”
“Shut up, brat,” I say, still stunned at this turn of events.
I’m looking at his dead, mangled corpse but I’m having trouble believing this is real.
Can ghosts hallucinate? I watch as Kayla straddles his body and picks the paperweight back up, slamming it repeatedly into the side of his head.
At this point he’s starting to resemble ground beef. I look away.
Just then, Brandon runs in with Seth trailing behind. They must have heard the commotion. “Whoa, gnarly,” he says. Kayla looks up, seemingly coming out of a trance.
“Huh?”
“What the heck happened here?” Brandon asks.
“He tripped,” Kayla says and stands up, once again dropping the paperweight to the floor.
“He tripped. Onto your rock?” he asks, dubious.
“Yeah, something like that. This is the motherfucker that killed Jake. I threatened to go to the authorities. The ones he isn’t in cahoots with.
He attacked me. Anyway, I have a cleaner coming to dispose of this trash.
I don’t think I have to tell you to forget what you’ve seen here.
You’re a pretty good assistant, it would really suck if you tripped too.
” She wipes her brow, smearing blood around her face.
“10-4, we saw nothing. For what it’s worth, though, good job.
Jake’s a good dude, he didn’t deserve that.
” He backs out of the room. “Come on Seth, let’s take a smoke break.
I have an idea for my book that I want to run by you.
” Seth chews on his lip ring for a minute before nodding, giving me and Alex a quick look before turning and heading back down the corridor.
“We'll be discussing this later, Kayla,” Alex says, pointing to the corpse on the floor.
***
I’m still trying to process the events of this day as I cuddle with Alex. Kayla is a stone cold psycho, but I’m strangely glad that she killed Andrei. He can’t hurt anyone again. That’s all that matters.
“I can’t believe she stole my kill,” Alex complains, adjusting his head on my shoulder. “I had a whole list of fun things I wanted to do to him before I finally sent him to hell.” He pats the notebook lying next to him as he says this.
“I thought those were your haunting ideas,” I say.
“That too. I can multitask, Jake.”
“Ah, I see. I’m sorry you didn’t get to kill him, but honestly, I’m just glad he’s gone.” He rubs my shoulder, the touch comforting me. I need something to take my mind off of Andrei right now. I sit up and grab Alex around the waist. He squeaks as I haul him onto my lap.
“Hello,” he breathes, looking up at me through his eyelashes. He bats them up at me, and I’m a goner. I press my lips to his and he deepens the kiss, shoving his tongue into my mouth.
“Have I told you how much I love it when you do that?” I ask when we part. He smirks up at me.
“Good to know. I’ll shove my tongue in you any time you need it,” he says.