Chapter 51
FIFTY-ONE
“This is a terrible idea,” I mutter to myself.
The night looms dark and foreboding as I stand before the grand mansion of Mayor Thomson. The chilling wind rustles the trees, and I inhale deeply, my heart pounding with a mixture of fear and resolve.
Why the hell did I let Stanley drag me into this mess?
I’m fully aware of how dangerous this situation could be.
Exhibit A is Stanley himself. He was killed because he knew too much. He was the bookkeeper for the mayor and confronted him when he noticed that Thomson was involved in some shady shit.
The mayor didn’t like that—surprise, surprise—and made sure Stanley couldn’t tell anyone else.
The problem is Stanley had already told his wife, who is now alone with their eight-year-old daughter.
The mayor has people watching Stanley’s family, and his wife is terrified of the large man monitoring their house.
Stanley believes it’s only a matter of time before the mayor decides that keeping an eye on them isn’t worth the effort, and he thinks there will be a tragic reunion with his wife and possibly his daughter if I don’t do anything to prevent that.
Stanley knows from a few late-night bookkeeping sessions at the mayor’s house that the security at the front often lets food delivery people through without much scrutiny. And it looks like he was right.
I’m not even wearing a uniform, dressed in black, with a black cap, my hair pulled into a ponytail threaded through the back of the cap, and two pizza cartons in hand. They are warm and smell good. The fact that I’m hungry and my stomach is growling doesn’t help my nerves.
The mansion’s imposing door creaks open slowly, revealing the politician. His eyes narrow as they land on me. “I didn’t order anything,” he mutters, his voice dripping with disdain.
I square my shoulders. Now or never.
“I know what you’ve done, and I have proof.”
Stanley had the proof tucked away in a hidden compartment in his desk at home, which his wife willingly helped me access after I allowed Stanley to communicate with her through me.
Mayor Thomson searches my face, but he doesn’t react as explosively as I had imagined. Instead, he nods reluctantly and steps aside, allowing me to enter his home.
I can’t believe I’m fucking doing this.
“Now tell me, girl, what have I done?” he asks once we’re inside, crossing his arms over his chest. “You have to be a bit more specific.”
No wonder, with all the shady stuff this guy has been up to.
A chill runs down my neck, and I see Stanley standing beside the mayor with a determined expression on his face.
Thanks for joining. At least you have to witness me dying if what I’m doing for you is going to get me killed.
I pull out the file filled with documents from beneath the pizza cartons and hand it to him.
“Stanley gathered evidence before you made sure he couldn’t talk.
This isn’t the only folder. I’ve made sure that one of them will be leaked to the press if anything happens to his family or if you don’t call off the man you have watching his wife and daughter. ”
“Tell him, girl!” Stanley yells beside me, his fists clenched.
Mayor Thomson opens the file and skims through it. “I see. Let me make a phone call.”
As he disappears into a room on the right, I seize the opportunity to voice my fear, which has turned into frustration. My voice is hushed as I cuss Stanley out. “Fuck, you better be right that this is enough to keep him in line, or we’re all in deep shit.”
“No, Sloan, the documents, the evidence, it’s enough to break his neck. He won’t risk it. He won’t hurt you or my girls.”
“Stanley, I swear if you’re wrong, I’m going to haunt you in the afterlife. I don’t give a fuck if we’re both ghosts then,” I mutter, still not convinced I’ll make it out of here alive.
When I turn my head, I see the mayor has already returned. He looks at me with interest, his head tilted and a cruel smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Did he just see me talking to air?
Fuck, what did I say?
“It’s done. There is no one watching anyone anymore. I don’t take kindly to being blackmailed by girls in my own home, so I suggest you leave. Now.” His tone is neutral, but his eyes burn with hatred as he points to the door.
Waking up in the cramped confines of my van, I’m drenched in sweat, and my heart is pounding against my chest like a prisoner trying to escape.
It’s early morning, and a chill hangs in the air, seeping through my clothes. The remnants of the nightmare cling to my mind, and I shiver, trying to shake off the memories.
Last time I helped a ghost help their family, it brought the worst thing that has ever happened into my life.
I fought against a giant and lost.
Everything.
I have no idea what happened with Stanley’s wife and daughter, and sometimes, it haunts me.
When I got out of the facility, I hid in Nan’s and my home, working on the van at night, not talking to anybody out of fear they would come for me again, even though they couldn’t put me back in the facility.
Nan and the lawyers made sure of that. But accidents happen, and I didn’t want to end up as a casualty.
As soon as the van was ready and the house was sold, I was gone.
Never to be seen again.
I hope they are okay.
I tried to help, but did I in the end?
Yesterday comes rushing back—the confrontation with North, the rejection, and the realization that I might have lost my chance to help Lio as well. Tears well up in my eyes, and I can’t hold them back. The cold tears stream down my cheeks, mingling with my hard reality.
“Nan,” I whisper through choked sobs. “Please, Nan, tell me what to do. I’m lost.” I look up to the roof of the van, biting my lips. “I told you, I can’t do this without you.”
But there’s no response, no comforting presence, just the harsh silence of the empty van. I reach out, hoping for some sign, some guidance, but there’s just nothing. Nan’s absence is like a gaping hole in my heart, and I feel utterly alone.
I thought I had found it.
A place where I wouldn’t be alone again.
I’m a fucking idiot.
But then, a thought strikes me. Nan may not come to tell me what to do, but she doesn’t need to.
I know what she would have done.
She would have fought for Lio, no matter what, and she wouldn’t have given up. No matter the outcome for herself.
I’m a crier, not a quitter.
I’m just gonna cry about it while I do it.
I put on my shoes and jacket and get out of the van, walking the short distance to the guys’ house. My heart races. I know convincing North won’t be easy, but I have to try. I have to make him understand that I’m not a fraud and that I’m here to help.
Just as I walk up to the driveway, their door swings open, and North and Nash step outside, ready for work. Hope surges, and I rush my steps, desperation in my voice as I call out, “North, please. I don’t want anything from you. Nothing. The only thing I want is for you to get help for Lio.”
But North ignores me, his face a mask of indifference. Nash tries to say something, but North pulls him along, not sparing me a second glance. They both get into the BMW and start to pull away, almost driving right over me as they back out of the driveway.
I turn, my heart sinking, to see Hunter standing in the doorway, holding Lio’s hand.
Lio still looks faint, but the fact that he’s standing gives me a small glimmer of hope.
I take a few tentative steps toward them, my voice trembling as I plead, “Hunter, please, you don’t have to believe me.
Think I’m crazy, that’s fine. Get him checked anyway. ”
Hunter’s expression hardens, and he steps forward, putting himself between me and Lio. “You’re not welcome here anymore,” he tells me, his voice cold and final.
“Why, what did Sloany do, Uncle Hunt?” Lio asks from behind him.
Not enough, buddy.
Hunter doesn’t answer him, or me for that matter. Instead, he ushers him inside, closing the door behind him. Panic rises in my chest, and I run up to the closed door, banging on it and shouting, “Hunter, please, just get him checked. If I’m wrong, it doesn’t hurt, but what if I’m right?”
There’s no response, just the sound of silence echoing back at me. I wait for what feels like an eternity, my heart sinking even more, but there’s still nothing. Defeated and heartbroken, I turn away from the door and trudge back to my van, determined to try again tonight.