27. Hudson
Ten minutes later, we’d hashed out a plan that we were both reasonably comfortable with to reclaim our lives from Genesis.
I texted Parker, who agreed with surprising ease to play house with Faith after we’d pitched him our idea. And I mean, he agreed way too easily.
That was concerning, but I’d worry about it later because I did all my worrying later.
For now, there was nothing more to discuss, so I rubbed my hands together, announcing, “Alright. I’m feeling good. I’m feeling really good. I think this might actually work.”
Faith merely shrugged. “We’ll see.”
I shook my head sadly at her and sighed. “Such a skeptic.”
“Speaking of skepticism and crazy ghost theories,” she countered, totally changing the subject—which told me she was about to get serious…something I was not a huge fan of.
Avoidance was my specialty.
But my undeterred stalker didn’t seem to care that denial was my spirit animal. She clasped her hands together and asked, “Did your friends mention anything to you yet about their visit this morning to Jezebel’s Nest?”
With a groan, I glanced toward the ceiling for deliverance. “Oh Lord, yes,” I mumbled with a roll of my eyes. “And Keene was just so excited and smug that he’d been the one to learn the big mystery of what was wrong with me.” Sending her an admiring bob of the head, I added, “I didn’t have the heart to tell him you’d already figured out the whole ghost possession thing last night.”
Faith smiled vaguely. “And the amulet?” she asked. “Did they hold it up near you?”
“They sure did. And yes, white smoke immediately started to billow inside it. There’s definitely a ghost in me. Wait…” I pointed at her. “Did you actually see my crew there? At the shop? They didn’t mention seeing you.”
“I mean…” She shook her head in answer. “You said your mystery friend didn’t like people knowing she could see ghosts, right?” She shrugged. “I didn’t want to embarrass Oaklynn by bursting into their moment with Mirlande to say hello. So I just kind of hid and eavesdropped on their conversation.”
I nodded, relieved that she’d deduced who my ghost friend was on her own without me breaking Oaklynn’s confidence. “That’s my Stalker.”
Faith rolled her eyes, but I could tell my praise flattered her. Her cheeks brightened, and she glanced away briefly before smoothing a hand over her hair to make sure the big poof ball was still in place. But then she almost immediately settled down to serious mode again as she returned her attention to me.
“And they told you everything?” she pressed. “They told you how Brett is draining your spirit, which could eventually kill you, and how being around Oaklynn might make Brett…”
“Take control of me?” I spiked a hand through my hair. “And how I could kill her with my mere presence. Yeah, they mentioned it. But thanks for the reminder. I needed to stress about it more.”
“Ha-ha,” Faith said dryly as she reached out to poke me teasingly in the gut.
I caught her hand and held on to it. “Thane and Parker are working on finding an exorcist. So until then…” I shrugged. “There’s not a whole lot I can do about it. I just need to stay away from home, and I think everything will be okay…ish. I’ve survived it this long. Another few days, weeks—hopefully not months—shouldn’t make that big of a difference.”
Faith tightened her grip on my fingers. “I hope so,” she murmured, looking distinctly worried. “How’re you feeling right now?”
“Absolutely fine.”
“No pressure at all?”
“None.”
She lifted a shoulder, almost shyly. “And do you have a place to stay tonight?”
I glanced down at our connection and ran my thumb over her knuckles, tempted. I wanted to stay with her again. I didn’t care if it was just on her lumpy couch. Hell, I’d even risk another cat attack. Being around her made everything simply feel…manageable.
But when I glanced up and saw the same longing swirling in her gaze, I knew it was a bad idea.
I swung our hands back and forth once, then let go of her and cleared my throat. “Uh, yeah,” I said, wiping the back of my palm over my nose to make it look as if an itch had made me sever our contact. “I’m with Thane tonight. Parker tomorrow. The guys have me covered for the foreseeable future, no worries.”
Faith bobbed her head in understanding and then glanced around the small, windowless room as if reluctant to leave it, reluctant to leave me.
“When was the last time your head did hurt?” she asked as if just scavenging for topics to talk about now.
I paused to think that one through because, huh… When had my head last felt funny? “Well,” I admitted with some surprise, “I’ve felt really good since the moment I showed up at your place last night.”
When she exhaled in relief, I nudged her in the arm as if congratulating her. “You must be a healing presence.”
She only sent me a tight smile. “Yeah, maybe.”
My phone buzzed, interrupting us, and I groaned as I pulled it from my pocket, realizing I was late.
“It’s Foster,” I explained, glancing up at Faith briefly as I sent Fos a quick reply. “I was supposed to meet him and Dugger five minutes ago for lunch. And everyone’s already on edge after learning about…” Flailing out a hand, I added, “You know…my possession. So I better go.”
“Yeah,” Faith said softly.
I glanced up as I re-pocketed the phone. She looked so sad. “So,” I started, not really wanting to leave yet either. “I’ll see you in the morning, for sure, at our designated meeting place with Ohrley?”
“Right.” She inclined her head in agreement. “I’ll see you then.”
Unable to help myself, I reached out and smoothed a quick hand down the side of her arm, trying to reassure her that everything would be okay. But she sucked in a breath and shivered when I did it, and her nipples started to poke through her shirt.
I swallowed thickly, restraining myself with everything I had, then I stepped stiffly toward the door, where I jerked it open and gulped in the fresh air that swept inside.
“Ladies first,” I murmured, splaying out a hand and shifting aside to let her out.
She looked up into my eyes as she passed, and her flowery scent wafted over me. It took all the willpower I possessed not to pull her back into the room and slam my mouth to hers.
But I refrained…because I had control.
Hear that, Bretty-boy? I was in control of my own damn body.
Setting a light hand on the small of her back, I followed her into the rest of the library, only for a loud and familiar voice to interrupt our moment as it boomed, “What do you mean, I can’t check them out? The fuck kind of shit is that?”
Both Faith and I glanced over toward the front service desk, which really wasn’t all that close to the entrance of the room we’d just left—maybe sixty feet separated us—but I was able to hear Keene’s snort clearly as he threw up his hands in aggravation and glared at the girl behind the counter, who didn’t seem to have a problem with glaring right back at him.
Tall and slender, she arched angry eyebrows and pointed at Keene, answering, “You’ve reached the maximum number you’re allowed to check out.”
“Maximum number?” he scoffed. “There’s no such thing.”
“Yes, there is,” she shot back. “It’s fifty. Just what the hell do you need fifty books all at one time for, anyway?”
“None of your damn business,” Keene thundered. “I just do. So are you going to let me have these or not?”
Library Girl crossed her arms over her chest. “No. The system won’t let me. So you either have to return some you already have or?—”
The first suggestion caused Keene to gasp audibly and clutch his chest as if she’d just suggested he give up a lung instead.
“Or,” she repeated, sending him a stern glare, “just look at this pile here in the library without checking them out.”
“But I want to take them home and…”
When he realized she’d stopped listening to him and her mouth had dropped open in shock because she’d caught sight of me and Faith exiting the health room together, Keene stopped talking, too, so he could whirl around and see what had captured her attention.
Eyes widening, he shouted, “Holy shit!”
“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath and yanked my hand from Faith’s back.
Faith turned back to lift both of her eyebrows in my direction. “Does he think we just…?” she asked pointedly.
I winced apologetically and stalled a moment by clearing my throat. “Uh, yeah. Probably.” I scratched my head, not sure what else to say about it. So I just finished with, “Sorry.”
“Oh, you better fix this,” she charged, twirling her finger to include both me and Keene. “And you better fix it now.” Then she turned away and marched off, leaving me to correct my friend in his misguided notions.
Heaving out a breath, I rounded back to scowl at Dugger, who was now sending me a big, shit-eating grin. “You dirty dawg, you,” he congratulated as I strolled over. “I can’t believe you already got that one in the bag, and in the school library too. Damn, man. I’m jealous as hell, yet so very impressed.”
“Relax,” I murmured, lifting my hand to calm him down. “Nothing happened. We were just talking.”
Keene sniffed. “As if. You totally just railed her in there, didn’t you?”
With a sigh, I leaned an elbow on the checkout counter and then swirled a hand around my face. “Look at this expression right here, junior. Now, tell me honestly. Is this the look of someone who just had sex?”
When I lifted my eyebrows in a get-real manner, he frowned in confusion. “Well, no. But what else would y’all be doing in there alone?”
“Talking,” I repeated. “Sorry to burst your bubble, bud, but people don’t always go in there just to get it on.”
“Your friend certainly did,” Library Girl muttered under her breath.
I’m pretty sure she hadn’t meant for us to hear that, but apparently, both Keene and I had some pretty good ears.
We zipped a startled glance her way, and Keene demanded, “What? Which friend?”
When she sank back a leery step, clearly not wanting to say, Keene snorted. “Oh, don’t hold out on us now. You’re the one who said something in the first place.”
“Fine,” she muttered, lifting her chin at his bullying voice to meet his challenge. “It was…” Then she winced again and dropped her voice as she mumbled into her chest.
Keene and I leaned in closer until I barely heard, and her boyfriend, which boiled that answer down to one guy in our group since only one of us was dating anyone. Well, besides me, I guess. But I wasn’t getting any.
Straightening in surprise, I said, “You mean, Vargas and Archer?”
On one hand, this surprised me because Damien had always been so damn shy growing up, but on the other hand… It also made total sense.
He and Oaklynn couldn’t seem to keep their hands off each other. I’d caught them going at it in the kitchen one night. I mean, I hadn’t actually seen anything because it’d been dark, but damn… They had their own room for that shit. Listening to them through the wall already made me miss the act enough as it was, but having to walk in on them was just rubbing it in.
When Library Girl bobbed her head to confirm, Keene exploded, “Bullshit!”
She plopped her hands onto her hips and glared. “Why in the world would I lie about that?”
“I don’t know!” He threw his hands into the air. “Probably because I don’t want you knowing shit about my friend that I don’t.”
“Yes. It’s simply shocking that I know something you don’t, isn’t it?” she deadpanned.
Bristling, he pointed. “Oh, you want to go there? Fine. We’ll go there.”
But I bumped my arm into Keene’s, stopping him from going anywhere. “Hey, be nice to Library Girl,” I cautioned. “We probably wouldn’t have a Vargas today without her.”
She’d been able to help us find Oaklynn’s kidnapper a few months back when our girl had been taken.
“I have a name, you know,” Library Girl told us.
But Keene was too busy snorting at me to give her a chance to give it to us. Actually, he lifted a hand to block her from talking at all as he scowled at me. “Nice? How the hell can I be nice when this she-devil won’t let me have my books? And they’re very important books. I need them for you, buddy. For your very specific…situation.” When he lifted his eyebrows in a telling gesture, I knew he was talking about ghost possession shit.
But he wasn’t fooling anyone. On the other side of the counter, Library Girl lifted onto her toes so she could read the cover of the top book in his pile. When she saw Diary of an American Exorcist, she arched her brows and peered curiously my way.
“Oh my God,” I groaned with a roll of my eyes as I dug a hand into my pocket for my wallet. “You’re such an annoying ass,” I told Keene as I started to fish through money and cards. “I can’t believe women actually sleep with you. Here.” Pulling out my student ID, which seconded as the campus library card, I tossed it onto the counter in front of Library Girl. “I’d like to check these out, please.”
There was no way I’d gone over my check-out limit. I hadn’t taken a single book from the library since I’d been enrolled here.
Library Girl sighed and rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” She slid the stack close and silently started to check them out for me, while a broadly grinning Keene leaped toward me and hugged the side of my body, making me scowl.
“Dude,” he cheered. “You are the absolute best. Thank you, thank you, thank you.” Then he let go of me so he could spin toward Library Girl and salute her mockingly. “Suck on that, princess,” he chortled.
She merely sent him a dry, unimpressed look as she finished scanning the books and slapped the due date receipt on top of them. Then she slid the pile across the counter toward me as she told Keene, “Due back in three weeks. Don’t be late.”
“They’ll be back in one,” Keene smarted off as he picked up the stack and tucked it under his arm. Then he cheerfully turned toward me. “Let’s go catch Union for lunch now. I’ve got some research to do.”
As he brushed past me to saunter toward the exit, I glanced toward the girl on the other side of the counter who was staring after him as if he was some kind of foreign, alien being that she couldn’t figure out. Then she blinked and turned her attention to me.
I gave her a grin and a wink before saying, “Thanks, darlin’.” Then I left as well, moseying my way after my moronic friend.