LAST SUMMER
In the morning Arch was back to being silent, and I didn’t have anything to say to him anyway. His face was almost fully healed, which probably had something to do with his stupid Hulk smash Hunter abilities. My knuckles were still swollen, but I didn’t think it was that noticeable.
But when we got inside—Ms. Jackson apparently didn’t need keys—the first thing we heard was the bedroom door slamming shut. I smirked but hid it from Pia. “I guess they’re not dressed yet.”
Pia and Ms. Jackson went out to the backyard, so I headed to the kitchen to start some coffee and figure out what I wanted to make for breakfast. Brunch. Whatever.
An hour later I had a breakfast casserole in the oven and biscuits already on the table. Arch had—without speaking to me of course—put the dishes in the dishwasher and started it. We were all watching a BL drama with Pia and Ms. Jackson when Rory, Ellis, and Shane finally emerged from the bedroom.
Pia cheered, leaping off the couch and running to hug them. “Manny said you were bonded! Is it true?”
Rory picked her up briefly and put her on her feet again. “It’s true! Now we can be together for ever and ever, and you’ll be with us too.” Huh. Finally admitting that, were they?
“Yay! Can Ms. Jackson and Manny and Uncle Arch stay with us?”
“Uh....” Rory gazed around a little desperately, and I grinned. Welcome to parenthood, babe. I headed for the kitchen to check on the casserole.
Shane intervened. “They’re welcome to stay as long as they want. But Ms. Jackson sometimes travels around, and Manny and Arch have jobs and lives of their own.”
“Speaking of Manny....” Rory pitched his voice loud enough to be heard in the kitchen.
“?Sí, mi amigo? Also, congratulations on your bonding!” Maybe I should bake them a cake.
Rory and Pia came into the kitchen, and he gestured at me. “Don’t you have to go to work today?”
“I’ve got an overnight tonight, but I’m calling in sick tomorrow so I can help with the rescue.” Those trafficking victims, magical or not, would need medical evaluations. I opened the oven a crack. Five or ten more minutes.
“Not happening.” Arch scowled from his seat at the breakfast table. Ms. Jackson, in their black panther form, hopped up on the chair next to him.
In the most mature way possible, I rolled my eyes and declared, “Not the boss of me.”
“My Hunter team will be setting up a perimeter starting this afternoon. We’ll be the ones to breach the building and arrest the perpetrators. You wouldn’t have anything to do.”
Ms. Jackson materialized their Ouija board. W-H-A-T-A-B-O-U-T-T-H-E-V-I-C-T-I-M-S
Arch shrugged. “We’ll take them to TWIST and help them get back home or wherever they want to go.”
I put my hands on my hips. “You mean you’ll just load them on a bus or something? What if they need medical care?” I pointed at myself. “Nurse, remember?” Pia high-fived me on her way to the fridge.
Ms. Jackson sparkled out, M-A-N-N-Y-A-N-D-I-W-I-L-L-G-O-V-I-C-T-I-M-S-W-I-L-L-N-E-E-D-U-S. Right on, Ms. Jackson. I opened the oven door to check the casserole again.
Before Arch could come up with another argument, Rory asked, “What about the ghosts?”
Carlyle Blackbourne flickered into existence not ten feet away. “Finally! I’ve been checking back every fifteen minutes. Really, Rory, couldn’t you have done all that sex stuff last night?”
I slammed the oven door shut, and Pia screamed and ran behind me.
Arch didn’t get up, but his gun and knife were in his hands, both pointed at Carlyle.
“Arch!” Ellis stomped over to him. “Put those away. There’s a child present. This is Carlyle Blackbourne, Rory’s grandfather.”
Arch blinked and made his weapons vanish. “You’re the ghost we were speaking to yesterday in the car.”
Carlyle looked down his nose at Arch. Fuck, it would suck if I started to like Grandpa. “The same.” He turned to Ellis. “I take it he wasn’t the bright one in the family?” Goddamn it, now I really did like him.
To show my appreciation, I hooted, “Good one, Grandpa!”
Carlyle ignored me. “Rory, I have an update, but first....” He jerked his head toward the kitchen.
Rory tilted his head and scrunched his forehead. “What?”
Carlyle huffed. “This was easier when no one else could hear me.”
Suddenly he blinked out of sight.
Rory grinned. “I hoped that would work. Tell me now. Oh, hi.” He seemed to be talking to a second ghost. Figuring this didn’t concern me, I pulled the casserole out of the oven and placed it on some potholders I’d put on the countertop.
Pia took the metal spatula I handed her to slice it into squares.
Rory’s smile dropped. “Right. Yes. You’re welcome, and I promise.” He walked over to me and Pia.
“Pia, you saw my grandfather a minute ago, right?”
She set the spatula down and looked at him warily. “Yeah?”
“I now have the ability to allow other people to see certain ghosts, just like you saw my grandfather. Your mom would like to talk to you.”
Oh, fuck.
Pia’s eyes went wide before her face crumpled. “Mama? Where is she?”
Rory pointed at the back door. “She’s waiting for you in the back yard.”
Pia dashed around him and raced out the back door. We all watched her hug a slightly translucent woman with long, leafy hair.
“Lorraine wanted to say goodbye. She’s ready to cross over.”
“Oh, shit. Poor Pia.” Shane rubbed his chest. In the backyard, Pia was sobbing in her mother’s arms.
“Fuck. Shane, do you have any chocolate? Something sweet can’t hurt.” I rummaged through the cabinets for a baking pan.
Pia’s mom faded away, and Rory, Shane, and Ellis dithered by the back door for a few minutes before rushing outside to comfort her. They ended up in a big hug pile on the hammock.
“Well, they could be a while. Arch, Ms. Jackson, you want your casserole now, or do you want to wait for them to come back?” They both opted for eating now, so I served up some casserole and biscuits for each of them.
Carlyle reappeared, hovering over Arch. “Young man, I’m sure you can see the strategic value of having us ghosts do the reconnoitering for you.”
Arch blinked. “There are some logistical problems with it.”
Grandpa waved this away. “If you’re so smart, you can overcome them.”
Arch leaned forward in his chair, his eyebrows down low. Did I have time to make popcorn? How would I decide who to root for?
Rory, Shane, and Ellis came in, all of them holding on to Pia in one way or another. They were such a sweet family.
Carlyle lit up when he saw them. “Rory! Tell this jackass he needs us ghosts for the takedown.”
Rory’s eyebrows went high on his forehead. “Pia, go wash your hands before you eat. Arch, why wouldn’t you want help from what amount to invisible spies?”
He set his fork down on his plate and carefully wiped his mouth.
“Because we’d need you to be there so we could see them, and right now, because of your bonding, that means all three of you.
It’s too risky.” Oh, right. We were only able to see Grandpa and Pia’s mom because Rory was here with us. Well, that sucked.
Grandfather rolled his eyes. “It’s not like we can’t report back to Rory here, and he could be on the phone with one of you.”
Arch tilted his head. “I’ll speak to Dominic about it.”
That satisfied Grandpa enough that he disappeared. I got everyone, including myself, seated at the table. “Help yourself.”
Shane sniffed the air and smiled. “Thanks, Manny. I appreciate you taking care of us.”
I lifted one shoulder. “I like to keep busy.”
Arch pushed back from the table. “Thanks for the food. I need to go meet my team. They’ll be infiltrating the area over the course of the afternoon.” He hesitated. “I’ll let you know what Dominic says about the ghosts helping tomorrow.”
Pia pointed her fork at him. “They helped Rory rescue me, Uncle Arch. I couldn’t see them, but they killed the cameras and made sure we didn’t run into any security guards.”
Arch raised his eyebrows at her. “Really? They can take out cameras?”
Rory rolled his eyes. “Yes. I would’ve told you if you’d asked how they could help. They can destroy any electronics. That’s how we stopped the vampires’ van to get Ellis back. The ghosts fried the electrical system.”
“Huh.” Arch picked up his plate and took it to the sink. “That’ll help convince Dominic.”
Nobody walked him to the front door, and I kind of felt bad for him.
Dammit.