Dire Warning WC0.5 (6 page)

Chapter Ten

While still at Ruth’s, Rifter got the text that Cyd had found the tapes and passed them off to Cain, who’d run them back to the Dire house. Stray and Vice would watch it and report back while Rifter and Jinx would get the PNR crew back to their house.

Sam still hadn’t heard word one from Kyle, but according to Cain, there had been no other murders in the area tonight.

Rifter knew Jinx would deal with Marley—in fact, Jinx insisted Marley ride with him, and Rifter was lucky enough to be Bill’s escort. Keeping them separate for now was very important—if Marley spilled anything to Bill . . .

Well shit, who knew what would happen. Rifter hoped everything would become clearer when the men watched the unedited tape.

“Where’s Bill?” he asked Sam now as the Were walked by him balancing heavy cable and cameras without breaking a sweat.

“On the back porch, phone attached to his ear,” Sam said, muttered something about humans and continued to the van.

Rifter waved to Jinx to head off and went to grab Bill. The man needed to be smarter about being alone anywhere if he was truly worried about a Were attack, although Rifter was beginning to suspect Bill wasn’t all that worried.

He found Bill pacing but off the phone.

“Time to head out,” he told Bill, who acted like he hadn’t heard what Rifter said, instead launching into his own tirade.

“Two major networks want to air the tape in special evening reports. Two cable stations want to build a series around it. And TMZ just called.” He waved the phone around and Rifter tried to figure out what the fuck the man was building toward.

But Bill slumped his shoulders forward and Rifter smelled the fear wafting over everything as he stuffed his phone back in his pocket.

“You must’ve been waiting for this moment for years,” Rifter pointed out. “So I’m guessing these are all good things?”

Bill looked decidedly unhappy. Rifter wondered if his conscience was finally catching up to him.

It wouldn’t matter. They still had to prove he was a fraud even though the fraud had finally gotten lucky enough to catch a rare supernatural event on tape.

“Yes, for sure,” Bill answered finally. “I’ve just got to make the right decision.”

“Let’s get you home. Sounds like you have a lot to think on.” Rifter motioned to the truck. “Not the best time of night to be out.”

“When you get past three in the morning, the paranormal world is really calm,” Bill told him, but complied by walking toward the van and getting into the passenger’s seat.

Right. Three a.m. was Vice’s favorite time for mayhem.

“I can really learn a lot from you,” Rifter told Bill as he walked him to the car.

Chapter Eleven

Jinx checked his phone when he pulled up to the PNR Center. According to the text, Rifter was going to give him plenty of time alone with Marley. He’d stopped with Bill to grab some fast food, and Bill was using Rifter as a sounding board for his career.

And he’s not shutting up
, the next text read.

Suddenly, Jinx was more than thrilled to be the ghost whisperer. He got Marley inside safely and let the cameramen return the equipment to the first floor storage area under Sam’s watchful eye.

“You staying around tonight?” Jinx asked the Were.

“Got a nice spot on the top of the hill,” Sam said. “Just make sure your friends know me.”

“You’ve already met Cyd—he’ll be doing foot patrol tonight,” Jinx said. “We won’t forget this, you know.”

Sam nodded stiffly. “Kyle’s been my best friend since forever. I have a feeling he’s not coming back.”

Jinx had a stronger feeling that the Were was indeed returning, but he didn’t tell Sam that. Instead, he let Sam go about his business as he went to search out Marley, who hadn’t stayed inside as he’d told her to.

But instead of lecturing her on the importance of following directions, he took a softer approach since she was on the back porch, drinking a beer and shivering even though she still had a heavy coat on.

“How’s it going?” he asked her.

Marley took a gulp of beer before answering, “Not bad.”

“Is today the first time you saw Paula?” He grabbed the bottle before it hit the ground, put it back into her still opened palm and wrapped her fingers back around it. “Drink.”

She did, waited several long moments before she spoke. “Yes.” She moved to sit on the porch swing and stared up at him. “You saw her too?”

He nodded.

“But Bill didn’t,” she continued, said that more to herself than to him, like she’d discovered something she hadn’t wanted to know.

“I’m not sure Bill can see his own hand in front of his face,” Jinx said quietly with a glance toward the back door.

“He’s a fraud,” Marley said angrily.

“Yes.”

Marley gave a small, resigned smile and asked, “What does Paula want?”

“She won’t talk to me,” he told her. “Maybe she’s trying to tell you something about Bill?”

“You think she wants me to know he’s a fraud?”

“Maybe.”

“But the video—the wolf shift—that was so real.” She shook her head. “I need to find Paula again.”

“I haven’t seen her since you guys finished up.”

“Do you think I have to prove Bill’s faking everything?” she asked.

“Probably something you should do whether Paula wants it or not.”

“Do you think Paula knew Bill couldn’t really see ghosts?”

“I think she came back to prove what she does know,” Jinx answered.

Marley looked sincere when she said, “Then I owe it to her to help. To learn to, anyway, because I probably learned all the wrong things from Bill.”

“Paula never professed to have any abilities?”

Marley shook her head no. “She was the office manager. She came on the séances because she believed, really truly, but she always said she wasn’t able to see anything.”

“Well, neither could Bill. I guess he fooled her, the way he did everyone. But why would Bill bring you into the fold when he knew you could show him up?”

“He knew I was scared shitless of what I saw. Maybe he figured he’d follow my lead if I saw something.”

“And he wanted to keep you scared,” Jinx said. “Was he close to Paula?”

“He was her boss and her landlord.”

“Bill told the police Paula was out on a blind date the night she died.”

Marley frowned. “That’s weird. She had a boyfriend. She was crazy about him but she wouldn’t tell me who he was. I told Bill that and he said he would mention it to the police.”

“Well, he didn’t. Said it was a random blind date, which threw the police off the track.”

“Shit.” She slammed the bottle down on the porch rails. “Did you take this job on because you can see ghosts?”

“Paula came to me first,” he said. “Well, she followed me home from the morgue.”

Marley opened her mouth then closed it as she digested that information, remembering no doubt that she was still in danger.

“Are you ever scared?” she asked finally.

Jinx shook his head, because how could you be scared when you were immortal. “Not of the ghosts. Not for myself.”

It was the most honest answer he could give.

“But you’ve seen vengeful ghosts?”

“Definitely.” He paused. “Sometimes, it’s easier to stay away, but if you’ve got the ability, you should use it.”

“I’m scared of what I see,” Marley admitted. “There are times I wish I could shut it off.”

“Yeah, I hear you.”

“Do you see them all the time?”

Jinx nodded. “They seek me out. Always have.”

“It’s not like I see them all the time but it’s still scary.”

She was blocking them, but he didn’t tell her that. You had to be ready to deal with that shit and she wasn’t quite there.

But Paula wasn’t hanging around this side for him. She was seeking, but he hadn’t figured out why just yet.

“Do all ghosts hang around?” she asked.

“Not everyone’s spirit hangs around. Most go right on up. Or down. It’s only the unlucky—or the unfinished business types—who hang out in limbo, walking the earth. Annoying the shit out of me.” Jinx crossed his arms and breathed into the night air.

“You’ve been seeing ghosts your whole life?” Marley asked.

“Ever since I can remember.”

“And your family knows about it?”

He nodded. “Yeah, they do. My brother can see spirits. I wasn’t as alone as you are, I’m guessing.”

“My family . . . they wouldn’t understand. They didn’t get what I’m doing with this group already. But if they knew how my involvement started . . .” She trailed off, shook her head. “They’re quite religious and all of this is breaking through something we shouldn’t meddle in.”

“You don’t have to understand everything about someone to love them,” Jinx pointed out. “When did you start seeing ghosts? Because I know Paula wasn’t your first.”

“Right after my cousin died. He was a couple of years older than me. And when I told my family, my dad said it was just a nightmare. When I insisted it wasn’t, they told me not to talk about it ever again. So I figured, it must be something bad. Seeing the dead isn’t a regular occurrence for most people.”

“True. But it doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. Until you believe that, you’re always going to feel alone.”

“Yeah, I tried to find people like me, but most of them aren’t, I guess.” She paused. “Bill was using me, wasn’t he?”

“Probably.”

“I didn’t realize he couldn’t actually see them until the Paula thing last night,” she explained. “When he would see ghosts I didn’t, I assumed it was because I really didn’t have any psychic powers at all. I thought maybe it was all a fluke and I’ve been scared to death most of the time.”

Jinx thought of Rogue, how his twin helped him from being scared all the goddamned time and knew how lucky he’d been to grow up with someone who had similar powers. Normally, Rogue would be next to him on a job like this—or at the very least, Vice would be since he could often spot ghosts. You weren’t supposed to do jobs like this alone, and even though Rogue couldn’t see what Jinx did and vice-versa, they both knew enough to keep the other out of major trouble.

Now, dammit, they hadn’t found a way to help Rogue yet, and so Jinx spent his time dealing with this kind of stuff.

“You look sad,” Marley said, handing him a beer.

He took it but didn’t drink just yet. “Just thinking about my brother. He’s . . . hurt.”

“I’m sorry.”

“He’s going to be fine,” he said fiercely, wondering which one of them he was trying to convince more.

“My cousin, the one who died, was my best friend. We were the same age. He came to live with my family for a while when his parents were divorcing and he wanted nothing to do with either of them.”

“How did he die?”

“Car accident. He was going too fast.” She shook her head. “He was really screwed up. Wouldn’t let me help him. I knew he had a death wish, and even though I know it’s not my fault, I feel completely responsible.”

“Yeah, I get that. I’ve tried everything to help my brother but it’s not working. But I won’t give up.”

Marley put a hand on his shoulder and for once he didn’t mind the human touch. “Don’t you think, helping the way we are, helps us just as much as the ghosts?”

“I have no doubt about that.” Jinx took a long drink of the beer and looked up at the sky. “We do the best we can, you know? That’s all anyone can ask.”

“If there are more out there, and I can see ghosts, can I learn to spot others?”

Jinx shrugged. “In time, maybe, if you make it your life’s work. But if helping ghosts is your true ability, you’ve got to focus on that. You won’t be able not to do it. You won’t be terrified forever.”

“I’m that transparent, huh?” She gave him a wan smile.

“You’re new,” he said. “You’ve been avoiding your abilities for years. But you can help Paula. You have to or she’s not going to leave you alone.”

Marley paled at that. “I didn’t want this ability. I didn’t ask for it. I mean, do you actually like being able to communicate with ghosts?”

“I try not to worry about shit I can’t control, but I’ve had a lot more time to accept it than you.” Jinx scanned the darkness as the hairs on the back of his neck stood and his Brother Wolf gave off a low growl inside his head.

No sign of a ghost, so that could only mean . . . “Marley, inside now!”

He practically carried her in, shutting the heavy back door behind him. It would be no match for a Were.

Then again, neither was the window the Were plunged through.

Cain waited in the woods until the cameramen went home and then grabbed the tape from Cyd and drove it back to the Dire mansion.

It was nearly four in the morning and Vice was just coming in from the back door, still naked as Cain came up the stairs from the garage, his prize in hand.

“Smells like human fear,” Cain told Vice when he handed him the tape and Vice concurred immediately. It was an unmistakable scent, but if Bill had just seen a Were shift before touching the tape, he had every right to be shitting his pants.

Now, in the Dires’ den, Vice pulled on his pants as Stray popped the CD in and the picture came up on the fifty-two-inch screen. In living color.

The woods. Night. A Were none of them recognized in human form and Paula. Jinx had texted them a picture of her earlier.

“That’s the dead girl,” Stray pointed out.

“Then that’s Kyle,” Cain confirmed.

“Definitely them,” Vice murmured. She was a pretty girl. And they definitely looked fated.

“That’s by the school . . . whoa,” Stray said as the Were started taking off his clothes. Paula followed and then there were just two naked bodies on the screen. Kyle drew her in for a deep kiss.

“Wereporn!” Vice shouted. “Wait, with a human? Christ.”

“Whoa,” the three called out in unison.

“We should not be watching this,” Cain told them. “This is a private moment and they have no clue they were being taped.”

“That’s what they all say,” Vice said. “Have you never seen the Pam and Tommy Lee tape?”

“Gotta see this through,” Stray muttered. “Gotta see how it ends.”

“Hopefully for Kyle it ends well,” Vice commented.

After fast forwarding through the tender sex, they heard Paula telling Kyle it was okay. And then Kyle shifted, during which time the camera focused completely on him and the Dires watched the Were none of them knew transform lightning fast from human to wolf form.

“Fuck me—what was he thinking?” Vice muttered.

“He wasn’t,” Cain said.

“Human pussy—I just don’t get it,” Vice said.

“No, you don’t,” Cain said and ducked before Vice could cuff the back of his neck.

“Could if I wanted,” Vice said. “But I’m not that stupid.”

“Paula didn’t tape this,” Stray said. “And it’s not a hidden camera—it’s being handheld—you can tell by the way the picture’s not always steady.”

“But she knew Kyle was a Were. Wolves and humans should not mix,” Vice said firmly.

They all knew, apart from living on a desert island, there was very little they could do to avoid human contact. All the Dires could do was move around so no one would notice they didn’t age, but any kind of deeper or sexual relationship between wolf and human was to be avoided at any cost.

“The Weres don’t learn their lessons,” Stray said.

Once the shift was complete, the scene went wide again and Kyle the Were loped over to Paula and nudged her.

He howled literally at the moon, and then wolf and human began to walk farther into the woods, with Paula fully dressed and carrying Kyle’s clothing.

“And that’s where it ends,” Stray said. “It makes sense that Bill made the tape. He knows he’s got gold.”

“So what, he’s in love with Paula. He confronts her, tells her what he taped. Maybe he says, do what I say and I won’t show anyone the tape?” Vice conjectured.

“And if she tells Bill that she loves the wolf and not him . . .” Stray drifted off.

“Bill tried to frame Kyle. If Bill couldn’t have her, no one could,” Cain finished. “Fuck, that’s harsh. And now he’s going to profit from the murder.”

“Not if we can help it,” Vice said darkly.