Ghost of a Promise (23 page)

He set the recorder down on the island in front of Terrance.
“
Sarah Kerrick was in my room this morning. See if there
’
s anything there.
”

Amir and Terrance glanced at each other and made a beeline for the dining room.

She smiled over the rim of her cup, amusement with the techies evident.
“
I
’
m going to miss you guys when you
’
re gone.
”

The ache spread, until there wasn’t a part of him unaffected. She was wearing skinny jeans that did incredible things for her legs and a pair of brown leather knee-high boots. Her beige sweater fell just above her knees. He wanted to peel away the layers to what he knew lay underneath.

“
Do me a favor and set your coffee down.
”

She looked at him through quizzical eyes, but set the cup down. Her teeth worked her lower lip and her hands fumbled for purpose, finally settling on crossing her arms. Those damn beautiful blue-gray eyes eventually made their way to him. Her pupils dilated until all that remained was the dark navy outer rim of her irises. The pulse beat at her throat in time with his.

He closed the distance between them and slammed his mouth over hers. There was no finesse, just need. A need he couldn
’
t control and no longer wanted to. He pressed her back against the counter, thigh to thigh, until there was no mistake about his growing feelings for her. He poured every irrational emotion into the kiss, needing her to know. To understand. To meet him halfway and acknowledge him.

A low moan rose from her chest and before it could escape, he swallowed it down. He explored her mouth, lingered on her taste. This would never end. This need for Ava would never stop. Unsure why
—
why her and why now
—
he pulled back and looked at her.

“
I bloody missed you like crazy last night.
”

Her shock was apparent and irritating. Her words even more so.
“
The camera is on.
”

He sucked in air.
“
I tell you I missed you and you tell me the camera is on?
”

That spark he loved flared in her eyes.
“
I
’
m not up for public displays, Jackson.
”

“
I
’
ll have Amir delete this thread. Let me repeat myself,
”
he said, making sure he was very clear that she understood her reaction meant something. Meant everything.
“
I. Missed. You.
”

Terrance poked his head through the doorway.
“
Uh
…
we got something on the recorder.
”

His gaze never drifted from Ava
’
s.
“
We
’
ll be right there. Give us a sec.
”

Ava glanced over his shoulder and then stared at his chin, a thousand emotions playing over her face. The tense silence lingered, eating away at him, until she finally opened her mouth.
“
Th
…
there
’
s fresh coffee in the pot. I
’
ll meet you in the dining room after I clean up.
”

He blinked slowly. Reality sank deep.

Bloody hell, that hurt like a son-of-a-bitch. A blow right to his
—
until recently
—
unused heart. He stepped back and his arms fell to his sides. He took a moment to gather his thoughts until he knew he could speak without a hitch in his tone.

“
Message received, Ava. Message received.
”

Chapter Twenty-One

As an early Christmas present to herself, Ava ordered an old-fashioned pool table from an online vendor for the great hall. She also ordered a four-seater game table for card playing. Both were being delivered in ten days.

She sat back in her chair at the desk in her library, satisfied. When she went into town tomorrow to grocery shop, she’
d talk to Frank at the hardware store to see if he
’
d build her a small corner bar and stools. He could use the work and was good with his hands.

She was trying not to panic, but they were getting close to crunch time. They
’
d accumulated mounds of evidence, but not the one thing they needed. Sarah had been particularly evasive since the crew returned from holiday. Other than the one EVP from Jackson
’
s bedroom two days ago, she
’
d been mute. And the EVP had nothing to do with how she died.

You’re losing her
.

A knock came at the door. She turned, noting it was getting dark out and nearly dinner time.

Sammy stepped inside the library and closed the door. “
We
’
re ready for you.”

She stood.
“
I
’
ll get my coat.
”

The team decided it was a good idea for Ava to go near the cliffs again, this time with the voice box and Tom manning a camera. She dared to hope this would be successful. While she was outside, Jackson would be heading into the great hall to try his hand at contacting Peter again. It was Sammy
’
s idea to split them up.

“
Before you leave.
”
Sammy stopped her with a hand on her arm.
“
I just want to say something, if you don
’
t mind?
”

“
What
’
s wrong?
”
Panic bubbled.

Sammy swiped her fingers through her jet black hair and stared over Ava
’
s shoulder.
“
Jackson never fights with anyone.
”
Her blue eyes were sharp when they settled on Ava.
“
I never thought I
’
d see the day I
’
d have to warn a woman not to hurt Jacks, but here we are.
”

“
I
…”
She clamped her mouth shut. Just what was Sammy getting at? They both went into this affair with eyes wide open.

“
I can count on one hand the number of times he
’
s raised his voice.
”
Sammy crossed her arms and looked down by her feet.
“
Fighting with you means he
’
s let you in. He doesn
’
t even let me in, Ava.
”

Having feelings and trying to make a go at a doomed relationship were two different things. Plus, she couldn’t trust this house not to hurt another man. Take away the obstacles of distance and obligations, there was still the fact that Jackson was a restless soul. In time, he
’
d grow bored and they
’
d resent one another.

What they had was a whirlwind romance brought on by circumstance.

“
His contract with
Phantoms
is up,”
Sammy said.

Ava
’
s gaze flew to hers.

“
He didn
’
t want you to know. He hasn
’
t renewed the contract. Yet. He wants to be with you and doesn
’
t know how.
”

She closed her eyes and tried to dismiss the implication, but couldn
’
t. They
’
d both tried not to go there, but it happened anyway. They fell.

Sammy walked out while Ava blinked fiercely at the ceiling. Aside from Casey, she didn
’
t have any close friends. It wasn
’
t just Sammy, but the entire crew had worked their way into her heart. And Jackson
…

She sucked in a breath and shook her head, wiped away a stray tear, and sniffed. The heaviness in her chest didn
’
t ease, but she walked out of the room and grabbed her coat anyway. She had a family home to save.

The mansion would be here long after the crew
—
Jackson included
—left.

…

Jackson stared out the balcony doors in the great hall and folded his arms across his chest. Below, Ava crossed the snow-covered lawn. Her red hair contrasted the white snow and even in the dark he could make out the shape of her body.

He’
d all but said the words
“
I love you
”
and she
’
d dismissed him. Hating being the one on the receiving end of things, he
’
d shut down his response and walked away. He really wanted to stay and fight. So unlike him.

Sammy
’
s idea to separate him and Ava was a godsend. Being alone in a room with her, even while investigating, was just a reminder of how badly he wanted her.

Perhaps Ava was right after all. Maybe he was under the mansion
’
s spell. At the time he
’
d dismissed the idea, but it made sense. From day one he
’
d had this overwhelming attraction to Ava. So strong, so fierce, he acted out of character more than he remained true to himself. There was certainly enough documentation to back up the idea. Men went crazy here. He wasn
’
t the exception to history, he was the rule.

Looking at the situation from a logical standpoint, it was ridiculous to think people fell in love after only a few weeks. Both he and Ava had more than one episode of emotional manipulation, possibly full-on possession. His feelings for Ava weren
’
t real. They couldn
’
t be. Once they finished this case and moved on, things would return to normal.

He rubbed the back of his neck, still watching her from a distance. She was talking now, trying to get one of the spirits to answer. Tom stood a respectable distance away with his camera angled toward her. He remembered what she looked like on the video feed in the living room. The camera loved her. She was a bloody beautiful woman, even with tears in her eyes
…

Bollocks. That was it!

Sarah Kerrick had manifested when Ava cried that night in the living room. If they could get similar circumstances on their side, maybe it would happen again. Ava may not go for it, but he would make sure the segment never aired. They
’
d use it only for evidence for her attorney. It was something they hadn
’
t tried and logically the most likely to work.

He tore from the room, down the stairs and located Sammy by the kitchen door watching Ava. He radioed the rest of the team to convene in the dining room, directing Tom to stay with Ava outside. Once they were all together, he told the crew his idea.

“
It is a damn good idea,
”
Paul agreed.

“
We won
’
t air it. It’s only to gather evidence.” Jackson
’
s gut sank to his knees.
“
She loses everything if we don
’
t try.
”

The kitchen door opened and closed.

He checked his phone for the time. It was damn late.
“
Call it a night, everyone. Ava will be more comfortable if we
’
re completely alone. Sammy and I will check the feed when done.
”

He waited for the crew to head off before he slowly collected the equipment, his mind racing at the task ahead.

“
Jacks, don
’
t say anything to her you can
’
t take back.
”

He laughed without mirth. Too bloody late for that.

…

Ava looked up from where she was seated on the library couch when Jackson walked into the room. Sammy had relayed their newest plan to her in private a few minutes before, and though nervous, she knew it was a good idea.

With his head down, Jackson set a camera on her desk and aimed it in her direction. From there he placed a digital recorder and the thermo on the table in front of her before turning on the voice box and placing it in the middle of the floor.

“
No one but Sammy and I will see this segment.” He kept his back to her.
“
We will use anything we get for your attorney only. And just so you know, we
’
re alone. I sent the rest of the crew upstairs.
”
When he turned, he was holding a piece of equipment she
’
d never seen before.
“
This is a yes/no box. The spirits can touch this to answer close-ended questions. Green light is yes, red light is no.
”

Ava forced a swallow, wringing her fingers together until the knuckles were white.
“
How does this work, exactly?
”
By his expression, he knew she wasn’t talking about equipment.

His hands dropped to his hips and he assumed a casual stance she knew he worked hard to accomplish.
“
Drum up some tears. I can help upset you if need be. Maybe Sarah will come.
”

After that admission, she wasn’t anything but angry.
“
This should be easy for you. I
’
m sure there
’
s a stream of weeping women in your wake.
”

He strode the distance between them and hauled her to her feet by her elbows.
“
Seeing your tears from our fight gutted me. There is nothing easy about what I feel for you. There are no other women, Ava. I
’
m in and out before the desire fades. Until you.
”
He dropped her arms and took a step back.

She tried like hell to hold on to the anger, but it was hard.
“
So I should feel special, Jackson?
”

“
You are special.
”

Damn him.
“
Oh yes. Very special. I got the great Jackson Granger to feel something. I think I got the short end of that stick.
”

“
We all make our own choices.
”
That low, deadly tone of his was back.

“
You question my choices?
”
she barked.
“
You choose to say meaningless things to me like,
I miss you
, and I’
m supposed to believe you and drop to my knees in gratitude?
”

“
They
’
re only meaningless if they
’
re untrue. And I was referring to the mansion. You
’
d rather live here alone than admit you believe me.
”

“
I
can’t
believe you, Jackson. Your track record speaks for itself.”

He closed the distance and cupped the back of her neck.
“
And in that track record you
’
ll notice I
’
ve never wanted to stay.
Never
.”

He kissed her, fiercely, until he had to hold her upright and
…
damn. The tears did loom. In his kiss was everything he said and everything he didn
’
t say. It broke her heart and he wasn
’
t even out the door yet.

He pulled back slightly and stared down at her, his fingers inching up into her hair. His blue eyes were intense, warring, and his jaw was working into a grind.
“
Ask me to stay,
”
he whispered.

Her lungs collapsed. She fought for air, for room to breathe, but he held her firm.

He seemed to be holding his own breath, waiting on her answer.
“
Ask me to stay, Ava. The answer might surprise you.
”

It took her several moments, but realization dawned. He was sent in here to upset her. And he had. Mission accomplished. She pushed away from him and he let her go. Tears stung the back of her throat but she said nothing. Couldn
’
t speak if her life depended on it.

“
You can
’
t do it, Ava,
”
he muttered, something close to disgust in his tone.
“
You can
’
t ask me to stay.
”

“
I
won’t
do it.” She had a voice after all. It was weak and pathetic, but she had one. “
Whatever you feel now won
’
t be enough to hold you here long-term.
”

“
How do you know if you don
’
t ask?
”
His tone softened, grew hoarse with emotion and she had to close her eyes in order to hold it together a minute more.

Love wasn
’
t enough and sometimes it ruined everything.

“
Fine, Ava. You win.” His voice was grating sandpaper.
“
There
’
s no honor in being right. It
’
s a damn lonely place.
”

She opened her eyes, keeping the tears from falling just long enough for the door to slam behind him. She pressed her palms over her eyes and sank down onto the couch, letting go.

The invasion of lavender wasn
’t enough to soothe her this time.