Deadly Chaos (25 page)

Say it, she heard him say, though he hadn’t stopped the rhythmic swirling of his tongue. A rush of embarrassment filled her. Chaos struggled to get away.

“Let yourself go, Chaos.” He was inside her mind, in her thoughts. “Tell me what you want,” Dakota said, still continuing along the mind-numbing path.

The intimacy of being able to hear his thoughts sent Chaos over the edge. To know that he really wanted to taste her sent a rush of heat to her center. She stopped resisting.

“Tell me what you want, Chaos.”

“Harder.”

“Say it.” Dakota stopped licking her.

“Dakota, please.”

“Say the words. Tell me you want me as much as I want you.”

Chaos gulped. The electric sensations pouring through her body were unimaginable. Letting go of the last vestiges of her dignity and any remnants of control, Chaos relented. “I want you, Dakota. Please.”

Curling his finger toward him, he massaged that ultra sensitive bundle of nerve endings inside her while lapping her with lavish wet kisses and gentle sucks. “Come for me,” he whispered inside her head. “I want to feel you come on my tongue. Let it go,” he urged.

Chaos could smell his desire. She could smell her own desire on him. Unable to control it anymore, Chaos gave into the riot of sensations. “Harder,” she urged thrusting back against Dakota’s hand.

“That’s it. Let it go.”

Chaos let it all wash over her as her body wracked with release. Before the last wave coursed through her, Dakota was beside her, pulling her to him.

“You’re beautiful,” he said, leaning in to kiss her.

Chaos felt his hands grip her waist as he positioned himself at her opening.

“Ready?”

Was she ready?
There was no turning back. Chaos knew that and yet she was beyond the point of caring. She was also beyond the point of speaking and could only nod her head.

“Good. Hold on.”

Chaos gasped with the riot of sensations taking over. Her body hummed in tune with Dakota’s. They moved together fluidly as one unit. Never in her entire life had she let go with such abandon and never had her entire body and mind been so focused on one thing – pleasure. Filling her more, she felt his orgasm building inside him.

Chaos braced herself but before she could react she felt another climax building inside of her. It started at the tips of her toes, causing them to curl. Every muscle in her body tightened in anticipation until she thought she was going to explode. Grasping Dakota’s butt in her hands, she dug in and pulled him to her as she came again. Her muscles clenched and released around him as they came together. After the last vestiges of pleasure had dissipated, they lay side by side, connected and breathing as one.

Slowly, like the setting sun, Chaos felt reality return. Upset with herself for allowing it to happen and sad that it never could again, she pulled away from Dakota and rested her head on his chest. She’d crossed the line, she thought. She’d fallen completely in love with Dakota. She was still leaving tomorrow. She wouldn’t let him die because of her. She couldn’t. As Chaos closed her eyes, she felt her heart breaking in two.

Chapter Thirty-Two

It’s Effing On!

Chaos moved through the upstairs of the house, turning the lights off as she went. “Doors open or closed?” she asked into the walkie.

“Open. You almost done up there? Sheila and I are finished in the basement. We’re waiting with Dakota in the kitchen.”

“Yep. Be down in a minute.”  According to Sheila, the owners, claimed someone or something was attacking their three year old daughter. Children had vivid imaginations and it was tough to know what they were thinking or experiencing. Her ghost might be nothing more than an upset tummy or problems at preschool. The family had video of something sitting on the girl’s bed and the door slamming shut on its own. Imagination and the wind? Chaos hoped they’d figure it out tonight so the family could sleep soundly and life could go back to normal.

Reaching into the little girl’s pink bedroom, she flipped the last switch and paused. As soon as the lights went out she heard a shuffle. Almost as if someone were hiding under the bed. The bed was a source of activity. Maybe it was an animal or something. Stepping into the room, Chaos crouched down and shone her flashlight under the bed. Nothing. The flashlight flickered, threatening to go out. Chaos bonked it with her hand and it brightened.

Standing up, Chaos shrugged. There was nothing under the bed. It was just her imagination. She stepped into the hallway and listened for the others. The door slammed shut behind her. Chaos jumped. Heart pounding, a puddle of fear began to form deep in her gut. No, damn it. I’m not going to be afraid. If you’re this afraid, imagine what the little girl feels like. Chaos tried to remember what it felt like to be three years old. No child should have to be terrified of her own bedroom, of her own bed. No parent should feel like they couldn’t protect their child. Chaos felt a surge of determination. They had to help this family. It was important. Exhaling, she turned around and opened the door. It was just a breeze. Nothing more. Satisfied with her explanation, and ignoring the voice that told her there weren't any open windows or drafts in the child's room, she headed back downstairs to join the others.

“There you are,” Kat said. “We were getting worried. You okay?”

“Yes. But whoever is on the first team should check out the little girl’s room. There’s something up there.”

“What do you mean?” Dakota asked, already in full protection mode.

“I heard a shuffle under the bed and the door slammed shut.” It was nice to know he was genuinely worried about her instead of just doing his job. It’d be even nicer if she could stop worrying about him and the others. It’d been too long since anything bad had happened around her. Chaos knew she was being paranoid. Linda had told her they were safe and that it was the necklace that was cursed, not her. Sheila hadn’t had any visions and Dead Bill was gone. But she couldn’t help feeling like something horrible was waiting for them just around the corner.

“Wind?”

“I don’t know.”

“I wish Linda was here,” Sheila said. Her normal vapid Barbie doll expression was now one of fear and worry.

“We all do,” Kat said.

Chaos glanced at Dakota then back at Sheila and Kat. “A little girl needs help, right? So let’s do our best for her and for Linda.” It felt nice to be able to help someone instead of always worrying about hurting them. Of course, she reminded herself, the night isn’t over yet. Plenty of time for someone to get hurt.

“We’ll go in teams. Kat and I will take the first shift. You and Dakota keep an eye on things from the van.”

Dakota flicked the final light off, sending the room into complete darkness. “Dead time.”

Chaos closed the door behind her and made her way to the van. “Any word from Linda?”

Dakota shook his head. “She’s not answering her phone.”

He didn't look concerned so Chaos shook off her discomfort. Dakota opened the van door for her and she climbed in. “We’ve got three cameras upstairs, three downstairs and a digital camera wired up in the basement. You want to watch the upstairs and I’ll watch downstairs? Sheila and Kat sometimes split up so it'll help to have a second pair of eyes.”

They watched in silence for a while, listening to the interactions in the house. So far, the ghosts weren't performing. “What do you do if nothing happens? It has to happen a lot, right? People think they have ghosts but it's just their imagination.”

“It does happen sometimes but most people have something going on even if it’s just residual energy. They’re just sensitive to it and once they understand what's going on, they're okay.”

“What’s residual energy?”

“Your dad ever have a favorite chair?”

Chaos flashed back to their farmhouse living room. Her dad always sat in the same chair but she had no idea if it was a favorite. It was just the only chair in the room. "I guess so."

“You know that all objects and people have energy, right?”

“Yes. I do now.” She’d learned way more than she bargained for in the past couple of days.

“When someone dies they can leave some of their energy behind. It usually attaches to things. Like if they had a habit or a ritual then their energy might be left there. So you might see your dad sitting in his favorite chair at the same time every night. It’s not that you actually have a ghost; you're just seeing his leftover energy. It become one with the chair.”

“Like a memory?”

“Yeah.”

“And the other things that happen?”

“Well those are spirits and other paranormal things.”

“What was the thing that attacked me in the bakery?” She was thinking about Dead Bill. Where did he go? What was that thing that attacked her and why did she feel that Dead Bill was connected to it?

“What are you trying to get me to say, Chaos? That it was a demon? I don’t know what it was. Maybe it was just a really nasty dead person. I’ve never experienced anything like that before and I hope I never do again.”

“Chaos and Dakota, you're up, “Kat chimed in.

“You ready?”

She shrugged. They’d been there for more than two hours now and nothing had happened. Maybe it would be a peaceful and uneventful night. “Sure.”

Kat met them at the door. “Dakota, why don't you stay in the van with me? Sheila wants to show Chaos a few things about EVP work.” Without looking back at her, Dakota headed back to the van with Kat and Chaos went into the house.

“EVP work? I'm leaving tomorrow.”

Sheila shined a flashlight in her face. “No, you’re not.”

“Stop that,” Chaos said. She held up a hand to block the light from her eyes. “I am. I can’t stay. You know I’m just doing this because Linda asked me to.”

“What about Dakota? I can tell the two of you have gotten closer. Kat can too and she’s not pissed.”

Chaos shrugged, trying to feign nonchalance. She was going to miss Dakota terribly. She knew deep down she could spend the rest of her life in his company and never grow weary but that wasn’t her reality. The truth was, necklace or no necklace, she hurt people she cared about and Dakota, more than anyone she’d ever met, deserved better. She needed to go home. She didn’t belong here. “Kat has no reason to be mad. Dakota and I aren’t together. I’m leaving and you’ll all be just fine without me.”

“Whatever,” Sheila sighed.“Let’s finish this job and then we can talk about you not leaving. I thought, since you're obviously attractive to spirits, that the spirits in this house, if there are any, might be more interested in communicating with you than Dakota or Kat.”

“Why?”

“Well you already know you kinda have this energy about you, I know you don't fully believe it but you do. It’s really strong and we might be able to use it to connect with them. There is a theory that the cold in a room or the goose pimples on your arms are really just a spirit borrowing a bit of energy from you so they can communicate or manifest or whatever it is they want to do.”

“So you're using me as bait.”

“Or a battery. Whichever you prefer. Go sit down on the couch, you little worm. Let’s see what we can catch. I really want to help this little girl.”

“I do too.” Chaos sat down and tried to relax. She wasn’t comfortable being used as bait but if it helped them get some answers…Besides, Dakota was right outside. If anything happened he’d be there in seconds.

“Is there anyone here with us who would like to communicate?”

“The family that lives here is afraid. Are you trying to scare them?” Chaos asked.

“Or are you trying to communicate with them? We're here. We can record what you want to say and we can tell them. It’s your opportunity to say what you need to say.”

“Or are you too afraid? You’d rather pick on little children and scare them to death.”

“Chaos, stop. What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to get it to talk. They’re not going to say anything if you're being all nicey nicey.”

“Nicey nicey?”

“Yes.”

“Fine, provoke away. But just for the record, Linda doesn’t do it this way.”

Chaos understood. Linda respected the spirits because they were alive once and she was trying to help them. Tonight they weren’t trying to help a spirit. They were trying to help a child. “No. They’re not communicating with us. They only pick on terrified little children. Are you the one hiding under the child's bed and shaking it? Are you the one breaking the mirrors in the house? What’s that about? Too ugly to look at yourself?” They sat and waited. Each breath Chaos took was slow and deliberate. She wanted to be able to hear anything that happened. “We’re not getting anything,” she said, after a few minutes.

“No. Let's split up. You go upstairs to the kid’s room and I’ll stay down here in the family room where the mirrors are always broken. Take the recorder and the walkie.”

Chaos took the recorder and headed up the stairs. Every step filled her belly with more dread. She didn't want to be up here by herself and she didn't want to go into that bedroom. Shouldn’t have provoked it you fool, she thought.

“You say something?”

“No.”

“Oh. Okay. I thought I heard something. Use your walkie and tell me when you're sitting down so I don't think you're a ghost.”

“Gotcha.” Chaos pushed the door open and then frowned. She’d left it open. Why was it closed now? “Kat?”

“Yeah?”

“Did you and Sheila close the door to the little girl’s room when you left?”

“No. All the doors were left open. Why?”

“It’s closed now.”

“Weird. I never heard it close. We have a camera in the room. Maybe it caught something.”

Chaos stepped inside the bedroom and fought the urge to run. It’s just a dumb room, she reminded herself. A child's room with lots of friendly childlike things in it. She looked around. A Sesame Street character sat on the bed. She couldn’t remember his name but the furry monster looked friendly. On the wall there was a mural of a jungle with large furry animals. Chaos shone her light over the wall. “Friendly lions, tigers, and apes.” She scanned the room with her light looking for anything different or out of place. No monsters under the bed. No ghosts. She sat down on the floor with her back against the wall. The door was just a foot to her left. The bed to her right. With her flashlight on she could see both places well enough. “I'm in place.”