High Noon (Between the Veils Series, Book Two) (3 page)

He smiled, drawn to the way the skin on the bridge of her nose crinkled as she stared at him, her lips pursed, her eyes narrowed.

He pushed the unit a bit closer to her. “It’s for recording EVPs.”

“EV whats?”

“EVPs…electronic voice phenomena. Spirits use the white noise on the recorder to convey messages. The unit amplifies those sounds so I can see if there are any friendly, or unfriendly, energies following you around.”

The creases deepened. “So you’re saying that thing records ghost voices?”

“Pretty much.”

She eased back in her chair. “But if it was a ghost that tugged on my hair, wouldn’t it be one that haunts this restaurant, not one from my gallery?”

Blake sighed and leaned forward, bracing some of his weight on his elbows. “Usually ghosts attach themselves to a place, be it a house or an area close to where they died. This means they’re somewhat limited to the distances they can travel. But sometimes they can attach themselves to a person’s energy. This allows them to follow that person from place to place, even town to town.”

“Jesus, Blake. You make it sound as if there’s some evil spirit stalking me or something.”

He tensed his jaw in an attempt to keep his expression neutral. God, if she only knew how true that could be. “Just think of it as me covering all the bases.”

Payton nodding then inhaled sharply. “That’s why you wanted to go across town to eat…so you could tell which kind of haunting it is.”

“Now you’re thinking like a paranormal investigator.”

Her mouth pursed into a delightful pout. “But how will you be able to tell if the ghost is from the gallery or not?”

He smiled and pointed at the recorder. “I left another one of these on the small table beside the door when I sent you out to the truck ahead of me. I’m hoping I’ll get some overlap to help answer that question. Either way, it’s a place to start.”

Payton shook her head. “You know, if someone had told me a few months ago I’d be sitting here with you, discussing ghosts, I would have told them they were crazy.” She relaxed back, exhaling a slow breath. “Maybe we could talk about something else for a while.”

“Sure.” Blake waited as the server returned with their drinks and took their order before he asked what had been racing through his mind since she’d first called. “So tell me, what happened to make you pack up your life in DC and head to Virginia City?”

The fine lines around her eyes deepened ever so slightly as she stared at him, a light blush coloring her cheeks again. “What makes you think anything happened?”

He snorted, taking a long pull of the beer he’d ordered. “Sweetheart, my family wasn’t the only one with old-world money. You said on the phone that you’d put every last penny you had into the gallery, which means you aren’t getting any help from your family. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out something happened that made you run away.”

“I didn’t run away. I liberated myself.”

“You can call it whatever you want, but it still equates to you breaking ties.” He reached forward and cupped her hand in his, surprised at how small her fingers felt next to his. A strange sensation fluttered through his chest, and he nearly pulled his hand away in surprise. For some reason, the thought of her alone, this far from home, bothered the hell out of him. He gave her fingers a light squeeze. “Come on, Payton. I don’t scare easily.”

Her focus drifted to where their hands connected, her gaze becoming distant, as if she was looking through the table instead of at it. Tears gathered behind her eyes, but he had a feeling she wouldn’t cry, not here. “Let’s just say that my father and I have a very different vision of what my life should be like. And it got to the point that I couldn’t live trying to meet his expectations anymore. So I packed up my car and headed here. I’d heard this is a sort of artist’s mecca and honestly, the price was right.”

“Right up until you realized you’d gotten more than just a gallery.”

Payton snorted, pulling her hand back as she crossed her arms over her chest. “You know something, Blake? Only you could sit there and make me look like the crazy person for
not
believing in ghosts.”

“I don’t think you’re crazy. In fact, I think it took a lot of guts to leave everything behind and start fresh.” He shivered as another cold breeze tickled the side of his face. “I just hope we can find a way to put these spirits to rest before they decide to up the ante.”

Payton’s face paled slightly. “What do you mean, up the ante?”

Blake cursed under his breath. The last thing he needed to do was spook her, especially since he wasn’t even certain what they were facing yet. Though the fact something had seemingly followed them here didn’t bode well.

He gave her a reassuring smile. “Let’s not worry about that. Besides, you were the one who wanted to talk about something other than ghosts.”

She released a slow breath, once again placing her hands on the table, her left one reclaiming his. “Why don’t we talk about you?” She took a sip of water. “I couldn’t help but notice you aren’t wearing a ring. Does that mean you’re still single?”

He quirked one side of his mouth. “It does.”

“Any particular reason why?”

“I suppose work doesn’t leave me with much free time.”

“If it was important to you, you’d find the time.”

He glanced out the window, watching the last of the orange fade into black. “Maybe I’m looking for a certain kind of lady.”

Payton laughed. “After working with ghosts all day, I’d think any woman who wasn’t mostly transparent would be an improvement.”

He chuckled. “If only women were that simple. Believe me, I have a better chance of understanding the spirits than women.”

“Ah, we’re not that hard to figure out. All you have to do is read our minds.”

“Right.” He drew a deep breath, inhaling the hint of floral sweetness. “So what about you? Did you leave anyone special behind?”

She shook her head as the color returned to her cheeks. “If you call a cheating bastard someone special, then yes. Otherwise, he was just another reason to leave.” She sighed. “Honestly, I haven’t had much luck with the few men I’ve been with. Guess I don’t understand men any better than you do women.”

“Hey, we’re simple. Food, sex and sleep. And not necessarily in that order.”

Payton shook her head, easing back in her chair as the server returned with their food. Blake frowned as the loss of contact sent a pang of longing through his body, stiffening his cock against his jeans. Damn, what was it about this woman that grabbed him by the balls and refused to let go. He hadn’t seen her in years, yet the spell she’d cast when he was seventeen was still there. And the worst part was, she had no idea she’d even enchanted him.

He groaned quietly, half wishing he hadn’t heard the phone ring the other night when the server turned toward him, a bowl of soup in her hand. Blake felt the sudden shift in temperature a moment before he saw the bowl shake. He reacted, sliding sideways as the dish shimmied then tipped. It surged forward, hitting the edge of the seat before crashing to the floor.

A disembodied growl sounded behind him followed by a burning sensation along the back of his neck. Amidst the chaos of the waitress mumbling her apologies, Blake grabbed the salt and tossed a handful across his shoulder. Something akin to a howl rasped in his ear, before the air stilled.

He caught Payton’s worried glance as the waitress dabbed at his chair, muttering another round of apologies.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll just wait for the burritos and rice.”

The girl gave him a timid smile then rushed off, her ponytail swaying back and forth across her shoulders.

Blake looked back at Payton. “Guess we’re not the only ones having an odd night.”

Payton glanced at the smudge of soup on the floor. “She didn’t drop that bowl, Blake. The damn thing flew off her tray!”

Blake winced at the sharpness of her voice. This wasn’t looking good. “Payton—”

“Don’t. Don’t lie to me because you think I’m already freaked out.”

“I wasn’t going to lie to you. But you might want to keep your voice down before everyone else starts running from the restaurant. The last thing we need is for the good sheriff to show up.” He leaned in. “Let’s just try to enjoy some food. Then we’ll head back to your gallery and see if we captured anything on the recorders.”

“How are we supposed to enjoy our food when it’s flying through the air at us?”

“It only flew at me. And honestly, I grew up with three older brothers. Avery wasn’t the only one who used to torment me. Dylan and Cal were just as bad. I think I can dodge a jealous spirit.”

“What makes you think it’s jealous?”

He nodded at her. “I’m invading its territory.”

She glanced around the restaurant. “Territory?”

He held back the chuckle building in his chest. “You, sweetheart. Apparently it doesn’t like to share.”

Payton sighed. “I’m not sure whether to be flattered or frightened.”

Blake reached forward and gave her hand another squeeze, reluctantly releasing her when the server brought the main course. He held his breath, but the plates were left without further incident. He winked at Payton as he picked up his fork. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anything bad happen to you. I promise. Now let’s eat before your
friend
throws the rest of my dinner on the floor.”

Payton smirked and dug in, only casual conversation passing between them before the server brought the check. She shook her head when Blake took the receipt, waving off her offer to pay.

“I dragged you out of bed in the middle of the night. Made you drive halfway across the country and I'm the cause behind you having your food tossed at you. Buying you dinner is the least I can do.”

“First, you didn’t drag me here, I offered to come. And second, my truck was overdue for a long highway run, so do me a favor and take this small offering with grace.”

Payton rolled her eyes. “Fine. But I will pay you back…one way or another.”

He gave her his best smile. “God, I hope so.”

Payton coughed back her sip of water, her eyes wide as she gave him a long, slow sweep. A deep flush crept up her cheeks as he stood and offered her his hand, thanking the server before making his way to the door. Payton followed beside him, her fingers laced in his. The warmth of her touch made him feel restless, like the air before a thunderstorm. He couldn’t remember ever feeling this off-kilter and didn’t know whether to embrace it or run screaming for the hills.

He chose to ignore the sensation as he climbed into his truck, revving the engine as it roared to life. Payton buckled in beside him, playing with the radio as they made their way back to her place. He glanced at her. Damn, she looked good sitting in his truck…looked right.

The warm feeling spread through his chest again as he pulled up in front of the gallery, putting the truck in park. Payton smiled her thanks, meeting him on the stone walkway that led to the front door. He stayed slightly ahead of her, a prickling sensation burning along his nape. He glanced over his shoulder once, greeted only by the shadowed view of his truck at the curb. Tension bunched his muscles as he tried to shake off the unsettling feeling, watching as Payton placed her key in the lock and opened the door. Blake held out his arm, stopping her from stepping across the threshold as he took a peek inside. A solitary light burned near the back wall, casting a dim glow across the room.

Payton grabbed his arm. “Is everything okay?”

He surveyed the space, searching for anything that looked out of place. “The place looks fine, it’s just…” He cursed and lowered his arm. “I’m sure it’s nothing. Just a feeling.”

“So it’s okay if I go inside?”

“Sure.” He motioned to the table. “Would you mind handing me that recorder?”

She stepped through the doorway, turning to grab the small device off the table before pivoting back to him. He smiled as she placed the unit in his hand. He shuffled forward only to sail backward onto the walkway, landing hard on his back as his head snapped against the ground. Pain radiated up his body as colored spots danced across his vision. Jumbled sounds played in the background as he fought to clear his head. Someone screamed, and he blinked, raising his head just enough to see the door slam shut and Payton disappear from sight.

Chapter Three

“Payton!”

Blake rolled to his side, resisting the urge to spill his dinner across the grass as he staggered to his feet, stumbling for the door. The world tilted, and he crashed into the side of the building as a loud ringing sounded in his head. He tried to shake it away, palming the handle in an effort to open the door.

The smooth knob turned in his hand, but even with shouldering his weight against the door, the damn thing wouldn’t budge. He cursed and looked through the small glass window. The room was dark, the light no longer shining at the back.

“Payton!”

He pounded on the door, finally resting his forehead on the cold wood. He took a deep breath, figuring out his next move when a soft voice whispered next to him.

Go back
.

He pushed off the door, shivering as a cold breeze moved through him, prickling the hairs on his arms. At least the drop in temperature indicated a spirit, not a demon. He ran the words over in his head as he made for his truck, slamming into the rear quarter panel when his equilibrium shifted again. Blake rubbed his shoulder then rounded to the back, lowering the tailgate. He snagged one of the bags and ripped open the zipper, rummaging through his supplies, wishing he’d taken the time to gather more information about the possible spirits haunting this area. As it was, he was walking in blind.

He ignored the inklings of fear, taking anything remotely useful from the bag and stuffing it in his jacket. Then he grabbed the crowbar and stalked toward the house. Leaves rustled in the trees and a swirl of dirt eddied in front of him. He cursed but kept going, ignoring the flashes of cold over his skin.