On Pins and Needles: Sierra Fox, Book 3 (6 page)

If I couldn’t get her to calm down, the poltergeist activity would wreck the office.

What had set her off? I’d said something that made her angry and it was now manifesting with violent electrical, telekinetic energy. It wasn’t the evidence she’d presented, or even discussing the fact she’d died several times. No, it was the question about whether her father knew she was here.
 

“Willow…”

“Yeah?” she asked while the boy writhed around her. He seemed to have eyes only for her, just as the small dog did.

“Tell me about your favorite movie, or book.” I knew next to nothing about this girl, so distracting her in a positive way was going to be quite a challenge. Usually to calm poltergeist activity, I needed to connect with the source but these attachments didn’t seem to be in control.
She
was. And that wasn’t the only thing that made everything so confusing, because poltergeists rarely revealed themselves. It was usually like dealing with an invisible telekinetic entity. So how could a live person have poltergeists with her
and
make them appear? No, that wasn’t quite right because I was pretty sure she couldn’t see the kid and the dog.
 

But I certainly can.

Her smile widened. “Oh, Jamie and I loved to watch scary movies together. It didn’t matter how old or B-grade they were, we loved them. We especially loved the old hack and slash ones from the 80s.”

The hovering boy turned to look at her with what could only be described as adoration on his face. His bluish shimmer made her glow like some kind of celestial being.

“Do you have a favorite?”

“Oh, we loved
The Nightmare on Elm Street
movies the best. I was never scared, but liked it when Jamie held my hand.”

“Who’s Jamie?” I sat slowly, wincing because the electrical charge was so close my skin was crawling. “He sounds like a good friend.”

She was quiet for a moment, staring at the desktop as if she was lost in the past. “He was…he was my boyfriend.”

“Willow, what happened to him?” I asked softly. Anything, even the wrong tone of voice, could set her off again. At least nothing was flying around the office now. “How did Jamie die?”

The poltergeist boy I assumed to be Jamie continued to glide around her.
 

Her eyes met mine. “He died in a car accident. We were in the car, and…”

I didn’t push her. “I’m so sorry.”

The flashing lights around her started to fade. “I miss him so much.”

As much as I hated to do this, I had to test my suspicions. So I took a deep breath and, on the exhale, asked an insensitive question. “Did your father like Jamie?”

Willow’s eyes glowed fiercely and the lightshow intensified around her again. Her long hair whipped over her face and the scattered folders on my desk savagely flew off and hit the floor.

“I’m sure Jamie misses you too, but he wouldn’t want you to be in so much pain,” I whispered, trying to help her get control of the situation.
 

She nodded and the computer flicked off. The overhead lights left us in the overcast gloom, and the boy hovering behind her disappeared entirely, followed closely by the dog. Willow’s hair dropped back down to her shoulders and tears glistened in her eyes before sliding down her cheeks.

This is crazy.
Surely she shouldn’t be able to switch from lightshow and back to normal so quickly?
 

“Willow, are you okay?”

She touched her face. “Why am I crying?”

“You don’t remember what happened?” This was interesting.

She shook her head. “I—I’m here because I wanted to meet you. We’re half-sisters and I was hoping you could help me figure out what’s wrong with me.”

“What makes you think something’s wrong?”

Willow licked her lips. “Sometimes I see things, and I zone out too.”

“And you don’t remember anything that happened while you zone out?”

She shook her head again. “I just did it again, didn’t I?”

“Willow, is Jamie one of the things you see out of the corner of your eye?”

She looked at me, surprised. “Yes, he is. How did you know about him?”

“I don’t know how this happened, or even how it’s possible, but it looks like you’ve got several poltergeists attached to you. They seem to manifest when you get angry or upset.” It was too soon to pry about why the mention of her father prompted such a severe reaction. And after testing the theory, I certainly didn’t want her to go there again.

“What do you mean by poltergeists?” Her eyes were wide as she looked around the office. “I remember watching the movie, but how can I have one attached to me? It doesn’t make any sense. Do you know what’s wrong with me? Does it have something to do with me dying so many times?”

She threw too many questions at me and I couldn’t answer them yet. I’d encountered plenty of poltergeists, but they were usually the mischievous spirits of dead teens or children. I’d never seen anything like this before, but just like the poltergeist phenomena, her reaction stemmed from strong emotional responses.

“I don’t know why or how this happened to you, but it has.” I was glad the charged energy was gone. “But I’m going to help you figure it out.”

“Really?” She looked so young and hopeful.

“Yes.”

“Thank you, I knew meeting you was the right thing to do.” A small, apologetic smile curved her lips but the sadness lingered in her eyes.

“There’s just one problem,” I said.

“What’s that?”

“I’m going to have to ask you a bunch of questions you might not want to answer.” I paused to let that sink in. “Do you think you can handle it?”

Willow was thoughtful for a moment before she said, “Yeah, I can.”

“Good.” I hoped that
I
could handle this, because only a messy situation—or situations—could have put her in this position. The first thing I needed to confirm was how she’d gotten this condition, though I was pretty sure it was an inherited curse.
 

I felt bad for her, and could certainly relate to receiving a gift disguised as a nuisance.

She sat quietly in the chair, looking around.

“So, where are you staying?”

“Huh?”

I pointed at her bursting backpack. “You’ve got a whole bunch of stuff packed in there.”

“Oh,” she said, hugging it to her chest and reminding me of Lavie’s peculiar habit. Except, I was certain this girl wasn’t stowing any severed demonic body parts. “Yeah, I’m staying with a friend.”

“I’m glad.” I probably wouldn’t have offered her a place to stay just yet, but it struck me as weird that she hadn’t made a day trip for our meeting. There was certainly something strange going on with her father, but now wasn’t the time to find out. “Look, I don’t want to overload you with prying questions, so how about you pop back in here tomorrow and we’ll get started? We can meet at…four. How’s that sound?”

“Okay, sure, that sounds good.” She instantly shot to her feet and placed the backpack straps around her shoulders. “I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon.”

“Great.” I extended my hand and she shook it. “I look forward to seeing you again.” As hard as I tried not to make this feel like a business transaction, it kinda did.

“I’ve got a bit of money, so I can pay you for—”

“No, I won’t take your money.” This might feel reminiscent of the cases I usually dealt with, but I wasn’t taking money from a confused kid who also happened to be my half-sister.

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to think I’m taking advantage of you.”

“I know you’re not.”
 

“Thank you.” Willow flashed a pretty smile and headed for the door. She stopped just outside, turned and said, “I’m really glad I found you. I’ve always wanted a sister and you’re even better than I imagined.”

I smiled back and felt a warm glow inside. She might come with a few otherworldly problems, but who didn’t have some kind of baggage nowadays? “I’ll see you tomorrow, Willow.”

She strolled out the door and I turned back to my office.
 

After picking up the folders and stacking them where they belonged, I decided there was no way I would get any work done now. Besides, it was almost time to meet Papan in the city.
 

I shut the window, put on my mostly-dry jacket and made sure my dagger was still secured between sock and boot. I loaded up with keys, wallet, and phone before heading for the door, wishing Oren would hurry up and teach me the incantation to make my pockets deeper than they really were.

After closing the door behind me, I made sure it was locked before rushing for the stairs. I might have walked into my office in a morose mood, but I was now filled with a sense of hopeful energy.

I’d helped poltergeists before without being able to see them. I could handle this for my sister.
 

Wow, it feels good to say sister.

As soon as I stepped out of the building, I smacked right into someone. When strong arms wrapped tightly around my midsection, I struggled to squirm out of the vice-like grip.

Oh shit, not again!
 

Chapter Three

“Whoa, hold up, Fox!” a familiar, masculine voice called as the arms loosened around me. “Where’re you rushing to?”

“What the hell, Papan? You almost gave me a heart attack!”
 

He released me and I took a small step back, trying to calm my breathing and heartbeat. I did manage to smack him in the shoulder, though, which only made him laugh.

I’d been too wrapped up in my own thoughts to notice him as I stepped out into the dreary afternoon. This worried me a bit because I couldn’t afford
not
to be cautious—not after the incident outside Sally’s store. But meeting my half-sister and discovering she had poltergeists attached to her had thrown me a bit off balance.

“You’re wound
way
too tight,” Papan said with a cheeky grin. “I think I’ve got just the thing for that.”

This time, when he wrapped his long, strong arms around my waist and pulled me closer I didn’t resist. Instead, I got on my tiptoes and practically threw myself against him. I couldn’t believe he was actually here. When he lowered his mouth to mine, I melted into his warm embrace and the masculine sweetness that was all Papan. He tasted like minty toothpaste at the moment and smelled delicious—all man and spice, with an undertone of deodorant. I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d stopped by his place or mine before deciding to surprise me here. We were supposed to meet in the city.

I pulled back from the kiss and looked up into his handsome face. “What are you doing here?” I touched his coarse cheek, and ran a fingertip over the adorable dimple.

“I finished up the case a little earlier than expected. After all that time sitting in the car eating junk food and crawling around in the dark taking compromising photos, I needed to work it all off. So I stopped by the gym for a few hours, took a shower and thought I’d surprise you.”
 

Well, that explained the wet hair and dry clothes. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He looked so good, even if he was wearing his usual faded jeans, a tee, and boots. The black T-shirt made his dark blond hair look lighter, and his green eyes always stood out.
 

“I have to admit that I really like your surprises.”
 

“This isn’t the only surprise I have planned for tonight,” he teased, running his fingers down my waist and settling them on my hips. He leaned down for a quick kiss. “But first, we need to catch up. Are you hungry?”

“Yeah, actually, I am.” My stomach flipped, but it had nothing to do with skipping lunch and everything to do with the wave of desire rushing through my cold body. What I really wanted was to get him home—alone.

“Good, let’s get a bite to eat.” He grabbed my hand and we strolled towards the other end of the street.

“Are we going anywhere in particular?”

“I thought the café down the road would do,” he said, glancing at me. “Is that okay with you? I’m famished.”
 

“That sounds good.” I didn’t care where we went because right now my stomach was tied up in knots and I doubted I’d be able to eat much. It literally felt like I was suffocating from desire and the lustful balloon was about to burst. The thought of spending even another hour without getting naked with Papan made my skin itch with need. For now, having my hand engulfed in his would have to do, but there was no way I wasn’t going to get a proper taste of him tonight.
 

We walked down the mostly deserted Serene Hills Main Street like a real couple, and I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. Papan had a way of temporarily wiping away every single bad feeling I’d accumulated, but I didn’t let myself relax completely. Not until we were behind closed doors.

The rain had stopped for now and most pedestrians were staying off the wet streets, but there was plenty of traffic. We passed by my whale of a car and for just a second I almost dragged Papan into it.
 

Jason Papan wasn’t just a PI and good friend—he was also a werewolf. A fact I’d recently found out but didn’t deter me from the strong attraction I’d always felt towards him. It took me a few years and one shitty relationship to realize how much I wanted Papan in my life. Since recently confessing our mutual attraction, I couldn’t get enough of him. His being busy the past week had made me miss him. A lot.