The Haunted (12 page)

I laughed under my breath. I couldn’t help it. God, I was so happy. “Yes, he definitely is.”

“
I didn’t know you were having company today, else I would have baked something special.”

Kade came in with four bags that he set on the counter, and Miss A fell silent. He glanced at me with a soft smile and my heart swelled.

He went back for more and Miss Akin watched his every step, her gaze fastening on his high, firm butt.

“
Miss A,” I said in a teasing tone.

She lightly slapped her cheek. “My goodness, I’m sorry. Here I am ogling your friend. I just can’t help but admire the view. So tall…and strapping.”

He was both those things.

I slipped away upstairs to blow-dry my hair, put on some mascara, blush and lip gloss, as well as a cute knit shrug that fell just beyond my elbow. The scratches on my arm and back had faded, but I still felt self-conscious about the scars.

The more time I spent with Kade, the more I liked him. I would have expected him to be a player like Johan, but he wasn’t. He had an irresistible charm.

Kade forgot to bring a movie. Rather than watch a chick flick from my mom’s collection, which is all I had, we watched
Braveheart
, compliments of Miss A who sat down in her rocking chair and watched with us.

She seemed terrified to leave us alone together for more than a stretch of ten minutes. Every single time she got up, Kade reached over and kissed me. Those kisses, and his touch alone made the hair on my arms stand on end.

“
What about some shortbread cookies,” Miss Akin asked, looking specifically at Kade.

“
I love shortbread cookies,” he said.

She beamed, popped out of her chair and rushed toward the kitchen.

Kade slid his arm across the back of the couch.

I slid my head against his shoulder, and his arm immediately tightened around me. It felt really good to be in his strong arms. For a short time it was nice not to think about Laria.

The front door opened and closed. I expected it to be Shane, and was shocked when my Dad walked by. Seeing me, he stopped short, his brows furrowed as he looked from me to Kade.

Talk about horrible timing.

I stood up and Kade did too. “Hey, Dad. This is my friend Kade MacKinnon.”

Kade walked over to my dad and extended his hand. “Mr. Williams, it’s nice to meet you.”

“
Nice to meet you, Kade.” Dad shook his hand and looked at me. “Is Shane here?”

“
No, but he’ll be home soon.”

Dad smiled tightly. “I’ll be in my study until dinner.” He turned back to Kade. “Miss Akin said your family had Riley over for dinner. I’d like to return the favor. Would you stay for dinner?”

***

Dinner at my house was the polar opposite of dinner at Kade’s house. We sat in the sparse dining room as a family for the first time, instead of sitting at the breakfast bar, or everyone taking their plates to their rooms. Kade sat to my right, Shane across from us, Miss Akin at one end, and my dad at the other.

It was a good thing Shane sat across from me since I suspected he was blazed. His eyes weren’t red, but they were glassy. He was quiet, replying in one word responses to every question Dad directed at him. Within ten minutes he’d inhaled two plates of lasagna and four bread sticks.

Conversation was awkward at best. Dad seemed distracted and his cell phone went off a couple of times. Finally, he grabbed it from his pocket.

Oh my God, was he actually texting?

Shane laughed under his breath, but pressed his lips in a thin line when Dad frowned at him.

My only saving grace was Miss Akin who kept the mood upbeat, and conversation flowing, even if she was the one doing most of the talking. She brought in a plate of shortbread cookies for dessert. Shane grabbed a handful. “It’s been nice, but I have some homework to finish.”

Yeah right.

Dad pushed back from the table. “Oh, hey before you go, I’m headed out to London tomorrow for a few days. How much money do you need for the week?” Dad asked, already pulling out his wallet.

He was leaving again? Was Shane right? Was Dad seeing someone?

Shane held out his hand. “Whatever you’re willing to part with.”

Dad smiled, shoved some bills in Shane’s hand and ruffled his hair, his awkward attempt at showing affection. It was almost painful to watch.

Kade glanced at me and smiled, but I recognized the sympathy there.

It wasn’t hard to tell that my family put the D in dysfunction.

“
See you at practice tomorrow,” Shane said to Kade.

“
Sounds good,” Kade replied, wiping his mouth with his napkin and setting it on his empty plate.

Dad placed a few bills in front of me. “I’ll leave Miss Akin the credit card.”

“
Thanks,” I murmured.

Sliding his wallet back into his pocket, Dad sat down and asked Kade a few questions, two of which he’d already asked before dinner. I was relieved when he finished his tea and then excused himself, saying he had business calls to make.

“
I should get going,” Kade said, stealing a few cookies off the plate. “Delicious, Miss A. Riley wasn’t kidding when she said you were an excellent cook.”

Her eyes lit up.

I walked Kade to the front door.

My dad’s office door was open, and I heard him typing away on his computer.

“
I had a great time. Thanks for having me,” Kade said.

I rolled my eyes. “You’re being nice.”

“
No, I really did.” He gave me a hug. “You have a nice family.”

“
It was nice to meet you, Kade,” my dad called from his study.

Kade’s eyes widened. “You too, Mr. Williams.” He kissed me softly. “That would be my cue to leave.”

The day had been perfect. No interruptions from Laria, and aside from the awkward dinner, Kade seemed to like my family, which was important to me. Even more, my family liked him.

I waited at the door until Kade got in his car and pulled out of the driveway.

“
He’s a nice young man.”

Dad stood at his study doorway.

“
Kade is nice. You’d like his family, too.” I was relieved he liked him. “Mr. MacKinnon said he’d like to have you over sometime.”

“
That’s very nice. I’ll have to take him up on the offer one day soon…when things aren’t so hectic with work.” He shifted on his feet. “Did your mom ever talk to you about protection?”

Oh my God. Talk about awkward.

“
I mean, you’re at that age, and I thought that maybe, I mean—considering you have a boyfriend.” His gaze dropped to the floor between us.

“
I’ve been on birth control pills since I was fourteen.”

His eyes widened in horror.

I suppose it made sense that my mom had never mentioned me being on the pill to my dad. What dad wants to hear that? “Because my periods were so irregular,” I blurted, feeling my face turn warm. “It’s common. A lot of girls are on the pill for the same reason.”

“
Well, okay then,” he said, sounding relieved. “Good night.”

“
Good night, Dad. It’s good to have you home.”

Chapter
15

I awoke to voices coming from Shane’s room.

Had one of Shane’s friends dropped by last night after I’d crashed? A screeching noise sounded, like furniture being dragged slowly across the floor. I sat up, listening intently.

The voices continued. A strange whispering, and I swore to God I heard a girl’s voice.

Was Joni here?

I rested my ear against the wall.

A horrible sound came from the other side—like a growl that sent shivers down my spine. I couldn’t understand what had been said…but it wasn’t good.

Reaching for my robe, I threw it on, and taking a deep, steadying breath, left my room and walked to Shane’s bedroom door. I considered knocking, but instead opened the door.

I smothered a scream.

Shane was levitating a few feet off the bed—his body stick straight, his shaggy hair falling away from him.

“
Shane,” I said, taking a step closer. Without looking away from my brother, I felt for the light switch and turned it on.

The bulb flashed and went out.

A lava lamp was the only light in the room, casting the room in a bluish glow. Behind me, the door creaked shut. I swallowed hard and took a step closer. “Shane.”

Once again, nothing.

The window was open, the drapes fluttering softly in the breeze. Shane never slept with his window open. I knew that for a fact. His whole life he’d always been terrified of the dark and paranoid about the boogieman, even climbing into bed with me. There’s no way he’d open the window. No frickin’ way.

My brother’s body started moving from a horizontal position to a vertical one; slowly, inch by inch he floated up toward the ceiling.

I was frozen with fear. I didn’t know what to do. “Shane, please wake up. Please…”

When his head bumped the ceiling, his neck began to bend in a strange, unnatural, and yet all too familiar angle.

Laria. How many times had she appeared to me in that same, broken neck position?

Shane’s eyes snapped open. The usual blue orbs were dark brown and fathomless as he stared at me without blinking.

“
Shane,” I said, jumping onto the bed, grabbing his legs and trying to pull him down, but he only choked harder. My efforts seemed to be making matters worse.

He flinched, blinked, and started choking and even reached for his neck. Terrified, I ran down the hall toward my dad’s room and opened the door. “Dad, help! Shane’s choking.”

“
What?” he said, already out of bed.

I ran back toward Shane’s room and stopped in my tracks. Dad ran into my back.

Shane stood in the hallway right outside his room, and he was facing me with a blank expression.

“
Shane, are you okay?” Dad asked.

Shane’s gaze flicked to Dad. “Of course I’m okay.”

“
But you were—” The words died on my lips.

His head tilted slightly and his eyes narrowed as he looked at me once more. I clamped my lips together. There was a strange expression on his face, one that let me know it most likely wasn’t my brother staring back at me.

“
Is everything all right?” Miss A asked from the far end of the hall.

“
Yes, everything is fine, Miss Akin,” Dad said, scrubbing his stubble. “Go back to bed. We’re sorry to have disturbed you.”

She nodded and went back into her room and shut the door.

“
Sorry, I thought I heard Shane choking,” I said. “I went into his room and he couldn’t stop, so I panicked.”

Dad gave an exaggerated sigh. “Well, he’s fine now. Aren’t you, Shane?”

Shane glanced at Dad. “Yes, I’m fine.”

“
There, you see…your brother is fine, Riley. Now get back to bed. You have school in the morning.”

Settling back into bed under my dad’s watchful gaze, I tried to calm down. Laria’s threats came back to taunt me. She was doing whatever she could to get to me, and now she was using Shane. I knew that without a doubt. I lay on my side, facing the door.

On the other side of the wall, I heard whispers again and I placed the pillow over my head.

“
Riiiiiileeeeeey.”
The voice itself was hair raising, a deep-throated growl that made me want to cry.

Over the growl, I heard a woman’s laughter.

***

The following day at school I couldn’t focus on anything. All I could think about was the look on Shane’s face when he’d been levitating. It’s like he had been completely possessed. I’d never even watched a horror movie that dealt with possession. The idea that someone could be taken over by an entity had been too scary.

After first period I walked into the bathroom, and knew something was up when I walked out of the stall to find Joni crying. Mascara ran down her face, and her girlfriends rallied around her.

Seeing me, they fell silent.

“
Are you okay?” I asked, turning on the faucet and washing my hands.

Joni’s friend, a stocky girl with frizzy dark hair and freckles put her hands on her hips and lifted a brow. “Your brother is an asshole.”

I opened my mouth, ready to defend him when Joni shook her head. “It’s not Riley’s fault. Don’t take it out on her.”

I hadn’t really gotten to know Joni, and now I was kind of glad I hadn’t. I didn’t need to get involved in my brother’s love life. “For what it’s worth—I’m sorry,” I said, before walking out in the hallway.

In the distance I saw Shane talking up a cute brunette.

He definitely didn’t waste any time. No wonder Joni was so upset. This is one of those times I wished my mom was still alive, or that my father actually gave a shit about what was happening in our lives.

But the hard truth was…my mom was dead and my dad may as well be for all that he cared about the two of us. If it wasn’t for Miss Akin we would be on our own.