Page 120 of Chasing Your Ghost

“What?” Ella asked in a confused hiss.

“Just listen. We can’t exactly say we broke in because you found Asher here while spiritwalking, can we? I asked if I could bring some friends because I didn’t know him well, and he said yes. We arrived, and Ella recognized him as the guy she used to be pen pals with. He’d sent her a photo of himself at one point.

“And no, you didn’t keep any of his letters because you ceased contact years ago. Things between you had turned ugly after he wanted to meet you in person and you refused, so when you recognized him, you got scared.”

Ella nodded in understanding. “Okay.”

“We left, but then we heard a scream coming from the house. We went around back and heard Asher calling out for help. That’s why we kicked in the door. Brett came down when he heard the noise, and he had a knife. He’d kidnapped Asher because he saw how close you two were after stalking you and thought he’d stolen you from him. We have no idea what the symbols on the floor mean. Got it?”

“Got it,” Chris replied, and Ella and Asher nodded in agreement.

Asher wrapped an arm around Riley’s side and pulled her against him. He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Is it weird that I’m super impressed right now?”

She smiled up at him, though it felt a bit forced. “I would be insulted if you weren’t.”

“Now we just have to relay the story to Noah,” he said, jerking his chin at where the two paramedics were lifting the stretcher between them.

“Wait here,” the paramedic she’d spoken to before said to Asher when they passed. “We’ll be back to help you to the ambulance in a minute.”

“I can walk just fine.”

The paramedic sent him a reprimanding look. “Don’t be a hero, son. Wait right there.”

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t move,” Riley promised, leaning further into Asher.

He placed a kiss on the top of her head. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get over how good it feels,” he murmured into her hair as they watched Noah get carried away.

“What? Holding me in your arms?” she teased.

He chuckled. “Well, yes, that too. But I meant people seeing me, talking to me.”

Riley wrapped her arms loosely around his waist. “I can’t even imagine.”

“We did it,” he said, resting his chin on top of her head. “Can you believe it?”

“Yes,” Riley said, even as she tightened her arms around him, relishing the warmth of his body and reminding herself that he was really there.

When she’d first met Asher, she never would have thought they’d end up there, both very much alive and wrapped in each other’s arms. Yet there they were, and Riley thanked God or whoever was looking down at them that they’d been able to save him.

33

“Thank goodness it wasn’t your throwing arm,” Noah’s mother said, moving forward to fuss with his pillow for approximately the tenth time. Francesca had been the epitome of a mother hen since she’d arrived at the hospital, and Riley was loving every second of Noah being coddled. “Are you thirsty? Hungry? Do you need to pee?”

Noah looked mortified, and Olivia, who was sitting at the foot of the ER bed, snickered at his expense.

“No, Mom. I’m fine,” he told her with a groan. “The stitches feel fine. The bandage doesn’t itch. The painkillers they gave me are still working. You can stop worrying.”

“I hope you stabbed the man who did this to my son hard,” Francesca said, her shiny eyes moving to Riley.

“As hard as I could.” And it still hadn’t been enough. Brett had disappeared without a trace, and Riley was under no illusion that the police would be able to find him. Even if they did, he’d be able to escape their clutches more easily than Houdini had been able to break free of handcuffs.

The woman sent her a brittle smile. “Good girl.”

“I usually wouldn’t endorse my stepdaughter stabbing people, but I think this time I’ll make an allowance,” Hugh said. He looked down at Edith and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Don’t tell anyone from church that I said that.”

Edith smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “It will stay between us as long as you don’t tell them what words I used when I saw Riley’s face.”

Riley had to admit she’d been shocked by the expletives that emerged from Edith’s mouth when she’d seen her bruised and swollen cheek.

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