Page 116 of Real Fake Hauntings

“Yeah.”

As Key ran to Alex to ask him to keep the piece of priceless family history somewhere between the old folding tab, tip jar, and the cooler on the ground, my phone rang.

To my utter delight, it was Ian.

“Ian?” I said, feeling suddenly like fireworks were about to explode all around me. “Are you with Brooks still? I’m back at the cemetery.”

“Yes, I’m with Brooks,” he answered, a terse note in his voice.

Oh, no. “What happened?”

“Nothing bad,” he assured me, but the serious edge didn’t disappear from his tone. “Officer Brooks decided to involve the bounty hunters rather than the rest of the force.”

As we had suspected from the start—paranormal victim, paranormal perpetrator, paranormal motive. Ian would’ve told Brooks Hannah had done it to collect blood for dark magic use. “And?”

“I’m the local bounty hunter, so I need to take Hannah to the guild.”

“Okay.” Why was he so serious about it? The implications suddenly hit me, and I inhaled sharply. “Oh, like right now? You need to take her in right now?”

“Afraid so.”

A wave of disappointment all but crushed me. I wanted to be in Ian’s arms again, feel his strength, his heat, his muscles under my fingertips, the intense stare of his beautiful green eyes. I swallowed valiantly, trying to infuse some sunshine into my voice. “How long will it take?”

“A day or two.”

A day or two!

Patience, Hope. Let that butter brown and that delicious cheese melt.

“Okay. I can wait a day or two.”

Ian chuckled. “Speak for yourself.”

My cheeks heated. “Will you stop by before leaving?”

“Unfortunately, I can’t. Brooks sedated Hannah to stop her from using her magic, so the sooner I get her to the guild, the better.”

That meant… “You’re on your way already?”

“I’m sorry, Hope.” And the truth I heard in his voice did a ton to bring my heart out of its sulking in my chest.

“I know. But soon.”

“Soon,” he agreed. “Have fun for me? Enjoy Halloween with the kids.”

“Oh, I will. The tales of Ian Cavalier playing the best Garreth the Hound ever will reach far and wide.”

“Hope,” he warned.

“What’s that? I’m sorry, if only you were here to stop the rumors…”

With a low growl, he ended the call. Grinning, I returned to the others and gave them the news. When Brimstone returned from giving his tour, we all gathered to do an extra, extra, special one, daring everyone to make up the wildest tales.

Somewhere along the way, Shane and Rufus joined us and, as we passed the cursed mausoleum, we heard a loud clink and the spotlight turned on again, showing Hutton in all his flannel shirt glory fisting the air in a sign of triumph.

“And that’s how,” Alex shouted gleefully, “the lumberjack finished burying all his thirteen victims…just for them to appear in his hunting lodge again!”

Hutton pointed at him and shouted back, “Alexander Shaw, another word and I’ll end you!”

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