Page 19 of Last Resort

Ben checked in with Jenny, made sure there wasn’t anything that demanded his attention, and then poured himself a hot cup of coffee before he closed his office door and settled in at his desk. He hesitated before he pressed the call button.

I know Erik has his own baggage and made some enemies, but I hate the idea that my crappy past is going to put him in danger.

He’d say the same thing, and if he did, I’d assure him that I love him too much to care. I want to keep him safe. But when it’s my past causing the problems, I feel responsible. I don’t want him to get hurt. I can’t imagine losing him. I just hope he doesn’t wake up one day and decide that I’m too broken to be worth the effort.

We didn’t need more ghosts from the past on top of getting settled in together. It’s like we can’t catch a break. But I want this thing between us more than I think I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.

Aunt Meg always said that what was worth having was worth fighting for, so I’m fighting hard as fuck for Erik.

Erik picked up on the second ring. “Ben—what’s going on? Six people have already called to tell me about the police and an ambulance at one of your rentals. On top of your text about a dead guy.”

Ben could hear the strain from Erik trying to remain calm, as well as the undercurrent of anxiety worrying about Ben’s safety and fearing another surprise from his own past.

“Right now, that’s all we’ve got—a dead guy,” Ben told him. “Except he didn’t do the deed himself, and whoever offed him was a pro. I did some digging and I think he might have been here under an alias—someone who disappeared twenty years ago and probably knew a dangerous amount about the Mob’s business.”

“Fuck,” Erik swore. “Please tell me that he isn’t someone you investigated—or someone I testified against.”

“Doesn’t seem likely,” Ben replied. “He would have been in hiding by the time we were doing our jobs. I’m chasing down leads from my sources. And, get this—I talked Hendricks into not ragging on my ass for researching as long as I don’t get in his way.”

“Obviously Susan has put in a good word for us,” Erik snarked.

“Never underestimate the ability of a mother to pull strings,” Ben said. “I’m glad she’s on our side.”

“Do you think the dead guy has anything to do with the poker chips or Fun Factory?”

Ben had expected the question. “I don’t have any reason to—yet. They’d both be before his time. The only link might be that he worked for the Mob in Atlantic City, but we don’t know that the mafia had anything to do with Fun Factory. Sewell Point sounds penny-ante compared to the real action on the Boardwalk.”

“I’m going to see Jaxon later this afternoon, so I’ll let you know whether he has any intel.” Erik sounded somewhat mollified, and Ben felt relieved that Erik wasn’t angry at not getting a call sooner.

“And I’ll keep working my sources,” Ben promised. “What I can’t access, I’m betting that Vic D’Amato can.” Vic was a friend and a homicide detective in Myrtle Beach who also hunted supernatural killers. He already had an email drafted to send to Vic, and he was adding to it as he thought of more questions.

“Did you get any sense that the dead guy’s ghost hung around? Maybe he’d like to spill his guts before he moves on to his eternal reward.”

“I don’t think he’d been dead very long. Couple of hours at most. Some ghosts take longer than that to realize they’ve croaked,” Ben replied. “Maybe Monty can stage an intervention.”

Monty Clark ran the Cape May lighthouse. In addition to being a park ranger, he was a powerful medium, although he didn’t publicize his talent.

“I’ll call Monty and see if he’s willing to try to talk to the ghost,” Ben said.

“Are you okay?”

Ben sighed. “There’s no reason to think right now that we’re not safe, so I’m okay as far as that goes. The dead guy in a rental unit means paperwork, special clean-up, and an insurance claim, so it’ll be a hassle. I just wish the past would stay in the past.”

“How’s Sean?”

“Living large and taking names,” Ben replied. “I’ll tell you all about it tonight. Have fun with Jaxon.”

“Love you. Stay safe.”

“You too.” Ben ended the call and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes for a moment and hoping to fend off a stress headache.

Hendricks is right—Erik and I didn’t piss off the entire East Coast Mob. McRaney—Raines—could have picked my rentals completely by coincidence. It doesn’t mean anyone is coming after Erik and me.

So why does my gut say different?

FOUR

ERIK

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