Page 84 of Séance

A wail of police sirens nears, and I mentally curse when they park the car at the shore and rush toward us. The spirit spots them as well, her hold over the woman wavering for a second, but it’s enough.

My abilities expel her from the body in an explosion of glittering dust, leaving a confused, sobbing woman in my arms. She’s babbling incoherently as she struggles to retake control of her body. From experience, I know it can take a while.

Since she’s no longer fighting me, I let the woman go, then grimace when that only makes her cling to me harder, bawling her heart out like it’s breaking. I cradle her close, whispering to her softly, “Your children are safe. You’re safe. You’re going to be okay.”

Unfortunately, once you touch the afterlife, your life is never the same again.

The police reach us and haul us none too gently to our feet, but the woman refuses to release her hold on me, not that I blame her. I’m not sure how much she remembers, but she must know enough to realize that I saved her and her children.

The possession wasn’t strong enough to take her over completely, just enough to overpower her for a few minutes—enough to kill her children.

The police tear us apart, scowling at us as we’re cuffed and shoved into two different patrol cars. Now that the adrenaline has worn off, my entire body feels like one giant bruise. The side of my face is warm but blessedly numb, but not my ribs. Pain radiates from the injury, and I know that means more than one of them is cracked.

I freeze when I see the police approach the guys, and my gut sinks with dread. Jameson is soaking wet, holding two of the youngest kids, the other two kids clutching his legs. Hicks is wet at well, his clothes sticking to him like a second skin.

He has his hand on James’ chest, his face inches away as he has a very heated discussion with him, doing his best to keep him from storming after me.

My gaze connects with Jameson’s pale blue eyes. Darkness churns in their depths, but the hardness in them, directed at me, hits me like a slap in the face. His emotions are shut down to the point that I barely recognize him, and dread gathers in my gut at his grim expression.

All he saw was me attacking a mom with kids. He must think me a monster.

I was trying to save them, but would he believe that?

He helped…didn’t he?

Or was he trying to get them safely away from me?

No, he couldn’t believe I would do something so horrible.

Right?

The cheerful man who worked his way into my heart vanished like he never existed, going so cold that a stranger stares back at me, and my heart aches like I lost something precious. I suddenly wonder if Hicks is holding him back, notbecause he’s worried the fool will get arrested for breaking me out of jail, but because he fears for my safety.

With my heart breaking, I barely notice the police officer returning. It’s only when we’re driving away and the guys disappear from sight that I close my eyes and sag against my seat in defeat.

Jameson managed to do something my father never achieved during all his years of torture—completely destroy me.

I’m not sure how to survive the devastation.

Chapter Twenty-seven

HICKS

“For fuck’s sake, man, snap out of it.” I’m seconds away from punching the psycho, but I’m afraid it might set him off worse. Most days, James can be controlled…unless something happens and he snaps.

I should be helping Rue, and I’m frustrated that I’m left babysitting James.

Unfortunately, the last thing anyone needs is both of them getting arrested.

Seeing Rue dragged away in handcuffs flipped his switch. If he hadn’t been surrounded by kids and firmly in protective mode, I have no doubt that he would have torn the cops apart to get to her. Thankfully, the kids weren’t collected until after she was hauled off.

“I don’t understand.” I glance at Ellis, hoping for some clarification. “What the hell just happened?”

One minute, we were having a good time, the next, Rue launched herself at another woman. Normally, I would sit back and enjoy a good cat fight, but the bitch cracked Rue in thehead with a fucking oar. My heart lurched in my chest when she disappeared beneath the surface.

I shot to my feet, absently tossing my phone in the boat, ready to dive in after her when she went under, but the cunt of a woman threw her baby over the side of the boat, wearing a fucking smile on her face.

Teeth gritted in determination, I dove in after the kid, thankfully finding him in seconds. I shot to my feet, holding the baby to my chest and freaking the fuck out the whole time. I don’t think I breathed until the baby let out an ear-shattering wail.

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