Page 99 of Séance

“People are gullible,” I answer without pause. “If they want to throw their money away, who am I to judge? People do the same with drugs and alcohol and gambling. I’m not the fucking vice police.”

I’m starting to get annoyed with the nonanswers, drumming my fingers on the armrest of my chair as I glare at the assholes. “Just spill it.”

“Haven’t you noticed anything…unusual about Rue?” Ellis murmurs, his gaze intense as he stares at me from across the coffee table.

I purse my lips, struggling to fill in the gaps, and fail epically. I answer with a shrug. “Everything about Rue is unusual.”

It’s one of the reasons I’m unable to get her out of my fucking head. Awake or asleep, she haunts me. It should infuriate me, but my obsession with her won’t be dismissed so easily.

“What about what happened with Gunner at the gravel pit? Or the kid she rescued at the grocery store? Or the lake today with the mother and her children?” James tips his head, as if curious about how I’ll explain away the situations, and I don’t like the way he’s studying me.

“She’s very intuitive.” I dismiss the question, not liking the way doubts poke at my subconscious.

“Or she has a rare gift, something that she inherited from Nan,” James counters, his face completely serious.

I snort at the ridiculous thought, unable to contain my amusement. “You think she can see the future?”

“No,” Ellis answers slowly, like he’s seriously contemplating the answer, “but I do think she is able to pick up on something that none of us can see.”

I open and close my mouth a few times as my brain completely refuses to process their bullshit. I wait for the punch line, but they are completely serious. “What are you trying to tell me?”

“I think she’s a type of psychic—possibly a medium,” Ellis says with a completely straight face, not even blinking.

My gut sinks with dread, my thoughts immediately recalling her father saying his daughter was troubled and needed help.

I completely dismissed his claim, but I can’t shut down my concern any longer. What if she really believes she has powers? As much as I want to help Rue, none of us are equipped to handle a medical condition that severe.

“She told you that?” I drag my hands roughly through my hair, gripping the strands as I stare down at the ground between my feet. My head snaps up, and I gape at the guys incredulously. “And you believed her?”

It’s not a question.

The proof of it is in their eyes.

“There are too many questions that can’t be answered any other way,” Ellis counters. He’s the one man who doesn’t believe anything unless he can touch it or dig up proof on his computers, and he’s the last person I thought would fall for such bullshit.

“Guys, if she really believes that she has some sort of abilities, then she needs professional help.” My throat actually hurts when I speak the words. The last thing I want is to send Rue away, but I refuse to allow my need for her to get in the way of something that she needs. “She could hurt herself or someone else. She?—”

“My parents destroyed almost all the pictures of my sister,” Gunner whispers in a tortured tone, cutting off my rant to get them to understand how dangerous her actions could be without medication and professional help.

“They knew how much I loved her, and they did it to hurt me. They said if they couldn’t have her, then neither could I. I have exactly two pictures of my sister. One is of her as a child, and the other is stained almost beyond recognition, the edges burnt from where I dug through a firepit to rescue it.” He tightens his gripon his phone, and he glances at me from under his heavy brows. “There is no way Rue could know what my sister looked like, yet she drew an exact image of her. She said Maggie warned her that I was about to die. She sent Rue to help me.”

“Not to mention that she saved those kids at the lake today or the girl who would’ve froze at the grocery store,” James adds, like that’s proof enough for him.

It’s all I can do not to roll my eyes. “You can’t honestly believe this nonsense, can you?”

“Of course,” James answers without hesitation. When no one else speaks, he glares at his brother.

“I…” Jace clears his throat, his eyes troubled, then he shrugs. “Maybe. It would explain some things.”

“Rue believes it,” Gunner admits with an unapologetic shrug. “That’s good enough for me.”

I open then close my mouth, unable to believe they are serious. My gaze lands on Ellis, waiting for his logical side to take over. “And you?”

“I’m not sure I can give an unbiased answer,” he admits, shrugging when I continue to stare at him in shock. “There are accounts throughout history claiming such gifts are real. Before meeting Rue, I would have one hundred percent called it a scam. Now? I’m not sure anymore.”

I close my mouth, knowing that no amount of arguing will change their minds.

As much as I want to ignore the issue, that’s no longer possible with her father looking for reasons to take her away. The only way the guys will admit that she needs help is if I prove them wrong. Once Rue accepts that she doesn’t have any magical woo-woo abilities, we can get her help and keep her away from her father at the same time.

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