Page 6 of Treasure and Tarot

Somebody was knocking on the door, and he knew who that somebody was.

He shook his head. “You call him, and you tell him that I signed a contract under false pretenses, and I’m not letting anyone in.”

“You need to think about this.”

“Don’t. Don’t tell me what I need to think about. How awful. He walks out on me to go adventuring. I try to find him. I tell his family that I’m pregnant, and their responses? Here’s a check. Go away. Never, ever talk about it.”

Hank gasped, but Sebastian didn’t slow down.

“And then you send them here? You’re not a good person. Shame on you.”

The knocking on the door got louder.

“Sebastian, I didn’t know about the check?—”

“No. We’re not friends. Don’t call. I don’t ever want to talk to you again.”

He hung up the phone and then went to the door. He’d just tell them to leave himself.

He opened the door, ready to blast Colton right out of the water, but it was like an invasion.

“Hey, you must be Mr. Belle. I’m Iago, the production assistant. I just need to see the layout of the house.” He blew past Sebastian, right into his foyer, and then into his front room. “Hey, this is super cool. Law, come get those establishing shots so we know where to set up the cameras. Sorry that Colton is taking forever, but he’s not as spry as he used to be, you know? Cave-ins will do that. So, the bedrooms are upstairs?”

Two more big guys stormed past him, the one with the camera, and the one with the black bag. They just ignored his, “But—” and went to work.

So he was still standing on the stoop when Colton limped up to him.

He didn’t know what to say. Colton was still beautiful. Colton was still hot, even with the scars. Colton was also still a fucker who’d had his parents pay him off.

“Sebastian.”

“I want you to take your toys and your crew and go.”

Colton studied him. “You and I both know you have plenty of ghost activity here. Also, there had to be a reason you allowed us to come film.”

“I was allowing a ghost show to come film. Not you.”

Those crazy violet-gray eyes, the ones Abby had inherited, narrowed. “We’re kind of synonymous.”

“No. The show is called Echoes or something.”

“You mean you’ve never watched it?”

“Why should I when I have the ghost show right here in my house?” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Out.”

“We came a long way with a lot of gear, Sebastian.”

“And you had to know it was all under false pretenses.”

“Because you would never return my calls, so it must be my fault.”

“Yes. Yes, it is. Because you changed your phone number after you disappeared and never came back! I want you out!”

A tiny scrape sounded, and he turned to look inside, where the three big guys were just standing and staring at them.

“Technically, I’m not in,” Colton said, his voice calm.

“Please leave,” he said, trying hard to hold it together.

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