Page 27 of Down and Dirty

I was met with silence.

“Hang on,” I said and held out the phone to Keaton. “Jimbo is looking for you.”

Keaton put the phone to his ear, and in less than a second, he met my gaze before stepping out onto the porch. As much as I wanted to eavesdrop, I didn’t. I returned back into the sitting room and paused in my tracks. Keaton’s five and Mary stood staring at me.

I met each of their gazes. This was the first time any of them had been in my house.

“You’re all here?” I asked.

They didn’t speak but started to swirl around me like the old hags had. Spinning around me like my own personal hurricane. Their faces contorted, and their screams pierced my ears as Erin’s spirit flew straight at me and into my body. I gasped as my chest caved. I struggled for a breath when the room around me changed.

I was no longer in my home, but a dark, secluded street walking beside Erin, who was looking over her shoulder as she hurried down the dark alleyway. She had a load of books in her hand and a big satchel hung from her shoulder. She held keys in her hand as she hurried to the door of a car. When she climbed inside, I appeared in the seat next to her. She dialed a number on her phone before turning on her car lights.

She whispered into the phone. “Don’t leave. I’m on my way.”

My brows dipped as I heard the one-sided conversation. The books she’d tossed in the backseat were varied in subjects. Everything from herbs to medical books. “I’ll be there in an hour.”

The woman’s hands were trembling as she tossed the car into gear. “No, you don’t understand. We need to do this now before any more get hurt.”

Erin hung up and tossed the phone into her purse, and I felt my spirit slam back into my body. I struggled to breathe as the room came into focus.

I dropped to my knees. My heart raced as Jared circled me. Electricity was sparking around him as he pulled from the electricity in my house. The rooms were now thrown into darkness other than his light show. The spirits glided farther away without turning their backs on him.

“Faith.” My name was screamed from Jared’s lips.

“What the hell did they do to you?” Veronica asked as she paced the room, acting as an added layer of protection from the others.

I had no idea what happened. I clutched my hand over my heart, trying to calm my nerves. I didn’t like sharing my body or whatever the hell that had been. I crawled to the couch, afraid the muscles in my legs would give out if I tried to stand.

It was a unique feeling, as though I wasn’t officially back in control. The usual synapses weren’t firing for my legs to heed the commands coming from my brain. Using my arm muscles, I crawled onto my couch, just as the feeling of needle pricks riddled my feet and legs as if they’d been sleeping and were just now starting to wake.

I sat back while I processed what the hell had just happened.

Keaton stepped back inside. “I have to run. I’m putting your phone on the foyer table.”

“Okay,” I called out, though I barely recognized my own voice.

The door closed behind him, and I watched through the window as he jogged across the yard and hopped into his truck.

I should have asked what Jimbo wanted, but I was finding it difficult to use my words. I would have been unable to describe what was wrong with me if he’d happened to ask.

Maybe I was losing my mind. Maybe my defenses weren’t as good as I thought. I struggled to stand, my legs weak beneath my body. My vision blurred just as Nina skidded into my driveway. She threw her car door open and ran to my porch.

“Faith,” Nina screamed. It was the last voice I heard before darkness pulled me back into its fold.

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