Page 26 of Shaman

Three Days Before Christmas,

Boys’ Night

Teague Residence

“And now you’re here,” Ghost said.

Ian drained his drink, voice rough afterward. “And now I’m here.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, scrolled through it a moment and then slid it across the table to Ghost. “Rebecca Breckinridge sent me this last night.”

It was an email. A lengthy and detailed one, in which Mrs. Breckinridge went into explicit detail about the bedroom possibilities should Ian wish to join her and her husband the next time he was in New York. It ended on a gracefully-worded threat: cooperate, play with them, or risk exposure.

Ghost wasn’t the sort to blush, but he felt like he might be when he slid the phone back. “Okay. Wow. So that’s her.”

“That’s her,” Ian agreed, pocketing the phone. His eyes came to Ghost’s, flat and emotionless now, after the telling. “I’m going to kill her. Her and her husband.”

“I don’t suppose you’d let me talk you out of that.”

“They’re going to die. And I’m going to see to it myself.”

“There’s the Christmas spirit.”

“I’m serious.”

“I know you are.” Ghost rubbed at the gathering tension in the back of his neck. “Okay. So. Um.”

Ian pushed his chair back. “Sorry I asked for your help. I–”

“Hold on, hold on.” Ghost waved him back into his chair. “I hear you. Jesus.”

Ian huffed as he resettled.

“You want to kill them. Like, put a knife between their ribs.”

“Yes.”

“Alright. Well. I guess we can help with that.”

Ian snorted.

“You’ll regret it.”

“Says you.”

“Yeah, I say a lot of things. That’s my job as president.”

“Fuck you.”

Ghost smiled despite himself. “No, thanks.”

Ian finally cracked a grin.

The floor creaked, and Ghost glanced up over the drug dealer’s head to find Tango lingering in the kitchen doorway, face etched with concern and uncertainty, Aidan a step behind him, a hand on his arm like he meant to restrain him if need be.

As a general rule, Ghost liked to keep the ex-lovers apart. They were both in a healthier mental place now that they’d moved on, and like with any addict, he thought it better to keep potentially-lethal temptations out of sight when it came to Tango.

But they’d agreed to be friends – if such a thing was possible. And Tango had been stuck like this before; his might be the best perspective for Ian to hear.

When Aidan lifted his brows in question, Ghost nodded, and Aidan let go.

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