Page 22 of Dead Evil
Everly reached for Ten’s hand. “I’m not gonna get hurt, Dad. Agatha Louise needs me.”
“Did you sense anything with the doll when we met her this morning?” Ronan asked, wondering if this was what would tip Ten over the edge to divorce him.
“I didn’tthen, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be something going wrong with hernow,” Ten said, fisting his hands on the table.
“What if I can help?” Everly asked. “I know everyone thinks she’s evil or possessed by a demon, but what if she just needs someone to talk to? Someone who can listen. Someone who cares about what happens to her.”
“I absolutely agree with you,” Ten said. “The doll probably does need someone with your skills who can help her, but thesomeonedoesn’t need to be you!”
“I don’t want to jump into the middle of this,” Jude began, his eyes on Tennyson, “but there have been no other incidents with the doll since she was put in the bulletproof glass box. What if we go into the private room where Agatha Louise is being displayed, we’ll stand in the back and see what Everly can read. With thestrength of her gifts I don’t think she’ll need to get up close and personal.”
“Five minutes, Dad. Let’s work together to help her.” Everly offered a smile. “All we need are five minutes.”
Ronan couldn’t argue with a single thing Everly said. He and Jude would be right there to hustle her out of the room if things started to go wrong, not that he was going to point that out at this particular moment. He turned to his husband and could tell from the look on his face that Ten was going to give in. He wanted to laugh, but also didn’t want to end up sleeping in the backyard.
“What do you think?” Ten asked Ronan, never taking his eyes off Everly.
Ronan took a deep breath. For the first time, he felt like he was stuck in the middle between his husband and his daughter. He hoped what he was about to say would unite three of them instead of drawing up battle lines. “No one wants to protect Everly more than we do, Ten. She has these incredible gifts and wants to use them to help people. We’ve set the example of helping people for a living and she’s following in our footsteps. If Everly thinks she can help, I think we should let her.”
“And if things go wrong?” Ten asked.
“She’s going to have two cops and two psychics by her side. I trust the people at this table with my life and with Everly’s,” Ronan said.
Ten sighed. “Five minutes and you’re out. Got it? If things start to go wrong and I grab you to pull you out of the room, no complaining.”
“Five minutes, Dad,” Everly agreed.
Ten turned to Ronan. “I swear to God if one hair on her head is harmed-”
“We aren’t going to let that happen, but if it does, you can kick me out of the house, divorce me, cover me in honey and stick me on a fire ant hill, make me watchFrozenon a twenty-four hour loop.” Ronan offered Ten a small smile.
“Everyone eat your nugs and then we’ll go.” Ten sighed and popped a fry into his mouth.
“Already ate mine!” Wolf said, reaching for another one from Cope’s plate.
Fifteen minutes later, after the food was eaten and the table cleaned off, Ten took Everly’s hand and walked with her to the ballroom where Agatha Louise was being displayed. Ronan could feel his heartbeat in his toes. “Are you getting anything, Cope?” he whispered.
“Only that Devin is going to want to bring Everly front and center to see the doll. Even if Ten allows that to happen, she’s going to be fine. We all are.”
Reaching the ballroom, there were two security guards standing in front of the door. “This exhibit closes in five minutes,” One of the guards said.
“Perfect. All we need are five minutes.” Jude opened the door and ushered everyone inside.
Agatha Louise and Devin were at the front of the room with the doll’s box on a table draped in a black cloth patterned with pentacles. A series of stanchion belt dividers zigzagged from the door to the display. There were only three people waiting in line.
Ronan led Ten and Everly toward the back corner of the room. He pulled out his phone and set a five minute timer. “We leave when the alarm goes off. Are you ready?”
Everly nodded. “Ready.”
Ronan started the timer. “Do your thing, chicken wing.”
Everly pulled Tennyson toward the front of the room. “I need to see her.”
Ten shot Ronan an angry look, but followed his daughter into the belt maze, holding her hand tightly.
When the last group of people left the display, Devin Forrest spotted them instantly. “Tennyson! Ronan! You’re finally here!” He hurried toward them. “And you brought your darling, Everly!”
“Devin, these are our friends, Jude, Cope, and Wolf,” Ronan said.
