Page 33 of Dead Calm
He could feel Tennyson trying to probe his mind, but didn’t know how to stop him. Between Tennyson and the brat, he felt his energy start to sap. What the hell was going on here? He was in charge! He made the rules! He doled out the punishments!
“You listen to me,” Everly shouted in Ronan’s face. “Let my father go. Do you hear me?”
Another howl of pain. He didn’t know how much longer he could last. Why was this little bitch so strong?
“You think this hurts?” Everly asked. She took the hand on Ronan’s arm and pressed it against his head. “Let my father go!”
He couldn’t stand it. There hadn’t been this much pain in years. Decades. A century. With one final screech, he released the detective.
Ronan slumped forward in his seat. “Everly?” he asked, his voice weak. His hand hurt from where Everly was digging her nails into his fingers. His head ached like it used to when he was drinking.
“What happened the day I was born?” Everly’s eyes bored into Ronan’s. Her grip didn’t slacken.
“It was a blizzard and I was afraid I was going to crash the car. Emilyn wanted to walk to the hospital, but I convinced her it would be safe to drive if I went slow.” Ronan managed a chuckle. “I was never more scared than I was that day, until now.” He wrapped his arms around Everly. “I’m so sorry I almost hurtyou. He told me to and I was trying to resist, but he was so strong.”
“Who was so strong?” Ten asked.
“I don’t know. It’s not Walt. Whoever this was hates Walt. He hates everyone. Women especially. I’m gonna be sick.” Ronan rushed from the living room and into the bathroom. He hit his knees and lost his breakfast. Sweet Jesus, he could have hurt Everly. He could have hurt them all.
“Hey, you okay?” Jude asked, a few minutes later, from the bathroom door.
Ronan hit the flush valve and with Jude’s help got back to his feet. “I don’t think I’ll be all right for a long time.” He reached for his toothbrush and paste, dropping a huge dab onto the bristles. “I could feel it trying to burrow inside of me. I tried to fight it off and I just couldn’t. I just kept getting angrier and angrier and then my hands were off the wheel. I wasn’t in control of anything. Not my body or my mind. Jude, it was terrifying.” Tears streaked down Ronan’s cheeks.
“It’s gonna be okay.” Jude pulled Ronan into his arms, hugging him tight. “I wanted to take Everly out of the room. I didn’t want her to see you like this or see me punch your ass into next week if you didn’t cut the shit.”
Ronan snorted. “In your dreams. Even with most of my energy gone, I would have put up one hell of a fight.”
“Yeah,” Jude agreed. “You probably would have. Let’s get back out there and see what Ten, Everly, and Cope are planning for this thing that got into your head. If it were up to me, we’d be loading our suitcases into the van and leaving this very second.”
Ronan had to admit it wasn’t the worst idea. He wanted to go home. To sleep in his own bed, next to his husband, with his kids just down the hall dreaming sweet dreams. Before he could do that, he needed to make sure whatever the fuck had tried to control him wasn’t going to be able to do it again to him or anyone else. He was weaker now than he had been before. Ronan wasn’t sure if he could fight it off a second time. “Let’s kick this spirit’s ass first, then we’re going home. Deal?”
“Deal!” Jude agreed, wrapping an arm around Ronan. They walked slowly out of the bathroom and back to the sofa.
“Are you okay?” Ten asked.
“I will be,” Ronan said. “Thank you for saving me, little miss.” He held his arms open for his daughter.
“I wasn’t letting go, Daddy. I wasn’t gonna let that man keep you. I could have hurt him worse, but I didn’t want to hurt you too. I’m sorry.” Everly buried her face in Ronan’s shirt.
“Hey, it’s okay. I’m fine. Look at me.” Ronan pushed his daughter back, so he could look at her. “See? All good. You saved me, there’s nothing to be sorry for.”
She stared at him for a few seconds, obviously reading her father. “Okay.” Everly climbed off his lap and went to the fridge and grabbed a juice pouch.
“How do we keep that from happening again?” Ronan asked. “Was I possessed? Is it a demon? Holy shit, do I need an exorcism?” Ronan’s tired mind spun with the possibilities.
“I think you were possessed by a spirit, not a demon,” Cope said. “I want to do a cleansing on you to make sure whoever that was can’t reinfect you.”
“Yes, please do that,” Ronan agreed easily. “How do we get rid of that fucker and send him to hell or wherever?”
“Ten and I are gonna figure that out.” Cope got up from his seat and motioned Ten and Everly to follow him. They went into Everly’s room and shut the door.
“Meeting of the psychic minds.” Jude grinned. “Why do you think that spirit came for you?”
“Simple, it blamed me for taking away its marionette. It was obviously pulling Kurt’s strings and getting him to do whatever it wanted. I assume he thought I could take Kurt’s place, but there was something it didn’t take into account.”
“What’s that?” Jude asked.
“How much I love my daughter. There’s nothing more powerful than the love I have for my kids and Tennyson. No force on earth, hell, or heaven could make me hurt them.”
