Page 14 of His Innocent Muse

“Okay,” she stands and gives me a small nod. “Thank you, again, for taking me in.”

I grunt and adjust my lapels.

She pushes the button and steps back through the door, staring at me from inside my sanctuary. “Goodnight, Mr. Ghost. I…hope you sleep well.”

The door closes while I clunk the back of my head on the wall. “Goodnight, Lucy,” I mutter to myself as I push the ground floor button. “I won’t. I never do.”

I have Murder on the phone before I hit the ground floor.

“Where are you?”

The door slides open and I’m staring at Murder’s giant scowl as he waggles the phone and shoves it in his pocket.

He glances behind me. “What’d you do with—”

“Nothing. I DID NOTHING.”

He flinches. “Jesus, why are you yelling?”

“I’m NOT yelling, I…was yelling. Never mind that.” I dig my wallet out and thumb a few bills free. “She needs new clothes. A new wardrobe. Find a store that caters to nuns, preferably.”

“Nuns.”

“Maybe the hardware store,” I mutter, staring at the front windows as I hold out the money. “Lawn sized, black trash bags should do it.”

“Is she dead?”

“No, asshole, she’s not dead. I don’t want to see her in clothes!”

He blinks at me like I’ve lost my mind. Maybe I have.

“…You don’t want to see her in clothes?”

“No,” I sigh, already planning the setup for the Deviant Devices display in my mind. Should be a bigger turnout given we have a few crowd favorites on deck.

“What do you want to see her in?”

“Nothing.” I need to make sure the catering is handled better this time. Eustice ordered organic hors d’oeuvres of some sort last event and there were far too many complaints.

“Nothing…”

He chuckles, and the sound draws me back to the present. Shit.

“Not—not nothing. I want…just get the fuck out of here and do what I said.”

He gets an annoyingly knowing smirk as he tilts his chin up. “Oh. Got it. This is gonna be fun as hell.”

I flit my hand, sending him on his way as I head toward the museum door. I hope she’s comfortable up there. A good man would probably go check on her at some point. I frown, keying in today’s code, the door opening with a quiet click of the latch.

I haven’t been a good man in a very long time. Though, she seems to think I am, and perhaps, it depends on who you ask. To my employees, I’m an equitable boss. My rates are fair, and the work environment is the safest in the industry. But, to those who cross me, or harm those I hold dear…

Regardless, the only way I stay Lucy’s version of a good man is if I don’t go up there.

3

LUCY

Ghost’s laugh is so much softer than I could’ve imagined.

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