Page 95 of Ghostly Touches

“Well, good luck withthat,” Willow says, pulling me out of my shock. My eyes meet hers. The green in them sparkles with amusement.

The sarcasm in her voice irritates me for whatever reason. “Why do you say it like that?”

“Because I’m on birth control.” She shrugs. “And I have a feeling we’re not compatible.”

While she laughs, an unexplainable and overwhelming feeling of denial ripples through me. I try to push it away and allow relief to wash through me, but that sinister voice in my head says,Try again. Again. And again.

And damn it, I intend to.

Chapter26

KWIL

Asharp whistle pierces the silent night. We both stiffen in surprise. In the next instant, I’m pulling out of Willow. The sudden separation causes her to hiss.

“Sorry.” I leap to my feet and offer her my hand, using the other one to shove my dick back into my pants.

Willow takes my hand, and I help her to her feet. Then, I let go of her to pull my hood back into place.

“What’s going on?” Willow asks.

“Viktor just alerted us that we’re about to have company.” I grab her arm and pull her towards the front door. “Go inside and let Jonah know that we may have to leave quickly.”

Headlights suddenly come into view, cutting through the darkness.

“Do you think it’s the owner?” Willow asks.

I don’t answer as my hand slides into my cloak to grab the handle of my sword.

The car skids to a stop in front of the cabin, and the headlights go out. The motion sensor lights attached to the building flicker on, casting the car in a yellowish hue. From here I can see it’s just one person. As they climb out of the car, I note the wrinkles, white perm, and knitted sweater. Nothing seems dangerous about the older woman, but I don’t assess threats simply by looks.

“Ah, there you are Willow. You’re a hard woman to find, did you know that?” the woman says as she straightens her sweater.

Willow takes a step forward, but I yank her back.

“Who are you?” I demand.

“My name is Margaret Bailey. I work for Fredrick Noir who sent me to find Miss Harvest here. He recently became aware that not only does she own something of his, but she may be of great help to him on a project he’s working on. So, I’m here to pick her up so they can chat. And you are?”

The book… I blink as understanding dawns on me. This woman wants the book we’re in possession of. How does she know we have it? And how does she, and her boss, know about Willow?

The front door opens behind us.

“Margie?” Jonah’s voice startles the woman.

She tilts to the side to see past Willow with a frown. “Who’s up there with you, Willow?”

Willow ignores her question to whisper to Jonah, “How long have you been listening?”

“The entire time, baby. Your puppy has some big ears,” he teases her. “And I wasn’t just listening.”

Puppy? I scowl. I tell myself it’s because this interruption isn’t appropriate and has nothing to do with his nickname.

“Do you know this woman, Jonah?” I ask, cutting off their banter.

“Yeah, of course I know her. She’s a tracker,” he says, coming to stand next to me.

Our newcomer takes a few steps forward. It’s a casual gait, but I don’t buy it. I step forward, as does Jonah. When he steps in front of Willow, Margaret’s gasp of surprise removes any doubt that these two know each other.

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