Page 13 of Ghost Hunted

“I mean…” I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone try or fail so hard at getting out of the dog house as him. “I’m interested in you, but I’m not that interested in what you have to say.”

“That’s so mean!”

“I’m not trying to be mean,” he soothes her—or attempts to. “I like your voice. It’s cute. But please be quiet now, because this is important.”

She crosses her arms and glares at him. “You’re being toxic, and…”

“Okay, cricket, that’s fine. Everything’s fine, okay? I love you so much.” He turns to me. “Should I shut her in the bedroom in the back or—”

By now, I’m shaking with silent laughter. Thank god for the two of them and their adorably dysfunctional relationship, because it does lighten the mood.

“I like your boyfriend,” I tell Piper. “Or husband, or whatever. A nice little psychopath you’ve got there.” Then I look at Quill. “Yeah, shut her in the bedroom.”

“Logan! Quill! No!”

Quill has just stood up with Piper in his arms.

“Unless she can behave,” I add, and if looks could kill, hers would… very lightly sting.

“I’m not a child,” she says, sounding exactly like Lia.

I swallow the lump that’s made its way back in my throat. “That’s right,” I try to say casually. “You’re a very foolish young woman. Now let the grown-ups talk.”

“Oh, so he’s a grown-up now?” she questions, and at that, Quill topples her over his shoulder, and stalks off to the bedroom, despite her loud squeaks of protests. I hear a few resounding smacks, and then… some other noises. At last he returns, looking very pleased with himself.

I roll my eyes. “Remember, Quill, I am her father. I mean, in a manner of speaking. And those walls…”

“Okay.” He sits down, meeting my eyes without the least bit of shame.

“Also, we now have less than ten minutes—the quickie could have been a bit quicker. We need to figure this out.”

“I thought you needed to,” he points out. “You seemed to believe I didn’t know how to think.”

“Well, I’m the one who can’t think now,” I snap. “You were right. If I walk into whatever ambush the impersonator has laid, any chance of finding out who it is vanishes. But I just can’t let Piper go alone.”

“Who said anything about going alone? Five feet of separation is about all I can stand. And only because Piper’s been well-spanked, well-fucked, and is now nicely locked up and waiting for me.”

“TMI, Quill. Seriously.”

He shrugs. “You seem to think I dislike you because you’re her dad. But it’s the opposite. I like that you’re her dad. You know, the first time we ever had sex was under the covers with her dad in the room. I mean, her fake dad. And…”

I decide to ignore most of what he’s said, aware that he’s only trying to rile me up.

Instead, I settle on, “Laura Day was her real mom, and her husband, William Day, was her real dad.” The thought makes me wince, but it’s true. “He raised her. He’s just as much her father as I am.”

Probably more, I think with a pang of crippling guilt.

“Well, good.” Quill settles back in his seat. “I’m glad I fucked her in front of her real dad, then. And now I can fuck her in front of—”

I stand up, walking to the bathroom and slamming the door behind me to drown out the rest of his words. Then I splash cold water on my face and stare at myself in the mirror. A ghost stares back.

I didn’t sleep the night after Piper told me about being contacted by Lia’s impersonator. My face is pale as death, I’ve got bags under my eyes, and my features are drawn. I look far older than thirty-eight, nearly thirty-nine now.

The last time I saw her, I was twenty.

I’ve been struggling with her death for nearly half my life. Every year just makes the wound grow. It’s festering now, consuming me.

But what if she’s not dead? What if she’s alive?