Page 52 of Ghost Hunted

“Right.” My voice comes out very choked. “And you said it was eighteen years ago?”

“Mhm hmm.”

Fuck!

I bolt up, my heart racing.

“I take it you know who Jane is,” starts Damien, his voice more hesitant than I think I’ve ever heard it.

“Yeah.” I swallow with difficulty, a whole new sense of loss making my chest ache. “Yeah. She was my daughter, Damien.”

13

Logan

“Fuck. Fuck, man. I’m sorry…”

I walk in circles, trying to fight the dizziness that threatens to overwhelm me. I edge closer to the door that separates me from Lia, resting my head against the cool wood. I want to be with her. I want to grieve with her.

“I have to go, Damien.”

“Wait. I need to tell you something else. Something very important. Please.” His usual sarcasm is replaced by urgency.

“What now?” My voice sounds just as weary as I feel. “What can possibly be more important than… Jane?”

It hurts to even say her name.

“You told me Lia had a violent moment.”

“Yeah, but she’s off the Memoril. It’s going to get better.”

“No, Logan.” Damien’s voice grows hard. “No, it won’t. It won’t get better—it will get worse.”

“What? But I don’t understand…”

“I told you, I spoke to Campbell. Violence is a side effect. Does she have moments where she gets confused? Where she can’t remember things that have happened?”

“I mean, yeah, but…”

“She’s had that drug in her system for years, Logan. Now she’s gone cold turkey. Campbell said it could really fuck with her. Leave her with damage.”

“Yeah, I know what cold turkey means, Damien. But I’ll help her through it. I’ll…”

“It’s not that kind of damage. Not the temporary kind, I mean. Campbell thinks it could be… permanent.”

I freeze.

“What do you mean, permanent?”

“I mean, if she’s having memory lapses now, it’s just going to get worse. And if she’s violent now, it’s going to get worse too. Until she no longer remembers a thing, and until all she is is violent. Eighteen years of Memoril, Logan. That kind of damage can’t be fixed. Apparently the Price Syndicate were trying to develop an antidote, but we bought them out before they could. And Campbell says he doesn’t believe for one second they could have managed it anyway. She’s fucked, man.”

“No.” Panic makes me lightheaded. “No, that can’t be right. That can’t be right, Damien. I’m not losing her again.”

“I understand how hard it is,” he murmurs.

“No, you don’t. And it’s not true. I told her I was going to fix her, and that’s just what I’m going to do.”

“Okay.” I can tell he doesn’t believe me, but he doesn’t insist. “Logan, you need to focus on what’s happening now. What’s happening now is that Lia’s violent…”