“Are you listening to me?” He wove his hands in front of me.

  I drove out of the garage, and he faded away.

  I let out a sigh of a relief as I drove down the dark street. It was eerily quiet. Quiet in a way it almost never was in this part of the city.

  I was exhausted, stressed, and freaked out. Once again I wished I had friends who weren’t ghosts. Being with Rexton had finally given me the opportunity to be with someone who didn’t think I was crazy and wasn’t dead, but he also wasn’t human. And he wasn’t always around. I couldn’t base my whole life around one person.

  I came to an intersection where I should have turned left to head back toward my apartment. Instead I turned right. I knew exactly where I was headed even though I refused to admit it to myself.

  I slammed on the breaks as two girls stepped right in front of my car. They looked at me, and then continued across the street. My heart nearly beat out of my chest as I watched them. They were each dressed in a red, fringe covered dresses and had identical bob haircuts. They hurried toward the old paint store, now called Saul’s Bakery. The door opened, and a man in a dark suit and a fedora stepped out.

  Either someone was having a rager of a costume party that had lasted until after 4:30 in the morning, or the city was being overrun by 1920s ghosts.

  I let my foot off the brake and then hit it again as two more ghost girls dressed in red fringe dresses walked by. I rubbed my eyes. They looked identical to the others. I glanced back at the door. It opened and the fedora man walked out. Were they on some sort of loop? I had never seen anything like that with ghosts before.

  I tentatively let my foot off the brake again, and I started driving. No matter what this was, sitting in the middle of the road wasn’t going to help anything. I turned left at the next street to turn around and head home.

  By the time I dragged myself into my apartment I was ready to full-on collapse.

  “What’s wrong?” Ronny, my ghost roommate, met me just inside the door. “Did you and Rexton break up?”

  “What?” I closed the door. “Why would you jump straight to that?”

  “You are coming home at five a.m. looking like that.”

  “Looking like what exactly?” I smoothed out my hair.

  “Like hell.”

  “Gee thanks.” I wasn’t actually insulted, but he could have been a little more polite.

  “Go look in the mirror and tell me if I’m wrong.”

  “It’s not about Rexton.” I didn’t need to look in the mirror to know what I likely looked like.

  “Oh?” Ronny put his hand on his other elbow. “Then he was cool with you leaving his place before the sun rose?”

  “He wasn’t there.” I looked down as I spoke.

  “Oh…. so you are having problems.”

  “We’re not, okay? He was dealing with work stuff. I was dealing with ghost stuff.”

  “There’s a ghost at Rexton’s?” His eyebrows knit together.

  “Yes.” Unfortunately.

  “Since when?”

  “Since they brought bricks over there.” That did seem like the most likely explanation, as he would have fit in well with those other ghosts over by the bakery.

  “And the ghost upset you?” He talked about ghosts as if he definitely wasn’t one of them.

  “It wasn’t just that. There were all these other ghosts down on Anchor Street. And they are all from the 1920s,” I started to explain. “There is something going on with ghosts from the 1920s.”

  “What does Rexton think?”

  “Oh. Well, I haven’t talked to him since he left.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Really?” He narrowed his eyes. “You found a ghost in his apartment, and then found a bunch of others from one time period that are clearly messing with you, and you didn’t bother to tell Rexton?”

  “Okay. That sounds bad.”

  “It is bad, possibly. I’d need more information.”

  I sat down on the couch and stretched out my legs in front of me. “I’m too tired to think straight.”

  “Then go lie down. You will feel better if you get some rest.”

  “There’s no way I can rest now.” I closed my eyes. “I need to find out what’s going on.”

  “And you are going to do that when you are ready to pass out?”

  I opened my eyes. “Since when have you been my mother?”

  “Hey, I’m just looking out for you. I would hope you’d do the same for me.”

  “I know. Sorry. Maybe I do need that nap.” I dragged myself from the couch and into my room. Hopefully no 1920s ghosts were hiding out there.

  Rexton

  “She left a while ago.” A man dressed in a grey suit greeted me when I stepped off the elevator into my home. It took me a moment to realize it was a ghost, but he certainly knew I could see him.

  “Who are you, and what are you doing here?” My thoughts went immediately to Gabriella. Did she have any idea this ghost was around?

  “My name is Walter. I’m here waiting for Gabriella to come back.”

  “Why?” Come back? Had he run her off? I’d seen Gabriella go toe to toe with plenty of ghosts in my time, so that didn’t seem likely.

  “Because she seems more approachable than you.”

  “Where is she?” I was getting worried.

  “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “She hurried out of here awfully quickly without much explanation. I surprised her, but that was nothing compared to her confirming what I feared. That I’m dead.”

  “You didn’t know that before?”

  “No.” He shook his head.

  “Strange.”

  “Strange why?” He stepped closer to me. “Gabriella wouldn’t tell me.”

  “How long ago did she leave?”

  “At least an hour.”

  I pulled out my phone. I had to have missed her call somehow. Nothing. Not a missed call or a text.

  “She was very focused on the last year I remember. The year I died.” He pulled out a pocket watch, stared at it, and then returned it to his pocket.

  “Which was?” I took in his outfit. The vest. The style of his hat.

  “1923.”

  “Of course it was.” I groaned. “I have to go.” I moved past him and checked the whole apartment. “Gabriella!” I wasn’t going to take the ghost's word for whether or not she was there.

  I checked both bedrooms. Nothing. I called her phone.

  “Hello?” Her voice was heavy with sleep.

  “Gabriella? Are you okay?” My heart was beating out of control.

  “Yeah.” She yawned. “Sorry. I was sleeping.”

  “Where?” I looked around for the ghost. “At your place?”

  “Yes.” She yawned again. “You have a ghost at yours. I didn’t want to deal with him.”

  “Yeah, I get that.” I watched as Walter reappeared in front of me. “I’ve met him.”

  “There are so many ghosts from the 1920s. What’s going on?”

  “Where did you see more?”

  “On Anchor Street by the old paint store they are turning into a bakery. The ghost at your place said that’s where he was before.”

  “His name is Walter.”

  “Oh. I guess you two have gotten better acquainted.” There was humor in her voice.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.” She sounded fine, but off somehow.

  “I’m coming over.”

  “Okay. But I'm fine. Just exhausted.”

  “Is Ronny there?” I asked.

  “Yes. Of course. When does he leave anymore?”

  Technically the ghost could be anywhere in that complex, but he preferred Gabriella’s place, of course. I didn’t blame him. He got the company of a beautiful woman who could also communicate with him. He didn’t have that option anywhere else. At least I assumed he didn’t. The chance of two people with the gift in one complex was highly unlikely. “Good.”

  “Good?” Her voice lilted. “Are you feeling okay?”

  “You know I don’t love that you have a ghost living there, but I also know you can trust him. Something is off. Very off. I will be right over, but I need to know you are safe.”

  “What do you mean something is off?” Walter narrowed his eyes.

  “I have to go.” I hurried back toward the elevator.

  “Is it that hard to fill me in? Tell me something? You think you have it rough? I know absolutely nothing about this world or what I am. Or why I am what I am.” His hands balled into fists at his side. He’d seemed harmless at first, but I was pretty sure his true colors were beginning to show. Fantastic ghost to have in my home.

  “I’m sorry, but I just don’t have the time right now.” Just as I always told Gabriella, you don’t owe ghosts anything, especially ones who crash your place.

  The elevator moved painfully slow, especially as Walter followed me.

  “I tried to leave with Gabriella, but I couldn’t. I’m stuck here.” Clearly he wasn’t going to leave me alone until he had no choice.

  If I was stuck with him, I might as well get some answers. “Weren’t you stuck somewhere else before?”

  “No. Not really.” He rubbed his forehead. “At least I don’t think so. I was just at the party. I mean I knew the party wasn’t ending. And then I remember them coming and taking the bricks. And next thing I knew I was in the parking garage.”

  “Look, I’m not a total jerk. We will try to help you, but right now I have to make sure Gabriella is okay. That takes priority.”

  “I get that. I’m not going anywhere. At least I don’t think I am. I guess if they take the bricks somewhere else I might be.”

  “I don’t think they are going anywhere.” I eyed the huge stacks of brick off to the side of the building. I wondered what they were going to be used for. I also wondered why this ghost was tied to the bricks rather than the foundation of the building. But things with ghosts can be strange.

  “So I will see you later?”

  “I don’t have a choice, do I?” Rude maybe, but true.

  “Not if I have anything to say about it.”

  I jumped in my car and headed over to Gabriella’s. I debated driving by Anchor Street, but I couldn’t risk it. Gabriella was most likely fine, but I’d left her alone at my place and a random ghost had showed up. It may not have been my fault, but that didn’t mean I felt great about it. At least it had been worth it. Banker had given me information I couldn’t have found elsewhere.

  * * *

  Ronny greeted me as soon as I stepped inside Gabriella’s apartment. We may not have been living together yet, but we did have keys to each other's places. “Finally.”

  “That glad to see me?”

  “Weren’t you worried about her?” He frowned.

  “Of course I was.”

  “She didn’t want to call you.” He pointed to me.

  Oh. That couldn’t be a good thing. She’d sounded okay on the phone. Maybe she was more upset than I thought. “Is that so?”

  “I asked why she hadn’t told you about everything with the ghosts, and she didn’t really have an answer.”

  “You are a ghost.” I pointed out the obvious.

  “Yes. I’m well aware of that.”

  “So don’t act like you are so different from the other ghosts.”

  “Gabriella doesn’t need to fear me,” he snapped.

  “No. I agree. And to be honest I was glad you were here until I could get here. But now I need some alone time with her.”

  “I may be able to help.”

  “Give me a little bit of time. I’m not asking for a lot.” I wanted a lot, but I would take what I could get.

  “Fine. But she was very frazzled. Get to the bottom of this.”

  “Don’t worry. I will.” I walked back through the living room and back to her bedroom. I pushed open the door and closed it behind me.

  She opened her eyes. “Hey.”

  “Hey.” I sat down on the edge of the bed. “Sorry to wake you up.”

  “It’s fine. I wasn’t sleeping very well anyway.”

  “I am so sorry.” I kissed her forehead.

  “Sorry for what?” She rolled over onto her side and pulled the blanket up under her chin.

  “Leaving you. Letting you get surprised by a ghost.”

  “Eh, I’ve dealt with worse.” She half-smiled.

  I knew she was completely right, but this time it was because of me. That made it entirely different. “You shouldn’t have to deal with anything stressful.” Especially not when I was getting information from an ex. An ex I cared nothing about, but still an ex.

  She laughed. “Yes. Because I’m going to ever have a stress free life. This gift of mine makes that impossible.”

  “You called it a gift.”

  “I did.” She curled up more under the blanket.

  “Remember when you called it a curse?”

  “I still view it that way a lot. Especially today. Although would it have been better to have had a strange ghost there and not known it?.”

  “Very interesting question. I’d prefer to know.” I kicked off my shoes and lay down beside her.

  “I’ve never cared about someone like this.”

  “Yeah?” She ran her fingers down my face.

  “Yeah.” And it terrified me.

  “How does that make you feel?”

  “All sorts of messed up.” I was in no condition to lie.

  She laughed. “I get that.”

  “But I wouldn’t trade us for anything.”

  “Does that go against your nature?” She ran her fingers over my lips.

  “My nature?” I captured her hand and pulled her even closer to me.

  “You are an incubus. You’re a demon.”

  “No. Demons aren’t all evil. You know that as well as anyone.”

  “I know… I just mean. Us. Being with someone like me.” Her eyes were wide, and I knew my answer mattered.

  “Someone beautiful, powerful, intelligent, amazing.” I kissed her lightly.

  She wrapped her hand around my wrist. “I’m not like you. I’m human.”

  Once again I left my thoughts on the subject to myself. “You are so fucking special, yet you have no idea.”

  She squeezed my hand. “I’m glad you think so. Right now I just feel like I’m losing my mind.”

  “How so?” I rolled onto my side and looked into her eyes.

  “First, I met Mable yesterday. The last year she remembered was 1923, and she didn’t realize she was a ghost. She didn’t even seem to know time had passed. Then Hart or whoever that was came in with the story about his great uncle. Then that Walter ghost happens to show up at your place. His last memory was also from 1923, and he had the same confusion as Mable. Then I drive past the spot he said he’d been before, and there are all these flapper girls crossing the street and a guy at the door. Why so many in one place? And interacting with each other?” She closed her eyes and then opened them. “You know that’s not how this works. Sometimes two ghosts are in the same place and barely interact. They also don’t act like they are still alive.”

  “Act like they are still alive?”

  “Yeah. It was just the feeling I got.” She pressed her lips together. “Okay, this is going to make me sound crazy, but I swear the same girls crossed the street in front of me and the same guy opened the door. It was like this ghostly loop. I probably should have stuck around to see if it happened a third time, but I didn’t.”

  “You aren’t crazy, and you aren’t losing your mind. We are just in uncharted territory.”

  “Even for you?”

  “I love that you think I know everything, but I don't. I really don’t.” I put my hands on her arms.

  “So what now?”

  “You get more rest, and then we check out that bakery.”

  “I don’t need more rest.”

  “Sure you do.” I put my hands on either side of her head. “Rest is important.”

  “I’d rest a whole lot better if we figured out this case, as this is obviously way bigger than any case we’ve worked on.”

  “Fine. But be honest with me. If things get to be too much.”

  “It’s not like I can really step back. These ghosts are everywhere. Even your place.” She shivered.

  “But not here.” I ran a hand through her hair. “It’s only Ronny here.”

  “I don’t have the energy for that conversation again.”

  “Don’t worry. I was actually feeling quite grateful for him.” As crazy as that sounded.

  “Oh yeah?”

  “I was glad you weren’t alone.”

  “Why didn’t you wake me up and take me with you last night?” She pulled back slightly.

  “Because you were sleeping. Why should we have both lost sleep?”

  “Come on. It’s not just that.” She licked the corner of her lip. “Would it have been different if it were a different time?”

  “What are you really asking?” A strange feeling seized me. Fear.

  “Why do you keep me out of some of your business?” She looked into my eyes, but I could tell she didn’t want to. She was forcing herself. “I mean sure that’s fine in theory, but then why do you want to make things more serious by moving in?”

  “Moving in?” Ronny moved through the door. “You are planning to move in with him?” When were you going to tell me?”

  “Were you eavesdropping?” Gabriella snapped.

  “Not until just now.” His eyes were worried, but that didn’t change anything.

  “Bull,” I called him out. He’d agreed to give me time.

  “You can’t move, Gabriella.” Ronny pressed his hands together as if in prayer.

  “I can’t with this.” She pushed off the blankets. “I can’t.”

  “Really?’ I glared at him. “Did you really have to go there?”

  “Okay. I’m sorry.” He backed away. “I know there will be a better time to discuss this.”

  “You think?” Gabriella got up. “I’m taking a shower. Please not another word about where I’m living when I come out.”

  “I assure you you won’t hear a word about it.” I caught her in my arms and kissed her neck. “I love you.”

 

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