Dylan punched at him, but Avery had already darted past, Temperance at his side. Dylan resisted the groan rumbling through his chest, knowing it’d come out sounding wrong. He chanced a look at Annie, nearly creaming his shorts at the way she watched him, staring as if she was trying to figure him out. God, what was wrong with him? He never reacted to women this way. Sure, he’d felt attraction, but only ever sexually.
He drew a deep breath, trying to strengthen the walls he’d spent a decade constructing when Annie’s small fingers brushed across his arm. He snapped down his head, drawn to the contrast between the pale white of her skin and the slight bronze of his. His stomach dropped then flipped over, and he could have sworn there were a thousand tiny wings fluttering around inside it as he swept his gaze up her arm and along her shoulder, finally stopping at the perfect symmetry of her face. Those brilliant eyes stared up at him, the sparkle he’d noticed before even more vivid.
She gave him a stunning smile. “Thanks for the jacket.”
He nodded his reply, not sure he could speak without his voice cracking. He glanced over at Avery, glaring at the man’s knowing grin. Damn, this wasn’t the time for his little brother to go peeking inside his head. He mentally told the man to fuck off. They needed answers.
Avery sighed. “You really should learn how to relax.”
Dylan stuffed his hands in his pockets, hoping the simple action would still his need to strangle someone—to strangle Avery. “I’ll relax when I know what the hell just happened. I heard something howl, then that mist…fuck. I swear it turned into a man then disappeared.”
“Maybe because that’s exactly what it did.” Avery held up his hand. “Temperance and I will need to run a few more tests before I can give you additional information. Believe it or not, spirits aren’t always the most helpful.”
A lump formed in Dylan’s throat, and he didn’t do more than nod at his brother. Spirits, ghosts, demons. Avery was right. Dylan was so far out of his element, he didn’t know whether to stand there, watching the couple scour the room, or go outside and look for footprints. A chuckle threatened, but he held it back. Avery would only tease him, citing that ghosts didn’t leave footprints. But…he just couldn’t wrap his head around the notion that some unhappy soul had appeared out of thin air and scared the shit out of him.
He sighed. He’d spent a decade in the military, been in numerous firefights and had spent the past two years as part of the SWAT team for the San Francisco Police Department, yet the thought of facing a ghost made him want to run for cover. He needed to get his head examined.
“Or maybe you just need to have a little faith.”
Dylan scowled at his brother. “And maybe you need to stay out of my head, little brother.”
“Occupational hazard.” He grinned. “And too damn tempting to resist. But fine. Though you might want to know, we think we have a general theory for what happened.”
“And…”
Avery waved him over. Dylan took a calming breath, clenching his jaw as his gaze darted to Annie. She still stood beside him, tucked beneath the thick leather of his jacket. She looked as nervous as he felt, and he couldn’t resist palming the small of her back. Her eyes shifted toward him, a tentative smile finding her mouth as she allowed him to usher her forward. They stopped just short of the tipped over chair. Temperance knelt at Avery’s feet, picking through a scattering of glass.
Avery held out an object. “Any idea what this is?”
Dylan took the metal frame, turning it over in his hand. “Are you bullshitting me?” He huffed. “It’s a goddamn picture frame.”
Avery raised an eyebrow mockingly at him. “I know it’s a frame. What else?”
Dylan sighed but held the bent piece of metal up closer. Something along the edge caught his attention. He shuffled the frame to his other hand, gently picking at a wispy strand. “Okay. There’s a strand of hair. But I still don’t see how a broken frame and some hair explain a whirling black mist and a guy disappearing into thin air.”
Temperance pushed to her feet and handed him a paper. “Maybe the photo will help.”
He mumbled his thanks, studying the picture in the glare of the flashlight. The faded image of a man stared back at him; the black and white coloring dulled and scratched. “He looks creepy enough, but this picture has got to be close to a hundred years old. There’s no way he’s still alive.”
Temperance chuckled. “Which is kind of the point when dealing with ghosts. But in this case, it’s the fact that someone tampered with his spirit that’s the problem.”
Dylan frowned. “You realize I have no idea what you’re talking about. How does someone tamper with a spirit?”
She touched the edge of the photo. “Turn it over.”
He resisted giving her another scowl as he flipped the image over, sucking in a harsh breath as he stared at the symbols etched on the back. “What the hell are those?”
Annie pushed closer, brushing her chest against his arm. Heat flared along his skin, sending a jolt straight to his groin. He clenched his jaw, willing his cock to stand down as it hardened against his jeans. God, what was it about Annie that grabbed hold of his balls and refused to let go? Despite the fact she’d tried to remove that same set just minutes earlier.
Annie gave him a sideways glance before she gave herself a shake and pointed at the drawings. “I’ve seen some of these symbols before. They’re generally associated with witchcraft, aren’t they?”
Temperance beamed. “And you say you’re not a believer.”
Annie traced one figure with the tip of her finger. “Trust me, most of my knowledge comes straight from Hollywood, so I wouldn’t give me any awards yet.”
“Well, the big screen doesn’t get it all wrong. You’re right. These symbols are used by a number of different sects, not all of them bad. In this case, it looks like a binding spell.”
Dylan ran his fingers through his hair, brushing the strands out of his eyes. He didn’t like the way this was heading. “Binding spell? What does that mean?”
Avery moved in behind his wife. “It means that someone went to great lengths to trap a spirit within this picture. It also means that when you and Annie broke the glass and bent the frame, you released it.”
Dylan looked from the frame to the scattered glass then back to his brother. “Okay. So I go out, buy you a new frame and we put the picture back in. Problem solved.”
Avery looked as if he wanted to roll his eyes as he shook his head. “I’m afraid it’s not quite that simple. Once the spell is broken, you can’t get it back by simply stuffing the broken pieces into something new.”
Dylan closed his eyes, hoping the dull ache throbbing behind the bridge of his nose wasn’t indicative of a headache no pill could cure. “Then what, exactly, do we need to do?” He huffed. “Is it really a big deal that there’s one more ghost haunting this place?”
The muscle in Avery’s temple twitched, and Dylan knew his little brother was trying to rein in his anger. Dylan sighed. He wasn’t purposely trying to piss Avery off; it’s just…it was all a little hard to swallow.
Temperance wrapped her fingers around Avery’s arm, giving him a brilliant smile. Something tugged at Dylan’s chest, and for the first time in his life, he wondered if he’d been wise to push away every attempt at a relationship. Watching the couple interact made him feel hollow, and he had to steel his resolve when she turned to face him.
“What your brother has been trying to convey is that…normally, folks don’t go around binding or banishing spirits without just cause. My guess is…” Temperance tapped the picture. “Our friend, here, wasn’t a nice guy. Maybe he killed people, or maybe he was some kind of evil warlock or something. Either way, the fact he’s loose isn’t good news.”
Dylan raised an eyebrow. “How do you know he’s evil? Couldn’t it have been an evil person who locked him in there to begin with?”
“I took a bunch of temperature readings during his manifestation. They were all high, which indicates an evil, if not demonic, entity.”
“Demonic? Christ, this is crazy.” He speared his fingers through his hair again, hoping the slight sting would calm his nerves. “So now what?” He waved at the couple. “Can you two put him back in or send him over or whatever it is you do to evil spirits?”
Avery shook his head. “As much as Temperance and I would love to send his creepy ass back across the veil, we weren’t the ones who released him. The most we can do is try to collect more evidence as to who he is…destroy the grave site if we can find it, though I’m not sure if that’ll be enough in this case. The fact he didn’t disintegrate as soon as he manifested is a bit of a concern. It could mean there’s something else lying around that’s enabling him to stay on this side of the veil. Hell, that might be why he was bound in the first place. Our predecessor wasn’t able to send him over any other way, so they opted for the next best thing…trapping him. But if it comes down to having to rebind him to the photo or another object, you’ll have to do it.”
A loud ringing sounded in Dylan’s head as Avery’s words seemed to echo through the parlor. He glanced around the room before settling on his brother. “Me? What are you talking about? I’m not a ghost hunter; you are. I wouldn’t know the first thing about
binding
a spirit. Shit, I’m not sure I even believe any of this is real, though I have to admit…it’s harder than hell to dismiss all of it.”
“Believe me. This wouldn’t be my first choice, but there’s not much Temperance and I can do. Although if it makes you feel any better, you won’t be alone.” He glanced at Annie. “Annie’s just as much a part of this as you are.” He held up his hand when she gasped. “You both broke the frame, that means you’re both responsible. It also means you’ll have to figure this out—together.”
Dylan cursed under his breath, pacing away as he fisted his hands at his side. How the hell had a simple prank turned into something this messed up? Ghosts! His brother wanted him, the resident skeptic, to hunt down a spirit and send it packing. And if that wasn’t bad enough, he was going to have to do it with Annie at his side. The same woman whose presence seemed to override every logical thought in his body and made him wish for something more—something far crazier than believing in ghosts. Something dangerously intimate.
Annie cleared her throat, easing out of his jacket as she walked over to him. “Look. I know this wasn’t part of your plan. But despite my doubts, I can’t argue with what I’ve seen. I’ll find a way to send this…ghost back. I’m sure it’ll be fine as long as one of us does it.”
Avery stepped forward, but Dylan held up his hand, grabbing his coat from Annie’s outstretched hand and wrapping it around her again. Her breath rasped through her teeth as she tried to push him away, but he stilled her by pulling her flush to his body. Her hands landed on his chest, her fingers palming him through his shirt.
He gazed down at her, praying he didn’t look as raw as he felt. “This isn’t about spending time with you.”
She arched a brow in challenge. “Isn’t it?”
“Honey, if you could read my thoughts, I assure you that you’d be more afraid of what I’m really thinking about than the ghost. But just the same, I have a bad feeling sending this creep back isn’t going to be without risks.”
She pushed her chest harder against his, holding her head high. “I can handle myself just fine, as I’m sure your groin can attest to.”
“If my groin was our only concern, I’d agree. But a knee to the balls isn’t going to work with this guy, if Avery’s right.” He cut a look to his brother. “And while I hate to admit it, he’s rarely wrong. As in never.” He held up his hand, pointing at Avery. “Don’t even think about commenting, Av, or I swear Temperance will be piecing
your
balls back together.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, big brother.”
Dylan released a heavy breath. “Okay. We’re in. What’s the next step?”
“You and Annie go somewhere safe for the night while my Temperance and I see if we can find additional clues in here. Maybe you can use your contacts at the station to see if you can track down more information about that guy in the picture or get some leads from that strand of hair.”
Dylan scowled at him. “We’ve already established that the picture has to be close to a hundred years old. At this point, the best I could hope for is to get some insight into the kind of paper this is…and I hate to break it to you, but DNA coding didn’t exist back then.” He paused. “But I could have forensics test for trace chemicals. We might be able to narrow down where our guy spent most of his time based on what’s present on the strand. Though after all these years, it’s a long shot at best.”
“Then it’s settled.” Avery nodded at Temperance. “Would you mind walking Annie out to Dylan’s Jeep and grabbing our supplies while I have a word with him?”
Temperance scoffed. “Come on, sis. The two big alpha males need to beat on their chests before they’ll consider this a done deal.”
Avery smiled as she walked away. “And you’re worried about commitment.”
“Looks like you found someone as stubborn as you.” Dylan chuckled. “She’s pretty great. I’m happy for you. But I don’t think you asked me to stay behind so I could tell you I’m jealous, so out with it.”
The lines around Avery’s mouth tightened as he glanced at where the ghost had appeared. “I know how hard this is for you…the ghost part. Just do me a favor? Trust your instincts. You’ve got more of a connection to the paranormal than you realize.”