Page 3 of Ghost

That was probably the real reason I couldn’t sleep last night.

This resulted in me being afraid to search anything on my own, even though the temptation was strong. I felt guilty reaching out to one of them, but theyhadinsisted. And I refused to go into a situation without an idea of what to expect.

It was time to put their offer to the test.

Me:I have a question.

I wasn’t expecting a quick reply. But not even a moment passed before my phone vibrated.

Damen:Hi baby girl. ♥ I’m about to head into a crime scene, but I will always make time for you. What’s your question?

My face flushed as I received my first emoji. I debated on whether to reply with one of my own, but decided against it. This situation was dire.

Me:If a professor wanted to punish a female student for being bad, what would he do? Will he use a ruler on me? I thought that corporal punishment was illegal. Do they whip people these days? It’s kind of scary and I’m alone.

My question delivered, I let out a relieved sigh. It was wonderful to know I had the freedom to text my new friends with such pressing concerns. Surely they would steer me right, even if they did think that I was strange. Now I could just—

Damen:Where the fuck are you?

I frowned at my phone, surprised at this rude response. Sure, I didn’t know him very well. But Damen didn’t give the impression of being someone who cursed frequently. What was his problem?

TheGhostbusterstheme blared from my device, ruining my train of thought. Damen was calling. But why now? I had literally just told him I was in trouble.

But then again, maybe this wasn’t about me at all. He could be stressed or lonely. He did seem upset from the abrupt nature of his response. Or perhaps he wanted me to wish him luck before he entered a high-risk crime scene. There were probably bullets flying everywhere, and it was bound to be tension-ridden.

I could only be the best friend I could and offer him my full support. It was a mistake to message him—he didn’t need to worry about me.

“Hello,” I answered, trying to sound pleasant. “I can’t talk right now. I don’t think that I’m supposed to be on the phone, and I’d rather not be spanked when—”

“Bianca,” Damen sounded breathless, almost as if he was running. “Where are you?”

What a strange question; he clearly knew I was at school. And this was the second time he had asked me too. “Where I’m supposed to be,” I responded. Perhaps I was meant to return the favor. “Where are you?”

“Bianca!”

I didn’t know what he wanted from me. “I’m in Professor Hamway’s office. I—”

“Don’t move.” His voice was serious, and there was a pause before he muttered something under his breath. What it was, I couldn’t tell. But then he was speaking to me again. “Don’t panic when it gets there. Just wait for me. I’ll be with you in a moment.”

And then he hung up on me, without so much as answering my original question.

Chapter Two

Bianca

Arrive

Ihadn’t had long to lament my lack of answers before a quiet knock sounded throughout the room. My head snapped up in time to witness the door opening abruptly.

Bryce touched the cuff of his shirt as he strode into the room. Without pause, or even looking at me at all, he took a seat in the chair behind Professor Hamway’s desk. It wasn’t until he crossed his arms on the desk that he even acknowledged my presence.

His demeanor was slightly off. If I didn’t know better, he seemed concerned. And maybe even a bit nervous.

But that was impossible.

“Miss Brosnan,” he raised his eyebrow in a strange manner. I was sure he thought he was being sexy. But the reality was he totally wasn’t. In fact, everything about him was the opposite of the word, and I would never admit otherwise even under the pain of death.

Even so, I couldn’t deny the gentle caress of his voice. It was so smooth I could practically sense it gliding over my skin. He was trying to accomplish something, but I had no idea what.