Page 9 of Private Exhibit (Gentleman Hackers #4)

ANDY MUTTERED curses under his breath as he paced the empty morgue.

He'd gotten to work ridiculously early that morning, both hoping and dreading that Devon might actually show up.

A part of him half-expected to come in and find Devon already on his slab.

Andy wound up spending an hour scouring every surface in sight—surfaces that were already completely clean and sanitized—trying to drive away all thoughts of death.

Then he'd gone to the cold storage cabinets, looking for a new distraction.

Sometimes, he found ghosts hiding out in there, fruitlessly trying to put themselves back into their bodies.

But there was nobody there. Jess still hadn't reappeared.

Nor had Junior, for that matter. And there had still been no sign of the mystery dead man.

So Andy had stormed into his office and tried resuming his search for that guy's identity. Andy hated mysteries. Hated unanswered questions. They seemed to define his entire life.

He'd been so distracted that he hadn't even realized he was sitting there in the dark until Devon arrived.

Gods . Seeing that blissful peace on the boy's face?

And no wonder. For someone with heightened sensitivity, dark and quiet were blessings.

Andy remembered several occasions on which Junior had to isolate himself in a dark room because his nervous system suddenly jumped to overdrive.

Ashworth-Grahams was unpredictable like that.

It could either stop a signal entirely or cause it to go completely haywire.

And Junior hadn't even been on the spectrum like Devon apparently was.

Gods . Andy clenched his hands into fists, feeling his cock go hard just at a mere thought of the boy. Watching Devon stand there with his eyes closed, reveling in the silence of the room, had sparked something in Andy that he hadn't felt in years.

A desperate need to protect.

Not that he hadn't felt a need to protect his son, but this was different.

More like what he'd felt for Lydia when they'd first met.

Except better. More intense. Andy wanted to bundle Devon up and hide him away from the big, scary world.

He wanted to have the boy all to himself. To be the center of his attention.

Even more so now that the boy had shattered all of Andy's expectations.

He'd been fully prepared for a typical twenty-something.

Someone who thought the bare minimum was acceptable.

Someone who thought a paycheck was a right rather than a thing to be earned.

Instead, Devon had not only arrived early but had already taken the initiative to make sure he was prepared for his first day.

And if that hadn't blown Andy's mind, the boy's rapid acquisition of the mystery man's identity had left him completely stunned.

He suspected that Devon's methods hadn't been entirely aboveboard, but Andy didn't care.

The sheer competence was breathtaking. Besides an audience, nothing had ever turned Andy on so much as intelligence and ability. It was sexy as hell.

Fuck . Working with the little guy was going to be even more torture than he'd expected.

Andy put his hands on his hips and blew out a heavy breath.

He'd just have to keep his distance. Stay in the morgue and find things to do while Devon worked in the office.

Andy laughed bitterly and shook his head.

Yeah, right . Like that's going to work .

Until he got another dead body, he had nothing to do.

And he was already trying to think up an excuse to go back into the office.

To have that riveted gaze on him again.

Andy bit off a curse and adjusted his cock in his pants.

Truthfully, what he really needed to do was go back in there, get the contact information for the dead man's parents, and make the necessary calls. The thought alone made him shudder. Parents were always the hardest.

Nobody should have to face outliving their child.

Andy squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Ooof. Bad time?

Andy gave a start and looked up. Across the room, he spotted Vorena, one of his regular visitors. At least, she had been one of his regulars. The young woman had wandered into the morgue one day, realized Andy could see her, and started dropping by just to hang out while Andy worked.

Hey , Andy said, wrestling his emotions under control. Been a while .

Yeah. Sorry about that . The ghost strode closer. My husband had a bit of a health scare. He's fine now, thank gods, but it was pretty nerve-wracking there for a while. Kept us really busy.

I bet , Andy replied with a nod. He knew all too well how utterly consuming a health issue could be.

Vorena nodded upwards. We just came in to see our grandson for a few minutes, so I thought I'd stop by here to see how you've been.

Andy winced. Your grandson is in the hospital? Before he could stop himself, he blurted out, Who's his pediatrician? What's the prognosis?

What? He's not– Oh! Vorena laughed. No, he's not a patient. He works here. Doctor Graeden Crawford .

Andy blinked, then muttered a curse. Crawford's your grandson?

Yeah. Well, not by birth. I died before I could have any kids of my own.

He's my husband's grandson. So…my grandson-in-law?

Although I think that term is technically an anachronism, considering you guys don't have any laws here anymore.

Vorena hopped up onto one of the autopsy tables, alternately swinging her legs like a little kid.

But how've you been? How's Junior? And what's up with the kid in your office?

Vorena laughed again. Though he's really not a kid.

Probably my age. Or, rather, the age I was when I died.

Gods, that seems like forever ago. Sixty years or more now.

But he's got one hell of a telekinetic barrier around his mind.

Did you feel that? I've never seen anything like it.

Not even the one on Graeden was that good.

The what? Andy asked, trying to keep up with the conversation.

Grae had a block put up around his memories once , Vorena explained. Long story, but it saved his life at the time. It was a pretty ingenious piece of work, but that one , she went on, nodding towards the office, is way better. Whoever built that was incredibly powerful. Did he do it himself?

Uh, no , Andy replied while he hunted around for a distraction. Gods , he thought. He did not want to be talking about all this.

You're being your usual chatty self today, I see , Vorena teased.

Andy started to open a cabinet, then closed it again with a sigh. Sorry .

If you don't mind me saying, you look like you need to get laid .

Andy barked a laugh. Gods. You have no idea . He glanced towards his office, then quickly looked away again.

Vorena raised her eyebrows. Oooh. I know that look . She chuckled, but the sound trailed off as a frown slowly creased her brow. Not into the whole office-romance thing?

What? No. That's not–

Because he sure is a cutie.

Mine , Andy thought, hating himself for even thinking it. He couldn't have Devon. Even if he did deserve it—which he didn't—it couldn't work. Or could it? Andy frowned, eyeing the ghost across from him. How do you do it? You and your husband. How does that even work?

Vorena puffed up her cheeks and mimicked blowing out a heavy breath.

It's not always easy , she admitted. The first several years were hard.

I had a really tough time just learning to be visible, let alone tangible.

I had to watch Benash grieve me, and then slowly help him to accept that I was still here once he could see me again.

He thought he was going crazy at first. And then there was the whole matter of him aging while I stayed like this.

She waved a hand at herself, looking every bit a young, fit, twenty-something woman.

And she's been dead how long? Andy thought. He was pretty sure she'd mentioned something about sixty years, which meant her husband had to be in his eighties, at least. Gods. What a disparity .

But it works , Vorena went on. In many ways, I feel like I've grown old with him.

We made a life together. We keep house together.

We watched his daughter grow, and then his grandsons, and now there are even a few great-grandbabies in the family.

It's not…ideal, I guess. I would have loved to have lived and really gotten to experience certain things, but those weren't the cards I was dealt.

And in the end, we made it work. We took what we had and made the best of it.

Andy crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at the floor.

If he were being honest with himself, he'd considered the fact that he could have a chance with Devon once the boy was dead, but he hated himself for even thinking it.

He didn't want Devon to die. Of course, there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Just like Junior had been robbed of a chance at a full, normal life, the same would hold true for Devon.

As it did for Jess and countless others.

You thinking of getting back together with your ex? Vorena asked.

Andy choked. What? No. Gods, no . He shuddered at the thought.

That bad, huh? Sorry , she added with a grimace. You've always avoided that particular subject, but I'm nosy and I'm a sucker for stories.

Andy shrugged off the comment, then found himself answering, Worse.

Vorena was silent for a moment before she asked, Alright, tell me this: If you could go back in time, knowing whatever you know now, would you not have dated her in the first place?

Yes , Andy blurted out, then frowned. No.

Oh, hells. I don't know. He dropped his arms to his sides.

I loved her so much. She was my soulmate.

My everything. Hells, I knew I was gonna marry her almost from the day we met.

I was sixteen, completely directionless, totally lazy and not even caring yet what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew I wanted her.

She was it for me. Smart. Beautiful. Funny.

As much as everything went to shit after we were married, life with her was good for a while.

All the love songs made sense, you know?

I felt complete. Plus, I got Junior out of it.

Then again…sometimes the best things that happen can turn out to be the worst.

Or , Vorena cut in, the worst things that happen can wind up being the best.

Andy scowled. What do you mean?

Vorena leaned back on her hands. Did I ever tell you that I was in jail?

That's how I met Benash, actually. He arrested me, back on Tanas, where we used to live.

I was part of an underground rebel movement, trying to wake people up to the tyrannical control the government had over us.

We were trying to find a way to escape Tanas when I got caught.

And I knew I was dying. I had what you here call Fallon's Disease.

Andy hissed in a breath. Gods . That was a horrible way to die. Coughing up blood and slowly suffocating. The disease could be cured, but only if caught in time. And from what he'd heard, the Tanasians were dreadfully lacking when it came to medical knowledge and technology.

All I wanted , Vorena went on, was to get here.

To see this place before I died. To be in a land of freedom, even if only for a moment.

She paused. I didn't make it, but I got close, thanks to Benash.

But what I did get instead was something I never thought I'd get to experience.

Love. He fell in love with me, those last few days in the prison.

And then he got me out. We escaped and nearly made it here when my lungs finally failed, and I wound up dying in his arms. She paused again with a shrug and a hint of a smile.

But we're here now. And together. I can be with him without suffering.

So, yeah, our relationship is unconventional, but it works.

We're happy, and that's all that matters.

Andy looked away, frowning. Was Junior happy to be a ghost? Happy to no longer be suffering? Or would he rather have lived longer, regardless of the conditions? Andy had always been too afraid to ask, and Junior had never brought up the subject himself.

As for Andy, he knew what his own answer would be.

He'd wanted his son to live. He still did, even though it was far too late.

It was why he'd thrown himself into medicine the day after Junior's diagnosis.

Why he'd worked himself nearly to his own death, trying to find a cure.

For the past four years, finding that cure had no longer mattered.

Until now.

Andy looked at the door to his office, picturing the sweet, mesmerizing boy on the other side. A shiver ran through his body, and he quickly turned away. He couldn't afford to go back down that road. Couldn't face more failure.

Of course, what he really couldn't face was actually finding a cure now, when it would do his own son no good.

Andy muttered a curse. One way or another, he was going to have to fight this attraction. Keep himself distant.

He couldn't survive that kind of heartbreak and failure again.