Page 99 of The Curse of Redwood

“I should go,” I said. I’d been away from Zeke for nearly four hours. “Thanks for the food.”

Ben walked me to the door, and I could sense something on his mind.

“Out with it,” I said, turning to him. “What’s up?”

“The ritual is Saturday night?” he asked. “And it will be at the mansion?”

“Dude, you’re not going,” I said, knowing what he was thinking. “Callum said it’s way too dangerous for you or Taylor to be there. Because it’s not just the ghost possessing me that you guys have to worry about, it’s all of them.”

“Is there anything I can do?” Ben asked, frowning.

I opened the door and stepped onto the porch before turning back to him. “Have breakfast ready for me Sunday morning. Chocolate chip pancakes.”

He smiled. “I can do that.”

I returned his smile before walking to my car and leaving. The mark over my heart tingled a bit, a sign that the magic keeping Philip behind a barrier was fading.

Two more days… and it would end.

I tried not to think about how it could very well be my last days. If Callum failed to banish Philip, the final stage of possession would finally be complete.

The gates to Redwood Manor were open when I arrived.

“What the hell?”

Three cars were parked out front, and another was pulling up behind me. I couldn’t back up and leave without hitting them, so I pulled forward, through the gate and into the round driveway. My heart was going ninety-to-nothing as I parked beside a black Cadillac Escalade where a couple and three children were getting out.

What was going on?

“Are you here for the open house?” a woman with brown bobbed hair and glasses asked, once I’d rolled down my window.

“Uh, an open house?”

“Yep. Today from eleven to five.” She stuck out a hand. “Caroline Humphreys. I’m the realtor for the Redwood estate.”

“N-Nice to meet you,” I answered, shaking her hand. “I’m Carter.”

“Well, Carter, feel free to walk around the property. I’ll be doing a guided tour of the inside later if you’re interested, or you can explore at your leisure. Snacks and drinks are in the foyer.” She then approached another car that had just pulled up and greeted them, repeating what she’d told me.

With my heart in my throat, I got out of the car and peered up at the mansion. An open house. It would attract potential buyers, and if someonedidbuy it… it would become nearly impossible to see Zeke.

“Creepy, right?”

I looked to see a man standing beside me. He was probably mid-thirties and wore a nice suit. I pegged him for a lawyer or a businessman, someone clearly with money. The kind of man this mansion would gobble up and chew before spitting out his broken, bloody pieces.

“But it’s always been my dream to own it,” he added. “When the price went down, I had to come check it out.”

“The price went down?”

He cocked a puzzled brow. “That’s why they’re having an open house. They lowered the asking price by two-hundred grand. I guess the owner really wants to be rid of the place.” He smiled and straightened his tie. “And I plan to take it off their hands.”

A laugh burst from me. “Oh yeah? Good luck with that.”

“You intend to offer more than me?” he asked, looking me up and down. By the smug grin on his face, he clearly didn’t think I posed much of a threat.

“Nah, I can’t afford this place. But that’s not what I meant.” I shoved my hands in my hoodie pocket and peered up at a window on the second floor. “If you actually plan to live here, you’ll need all the luck you can get. The mansion eats men like you for breakfast.”

Without another word to him, I walked up the steps and through the open door. It was weird entering Redwood through the front door instead of sneaking around to the backyard. It was further proof that things were about to change. Mr. Money-Bags outside was going to buy the mansion one way or another, unless someone outbid him.