Page 58 of The Haunting of Lockton

“We can pick you up if you want,” Skyler said. “No sense in taking two cars when we’ll be going to Lockton together anyway.”

“Oh.”

He blew out a short laugh. “Unless you’re worried I’m a serial killer and you don’t want me knowing where you live?”

“A serial killer? No. A stalker, maybe.”

He laughed again. “Fuck, I can’t wait to see you.”

The ease with which he admitted it made it hard to breathe for a second. That strange swirling in my stomach intensified. Maybe it was indigestion.

“Um.” I turned away from Alan and held the phone closer to my ear. “Yeah. I can’t wait either. And we can ride together. I’ll text you my address.”

We ended the call.

When I turned back around, Alan was leaning against the frame of the archway with his arms crossed. He looked so human in that moment—no body flickering or glitching. “Should I expect you to come home late again tonight?”

“Probably,” I answered, walking toward the stairs. He trailed behind me. “Not sure how late the investigation will run.”

“You could always spend the night with him afterward,” Alan said, stopping outside my door as I went into my room to change clothes. “I’ll be fine by myself. I promise I’ll go to bed early and not eat too many sweets.”

“If anyone is the parent here, it’s you,” I said, amused. “Besides, you can’t eat anything anyway. And you don’t sleep.”

He chuckled low. “I’m just happy you’re getting out of the house and spending time with friends. So don’t rush back, all right? Let loose and have fun.”

“I will.” Not sure how much I could “let loose” while investigating the asylum, but I knew what he meant.

The twins arrived a half hour later, the tires of their SUV crunching on the gravel driveway. I’d hung out with them several times now, but nervous energy still buzzed in my veins as I grabbed my coat and checked my pockets to make sure I had my phone and wallet.

“Friends,” Alan had called them.

I’d never really had that before.

Alan peered out the window, making himself so transparent I could barely see him. His intention. It prevented them from seeing him too. “They’re even more handsome in person.”

“I bet they’d love to meet you. Hell, they might even pass out. To them, ghosts are floating orbs or the occasional flickering apparition. Not like you.”

That made him smile. “You haven’t told them about me, have you?”

I shook my head. “I don’t want them to…” I exhaled, struggling with how to word it. “Make a spectacle of you.”

The Knox brothers made a living from ghost hunting. Meeting Alan would be like finding Wonka’s golden ticket, and I wasn’t sure I trusted them enough not to exploit that. Not with the most important person in my life. Alan wasn’t some curiosity to blast to the world for views, fame, and cash. He was my best friend. My family.

“I’m a big boy, Pax.” Alan appeared directly in front of me and tipped my chin up. Our eyes met. “I can take care of myself.”

“I know you can. I just… want to protect you anyway.”

“And I love you for that.” Alan leaned in and brushed his lips along my cheek. The sensation was cold but not unpleasant. “You should go. They’re waiting for you.”

***

Once we’d stuffed our faces with all the sushi we could eat, we left the restaurant and headed toward Lockton. Julian drove while Skyler sat in the back seat, which had left me the option of either sitting in the back beside him or in the passenger’s seat.

I’d chosen the latter. A mistake, I realized, as I sensed Skyler’s attention on me. He also kept kicking the bottom of my seat until I turned around to look at him. He grinned before glancing out his window.

“Stop annoying Paxton,” Julian scolded him, turning onto the narrow road leading to the asylum. “Don’t make me turn this car around.”

Skyler snorted. He was in a playful mood that afternoon. I liked it. The first time I’d met him, he’d been charismatic, but it had seemed like a front. A shield. But as he smirked out the window and gently kicked my seat again, that shield had been lowered. This was the real Skyler. The one he didn’t show the world.