Page 132 of Their Little Ghost

“I have to take it,” I say begrudgingly. “It’s Erin. It might be important.”

Usually, I’d choose multiple orgasms over speaking to my boring sister, but my instincts urge me to answer.

Aiden smirks. “You’ll pay for that decision.”

I wink at him. “I’m counting on it.” I turn my attention back to the phone and answer. “What is it, Erin?” I snap in annoyance. “I’m kinda busy right now.”

She mumbles something, but I can’t make out what she’s saying due to the patchy signal. Although, I can tell from her high-pitched tone that she’s panicking.

“Problem… party… Dad…”

My ears prick up. Call it twin senses, but I instantly sense that something is wrong.

“Slow down,” I say. “I can’t hear you. Say it again.”

I put her on speaker, so the guys can listen in.

“It’s Dad,” she says breathlessly as the connection improves. “I think he showed up at the party, but now I’m not sure…”

My heart sinks. He’s supposed to be away for the weekend. How did he know?

“Tell me exactly what happened,” I say.

“I was at the party, hanging out with Max on the front lawn, when I saw Dad watching from a van. At least, I think it was him. He wasn’t alone either. There was a young guy with him. We’re gonna be in so much trouble if he catches us!”

Aiden and Lex exchange concerned looks, communicating in their secret language again. Only this time, I seem to know what they’re saying as I’ve already reached the same conclusion.

“What did he look like?” I ask. “The guy that was with him?”

“It was hard to tell in the dark. I didn’t get a good look. He was around our age with shoulder-length wavy hair,” Erin says. “There was something… not right about him. I can’t describe it, but he gave me an off feeling. I know it sounds crazy, but I think he might be a patient. Why would Dad take a patient out of the asylum? He wouldn’t, right?”

“Where are you now?”

“I got so spooked that I got Max to drop me a few blocks away,” she says. “I’m home now. I just need to climb back inside.”

“You need to stay calm, okay?” I say. “Just sneak back in and wait for me. Where’s Dad? Can you see him?”

“I don’t know. There’s no sign of him,” she whispers. “Maybe I imagined the whole thing?”

“It’ll be okay, Erin,” I reassure her. “Even if you weren’t imagining it, he won’t know it’s you. I’ll be the one to get in trouble.”

“Going to the party was a stupid idea,” she groans. “I should never have agreed. He’ll kill me if he finds out I went along with it.”

“Don’t panic,” I say. “And be careful, okay? You don’t know what he’s capable of.”

A bang from the other end of the line makes me jump as Erin drops her phone. She’s not alone. I hear the distant rumble of a male voice. Erin whimpers “No,” then it sounds like there’s some kind of struggle, as if someone is bundling her in a wad of fabric.

“Erin?” I yell. “Erin?”

The line goes dead.

“I have to go,” I say, scrambling to gather my clothes. “I’m sorry, I?—”

They’re already redressing, donning serious expressions. They know the consequences for breaking my father’s rules better than anyone.

“We’re coming with you,” Aiden says. “If Eli’s with him, we have to help. We don’t know what Acacia’s done to him. If they’re together?—”

“No,” I cut him off. “If you’re caught, he’ll make sure you never leave Sunnycrest again. You have to go back and wait. Trust me.”