Page 59 of Dead Vengeance

eighteen

Thickening Plot

Archer

“That was so rude!” a voice barks out. “Could you please watch where you’re going?”

Liam presses into me, and I almost drag him straight back into the bedroom, to some semblance of safety, when recognition of the voice hits me before the recognition of her features. “Helena?”

Swiping fingers down her red silk dress, as if Liam could have crumpled it, she fixes her beautiful blue eyes on me and pauses. “Archer? There you are!”

“Of course I’m here,” I mutter. “This is my house. The question is, what are you doing in it?”

“Well, I thought you called for me.”

“Called for you? Why would you…” My throat clamps shut, and all the hallway disappears into Liam’s frightened eyes, scanning her, scanning me.

Here’s Helena, and she’s basically dropped my big secret right in front of Liam.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” I blurt out.

Helena frowns hard at me. “I assumed there was some problem with the payment—”

“Ahhhhhh!” I half hiss, half shout. “Ah! Helena!” I attempt to cover, poorly. “This is Liam.” I drop a hand to his back, I guess meant to be comforting as I’m introducing him to a ghost, but also, damn he feels nice. But also, it’s really bad if he finds out about my job right about now. “This is Liam…” I repeat, having no real reason for introducing him beyond distraction. “This is Liam, and… he is…” I turn to him. Probably don’t want to tell a ghost I have a guy here who is supposed to kill ghosts for a living. “He is…”

Liam’s eyes widen. It’s a split second of understanding and accompanying near panic before he thrusts out a hand towards her. “I’m Liam. Hello. It’s very nice to meet you.”

She looks down at his hand, her diamond and ruby earrings sparkling in the barely existent light. “Well, I won’t shake,” she says. “Because I can’t.” Then she laughs at the little joke. So then Liam laughs, even if it’s uncomfortable. So I laugh, incredibly loudly, like an idiot.

But Helena’s bright, and really fucking advanced for a viscountess of the Victorian era. Her gaze moves swiftly to my arm, still touching Liam, up over my shoulder to the bedroom, then, with a sparkle, meets mine. “Oh. He’s… Oh!”

Blinding panic hits me head on, and I rip my hand away. Liam’s head turns, following the movement, as if I’ve upset him by not touching him. And I would put that hand straight back if I were sure he wanted me to.

Helena breaks a wide smile. “Oh, don’t mind me.” Then, to my eternal mortification, she leers over my shoulder at the bed, and with a lascivious purr in her voice, “Was I interrupting?”

“No!” I gasp out. “Don’t be so ridiculous!”

Liam’s head drops the instant the words are out, and surely he doesn’t believe that’s any sort of rejection? By instinct, I fling my hand back out, making light contact with his back, before his brow crumples, maybe in confusion, maybe annoyance, before I pull it away again, wishing I were dead, at which point I decide on an odd pat of his shoulder, like he’s a friend and no more, and I’m a complete fucking weirdo.

Jesus Christ.

But Helena isn’t letting up. She sinks her teeth into her smiling lower lip, juts a hip out to the side and teases, “He’s handsome, though, isn’t he?”

A half breath, half completely indecipherable sound, comes out of Liam’s mouth, and I do feel like I should step in here and be the one to stop her talking, but what am I supposed to say?

“Yes, he’s very handsome.” Probably not that, but I’ve said it now anyway. “Very. Um. But not here for… um… the reason… Not for… He’s…”

“Working,” Liam provides, thank god. “I’m here to work.”

“He’s just here to work,” I parrot. Then immediately feel bad, because we know it’s more than that, or I do, and I want him to know I know it’s more than that, or that I’d like it to be. “But not just… Liam isn’t… Liam’s come to… so I can explain about…”

Helena waits in silence while I search for a way to not put my foot in it again. But just then, a weird, low, loud moan reaches us from god knows where. Some long and ghostly moan, but… not like a normal ghost moan.

I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t somewhat… sexual?

Liam looks to me for an explanation, and I don’t bloody have one.

The corner of Helena’s lips rises, and why is she smiling like that?