Page 74 of Dead Vengeance

“That’s so horrible,” Liam whispers.

I offer a slight nod. “You see why he is the way he is. He has to act like that. He wraps himself in posed carelessness, but he’s on a hair trigger at the slightest provocation. That death is still so new to him. It’s ancient history to everyone else, an interesting article on a screen. But to Simon, it’s as if it happened yesterday.”

“And that’s why he wanders? Because he’s heartbroken? Or… or vengeful?”

“He’s both those things. He has the ultimate unfinished business.” I lower my tone, trying to help him understand what I’m getting at. “But he, like Helena, whichever way you want to paint it, was a killer.”

Liam’s bright, and he catches on immediately. “What you’re saying is, you have two murderers in your house, living perfectly normal ghost lives, despite what they’ve done. And so… what my brother did might not have put him in any sort of Hell or Purgatory? Is that right?”

“Yeah. That’s what I’m suggesting,” I agree gently. “I’m not an expert, I don’t know all the ins and outs of ghosts and hauntings. But if… if life just got in the way… I can’t imagine he’s…”

“Suffering for all eternity?”

He slightly stuns me with the response. His fear for his brother laid out on the table so openly like that.

“I wish I could give you an answer, Liam. I think ghosts do sometimes trap themselves here. I think sometimes there is unfinished business, and they don’t want to move on until it’s taken care of. But, in the case of your brother, well… Well, I also think this new creature, whatever it is that’s living in my attic… I think it’s making you see him… It must be. It’s powerful. And I think it’s bad. And I think it’s maybe dredged up a lot for you, that had I known you had this history…”

He watches me with a clear vulnerability that melts me. “Then what?”

“Then I would never have let you take this job,” I tell him plainly.

“Just as well I didn’t tell you then, isn’t it?” He cracks a smile that could only be called goading. And it puts a fire in my heart to see it there.

I’m under no illusions about my desire to protect Liam. Or that I’m attracted to him. But the heat of that smile is making itself a home in my chest, digging itself a nice little burrow and decking the place out cottagecore.

I want to keep it. I want to keep him.

So I look down, concentrate on my food, and wonder how to broach the next thing with him. How to ask him to stop. Really, to quit. I know money is an issue, and I can’t take employment away from him, for goodness’ sake. But he can’t be going through this, reliving this loss of his brother, this tragedy that’s happened to his family. He needs to get out. Get clear. Get a job with a decent company that doesn’t send damaged men into places they’re going to be psychologically tormented by ghouls from other worlds.

“I’m going to kill it,” he says out of nowhere, grabbing his beer to wash down a mouthful of pie. Then he places the glass down and meets my gaze. “Tell Simon I’m bringing the gun into the house tomorrow. I’ll keep it hidden from him until I get upstairs if it upsets him to see it. Then I’m going straight into the attic, and I’m going to kill that thing.”

So much for convincing him to quit. Still, I attempt, “Liam, I don’t think you should do that.”

He shuts me down with a firm shake of his head. “I’m not letting anyone else go through this. If that’s what it’s doing to me, making me see shit like that, what’s it going to do to people who have been through worse? I’m not letting it get away with this. I’m putting it down. Once and for all.”

Okay, so I’m not going to deny that this is actually super hot. Super hot. The thought of Liam in my house, with his gun, delivering divine justice. I’m down. Down bad. Too bad.

Too bad for me and for him that I need to stop this, and fast. There’s no telling what that thing will put him through if it’s actually threatened.

“Maybe it would be better if—”

“I’m so glad I talked to you,” he says at the same time, eyes bright, the most gorgeous spark of determination in them. “I’m so relieved you… you explained it all. I was so worried about him.”

I explained? What exactly did I explain?

He laughs, slightly bashful, and I feel bad. So bad. Because I have the worst feeling I know what’s coming.

“Now I know what I’m really dealing with. Which is exactly what I’ll need for a career like this going forward.”

“Career?” I mumble out.

“Career,” he repeats. “I never realised how complex it all was. But there’s this whole other world out here. There could be things like this creature causing problems all over the planet. I can really make a difference. I can do the right thing. Help people. Starting with you.”

What have I created? I’m supposed to be talking him into quitting, not inspiring him to make this his lifelong personal and professional passion.

I need to shut this down. Put a full stop. Not let this go any further. “Listen, about tomorrow…”

“What about it?” Fuck, he looks so excited. So hopeful. So stupidly hot.