Page 39 of The Haunting Plot

“False alarm, fellas. Why don’t you head back downstairs and start opening those flooring boxes? I need you to line all the pieces up.”

“Like a puzzle?” Tommy asks.

“Is Mom okay?” Jonah’s voice sounds distant as I press my head into my knees to try and calm the rush of blood in my ears.

“I’ll be down shortly. Your mom needs a minute,” Sawyer says.

Sawyer’s knees crack as he squats in front of me, and when I open my eyes, his bright blue ones peer back at me with so much concern. “How can I help?”

For once, I don’t have the energy to fight him. “My room.”

“You need help to your room?”

I nod.

He stands, bending over and picking me up. I’m shocked at how easily he’s able to lift me. I’m not a small woman.

“Sorry, I know you don’t like to be touched,” he says as he maneuvers us down the hall.

“Tighter,” I rasp, surprising myself.

His arms squeeze me, pulling me closer, and his scent fills my nostrils, calming me. There are woodsy notes, something musky, and a hint of smoke.

“Laptop,” I say, remembering I left it on the floor.

“I’ll grab it,” he assures me. He leans into the door, pushing it open with his shoulder. The curtains are drawn, and the room is fairly dark for midafternoon as he carries me to the bed.

Something brushes my arm, and I flinch. Then Sawyer twitches, a high-pitched scream erupting from his throat. I’m dropped onto the bed as Sawyer wildly swings his arms.

“Spiders! It feels like spiders. Am I covered in spiders? Ahhhh!”

I break into laughter, rolling onto my side on the bed. He sounds terrified, and I applaud him for committing to the bit, convinced this is another one of his pranks. I lean over and turn on the lamp on the nightstand.

He’s slapping his face and arms, and I cannot stop laughing at how ridiculous he looks. “I think there’s one in your pube ’stache.”

“I thought you said no more pranks,” he says, stepping back from the bed and looking up. He tugs on something, and several clear threads fall from the ceiling.

“I didn’t do that.”

“Fishing line,” he says, thrusting it toward me.

“No clue where that came from. I don’t even fish.”

He bends over, clutching his knees as he gulps in air. I lean forward. I should be annoyed that he’s continuing the pranks, but he looks so freaked out. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just gimme a minute.” He takes a deep breath. “I hate spiders.”

“Good to know.”

“I don’t like the way you said that. Do not note that for future pranks.”

A crooked smile lights up my face. “Duly noted.”

Jonah and Tommy come running into the room. “We heard Mom screaming,” Jonah says.

I laugh. “That wasn’t me.”

Sawyer scrubs a hand down his face. “It was me.”