Page 72 of Hot Ghost Summer

“No. You’re not going, and that’s final.” His steel-backed tone brooks no nonsense. Or so he thinks.

“Genetically, I’m built not t’ hear that word. Also, so you know, I came first in the assault course when I completed my Master Cadet training. Granted, I’m not as fast as I used t’ be, but I reckon I can still make it from the gate, over t’ Plot Forty-Seven, grab the two ground floor cameras, haul arse up that ladder t’ get the one on the first floor, and get back t’ the gate in sub sixty seconds.”

I’m bouncing on my toes in anticipation, but Hollis hasn’t moved.

“Which part of ‘it’s too dangerous’ are you having the most difficulty with?” He arches his eyebrow over the gold rim of his glasses.

He’s extra handsome when he’s mad.

“The part where you want the cameras back t’ do your ghost-huntery analysis on ’em. I want ’em because they recorded the farmer. I want t’ see if my hunch is right and that it is actually Mister Bowen. So, by Theo maths, if you want ’em, and I want ’em, then we should get ’em.”

“Theo,” he exhales. The vein in his forehead is now as prominent as the ones in his arms. “You’re missing a significant part of the equation.”

“I’m not, though,” I protest. “You want it. I want it. It’s that simple.”

Hollis straightens away from the table and takes off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose. “I wish all things could be so.”

Deep thinking lines furrow the bridge of my nose. Are we still talking about the cameras?

“In my experience,” he continues. “Two plus two rarely makes four.”

“Eh?” I scratch my fingers through my thick hair and onto my scalp.

He resets his glasses, and his usually white-blue eyes take on a softer, lilac hue. “Yes, we both want the same thing. But I want you to stay alive more than I want the cameras.”

Well, that makes two of us. Yet, if we don’t retrieve them, then how do we solve the case? How can I help him move on? We exhausted all the information that Jayne had.

I fold my arms across my chest and dig in. “I still think it’s worth it.”

Hollis mirrors my pose. “No matter how fast or capable you are, you’ll be going up against two separate entities—one of whom is a Level Four and can kill you in sub fifteen seconds. So, no. You’re not going.”

Oh, am I not? And how exactly will you stop me, Mr I Can’t Materialise Away from Electricity? I grab my cap from where it hangs off the back of the chair and settle it into position. “The walk’s the longest bit, but I’ll be quick. Back in an hour, tops.”

He takes a couple of steps closer, using his slight height advantage to intimidate me. “So help me, Theo, I will tie you to that chair if I have to.”

I tilt my face to maintain eye contact, but I can’t let him win this one. “Don’t threaten me with a good time.”

The hum of static electricity builds in the plug sockets that surround us, and he takes a firm hold of my chin. “Choose carefully, or by morning you’ll need an extra cushion.”

I swallow, and those lucent eyes track the motion.

He smirks. In a move that’s too fast for me to process until after it’s happened, he’s hooked the chair out with his foot, moved his hand into a sure grip of my throat, and crowded me into the seat.

“You’ve forgotten who’s in charge here, Baby.” He’s so close that his nose almost touches mine. “Let’s start back at the beginning. What is rule one?”

I roll my eyes.

Hollis tightens his hold.

“I will…” He releases the pressure enough for me to speak. “Familiarise myself with all the entries in the database.”

He nods. “Amendment: Theo will stay exactly where he is until he’s learned everything about Level Four entities.”

I exhale my relief. That won’t take long, leaving me plenty of time still to get up to Plot 47 for those cameras.

As if he can read my mind, he adds, “And come up with all possible ways that one of them could end up in a codependent haunting with a lower-level entity.”

I groan. “You’ve got t’ be kidding me.”