“Niko finished the job.”
“Strange. He’s all in one piece.”
“Perhaps it’s because Dunderhead wasn’t aware of his own death since he was taking a nap. Hope he liked where I left his mortal remains.” Christian flicked his attention to the empty space. “I make good on my promises.”
The Vamp took a swing at Christian, his fist going right through him. I could see how Wyatt would confuse them with the living. Most of them looked as real as me, but it was the little things that tipped you off. In my case, I couldn’t feel his energy. I decided to ignore his antics since that would only invite conversation. I had no patience to deal with a pissed-off ghost.
I placed my finger over my lips to hush Christian. We quietly entered the room, yellow sunlight sifting through the dingy curtains. Blue slept with her back to us on the far bed. Harley, all curled up beside Hunter, gave us the side-eye without so much as lifting his head.
My father had moved his chair between the beds to face the TV, his feet propped on the dresser, the volume low. “What the hell is that?” he grumbled, putting his feet down to let Christian pass.
Christian gingerly set the fridge to the left of the TV and searched for an outlet.
“You can put your food and drinks in there,” I said. “We’ll get you a few things. This way you’ll have something besides room-temperature leftovers.”
Then I remembered my father couldn’t hear me, and it was like a punch in the gut.
Without skipping a beat, Christian acted as my interpreter. He also informed Crush that Blue was in the room, asleep on the bed with Hunter, just in case he was in the bathroom when they’d come in earlier.
Crush eyeballed Christian and then the fridge. “If you put a salad in there, I’m leaving.”
Christian muttered something about my father not having put anything green in his mouth since the eighties.
“What did you say, boy?” Crush propped his feet on the dresser to block Christian’s path.
After plugging in the fridge, Christian straightened up. “I was just saying how remarkably fit you are for an old buzzard. Are you going to let me pass?”
Crush locked his fingers behind his head. “Ever done the limbo?”
Christian couldn’t cross over the bed since Crush’s chair was in the way. The two had a standoff, and I knew my father was waiting for Christian to be nice or say please. That was Crush’s way of establishing rank.
Christian, on the other hand, was an obstinate man who prided himself on threats. I could tell when he straightened up and clasped his hands behind his back that he was thinking up a doozy.
I snapped my fingers. “Can you two postpone this before we wake everyone up? Relay this to Crush, word for word: Can you keep an eye on Hunter? Blue’s asleep, and I don’t want Hunter leaving the room. He’s real sneaky and likes to slip past people.”
Crush sighed after Christian gave him the orders. “You want me to piss with the door open?”
Christian glanced at Harley. “I think the lad will stay where he is as long as that fleabag is here.” He reached in his back pocket and tossed something in Crush’s lap. “Put these gloves on him. A hotel like this is no place for a Sensor his age.”
With that, my father put his feet down for Christian to pass. “He won’t get past me.”
I bent down and gave Crush a ghost kiss.
Christian’s featured softened. “Your daughter’s giving you a peck on the cheek.”
Crush teared up a little. “I love you, baby girl. Don’t worry about us—we’ll be fine.”
Christian and I left the room.
“Feeling better after your nap?” he asked.
I scoffed. “You mean my twenty-four-hour marathon nap? A little sluggish, but better. I just wish I could have staked that fanghole so I didn’t have to drink him. We should have hiding spots for weapons in the house and garage. Especially impalement wood.”
“A woman after my own heart.”
As we neared the elevators, Viktor stepped out. He looked dashing in his ghost outfit. It wasn’t too eccentric but had just enough flash to make you turn your head.
“I was looking for you,” he said, but I wasn’t sure which of us he was addressing. “Is your father asleep?”
