“I guess that’s as good as it’s going to get.” He then hugged Jo before turning them to me. I wrapped them in my arms and held them tight. I knew in my gut they would protect Lake, but not knowing who was trying to possibly kidnap Lake made me skeptical.
If a white lighter was feeding information to Nyx, I’d tear them apart. Apparently, I had that power.
Chapter Three
Keir
On Tuesday morning, I was in the mortuary, dressing Dr. Randall. The previous evening had been a fucking disaster dealing with Jo and the possible danger to Lake, Jamie, and our baby.
I wouldn’t rest until Lake and Jamie were with us where Dash and I could keep them from harm. Dash had already contacted Jonas to go with him to get a queen-sized bed from the apartment Amelie’s would be giving up since the wedding was this weekend. Trent already had a king-sized bed, and he’d turned his second bedroom into a home office, so they wouldn’t need another bed anytime soon.
“Uh, Mr. Dearly?” I was buttoning Dr. Randall’s white shirt. He was a small man—about five foot three. It was much like dressing a child, which I’d sadly done on more than one occasion.
“Yes, Dr. Randall.” I glanced toward his spirit.
He pointed at the walk-in. “You, uh, you’ve got company.”
It was Lorraine, the crazy spirit from The Mystical Palm. She stood by the cooler in her floor-length dull-gray dress with a white cap on her head, studying me carefully.
Damn!
“Lorraine, what do you want? I told you yesterday I’m not Claude.”
She strolled around the mortuary, taking in the sights of the room before stopping at the table where I kept my tools and picking up a scalpel—not all spirits could move objects in the Human Realm. She turned toward me and threw the damn thing like a marksman.
It came at me in slow motion, or so it seemed, so I quickly ducked behind the table where I was dressing Dr. Randall. When it registered that the scalpel didn’t hit me, I glanced around the floor for it, even though I hadn’t heard the clatter of it meeting the tile.
I popped up to see the razor-sharp instrument had lodged in Dr. Randall’s fiberglass casket. If I’d stayed standing where I’d been—though I was no physicist—it probably would have lodged in my neck right at the carotid artery. Being there was no one with me in the mortuary, I believed Lorraine was intending for me to have bled out.
I turned to her, indignant. “You’re trying to kill me? For what earthly reason?”
“I’m lonely, Claude. I want you to be with me. We loved each other, and every time I find you, you get away from me. Whydon’t you want to be with me? We were supposed to be together for eternity.”
“How’d you find the portal?” Was there a damn sign on the other side that directed spirits to Dearly & Son? I was sure my father wouldn’t have sent her, knowing she was unstable. Or would he send her to find me for another purpose?
“Lorraine, I’ll tell you again like I told you at The Mystical Palm—I’m not Claude. My name is Keir Dearly. I’m the Gatekeeper between Heaven and Hell.”
It was a simplistic explanation, but I feared giving away too much information. I had no idea how intellectual she was or if she’d understand what I was supposed to do as far as Nyx was concerned. Hell, maybe Nyx sent her?
“Youmustbe Claude. You look just like him. I have been searching for you for a very long time. Are you telling me I don’t remember what my one true love looks like?”
I pulled the scalpel from the casket, pressing the finish into the slit so it wouldn’t be noticeable. I could put flowers or something there to keep from having to explain it to the family. I could also knock money off the price of the box since I didn’t have another one on hand to swap it out.
“Perhaps we resemble each other, but I’m not Claude. What was his last name?” It was like talking to a door.
“Claude Bonfils. You might not remember our deep love because you’ve been reborn many times over, but you aremyClaude.”
“Dearly?” It was Dash at the top of the stairs.
“Who is that?” Lorraine got an evil look in her eyes, and I was worried that if Dash came into the mortuary, she’d harm him. She had shown me she wasn’t above murdering me or anyone else.
“It’s my friend. Go! We’ll sort this out later.” Thankfully, she listened and returned from where she came. Though if she wasin Limbo awaiting judgment, was there a chance she knew who Lake was and would try to hurt her?
My mind was going in ten directions, so I shook off my harried thoughts and went to the bottom of the stairs. “Down here dressing Dr. Randall.”
Hopefully, Dash hadn’t been clued into my thoughts while Lorraine was here. He had enough to worry about without me piling on a lovesick spirit.
“Who were you talking…? Oh, hello, Dr. Randall.”
