So I did. I planted a feathery kiss on her soft skin. “You just solved this part of the puzzle.”
“Oh? How’s that?”
“Who is the one person that my dad doesn’t want to see?”
Roan exhaled. “Lucky Strike.”
“Exactly,” I said. “If we can make sure that Lucky is in the room when we call Sable, then if my father shows up, he’ll leave quicker than we can say his name. He won’t want to risk losing Lucky’s soul. And he won’t want to be trapped.”
“So we have to get Lucky on board,” Ruth said. “And then we’ll have to call Sable. We’ll need a way to do that.”
“Tex,” Roan said. “She’ll come if he wants to speak with her again.”
“Maybe.” I tapped a finger to my chin. “I can always wear the helmet that Zelda said would be a beacon to the spirits. She assured me that it’s safe, so I see no reason not to use it.”
Roan eyed me cautiously. “I don’t want you to put yourself in any danger.”
I scoffed. “You mean no more danger than getting hit by a knife that was swinging from the ceiling.”
“Touché.” His brown eyes hardened. “But I’m serious. We have to minimize risks. Your father isn’t going to be playing any games. If he shows up, he’ll stop at nothing to get Sable’s soul.”
“We need Lucky,” I reiterated. “He’s our ace in the hole.”
“Where can we find him?” Alice said. “And you know unless we have you around, Blissful, it’s impossible for Ruth and me to see any spirits.”
Roan had a solution. “We split up. Ruth, you and Alice go with Blissful. I’ll hunt on my own.”
Fear spiked up my back. It felt like a thousand frozen knives slicing into me. “No, Roan. I don’t want anyone walking around alone.”
He quirked his lips. “You’re one to talk. You’ve been roaming around alone.”
I stiffened. “I’m different.”
“So am I.” He gently chucked my chin with his fist. “I’ll be fine. I fight demons for a living, remember?”
“That’s not true,” Alice pointed out. “Technically you cook and give people beds for a living.”
He shrugged. “Same thing.”
“Roan,” I growled. “I don’t want us splitting up. That’s against the rules, isn’t it? We’ve been telling all of them, meaning the others, to stay in pairs.”
“That’s because one of them is a murderer. I’ll be fine. I just got you to agree to setting a date for the wedding. I’m not about to lose that.” He edged toward the door. “I’ll take the upstairs.”
“Then we’ll sweep this floor,” Ruth said. “It shouldn’t take us long.”
“Meet back here in fifteen.” Roan tightened his watch band. “If you need longer, come here first, and then we’ll continue on together.”
“We do the basement together,” I said. “After all, there’s no telling what else is hiding down there.” I spoke to Ruth and Alice. “Since you two stowed away in the corner, anything could be creeping in the other dark, hard-to-see spots.”
“Oh, except for a few spiders, it’s clean,” Alice replied smartly.
I highly doubted that. Every basement that I’d ever been in always had more critters inhabiting it than spiders. I shivered just thinking about it.
“Fifteen,” Roan commanded.
I glanced at the clock on my phone. “Fifteen. See you then. And Roan, be careful.”
He blew me an air kiss. “Always.”
