Page 49 of Ghost

“I’m just trying to be honest.” I held up my hands in surrender. “What you see is what you get.”

“And I appreciate that, but...”

“I went too far. I got it.” I looked back over to Toby as I added, “You ain’t gotta worry about me hurting you or your momma. Just the opposite. I’m gonna do everything I can tohelp you get your life back and keep you safe while you do it. You okay with that?”

“Yeah, I’m okay with that.”

“So, you’re good with staying at my place for a while.”

“Yeah.” A smirk crossed his face as he added, “As long as you don’t snore like you did that night when you slept in here on the floor.”

“Snore? I don’t snore.”

“Oh, yeah, you do,” Toby argued. “You sounded like a dying bear.”

“You’re full of shit.”

“Thought you died a couple of times.” He sounded serious as a heart attack as he told me, “You’d just stop breathing and then suck it all back in like you’d been stuck underwater. You should probably get that checked out. Maybe get you one of those old-man breathing machine things.”

“I don’t snore.” I turned to Cricket for help, but no such luck. Her cheeks were red from laughing, and all she could do was nod and giggle. “I must’ve had a bad night. Probably a cold or something.”

“Yeah, probably so.”

As much as I was enjoying getting bullied about my snoring, we had a lot to do and not much time to do it. I needed to get them over to the house and settled in before my shift at the Vault. That didn’t leave me much time, so I told her, “I’m gonna go grab your boxes from the garage and load ‘em up. Just bring out the rest whenever you guys get ready.”

“Okay. We shouldn’t be long.”

I gave her a nod, then made my way out to the garage. I grabbed Cricket’s things from storage and loaded them into the back of my SUV. It wasn’t much. Just a few boxes Cricket had managed to gather before they skipped town, but I hoped itwould be enough to make my place feel like home. When I was done, I hopped back in the truck and pulled around the front.

I’d just gotten parked when I spotted Cricket and Toby coming out the door. Cricket had a backpack hanging on one shoulder and a duffle bag on the other, and Toby was right next to her with a couple of bags of his own. When they got to the truck, I asked, “Is this everything?”

“I think so.” Cricket glanced at Toby, then back at me, hesitating for a second before she added, “We cleaned the room the best we could. I would’ve washed the sheets and...”

“You don’t gotta do all that. The girls will take care of it.”

“I know, but I wanted to.”

“Well, I’m sure you did more than enough.” I grabbed their bags and tossed them into the back with the rest. “You guys ready to get moving?”

Cricket nodded, and then she and Toby got in the SUV. Seconds later, we were pulling through the main gate and driving toward downtown. It was tense, and no one was talking, which only made things feel more tense. Hoping to break the ice, I said, “It’ll be different out at my place. It’s quiet. You won’t have to worry about people coming in and out at all hours.”

Cricket forced a smile. She was still on edge, and I couldn’t really blame her. She knew this was going to be another big adjustment for her and for Toby, and it could blow up in their faces. Hell, it could blow it up in mine, too. It had been a lifetime since I’d lived with anyone, and even then, I wasn’t all that good at it.

When we got close to the house, I motioned my head forward and announced, “It’s just up ahead.”

Cricket leaned forward and looked at all the houses on the block. They were far from fancy. The neighborhood was filled with mostly working-class folks who minded their own. It was one of the things I liked most about the area. It was far enoughfrom the busy streets that it was quiet, but it was still close enough to the clubhouse that I could get there fast if anything went sideways.

My house was one of the larger on the block. It was a three-bedroom with a small front porch and decent-sized back yard. Most of the homes in the area were kept up, but they were older and in need of some TLC, especially mine. I’d done some remodeling and painting, and while it looked a hell of a lot better, it could still use some work. I parked out front and killed the engine. “Here we are. Home sweet home.”

“It’s nice.”

“Come on and check it out.”

Cricket nodded, then opened the door, and Toby stayed glued to her side as she started up to the porch. I grabbed a couple of their bags and met them at the front door. I unlocked it and pushed it open, motioning for them to go inside. “Make yourselves at home.”

Cricket’s eyes were wide with curiosity as she stepped across the threshold. Her eyes darted around the room like she was casing the place, and Toby was right there by her side, taking it all in. I dropped the bags near the hallway and gave them a quick tour.

“It’s not much. The living room’s in here.” I gestured to the couch, TV, and coffee table. “Kitchen’s through there. You can help yourselves to whatever’s in the fridge.”

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