Page 50 of Ghost Girl

He nodded, his eyes downcast and shut tight as tears finally began to spill over. ‘You were always going to follow her to the ends of the earth. You just needed proof before you felt safe enough to do it.’

‘Mikey…’

‘I’ll miss you, but our line of work is proof that it’s not the end. We’re good, Chance.’ He met my eyes as he said this, letting me see the depth of his grief, but also the acceptance. ‘Kali’s lucky to have you, and she’d be stupid if she stays blind to what the two of you could have together. I always knew you were soulmates, even if she didn’t quite get the memo.’

I laughed at that. It was true. My love for her had become such an intrinsic part of me that there was no chance of separating myself from her anymore. I had stopped living my life the moment she’d died, and I would be happy even if she didn’t love me in quite the same way I loved her, as long as we faced whatever the future held together.

‘I just… I need to talk to her. Whoever hurt her needs to pay for what they’ve done before I can join her, so I’m not going anywhere yet.’

His smile was a little brighter, and a little meaner, as my words sank in. It was a look I had very rarely seen on him since he didn’t have a mean bone in his body, but he could be just as protective over those he loved as me when warranted, it was just rare to push him to that point. I could only recall one time in our youth. Our group had gone to see a movie when I was backed into a corner by a group of bullies. They targeted me for not being Calvin’s true son, calling me name after nasty name, until words were no longer enough, and they had started beating me. There were seven of them and only one of me. Kali had justleft with Blake to continue their night as a couple, so she hadn’t known what was happening. Ashe had run off to get help, but Mikey? He lost it. He wasn’t a fighter by any means, but that just meant he came prepared for worst-case scenarios. He’d whipped out a bottle of pepper spray and went at it. He had terrible aim, so of course I got caught in the crosshairs as he sprayed wildly, but they ran off and never bothered me again.

‘I’ll help in any way I can,’ he promised me. ‘Let’s get the fucker.’

‘I hope I’m not interrupting,’ Rhodes’ tired voice sounded from the stairs, and my head snapped up. I hadn’t even heard him rouse, let alone come down the stairs.

‘Hey, how are you feeling?’

‘Fine,’ he answered with a dismissive wave of his hand. ‘Nothing I’m not used to. I’ve been dying my whole life, this time is just gonna stick.’

‘You’re dying?’ Mikey asks, and I forgot for a moment why he would be so shocked. None of us had told him about Rhodes’ condition.

‘Glioblastoma. Not long left now,’ Rhodes explained with a shrug, completely nonplussed.

‘Shit…’

‘It’s fine. Not my first rodeo, but it will be my last. Can’t say I’m too upset about it now I’ve met Kali, though,’ he grinned. I frowned as I tried to decipher his comment, and Mikey shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

‘Speaking of. When are we setting up the reunion?’ Rhodes asked as he settled into a lone armchair off to the side of the room with an air of carefree interest. It creaked beneath his weight, the sound making me wince in concern for the structural integrity of the old thing, but it held him up, nonetheless.

‘Do you want me to call the girls back for this?’ Mikey asked me, his eyes still watery with emotion that he was continuing to beat back.

I shook my head. ‘No. I’ve got my equipment in my van, and you’ve got yours. They don’t need to be here for this.’

He nodded, silently acknowledging the words I wasn’t saying out loud. I didn’t want Ashe or Gloria to worry about my decision any more than they already did.

‘I’ll grab my stuff. Where do you want to set up?’

‘What stuff?’ Rhodes asked, leaning forward as intrigue sparked in his eyes that excitedly bounced between us.

‘Our gear.’

‘Like, to catch ghosts?’

‘To record them, but yes,’ I corrected him.

‘Can I watch?’ he asked with an alarming amount of energy as he bounced in place so hard I swore the armchair was going to finally break.

‘Sure,’ I agreed easily. ‘We need you to show us where she usually shows up, anyway, so we can set up in the right spot.’

He was nodding so hard I wondered what would kill him first, the brain cancer or whiplash. ‘Sure. I just need to throw some clothes on, and I’ll show you where she keeps popping up.’

I clapped my hands and stood, nervousness clashing with excitement inside me at the prospect of talking to Kali for the first time in sevenlongyears. ‘Then let’s go.’

Chapter 22

Kali

Iwas free. That was the first thing I realised after Morty disappeared in a dramatic whirlwind of shadows. I was no longer constrained to the property near my grave. In fact, my grave no longer called to me like it did before. My bones felt worthless. Insignificant. Like I had drained them of all the energy they’d contained.

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