Page 76 of The Spirit Key
“What did Ryan tell you?”
“He said you see ghosts and that there’s one inside Tim and he might hurt the kids.”
I rubbed her arm. “That pretty much covers it.”
“But that’s insane. He’s their godfather. He wouldn’t hurt them.” Tears were welling up in her eyes. “Would he?”
“I don’t know. I need you to wait out here. I’ve got some friends coming to help, and they should be here soon.”
“But shouldn’t we have the police here?”
God, any sane man would say yes. “I get you don’t know me, but you have to believe me. If something happens to Tim, the ghost will move on to another body. Maybe even Ryan’s. You have to trust me to handle this, okay?”
She nodded, but I don’t think she heard me.
I rushed to the house, praying to anyone who would listen not to let anything bad happen.
Of course, I’ve never been lucky.
I shoved open the door and found Ryan standing there, pleading with Tim.
“Please, don’t hurt them. They’re only babies.” His voice shook and he was chalk-white.
Tim had one hand wrapped around Carter’s throat while he stroked his hair with the other. “They’re so fragile at this age, aren’t they? I mean, how much pressure do you think it would take before their throat was crushed and they suffocated?”
Ryan stepped forward, but Tim held up a hand.
“No, you don’t want to do that. See, one of your kids is going to die. I just haven’t decided yet.” He grinned at me. “Why don’t you decide, Scott?”
“Leave them alone. If you want to kill someone so badly, it should be me, right?”
Tim’s eyes flashed so quickly, I don’t think anyone else would have noticed it, but I did. Tim was still in there, and I had to hope he was fighting.
I moved closer. “If Tim hates me so much, then he should at least have the satisfaction of killing me, don’t you think?”
From behind, Gavin entered the room. For a big man, he was stealthy as hell. He held up a hand as he crept forward.
I pulled the collar of my shirt down, showing the bruises that Tim had given me. “Come on, Tim. Check them out. A broken bone is nothing. You want it to be my neck, so why not do it here and now?”
He inhaled sharply, then let go of Carter. His hands were shaking, but his attention was focused on me.
I moved right up in front of him and tilted my head to the side. “This is what you want, isn’t it? But it’s not what Tim wants. You think that if you kill me, it’ll give you complete control over his body because he’s going to fall apart. Guess what? You’re wrong. Tim is the strongest man I know.”
With those words, Gavin grabbed Tim from behind, while Ryan rushed over and snatched his kids, hustling them outside. I was certain that someone as big as Gavin would have no problem holding Tim, but I wasn’t prepared when Tim snapped his head back and smashed it into Gavin’s face. To his credit, Gavin didn’t let go, but I could tell he was dazed.
The door swung open and Rachel strode in, headed straight for Tim.
“Rachel, stay back!”
She ignored me, lowered her shoulder some, and ran at Tim, striking him in the stomach. Together the three of them tumbled to the floor. From this vantage, Gavin was able to roll Tim over and climb onto his back.
“Get off me!”
Tim continued to struggle, actually bucking up, trying to dislodge the man-mountain that was Gavin. Rachel moved around and held Tim’s shoulders.
Tim shook his head from side to side. “I’ll kill you all! What do you think your wife’s pretty face will look like when I strip it of its skin?”
Rachel looked up at me, and I could see fear in her eyes. “If you’re going to do something, now is the time.”
