A wink and an appreciative once-over. Had I been alive, I’m sure I would have blushed. But Kris just smiled and launched into a quick list of tips, the compliment tossed out as casually as a comment on the weather. Typical. Kris knew all the tricks, all the ways to say “I want you back” without ever speaking the words. An offhand compliment, a lingering look, a casual touch—silly little things that somehow sent my brain spinning.

I wanted him back. No question about that. I’d never stopped wanting him, and there were times when I’d look at him, feel that ache of longing, and wonder why the hell I was holding out. I wouldn’t be going anywhere I hadn’t been before. And that’s exactly why I wouldn’t take that next step. Because I had been there before.

I wasn’t cut out for relationships. I’ve never felt the need to share my life, never sought out others for more than casual friendship and professional contacts. When someone did worm their way in—Ruth Winterbourne, then Kristof, then Savannah—I let them down, making choices that always seemed so right at the time. As much as I wanted to say I now resisted Kristof to avoid hurting him, I knew I was, at least in equal part, protecting myself.

Kris finished his list of tips. “That’s all I can think of, for now. Time to put the theory into practice.”

“Practice? You mean with the haunters? Thanks for the offer, but—”

“It isn’t an offer; it’s a demand. You owe me.”

“Owe you?” I sputtered.

“I tried to give you some work at the courthouse—work that would have given me an excuse to pursue adventures otherwise unsuitable for an esteemed member of the judicial system. You turned me down. Robbed me of the first chance for hell-raising I’ve had in—”

“Hours. Maybe days.”

He shot a grin my way. “Much too long. Now you’ve brought me a replacement opportunity, and I’m not about to let it slip past.”

“So I’m stuck with you?”

His grin widened. “For now and forever.”

I muttered under my breath, grabbed his hand, and teleported us back to my marker.

Before we were close enough to the hospital for the phantom bouncer to recognize me, we skipped around to the back. Once inside, we went in search of our haunters. Didn’t take long to find them. Just had to follow the screams.

Chapter 7

7

WE WERE IN A DARKENED THERAPY ROOM. THE SHOUTS came from the adjoining room. Using my Aspicio powers, I cleared a peephole in the wall and looked through. Kristof slid onto the desktop to wait, knowing only I could see through the holes I created.