Keep Me Close Page 14

  Chapter 17

  After that exchange with Vinny, Dom had a crappy rest of the day. He opted out of any socialization. He liked Emma well enough, but Jonas was an ego-trip pretending to be human, and Vinny glared at him every time she saw him.

  So he stayed out of range. He called up his youngest brother Lex with a brief report.

  “Ghosts have a pattern,” Lex said when he heard what Dom gleaned so far. “At least, every account I’ve seen says that. You need a lookup on aberrant ghosts?”

  “See what you can find,” Dom said. “It’s definitely not a typical haunting. Maybe check on any supernatural events or beings that have psychic pull, or the ability to draw people in.”

  “Hmm. There was a case in the 50s where a ghost exerted such a strong psychic force that it pulled people into an otherworld it created, like a pocket-sized recreation of its memory. Could be something along those lines. The house could actually have nothing to do with it.”

  “Maybe it’s the land,” Dom guessed. “See if there’s something about that area that shows up in the records.”

  “Already did that,” Lex said, sounding a little offended. “As soon as we said yes to the job. There’s no history of paranormal events for that location. Not to say there’s no potential for it. But that part of the world just doesn’t have a long written history. It was barely settled outside the city, and there’s no suggestion of any Native American accounts mentioning something—not that the records are that great when it comes to tribal histories. But that’s what happens when you manifest destiny all the locals to the point of extinction.”

  “It’s almost like the government didn’t care about them,” Dom agreed. “See if you find anything useful at all. I’ll keep digging.”

  “Good luck,” Lex told him. “Oh, did you get paid in cash?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “Deposit it soon, okay? The water heater broke.”

  Dom swore. That house was going to drive him mad. The sooner he finished this job, the sooner he could take another one.

  “I can install a new one,” Lex was saying, “but I need to pay for it.”

  “Do it,” Dom told him. “I’ll get you the money. God willing, I’ll be home soon anyway.”

  Lex said goodbye, and Dom mostly brooded until he got too sleepy to brood properly. He wished Piewicket would show up, but she was nowhere to be found, and she certainly didn’t respond to his mental call. Cats, in general, didn’t come when they were called, so that wasn’t totally surprising. Just sort of sad.

  The next morning, he awoke when Pie jumped on his chest, her eyes gleaming.

  I am hungry.

  He yawned. “I’ll feed you in a bit.”

  A paw swatted at his ear.

  “All right, all right.” Dom removed her and swung out of bed. “It’s not like you’re starving.”

  Pie let out the softest, most piteous meow, and looked up at him with big eyes.

  “Whatever, drama queen. Where were you last night?” Dom asked as he grabbed his clothes.

  I slept with her, the cat replied.

  Cats rarely bothered with proper names. Dom knew Piewicket meant Vinny, and he got unreasonably jealous. “I thought you were a Salem family pet.”

  Pet?

  “You know what I mean.”

  She was plagued by nightmares till I calmed them.

  Dom felt worse than before, remembering how ripped up Vinny had been when she told him about the nightmare that spurred her whole journey. “Nightmares of what? Not the same one she talked about?”

  The cat flicked her tail in the feline equivalent of a shrug. I can’t see into her mind. But she was restless.

  “You don’t usually go out of your way for strangers.”

  She is not a stranger. And I prefer a companion who doesn’t toss and turn. It disturbs my own sleep.

  “God forbid,” Dom muttered. “Are you helping here, or not? This whole situation is messed up. I don’t know what I’m dealing with. If there’s a ghost, it’s a very coy one.”

  Agreed. I’ve seen no ghosts, though there are strands of power wrapped all around this place.

  “We’ve got to get someone to talk. I feel like everyone’s lying. Not Vinny,” he amended. She was pissed at him, but she never lied.

  He followed Pie down to the kitchen, where he served her some canned tuna on a plate. She was devouring it when Emma walked in. Car keys dangled from her right hand.

  “Heading out?” he asked.

  “Yeah, got some errands. You need more holy water or candles?” she quipped.

  “Cheese and crackers,” he said, before he knew he would say it.

  “Ha, you have been hanging around Vin.” Emma smiled. “I always laughed so hard when she said that, back when we first met. She’s so punk rock, and then she’s got this hokey little phrase.”

  “She said she picked it up in Catholic school.”

  Emma snorted. “It wasn’t school that kept her saying that. You can blame Sister Stellamaris, her first piano teacher. Vinny did everything that lady said. It’s funny. I can’t remember anything Vin’s own mom told her, but I know all the sayings her piano teacher taught her. Cheese and crackers…Vinny just says it to make her happy.”

  Piewicket turned and mewed. Dom said, “Pie would love some more tuna.”

  Emma smiled at the cat, her mood shifting to pure happiness. “For you, sweetie, anything.”

  Pie walked over to Emma’s feet, purring. Emma bent down to pet her, but she looked up at Dom.

  “How the ghost hunting going?”

  “Slowly.”

  “That typical?”

  “There is no such thing as typical in my line of work.”

  “That makes sense. Need anything besides tuna?”

  He said, “Can I ask you a question about Vinny?’

  “What?” Emma eyed him warily.

  “What’s her deal with money?”

  Emma’s face cleared. Whatever she thought he was going to ask, it wasn’t that. “It goes back to when she was a kid. You should hear it from her, though.”

  “I don’t think she wants to talk to me.”

  “Really? What happened?”

  “We got into a bit of a fight.”

  “A fight? Vinny’s super chill, though.”

  “Not yesterday.”

  “Well, try to talk to her.” Emma gave Piewicket a few scratches behind the ears, then reluctantly stood up. “If you think it’s worth it. Which I think you do.”

  He did think it was worth it. Dom knew that in a few days he’d leave and never see her again, but he wished that when he left, she would no longer be mad at him.

  He tried to work that morning. But no matter how hard he tried to concentrate on figuring out exactly what the hell was haunting Jonas and Emma’s house, he kept coming back to Vinny. She was like a magnet. All Dom wanted was to find her, get close, and learn every little thing about her. Not to mention finishing what they’d started that early morning before they got here. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see Vin standing there, topless, with just those necklaces. He couldn’t wait to get the rest of her clothes off and see what she looked like then.

  Too bad he’d already messed things up between them with his weird behavior before. Dom hardly ever touched a woman he wasn’t actually dating, and he’d never touched any person with violence unless it was out of pure self defense. His dad had made that lesson clear from the very beginning, when Dom’s biggest problem was learning how to share toys with other kids. So what the hell made him grab Vinny like that?

  He had to talk to her.

  He found her by following the sound of a piano. She was playing on a big black grand at the end of a longish, narrow room that looked like it rarely ever had any people in it. Dom had an aunt who kept her living room perfect and closed up for all but the most special occasions. This room had just the same vibe. Beautiful and off limits.

  And of course Vinny was right there in the middle
of it.

  She noticed when he passed through the doorway, and lifted her hands from the keys.

  “Don’t stop just because you have an audience,” he said hurriedly. “Aren’t you used to that?”

  “I stop when I feel like it,” she said. “How long were you there?”

  “Not that long.” He walked over to the piano. “You said you played bass guitar.”

  “Not many punk rock pianists,” she said. “Hard to pack a baby grand in a van.”

  “That makes sense. You can play more. Just ignore me. You sounded good.”

  “Oh, a compliment. Does that mean you’re done embracing your inner troglodyte?”

  “I’m sorry about before,” he said. “I never should have grabbed you like that.”

  “No kidding.” Vinny didn’t look at him.

  “Will you forgive me?”

  At last, she looked up. “Seriously?”

  “If you can. I actually don’t know what got into me.”

  Vinny paused. “Could it be related to the house haunting?”

  “You mean I’m stressed out? Stress is no excuse for hurting someone.”

  “You didn’t hurt me. But I meant what if there’s something…making us not normal?”

  “Do you feel not normal?” he asked intently.

  “I feel…not centered. Not since I got here, pretty much.”

  Dom sat on the bench next to her. “Tell me more.”

  “I can’t really describe it. Things are just off. Jonas and Emma are totally on edge. With each other, with this haunting thing. With you, for sure.”

  “I’m used to that. People don’t usually like having a demon hunter in their house.”

  “But Jonas hired you, so he must want help. And you’re helping.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Dom said. “It’s still awkward.”

  “Well, it’s not just that,” Vinny said. “I’m on edge too. Even without nightmares, I didn’t sleep great the past couple of nights.”

  “Even with Pie in your bed last night?”

  “How do you know about that?”

  “She told me.”

  Vinny shook her head. “We’re going to have to clarify what you mean by that someday.”

  “Why wait for someday? The short version is that my cat talks to me. Telepathically.”

  She looked at him with narrowed eyes. “You can talk to cats with your mind?”

  “It’s more that Pie chooses to speak to me with her mind. Because I’m a Salem and she’s a Salem family cat. The Salems have always had a few cats around. It’s a tradition.” He never told people about this, but it felt important to tell Vin.

  “How long of a tradition?” she asked.

  “Generations. Many of them.”

  “I bet you have a few ancestors who got burned at the stake,” Vinny said.

  “That’s a whole other story,” Dom told her. “Let’s get back to your feelings. How have you felt in the house, besides on edge?”

  “I don’t know,” Vinny said, with a roll of her shoulder. “A little…creeped out.”

  Dom reached for her hand. “I’m a professional demon hunter with a telepathic cat. I’m not going to laugh at you if you say something a bit unusual.”

  “Remember when I said I felt watched that first night? It’s happened more,” she admitted.

  “All the time? In certain places?”

  “When I’m alone. When it’s quiet. I’m not a look over the shoulder kind of girl, but…I’ve been looking over my shoulder a lot lately.”

  “That’s not surprising. You learned some dark stuff about the world. But there’s something here. You’re not paranoid.”

  “I feel paranoid. And out of control. I got so angry at you, even before you…got physical.”

  “I am sorry about that,” he said again.

  Vinny nodded. “I know. And I have to admit I provoked you.”

  “What set you off?” he asked. “Lots of people have strong feelings about money, and not always rational. But you obviously have some…issues with who pays for what.”

  “Yeah.”

  Dom inched closer. “Tell me.”

  “Will it help you unhaunt the house?” She looked skeptical.

  “Maybe it’ll help unhaunt you,” he said. “Figuratively.”

  “That’s not in your job description,” she said. “And I’m not your client.”

  “I’m doing it on spec.”

  Vinny laughed a little. Then she said, “Okay. But stop me when you get bored.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “I grew up rich,” she said. “Doesn’t look like it, but it’s true. And I mean rich rich. I went to boarding schools. Ski trips to Switzerland, Christmas in Paris, that kind of thing. My parents know people. They’re all chummy with European royalty, and Chinese nouveau riche, and oil magnates. My best friend growing up had a bodyguard—all the time. Even posted outside the bedroom door during sleepovers. I didn’t have a normal childhood.”

  “Okay.”

  “And not to sound like poor little rich girl, but I was miserable. I didn’t know it when I was little, but eventually I could see it. Our family life was hell. Huge fights and lots of icy silences and passive aggressive bullshit. Not that I had terms for that back then. My parents got a divorce when I was eight. On cold nights, law firms still tell stories about the case to their junior partners. It was nasty. Armies of lawyers. They fought over every house, every piece of art, every bank account.”

  “And you.”

  “Yeah. But I was at the bottom of the list,” she added bitterly.

  “I’m sure that’s not true.”

  Vinny shook her head. “I’m not exaggerating. I was just a piece of property. They fought over me because they each wanted to own me. It wasn’t because they loved me.”

  “Vin…”

  “I was a musical prodigy,” she said. She ran her hand along the keyboard and a rippling arpeggio of notes filled the air. “Piano. I got a lot of attention. Lot of special treatment. Classes from the best in the world, with fees that would make you rage. There was talk of me maybe being the next big name in classical piano. If I panned out, of course. Lots of child prodigies can’t hack it or deal with the pressure. They just fade away. But both my parents felt like I was a worthy investment risk. And they each wanted to be the parent of the prodigy, the one who nurtured me into greatness. They each tried to convince me to choose them. That was what I had to look forward to when they shared custody. And because they were who they were, they did their convincing with gifts. Trips and horses and shiny things and everything they thought a girl wanted.”

  “What did you want?”

  “I wanted my parents not to fight. I wanted two happy parents in the same house. But that was the one thing I’d never get.” Vin splayed her left hand wide and hit a few heavy bass chords. Dom recognized the first notes of the song cartoons always used to signal doom.

  “Beethoven’s Fifth,” Vinny supplied helpfully. “Anyway, when I got older—when I was a teen in those fancy prep schools—I saw guys doing the same shit my parents did before. Take me out to dinner, and they get some action. Buy me some present…action. Exclusive dating? Might as well come with a contract saying blowjobs on demand. It was just the market to them, just the way things were. They believed anything or anyone could be bought. I wanted to burn it all to the ground.”

  “You sound like an anarchist.” And those guys all sounded like assholes.

  “Close,” she said. “One day, when I was at school in New York, fifteen years old, I met some kids in the subway, busking in the tunnels to make enough money to buy something to drink. Punk rockers, hardcore kids. Didn’t have a dime, but they were sure they could change the world. I loved the music, I loved every word they said. I ran away from home to be with them. I cut and dyed my hair. I used a different name. I destroyed my ID and my credit cards so no one would track me down. My dad eventually hired a P.I., and it took him two years to find me.” V
inny grinned, pleased at the hassle she must have caused.

  “So when I covered your meals and the motel room, you thought I was trying to buy you?” Dom asked.

  She shook her head. She looked so unhappy. “I don’t know. No, not really. It was just circumstances. And you did way more for me than you ever had to, and you were nice about everything. But when you mentioned that I let you pay for me, I just…freaked out. Sorry.”

  “It’s okay. My reaction wasn’t great either. Truce?”

  “Truce.”

  “So we’re clear on this, you know I don’t expect anything from you, Vin. Want, yes. Expect, no.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “Good.” He smiled. “Because I don’t want to have to tell you no charge every time I get you some coffee. Or pull out a calculator whenever I get close to you.”

  “Hey, what makes you think I want you close to me?” Vinny asked, her sarcasm not quite up to its usual level.

  “If you didn’t,” Dom asked, “why are you trying to shred my only clean t-shirt?”

  Vinny looked down to where she was gripping the shirt in both hands, as if he’d otherwise slip away. “Oh, right.”

  “I don’t mind,” Dom said. Then he kissed her.

  Chapter 18

  Guess she hadn’t learned her lesson about steering clear of this guy. Vinny leaned in and did everything she could to make that kiss count.

  She let go of his shirt and slipped her hands underneath it, feeling how warm his skin was. Dom groaned a little at her touch, then doubled down on the kiss. Damn, he was good with his tongue.

  Vinny caught her breath and leaned back, hitting a few keys as she did. Dom used the space to slide one hand under her shirt and up along her back, feeling for a bra that wasn’t there.

  “Didn’t wear one today,” she muttered.

  “Mmm. No complaints here.” Dom took his hand back, and gathered up her chains to make the necklaces hang down her back. “You and your damned jewelry,” he said.

  Then he lifted her shirt up. The cool air would have perked up her nipples if they hadn’t been perked up already. Dom ran his palm lightly over her left breast. “This do anything for you?”