Heart Of Shadows: Ghosts, Inc., #2

Chapter One

Mia Thorpe stared blindly out of her office window to the street below, which was dusted in a light covering of snow, making it appear postcard perfect.  From the third floor of the old Pennsylvania Canal Building that housed her office at Ghosts, Inc., the paranormal investigation company she owned, she had a nearly perfect view of downtown Altoona and the railroad yard beyond.  Normally, she found the view extremely peaceful and calming.  Not today however. 

Today, it inspired a sick feeling deep in the pit of her stomach and made her fingers clench in frustration and fear.

An old man scurried from the parking garage across the street toward the building’s entrance, his coat collar pulled up to ward off the frigid December winds.  He had been here yesterday, too, and she’d had her staff turn him away, saying she wasn’t in, even though she knew he’d see right through the lie.  More ashamed than she’d ever been, Mia knew without a doubt that the man was absolutely miserable.  She had the power to change that, make his life better and give him the comfort he was so desperately seeking.  She simply had to be brave enough to take on the challenge.

He’s not going to go away, Mia.  A quiet baritone, one that normally filled her with a sense of security, floated to her ears from the vicinity of her office door.  No matter how much you want him to, that man won’t leave until he sees you, talks to you and begs for your help.  Are you going to put him out of his misery?  Or are you simply going to allow him to suffer?

Mia didn’t need to turn around to know that her best, and sometimes only, friend, Tim Hawthorne had just made himself comfortable in one of the soft leather chairs she kept on hand for visitors.  Even if she hadn’t recognized his voice or the distinct sound of his footsteps across the carpet, she would recognize his presence in a room full of a million people.  His presence was distinct and powerful and often so dazzling that she forgot herself.  She’d forgotten herself a little too much recently, something she had to work on if this company was going to succeed.

We don’t find people, Tim, Mia replied, artfully dodging Tim’s question as best she could.  In her mind’s eye, she could see his large, muscular frame flopped into the chair, broad shoulders relaxed, his thick brown hair tousled in a way that nearly begged a woman to run her fingers through it.  "Ghosts, Inc. investigates the paranormal.  We’re not a search and rescue team.

"We might not be, Tim’s voice was barely a whisper, as if cajoling her into doing the right thing.  But you are.  Or at least you used to be."  He fell silent, waiting for Mia to sling one of her arrows at him again, hit him with a snappy comeback or a snarky, angry remark.  He was surprised when her reply was just as subdued as his questions had been.

I used to do and be a lot of things that I’m not anymore, she replied just as softly, resting her head against the cool glass.  She knew that if she turned around, those sexy, mysterious eyes of his would be fixed on her, demanding answers she couldn’t give.  But what am I supposed to do, Tim?  I can’t just keep ignoring him.  He deserves an answer.

The truth was, Mia wanted very much to ignore the old man, even if her conscience wouldn’t allow it, constantly reminding her that she never used to be that shallow or hard.  The man shouldn’t even be here in this building, let alone know that she had mental talents beyond those of ordinary people.  Yet he did.  That meant her life of secrecy and seclusion, maybe even her life period, was just about over.  She’d hoped to avoid this day, forever if possible, but at the very least for a few more years, long enough to teach Tim and the others how to run Ghosts, Inc. when she was gone.

She had tossed and turned for hours the night before, thinking about the man’s visit to the GI offices and what it meant for her.  She had tried, really tried, to come up with another explanation, but sometime around three in the morning, her head finally accepted the truth that her heart had known all along.  Somehow, some way, after all these years, The Order had finally found her.

The old Mia would ignore him, Tim reminded her and she flinched at his words, knowing he was right.  Until she had assisted fellow investigator Justin Grant and his ghost lover, Rose Morgan, Mia had been a hard, remote woman, angry at the world and taking her frustrations out on her staff.  Then, Mia had carried part of Rose’s shattered spirit within her body so that the two halves of the long-dead woman’s soul could reunite.

The experience had profoundly changed Mia, making her more aware of everyone and everything.  Even now, she wasn’t completely certain that all of Rose’s spirit had left her body.  The way she viewed life itself was different, and Mia suspected she had Rose, now an investigator in her own right with GI, to thank for it.

You know that I’m not her anymore.  I’m not the person I used to be.  Mia sighed and closed her eyes.  But Tim, you don’t know what that man wants me to do.  However when she thought about the situation logically and without emotion, as she was doing at the moment, Mia knew that it didn’t matter any longer if she used abilities or not.  The Order knew where she was.  It was only a matter of time before one of them, or even all of them, came for her.

Tim drew in a deep breath, a sure sign that he was making a concession.  Maybe I don’t, but how can we ignore him?  He obviously needs help and he thinks you’re the one who can give it to him.  Tim was now being reasonable as well and that annoyed Mia more than the point he was making.

She turned her head and allowed her gaze to drift back to where Tim sat, his body seemingly relaxed but in reality, tight with a tension she knew only she could see.  I know.  She let her shoulders slump forward, knowing that Tim, and her conscience, were right.  His name is Albert Holdsteadt.  He’s looking for his granddaughter, Jenny Lynn.  Her parents, both drug addicts, abandoned Jenny with Albert when she was just two years old.  He’s cared for her ever since.  He even went to court with money he didn’t really have to get legal custody of the girl.

You probed his mind, Tim whistled softly, obviously impressed.  I didn’t think you would.  As a psychic himself, he knew how emotionally difficult it could often be to probe the mind of a person desperately seeking help.  If done incorrectly, the person’s thoughts could overwhelm the psychic, causing permanent mental damage.  It was a risk only highly trained psychics took.

Mia acted as if she hadn’t heard Tim, instead continuing to relate the information she’d gleaned from the old man’s mind.  Two weeks ago, Albert went to pick up Jenny after school, the way he always does.  Only she wasn’t there and she hasn’t come home since.  He made a police report, but there are no leads.  He believes his son and daughter-in-law, Jenny’s parents, kidnapped her.  He’s afraid they’ll use her in their drug deals.  They’ve threatened to before.   She paused and swallowed hard.  Or that they’ll use Jenny to get drug money.  Maybe worse.

Though her back was still turned, Mia knew the instant Tim rose from the chair to come and stand beside her.  You know all of that and you still won’t help him?  He rested his hand gently on her shoulder, a touch that raced along her veins like fire, and made her remember things she had thought no longer mattered.

I didn’t say I wouldn’t help, she countered, knowing she sounded more than a little angry.  Mia had already made up her mind to help Albert, and she didn’t need Tim nagging her to do the right thing.  Not again.  Her time was running out anyway and really, what would be better than helping someone who couldn’t help themselves?  She had a chance to do the right thing for once and, damn it, she fully intended to do so.

Tim, however, didn’t know that.

"Just not right away.  Like always, right?  You’ll do it on your own time, when you’re ready.  You needed time to think it over, right?  Why, Mia?  At least tell me that much!  Are you so afraid to admit who and what you are?"  Tim issued the challenge, not caring about the consequences.  To emphasize his point, he crossed his arms over his chest.  

Mia tried not to, but she couldn’t help but watch how his muscles flexed, pulling against his ever-present polo shirt as he moved.  He loved those shirts and Mia loved him in them.  More than anything, she longed to run her hands over his skin, to feel those muscles bunch under her touch.  She remembered how his hot skin had slid softly against hers, how right it had felt so absolutely to be with him.  She wanted to feel safe in his arms again, like she had that night so long ago.  However, she knew if she reached out to him, he’d rebuff her and it would be no more than she deserved.

Tim, while still her friend, had a great sense of right and wrong and lived by a very specific code of honor.  It was part of the reason he and his sister, Penny, had butted heads so often.  Privately, Mia also thought Penny’s inherent desire to rebel against Tim’s rigid rules had been part of the reason the younger woman had requested to work a case with ParaFlorida a few months ago.  That case had led the younger Hawthorne sibling to find her soul mate, Hugh McKenzie, the man who was now Penny’s husband.  The quickie marriage was something Tim still hadn’t quite accepted, even though he’d visited the happy couple only last month.

No, Tim didn’t forgive easily, and Mia had hurt him badly, even if she hadn’t done it by choice.  There was a part of him that would never forgive her for what he saw as a personal betrayal.  He might be her friend and take her side when no one else would, but Tim would never be her lover again, no matter how much she might wish otherwise.

So instead of allowing her anger free reign, Mia took a deep, calming breath before talking, something she suspected Rose would have done in the same situation.  I can’t tell you why, at least not now.  We’ve been over this.  Please don’t ask me again, she said, once her thoughts were moving in an orderly direction.  It was, unfortunately, the wrong thing to say.

And I can’t tell you how sick and tired I am of that excuse! Tim huffed, his patience with her clearly running out, though Mia knew his anger wasn’t solely directed at her.  However, the gentle tone he’d used earlier was gone, his voice now infused with anger and disgust harsh enough to match Mia’s own.  "Every time you’re asked to use your abilities, you say no.  Other than with Rose and Justin, when was the last time you really let yourself be the telepath I know you are?  When was the last time you allowed your humanity to show, Mia?"

His words had the intended effect, and she blanched as if physically hit.  Tim spun away from the window to pace her office, unable and unwilling to see her in pain, especially when he knew that he had been the cause.  The last thing he wanted was to hurt Mia, at least intentionally, but sometimes he simply didn’t know how to make her feel anything at all.  At least when she was hurt and angry, she showed some emotion, proved she was human.  Otherwise, it was as if Mia was an android – something that looked human, but lacked real and true emotion.

When she didn’t say anything, Tim pressed on, hoping to somehow reach the warm, giving woman he knew was somewhere inside of her.  "I know what you can do, Mia!  You’re the most powerful telepath I know, and what do you do what that skill?  Nothing!  Absolutely nothing!  You won’t help that old man out there, knowing full well that his granddaughter could be sold into prostitution!  I don’t even have to use my abilities to know that!"

Mia didn’t need to use her abilities, either, to feel the anger and frustration radiating from Tim in waves, his pain raw, and shimmering near the surface of his mind.  Some of it, more than she’d like, was directed at her and not his sister.  There was no way she could avoid dealing with Albert; Tim was right.  She was also tired of fighting and giving in seemed to be the only way to end their argument.  She really did want to help and she was disgusted with herself for not being braver.  In short, she was a coward and had been for as long as she could remember.

Could she really live the rest of her life this way, denying what she was?  However long that life might be?  Did it even matter anymore, since The Order had found her?  Mia didn’t know.  What she did know was that this situation, all of it, needed to change, because other changes were coming, whether she was ready or not.  She might as well start now, while she at least had some hope of controlling the situation and making certain GI stayed on the course she’d laid out for the organization long ago.

Decision made, she turned around, fixing her deep green gaze on Tim’s midnight blue one.  He had since stopped pacing, and matched her direct look with a piercing one of his own.  Stepping towards him, Mia kept her eyes fixed on his, willing herself to be stronger than she had ever been.  "If I do this, Tim, you have to be prepared to live with the consequences.  You have to be willing to trust me, no matter what I say, or what I do.  You might not understand what I’m doing or why, but you have to believe that I know what I’m doing.  And that I won’t allow anyone else to be hurt."  She reached up to caress his cheek, the back of her hand stroking across his rough skin.  It was as much contact as she’d allow herself, and as much as she knew he’d tolerate.  

I’ll be right there with you, Mia.  Whatever comes our way, I can handle it.  Tim’s hand snaked out to cover hers, and his voice was thick with an emotion she didn’t want to investigate.  He wasn’t as angry with her as he’d once been, which was a blessing, though Mia wasn’t completely certain he’d forgiven her, either.  She just prayed that he didn’t reciprocate her touch any more than he had.  Otherwise, with her emotional defenses down, they both might learn things neither of them really wanted to know.  Even something as simple as a hug could be her undoing.

She smiled a sad little smile, praying that she’d given Tim enough for now.  "Even if you don’t, that’s still okay.  Just pretend you do and we’ll get through it.  You also have to promise me that you’ll take care of Ghosts, Inc. and the employees here if something happens to me."  

If Tim had any idea what Mia was talking about, he didn’t let on, instead pretending as if she hadn’t added that last part. Nothing is going to happen to you, Mia.  I won’t let it.  He moved towards the door, his stride once more strong and sure.  That of a man in control.  I’ll go get Albert now.

She nodded, and without another word, Tim was gone.  Once the door clicked shut behind him, Mia leaned back against her desk and rubbed her eyes, feeling a headache begin to build.  So.  The decision had been made.  In her heart, she had known this day would come.  She just hadn’t thought, or rather hoped, it would be today.  

Mia was certain that, despite his words, Tim wasn’t truly ready to discover all of her secrets, but that couldn’t be helped either.  She would keep him in the dark and protect him as much as possible.  It was the old man who mattered now.  If she ended up returning to The Order, well, that would be the hand she was dealt.  She would accept it and move on.  Tim would have to as well. 

Right now, Albert Holdsteadt and his granddaughter needed her unique brand of help and for once, those greater needs had to take precedence over Mia’s own wants and desires.  Normally, no matter how much Tim pressured her, Mia would have refused to help Albert.  This time, however, that wasn’t an option.  It never really had been, no matter what she’d said earlier.

When probing Albert’s mind yesterday, Mia had glimpsed an image of a middle-aged man with thick, sandy-blonde hair, a high forehead, and piercing green eyes identical to hers, hidden behind wire-rimmed glasses.  The face was as familiar to her as her own.  It was the one that haunted her nightmares and, in some cases, even her dreams.

It was her uncle, Quinn Lyles, the man who had kidnapped Mia when she was only sixteen and taken her to Europe, away from her family and everything she’d ever known.  If Quinn knew where Mia was, and she had no doubt that he did, then her life was forfeit anyway.  She might as well do some good while she was still able.

She would also make sure that this time, she told Tim goodbye.

Chapter Two

You don’t know how much I appreciate this.  Albert Holdsteadt had said that same, or similar, phrase to Tim at least five times as they made their way to Mia’s office.  Tim merely smiled at the man, fighting to keep his own mental balance.

At first, Albert had been afraid when Tim had approached him as he argued with Chessie DeKay, GI’s receptionist in the lobby.  Albert had insisted that he would only speak directly to Mia, unwilling to even allow Tim to escort him to Mia’s office.  When Tim had explained that Mia had sent him to find Albert, that Mia had sensed Albert needed help to find Jenny Lynn, the old man had immediately agreed, his argumentative nature disappearing as if it had never been.  Now, he followed close on Tim’s heels as they walked through the old building, the sounds of construction and repair filling the air, as Mia made good use of the Alternate Reality Channel’s money. 

As a psychic and empath, it was difficult for Tim to be around Albert, and not feel at least some of what the old man felt.  Normally, Tim’s mental defenses were much stronger, but for some reason, everything about Albert was throwing him off.  It was as if Albert’s fears and feelings were striking physical blows against Tim’s body, which was preposterous.  Still, something was affecting Tim; he refused to consider that it might be Mia.

In an attempt to shore up his mental shields, as he referred to them, Tim concentrated on the building’s architecture, rather than the man beside him.  He allowed himself to focus on the decorative tin ceiling and ornate, hand-carved marble support columns that dotted the open-air first floor as they arched gracefully upward toward the Mezzanine.  The plush carpet was new, but it blended nicely with the original dark oak wood that was found throughout the building.  Since at least part of the new reality television series featuring the GI investigators would be shot in the building, the area needed to be not only safe, but every nook and cranny needed to look as elegant as they once had.

As Tim and Albert rode the elevator up to the third floor, Tim took the time to appreciate the hand carved elevator doors, as well as the gold leaf and filigree that seemed to be everywhere, including much of the third floor where the general investigative offices were located.  Mia had put a lot of money into restoring the building when she’d first started GI, and now, with the television contract from AR for their own show finally signed, there would be more than enough to finish the restoration.  And then some.

Mental defenses now firmly in place after focusing on the architecture for a bit, Tim ushered Albert off the elevator and through the maze of cubicles into Mia’s glass-walled office.  They received a few odd stares, including one from Kendra Huntwell, an investigator who specialized in working with Undesirables, or those whose psychic abilities were malfunctioning.  However, since this was a paranormal investigation agency, the staff was more or less used to the unexpected.  On the other hand, this visitor apparently had business with the boss, and that made it gossip worthy.  Tim was sure that by the time they were done, news of Albert’s visit would have spread to every person in the GI offices and some that weren’t.

Stepping into Mia’s office, Tim was once again hit by a shot of pure, unadulterated lust – something he had tried to ignore ever since they had both been eight years old, and he had learned the difference between boys and girls.  Even though Tim had only seen Mia moments ago, each time he laid eyes on her, was like the first time they had met all over again.  Not good.  He refused to act like a lovesick schoolboy.  Especially over a woman who didn’t like him all that much.

Today, Mia was understated elegance in a pair of black pants and a white turtleneck sweater.  A platinum and emerald heart, a gift from him two Christmases ago, hung around her neck, and was the only jewelry she wore, other than her ever-present gold watch.  Since Mia was fairly short, she also wore high-heeled black boots to make herself appear taller.  Necessary, she always said, because it helped her reach eye level with clients and employees alike.

Mia took a deep breath, and Tim had to remind himself not to stare, as her chest rose and fell, accentuating her breasts.  Her curling, raven black hair was soft to the touch, and felt amazing when it cascaded over her shoulders and onto his chest.  Or at least it used to.  There was a time when he had known the pleasures of her body, but not any more.  Not after that summer she had disappeared without a word, and everything had gone so very wrong.  Forcing his mind back to business, he gestured for Albert to take one of the leather chairs.  Once he did, Tim took the other.  For a moment, he thought Mia might change her mind.  He was both relieved and proud when she didn’t.

Mr. Holdsteadt, I know why you’re here.  Mia began without preamble, all business, her voice cool but not unfriendly.  There was a remoteness about her that Tim hadn’t seen in a very long time, not since she’d returned from Europe all those years ago.  I’m sorry I wasn’t here earlier, but I only just returned to town and sensed you downstairs.  That, Tim knew, was a lie, but he let it slide.  Albert didn’t need to know about Mia’s earlier refusal to help.  The old man was hurting enough as it was.

"I’m just glad you