Rescue (Ransom Book 5) Read online

  “Is she still in Detroit?”

  Haylee nods. “Yeah. I send her money, of course, but…” She shrugs. “She doesn’t really do much these days. Turns out she was more interested in trying to find me a career than finding one of her own.”

  I try to choose my words carefully. This is obviously a touchy subject for her, no matter how casual and unconcerned she tries to keep her tone. “A lot of people think that about my dad. That he’s just demanding and constantly driving us for his own sake. They don’t see how much he cares about all of us—”

  “Then your dad is nothing like my mom.” Her voice is tight, but she offers me a quick, small smile. “Change the subject?”

  “I… Sure.”

  I catch sight of Paige down the hallway, waving at us. “Ready for some lunch?” she calls.

  “How much you wanna bet she makes us eat haggis?” I ask Haylee in an undertone. She smirks and starts off down the hall. “Come on, Ransome,” she calls over her shoulder. “Don’t be a chicken.”

  As I follow her I pass by one of those carnival mirrors, the kind that stretches out your face to the edges of the glass. I catch sight of myself as I pass, and I have the feeling my smile would have been that huge regardless of the mirror.

  ***

  Paige doesn’t make anyone eat haggis. Instead she finds us a comfortable restaurant just off the Royal Mile where we eat fish and chips washed down by ice-cold hard cider. It’s one of the nicer lunches I’ve had in a while. Haylee sits on the other side of the table, a few seats down, and while I would have liked the chance to talk to her more, I can’t complain given my view of her. Even better, though, is my brothers’ moods. Everyone enjoyed World of Illusions, as Paige knew we would, and conversation flows freely between the two bands as we eat. Cash and Daltrey tell the others about some of Paige’s more off-the-wall destinations on previous tours, and they, in turn, tell us familiar horror stories of traveling by van to dive bar after dive bar. There’s a lot of laughing around that table.

  And no one looks at me strangely. That’s the best part. I don’t say much, happy to sit back and follow the conversations around me, and no one seems to think it’s weird. No one seems to think they should be worried about me. It’s almost like things are normal.

  I kind of wish lunch would never end.

  Paige’s next stop is a tour of a local whiskey museum. “I picked this just for you, Cash,” she tells him sweetly as he slings an arm around her shoulder. “So be nice about my outings, or next time I might not be so considerate.”

  “You really straddle that line between sweet and terrifying, Paige, did you know that?”

  She nods seriously “It’s one of my gifts.”

  The whiskey museum turns out to be a hit with everyone. The guide teaches us about the different whiskey regions in Scotland. “The Islay region produces a whiskey that is much more peaty than its compatriots,” he explains, handing out a chunk of peat moss for us to pass around and smell. “In contrast, you’ll see that whiskies from the Lowlands have much fruitier notes.”

  “Now I’m always going to be picking up notes of dirt in my whiskey,” I hear Layla mutter as she passes the moss off to Haylee.

  “Like your whiskey ever sits in a glass long enough for you to pick up notes of anything,” Haylee says.

  After the lesson, they bring us to what is billed as the world’s largest collection of whiskey, where Daisy gives Cash a stern warning against touching any of the decades-old bottles of priceless liquor. The museum experience finishes with a completely cheesy, Disney-wannabe, dark boat ride through the process of brewing. There’s even a cartoon ghost narrating the ride. Daisy and Paige giggle at the ridiculousness, but Daltrey and Cash both declare the whiskey museum totally awesome and Paige and Daisy too ignorant of good liquor to know better.

  When Paige announces dinner reservations followed by a ghost tour, our numbers start to diminish. James, Lance, and Layla all decide that they’re tired of sightseeing. “Really?” Paige asks, crestfallen. “But we’ve barely gotten started.”

  “Sweetheart,” Reed says, wrapping an arm around her. “You’ve had us going since ten this morning. Not everyone has your stamina.”

  She pouts, but it’s Daisy who gets really upset when Daltrey suggests they go back to the hotel to rest.

  “What do I need to rest for?” Daisy asks.

  “Babe, you’ve been on your feet all day.”

  She crosses her arms, a clear sign of danger. “So?” Drop it, man, I try to silently communicate to my brother. But he presses on, and I realize Daisy was right. He is an idiot. “You’re seven months pregnant,” he says, his voice just a shade too condescending. Daisy’s face reddens, another sign of danger.

  “Let’s go say goodbye to the others,” Paige says quickly, and we all scurry after her to the street. Behind us I hear Daisy start in on Dalt. “Are you under the impression my pregnancy is some kind of illness, Daltrey?” I shiver a little at the anger in her voice.

  “He should have dropped it the second she crossed her arms like that,” Reed says, and I nod.

  Out on the pavement we say goodbye to Lance, James, and Layla. I’m more than a little pleased when Haylee tells her friends she’ll stay with Dylan and the rest of us. They’re a few feet away, but I can tell even from here that James doesn’t approve. When Haylee crosses her arms, I stifle a smile. Apparently James didn’t learn from Daisy’s warning signs.

  Once Daisy and Daltrey (very red-faced and sullen) join us, we grab a quick dinner before heading for the ghost tour. “What exactly is involved in this, Paige?” Levi asks.

  “I’m not telling.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because not knowing is part of the experience.”

  “Paige is big on the experience,” Daisy murmurs to Haylee. “It’s best not to question it.”

  We meet our tour guides in front of a church on the Royal Mile. I expected silly costumes and feel a little let down when they greet us in simple, dark suits. Though one is wearing a pretty sweet looking cape. Paige has arranged for a private tour for us, so we follow the guides down the high street to the entrance to the underground vaults.

  “We’re going down there?” Cash asks, his voice a little high pitched as he looks down the stone stairway to the dark beyond.

  “Oh, don’t be a baby,” Paige says, following the guide down into the darkness.

  “Come on, Cash,” Daisy says, holding out her arm for him. “You can walk with me.”

  “Fine,” he says, taking her arm. “But I’m only doing this for your protection, you know. So you won’t get scared.”

  “Of course you are, dear,” she says, rolling her eyes at me as they head down the stairs. “After you,” I tell Haylee then follow her down. We meet the others at the bottom of the steps in a room with rock walls. It’s lit only by torches, the effect pretty creepy. The guide explains how we’re standing in a portion of the city only recently excavated. The streets and buildings below have long since been built over. As we follow him deeper into the tunnels, I can’t help but feel a little let down. The vaults are creepy and dark, but the guide mostly focuses on historical details, only occasionally mentioning reports of hauntings.

  “I thought this would be scarier,” Levi says when we emerge an hour later.

  “Just wait,” Paige says knowingly. The next part of the tour takes place in a cemetery called Greyfriars Kirkyard. The guide explains how the graveyard is famous for the story of a loyal dog who guarded his owner’s grave for years after his death. “And,” he says, his voice dropping several notches, “there’s also the matter of all the ghosts.”

  Nothing jumps out at us, there are no strange noises. But that doesn’t lessen the fear one bit. There’s something about walking through an old graveyard, in the middle of the night, listening to ghost stories, that is simply frightening. I notice as we walk farther through the headstones that our group in closing in, each of us subconsciously wanting to get closer to the ot
hers. Cash is still holding Daisy’s arm, but he seems to be clinging tighter than she is now.

  “You know what would be awesome?” Paige whispers loudly. “Playing Ghost in the Graveyard in here.”

  All of us who have played this particular game with Paige groan loudly. “What’s Ghost in the Graveyard?” Dylan asks.

  “Oooh, we’ll have to play sometime,” Paige says. “I can totally show you, it’s really—” There’s a rustling in the trees, and Paige lets out a little shriek. “What was that?”

  “Perhaps a crow,” the guide says. “Or perhaps… something else.”

  No one talks much after that. My own heart is beating much faster than I would want to admit. The guide brings us to a stone mausoleum. “Within these walls,” he whispers, and I notice everyone in the group leaning in to hear him better, “dwells the most well-documented poltergeist in the world.”

  “A poltergeist?” Cash asks, his voice decidedly squeaky.

  The guide nods. “The Mackenzie Poltergeist has been haunting visitors to this spot for decades. Many unexplained things have happened here.”

  “Like what?” Haylee asks. Is her voice shaking?

  “Many men and women will find their skin marked by this spirit,” he says. “Scratches, bruises, all unexplained. Others will feel a presence, a brush of cold air on their skin. Hands pushing their bodies. Some will hear screams. Pictures taken here have shown shadowy figures standing near our guests.”

  Daltrey immediately spins around, as if to catch sight of a shadowy figure.

  “I can allow you into the tomb,” the guide says, looking from face to face. “That is… if you aren’t too afraid.”

  “Shit,” Cash mutters, and I release a little laugh, needing to break some of the tension. Haylee looks up at me, smiling, eyes flashing.

  “Let us inside,” Paige says, her voice shushed.

  “As you wish,” the guide says, opening the wooden door to allow us entry. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  The guide gestures us through the stone doorway but doesn’t follow as we step into the silent tomb. Does the air feel colder? It’s pitch dark, no light from the moon filtering through the stone walls. When Haylee leans toward me and her hair brushes my ear, I jump a foot in the air. “How much will your brothers tease me if I admit that I’m terrified?” she whispers. Her breath on the skin of my neck makes me shiver, and I can only hope that if she notices, she’ll write it off as a symptom of the cold.

  “I won’t tell if you won’t,” I say. “Not that I’m scared or anything.”

  She laughs softly. “Sure you aren’t.”

  “I’m scared as hell,” Daltrey says from behind us, making me jump again. I had no idea he was back there. He laughs at my reaction. “You sure you aren’t?”

  “I feel something in here,” Paige says suddenly, her voice loud in the quiet. Somewhere far above there’s a fluttering of wings. “I swear I do.”

  “Like what?” Daltrey asks, his voice tight.

  Paige’s eyes grow a little larger in the darkness. “Like… a spirit.”

  “Come on, Paige,” I say, trying to tamp down the little rush of fear her words have stirred up in my chest. “You’re just being dramatic.”

  “I know what I feel,” she says, tilting her chin up in defiance.

  “What, uh, does it feel like?” Daltrey asks, and I can’t help but notice he takes a half step closer to me. I would give him shit about being so obviously freaked if I could just get my heart to stop pounding so hard.

  “It’s very… cold. I feel… it’s angry.”

  “Shut up,” Cash says. “You’re making that up.”

  “I think it wants us to go,” Paige says, grabbing Reed’s hand. “I really think we should get out of here.”

  “Fine by me,” Daltrey says, heading for the door.

  “Where’s Daisy?” I ask, looking around the dark room.

  Reed shoots Daltrey, already standing over by the door, a withering glance. “You know, your pregnant girlfriend?”

  “Dais?” Daltrey calls out. “Babe?”

  “We need to go,” Paige says, her voice panicked. “Daisy?”

  Fingers brush mine, and I clamp my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming. “Sorry,” Haylee says, slipping her hand into mine.

  “It’s okay,” I whisper back.

  “Daisy?” Paige calls again. “Oh, God, where is she?”

  “Shh,” Dylan says, holding a finger to his lips. “Do you hear that?”

  We all freeze. Sure enough, there’s a sound in here. Like something sliding across the floor. “Oh my god,” Cash says. “Shit. What is that?”

  “We need to go!” Paige cries.

  “We need Daisy!” Daltrey shoots back.

  “Oh, sure, now you’re concerned,” Levi says. “A minute ago you were halfway out the door without her.”

  “Shh!” Dylan says again. “It’s getting closer.”

  The slithering noise does sound louder. Leaves crinkle against the stone floor and—

  “Ahhhh!” Someone—or something—screams, and we all take off running to the door. Daltrey is through it first, Cash close on his heels. I run with Haylee, holding her hand. She lets out a little shriek, followed by a laugh, and suddenly I’m laughing too.

  “Why are you laughing?” Paige screams, running past me through the door. “The poltergeist is here!”

  We reach the relative safety of the graveyard beyond the tomb, and I stop running, leaning over to catch my breath, still holding Haylee’s hand. From the corner of my eye I see Cash still running past our waiting tour guide, dodging tombstones as he puts as much distance between himself and the poltergeist as possible.

  “What are you running from?”

  We all spin to see Daisy standing in the door to the tomb, grinning at us.

  “Was that you?” Daltrey cries.

  “Guess I’m not such a helpless pregnant lady after all, huh?” she asks, leaning against the doorway. “I scared the hell out of all of you!”

  “Shit,” Reed mutters, leaning on Paige.

  “You scared me!” she cries, and Daisy laughs.

  “I figured you of all people would want the full experience, Paige.”

  Paige looks like she’s trying to decide if she wants to scream or cry. Finally she lets out a long peal of laughter. “Okay, Daisy. That was pretty good.”

  “That was terrifying, Daisy,” I say.

  “Definitely,” Haylee says, laughing shakily.

  “I think Cash is still running,” Levi points out, smirking.

  “Good one, babe,” Daltrey adds, joining her in the doorway. The smile drops from her face.

  “Don’t think I didn’t see you trying to get out of there without me,” she says. “You didn’t even know I wasn’t next to you!”

  “I’m sorry,” he says, hanging his head. “You really scared me!”

  “Remember this the next time you’re acting all condescending about my pregnancy,” she says, jabbing him in the chest. “I am kick-ass and strong.”

  “You are,” he agrees, wrapping an arm around her.

  “And what are you?” she presses.

  “A giant man-child.”

  She kisses his cheek. “Don’t forget it.”

  The walk back through the cemetery is no longer so scary, now that we’re all laughing. We catch up with Cash a few hundred yards from the tomb. “I knew it was Daisy all along,” he says. “I was just trying to add to the experience for you guys.”

  “You know what, Cash?” Haylee says. “You’re kind of full of shit, aren’t you?”

  “Haylee, dear,” Levi says, grinning at her. “You’re fitting in beautifully.”

  As we make our way back to the hotel, it doesn’t escape my notice that Haylee never releases my hand.

  “This was great, Lennon,” she tells me at her door. Everyone else has made their way into their own rooms, leaving Haylee and me alone in the hallway.

  “It was, wa
sn’t it? That’s Paige for you. She has a way of taking something silly and making it fun.”

  “She’s definitely fun,” Haylee agrees. “They all are.” She pauses, her eyes falling from my face to my chest. “I think that’s what I need right now, you know?”

  “Fun?” I ask, and she nods.

  “Fun and… friends.” She meets my eyes again, and hers are wide and pleading, like she’s hoping I’ll understand something. “If you couldn’t tell the other night, I’m pretty fucked up.”

  “Haylee, you don’t have to worry about that with me.” I take a deep breath, preparing myself to unload my secret. “I’m definitely messed up myself—”

  She holds up a hand. “Let me finish, okay? I’m pretty fucked up, Lennon, about a lot of things. And probably the last thing I need right now is some big, emotional attachment.”

  My throat feels dry. What she’s saying makes sense—it’s what Reed has been telling me since that morning in Newcastle. So why does it hurt so much to hear it from her?

  “I like you, Len,” she says, her voice softer. “I think we could be really good friends.” She pauses, searching my face. God, she’s so beautiful. “Is that okay with you?”

  “Of course it is,” I say without thinking, even though it isn’t. I don’t know exactly what I want from Haylee Hunt, but it sure as hell isn’t friendship.

  But then she smiles at me, and there’s no more worry or fear on her face. She doesn’t even look tired anymore. “Thank you. I think that will be… that will be really good for me, Lennon. Having you as a friend.”

  How in the hell am I supposed to argue with that? When she leans up to hug me, I hug her back, trying not to think about how great she feels in my arms. Trying not to notice that amazing smell that still clings to her hair.

  “So,” she says, pulling back. “I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

  “Absolutely.” My voice sounds strangely husky, but I smile, hoping she won’t notice.

  “Great. Thanks, Len.”

  “No problem, Haylee.”

  She gives me one last grin before disappearing behind her door, leaving me to wonder how it’s possible to feel so good and so awful at the same time.