Chapter 25

25

“We have to go,”Shaun said the moment he ended the call with Imogen. “It’s Harlow. She’s in trouble.”

“What does that mean?” Cash demanded, already heading toward his Jeep. When they hadn’t found Harlow and Imogen at the brewery, they’d gone to their house and found it empty. Harlow’s Subaru was there, but the Mustang was gone. With no other leads, they’d gone downtown and started asking around to see if anyone had seen them. The answer had been a universal no.

“If I’m understanding Imogen’s code correctly, she thinks that Harlow has been possessed,” Shaun said.

Cash stopped dead in his tracks and turned to his brother. “Why would she think that? Harlow’s never been possessed before. We’re talking about the most powerful medium any of us have ever met.”

“Whoa!” Shaun raised both hands. “I don’t know anything other than Imogen was talking in code and said Harlow is in trouble. I don’t have any other answers.”

Cash stared at him for a long moment and then abruptly turned and quickened his pace to the Jeep. Once they were both in the vehicle, Cash slammed it into gear and looked at his brother. “Where is she?”

Shaun relayed the details of their location and held on as Cash did a quick U-turn right in front of another vehicle. The noise from the horn pierced the air, making Cash’s ears ring, but he ignored it. His only focus was finding Harlow and making sure she was safe.

Once they sped out of town, Cash turned to his brother. “Tell me about this code. How do you know Imogen was trying to say Harlow was in trouble?”

“Oh, that.” Shaun rubbed a hand down his face, looking grim. “The reason I haven’t told you about my relationship with Imogen is because we started out as friends.”

Cash gave him a confused look. “Of course you started out as friends. You’ve known each other for years.”

“I know, but not like this.” Shaun stared straight ahead and then continued talking. “After you and Harlow broke up, it felt to me like all of your lives had imploded. You and Harlow weren’t talking. Harlow and Imogen were barely talking. You weren’t talking to me and even though I wasn’t a part of any of it, I just had a feeling that someone needed to reach out to Imogen to make sure she was okay. I don’t know why exactly, I just did. So I called her.”

“And?” Cash asked.

“And we became friends. Imogen almost never talked about the possession. She never gave details, and I didn’t press her. But she did sometimes express worry about it happening again someday. I wasn’t sure what to say about that. I did some research on spirit possession, but it seems like every case was different. The factors seemed to be how powerful the spirit was and if the person possessed had any magical ability and what kind.”

“Okay, Shaun. Get to the point. How did you know that Imogen was speaking in code?” Cash asked impatiently.

“I read somewhere that sometimes the possessed could break the hold a spirit had on them and communicate with others. Imogen was skeptical because she said Crazy Cora always shut her down any time she tried to communicate to Harlow what was going on. So I told her to speak in code and made a silly comment about making banana pudding the code word. She laughed and said that while she and Harlow loved banana pudding, their grandmother never made it because she hated it with a passion. From there, it turned into a conversation about where to find the best banana pudding, and we never talked about it again.”

“You’re telling me that Imogen said something about banana pudding today? Wouldn’t that imply that she’s the one possessed?” Cash asked, eyeing his brother briefly as he sped down the curvy road.

“It could, but she was clear that it was Harlow that liked the pudding. I’m pretty sure that means Harlow is the one in trouble, and Imogen didn’t want to tip the spirit off that she knew.”

“That’s a pretty good leap,” Cash said, unable to even contemplate the idea that Harlow might be possessed by a ghost. She was far too strong and always had been. But it was true that she’d almost lost to Crazy Cora while exorcising her from Imogen the year before. If she was possessed it had to be Crazy Cora. No other ghost had come close to that much power. But why? And what was her obsession with the Thane sisters?

Cash’s head started to ache from worry, and he pushed the Jeep to the limits, doing everything in his power to get to the woman he loved.

After driving for what seemed like forever down a deserted road, Shaun finally pointed and said, “There!”

Cash’s heart was in this throat when he spotted Imogen standing on the side of the road, waving wildly. He slammed on the brakes and stopped right next to her. Before either of them could say anything, Imogen yanked the back door open and hopped in.

“It’s the house at the top of the hill. Go,” Imogen ordered.

Shaun spun in his seat as Cash turned up the steep road. “What happened?”

“We were taking the Mustang for a spin before lunch, and it broke down here. Neither of us had cell service, so we hiked up to the house to see if they had a phone. No one was there, so I magicked my way in. The moment we were inside the house, Crazy Cora attacked. Harlow saved me from being possessed again, but she ended up taking my place instead. Now we need to save her.”

“You’re sure she’s possessed?” Cash asked, knowing that sometimes it wasn’t easy to tell depending on how the spirit handled themselves.

“I’m positive. Harlow isn’t herself at all. Cash, she needs you.”

The moment Cash pulled the Jeep to a stop in front of the house, he bolted from the driver’s seat and grabbed his pack from the cargo area. Shaun was waiting for him a few feet away, but Imogen was nowhere to be seen.

“Imogen?” he called.

“I’m going for help. Take care of Harlow until I get back,” Imogen called from the driver’s seat and then sped away.

Cash stared at Shaun with a look of disbelief. “Do we still believe it’s Harlow who’s possessed?”

Shaun looked shaken. But then he steeled himself and said, “Yes, but there’s only one way to find out.”

The pair of them turned to the house. Cash handed Shaun a bag of salt and said, “Pour this around the house. A nice thick layer. It will keep the spirit trapped in the house while I deal with it.”

“Okay. I’ll be in to help as soon as it’s done,” Shaun said, taking the salt.

“No.” Cash shook his head. “Stay out here. I’ll come get you when I’m sure it’s safe.”

“Cash, I’m not just going to leave you alone to deal with a crazy spirit,” Shaun insisted.

“You can and you will,” Cash said, his tone final. Then he softened it and said, “Trust me, Shaun.”

His brother shook his head, clearly wanting to argue, but when he met Cash’s worried gaze, he relented. “Okay, but just know that if things get too bad, I’m not just going to stand around and wait for her to destroy you. You’re the only family I’ve got.”

“Understood.” Cash gave him a quick hug and then ran into the house. He found Harlow lying across an oversize chair, her feet dangling over the armrest while she read some gossip magazine. The place was a mess with debris everywhere, glass and ceramic shards on the floor from picture frames and at least one lamp. “Harlow?”

“Cash, finally,” she said, breathing out a sigh of relief. She uncurled from her position on the chair and stood gracefully, her chest lifted and her back arched, causing her booty to stick out further. “I was wondering what was taking you so long.” She strolled over to him, her body movements exaggerated in a seductive manner.

Cash had never seen Harlow move like that, ever. She was athletic and graceful and one hundred percent authentic. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that Shaun had been correct. Harlow had been possessed. He glanced around at the destruction. “Imogen said you were cleaning up in here.”

She waved an unconcerned hand. “We can hire someone to do that. Let’s just get out of here.” Cora walked up to Cash and placed her hand on his chest. She looked up at him through lowered lashes and in a seductive voice said, “I have plans for you.”

“Oh, yeah?” Cash said, trying to match her tone as he lightly wrapped his fingers around her wrist. “And what would that be exactly?”

Cora stared at his lips and then raked her gaze down his body.

The attention made his skin crawl. Even though she looked like Harlow, there was nothing about this person that embodied her.

“Let’s just say that by the time I’m through with you, life will never be the same.”

“I could say the same to you.” He tightened his grip on her wrist and spun her around so that her arm was yanked up behind her and her back was to his chest. After wrapping his free arm around her neck in a chokehold, he whispered, “You can’t fool me, Cora. Did you really think I wouldn’t know?”

She let out a bark of laughter. “You’re smarter than you look.”

He rolled his eyes. When it came to villains, she was such a cliché. “Get ready to burn in hell.”

“How are you going to send me there?” she asked conversationally as if she weren’t trapped in his vicelike grip.

“Telling you would ruin the surprise,” he grunted and then shoved her away just as he reached for his iron chain and lashed out. Before it could wrap around her, she sent a spark of magic toward it, but she missed. The chain wrapped around her, trapping her in place. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

She scowled at him. “Now what? You and I both know you need Harlow to help you expel me. Since I have control over her, that’s not going to happen. The only way to get rid of me is to kill me. And if you do that, no more Harlow. What’s it gonna be, Cash? A life with a shell of your former love or no love at all?”

Cash itched to ring her neck, but she had a point. Anything he did to her would only hurt Harlow, and there was no way he’d ever do that.

“Exploit her weakness, Cash!” Cora shouted and then quickly clamped her mouth shut. Her face nearly turned purple with rage.

Ahh, that was Harlow. He’d know her anywhere and that meant she still had some autonomy. More than Imogen had when she was possessed. It strengthened his resolve to send Cora to hell where she belonged. If only Harlow had given him a hint as to what her weakness actually might be.

“I’m not weak,” Cora said in an icy tone that sent a chill down Cash’s spine. “In fact, I’m stronger than ever.” She lifted one hand and touched the iron chain. Closing her eyes, she seemed to focus her will. Then without warning, smoke started to rise from where the chain was encircling her.

“What are you going to do, Cora? Go up in flames just to free yourself from the iron?”

“If I have to,” she snarled.

“You’ll kill yourself if you do that,” he said with more confidence than he could currently muster. His worry for Harlow was at an all-time high. He knew just how crazy the spirit was, and if she chose to have a showdown with him, she was probably insane enough to risk losing Harlow’s body just to win this battle.

“So? I won’t be any worse off than I was an hour ago. Besides, that will just make it easier to claim Imogen. Harlow won’t be around to stop it.”

“But I will!” Cash yelled. “And so will my brother. If you think you’re getting through us, think again.”

“It’s working right now.” Harlow’s clothes burst into flames, and Cash immediately released her and then tackled her to the floor to put out the fire. By the time the flames were extinguished, Cora was on her feet, cackling and heading for the door.

“Stop!” Cash demanded. “What do you want from me?”

She turned and slowly raised one eyebrow. “What makes you think I want something from you?”

“If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have waited around for me to arrive. You had to know what a risk that would be.”

She nodded. “That’s fair. Okay, there is something I want. And if you want Harlow to survive, you’re going to give it to me.”

“What’s that?”

“Harlow’s life. Hollywood. The money. The fame. I want it all. Get me a contract, and I’ll keep your precious Harlow safe until I’m done with this body.”

Cash felt ill. “And how long will that be?”

“Right about the time her star burns out in Hollywood. By then, I’ll be ready for a new and improved body.”

“Fame and fortune? That’s it? You want the spotlight?” he reiterated. “And in a few years, when Harlow’s body isn’t considered young enough anymore, you’ll move on?”

“Yeah,” she said, sounding pleased with herself. “You’ve got it now. I deserve to be running with the elite. It’s in my bloodline.”

Cash raised his eyebrows. “Were you royalty in your past life or something?”

Her lips formed a tight line. “Something like that.”

“A lady in waiting?”

Her nostrils flared.

Cash had to fight to keep a self-satisfied smile off his face. That was it. He’d found her weakness. Thank you, Harlow. This woman would always be insecure, and this entire horrific event fed off her belief that she deserved better in life. “Let me guess, a certain king kept you as his side piece for years but married someone else?”

“Royalty has its own rules,” she said tightly.

“You were a commoner and weren’t good enough for him?” Cash guessed.

“No! I was titled. A lady, I’ll have you know. There was no reason why he couldn’t have married me. I’d have made a much better queen than that wet noodle of a woman. And I’d be the one in the history books as the one everyone adored. Not her.”

Cash had no idea who she was talking about. He didn’t even care. All he knew was that no one would have adored this selfish, trash human. But he was breaking her down. He could almost see her coming apart at the seams. “You think whatever deal I get for you will turn you into a star?”

“Yes,” she said confidently.

“You do realize they’ll want us both, right? The draw is our relationship, not necessarily our ghost-hunting skills.”

“Hmm, I guess that’s not a surprise, considering neither of you could banish me,” she said with an air of pride.

“Are you prepared to be my lover for the next however many years? After all this time, there’s no faking it for the cameras. The public will see right through that.”

“Oh, now we’re talking.” She scanned his body and looked nearly feral doing it. “I could get used to a gorgeous piece of meat like you. This isn’t scaring me off. It’s sweetening the deal, Cash Moses.”

Cash’s stomach turned, but he had to see this through to the end. He reached up and pressed a palm to her cheek with one hand and pulled her into him with the other.

She caught her breath, waiting in anticipation.

He growled and then buried his hand in her hair and yanked it as hard as he could, bending her backward. “You’ll never know my touch, you vapid piece of trash! No wonder your king wouldn’t marry you. You’re worthless. Definitely not crown material.”

Her lips twisted into a snarl, and then three things happened at once. Cash yanked her back up onto her feet and spun her around so that she was facing away from him, just as Harlow’s voice broke free, yelling, “Libetas!”

Meanwhile, the front door burst open and Imogen, Miranda Moon, and two other witches he didn’t know filed in. All of them were holding white pillar candles and chanting something in Latin that Cash couldn’t decipher.

When he turned back to Harlow, he saw her kneeling on the floor, gasping for air. And right in front of her was the outline of a spirit that he knew had to be Cora.

The witches that surrounded them chanted louder and louder and louder until the lights flickered in the house. Cora’s outline rose into the middle of the circle, and suddenly she started screaming so loud Cash almost believed she might be a banshee.

And then suddenly, the spirit burst into a million pieces and faded into nothing.

“She’s gone,” Harlow said in a trembling voice. “For good.”

Cash stumbled toward her, wrapping her in his arms as everyone else started to talk at once.