Chapter 3

3

What in the hell was I doing, Harlow thought as she sped away from downtown. Away from Cash Moses.

She’d let him get in her head. She’d enjoyed spending time with him too much. Hell, she’d even kissed him.

That was not in the plan.

The evening had just felt so familiar. She and Cash fending off zealous spirits together had been such a part of the life they’d shared for ten years that when they’d needed to, stepping right back into those rolls had been second-nature. And the only time in the past year when she’d actually felt like her old self.

She shook her head, trying to dislodge those thoughts. There was a reason she’d walked away from ghost hunting and Cash. The former was too dangerous, and the latter was far too tempting. Both would invite trouble.

Trouble she didn’t need.

She’d made a promise to her sister, and she intended to keep it. That was why she’d remained closed off for the past three months every time he’d walked into Equinox. She hadn’t done more than ask what he wanted to drink and hand him a check. Well, that and refuse to be his ghost-hunting partner again.

Her phone started to ring through the speakers of the car, playing Grounded by Silver Scars, the band that Levi Kelley had formed with a friend of his.

I knew it was time to leave it all behind

The leaves are fallin’

I can’t shake your words from my mind

And now you’re callin’

Telling me I take too many risks

That all you need is for me to be grounded

Harlow didn’t needto look at the screen to know who was calling. She hit the Accept button on her steering wheel and said, “Hey, sis. Happy solstice.”

“You know I don’t celebrate,” Imogen said.

“Okay.” Harlow kept her tone light, knowing that if she showed any hint of irritation at her sister that she’d hang up and it would be months before she heard from her again. “What’s up? Anything exciting?”

“Not exciting, no,” Imogen said, sounding glum.

“What’s wrong?” Harlow asked. There was something about her sister’s resigned tone that had dread building up in her gut.

“Did you ever find a bigger place than that studio you’re renting?” Imogen asked hesitantly.

“Yes! As a matter of fact, I did. Just got the keys today. Two bedroom, two bath place that’s out on the edge of the redwoods. I heard there’s a waterfall not too far from the back property line, so I imagine I’ll spend a lot of time exploring once I’m settled in.”

Imogen snorted. “Once you’re settled in? I bet you’re out there tonight looking for that waterfall.”

It was the equinox, and there was no better way to do an overall cleanse than to do it outside under the moon. But Harlow didn’t take the bait. Her sister wanted nothing to do with ghosts or magic after what had happened the year before. She certainly didn’t want to hear about Harlow performing an annual cleanse. She cleared her throat. “Enough about me. I want to hear about you. What’s got you sounding so deflated?”

“I hate that you know me so well,” Imogen said, sounding a little annoyed.

Harlow chuckled softly. “I’m sorry. Should I not have asked?”

“No, that’s not… Ugh. I lost my job.”

“What? Why?” Harlow pulled into the long driveway of her garage apartment rental and cut the engine of her Subaru.

“It’s nothing I did,” Imogen rushed out. “The family is selling out to a big winery, and they already have staff to handle the weddings, so I’ve been downsized, I guess.” There was a tremble in her voice, and Harlow knew she was barely keeping it together.

“I’m so sorry, sis. Is there anything I can do?”

“Like what? Ask a ghost to see if there are any openings?” she asked sarcastically. “No thanks.”

Harlow ground her teeth together. Her sister had been itching for a fight for months. So far, Harlow had managed to head her off every time, but after dealing with two rogue ghosts and letting her guard down for Cash, she just didn’t have it in her to take the high road this time. “That’s not fair, Imogen, and you know it. I gave all that up over a year ago.”

“That’s temporary, and we both know it,” Imogen snapped.

Anger coiled in Harlow’s gut and seemed to crawl up her throat until her face heated. “I don’t know what you want from me, Imogen. I gave up my entire life last year for you, including Cash.” Her voice broke, and she silently cursed herself for showing her sister any emotion when it came to Cash Moses.

“I never asked you to do that, Harlow,” Imogen said fiercely. “So don’t blame me for your failed relationship.”

Her sister’s words stabbed her right in the chest because it was true. Imogen hadn’t wanted her to leave Cash, but she’d had to. When she’d promised her sister she’d leave ghost hunting behind, there hadn’t been any choice. If she’d stayed with Cash, she’d be right back where she was before. Right back where she was just an hour earlier. She and Cash had spent so many years fighting ghosts that it just seemed to be something they couldn’t walk away from even if they wanted to. Not when they were together. So even though Imogen hadn’t explicitly asked her to leave Cash, she had indirectly, because there was no relationship with Cash without ghosts haunting them. She’d never say it, but the truth was Harlow had given it all up for Imogen. But despite that, her only living relative and the person she loved most in the world still resented her. Harlow steeled herself and said, “I don’t blame you. I’ve made my own choices, and that’s on me. Listen, I’m sorry you lost your job. When’s your last day?”

There was a long pause, and then Imogen said, “Six weeks ago.”

Harlow leaned back in the seat, taking in the information. Her sister had been out of work for weeks and had just now decided to tell her? “I see.”

“Don’t be like that,” Imogen demanded, getting some of her fire back. “I didn’t tell you because I was hoping to have a new job lined up before I gave you the news. You know, so you didn’t go all big sister on me and try to fix everything.”

Harlow closed her eyes and just felt exhausted. It had been a year of this same conversation. The details changed, but the subtext was always there. In Imogen’s eyes, Harlow was the overbearing, meddling sister who didn’t trust Imogen to keep herself out of trouble. The worst part was that there was more than a grain of truth to that assessment, and no amount of Harlow trying to prove to her sister that she’d changed had worked. Imogen didn’t trust her. Not fully. And Harlow couldn’t blame her. Not after the way things went down last year. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I guess by your tone that you haven’t been successful in finding anything.”

“No.”

Harlow waited for her to continue, knowing that Imogen wouldn’t be telling her now if she’d had any other choice. “What can I do?”

“Nothing,” Imogen said automatically and then cursed softly under her breath. “I mean, there’s not really anything you can do to fix this, but since I haven’t found anything, and trust me, I’ve been looking, I’m not going to be able to afford to stay here. I was wondering if…”

Her sister’s voice trailed off, and the silence between them was deafening. Harlow refused to finish that sentence for her sister. She had no trouble believing that Imogen had gone all out looking for a new job. Her sister wasn’t one to ask for help. If she was asking now, it meant things were getting dire.

“Ugh! Did you say that house you’ve rented has a second bedroom?” Imogen finally asked.

“It does. And you know my door is always open to you,” Harlow said, both elated that her sister had come to her for help and also anxious about the idea of Imogen living with her. If she continued to fling verbal jabs at Harlow, it was going to make for a very uncomfortable living situation. But in no world would she ever refuse to help her sister, so she put on a smile and asked, “When can I expect you?”

Imogen let out a long sigh. “Tomorrow. I’ve already packed.”

“I’ll text you the address.”

“Thanks,” Imogen said, and the line went dead.

It wasn’t going to be the reunion that Harlow dreamed of, but hopefully, it would be a step in the right direction to repair their relationship.

Harlow climbed out of the vehicle, hurried up the stairs, and swept into the small apartment, ready to pack an overnight bag. But the moment she stepped into the room, all hell broke loose.

A small lamp flew across the room, barely missing her as it smashed against the wall, the ceramic base shattering into small pieces. The overhead lights flickered on and off, followed by her cabinet doors opening and her cheap box-store dishes falling out to the tile floor.

“Enjoy it while you can!” Harlow yelled as fury raced through her when she instantly recognized the rancid energy in the room. She’d last felt it just over a year ago, right after she’d expelled the spirit from her sister’s body. “Just because I can’t see you or talk to you, it doesn’t mean I can’t make your existence hell!”

The threat was likely toothless, but that didn’t mean Harlow wouldn’t try. Despite the protections she’d used to keep her apartment spirit free, it was clear that the thinning veil of the equinox had given this particular spirit far too much energy. The sage she burned nearly every day hadn’t helped and neither had the protection circle.

The couch pillows flew directly at Harlow, hitting her square in the face. At least they were just pillows, she told herself as she tried to dodge them.

“What else have you got?” Harlow taunted, hoping that the more energy the spirit used, the sooner she’d flame out and disappear until the next time she gathered enough energy to attack Harlow.

The gas stove turned on with a whoosh of flame, and then just as suddenly, the flame went out. Harlow hurried to the stove and turned the knob, shutting down the gas so that the spirit didn’t end up blowing up the apartment. Just as she turned back around, a knife whizzed past her head and lodged into the cabinet to her right.

“Oh, that’s quite enough,” Harlow called, instinctively reaching for her spike in her torn pocket. But as soon as she wrapped her fingers around the cool handle, she let it go again, knowing it would be of no use. This particular spirit seemed to be immune to her iron spike. Even though Harlow couldn’t see her, she could feel the spirit’s presence, and the last time they’d met, Harlow had staked her to the wall only to find out her magic didn’t work on this one. In fact, Harlow had barely escaped the encounter without being possessed herself, and the magic she had used to try and fend off the spirit had left her far too weak for days afterward.

Fighting this ghost had made her more than a little vulnerable. Her two main tools, her spike and the magic she used to banish ghosts, were completely useless. Instead, she reached for the salt and a sage stick she’d left on the counter, praying they would help at least slow her down.

As Harlow’s hand tightened around the salt, the container was nearly yanked out of her grasp by the spirit. Harlow tightened her hold and then flung a substantial amount of salt in the spirit’s direction.

The effect was immediate. The energy ball took a significant hit, and the lights stopped flickering.

Harlow advanced, making a salt circle around the energy ball. It still pulsed with activity, but the shenanigans ceased altogether.

“That’s it? Salt is your downfall?” she called out, but she knew in her gut that wasn’t quite right. Hadn’t she used a salt circle the last time she’d battled the spirit? The only thing that had expelled the spirit was using her own magic to shield herself and then waiting until the spirit ran out of energy and faded back into the shadow world. The fact that Harlow could contain her in a circle this time was a new development. But why? What was the difference this time?

She didn’t know and didn’t really want to wait to find out.

Harlow hurried over to the dresser and hastily shoved enough clothes to last a few days into a bag. Then, after checking on the spirit to make sure she was still contained, she ran into the bathroom to collect her toiletries. The last thing she grabbed on her way out was a cigar box she kept in a drawer in the kitchen.

With one last look back at the spirit, Harlow closed the door on the mess and ran back to her Subaru. Once she was strapped in and racing down the road, she noticed her shaking hands.

She let out a long, slow breath and had an intense urge to call Cash. He’d been right; she shouldn’t have spent the night alone. Not when the veil to the afterlife was so thin. One phone call was all it would take, and he’d be there. She knew that without a doubt. Still, she dismissed the thought. Now that the spirit was contained, at least for the moment, it wasn’t likely she’d have the strength to find Harlow at her new place that night. By then the veil would have strengthened, and it was likely the spirit would have a much harder time getting through her defenses. Especially if she laid a thick salt circle around her new home.

Satisfied with her decision, Harlow forced herself to loosen her grip on the steering wheel as she rolled her shoulders, trying to let go of some of the tension.

This was not the way she’d planned to celebrate the equinox.