Haunted Book 2

CADE

NO!

The seams of my field of view—of Raven’s kitchen, and Willy, and Grace’s cold, dead body at my feet—began to come undone.

I felt myself uprooted from the future, thrust back into the present.

Staring into Grace’s soft, green eyes, which watched me with concern. “Cade? Are you alright?”

I took a step back, stumbling over my own feet. “I’m—I’m fine,” I stuttered. “I really need to get going.”

And then I ran from her.

Ran to the safety of my car. I needed seclusion, a secure place to implode…

Sliding the gloves back onto my exposed flesh, I buried my face in my hands to stifle my sobbing screams.

I have to tell Raven.

Willy is going to kill Grace.

And there’s nothing we can do but wait for it to happen…

I hit the steering wheel with my fists—

Knock. Knock. Knock. I heard on the window.

Someone was peering into the passenger-side window of my car, watching me.

“Yo. Mr. Mysterious! You good in there?”

Cassie Ramirez tapped her fingernails against the glass.

What. The. Hell.

What does SHE want?

“Go away.”

She stared at me for a moment, considering it.

And then the passenger door opened, and she slid into the seat beside me.

“What are you doing?” I demanded. “Get out of my car.”

Cassie slammed the door shut, turning to look at me. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I don’t know how they do things wherever you’re from—”

“Dallas.”

“—but getting into a stranger’s car without asking first is not normal.”

She leaned back in the seat, smirking. “Well then, fine. I’m not normal. So what’s with the mental break?”

“None of your business.” I turned to glare out of the window so that she couldn’t see my face. “And it wasn’t a mental break.”

“I don’t know. I was up on my roof. Got a front-row seat for that shit. And it looked like you were freaking out.”

I am freaking out.

“Why do you care?” I demanded, whipping around to look at her again.

Cassie shrugged her shoulders. “I just do.”

This Cassie chick was easily becoming one of the most frustrating people I’d ever met.

As I stared into her dark eyes, which beheld mine with fascination, I realized she wasn’t going to drop it.

That wasn’t her style.

I’d noticed when I was reading her earlier—or attempting to—that she rarely broke eye contact.

Her gaze was intense.

Relentless.

And so was she.

“Fine,” I conceded. “I just…”

I searched for some nonsense to feed her—a fake story to get her off of my tail, anything. But there was something about Cassie that made me think she could sniff out the bullshit.

Like me.

“I have to tell someone something. Something that will…” I searched for the right word.

What would it do to Raven? “Destroy them,” I said finally. “And I don’t know how to do it.”

Cassie’s eyes flickered back to Raven’s house—to her bedroom window, and I could tell she was deep in thought.

“Tell her the truth. Anything less is just noise. A waste of time.”

“It’s not that simple,” I replied. “This person—”

“Raven,” she said plainly.

“—has already been through so much. And I think she was finally starting to be happy again. And now…”

“Look—Cade, right?” Cassie said, leaning closer to me. I instinctively inched backward, trying to put a safe distance between us.

There wasn’t exactly anywhere to go.

“Yeah.”

“Cade, I’m gonna tell you something. And, trust me, this is going to change your life,” Cassie told me.

“People don’t like being lied to. End. Of. Story. So, if you know something, or you did something, or whatever…just get that shit out, man.”

Says the phony fortune-teller.

“If your girlfriend finds out that you’ve been holding out on her,” she continued, “even if you think you’re protecting her, or whatnot, homegirl’s gonna be pissed. Alright?”

I didn’t respond.

“Hey, chico,” Cassie said, nudging my shoulder. “You hear me, Edgar?”

I flinched under her touch, jerking away from her. “Edgar? Who’s Edgar?”

Cassie’s lips twitched in a muted smile. “Short for Edgar Allan Poe.”

I stared at her.

“You know, the guy who wrote all of those really depressing, messed-up stories? He’s a sad boy… ~You’re~ a sad boy…”

“I don’t get it.”

Cassie let out an exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes. “You really need to educate yourself on your own culture, Sad Boy.”

“Can you just please get out of my car?” I asked finally.

“Fine. You do you, Edgar,” Cassie replied, reaching for the door handle. “And hey, take my advice. If you can’t tell her the truth, then maybe you shouldn’t be in a relationship with her in the first place.”

“You don’t know anything about my relationship,” I snapped back.

Cassie held up her hands in resignation. “Alright, alright. Sorry I said anything.”

She climbed out of the car and walked back across the yard to her house. I sat alone for a moment, mulling over her words.

It was hard to take anything she said seriously considering Cassie was a first-class con artist.

And yet, her words oddly resonated with me.

I knew she was right.

Raven deserved the truth.

Even if it would shatter her entire world.

RAVEN

“Sweet Jesus, what happened to you?” Randy snickered, materializing at the end of my bed.

I was lying with my arms crossed, staring at the ceiling, trying to expunge Grace’s cringeworthy speech from my head.

So far, unsuccessful.

Randy floated through the bed, hovering above it to lie beside me, folding his arms behind his head.

“Grace.”

“And?”

“Cade.”

“Let me guess—she caught you and Lover Boy bumping nasties?”

“What? No!” I sat up suddenly, rolling my eyes. “So, did you find out anything at the crime scene?” I asked, changing the subject.

“Oh, that…” Randy replied, sounding bored. “Nope. Nada. The ghosts said Willy just magically got out of his restraints and murdered the hell outta them.”

“The cops don’t have any leads on where he might have gone?” I asked.

“Nope. They’re pretty useless, as usual.”

Randy sat up, moving to float over to the window. He peered out of it, then glanced back at me. “Seriously, Raven, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” I lied.

Grace just gave me the sex talk.

After catching Cade and me…well, whatever.

“I can tell when you’re upset,” Randy replied earnestly. “So just tell me.”

He glanced back out the window. “Is it something to do with Cade? Who’s the girl in his car?”

“Excuse me, what?”

“The girl. Dark hair. Witchy vibes. They’re out front.”

Tell me it’s not her…

I practically sprinted to the window, feeling my blood begin to boil.

Sure enough, there they were.

Cassie and Cade.

Cade and Cassie.

In the middle of some intense-looking conversation.

What are they talking about?

And more importantly…

WHAT is she doing in his car?

“Maybe they…have a class together?” Randy suggested. “Who is she, anyway?”

“Cassie Ramirez. My new neighbor.” I scowled.

“There’s something…weird about her,” Randy said, his brow furrowed. “I can’t figure out what…”

“Maybe that she’s a full-of-crap poser?” I muttered under my breath.

“Don’t worry; if she tries anything with Cade, I’ll haunt her forever.”

Cassie climbed out of the car, then a few minutes later, so did Cade. I watched him walk back up the driveway, his head dropped, while Cassie sauntered back over to her house.

“This is about to be good,” Randy said excitedly.

Instead of going for the front door, Cade began climbing the oak tree outside of my window.

When he reached the top, I was waiting for him, arms crossed, ready to freak out.

It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Cade—I just didn’t trust her.

“What was that about?”

“Raven.” Cade crossed the room, reaching for my hand. “I have to tell you something.”

“Tell me what?” I asked warily.

“Should I—should I go? You guys seem like…” Randy snickered. I shot him daggers, which only seemed to further amuse him. “You’re right. I should stay.”

“Raven,” Cade said again. “You might want to sit down.”

“Why?”

Cade sighed, shaking his head. “I don’t know how to say this.”

“Then just say it.”

Much to my surprise, Cade wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his chest. “I accidentally touched Grace.”

“What?”

“Oh, shit,” Randy said suddenly. “So he—”

“You—you mean you—”

“I saw how she dies,” Cade cut me off, his eyes growing distant. He winced.

“Don’t tell me!” I exclaimed, taking a step back. “I don’t want to know.”

“Raven, I really think you need to know,” Cade insisted.

“Why? What good would that information do?”

“It’s… I think you have to know.”

“How?” I asked hesitantly.

Cade shook his head, turning his back to me. “I’m so sorry, Raven. She’s—she’s murdered.”

I didn’t respond.

I couldn’t.

Murdered?

“Raven?” came Cade’s voice.

“Raven?” said Randy now—floating over to me. “Everyone has to die. Maybe it’s years from now. Maybe we can do something…”

I finally found my voice. “Who? When?”

Cade reached for my hand again. “I’m so sorry,” he repeated. “It’s Willy.”

The three of us grew silent, the name hanging in the air like a dark storm cloud.

It took me a moment to realize that I was squeezing Cade’s hand.

Holding my breath.

Cade and Randy watched me, waiting for me to combust.

To break down.

I considered giving in to the waves of emotions swirling in my skull, threatening to pull me under...

Despair. Confusion. Fear. Anger.

It would be so easy to resign myself to any of them. To all of them.

But I wasn’t that person—a slave to my emotions.

I couldn’t afford to be.

I’d already lost my mom; there was no way in hell I would lose Grace too.

If she was in danger, then I would do everything in my power to save her.

And I would save her.