Dani rubbed her eyes once, then blinked again. In that moment, Evelyn disappeared. She couldn’t have possibly moved that fast. Without another thought, Dani unbuckled her seat belt, flew from the bus and out to the street where she last saw Evelyn. The old lady was nowhere in sight.
What is going on?
The rain had become a downpour and Dani was soaked by the time she got back to the bus. But she hardly noticed as she sat back in her seat while trying to process what she just saw or didn’t see. Her gaze fell on the envelope and she picked it up for a better look. Yes, it’s real. Evelyn was really here. I’m not insane.
Dani set the note down and drove to the bus depot. But her mind was still reeling. Evelyn was a real person. She could not have imagined her. The note was proof enough. But how could Evelyn disappear like that? It must have been a trick of lights in the rain.
And what about these night visits? If Evelyn and her son were estranged, why would her son allow his mom to watch his daughter like that?
By the time she signed out, Dani had decided what she was going to do. She needed answers. She needed to know Evelyn was okay.
According to the address clearly printed on the envelope, the house was in the area. Dani punched the location into her phone, tucked the note inside her jacket, and followed the app’s directions.
The walk was miserable was almost refreshing if not for the mystery that kept Dani’s mind occupied and her pace quick. Within thirty minutes Dani stood in front of the sleepy house. Old, but well maintained, dim light shone out from the windows. For a moment, doubt assailed her, but she had come all this way in the rain. Might as well see it through. Dani climbed the stairs and stood on the porch, logic warring with instincts. But it was now or never. She closed her eyes and drew air deep into her lungs to steady herself. When she opened her eyes again, she stepped forward and knocked on the door.
To her surprise, Dani heard footsteps before the door opened.
“Dani?”
“Hiro?”
They stared at each other, and Dani was sure the shock she saw on Hiro’s face mirrored her own.
Hiro was the first to recover. “What are you doing here?”
It was enough to jumpstart her brain. “Um...is Evelyn around?”
A funny look crossed his face and Hiro gaped at her. It was another full minute before she spoke again. “How do you know Evelyn?”
Dani didn’t like Hiro’s suspicious tone and scrambled to explain. “She has been riding my bus every night for the last three days.” Dani stammered, dread creeping up her spine.
“That’s impossible. Evelyn was my mother and she passed away last year.” Hiro’s expression was more angry than sad.
“Oh,” Dani whispered. She should offer her condolences at least, but her legs felt too wobbly and she wasn’t sure she could say the words.
“Dani, what’s going on?” Hiro asked again.
Wordlessly, she unbuttoned her jacket and withdrew the envelope from her inside pocket. “I believe this is for you.” With an almost detached view, Dani noted the way her hand trembled as Hiro took it from her.
Technically, Dani had delivered her promise, but she remained rooted in her spot. She followed Hiro’s motions as he withdrew a tri-folded, cream-coloured piece of paper from the envelope and unfolded it with care.
Hiro’s eyes grew brighter as he read the letter. His shoulder shook and Dani very much wanted to give him a hug. Instead, she remained still until he looked up at last. “You met her? Talked to her?”
Dani nodded. “She was very kind, and she told me she regretted…” she trailed off. It didn’t seem right for her, a near-stranger, to be telling him this.
Dani’s thoughts wrangled together. Why had she met the ghost of Evelyn? Why had she encouraged Dani to talk to her love interest? Did she know it was Hiro? Was the spirit of his mother trying to play matchmaker?
Does it matter?
“I’d like to hear about it,” Hiro replied and rubbed the back of his head. “I know it’s rushing ahead of our date, but would you like to come in?”
She paused, studying Hiro before her lips curved into a small, shy smile.
“I would like that.”
About P. Stormcrow
P. Stormcrow writes both contemporary and paranormal erotic romances. In all her stories, she challenges tropes and explores diverse, healthy power and relationship dynamics. She is the author of two series, The Playgrounds, a contemporary series revolving a BDSM club and The Midnight Retellings Collection containing paranormal retellings of classic tales. When she is not madly typing away on her phone as she traverses through her home city, Vancouver, she can be found enjoying copious amounts of tea, way too much sugary treats, one too many sci-fi / fantasy / paranormal TV shows and every otome game she can possibly find.
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Bullet to the Heart
Sue Langford
See more of this story in the Revenge series.
Bullet to the Heart
There he was. Lying on the front porch of the house that he’d protected for over 15 years. Jackson could hear his heart pounding in his ears, drowning out the sounds around him. His boss Jamie was less than 5 feet away bleeding, and Jackson couldn’t do anything. Finally, he got enough air to ask. “Are you alright,” Jackson asked. “No,” Jamie replied as he tried to reach for his phone. “Oh my goodness,” Anna said as she came outside. “What happened,” Anna asked. “Call Piper,” Jamie replied. Anna called an ambulance and put Jamie’s phone into his hand. Just as she did, he was out cold. Jackson heard people buzzing around them within a matter of minutes. Anna holding a towel to his stomach, trying to check on Jamie at the same time. Anderson, another security officer, came running out to tend to Jamie and make sure everyone was out of danger. The last thing Jackson remembered was being loaded into an ambulance with Jamie on a gurney in the ambulance behind them.
The next thing Jackson saw was what he considered to be an angel. “Am I dead,” he asked. “You’re at Memorial Health. Do you know your name,” the doctor asked. “Jackson Carpenter. Why,” he replied. “Do you remember what happened,” the doctor asked. “Before you pry into my life, do I get to at least know your name?” “Emily Cartwright. Please just answer the question.” “Nice to meet you,” Jackson said with a silly grin. “Sir.” “Call me Jackson.” “Do you remember what happened? The police are here. They want to talk to you.” “She shot me. That stupid insane woman actually shot me.” “Who’s the president?” “Don’t get me started,” Jackson replied as he leaned his head back down and felt for blood. “Sir, please just lay back.” “Where’s the doctor,” Jackson asked. She shook her head. “I’m gonna stitch up the damage. I just need to know who it was that shot you,” Emily said. “Amy. Amy Barker. She’s hanging with Casper Jensen. I have the paperwork in my office.” “Sir, please just lie down. I have to clean this up.” Just as he did, he passed out.