I texted, getting a response quickly from Eli letting me know they’d meet us there. I chose a restaurant based on reviews and the fact they were open another two hours, giving us time to sit and eat without being rushed.
Then Lachlan texted, saying he was famished and demanding a location. Oh, he was already here too? Excellent. Seemed we’d have a full table.
I was looking forward to it. Dinner with friends was my idea of passing a good time.
3
It didn’t take much effort to find our friends once we entered the restaurant. Eli’s bright red hair was easy to spot at a table farther on the right side. Mack had chosen a steak buffet restaurant—always a welcome thing for both me and Mack. He could usually find safe things to eat, or safe enough, at least.
I beelined for the table to say hi first. “Hello, my fellow ghost wranglers, how are we?”
“Peachy,” Eli answered before popping up for a hug. “Also glad to be out of the car. What a drive.”
“Tell me about it.”
I shook hands with Lachlan, as he was grinning up at me. “You’re looking far too delighted to be here, friend.”
“That I am,” he said brightly. “I always have so much fun with you lot.”
“This might be more Medium-based work than stabbing,” Mack warned him. “I don’t know if we have monsters to slay here.”
Lachlan waved this off. “You got fun caves to spelunk in with spooky things to make it interesting. No complaints, mate.”
God bless Lachlan for being a little bit crazy. “Where’s the cousin?”
“Davina is wiped out after traveling all day. I’ll be bringing her a bite after we eat.”
“Fair enough.”
“Go get food,” Booker encouraged us.
Half starved, I immediately did as instructed, loading up a plate with an awesome-looking salad before filling another plate with baked potatoes, steak, and corn. Someone ordered me a soda while I was away, and I was all set at the table by the time I returned.
I chowed down, happy with good food in my mouth, and looked over my team. Eli was put together as always, in a cute green top and jeans, with a bit of a sunburn across her fair skin, mostly her nose. Booker was quiet, as usual, his thick dark hair unruly, like he’d been running his hands through it. He wore different glasses since I’d seen him last and they suited his face better. Quinn had gone casual in a tank top and jeans, his tank showing off the defined muscles of his arms without him even trying to flex. He wore his usual gold necklace and diamond stud earring.
Lachlan was his typical gorgeous self, like a Highlander looking to grace the cover of a romance book. He’d tamed hishoney-brown hair into a low ponytail, and his skin was a bit more golden, so he’d gotten a tan recently.
Everyone, to my amusement, was looking at Mack with a little concern. I had no idea why, either.
“You going to be all right?” Booker asked in a soft tenor. “This case sounds as bad as the tree one last year.”
“It wasn’t even so much the case itself,” Mack said with a groan, aggravated all over again. “Listen to me carefully, especially you, Eli. Donot, no matter how tempted or desperate, use Jon as a battery.”
Her eyes widened in realization. “Oh my god, you didn’t. I thought you were down for three days because you were boosting ghosts like crazy!”
“Well, I was, but I was using Jon’s energy. It was a do-or-die situation and seemed like a good idea at the time, but my god, I felt like I’d swallowed an electric eel. Everything hurt. Even my hair hurt!”
Seeing Lachlan wasn’t following, I explained the situation. “Jonathan Bane is who he’s talking about. My brother-in-law is one of the best Readers in the known world—there’s very little his eyes can’t see—but because of that he also runs stupid hot, psychically speaking. You can’t take electronics anywhere near him. He fries them instantly. Now, imagine Jon giving off psychic energy left, right, and center, and siphoning off his power to use.”
Lachlan immediately shook his head. “Naw, mate, that’s not on. I’m not that stupid.”
Mack glowered at him. “Do. Or. Die. Situation, I said. Even then, I’ve learned my lesson. Don’t do it.”
“After Brandon’s description? You can’t even tempt me,” Lachlan said. “Er. He’s not going to come out here, is he?”
“Not his area of expertise, so no,” I assured.
Plus, planes and Jon mixed like a Molotov cocktail and a stack of firewood.
