Page 37 of A Haunting at Keystone Manor

“Pack your bags, Jacob, and come home with me.” I shake my head.

“He’s not going anywhere with you,” Alex says, speaking for the first time.

“And who are you again?” my father asks, looking him up and down with a sneer.

“Um, I was the cleaner of this hotel. I’ve recently been promoted to acting manager. I’m a ghost too.”

“We’re not ghosts,” Brandon says, motioning between him and Seth.

My father shuts his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. “What do you people want from me?” he asks in frustration.

“I want control of the hotel,” I tell him. “It’s in my name anyway, right? You did that so if you were ever caught, I’d go down, not you. We’re going to run this business and make it legitimate. Turn it into something to be proud of. You are going to keep your blood money away from here. Your people are not ever going to set foot on this property again. In exchange, the world doesn’t hear all about your crimes. Nothing is stopping me from talking now, and I know how much your reputation means to you.” I stop talking, feeling a little lightheaded, but I don’t back down. I’m never backing down from him again.

“No one would believe you,” he laughs. He looks around at the four of us, realizing he’s outnumbered here. He’s not going to win this argument today, and he can’t do anything to me with them here. He checks his watch with a sigh.

“You think you can run a hotel? Okay, okay. I’ll play along for now. But Jacob, don’t come crying to me when you fail, and you will fail. When that happens you will come home, and you will fall in line. No more running. Maybe this place will teach you a thing or two about being an adult. But you’ll be done making me look bad, understand? You will marry Katerina, god willing I can salvage that arrangement.”

He runs a hand down his face. “Stay here and run this hellhole, if you can. I have bigger issues to deal with right now.”

With that, he walks out the door and out of my life. Hopefully forever. I’ll never willingly go back home. I should be proud of standing up to him and winning, but I just feel sad. Sad that he never loved me, didn’t care that I died and cared less about the circumstances of it. He just cared that it inconvenienced him.

I blow out a breath, and turn to look at Alex, Seth and Brandon. “I can’t believe I did that.” Seth and Brandon smile at me, and Alex squeals before launching himself into my arms.

Caught off guard, I barely have time to catch him. “I’m so proud of you. That was so hot,” he says before kissing me. We pull apart when Brandon clears his throat, and I set Alex back on his feet.

“Do you think it’s really that simple?” I ask.

“Probably not. But we’ve bought ourselves some time. If he comes back, we’ll deal with it then,” he says.

Brandon pats me on the back and says, “I’m proud of you bro. I know that wasn’t easy, but you killed it.” He holds his fist out, and for the first time ever, I bump it.

Seth nods in agreement. “Your dad’s a dick! I wanted to punch him for you.” I smile at that.

“Thanks. But I’m just glad he’s gone. Now we can focus on getting this hotel back up and running. The right way.”

Alex grabs my hand and drags me towards his room. We’re both quiet as I walk over to the bed and sit down heavily. I put my head in my hands. Now that my father is gone and the adrenaline is wearing off, I feel drained.

“So, arranged marriage, huh? That’s a surprise,” he says.

“Please don’t be mad. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want anyone to know…” I trail off. I didn’t want anyone to know just how little control I have over my life.

“That’s why you really ran from your family?” he asks.

“Part of it. I told you the rest.”

He sits down next to me and slowly reaches for my hand. I don’t move, so he grabs it and caresses my fingers.

“Are you upset?” I ask him, not wanting to hear his answer. I hate the idea of hurting him.

“I wish you would have told me, yeah. But I’m territorial. I’ve already claimed you as mine, you’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

“Don’t be. I’m not going to let anyone take you from me, or from this hotel. Seth and Brandon won’t either. Your dad can’t force you to go home, and he can’t force you to marry anyone. He’s got no leverage over you, especially now that you’re a ghost.”

I nod my head.

“Nothing’s changed. We stay the course and work on running this hotel, okay? We can make this place a success. Can I hold you?”