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Ryker stumbled back despite our hold until he was ripped from our hands completely, tripping over the edge and onto the ice.
“No!” I screamed as we both lunged for him. I managed to grip his sweater to lift him up as Ethan grabbed his belt loop. If we let go I knew he’d go through and I’d never see him again.
“Call for backup,” Ethan groaned as he held onto Ryker for dear life. He was doing most of the lifting, so I didn’t hesitate to touch my comm so I could reach the others.
“Guys, we need you on the dock. Ryker’s about to go through the ice!” That was all I could get out before I needed both hands again.
Ethan and I both struggled to get him on the dock, and if not for our grip on his sweater and belt loop, that ice would have cracked the rest of the way.
He fought us every step of the way, flailing and kicking, but there were no screams. He hadn’t even taken a breath since he’d fallen.
His mouth was shut, his cheeks puffed out like he was underwater. The ghosts were convincing him that he was drowning.
At one point, his hand brushed against my head, knocking the glasses from my face and sending them skidding across the ice. They were a lost cause, not one of us was going to go out there to retrieve them.
Someday, they’d live on the bottom of this lake, but for right now, I just needed Ryker not to.
“Ryker, wake up! I need you to wake up!” I begged.
“Ryker!” Ethan’s voice was loud, booming, and deep, cutting through the sound of the wind and making sure that he could be heard.
It felt like hours before the others were running down the dock toward us. It wasn’t until all four of us were pulling on the frightened man that we finally got him back on solid ground.
We didn’t stop at the dock. We carried him all the way up to the grounds and eventually got him through the front doors.
The moment we stepped through the front door, something shifted and he came back to himself.
Ryker blinked rapidly and took in a shuddering breath. His lips had started to turn blue and the color had drained from his face. He was moments away from passing out and my hands shook as I tried to soothe him.
After a few breaths he was looking around wildly, his chest heaving as he tried to regain his composure.
“How am I not dead?”
ChapterFourteen
Brea
After the previous night’s investigation we had to put out a quick post for the Darklings to reassure them we were alright. My glasses had taken in the entire situation until they were flung onto the ice, so they’d had front row seats to that fiasco.
It was a quick post saying that we were all safe and needed a night to recover, but Ryker thought we should do a video to show we were actually alright.
In reality, we were terrified and more than a little shaken. I was not okay in the least. This ghost was trying to take my men from me. There was nothing I wanted to do more than leave.
But leaving meant it would target someone else and I couldn’t live with that outcome either.
Getting them out of here might not be in the cards but I could do something to help us get out of our heads for a bit. I snuck away earlier to talk to Margaret and fill her in on my plan. She was calling in some masseuses for us and said she’d set them up near the pool and sauna rooms.
How I had missed the indoor pool and sauna on the map, I had no idea, but I was excited to spend the day there.
Hale had confirmed he’d be here in a few days and I was considering waiting for him to get here to do anything else. Until then, we could focus on each other and our mental health.
I was hoping to fit the ghost tour in instead of an investigation tonight. We needed some time away from the castle itself.
Maybe I’d talk to Sadie’s dad and to see if I could wear my glasses during the tour. We could donate a portion of our earnings from that stream to him or his tour and he could get some marketing for the tour itself.
We were camped out at the dining room table to give the Darklings a better explanation. We had an array of snacks on the table thanks to Logan being back and were nibbling away as Ry set up the equipment.
One of the cleaning crew hurried through the room, checking for things to pick up and whisked away a few wrappers in the process.
