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“Nope. We’re doing it my way, or no way at all.”
They didn’t know anything. I felt it in my gut the same way I felt the presence of restless spirits before I could see them. It had been my assumption from the start, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to persuade Steven otherwise. Although he wouldn’t get proof of life, I was about to give him proof of lies.
I took a step closer to them. “Fine, you win. Ashley is more important than losing this game you’re forcing us to play.” I held out my hand to Steven. “Backpack, please.”
He slipped the straps off his shoulders and passed the bag to me. I offered the bag to Soul Patch. The moment his hand gripped one of the straps, I yanked the bag toward me, and Soul Patch with it. I kept one hand on the bag and wrapped my other arm around his shoulders. To the untrained eye, it looked like I was giving him an awkward hug.
The twins seemed uncertain how to react—until their companion started to scream and wriggle. Thatmighthave been a giveaway that I was giving him more than affection.
As his arms flailed in distress, I dragged Soul Patch backward, prompting the twins to advance. “Any closer and I’ll make sure he stops screaming.” I paused. “That’s not actually a good thing.” My skills weren’t polished in the art of intimidation, not when it came to humans anyway. I actively avoided using my powers on them because it wasn’t a fair fight.
The twins halted in their tracks. The one on the left angled his head for a better view. “What are you doing to him—pressing on a nerve?”
“That’s one way of describing it.” The brain was, after all, the hub of the nervous system. “Do you really know where Ashley is?”
Their guilty faces answered my question.
“This was about money?” Steven asked. His voice was a combination of shock and disappointment. Poor guy.
“It was his idea,” the twin on the left motioned to Soul Patch. “He offered us a cut to come along with him and act intimidating.”
“And you did a commendable job,” I told them.
“I was intimidated,” Steven admitted.
I released my hold on Soul Patch before I gave him permanent brain damage. He dropped to the ground and curled into the fetal position, mumbling softly to himself.
“Will he be okay?” the twin on the right asked.
“Give him a couple hours, and he’ll be fine, but I’d advise against watching any of the Halloween movies for at least two weeks.”
The twins stared at me with matching expressions of confusion. I didn’t bother to elaborate.
I turned to Steven. “Do you recognize any of those guys?”
He shook his head, visibly shaken by the experience. “They’re not local.”
I turned back to the trio. “How did you know about Ashley?”
The twin on the right nudged Soul Patch with his shoe. “A buddy of his. They were drinking at Monk’s together, and he mentioned a girl had gone missing from there.”
“And you all decided to prey on an innocent man and give him false hope? Do you now see how that isn’t a decent thing to do?”
The twins’ heads bobbed in unison.
“Don’t contact Steven again,” I warned, “or I will hunt the three of you down and, trust me, you won’t like what I do to you.”
I tossed the backpack to Steven and walked away. I heard his footsteps pounding the trail as he hurried after me.
“Are they following us?” I asked in a low voice.
Steven snuck a peak over his shoulder. “No, they’re staring at the guy on the ground. They don’t seem to know what to do.”
“Good.”
The sound of cicadas filled the air. They were louder than usual tonight. Trees rustled, and a flock of birds flew overhead, flapping their wings and squawking. I brushed off the unsettled feeling; it was probably my guilt over intimidating humans. I took no pleasure in it.
“What did you do to him?” Steven asked, once we were seated on the motorcycle.
