Free WeirdNights by Rebecca Royce Page A

let out a breath. Hopefully
whoever was up there didn’t have a gun. How many times could he get stuck in
this situation in the same damn house?
    Jonah made his way up the stairs and flipped on the lights. Two
figures were huddled on the ground at the end of the hallway. They looked up as
he approached. With the light on he could see them more clearly. No
poltergeists. Just two children. A boy and a girl. The girl wouldn’t look up.
She whimpered as she kept her head down on her knees.
    But the boy stared at him unblinking. Jonah tried not to
look away from the invasive stare. It was as if the kid was looking right into
his soul. Jonah shook his head. How frickin’ ridiculous. There were two scared
kids here probably wondering what the fuck happened to their parents.
    And it looked as if Foy and Braxton hadn’t taken care of all
the problems in this house.
    Jonah walked to them slowly. Was one of these kids making
the poltergeist? Stepping before them, he knelt down.
    “Hi there.”
    The girl looked up. “Where are our parents?”
    It had been days. They must be starving. “That’s a long
story.” Jonah pulled out his phone. “How does pizza sound?”
    First, he would feed them. Then he’d work the rest of it out.
    * * * * *
    The kids were with Child Protective Services. Jonah watched
them pull away from the house with the children—Mary and Damian, not very
creative on their parents’ part but who was he to judge—down the block. Foy’s
contacts had come through. Again . Mindy and Braxton stood on either side
of him.
    He supposed he should feel good that he’d found the kids, and
that they hadn’t been left in there endlessly waiting for parents who were
never going to come back home.
    His stomach turned. They’d been in there for days. Without
looking at Braxton, he addressed him. “And Foy never said anything about there
being kids?”
    “Like he discusses things with me?” Braxton ran a hand
through his hair, drawing Jonah’s attention. “Listen, I feel awful. Not that I
killed the fuckers, they were going to sacrifice some poor girl, but because
those kids were left without help.”
    “Could you not talk about killing them?” Mindy rubbed her
arms. “I mean I get it. I’m not even sorry, believe me. But to just come out
with it like that is so cold.”
    “Whatever.” Braxton snorted and Jonah had to hold back the
urge to punch him. It wouldn’t help anything but he did not like the way
Braxton spoke to Mindy. She had every right to feel as she felt. “So you think
it’s those kids making the poltergeist or what?”
    “I have no idea. We won’t know until we ascertain whether
the activity stops in the neighborhood. Even then it might be hard to tell. The
kid could project the energy here from miles away.”
    Mindy snorted. “Nothing like this being hard or anything.”
    Braxton nodded. “Sorry about being short with you. I don’t
like that aspect of the job. I get a little defensive.”
    “It’s no problem. I’m being a baby. I know it.”
    So they’d made up. What was he supposed to do with his
energy now? Pounding on Braxton had felt like a great idea.
    “Then what do we do?” Mindy looked at him.
    “We wait.”
    His least favorite activity.

Chapter Seven
     
    Maybe Jonah didn’t like to eat Chinese food at midnight the
way she did. Maybe he was sleeping like a reasonable person.
    “Shit.” She knocked on Jonah’s door before she could talk
herself out of it. Mindy had driven across town with the damn takeout food. The
least she could do was make the attempt to give it to Jonah.
    He swung open the door. Shirtless. She gulped. Mindy had
seen him much more naked, but still his bare skin made her achy with just a
glance.
    “You’re a sight for sore eyes.” He smiled before reaching
out to tug her into the room with him by her shirt.
    She shrieked and almost dropped the Chinese food. At least
he wasn’t asleep and seemed really excited to see her. His cock pushed