Jesse didn’t understand any of this, but he was tired of arguing about it. He stood. “Let’s get it done.”
He ignored his father’s objections and followed the detective to the front yard, where he got in the van and followed the officer to the police station. An impassive female officer in the lab swabbed his mouth and had him sign a release form. He jogged back to the van and pointed it back toward Blackwater Hall. The thought of facing Alanna and the rest of them made his mouth go dry, but he was embarrassed about the way he had left.
Lights blazed from the mansion when he parked the van and got out. Something slithered by the pond, then he heard a splash. Probably a gator. The grass was wet and slick from the rain as he jogged across the yard to the porch. The peachy scent of the flowers by the steps contrasted with the fecund aroma of earth and leaf mold.
The air was alive with small sounds: the hoot of an owl, the cacophony from frogs and crickets, the splash of living things in the pond. And out beyond those sounds, the gentle swell of waves from the Atlantic as they played a melody on the sea grass.
The sounds should have been pleasant, but the place gave him the creeps. There was an air of desolation and danger about the estate. Did Alanna like it out here in the wilderness? She didn’t seem the type to enjoy such isolation.
He rang the bell, and Grady let him in. He managed a smile when the other man welcomed him, then followed him to the dining room where the rest of the house’s occupants were gathered. They hadn’t filled their plates yet, and all of them turned to stare when he entered the room.
The light from the candles reflected off their eyes and made him feel he was surrounded by hostile glares. He blinked and the paranoid sensation went away. His steps clattered loudly on the wood floor until he reached the Oriental rug. He found Alanna’s bright hair in what seemed a sea of people.
Maybe it had been a mistake to come back here. The more he was around Alanna, the more Liam seemed to take over. The smart thing to do might be to run from this place and forget all about Alanna. But when she turned those green eyes on him, his will to flee drained away.
She glanced up at him, then turned back to talk to Barry. He’d hoped to exchange a glance with her. For something in her eyes to confirm their connection.
“You okay?” Ciara whispered. “We were worried.”
He took a seat between her and Alanna. “Fine. I went by my parents’ house for a few minutes.”
How did he even try to explain what was happening to him? It sounded so crazy.
The aroma of fried chicken and gravy made him suddenly ravenous. He took some chicken from the plate that Alanna passed to him on his other side then handed it to Ciara. Both women were staring at him as if trying to see inside his soul.
He put down his fork. “What?”
Alanna’s green eyes probed his face. “I’ve been pacing the floor since you left. I don’t understand how you could know these things and do the things you’re doing unless it’s like you said. Is Liam in there with you?”
At last they weren’t dismissing his fears. “I think he is. And I don’t know what to do about it.”
“Maybe an exorcism?” Ciara suggested. “This whole thing is brutal. And it scares me.”
“I could talk to the priest.” Jesse stared at Alanna. “But I don’t much like what I’ve learned about myself. I don’t want to go back to being the man I was before the explosion. You didn’t like me, did you?
She shook her head. “But you were Liam’s friend, so I wanted to.”
He rubbed his forehead. “I have to fix this somehow.”
Was exorcism the answer? And did he even want Liam gone? At least the Jesse he was today made Alanna’s eyes light up, just a little bit. He wasn’t stupid, and he’d noticed the way she looked at him earlier. If there was a chance she might fall for him, he’d rather keep Liam’s spirit around.
Twenty-Seven
Alanna’s head throbbed, but she didn’t dare take anything for it because of the baby. The evening couldn’t be over too soon for her. Being around Jesse was torture. Everything in her was drawn to him now, and it felt off and strange when she’d disliked him for so long. But there were too many instances of Liam’s influence to ignore now.
Exorcism. The very word brought a shudder down her spine. Wasn’t that more about demons? Liam was no demon, so how could that help? Besides, she’d lost Liam once. She didn’t want to lose the small piece of him that seemed to be residing in Jesse.
She rose and went outside to stand on the porch in the twilight. Bugs hummed in her ears, and the thick scent of the marsh swirled around her. The door creaked behind her, and she turned to see that Jesse had followed her.
“Are you all right?”
She shrugged. “I’m gobsmacked. I don’t know what to make of all this.”
He stepped close enough that his shoulders brushed hers. For an instant, she wanted to turn and bury her face in his shirt. Clenching her hands into fists, she stood her ground. “What are you going to do?”