The Haunting of Silver Creek Lodge Page 23

  I shook my head. “I have to find Bubbles. She could be in trouble.”

  “Max!” Lily called after me as I ran past them and into the next section of the Lodge. “It’s not safe! Boyce still has three other guys on the property.”

  “Two,” I corrected her. “Harry’s on our side now. He’s distracting Boyce as we speak.”

  I stumbled into the recreation room. The long, wide hall didn’t have many places for Bubbles to hide. I checked a broom closet and behind a wall of fitness supplies to no avail.

  “Bubbles?” I called softly. “It’s Max.”

  Out of nowhere, a hairy fist swung out of the darkness. I wasn’t quick enough to avoid it, and the first two knuckles connected with my top lip. My front tooth dropped out. I spat it on the floor with a mouthful of blood.

  A man, the size of a truck, stepped out of the shadows and cracked his knuckles. I recognized him from town: Gary Hills. He owned the only weight-lifting gym in Silver Creek, and the guys who worked out there were roid-raging muscle buffs. Gary was their king.

  “Boyce said it might come to this,” Gary drawled. “I can’t say I’m disappointed. The other Club members are weak. They didn’t want to hit a woman, but I’m not above it. You like pain, Ms. Finch?”

  “About as much as I like you,” I retorted.

  Gary swung again. This time, I had no problem ducking under the blow. Gary was strong, but he wasn’t fast. Weight-lifters didn’t have the kind of mobility for a chase. That gave me the advantage.

  “I’d love to stay and chat, Gary,” I said as I faked one way and darted the other. When Gary spun around, I jabbed my fingers into both his eye sockets. “But I’ve gotta run.”

  Gary howled and covered his eyes. For good measure, I kicked him in the balls. He crumpled to the floor. I sprinted out of the recreation room.

  I checked the event hall next. Nothing. I peered through the windows to see into the woods behind the Lodge. The snowstorm raged on. I hoped Bubbles was smart enough to stay inside rather than risk running through the freezing cold. Ironically, she was safer with her father than she would be out there.

  In the kitchen, I knocked on the pantry door. “Simon, Keith! It’s me.”

  “Max?” Keith asked in a trembling voice. “Are you okay? Is it over?”

  “It’s not over,” I said. “But I’m all right. What about you guys?”

  “Simon keeps trying to go to sleep,” Keith said through the door. “Max, I’m afraid I really hurt him.”

  My chest tightened. I leaned my head against the wall. “Wake him up. Keith, I swear. You have to keep him awake. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Call 9-1-1,” I ordered. “We’re going to need help after this. Have you seen Bubbles?”

  “No, I had to hide Simon. She’s not with you?”

  “It’s okay. I’ll find her. Stay hidden until this is over, or the ambulance shows up, okay?”

  In a very small voice, he replied, “Okay.”

  It took all of my willpower to turn away from the pantry. My heart ached for Simon and Keith. For Harry and the other desperate men Boyce had taken advantage of.

  “You’re right,” I muttered to Earl and Lily. “I have to stop Boyce first.”

  “We’re with you,” Lily said.

  “Every step of the way,” Earl added.

  We headed back toward the first-floor hallway. In the lobby, we found Boyce’s last man standing over the unconscious body of his comrade. When we walked in, his eyes flickered to the ghosts at my side. He could see them. He lifted his hands above his head.

  “Whatever this is,” he said, backing toward the door. “I want no part in it. It’s was never my intention to raise the dead.”

  “Get out,” I snarled.

  The man stumbled out of the Lodge, got into his car, and drove away. I kicked off my heels and moved silently through the hall. The Lodge was quiet. Had Harry and Boyce beat each other to death?

  I got my answer as I peeked into the smallest room. Harry lay unconscious on the ground. Blood poured from an ugly gash in his midsection. Pity and sadness tasted bitter on my tongue as I leaned down and pressed my fingers to his neck. I felt a pulse, slow but steady. He was alive.

  “On your feet.”

  I froze as Boyce emerged from the safe room. Harry had gotten in a few more choice shots before he’d lost consciousness. Along with his broken nose, Boyce also sported a black eye and a kink in his right arm that was altogether not normal. He brandished a knife in his uninjured left hand.

  I lifted my hands to show him I was unarmed. “He needs help, Boyce. He’s going to die if that wound keeps bleeding.”

  “I don’t care,” Boyce snapped. “Get in here.”

  “Boyce, I—”

  Roughly, he yanked Bubbles into my sightline from where she’d been cowering in the safe room. He put the knife to her throat.

  “Don’t!”

  Boyce bared his teeth. “Get in here, or the girl dies.”

  “Your daughter?” I said. “You would kill your daughter?”

  Bubbles trembled in her father’s grasp as the knife pressed against her skin. A droplet of blood dribbled down her neck.

  “I’ll say it was an accident,” Boyce said. His eyes were bloodshot, and his voice shook with rage. “They’ll believe me. The whole town loves me. I am a god!”

  My jaw clenched. “You are nothing more than a desperate boy with a Napoleon complex.”

  “I’ll kill her,” he whispered darkly. “Last chance.”

  “Please, Max,” Bubbles said.

  I stepped swiftly inside the chamber. Boyce pushed Bubbles aside and slammed the door shut, once more confining us all inside the candlelit room without any ventilation.

  We circled the room, keeping the large desk between us. Bubbles huddled in a corner, her knees curled up to her chest.

  “This isn’t going to go your way,” I told Boyce. “I’m charged. You know it; I know it. The land knows it. You can’t win.”

  “You have no idea how to wield that power,” Boyce hissed. “It’ll eat you alive if you try to use it. I’m the only one who’s strong enough.”

  “Somehow, I doubt that.”

  He threw the knife at me. I dodged out of the way, but the blade clipped my shoulder and opened a shallow cut. Boyce lunged across the chamber and caught hold of my dress. He yanked me to the floor and crawled on top of me.

  “It’s mine,” he spat, holding me down. “I won’t have this power taken away from me. Not again. I belong here.” He reached for the fallen knife and brought it to my neck. “No need for fancy rituals tonight. All I want is your blood.”

  I struggled against him, bucking my hips to throw him off, but he weighed twice as much as I did. No matter what I did, I couldn’t dislodge him.

  “Finally,” Boyce whispered and pressed the blade against my throat.

  Bubbles came out of nowhere. She swung a heavy silver candlestick like a baseball bat. The makeshift weapon crashed into Boyce’s temple, and he keeled over. I scrambled out from under his weight.

  “That’s what it feels like!” Bubbles spat breathlessly at her father. “How do you like it?”

  Boyce surged to his knees, but the blow to his head had thrown off his balance. He toppled over again. “You—you can’t—”

  I stood over Boyce. “I can do whatever I want. This is my land.”

  The power in my body reached its peak. I lifted my chin and spread my arms, letting it flow through every part of me. The candles flickered in response to the rising energy.

  Every person who had ever died at the Lodge appeared in the chamber. Lily and Earl were in the front lines as the ghosts closed in around Boyce. He looked around in horror.

  “Do you see them, Boyce?” I thundered. My voice resonated through the chamber as if I spoke from the top of a mountain. “You subjected them to this fate. Now, they will deliver yours.”

  The ghosts encircled Boyce, chanting unintellig
ibly as they blocked him from view. The earth’s energy whipped my hair around my face and flung the fabric of my dress around. Bubbles clung to my waist, and we watched the spirits descend on Boyce. The power of the ley lines burned my skin, wanting to get out. I let out a scream.

  “Stay with me!” Bubbles shouted over the whirling wind. “Max, stay with me!”

  I focused on her little face—those bright, determined eyes shining through everything else. The entire chamber seemed to spin with the intensity of the ghosts’ vengeance.

  When the wind grew to a mind-numbing roar, and I thought my skin might tear from my body, and I couldn’t take anymore, everything stopped. The chamber was still. The ghosts had disappeared.

  And Boyce was gone.

  20

  Two Years Later

  For the first time since we opened the Silver Creek Lodge, we were completely booked. As Christmas approached, everyone wanted to visit Silver Creek for a taste of the small-town holiday season. Even better, a recent storm had dumped several feet of snow on the nearby slopes. Avid skiers called constantly, hoping for a place to stay while they carved fresh lines on the mountain. Every room at the Lodge was accounted for, including the presidential suite. As I checked in on the happy couple who’d booked it, snow fell past the windows.

  “Alrighty, you’re all set.” I handed over a set of keys and smiled. “Upstairs. Last door at the end of the hall. Do you need someone to help you with your bags?”

  “Yes, please,” the woman replied. “My husband’s back isn’t what it used to be.”

  The older man huffed. “I am perfectly healthy!”

  “Sure, dear.”

  Chuckling, I called, “Keith!”

  He came in from outside with an armful of firewood. He stomped the snow off his boots. “What can I do for you, Max?”

  “Help Mr. and Mrs. Borden with their bags, please,” I said. “I’ll take care of the fire.”

  Keith set the wood in a crate by the hearth and beamed at the Bordens. “I’ll be happy to take your luggage up for you. Shall we?”

  “What a handsome young man,” Mrs. Borden said as Keith shouldered their bags. She leaned over the check-in desk. “This place is gorgeous. I already feel like I’m in heaven!”

  “That’s our goal,” I said. “To make sure you have the best stay possible.”

  The woman shivered happily. “There’s something in the air here. I can’t explain it! Oh, goodness me. My husband’s going up to the room on his own. Excuse me!”

  She pranced off to follow her husband and Keith upstairs. I laughed and shook my head. By the fireplace, I opened the grate that kept the ashes from flying into the lobby and added another piece of wood. The fire tickled the fresh wood. I calmly withdrew my hand as the warmth grew. I no longer panicked at the sight of a flame.

  “Excuse me, ma’am?” a familiar voice said. “We’re checking in. I believe you have the best room in the house set aside for us.”

  My face split into a wide grin as I spun around and saw Sienna behind me. I threw my arms around her and spun her around. She squealed with joy.

  “Careful, careful!” she chided. When I set her down, she rubbed her belly. “This little one makes me nauseous, and I refuse to throw up anywhere in this beautiful place.”

  “I still can’t believe you’re pregnant.” I knelt and made kissy noises at Sienna’s stomach. “Hello, little girl! It’s your Auntie Max. I can’t wait to meet you!”

  “Will you stand up? You look insane.” She pulled me to my feet. “By the way, it’s a boy.”

  “No!”

  “You’re disappointed.”

  “It’s fine,” I grumbled. “I just wanted our daughter to be best friends with yours.”

  “Lily can be best friends with a boy!”

  “I suppose,” I said. “Where’s Christian?”

  Sienna jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “He was supposed to be bringing the bags in from the car. I don’t know what’s taking so long.”

  I peeked out the window. The parking lot was full of snow-covered cars. I spotted Christian’s lanky form right away. “Ah. That’s why. Simon found him.”

  Sienna joined me. When she spotted Simon and the baby cradled in his arms, she let out a gasp. “Is that Lily? She’s gotten so big!”

  “She’s growing like a weed,” I said. “I can’t believe she’s only a year old.”

  Christian completely ignored the baggage in the back of their car in favor of gently poking Lily’s stomach to make her laugh. The baby babbled and cooed in Simon’s arm, trying to catch Christian’s fingers. She was thoroughly protected by a fat, baby-sized parka, a thick hat, and furry boots, but the snow was starting to come down hard.

  I cracked open the window. “Hey! Will the two of you get in here before the baby freezes to death, please?”

  “And get the luggage!” Sienna added. “Or you won’t be getting in those hot springs with me tonight!”

  We chuckled merrily as the boys jumped into action. With Simon’s help, they emptied the car and brought everything inside. Sienna confiscated Lily from Simon’s arms and held her up in the air.

  “Hello, little baby,” she said in a high-pitched voice. “Who loves you, Lily? Who’s the best auntie in the world? I brought you presents.”

  “Now who looks insane?” I joked.

  Lily blew a raspberry, spraying spit all over Sienna’s face. She wrinkled her nose and handed me the baby. “You can have her back.”

  “Get used to it,” I advised her as I balanced Lily on my hip. “I hear boys are worse.”

  “Sorry, we didn’t get to pick the gender like you two did,” Christian said. He gave me a one-armed hug. “Hi, Max. You look good.”

  Simon kissed my forehead as he dragged Sienna and Christian’s bags farther inside. “That’s the perk of adopting. You can pick the cutest one.”

  I smiled down at our baby. Her soft brown eyes lit up when she saw me, and she clapped her hands. Though it had only been six months since we’d adopted the orphaned girl from the Philippines, I felt as though I had given birth to her myself.

  So much had changed in a short period of time. As the ley lines recovered from banishing Boyce from Silver Creek, the land and the Lodge thrived. With Keith’s help, we finished renovating the Lodge in record time. We opened our doors in the summertime, six months after we had moved to Silver Creek. The grass grew greener than I’d ever seen before. The leaves on the trees seemed to whisper secrets to one another. The flowers we’d planted by the front windows bloomed into beautiful fireworks of color. When the weather was warm, several hummingbirds flitted around the garden. The few guests we had acquired gasped and pointed when they spotted their iridescent wings glittering in the sunlight.

  When fall rolled around, the entire lodge changed color. Green and pink morphed to orange and brown. The land was no less beautiful as the air filled with chimney smoke and the crisp scent of freshly-fallen apples. More people flocked to Silver Creek to appreciate the autumnal colors, and our numbers began to grow.

  When November rolled around again, we had broken even on the Lodge. At the end of the year, we turned a profit. Our financial advisor told us he’d never seen anyone turn a property around so quickly. He totaled the numbers six times to ensure he hadn’t made a mistake.

  Those who didn’t know the secrets of Silver Creek Lodge would never fully understand where our luck came from. Simon and I, on the other hand, knew exactly why our business had been so successful from the start. Our connection with the land’s energy meant everything to us. I felt it every day, a subtle pulse beneath my feet that spread warmth and love throughout the entire property.

  We never found out what happened to Boyce. After that night in the hidden chamber, he had simply vanished from existence. Some nights, when the wind was especially strong, I wondered if he was still out there. But then a comfortable warmth would blanket me in familiarity, and the whispers would start near my ears again. I was no longer scared of
those voices. They belonged to Lily, Earl, Christine, Walter, and all the others who came before them.

  When Simon finished bringing Sienna and Christian’s bags to their room, Christian clapped Simon on the shoulders. “Let’s hear it for my boy! He just told me the good news.”

  Simon blushed and nervously stroked his hair.

  “What good news?” I asked, suspicious. “You didn’t tell me anything.”

  “A producer from L.A. saw one of my videos on YouTube,” Simon said. “He wants to produce an album for me, and he wants to record it live in Silver Creek. He says the falling snow and crackling fire will add a level of ambiance that listeners will die for.”

  “You got a record deal?” I said breathlessly.

  “I got a record deal.”

  I squealed and threw my arms around Simon’s neck, careful not to squish the baby as I hugged him. “I’m so proud of you. I knew you could do it!”

  “Of course he could.” Sienna ruffled Simon’s curls. “Girls are swooning over your music videos. We all want a beautiful man to play guitar and sing to us in a snowy winter wonderland.”

  “Hey,” Christian said, pouting. “What about me?”

  “Realtors are hot, too, babe,” Sienna said in an obligatory fashion.

  Christian shrugged. “I’ll take it.”

  I lightly smacked Simon’s chest. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

  “Because you got your big news today, too,” he reminded me. “I didn’t want to steal your thunder.”

  “You wouldn’t have,” I assured him. “Good news is meant to be enjoyed by all.”

  “Wait, what’s your good news?” Sienna asked me. “Oh my god, are you adopting another baby?”

  I laughed. “One is quite enough for now. Actually, it’s about Rebel Queen. Volume three sold so well that they’re going to reprint it. Also, a production company wants to turn it into a television show.”

  Sienna couldn’t contain her excitement and yelled. Christian rushed to her side.

  “Babe, are you okay?” he demanded.