Midnight Hour (Shadow Falls: After Dark #4)(70)

Chapter Twenty

“Why didn’t you contact me as soon as you got the text?” Burnett had demanded.

“Because Perry asked me to come alone.” Whoever said the truth could set you free had never been asked questions by an angry vampire.

After an hour of drilling her, he’d told her she could go. Hand on the doorknob, she shamefully realized she hadn’t asked about her sister.

Miranda looked back. “Anything on Tabitha?”

He grimaced. “Not from a lack of trying, but Shawn got another lead. I’ll let you know when we hear something. Meanwhile, don’t keep things

from me, got it?”

She rushed out before she was tempted to tell him everything. Oh, she’d shared everything Perry had said, and even about her crazy visions.

The armadillo, however, she kept to herself.

Listen up. If you want me to help find your sister, you can’t tell anyone or …

But damn it, she didn’t know what to do. To tell, not to tell. Nothing made sense. Not a thing.

She took off in a dead run. Fearing … ghosts and … trees.

Flying into her cabin, she fought to catch her breath. Even her Mickey Mouses looked out of air. Chills ran down her back, but she no longer

knew if they were from fear or from the presence of the ghost.

Holiday had surmised that the ghost was the baby’s mother—surmised because the spirit had never spoken before vanishing into the chill of the

morning air.

“Is she gone for good?” Miranda had asked.

“We don’t know,” Holiday said. “Call me if you feel anything. And don’t worry.”

Right!

Shutting her cabin door, doing a visual of the room, she felt swallowed up by the silence. She puffed out air testing to see if steam rose. No

steam.

How reliable was the steam test?

Frozen in one spot, she flinched when she spotted movement in the kitchen.

She almost screamed but recognized Chester attacking a dust bunny. A slight creak echoed from Kylie’s bedroom.

It was all the invitation Miranda needed.

Bolting into the room, she ran into the arms of a naked Lucas—with the exception of a tight pair of boxers—who looked totally embarrassed.

Doing a high-speed U-turn, she barged right out. “Sorry.” She slammed the door.

The door swung right back open. “You okay?”

Miranda faced Kylie. “No. Is she here?”

“Who?” Kylie asked.

“I felt her earlier and didn’t know what I felt. I suspected because I felt it with you guys, but my mind wouldn’t let me go there. Now I

don’t know if I feel it or if I think I feel it.”

“Stop!” Kylie held up a hand to silence her. “Slow down. Breathe.”

Miranda did.

Kylie moved closer. “Now. Are you okay?”

“You already asked me that.” She looked around again. “Is she here?”

“If you mean Della, no. Burnett sent her—”

“Not Della. The ghost.”

Kylie’s mouth dropped open and seemed to note Miranda’s pj’s. “You had a nightmare?”

“I wish.” Miranda moved and dropped on the sofa. “So, no ghost?”

Kylie looked around the room. “I don’t feel anything.”

Miranda sighed.

Kylie, being Kylie, came and sat down beside her. “Did you dream about ghosts?”

Miranda lifted her face. “No. She was real.”

“You saw a ghost?” The question had doubt wrapped around it.

“I never saw her … as a ghost. I just … felt her.” She shivered from the memory. “I think I heard her. I think she thought … Do I look

like a person who would hurt a baby?”

“No.” Kylie’s eyes tightened. “You’re confusing me again. What baby?”

“Perry … he gave it to me,” Miranda said.

“You and Perry have a baby?” she asked.

Miranda’s mind ran so fast. “I gave it to Holiday. What’s crazy is that I saw it.”

Kylie took her hand. “Saw what?”

“I saw him kissing a girl. Then I saw her dead. I didn’t know it was the same girl. But she wasn’t a ghost when I saw her. It’s like I had

a … front seat to a freaky slide show.”

Then Miranda remembered. “I saw Shawn with flowers.”

“So you dreamed that you and Perry had a baby and Shawn brought you flowers?”

“It wasn’t a dream!” Miranda said.

Kylie touched Miranda’s forehead as if checking her for fever. “We should call Holiday. This may be because of your accident.”

“Don’t call Holiday. She’s taking care of the baby.”

“That’s it!” Kylie said, sounding scared, and she stood up. “You and Perry do not have a baby.”

“I never said the baby was Perry’s or mine.” She frowned remembering. “I did think it might be his for a few seconds.”

Kylie’s eyes tightened.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m just trying to figure it out.”

“If you have a concussion, it could be dangerous.”