“He’s at it again.” Mariah sighed.
“What are we going to do?” Maggie inquired.
“I’m not leaving! This is my dream!” Mariah exclaimed.
“Bloody-minded woman!” the ghost shouted at Mariah.
Maggie laughed helplessly.
“Oh my. How about meeting for a Chinese while we discuss our stubborn ghosts?” Maggie suggested.
“Good idea. Should we tell the others?” Mariah asked.
“Probably not. They’ll think we’ve lost the plot!”
“Leave!” Mariah’s ghost yelled, dragging out the word.
“Tell him to shut up, or you’ll suck him up in a hoover too!” Maggie giggled.
Mariah repeated her words, and silence fell.
“Hoover?” the curious word floated through the air.
“Okay, honey, I’ll see you about seven. Meet at your hotel?” Mariah said while her ghost was distracted.
Maggie was grinning when she disconnected the call. She was unsure whether she trusted her eyes and had seen a ghost, but there had been someone there. And had disappeared into thin air. She never had believed in ghosts, so she was a little torn about her feelings right now. But she’d seen Lucian with her own blasted eyes! So many questions!
“Hey, Mr Ghost, come out; I want to ask you some stuff!” Maggie called. Silence answered her. “Are you sulking because I hurt you? Can I injure you? Or is it a remembrance of pain?”
Maggie waited a few minutes before shrugging and tidying up. She had dinner plans for tonight.
Lucian
Lucian lay curled in his bed, his manhood screeching for relief. He didn’t think he would ever experience such agony in his life. That had been a dirty move by Maggie and one Lucian firmly believed he hadn’t earned. Even worse, he’d heard every part of her conversation with her friend, including the laughter. To imagine that he’d be brought low by such a female! But instead of being reasonable and leaving, Maggie had dug her heels in. So that meant the gloves came off. Lucian was going to play nasty!
Forget scaring the pants off, Maggie. He’d send her into an insane asylum before she could blink. Lucian heard Maggie call out her questions and stubbornly ignored them. Vicious woman! Maggie was as vile as what he was guarding, wicked chit. He might let Maggie see what he was shielding her from. Maggie would soon run screaming for the hills. The evil he battled daily would scare Maggie stupid within mere minutes.
The evilness hadn’t noticed there was another person in the inn. As long as Maggie stayed away at night, Lucian could keep protecting her. But should the evil notice someone was cleaning the inn, traps and temptations would be set to aid the foul one’s escape. And only Lucian had resisted them, locked the evil down, and kept it trapped. Any weakening in his defences and it could flee. Misery would be unleashed, and the world wouldn’t ever be safe or secure again. Because Lucian knew the big plan, the one he and his five brothers had thwarted.
And what if Maggie’s heart was pure? That would give the evil one ingredient needed to complete its strategy. Maggie was in direct danger. Lucian wanted her to understand. But it never crossed his mind to talk to her, explain what was happening. All Lucian could see was he had to scare her away and get some payback for his poor, abused manhood!
Maggie
Maggie entered the inn the next day, and her jaw dropped in surprise, swiftly turning to anger. The entire downstairs was shrouded in cobwebs again. While she could see the gleaming wood underneath, the cobweb curtains hung thickly. Maggie nearly screamed when she saw several giant spiders scurrying about. Today she had an architect coming, and she didn’t need this rubbish. Maggie spun on her heel and stomped to the car where she’d bought a new hoover. Dragging it out, Maggie muttered under her breath as she frog marched it back to the inn.
“I’m warning you; this one is more powerful. Mess with me, and you’ll be sucked up straight away!” Maggie shouted. An icy wind blew at her, sending cobwebs into her face. Maggie screamed, plugged the hoover in, and began sucking them all up. When she got to Lucian’s painting, Maggie dragged a chair and stood on it.
“Are you watching numbnuts?” Maggie yelled. She shoved the hose right where Lucian’s groin would be and jabbed it into it.
A low cry echoed, and Maggie smiled grimly.
“Do this again, Lucian Norton and I shall suck your manhood away!” Maggie threatened. Within an hour, all the cobwebs were gone, and Maggie was drinking a coffee when there was a knock, and a middle-aged man entered.
“Hello!” he announced, smiling as he looked around.
“Mr Evans?” Maggie urged, rising to her feet.
“Yes, my dear, how are you?” he asked, walking towards her and extending a hand. Maggie took it and was smiling when a slim woman walked in.