Chapter
Three
“What do you mean?” My hands fall to my sides.
“They’re calling in my favor.”
“You mean like you owe them money or something?” I hadn’t asked exactly what owe the Order a favor meant at the time since I was a little preoccupied with not freaking the fuck out after finding a dead body. But I’m kicking myself now for not asking about it sooner. Who the hell knows what kind of favor the Order could want?
And I certainly wouldn’t want to owe them anything.
“No, not money. A hunter was supposed to show up and oversee a few new members working a job, but he never showed. They need someone with experience to head up the job and I’m nearby since I’m “in Chicago” as far as they know.”
“Oh, wow. W ell… okay. And you have to leave now?”
“They want me to,” he starts, and I can see the internal struggle playing out on his face. Ethan was born into the Order and didn’t have a choice in the matter. He questioned them and was met with consequences. The rest of his family is rather tight-lipped when it comes to anything that has to do with the ancient demon-hunting society, but I’ve gotten bad vibes about it from the start.
It sounds like a multi-level-marketing scheme that never wants you to quit. They try to make the hunters dependent on it. According to another hunter, who’s not in the Order, it seems like they brainwash their members into thinking they have to be with the Order and that the Order is right and true above all else.
Like I said. Super skeezy.
“What’s the job?” I move across the room, meeting Ethan halfway. We sit on the bench at the foot of our bed. He tips his head, a small half-smile on his face.
“Ghosts.”
“Ghosts?” I echo, amused. “Really?”
“Yeah. Apartment buildings are being renovated and there are ghosts. Two contractors have already quit and refused to come back.”
“Are they violent? The ghosts, I mean. Not the contractors.”
“If the contractors were violent, this would be a much easier job,” he chuckles. “A few workers got shoved and scratched. Nothing that required hospitalization, but the attacks are getting more frequent and each shove is getting more forceful.”
“Too bad you don’t know anyone who can communicate with spirits,” I say, tucking my hair back over my shoulder.
“Right? It would really speed things up.”
“Can I go?” I wrinkle my nose, knowing the answer is going to be a hard no. I’m not an Order member and wouldn’t be allowed.
“You know what? Why the hell not? There are a handful of recruits, so I’ll just say you’re one as well.”
“Recruits?” I don’t mean to make a disgusted look, but I do. “How does the Order recruit new members?”
“A few of these are teenagers whose parents are in the Order already. They still have to go through the recruitment process. And another is an older man who’s been a hunter for a few years after his family was attacked by demons. He wants to join.”
“Should we warn him and tell him not to?”
Ethan sighs. “Right? I can’t—you can’t.”
“I know. I won’t say anything bad about the almighty Order.”
He frowns. “I don’t have to do this.”
“But you do, don’t you?”
“Only if I want to stay in the Order, and you know I’ve been wanting out for years.” He takes my hands.
“I do, but I also know it will cause a lot of drama for your family, and they depend on the Order. So, let’s go. It’s been a while since I’ve dealt with a good old-fashioned ghost.”
“Fuck, I love you.”
“Where are we going? And, since we’re not in Chicago, is it going to raise questions when we take an hour to get there?”
“No, we don’t have to be there until sunset.”
I raise an eyebrow. “We’re dealing with ghosts, not vampires, right?”
Ethan lets out a snort of laughter. “Right. It’s another part of the recruitment process since most demons come out at night. There’s no electricity right now, and hunting anything in the dark is harder. Especially when what you’re hunting can typically see you just fine.”
“Good point. So, how does the Order typically deal with a ghost problem?” I twist so I’m angled toward Ethan.
“Typically, something is tying the ghost to the spot. If we can find what it is and destroy it, the ghost will usually go away.”
My head bobs up and down, trying hard not to cast any sort of judgment. I’ve been a medium my entire life and know that most spirits can’t hurt us. The spooky noises, the eerie feeling you get when you walk into some place that’s haunted…it’s not a real danger. In a way, I feel sorry for a lot of the ghosts I see. They’re stuck here, for one reason or another, repeating the same loop over and over and over again.