Dance With the Dead: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novella (Gwen's Ghosts Book 1) by H.P. Mallory & J.R. Rain

Author:H.P. Mallory & J.R. Rain [Mallory, H.P. & Rain, J.R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rain Press
Published: 2023-02-28T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Five

Aftermath

“What do you think?” asked Leo, as we hopped the fence and headed back the way we’d come.

“I think I could use some lunch.”

He looked at me and laughed. “That wasn’t what I meant.”

“No.” I paused. What the hell; life was short and if you didn’t ask, you didn’t get. “Do you want to come back to my house for lunch? I’ve got… food. Of some sort. Probably enough for two. And Keith from next door gave me some bottles of cider as a housewarming present... so, there’s that.”

Leo performed his usual trick of pausing and then looking away. He seemed to be looking away for longer than usual on this occasion, but still came back with a smile.

“That sounds nice.”

“Good.”

“‘Nice’ isn’t exactly that encouraging though, is it?” Petra asked as she appeared beside me. Even though I didn’t respond (because Leo was right there)—I was thinking along the same lines. ‘Nice’ wasn’t very encouraging, and I had to wonder if he would have preferred that I hadn’t asked. Maybe I’d misread him and he actually wasn’t interested in me, but was just being friendly. Maybe just being neighborly?

“What about Victoria? Any thoughts?” Leo’s voice sounded as if he had some of his own thoughts, but wanted to hear mine first.

“I think that anyone who can go twenty years without revealing anything about her past, even in passing, has a reason for not wanting to talk about it.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” nodded Leo. “And similar on the subject of the boyfriend.”

“Yeah.” Whether it was a boyfriend or a late night visitor of some other description, whoever the man was—it seemed Victoria had kept him deliberately secret and there had to be a reason for that. From what I knew, usually people who were in relationships wanted other people to know they were in relationships. Unless they had a reason why they wouldn’t want such a fact known. Things that make you go hmm...

I had more to say on the subject, but as we entered the last field before rejoining the road that led back into town, a noise pulled my attention.

“What is that?”

Leo was looking out beyond me as Petra spoke: “Bulls were a lot bigger in my day.”

Regardless, this one looked pretty damn big to me. The noise I’d heard was the bull’s snorting breath and its front hoof pawing at the ground, its tiny eyes fixed on us with a look that was anything but benign.

“How fast can you run?” asked Leo, mostly from the side of his mouth.

“Probably not as fast as him.”

“Glad you’re keeping your sense of humor, but when I say run; run.”

“Leo…”

“Now is not the time to argue.” He was slipping his jacket off.

The bull lowered its head.

Leo looked at me. “Run.”

Universe forgive me, but I did what he said. Which might seem cowardly and probably was, but I was scared.

“Faster, Gwendolyn!” Petra called beside me.

“Jesus, at a time like this, can’t you call me by my name?” I yelled back at her.

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