Ghost Hunters - The End

I hope you enjoyed Ghost Hunters. Everyone who comments gets entered to win 1 $20 gift certificate to Amazon which I will be giving away after October 31. This is my last post for the Blog Hop and I'll gather up all the entrants in the morning. Thanks for all the wonderful comments. So enjoy the end of Ghost Hunters and leave a comment. Also check out the other blog hop participants.

Geoff pulled the last of the electric cords from Mason’s house. He hadn’t heard anything from Mitch or Mason. They’d left for the hospital after he’d seen blood leaking from Mitch’s ear. The scream had been loud. None of their equipment had broken, but he wondered about the condition of their evidence. All of the cameras had been acting strange but with Mitch’s health in danger he hadn’t wanted to take the time to check it out.

As he slammed the back hatch on his Toyota his phone rang. He answered, not even waiting to check the caller ID. “It’s Geoff.”

“Are you almost done?” Mason asked.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Mitch has been asking for you.”

“Can he hear?”

“Not really. The doctor thinks his hearing will be back to normal in a few weeks but he’s going to have to take it easy, no headphones, no music, and buffering of some sort on his ears.”

“I’m on my way. I’ll be there in about ten minutes. His parents are driving up in the morning. This is so strange.”

“You’re telling me. I think we’re all going to have damage for a while, but that was amazing.”

“Yeah, it was.” He hung his phone up, not having the heart to say anything about the strange way the equipment had been acting before he shut it all down.

Geoff rolled into the hospital parking lot before ten minutes had passed. After double checking the locks on his car he ran to the ER door, searching for any sign of Mason. He didn’t see the guy and went to the desk and asked about Mitch. The nurse directed him to room five. Through the closed door he could hear Mitch yelling. Without hesitation he burst through the door and saw surprise on Mitch’s face then it broke into a huge smile.

“Hey, you made it,” Mitch yelled at the top of his lungs.

“Why is he yelling?” Geoff asked.

“He has no clue. He can’t hear anything,” Mason said.

“Great. Can he leave?”

The nurse popped into the room behind him, “Please take him home. He’s making the other patients uncomfortable.”

“Really? So he’s healthy enough to leave?” Geoff asked.

“Yes, just make sure he follows these instructions.” The nurse handed Geoff a list of do’s and don’ts. He pushed some paperwork at Mitch who happily read them out loud.

Geoff went to the bed and took the sheet from Mitch who proceeded to yell. “Anyone got a pen and paper.”

“Here you go,” the nurse yelled over Mitch’s complaints.

“Thanks.” Geoff wrote Don’t Yell on the paper then decided he needed to make the point more emphatically and he placed an exclamation mark on the page.

“What?” Mitch said in a much quieter voice.

Geoff scribbled the news of his release onto the paper and Mitch moved to get up but hesitated once the hospital gown separated at the back. His gaze swung to Mason and he blushed. Mason’s cheeks turned pink before he left the room.

Geoff helped Mitch put his shoes on since he wasn’t supposed to put undue pressure on his ears by bending over too often. They walked out of the ER and Mitch asked about the evidence, his volume still too loud.

Geoff held his finger to his mouth. Mitch cursed and didn’t talk again.

This would be hard for both of them but Geoff wouldn’t abandon his friend. Mason had left a voicemail on his phone stating that he’d been exhausted and needed to go home and rest. He’d call later in the day.

The sun was peeking over the horizon as he pulled into the parking lot for Mitch’s apartment. His buddy’s head rested against the window and drool ran down his cheek. Great, there was no way Geoff could help carry him upstairs. Instead, he started with the equipment, unloading it all into the front room.

The sun was up full by the time he’d unpacked the car. He opened the door next to Mitch and reached across him, unbuckling the seatbelt. “Mitch, you need to wake up.” Heck, what was he doing, Mitch couldn’t hear a thing.

Geoff touched Mitch’s face, tapping his cheek. Mitch jumped as he opened his eyes. Geoff pulled him out of the car and helped him upstairs. He shoved Mitch towards his bed room, making sure he had water before shutting the door and letting him sleep off the pain and fatigue.The evidence of the haunting and the dramatic conclusion was on the tapes. Geoff wanted to fire up the equipment and check it out, but exhaustion raked at this nerves. Eventually they’d review the material.

♥

Mitch’s ears still ached but he could hear most voices as long as the person was facing him. Still, his phone was useless to him. His mother had come for a few days, babying him and fixing him soups and other favorites from his childhood. It’d been nice for a day but now his interest in Mason had resurfaced and he wanted to find out if the things he’d felt on Halloween night were a product of that evening or something more.

He and Geoff were set to go through the evidence in about twenty minutes. Geoff doing the audio and him the video. This would be the case of the century, if they’d captured the evidence.

The light on his phone indicated he was receiving a call but he still couldn’t hear voices over the phone so he let it ring over to voicemail. He’d let Geoff listen to the message and call the person back.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and his heart stopped before thundering in his chest. He spun around, ready to takedown whoever had broken in.

“It’s me,” Geoff said as he ducked the punch that Mitch had thrown.

“Oh crap, don’t scare me like that.”

“I’m sorry, but I knocked before I let myself in.”

“Geesh, I guess I didn’t hear it because my phone was ringing.”

“You want me to listen to it?”

“Sure,” he tossed the phone to Geoff and cued up the video from Mason’s place. Everything looked great. The camera had been place in a primo spot to pick up the action they’d witnessed.

“Press pause,” Geoff said.

Mitch paused the video and turned to hear what Geoff wanted.

“It’s Mason. He was wondering how you’re doing. You want me to call him back?”

“Not yet. I want to review some of this and see if we can tell him about how wonderful everything looks.”

“You’re going to ask him out, right?”

“Yeah, but I want to wait until this is all done.”

“Good, that way if anyone asks we can say that we didn’t compromise the investigation.”

“Yeah, now let’s get down to work.” Mitch returned to watching the video. They were at it for over three hours when the broke for pizza. They hadn’t caught anything of significance but he knew something would come up soon on the screen.

After the break he hit play on the video and within minutes the picture started to jump and flake out. “Geoff, look at this. It looks wonky.”

“Wonky? What do you mean?”

“Just watch,” Mitch said.

They both stared at the screen and disappointment sucked the joy out of the process when the video went all white, blocking out any image.

“What just happened?” Geoff asked.

“Damn, I have no clue. Maybe it’ll clear up.” He fast forwarded the tape, searching for anything that wasn’t a blank screen.

“It’s all gone,” Mitch said. “None of the cool stuff made it onto video. This is crap. I can’t believe that it’s all gone.”

“It can’t be all gone,” Geoff said.

“Look, it’s not there.”

“Maybe another tape.”

Mitch hooked up the High-8 and fast forwarded to the end of the tape. “There’s nothing there.”

“How about the thermal?”

“Let’s look.”

They hooked up the thermal and weren’t surprised to find it blank too. “Damn, this sucks. Call Mason for me. Let’s have him come over and see this,” Mitch said.

“Sure, I’ll get his on the phone.”

Mitch continued to stare at the white screen watching the nothingness that it displayed. He shook his head, wondering if they’d find something if they took the video apart and enhanced each frame. The intense energy from the white light must have erased the video tape somehow.

He played the thermal forward and backwards, searching for anything but it was all gone except for the reflection on the window of him and Geoff early on in the investigation.

Geoff stood up and tapped Mitch on the shoulder. He pointed to the front door and smiled. At least he got to see Mason even if the investigation went to hell.

The door opened and he couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath. Mason was beautiful. His pale skin and angular face made Mitch tingle. Geoff must have told him about the video going bad. Mitch went to mason and held his hands. Even the disappointment of the technical mess-up couldn’t keep him from feeling happy that Mason was here.

“Hi, I’m glad you came.”

Mason blushed, the corners of his mouth tilted up into a shy smile. “Can you hear me?”

“Yeah, as long as you’re facing me. The doctor said that my hearing would be back to normal in a few weeks.”

“Good, I can’t wait.”

“Really, why?” Mitch asked.

“Hey guys, just wanted to remind you both that I’m still here,” Geoff said loud enough for Mitch to hear.

“Oh, yeah. Here Mason, have a seat. I want you to see this. I don’t know what happened.”

“Okay, so what should be there?”

“Exactly what we saw, but there’s nothing,” Geoff said.

Mitch sat down and Mason squeezed in next to him, his thigh brushed up against Mitch’s, sending a jolt of craving through him. He wanted to kiss Mason long and hard but not until they were alone. They exchanged smiles before he hit play on the video and turned their attention to the damaged image.

All three of them watched in silence as the screen went from the image of Mason’s stairway to the white-out that filled the last hour of tape.

“Does that mean that everything that we saw is gone?” Mason asked.

“I think so. I want to do some video manipulation, but I don’t think we’re going to get anything special. This is it,” Mitch said.

“Wow, that’s not good,” Mason said.

“Are you disappointed?” Geoff asked.

“We’ll yeah, aren’t you guys?”

“Yes.” Both Mitch and Geoff said at the same time.

“I’m not upset at you two but this isn’t what I wanted to see.”

“Well, we know that your place was haunted. I think we can say that without the evidence because we all three experienced it,” Geoff said.

“Yeah, and I think the white-out proves to us that something strange was going on that night. We weren’t imagining it. We saw two spirits. Now we just have to comb over this evidence to find out if we can get anything from the tape. I’m going to pick it apart one frame at a time,” Mitch said.

“Won’t that take a long time?” Mason asked.

“You won’t mind seeing me long term, will you?” Mitch took Mason’s hand, rubbing the palm with his thumb.

“No, that would be--wonderful.”

Mitch lowered his gaze to Mason’s lips and leaned in. He could smell the sent ocean and male musk. He licked his lips, anticipating how sweet Mason would taste.

“Hey guys, I’m still here,” Geoff said. “Do I need to leave?”

Mason chuckeled and his face flamed pink.

“We’ll behave, that is until you leave,” Mitch growled.

“We’re not getting much done here. I’m going to take the audio with me and go home. That is, unless you want to be trained to become an investigator, Mason.”

“Me, really?” Mason’s smile lit up his face.

“Wait, I’m not sure that would be a good idea,” Mitch said.

“Why not?” Mason raised his eyebrows at Mitch.

“Hold on, I didn’t mean to start anything.” Geoff gathered up the audio equipment. “You know, Mason, maybe this is something we talk about later.”

“You’re right. I’m kind of busy with my work. I don’t really have time for another job,” Mason said.

Mitch held in his sigh of relief. He liked Mason but he didn’t want to work with his boyfriend. Not that he’d let him know, yet. Geoff waved as he closed the door, leaving him and Mason alone.

“You okay?” Mitch asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Mason placed his hand on Mitch’s chest warming his body.

“I’m glad Geoff left.” Mitch reached out and toyed with a strand of Mason’s hair.

“Me too.”Mason leaned in and lifted up on his toes. He pulled Mitch’s head down and kissed him before he could react. Mason’s lips pressed against Mitch and his arms wrapped around Mitch’s waist, pulling him close. Desire flamed inside and Mitch opened his mouth to Mason’s probing tongue. Mitch’s mind went blank and his body melted against his guy.

Mason pulled away and Mitch blew out a heavy breath. “Wow, what a kiss.” Even though the investigation hadn’t gone the way he’d hoped, finding Mason made his day.

“Yeah, not bad for a ghost buster.”

“Not bad, that was better than not bad,” Mitch said.

“You want to try again.” Mason pulled him close, wrapping his arms around him.

“I think I found something better than a ghost this Halloween.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, I found you.” Mitch kissed Mason again, drinking in all that he offered and giving him more than he took.

The End

For more Sara York Books check out my website http://sarayork.com

Ghost Hunters - Chapter 5

I hope you are enjoying this story. Everyone who comments gets entered to win 1 $20 gift certificate to Amazon which I will be giving away after October 31. So enjoy and leave a comment. Also check out the other blog hop participants.

“Wow, the hairs on my arms are already standing on end and we don’t have the lights out yet. This is going to be great.” Geoff was practically vibrating out of his seat as he did one last equipment check.

“Hey there buddy, lets take a calming breath. There might not be anything here,” Mitch said.

“Yeah, right, and that door upstairs was just stuck.” Geoff rolled his eyes.

“It could have been anything,” Mitch said.

“Too bad we didn’t have the cameras with us.”

“You live and you learn, live and learn.”

“I can’t wait to go lights out,” Geoff said.

“Yeah, I’m ready too.” Mitch shoved the temperature sensor, the EMF detector and two battery packs into a utility belt he’d bought just for this purpose. “We’re set, let’s go lights out.”

“Hey Mitch,” Geoff called.

“What’s up?”

“You forgot your flashlight. You might need that once we go lights out.”

“Thanks, I can’t believe I forgot that. Come on down with me and we’ll shut the lights out together. That way we can start investigating in Mason’s bedroom.” Mitch paused and shook his head.

“What’s up?”

“Isn’t Mason’s bedroom where the woman is crying in a wedding dress?” Mitch said.

“No, that’s in the guest bedroom downstairs.”

“Interesting, I thought it was the other way around.”

“You might have been paying more attention to the shape of Mason’s mouth than listening to what he has to say?”

“What?” Mitch felt like a kid caught sneaking candy. He paused before he flipped the switch for another light, studying Geoff’s reaction to his indignant denial of inappropriate behavior.

“Please, you think I didn’t see all those doe eyed looks passing between the two of you. And were you really that upset about being locked in his bedroom?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Mitch said.

“Hey, I would have. He’s great.”

Mitch’s heart stalled as fear gripped him. “Geoff, isn’t Mason still in the house?”

“No, he went down the street for coffee. He’ll be back later. This is so cool. We’re locked in a house with only ghosts and spirits to keep us company.”

“Stop with your scary voice.” Mitch wanted to pull out his best impression of a ghost voice but he knew they were wasting time. Tonight meant the world to the future of their investigative team. If they didn’t get this right then it would effect them on future assignments. He also wanted to look good for Mason. A warm feeling spread through his chest when he thought of him. At some point before he left he would ask the guy out on a date. “Let’s get this operation underway.”

“Sure thing. Only one more light then I think we’re ready to rock and roll.” Geoff shot one last look at Mitch before turning off the lights. He raised his eyebrows and smiled. “This is it.”

“It only took us one hour to get everything in place even with the door debacle. That’s good timing. Now we have eight hours to figure out what’s up here.”

“Yeah, I sure hope something happens.”

“I have a feeling it will.”

“Mitch Reyas, I can’t believe that you just said you felt it.”

“I didn’t say I felt a spirit, I just have a feeling this investigation is going to be good.”

“Okay, I just had to clarify it. Now, this is the last light switch. Are you ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Geoff flipped the switch, throwing the room into total darkness. Mitch swung the thermal imager around the room, pausing when they saw a red flash on the screen.

“Nope, just a reflection,” Geoff said.

“There’s more here, I just know it.”

♥

Three hours later Geoff wondered if the spirits hanging out at this old church were in hiding. They’d seen nothing, had no personal experiences other than the door in Mason’s bedroom which they couldn’t get to repeat, and they were striking out with their equipment.Part of the upstairs art studio had once been the area where the bride would dress for his wedding. Mason had expanded the upstairs over what used to be the sanctuary. Now as they paced around the room, looking at the paintings and sculptures, he wondered if part of the freaky feel of the room was the art in here.

“Hey Geoff, sounds like the rain has stopped. Let’s sit on the floor for a while and do some EVP work.”

“Sounds good to me. I’m turning on the digital voice recorder now. This is Geoff McNial and Mitch Reyas in the art studio of the old church downtown. This is our first EVP recording tonight.”

“We don’t mean you any harm. We just want to hear what you have to say,” Mitch said quietly.

“Is there anything we can help you with?” Geoff asked.

They both stilled for a moment, waiting for any answer that the spirit might want to give.

“Were you going to get married?” Mitch asked.

“Can you imagine the excitement he was feeling when she was up here?”

“Who?”

“The bride who ended up killing herself.”

“You mean before his father stepped in and messed everything up.”

A loud bang sounded at the end of the room and both Mitch and Geoff stopped talking. They stared at each other. Geoff knew his eyes were wide with fright. It’s one thing to investigate spirits and ghosts but quite another when they start moving stuff around. The loud noise sounded again and both were on their feet, flashlights sweeping the area looking for the cause.

“Where do you think it came from?” Geoff asked.

“Over here.” Mitch pointed to the far right corner. They searched for anything that moved or looked like it had fallen over. The noise sounded again and Geoff was able to pinpoint where it was coming from. A closet. He swallowed over the lump in his throat and inched forward. “I hate ghosts in the closet.”

With his shaking hand outstretched he grasped the door knob and turned it. The closet door swung open revealing a small space with a tiny window. The window had been left open. Geoff stepped into the closet and the noise sounded once more, this time louder than ever before. He jumped back and trampled on Mitch’s feet.

“Watch it there. Calm down. Let’s look and see what’s out the window.”

Geoff stepped forward again. His muscles tensed and every sense was heightened. His nose picked up the scent of dirty rags and paint thinner. He leaned closer to the window and looked outside. The noise sounded one more time and this time he was able to zero in on the source. And old homeless man picked up a trash can lid and slammed it down over the neighbor’s trash. He breathed a sigh of relief. The banging hadn’t been a ghost. Then disappointment flooded him, and he felt like the floor he was standing on dropped a few feet.

“It’s just an old homeless guy banging around.”

“Damn, do you think we could close the window? Wait, that smell,” Mitch said.

“It’s paint thinner. I bet Mason leaves this window open to let the fumes out.”

“I wonder if enough fumes are making their way outside. You know fumes can mess you up. Make you think you saw something.”

“I’ll go down and ask his about ventilation.”

“Hold on there, I think I should be the one to ask his about that,” Mitch said.

“Really? So you’re not going to go hit on him? You really just want to ask if he gets enough air while he’s painting with no offer of a little mouth to mouth.”

“Oh, that’s low. I’m insulted. I bet I could offer his mouth to mouth without bringing up the air issue.”

“I bet you would too. How about I go? Just to keep it on a more professional level.”

“It would probably be better for now but I get to do the wrap up with him because I’m asking him out on a date.”

“I’ll remember that,” Geoff said.

“I bet you will.”

“Yeah, and if you don’t ask him out, I’ll ask him out for you.”

“You wouldn’t,” Mitch said. His eyes rounded with worry and his face went serious.

“Come on, how long have we known each other for? Have you ever known me to ask a guy out for you?”

“No, and for the sake of record since we’re still recording for EVP’s, when was the last time you asked someone out on a date for yourself?”

“Don’t go there,” Geoff said.

“It’s been a few years.”

“These things take time and I haven’t met anyone I’m interest in.”

“Geoff, I’m worried about you. He wasn’t worth it.”

Heat traveled up Geoff’s neck and over his face. He didn’t want to think about his old lover right now, the pain still raked raw even after all these years. “I know, I just thought he was the one.”

Mitch backed out of the closet and Geoff followed. The memory of Goeff’s last boyfriend still made him cringe. He’d been a fool to think he’d been interested.

“I know you were hurt but it’s time to get over it.”

“Your right. I just can’t find anyone who makes me feel...heck, anything.”

“Dating doesn’t mean settling down. It’s just going out for some fun and seeing if you enjoy each others company. No commitment or anything. Just two people seeing if they want to get horizontal together.”

Geoff huffed out a breath and grabbed Mitch’s shoulder. “You are not talking to Mason. I’m handling that end of the case.”

“I’m joking,” Geoff said.

Mitch ducked his head and had the good sense to look ashamed.

 “Okay, I’m not joking. Yes, that’s a big part of it for me but it’s not like I’m going to take advantage of Mason, I just want to see if we are somewhat compatible. I’d like to take him out for dinner and talk to him. Nothing more. Okay, grandma?”

“Yeah, I’m not leaving Mason alone with you until we wrap this one up. Now, I need to go ask about the ventilation thing. Don’t misbehave while I’m gone.”

“Wait, maybe I should go down with you.”

“Not a chance. Stay here.”

“No, I’m not talking about hitting on Mason. I mean what if something happens while you’re gone?”

“Here’s the digital voice recorder. Record what you see with the thermal imager and what you hear with the voice recorder. Then if it shows up, ask for advice about men.”

“What?”

“The ghost might know something about Mason, what with it living with him and all.”

“Go now, before I deck you for that one.”

Geoff ambled down the stairs, thinking about being locked in a room with Mason. He’d lied to Mitch. He wouldn’t have done anything. God, he couldn’t believe that Alex still affected him so much. Moving on was way overdue.

He rounded the corner from the hall and found Mason resting on the couch. “Mason, it’s me Geoff.”

“Hi, you guys almost done up there?”

“No, we’re basically in the middle. I wanted to ask you about ventilation up in your studio. Sometimes toxic fumes can build up and make us think were hallucinating. What type of ventilation you use when your painting?”

“I have an air purifier going while I’m working. I also open two windows for cross ventilation. Then I have a ventilation fan that I turn on when I use the more fumey stuff. I know it’s not perfect but I do try to make sure I’m not getting high when I paint.”

“Okay, just wondering. Also, that homeless man outside, does he always make so much noise?”

“Not every night, he’s actually running a bit late. He’s usually outside at nine forty-five.”

“Okay, that answers all the questions we have so far.”

“Hey Geoff,” Mason whispered. “Just so you know, this place isn’t very sound proof.”

“What do you mean?”

“The closet you two were in, it’s not sound proof.”

“Oh no, Mitch would freak if he knew you’d heard.”

“Don’t tell him. I don’t want him to be too embarrassed to ask me out. I really like him.” Mason smiled up at Goeff.

“Okay, but I’m not going to let him keep talking and make a fool of himself.”

“I think he’s already pulled that one off but don’t worry, I won’t hold it against him.”

“Mason, thanks for telling me.”

“Sure, Mitch seems like a nice guy.”

“That’s cool.”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear a thing, even that comment you made.”

Geoff knew his face had to be going pink because the heat he felt coming off of his cheeks was a chart topper. He knew he shouldn’t have said anything. Now he looked like a fool, just like Mitch.

“Don’t worry. I won’t bring it up again. But I wanted to say thanks for the compliment.”

“You’re welcome, but don’t you think Mitch can hear us?”

“No, he’s not in the closet anymore. I heard the door shut,” Mason said.

“This is great, just great. Thanks for telling me.”

Geoff made it halfway up the stairs before turning around and racing back to Mason. “So the walls are thin, don’t you think that some of the stuff you hear might just be coming from outside?”

“It could be but it’s not the sounds that get to me, it’s the stuff I see.”

“Oh, yeah. Thanks.” Geoff made his way back to the room where Mitch continued to investigate. This wasn’t working out exactly as they had planned. Sure, Mitch and Mason getting locked in the bedroom had been exciting but nothing else had happened. This wasn’t how he wanted their first real investigation to turn out.

♥

The night was wearing on and they hadn’t seen anything. Mitch squeezed his hands into fists then relaxed. The door in Mason’s bedroom hadn’t been a fluke, or maybe it was. The desire to find something, anything to show Mason made him desperate and he hated that feeling.

“Geoff, do you think the ghosts are afraid of us?”

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe we should ask Mason to come up here.”

“Mitch, we’re in the middle of an investigation, not a date.”

“No, like maybe the ghosts like him and would show up because he’s here.”

“I don’t know,” Geoff said. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s more than they like Mason. What if the attraction you feel towards Mason sets the ghosts off?”

“That’s an interesting theory but I’ve never been here before tonight.”

“Well, maybe it’s just Mason but you and I haven’t had any issues with Mason’s bedroom door. When you and Mason were in there together all heck broke loose. I think we need to put you two together alone and let the investigation roll.”

“I don’t know. When you put it that way it kind of makes me not want to put him in the line of fire.”

“Nothing bad has happened so far. I don’t think the ghosts are out to hurt you or him. Plus, I’ll be watching from the monitor downstairs. If something happens I’ll come up.”

“Okay, let’s go ask his to join us.” Knowing that Mason was in the house with them had been driving Mitch crazy all night. Mason did something to his brain that made him feel fuzzy inside when he looked at him. That kind of energy couldn’t help but make the spirits more active.

He followed Geoff down, staying behind and a little out of Mason’s line of sight.

“Mason? Listen, we were wondering if you would come up and sit in your bedroom?” Geoff asked.

“Why?” Mason’s voice sounded sleepy, like he’d just woken from a nap.

“We think that your energy might draw the entities out and make them show up,” Mitch said, doing his best to sound intelligent and not like a guy hopped up on hormones.

“You don’t want me to sit up there alone, do you?” He asked.

“No, Mitch will be in there with you.”

There was an uncomfortable pause while Mason’s eyes shifted from Geoff to Mitch and then back to Geoff. Maybe they’d asked his for too much. Sure, he was attracted to Mason, who wouldn’t be, but what if Mason really didn’t want to have any type of relationship with him. Oh man, they’d made a huge mistake and now their reputation as professional ghost hunters would be ruined.

Mason hopped up and smiled. “Okay, I’ll go with you.”

The seconds it took for his to walk from the couch to him seemed like hours and then Mason slipped his hand into his and it felt like the entire house tilted. Geoff moved towards the stairs and Mitch followed, unsure he could manage climbing up to the second floor while touching Mason. Mason’s hand felt so warm in his and a strong urge to protect him welled up inside of Mitch. He ached to pull him close. Imagined his lips brushing against Mason’s. Thinking this way about Mason wouldn’t help them further the investigation. Sure, they were using Mason as bait, but Mitch didn’t need to start putting moves on his, yet.

The stairs were narrow and only one of them could go up at a time. He felt a loss of warmth as his hand slid from Mason’s. The sway of his ass distracted Mitch and he forgot about his hand. Instead, he followed close behind Mason, mesmerized by his hard butt. At the top of the stairs Mason slipped his hand back into his. Warmth flowed up his arm to his shoulder and then it raced all over his body, making Mitch wonder how long he could sit alone with his and not try to kiss.

“Hey Mason, thanks for coming with us,” Geoff said.

“Gladly.” Mason squeezed Mitch’s hand and he thought Mitch had died and gone to heaven. No question about it, they were going on a date within the week.

“Okay, I’m going downstairs. I’ll be watching the computer and will be right up if something funny happens. Mason, you okay with this?”

“Yeah, I’m good.”

Mitch smiled down at Mason, oblivious to Geoff leaving the room.

“What should we do?”

“We’re going to start off with some EVP work.”

“How are the camera’s going to pick up anything? I can barely even see my own hands?”

“They’re infrared cameras. They work great in the dark. Don’t worry, everything will be recorded. Okay, let’s find a comfortable place to sit and start the recording.”

“This is Mitch Reyas, and Mason Cole doing EVP work in the upstairs studio. Mason, would you ask the spirit the first question.”

“What kind of question?” Mason asked.

Mitch squeezed his hand, hoping to give his encouragement. “Anything you want to know, just give the spirit a few seconds to answer.”

“Okay, here goes. Do you know what true love is?” Mason waited about twenty seconds before he spoke up again. “Can we help you find your love?”

“Those are some deep questions,” Mitch said.

“Sorry.”

“No Mason don’t be sorry. You’ll probably provoke the spirit with them and that’s good.”

Mitch had to drop Mason’s hand as he picked up the thermal imager and started working with it.

“What are you doing now?”

“It’s a thermal imager. If there’s anything out there producing any heat, this will find it.”

“Are ghosts hot?”

Mitch bit his tongue, squelching the bad line he really wanted to say. He swallowed hard, pushing away the thought of stretching Mason out on the floor and kissing him until the sun came up. “They aren’t as warm as humans, but they do have some heat.”

“Oh, I didn’t know.”

Mason’s hand rested next to his thigh. The heat in the room kicked up a notch and Mitch wondered if they were helping the investigation or hurting it.

A few minutes passed in total silence with nothing happening. Frustration with the lack of activity grew inside Mitch. He wanted something to happen, anything that would help Mason out. With Mason sitting right beside him the pressure to behave during the investigation was slowly slipping out the window. Geoff couldn’t reel him back in from downstairs and Mitch had had almost enough of being a good little boy. His body heated more as Mason move restlessly beside him.

“Do you have a name?” Mitch tried to concentrate on the investigation.

“Did you feel that?” Mason asked as he slid his body up against Mitch’s.

“What? What happened?” He asked, putting a protective arm around his shoulders.

“Something blew past me, like a cold wind.”

“It could just be a draft from the window.”

“It could, but it came from my right and the window is over on the other side of the room.”

“Hmmm. Ask the spirit a question,” Mitch said.

“Can we help you find someone?”

“Whoa, there’s something on the thermal,” Mitch said.

“What is it?” Mason asked.Mitch stared at the screen as a red blotch grew and stretched. Then it became fuzzier before solidifying into the shape of a woman in a dress. Excitement zinged through Mitch. This was unbelievable. The image on the thermal looked almost solid. Mitch took his eyes off the thermal’s screen but couldn’t see the apparition. “Wow, that’s cool. Mason, keep talking to his.”

“Your lover, he’s downstairs. I bet if you go down you’ll find him.”

“It’s heading for the stairs,” Mitch said. “Geoff, if you can hear me don’t move or you’ll block it.”

“Let’s go down.” Mitch pulled Mason along with him. He stayed back, hoping not to disturb the spirit.

“This is creepy,” Mason said.

“You’ll be okay. I don’t think it means to harm anyone.”Mason stopped on the stairs, leaning in close and whispered in Mitch’s ear. “It’s kind of cool too. Like lovers reuniting.”

A shiver raced down his spine as he reveled in the warmth of his breath on his neck. Oh God, just a quick kiss and he’d be satisfied for a moment. But he couldn’t, not while the most incredible ghost he’d ever seen raced down the stairs to meet up with his lover. “Yeah, let’s move so we can keep his in our sights.”

They raced ahead, keeping their steps light to not disturb the spirit. Her form still showed on the screen of the thermal imaging camera. This was the most significant piece of paranormal research he’d ever seen. The spirit’s whole body could be seen, and now an ethereal form on the regular camera’s screen was visible. No one would believe their luck.

“What’s that?” Geoff asked as he came around the corner and moved close to Mitch and Mason.

“What? Where?” Mitch’s whisper carried further than he’d wanted. He prayed he hadn’t disturbed the spirits.

“There. Look at the thermal’s screen. Another form.” Geoff pointed to the image. His eyes were round saucers, focusing on the screen and nothing else. Mitch tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to the two wispy forms in the room with them. Their heads were close together, almost kissing. Beside him, Mason squeezed his hand and he felt hope grow. Ann-Marie had found Charles. Could they have been separated from each other all this time and all they needed was a little help to reunite?

“Mason, has this ever happened before?” Mitch asked his.

“No, this is a first. I’ve never seen them find each other.”

“This is amazing. Seventy-five years they’ve been separated. Is this really happening?” Geoff asked.

“I think so. I think we’re witnessing the reuniting of lovers after death,” Mitch said.

“Amazing, can you imagine what people will say when they see the tapes.” Geoff tapped the screen of the thermal imager. His smile lit up the area even though darkness shrouded the room.

Mitch could make out the two shapes next to each other, their forms touching almost as though they were embracing. The hair on the back of his neck rose as they grew brighter. Their light grew with each passing second. Soon Mitch’s eyes were burning, their forms brighter than any bulb he’d ever seen. The furniture in the room started to shake and Mason wrapped his arms around Mitch, burying his face in his chest. The noise of the rattling furniture was punctuated by a piercing shriek. Mitch almost dropped the camera. The noise threatened to overwhelm him.

Geoff dropped to his knees beside him and Mason let go of his waist and covered his ears with his hands. Pain filled his head and his ears stopped hearing the noise.

Their equipment popped off and everything went black. Even their battery lights were dead. “Geoff,” Mitch said. He waited, no response. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. Suddenly, a flashlight illuminated the room and he could see Geoff talking but he could hear nothing. Oh, God he couldn’t hear a thing. Mason’s lips moved, but again nothing.

Mitch held up his hand, motioning for them to stop. Pain throbbed through his head. His limbs shook and he dropped to the floor. Mason knelt before him and placed his hands on his forehead. His lips moved but Mitch could hear nothing. Panic bubbled in his chest, but Mason’s calming touch kept him from losing it. What was he going to do?

For more information on Sara York books please visit my website http://sarayork.com

Ghost Hunters Chapter 4

I hope you are enjoying this story. Everyone who comments gets entered to win 1 $20 gift certificate to Amazon which I will be giving away after October 31. So enjoy and leave a comment. Also check out the other blog hop participants.

Chapter 4

Mason watched Mitch walk away. Damn, why had he pulled that Geoff stuff back at the door? He’d know who he was the minute he’d seen him. Mitch Reyas. But God, if he would admit he knew his name. He would seem like a stalker. Not that he had stalked Mitch, really. Just followed him around campus until he found out his name and number.

He should have called but there never had seemed to be enough time. Now here Mitch was in his house searching for a ghost on Halloween night. How cool was that. Mason would have to be quiet about knowing Mitch because if the guy found out he might just think that the ghost stories were lies.

Not that the ghost really scared him, but something had to change. His sleep patterns were erratic and Mason suspected most of that was due to the ghosts. Maybe he’d exaggerated a bit to Geoff about how bad it was but he was sure they’d find something.

“Mason, you got a second?” Geoff poked his head in the door, the goofy grin still plastered on his face.

“Sure, let me grab a jacket.” He seriously needed to talk to Mitch after this. Once the investigation was over, he wouldn’t let anything stop his form asking the dude out.

“We need another hand,” Mitch said. His voice was strong and sure, one thing Mason had always liked about him.

Dang, he was feeling stalkerish again. Maybe he should tell Mitch that he remembered him from that class. But what if Mitch didn’t remember him?

“I need you to hold this camera while we try to position it and tape it down,” Geoff said.

“Sure.” Mason moved towards Geoff and grabbed the camera. Geoff moved away into the other room and left his standing with Mitch. The air sizzled between them, Mason’s checks heated, and he had to look away.

“You know, I think we were in a class together last year,” Mitch said.

Mason coughed and sputtered, trying not to drop the camera. No way would he ever be interested in him now. Not only had he almost dropped their camera, he’d looked like a fool too.

“Are you okay?” Mitch asked.

“Yes, I just swallowed wrong.”

“It was history.”

Mason’s whole body went hot. “What?”

“The class.”

“I remember.” Mason couldn’t believe he just admitted that he remembered Mitch. Now the guy would think he was a crazy groupie.

“You do?” Mitch tilted his head to the side and his eyebrows shot up.

Mason’s heart hammered and his palms grew sweaty. The look in Mitch’s eyes made him want to reach up and kiss the man. Instead, Mason looked away. “Yeah, umm, it wasn’t that long ago. You know, just a semester or so. But yeah, I remember a lot of people from that class.” Oh God, stop talking. Mason couldn’t believe the words spewing out of his mouth. He looked up and saw disappointment in Mitch’s eyes. “I’m sorry, I’m rambling.”

“Hey guys, looks like a storm is going to hit in a few minutes.” Geoff entered the room with a gust of wind and the door slammed behind him. “Whoa, that was weird.”

“It does that when the winds whipping around outside. I don’t count that as one of the strange things that happen here,” Mason said.

“So, why don’t you tell Mitch some of the stuff that’s been going on?” Goeff said.

“Sure, upstairs in my bedroom there’s been some weird activity.”

“Hey Mitch, could you go upstairs with Mason and make sure you know exactly where to set up the camera to focus on the strange stuff.”

Mason saw the panicked look on Mitch’s face. Oh God, he had been acting stalkerish. Now what would he do. He’d have to play it cool and make sure he didn’t do anything stupid while he showed Mitch around his bedroom. Dang, Mitch was going into his bedroom but not for the activity Mason wanted him there for.

With the downstairs camera set up, Mason led Mitch upstairs. He could hear the first drops of rain slash against the windows and the rumble of thunder shook the floors of the old church. “It’s just up here,” he smiled over his shoulder and caught the frown on Mitch’s face. “Is something wrong?”

“No,” Mitch barked. “I’m sorry, that was harsh. Nothing is wrong, it’s just hard to get a clear EVP when the rain is falling like this.”

“Oh, I didn’t know.” Mason opened the door to his bedroom and led Mitch to the far corner. “This is where I’ve seen the lady with the white dress on. He’s also brushed against my bed a time or two.”

“Really. Was this the old part of the church’s upstairs?” Mitch asked.

“Yes, well a part of the room is. The old upstairs bride’s room went along this wall and continued past the new wall that I put in. The other part of the old upstairs is in my studio.”

Mitch cocked his head to the side. “Really, what type of studio?”

“Painting.”

“Cool.”

The rain picked up, pounding the side of the building. Lightning lit up the room then everything went dark. Thunder crashed and a loud bang made Mason jump towards Mitch and into his arms.

“Are you alright?” Mitch asked.

“Yeah, just startled me.”

Mason tried to pull away but Mitch wasn’t letting go. Mitch’s hands were plastered on Mason’s back and his arms felt warm and inviting as Mitch pushed his closer to his chest. Mitch inched forward, pressing his body into Mason’s.

The room was been thrown into total darkness. Mason could find his way over to the door, but honestly Mitch felt too good to leave behind.

“Do you have a flashlight?” Mason asked.

“I forgot it.” Mitch’s voice rumbled next to his ear.

Swallowing over the lump in his throat, Mason’s breathing grew rapid. His chest pressed into Mason’s and warmth spread throughout his body. The muscles of his back flexed under Mason’s hands. Gooseflesh covered his arms when he felt the nuzzle of Mason’s nose against his ear.

“Hey, guys. Mason. Mitch.”

Mitch stepped away and grabbed Mason’s hand. “Can you guide us to the door?”

“Sure.” Mason walked a path that he knew would leave both of them without aching shins or jammed toes.

“Mitch, where are you,” Goeff called out.

“We’re in here.” Mitch yelled out.

Mason saw a light swing under his bedroom door. Geoff had the worst timing. “Here we are.” Mason placed his hand on the door handle and tried to twist it. “Something’s wrong.”

“What do you mean?” Mitch asked.

“I can’t open the door.”

Mitch stepped forward and felt his hand covered Mason’s.

“I’m trying to turn the door handle but it won’t budge. Hey Geoff, you aren’t trying to turn the door knob?” Mitch asked.

“No, I’m just standing here.” Goeff said.

“Okay, could you try the door handle, see if you can open it from that side?” Mitch asked.

Mason heard the handle jiggle but the door didn’t budge. “That’s strange.”

Mitch grabbed Mason’s hand again and pulled him close. He felt good and protected in Mitch’s arms.

“I’m going to try the door from in here again,” Mitch called out.

Mason felt Mitch moving beside him. Mitch’s muscles bunched with the strain of trying to open the door but it stayed shut.

“Is there any locking mechanism that could have caught on this door?” Mitch asked.

“No, there is no lock. What is causing this?”

“I don’t know. Has anything like this ever happened before?”

“No, nothing.” Mason shivered and Mitch pulled him closer.

“Hey Geoff, let’s both try at the same time,” Mitch called out.

“Sure. Okay. I’m grasping the handle and I’m going to try turning towards the ceiling,” Goeff said.

“Okay, I’m ready on three. One, two, three.” Mitch hollored out.

Mason heard Mitch grunt but still no results.

“Hey, Geoff,” Mason called out.

“Yes, Mason.”

“The breaker box is downstairs on the left side of the building. If you take the hall back through what was once the sanctuary then you’ll find the laundry room and that will lead into a small utility closet. The breakers are on the right side in the closet. Could you go down and see if they need to be thrown.”

“Sure, but I hate leaving you two trapped in there.”

“Maybe turning the lights on will help us get out,” Mitch yelled through the door. He pulled Mason close, keeping his hand on the small of his back. “God, I hate this.”

“What, being stuck in the room with me?” Mason asked.

“No, having something weird happening like this without any cameras going.”

“Oh, yeah. That would have been great to have something going right now.”

Mason’s hand trailed down his back to his rump. “I don’t want to get separated. If something paranormal has us locked in here, its purpose might be to frighten us.”

“You think?”

Mason felt Mitch’s breath on his face and sighed. On the off chance that he might feel the same way he did, Mason lifted his chin and leaned in closer. Mitch’s lips brushed against his cheek. Mason’s toes curled and his back arched, forcing them closer together. The deep growl that erupted from Mitch’s throat left goose bumps covering Mason’s shoulders. Mitch’s lips made their way closer to Mason’s, trailing kisses along his jaw line.

The lights popped on and Mitch jumped back. His eyes were huge and his face was a sweet shade of pink. He wanted to reach over and turn the lights off but before he could make his move Geoff’s footsteps could be heard on the stairs.

“Mitch, Mason, can you open the door now.”

Mitch reached down and turned the knob. The door swung open without any problems. “That was strange.”

“Do you think it was mechanical?” Geoff huffed out.

“I don’t know. Geoff, you go in there and see if you can get it to stick.”

Mason moved out of the way and let Geoff past. Being locked in the room with Mitch had been interesting, but he didn’t want a repeat performance with Geoff. He moved to stand with Mitch outside of the room. Geoff grabbed the handle and swung the door shut. It popped open only seconds later.

“Well, it’s not sticking,” Geoff said.

“That was strange. We need to finish getting set up. I think one of our cameras needs to go in here.” Mitch glanced down at Mason and smiled.

His heart felt lighter and he wondered what would have happened if they would have been stuck in his bedroom for the night. A shiver worked its way up his spine.

“Did you just feel a chill?” Geoff asked.

“No, no chill,” Mason said.

“But you shivered,” Geoff pushed.

“I just had a thought.” Mason’s cheeks heated and he looked down at the floor. Beside him Mitch stiffened. He glanced up and caught his gaze. Something passed between the two of them. He wanted to move closer to him and throw his arms around Mitch’s neck but they had a job to do tonight and he would just get in the way if he followed Mitch around like a puppy dog.

“Okay, Mitch, you ready to roll.”

“Sure. Let’s get this camera set up and get to it,” Mitch said.

For more information on Sara York books please visit my website http://sarayork.com