Chapter Eight

L aughter and breaking glass echoed from inside the stone slaughterhouse. The twins were definitely up to no good.

“How do you want to handle this?” I asked Jax.

“From what you said, Marvin is the slipperiest of the two. I can catch Merle, but there’s not much I can do to help grab Marvin.”

“You focus on Merle.” Dad tipped his head in my direction. “We’ll take care of Marvin.”

“Alrighty then. I say we flush them out. Dad, Marvin doesn’t know about you. If I can get him running in your direction, maybe you can nab him.”

“Good plan.” I gestured toward the door at the back of the stone building. “We’ll go through there, which means they’ll probably try to escape out the front.” I laid my hand on his shoulder. “Be ready for Marvin and all his naked glory.”

“This just keeps getting more and more fun,” Dad grumbled.

“I know, right?” I shook my head at him. “Why would you ever want to leave this paradise?”

“Ask me again in a couple of hours,” he said.

The sound of more breaking glass ricocheted from inside. “If we don’t hurry, Elmer’s not going to have any moonshine left,” Jax said.

“Let’s do this.” Reaching back, I gripped my dad’s wrist. “Be careful.”

“You too.” With that, he darted into the trees.

Jax and I had worked together enough times that we were able to communicate silently. Maybe it was more of that mated stuff. It didn’t matter. It worked. He flicked his head toward the right and pointed at me. I nodded. He wanted me to go first, try to flush them out.  Edging to the left, he made his way to the front of the building.

It was no wonder that I made it to the back door without any incident. Merle and Marvin were making more noise than Time Square on New Year’s Eve. As I stepped inside, a bottle smashed against the wall near my head. I flung myself backward in an effort to avoid shattering glass and moonshine.

“What the freaking hell, Merle?”  I yelled, chancing a peek inside again. “Are you trying to kill somebody?”

“Poppy! I didn’t see you there.” Merle sauntered around a large stone table at the center of the building. His  torso was bare, and I  caught a quick glimpse of naked knees under the table.

“Stop!” I slapped my hand over my eyes. “Are you naked?”

“Not completely, but I can be if you want.”

Not believing him, I peeked through my spread fingers. To my relief, he wore a pair of red and black plaid flannel boxers. I lowered my hand. “Thank God.”

“What’s the matter, Poppy? Haven’t you ever seen a naked man before?” Merle asked.

“Oh, she’s seen a naked man before.” Marvin materialized next to his brother. He smirked at me. “Sorry if I’ve ruined you for other men.”

“The only thing you’ve ruined, Marvin, is my appetite.” With a casual gait, I moved into the slaughterhouse, acting as if I wasn’t there to reap this ghost’s ass. “So, what are you guys up to?”

“Just having fun,” Merle said.

“Living the dream,” Marvin added.

My gaze leveled on him. “News alert, but your dead.” Then I looked at Merle. “And you’re not, which means you’ll be held responsible for all the damage y’all are doing.”

“You gotta catch us first.” Stroking the small tuft of hair he called a beard, Merle gave me the once over. “Where is my persistent nephew, anyway? ”

I gave a nonchalant shrug and continued forward.

“Don’t act like he’s not lurking in the woods, waiting for me to show myself. That boy is like a tick on a dog.”

“Best give up then.” I leaned against the opposite side of the table, bracing my hands on the edge. “Because you’re right, he’s not going to stop.”

“All we’re doing is having a little fun,” Merle whined.

“Yeah, but maybe you’ve had enough fun.”

“Don’t listen to her, Brother. She’s trying to separate us. Trying to put the kibosh on our amusements.” Marvin started toward me, and I straightened. If I could just get a hold of him, I might have a chance of getting them into Bunny’s elevator. “She doesn’t understand our bond.”

“No, what you don’t understand is that you need to crossover, preferably without leaving a shit storm of trouble for your brother to clean up.”

Marvin stopped about five feet from me, just out of reach. He canted his head to the right and narrowed his gaze. “I’m not going.”

“Yes, you are.” I took a step toward him. “The sooner the better.”

The tension between us tightened, and a wave of anticipation rippled through me. I had no doubt he was going to make a run for it, and so was Merle. The urge to glance at the door pushed at me, but I resisted, not wanting to give up Jax position. I took another step forward, and both Merle and Marvin took a step back. They matched me step for step.  Catching them might be easier than I thought. They were basically just backing right into our trap.

Then Merle glanced at Marvin. I swear they exchanged some kind of silent message. A second later, they both looked at me and smiled.  “Oh shit.” I lunged toward Marvin, but he was already changing. “They’re shifting!”

I hadn’t wanted to give up the element of surprise, but I needed Jax to know his uncle had shifted to mountain lion form. Thankfully, my dad was still an unknown factor in this capture. Marvin careened away from my grasp, my fingertips grazing his hindquarters. I stumbled and tripped over a wooden crate of empty bottles. As I went down, I caught the hind end of Merle scampering through the front door. Hopefully, Jax was ready.

“Ouch!” I crashed to the stone floor, the knee of my favorite cargo pants ripping. “Dammit!” That damn feline was so going to pay for this. Climbing to my feet, I glanced around the slaughterhouse. Marvin’s cat ghost sat on a ledge above a massive fireplace. There was no way I could get him down from there. “You’re not playing fair.”

The cat huffed at me, but my taunt must’ve worked. Marvin leapt from the ledge to the stone table in the center of the room, and then launched himself out the back door. Not the back door. I cursed under my breath. Already the odds of capturing these two knuckleheads were slim and growing slimmer by the second.

As I raced out the building, the sound of thrashing came from my right. It had to be Jax and Merle. Being a ghost, Marvin wouldn’t have made any noise. I started in that direction, but low growls stop me in my tracks. What was I thinking? This was Jax’s territory, not mine. What did I think I was going to do? Wrestle a mountain lion to the ground? Hardly. That’s why Jax held the position as law enforcer, and I didn’t.

Turning to my left, I caught a glimpse of Marvin’s spectral form staring at me from between the trees. “Here kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty.”

A deep rumble vibrated from him. I translated the sound to be one of displeasure. Good, maybe if I could piss him off, he’d make a mistake. Keeping my eyes locked with his, I crept toward him. He didn’t move, daring me to come after him. I would, and eventually I’d get him. I was getting married tonight, dammit. No way was I going to let that four-legged feline ruin it for me.

A movement behind Marvin drew my attention. Dad. He moved so quietly even the cat didn’t hear him. I stood riveted, wondering how close he’d be able to get before Marvin sensed him. This was the closest I’d ever come to catching this wily cat and I wasn’t about to lose him now.

“You may as well let me cross you over.” I hitched a thumb behind me in the direction I’d heard Jax and Merle. “Your brother’s been caught. Now, there’s no one for you to run with. Nobody else can see you but me.”

At that, Marvin morphed back into his human form. “Merle ain’t been caught. You’re just trying to trap me with your lies. Just like a Dolbinrod.”

I stopped and smiled at him, shaking my head. “Oh no, you’ve got it all wrong. I’m nothing like the Dolbinrods.”  Starting toward him again, I continue to hold his gaze. My dad had managed to get within a couple of feet. Now in his human form, Marvin wouldn’t be nearly as fast, and would be a whole lot easier to grab. “I’m one-hundred percent Carlyle.”

“As if that’s something to be proud of. Humans are a waste of space, including your daddy.”

“I think he’d disagree with you.”

“Yeah? Well if he was here, I’d tell it to his face. Stole my woman and left town. Sounds like something a low-down thieving human would do. The only good thing your daddy ever did was die.”

“No, he didn’t.”

Marvin’s brow furrowed. “No, he didn’t what?”

“No, he didn’t die. As a matter of fact, he’s right behind you.”

Marvin stared at me for a few seconds, and then started laughing. “You almost had me fooled. But I know for a fact your daddy’s dead. Want to know how I know that?”

I crossed my arms over my chest, my eyes growing wide. “I’m on the edge of my seat with anticipation.”

“Because I’m the one who hired the hitman.” Mirroring my stance, he folded his arms over his chest and gave me a smug look of satisfaction. “So, what do you think about that? ”

“I think you’re as inapt as you’ve ever been,” my dad said.

Marvin spun, his shock giving Dad the advantage he needed. With one hand, he latched on to Marvin’s arm. Despite the kicks and punches the ghost threw at him, my dad remained firmly attached. He made it look so easy. I would definitely be picking his brain for tips.

“But...but they told me you were dead,” Marvin snarled.

“Yeah, I get that a lot.” Then he turned to me. “He’s your reap.”

“Roger that, Dad. Bunny!”

A thin line of pink light stretched and widened, transforming into the familiar elevator. The door slid open to expose the garishly pink interior of the car. “Hey, sweetie, you caught him.”

“Actually, my dad caught him.” I couldn’t keep the note of pride out of my voice.

“Dad?” Bunny’s eyes ran up my dad’s body like a train on a railroad track. “Well, hello Poppy’s father.”

“Miss Bunny,” my dad said with all the charm of a gently bred gentleman. “A pleasure.”

“I’d say it is.” Bunny propped one fist on her hip and smiled at a very naked Marvin. “This is my lucky day.”

“I’m not going in there without seeing my brother first.” Marvin gave a hard yank against Dad’s hold.

“I’ll give him your regards.” I didn’t want to be heartless, but no way was I risking him getting away again. “Look at it this way. If he keeps up his shenanigans, he’ll probably be joining you pretty soon.”

Disturbingly, that seem to placate Marvin. Bunny waved them forward. “Come on in, honey. I promise the ride will be worth it.”

My dad released his hold, and the gravitational pull of the elevator dragged Marvin inside. I like to think of it as a vacuum for the souls. Keeping the physical plane clean. I waved, and my dad gave Bunny a courtly bow. I totally got why my mom had fallen in love with him. He was nothing like the Dolbinrods or Jacksons. No, my dad was in a class all by himself .

As Bunny’s elevator compressed and winked out of sight, Dad walked to me, holding his hand up. I quirked an eyebrow at him. “Seriously, you want to high-five?”

“We could shake hands.” He lowered his hand. “Or.” He paused and gave me a doubtful smile. “We could hug it out.”

I liked that idea. I liked that idea a lot. I took a step toward him and wrapped him in a hug. “Hug it out. Definitely, hug it out.”

Since there was only room for three of us in the truck, Jack handcuffed Merle in the truck bed. At first, I felt sorry for him, but I quickly realized he was too drunk to feel any sort of indignation. He lay sprawled in the back of the truck, his snores battling with the noise of the engine. Jax assured us that he’d let Merle sleep it off in the cell, slap him with a stiff fine, and let him go. Jax figured losing his twin brother was punishment enough.

As we exited the truck, I stopped my dad. “Hey, there’s something I want to ask you. A favor.”

“Sure, anything.”

I suddenly felt shy and uncertain. My heart raced, and I swallowed hard. Before I chickened out, I blurted, “Will you walk me down the aisle and give me away?” He just stared at me, motionless, expressionless. Maybe it was too much to ask. “It’s okay if you don’t want to. No hard feelings. I completely understand.”

I barely got the last word out before he crushed me against his body. His hold on me tightened, and I felt him place a kiss on top of my head.

“Is that a yes?” I said against his chest.

He held me away from him, his eyes sparkling with emotion. I wouldn’t say unshed tears, but he was definitely feeling the moment, too. “I would be honored.”

He hugged me to him again, and I hugged him back, burying my face against his shirt. A riot of emotions tumbled through me. My dad was holding me in his arms. My mom had come home. And I was about to marry the man I loved.

When had my life turned into a fairytale?