The Lost: Book Two, The Eddie McCloskey Series (The Unearthed 2) by Evan Ronan Read Free Book Online Page B

of the next aisle, little impish grins on their faces, and when they were out of sight they started sprinting again.
    “I can hear you running.” Her eyes rolled up to the ceiling. When she looked back at Eddie, she smiled like this was all very cute, but he knew the lads were in for it once they got in the car.
    “Don’t worry about it, ma’am. Victor loves kids.”
    She paid. As he handed back her change she leaned over the counter, giving him a birds’ eye view of her twin peaks. She took off her shades and revealed playful eyes.
    “So you’re the ghostbuster.”
    “Ma’am?”
    She lowered her voice to a sexy whisper and leaned even more forward. Eddie imagined diving into her cleavage.
    “Excuse me, I meant the paranormal investigator.”
    He wondered when she’d last used that breathy whisper. It was a perfect delivery. Either she practiced it a lot in front of a mirror or she practiced it a lot on men.
    Eddie gave her his best aw shucks smile and finished bagging her groceries. She kept staring at him, her mouth slightly open.
    “You know what the best thing about the boys running around all day is?”
    Eddie gazed into her eyes, seeing the invitation there. “What’s that?”
    “They’re asleep by eight and don’t wake up till seven.”
    “That’s good. All that sleep will help them grow.”
    “Doesn’t hurt me either. I like my free time, especially at night.”
    Eddie winked at her. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but I’m not a ghost ... whatever. You must have me confused with some other gorgeous hunk.”
    She laughed then. It was a good laugh and unself-conscious. She batted her eyelashes. “It’s okay. I won’t tell a soul.”
    She pretended to zip her lips shut and he wondered what those lips tasted like.
    “It’ll be our little secret then,” he said.
    They held a sexually-charged stare for a moment. As he came from behind the counter to put the last bag in her cart, their hips touched. He double-checked her ring finger, saw that it was naked.
    She moved a little closer and put her hand on his arm. “Are there really ghosts?”
    He was about to answer but her tweens ran breathless to her cart. One of them said, “Can we have some ice cream, Mom?”
    “No, it’ll spoil your dinner.”
    “It’s only two-thirty, Mom,” the other said.
    “Maybe after dinner if you’re good.” As she turned to leave she pressed something into Eddie’s hand. “Nice talking to you.”
    “The feeling’s mutual.”
    He waited till she left the store and read the piece of paper. It had her name and phone number on it.
    Elsie .
    He slipped the piece of paper away and caught Ana watching him.
    “Was she looking for a private consultation?” Ana said.
    “She wanted to sell me her twins.”
    Ana gave him a disbelieving look.
    “You ready?” he asked.
    “Yeah.”
    As they walked to her car, alarm bells started going off in his head. If Elsie knew who he was, then half the town knew and it wouldn’t be long before the internet chatter would start.
    He had to work fast then blow town.
    Once his name popped up on the grid, Sean McKenna would come looking for him.
    And Sean McKenna wanted him dead.
    * * * *
    Outside, Eddie said, “Smells like snow.”
    Ana looked up at the grey sky. “There’s a nor’easter coming.”
    Their breaths came out in foggy blasts. Eddie thrust his hands in his pockets to keep them warm.
    “So tell me about the other two guys. Bernard and Colin.”
    Ana hugged herself against the cutting wind as they trudged to her car. “Bernard and Colin used to work at the mill as foremen until a few years ago when Bernie had a falling out with Kindler. He left, but Colin’s still there.”
    “What kind of falling out?”
    “It had to do with safety. Bernie lost the tips of two fingers in an accident. He made a stink about outdated equipment … something about how they should have had a collar on the saw … ”
    They got in her car and Ana blasted the heat. The windows