Ascension by Bailey Bradford (desktop ebook reader txt) 📕

“Hurt you?” Conner jerked his head back around. “He hurt you?” His plan to tear JD apart was a good one.

Ro shook him by the shoulders. “I let him, so whatever you’re thinking, stop it. JD didn’t do anything I tried to stop him from doing.” He gestured toward Laine who was running full tilt to the truck. “Can’t you stop him? Don’t let him see me like that.”

One glance at the body Ro had left behind was enough to have Conner rushing toward Laine. He didn’t clothesline the man, but it was a near thing. Sometimes in his exuberance, Conner could get carried away. He was fairly desperate to keep Laine from seeing Ro, at least until he could warn him. Conner really hated to do it, but he reached for Sev, too, hoping to forewarn him of the bad news to come.

Conner hit Laine with a gust of air, his incorporeal form spreading out to block Laine’s progress. It didn’t faze Conner, and Laine was only stopped for a split second before he shoved back with a wave of what Conner could only think of as a psychic power. Conner was thrown back on his butt, even if it didn’t truly touch the ground. He realized then that Laine wasn’t reasonable, wasn’t the calm, logical man he almost always was.

And he couldn’t stop Laine, couldn’t protect him from this pain any more than he had been able to when he’d died.

“It’s not your fault, it’s mine. I shouldn’t have fucking swerved.” Ro bowed his head and sniffled. “God, what’d I do? Dad’s going to… And Sev, and I mean, I’ve… I’ve had a crush on you forever, but this is really going to hurt my family and we just lost Mom a few months ago.”

“Ro, Rogelio.” Laine knocked his hat off trying to reach through the truck door. He didn’t say another word then, just touched Ro’s body with a trembling hand. “Shit, kid. God damn it.” Laine closed Ro’s eyes and rested his palm there for several long minutes, his breathing shaky and labored. Conner saw the sheen of tears on Laine’s cheeks, and he regretted trying to reach Sev, because he was pretty sure it’d worked. That would mean Sev was freaking out and maybe driving.

“I’m so sorry,” Ro said, hovering beside Laine. He glanced at Conner. “Can I…? Can I touch him?”

Conner nodded. “You can try. It feels weird, but it won’t hurt either of you.”

Laine probably wouldn’t feel it at all, but Conner didn’t have the time to explain to Ro how to concentrate and make himself firm enough for the living to feel his presence or touch.

“Stay here, please? I need to check on Sev. I did something stupid when I saw Laine pull up, and contacted him. He’s got to be panicking since all I did was tell him Laine needed him.”

“Go on. I’ll be here.” Ro bit his lip then released it. “Right? I’m not going on to wherever?”

“You either go when you die, or you don’t, as far as I’ve seen, so no.” Conner brushed a kiss to the top of Ro’s head. “Stefan, stay here with him.”

“Sure thing, Con.” Stefan saluted him and Conner didn’t hesitate any longer. He focused on finding Sev and a split second later he was beside Sev in the car Sev was driving. Way too fast.

Conner focused on his foot and he pushed it against Sev’s right calf. “Slow down, Laine’s fine. He’s not hurt.” Conner wasn’t lying, but he felt dishonest, so he added, “But he does need you. Trust me when I tell you that you arriving doing ninety isn’t going to help him any. Just slow down, make sure you get to him.”

That must have sounded foreboding, because Sev gasped and took his foot off the gas. “When did you become precognitive? Are you saying I’ll die if I keep speeding? What the fuck do you mean?” Sev shouted the last question at him.

Conner wondered if he could get a headache. There was a pressure building right between his eyes. He pressed a thumb to it and tried to reassure Sev that he wasn’t predicting a fiery death for him. Conner stayed in the car with him until Sev pulled up behind Laine’s vehicle. In the distance he could hear the wail of a siren, an ambulance coming their way.

“That’s Ro’s truck!” Sev was out of the vehicle and running. Conner would have given anything to spare his friends this pain, but he could do nothing except be there in his spirit way.

Sev knew, before he reached the truck. Whether it was his psychic ability, or seeing his lover crying, his sobs silent and powerful, Conner didn’t know. But Sev skidded to a stop and stared right at Ro where he stood with his hand resting on Laine’s back.

“Ro.” Sev sounded broken, there was no other word for it.

Laine turned his head the rest of the way, giving Sev more than his profile. “I’m so sorry, honey. I got here too late.”

Sev moved then, joining Laine and putting his hand right where Ro’s was. “No, you didn’t get here too late. Did he, Ro?”

Laine blinked and took a handkerchief from his back pocket. He wiped his face and pulled Sev to him. “He’s here?”

“With Conner and Stefan,” Sev confirmed. “It doesn’t help. I thought it would, if Alma stayed after she passed away, but now I know it wouldn’t have mattered. It still fucking hurts.”

“I shouldn’t have swerved,” Ro said again.

Conner touched his cheek. Ro looked at him and Conner knew he had to be the biggest jerk in the world, because every second he was with Ro, he was more and more glad Ro was there. Which meant he was glad Ro was dead, but he wasn’t, but—

“Stop thinking so hard,” Ro told him.

“Stop thinking about what you should or shouldn’t have done,” Conner retorted. “Take it from someone who knows. I’ve had