Protecting His Windflower (A Spirit Hunters Series Novel Book 1) by Temperance Dawn (best black authors .txt) 📕

striking resemblance to Phil. He felt the stares of his teammates on him when Trey spoke, “You think this dark entity is Banks, don’t you.”

“I’m willing to bet everything I own that it’s him.”

Trey ran his hands down his face. When he looked up, he noticed a woman approaching from across the street. “You expecting anyone?” he asked Liam.

“No. Why?”

The sound of the gate at the bottom of the stairs caught Liam’s attention, and he looked up. A short woman, shorter than Emily, with a dark brunette pixie haircut approached them. She eyed the three men before walking, continuing her strides up the steps. Her eyes fixed on Liam.

“You must be Liam Wesley,” she stated, very confidently. “I recognize you from the photo Em sent me.”

Liam smiled, closed the folder, and handed it to Trey as he headed down the steps. “Lexi.”

Twenty-Four

Emily stared at the photos laid out on the coffee table in front of her. Both Lexi and Liam sat on either side of her on the sofa, acting as anchors to the raging oceans of information and emotions swirling around her. The photos before her confirming the dreams of a past life with Liam, sent shock waves through her.

Emily was overtaken with emotion when Liam called her downstairs, and Lexi stood waiting for her. Having her best friend with her, along with Liam, at that moment was definitely keeping her calm. When Lexi and the guys came into her flat, Liam shared that Trey had more information for them but insisted she eat, have some coffee, and visit with Lexi a bit. Now, everyone was gathered in her living room. The space felt cramped, but she was thankful for the company. The prickling sensation of Banks’ presence had her on edge. Emily wasn’t a person who carried animosity in her heart, but the amount of hate and revulsion she felt toward Banks bubbled to the surface.

“I’m sorry, Emily. I’m still trying to figure out who your birth mother was,” Trey assured.

“I know. It’s okay. Like I said, I’ve made peace with it. I appreciate you trying.”

“So, this Charles. He was a distant grandfather of your now deceased landlord?” Lexi asked while gesturing with her arms in the air. Lexi was notorious for talking with her hands. She was small, but she made a big statement with her presence.

“Yes,” Liam confirmed.

“And he left this building to you? So now you own all of this? The same house where Robert Banks and James lived?”

Liam nodded at Lexi’s statement.

“Wow,” she stated as she picked her coffee mug off the table. The multiple rings on her fingers, clinking the porcelain.

“Yeah. Wow,” Emily agreed with her friend. “So, now what? We have this information. What do we do now?”

Liam broke the silence in the room. “Somethings bugging me.”

“What is it?” Emily asked, placing her hand on his shoulder. He’d picked the photo of Banks up off of the table and stared at it.

“I don’t know. We’re still missing a piece to the puzzle. Why would Banks hang back after he died? It’s almost like he’s been waiting for you.” Liam’s eyes hit Emily. His intense blues warmed her entire body. His hand came up and brushed her cheek before wrapping around, where he gently massaged her neck. “He’s haunted you all these years, and then one day you felt the urge to move here. You showed up, and he became more violent. There’s something else. I think we need to dig.”

Trey and Luke stared at Liam in confusion. “Dig?” They both asked in unison.

Liam looked at Emily again. “Em, you said your dreams were becoming clearer. You saw Banks’ men digging a hole in the basement. They threw you into it?” Emily nodded in confirmation.

“So, yes. I say we dig. I’m not saying we will find anything. But we need to try to find some kind of evidence. What if Abigail’s body was never found? What if she’s still buried here. Maybe we’ll find clues that someone was buried under this house at one time. Maybe we’ll find something else entirely. This is an old fucking house. Passed down from generation to generation in Phil’s family. One of his grandfathers was a butler for Banks. We know that Banks not only had Abigail’s parents killed but also James and Abigail as well. We also know he tricked James’ dying father into signing over this house to him. The minute Em showed up, and I went to the basement, the energy in this house flipped. Like it knew we were together again. So yeah, I say let’s dig. Let’s tear up the ground down there and see what we find. Maybe we’ll piss it off, but I don’t care. The truth has been hidden for far too long. It’s time everything comes out.”

“I’m staying to help,” Lexi stated, matter of factly. “Before you start with me, Em, I’ve already made up my mind. You’ve been living with this bullshit for far too long. You’ve found happiness with Liam. I’ll be damned if I sit back and watch this thing try to rip it away from you again. So, I’m staying here, and I’m going to help in any way I can.”

“But what about your job and your sister?” Emily asked.

“I gave my notice. I have an interview next week at a resort in Napa.” Lexi waved her hand nonchalantly in the air as she sat back on the sofa. She angled her body slightly and crossed her legs. “Em, you know I’ve wanted a change. It’s okay. I have money put away. I’ve already had a few over the phone interviews too. They just want to meet me and have me see the property before I commit to the position. And Tessa wants to move down this way to finish up school.”

“You’re moving here?” Emily asked with excitement and tears in her eyes.

“Yes!”

***

The women hugged again and cried happy tears while they chatted about the logistics of Lexi’s