The Haunted_Edit Copy 4-9-17 final final 5 Upload

deeper than I could see. It was so much more than, “I’m sad. Give
me a new cookie and make it better.”
And what was wrong with me? I hadn’t even paid enough
attention to him to remember that the client was a friend of his.
My heart thudded slowly and heavily in my chest, suddenly
weighted down with guilt. “I’m so sorry, Gun.” I reached out and
slipped my arm around his shoulders, pulling him against me again.
“He’ll be okay, though. Richard is still working on it. They’re not
going back into the house until they get the green light from us. His
dad took us seriously tonight.”
“You should tell Richard about the way his dad acted.” He
rested his head against mine. “It sounds like he might have been
possessed.”
I felt my pulse pick up again. “You’re serious?”
“Yeah. I wouldn’t joke about that. I know this is a big deal.”
I knew now that he understood more than I’d been giving
him credit for. “Okay. I’ll call Richard tomorrow, then.”
Gunner pulled out from under my arm so he could look at
me. “I think Tucker will be okay. He’s still alive. That’s a good
sign.”
Even though I’d been on more ghost hunts than I could count
by that time, I trusted what he said. He knew more about the dark
side of investigating than I had ever wanted to learn. I only was
aware of the basic need-to-know facts, and nothing else. I’d wanted
to avoid it as much as I could.
“And you will be, too.” I turned to face him and my chest
tightened up like I was about to cry. His eyes were so serious, so full
of more emotions than even I could grasp. My little brother was
reassuring me that I would be okay. It was supposed to be the other
way around. He shouldn’t have had to take over Mom-status.
“Thanks.” I suddenly wasn’t sure what to say to him. I
thought I’d known him so well, but I’d been wrong. Finally, I settled
on the only words that could really express what was welling inside
me. “I love you.”
For the first time all night, he smiled. “Do you want me to
sleep in your room with you tonight?”
137