Everlasting - Christine Michelle Page 0,57
with this, with a world where any of it was possible. Hell, I struggled so hard that I even had myself checked out out to make sure I didn’t just come from a family of schizophrenics who made a living off of their mental illness.” She laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. “So, when you tell me that your dead brother came to you in a dream and sent you to me, I believe you.”
I narrowed my eyes on her. “You did understand me,” I accused.
She grinned at me. “I figured it out about the time you started panicking. Look, I’m not going to force you to stay, but if you want the answers you came looking for, I think you should. What would it hurt?”
“It could hurt a lot if I take false hope away from here.”
“I promise not to give you any,” she said so nonchalantly that I had to do a double take. She held her hands up in the air in the symbol of surrender. “I’m not a fan of bullshit,” she finally said, and I nodded my head and turned to walk back over to the table once more.
“Honestly, I don’t know what to expect here,” I admitted.
Avalyn turned a bit, seemingly startled by something as a quick, “Oh!” slipped free from her lips. She seemed to be preoccupied with something on the other side of the table before she nodded her head and then spoke again. Only, this time, her attention was not on me as she spoke. “There’s a man here,” she claimed. I don’t know why, but my stomach flipped then flopped over again as my mind went immediately to Deck. Was he gone now?
“Your brother,” she stated while still staring off into nothing.
“My brother?” I questioned. And Duh! That’s who I came to see and I’d just told her that.
“Toby,” his name left her lips on a whisper. I was stunned, momentarily and then I got a little angry.
“Prove it!” The demand was out before I could reign my temper in.
Avalyn waited just a moment, as if she were listening to someone else, and then she turned to look at me as she recited what she’d been told. “Everything will be okay, Ever. Me and Jason will protect you. You’re my sister and that’s my job. Jay will do it because he’s my friend, so it’s his job too.”
“Oh my God!” I couldn’t stand. My wobbly legs wouldn’t hold me up any longer. There was a chair beside me and I literally melted right into it.
Avalyn took the seat beside mine and put my hands in hers. Then, she started to tell me how everything would work as we communicated with Toby. He could hear me just fine, but she would be speaking for my brother.
My head was spinning by the time we were done with the back and forth question and answer session. The things I learned were that the woman wasn’t the only one holding Deck captive. I think we’d all suspected that, but it helped to know. He also made sure I knew that Deck was not there of his own free will like the woman who had him was attempting to make me believe. I didn’t have the heart to ask him about the baby though because it already felt incredibly awkward to be chastised about doubting my husband by a strange woman who was supposedly speaking for my dead brother. Good luck wrapping your brain around that bit, because it was one of the reasons that I still thought I might be going crazy. This woman knew too much though. There was no way this wasn’t real, unless she was a plant, and how the fuck would they have been assured I’d go see her. I’d never bothered with a psychic before in my life.
We made arrangements for Avalyn to update me if Toby found a way to get her more information and then I had to leave to go pick up the girls. As I was on my way, I gave my phone the voice commands to search for private investigators that weren’t necessarily local to here. I found one near Detroit who would do what I asked for the fee that I offered and that was good enough for me.
What the hell did I need a P.I. for? Well, knowing my family, they would have me committed to a hospital on a 72 hour hold the moment I mentioned that I