Reading Time: 115 Minutes

Title: Intangible
Author: Keira Marcos
Fandom: 9-1-1
Relationship: Evan Buckley/Eddie Diaz, canon background pairings
Genre: Paranormal, Alternate Setting, Romance
Warnings: Explicit sex, discussion-grief, discussion-afterlife, discussion-crossing over, discussion-murder, character bashing, and demon stuff.
Author’s Note: I think Chimney Han is an asshole, and I think Maddie Kendall is ultimately self-involved to a very unhealthy degree. If that ideology offends you, do not read this story. Your negative feedback on how I handle characterization is never desired.
Word Count:  60,275
Beta: Ladyholder
Summary: Evan Buckley, a popular medium on the Beyond Channel, needs a new videographer. He’s always needing a new videographer because shit gets too real, and no amount of advanced warning seems to help. Bobby Nash, the head of 118 Productions, decides to try things from a different angle and Eddie Diaz, formerly of the US Army and journalist, is his solution.

* * * *

Chapter 6

“Alex has been missing for seven years,” Lou said from his place at the kitchen table in the small home of a woman named Alana, who’d originally contacted Beyond about being on Maddie Buckley’s show. “His wife, Alana, reports a gentle sort of haunting that has persisted since shortly before she reported her husband missing.”

Eddie watched Sae move around Lou, a Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro in hand. The digital video camera was very attractive and, coming in at 10,000 dollars, it was well out of his budget for personal projects. He’d been excited to get issued one from Bobby Nash personally just the day before.

Neither of them protested his inclusion in their filming. In fact, the request had been approved by Lou and Bobby before he’d gotten it completely out of his mouth. He was still exploring his options when it came to the show and how the team worked. It was nice that everyone was willing to indulge that. He wasn’t opposed to producing projects, but he was already enamored with Buck’s show and hoped he’d get to keep it long-term.

“Most of the family decided early on that Alex has returned to his life in a gang,” Lou said as he adjusted the file in front of him. “The LAPD briefly investigated his disappearance, but there was nothing much to find. The man simply disappeared, and no one in his life—current or past—had anything to offer in the way of clues. His behavior was normal leading up to the day of his disappearance, and his own mother told detectives that he was looking forward to being a father. Now, most of his family and friends believe that he left and returned to his old life.”

Eddie bit down on his lip to keep from asking a question. Buck had welcomed a sounding board, but he didn’t think Lou would.

“As to the haunting, there has been no violence and no behavior associated with a spirit dealing with an immense amount of trauma. Because of that, several paranormal investigation teams have refused to help her. They don’t believe she has a problem because there’s no harm being done. But Alana wants peace for her husband, and she wants to know what happened to him. A year ago, she finally had him declared legally dead. It didn’t give her the closure she thought it would.

“Tonight, Evan Buckley, a psychic medium, will come to this house to investigate the haunting. The only information he currently has is that the homeowner believes the house to be haunted and that, so far, there has been no spiritual violence.” He closed the file. “It’s my hope that we can provide Alana with the information she needs to move on and find love again.”

“Cut,” Sae said and shifted the URSA as she checked what she’d filmed. “Let’s get some footage of you reading the file, Lou. Then Eddie and Hen can prep the house for Buck’s arrival.”

Lou focused on Eddie. “Is this working for you?”

Eddie nodded. “You have a great on-screen presence. I think the audience will respond to your direct presentation, but we may need to change your look a bit outside of the formal set.”

Lou touched his tie, smoothed it down, and frowned.

Eddie grinned. “The thing is that Buck, despite his level of fitness, presents a soft, friendly persona to the camera. People responded well to that on the other show, and it wasn’t all to do with his looks. You’re both very attractive, which is going to be a draw for the show, and the content will be compelling to several groups of people—true crime, ghost content, and family drama. All of those topics are popular. Combine all of those topics with two gorgeous men undertaking what most will consider to be a very honorable task…well. We’ll be lucky if Beyond doesn’t ask for shirtless pics in the promo package.”

Lou huffed, and Sae laughed.

“Why should I soften my look?” Lou questioned. “Shouldn’t I present a negative to Buck, so to speak?”

“No, I don’t think so. You have a lot of chemistry together, and there’s no need to hide it. That kind of black-and-white foil in shows like this is about false drama. We’re not going to need that, and there’s no reason to manufacture it. We’re all on a journey together—telling the world the stories of the dead that need to be told. Let’s just lean into that.

“Keep the jacket, take off the tie, and loosen the collar for location work. I like the watch—thick and masculine—it highlights your hands, which are nice. You’ll want to get manicures more regularly. Ragged cuticles are going to stand out like an open wound in 4k.”

“True,” Lou said. “It’s been a while.” He loosened the tie and pulled it off. “Buck said you’ve asked him to wear comfortable clothes even on the formal set. Why? It’s not going to lessen his physical power.”

“Not much will,” Eddie agreed. “But he has to look inviting and approachable. People will want to sit down with him and talk, share tea with him, and probably, honestly, sit on his lap and cuddle with him.” Sae laughed. “So, we might as well bank on it.”

“You don’t want to cuddle with me?” Lou asked in amusement as he unbuttoned his collar.

“You’re all daddy, Lou. Anyone on your lap is gonna expect a spanking,” Sae said and grinned when the older man laughed. “We should refilm your intro—I like the look without the tie.”

“Any requests on the content, Eddie?” Lou questioned.

“Tell me more about Alex and his gentle haunting—it’ll heighten the veracity of Buck’s interactions with the spirit if that happens.”

Sae nodded. “It adds personalization as well.”

“Yes, and empathy. We want our audience to be invested in a happy ending for the spirits we encounter, no matter the trauma they’ve suffered or inflicted since they died.” He watched the two of them get comfortable, and Lou let one hand rest on the folder. One day he was going to get Lou Ransone in front of a camera and ask him why he left the LAPD and what being a homicide detective had done to him. It’d probably break his own heart, but Eddie’s desire to know was immense.

Eddie leaned on the wall out of frame as Sae set up her shot. He appreciated her artistry and saw a lot of potential in her. He knew that Conversations with the Dead was going to be her first show behind the camera as a lead cinematographer, and her experience was in editing since she’d come to the 118. Bobby Nash had concentrated on creating a little family sort of situation for Buck, and Eddie figured he’d gotten the right of it. It would keep the production small and intimate. It would also give Buck a comfortable environment to work in—something required due to his gifts.

“Tell our audience the story about Alana and the man she loved and lost,” Eddie suggested. “Let’s shift the angle a bit so we get some of the backyard. The swing set will demonstrate the family he left behind. We have about an hour before the sun shifts into a horrible position for this room.”

Everstar slipped into the room and quietly tucked into place beside him as Sae got into position.

“Okay, Lou, talk to me,” Sae murmured, and Lou opened the file.

* * * *

Eddie tucked a layer of foam into the top of his duffel and zipped it shut. He passed it to Everstar, who was in charge of preparing the truck for the night shoot while he had a meeting with Bobby Nash that hadn’t been on his schedule when the day started. He thought the morning had gone well with Lou and Sae, so he hoped he hadn’t overstepped and made assumptions about how broad his lane was when it came to the show.

He made his way to the conference room and found Buck already at the table with a bottle of water and some sort of lettuce wrap. Eddie resisted the urge to sit beside him and instead sat across the table, then put his phone down in front of him. Buck sent him a grin but didn’t say anything as the door opened, admitting Bobby Nash, Lou Ransone, Howard Han, and Maddie Buckley. Across from him, Buck took an aggressive bite of his wrap.

“What kind is that?” Eddie asked curiously.

“Chicken Caesar,” Buck said. “I brought it from home. The catering service stopped offering organic chicken options.”

“I’ve already talked to them,” Bobby said. “The complaints have been unreal.” He sat down at the head of the table between Buck and Eddie. “Eddie Diaz—this is Chimney Han and Maddie Buckley. I’m not sure if you’ve already met them or not. Maddie is one of the leads on Ghost Investigations, one of the more popular shows that we produce for the Beyond Channel. Chimney is the production manager and one of the videographers for the show. Hen used to be part of that team before joining the crew for Buck’s show.”

“It’s nice to meet you both,” Eddie said and hoped it at least sounded sincere. He knew he didn’t ever do a good job of keeping his emotions off his face, and the beard didn’t help much.

“Maddie and Chim want you on their team, Eddie,” Bobby said. “As a producer.”

Buck frowned at his food, which he sat down and picked up his water flask.

“Why?” Eddie questioned and focused on Bobby because he didn’t want there to be any confusion as to who he was asking the question of. “Is there some problem with my work product so far?”

“No, in fact, everything you’ve put together for streaming is fantastic,” Bobby said. “I look forward to what you produce for the actual show.”

“My show is very successful,” Maddie interjected. “You could make it more so—you’re clearly going to be wasted on Buck’s little project. I have a huge audience, and the exposure would be good for your career. We can increase your rumored salary by ten percent based on our current budget if we cut some corners on location shooting.”

Eddie grimaced. “For the first time since I’ve left the Army, I have this stupid desire to ask for permission to speak freely, Bobby.”

Bobby laughed. “Please do, Eddie.” He waved a hand and shrugged. “I know what I want, but you deserved to hear the offer.”

He focused on Maddie. “Aren’t you the executive producer of your show, Ms. Buckley?”

“Oh, please, call me Maddie,” she smiled warmly at him, and Buck sucked air between in teeth. “And yes, the executive producer role was part of my new contract. I have plans for the show and would welcome your participation going forward.”

Eddie wondered if Chimney Han knew that his woman was looking to replace him across the board. A glance toward the man said no. He clearly had no idea at all that he was about to get dumped and probably moved into a different job to keep Maddie Buckley happy. He wondered how much money she’d made for the 118 and if it was truly worth the hassle.

“I’m not interested,” Eddie said, and Lou’s shoulders relaxed. “If you want a new direction and vision for your show, then you need to recruit someone who isn’t grossly offended by the content you’ve already produced. I find the premise and the behavior of you and your co-star lurid and exploitative. The production values have been top-notch in the episodes I could stomach to watch, so I’d offer no technical improvement either. I can’t see why you’d stress your budget to pay me.”

Maddie blinked in shock, and tears welled in her eyes. “I…what?”

“You treat the dead like a sideshow at a cheap traveling carnival,” Eddie said. “And it’s disgusting.”

“Wow,” Buck muttered.

“Is this your fault, Evan?” Maddie questioned, glaring at Buck even as she wiped tears from her face. “What have you told him?”

“He told you he watched the show, Maddie,” Buck said. “Plenty of people think that about Ghost Investigations, and you don’t actually care, so turn off the waterworks.” He rolled his eyes.

“And even if I didn’t have a problem with your content, I chose to interview for Conversations with the Dead because it will be filmed locally as much as possible. I accepted the job because I believe the show is going to be something special and rewarding. I’ve been promised a summer-only travel schedule because I’m a single parent. My son is and will remain my priority which means any job I undertake must work around his schedule as much as humanly possible.”

“You could provide very good child care with a raise,” Maddie pointed out.

“Yeah, but no amount of money would make me feel better about the rest,” Eddie said. “I’d prefer to create beauty and document the telling of stories that help to heal others. I’ve seen enough ugly to last a lifetime and have no desire to facilitate the making of more.”

“You’re a real dick,” Chimney muttered. “I told you we didn’t need this stuck-up asshole, Maddie. He’s been working here for almost two weeks and hadn’t even bothered to introduce himself to you.”

“Why would I?” Eddie questioned. “I don’t have anything to do with the production of her show.”

“She’s the star around here,” Chimney said snidely.

Eddie grimaced and slouched back in his seat. “Athena Grant is the star power around here. Her ratings are twice Ms. Buckley’s on every single project she’s involved in. She introduced herself to me the first week without any sort of arrogance or demands for my time or attention.”

“Thanks for those photos, by the way,” Bobby said. “I had one framed for my office—they’re the best headshots she’s had in ages. She mentioned getting a full session out of you at some point.”

“Sure, whenever she wants. Having her in front of my camera was no hardship,” Eddie assured and focused on Maddie Buckley, who looked more irritated than anything else. “Are you actively trying to ruin your brother’s show, or is this offer more a product of the fact that you’re just really self-centered? Everyone knows that he’s had staffing problems because of the nature of his mediumship.”

“He has Hen; Evan doesn’t need you,” Maddie said simply and shrugged. “Beyond wants to see more from Taylor and me on screen. They want a new emotional tone which is probably my brother’s fault. He didn’t follow the format I had established, and now they want something softer. I guess that’s they offered him a show.” She crossed her arms. “But I figure a minor shift in the vibe will make them happy. You can do that for us, based on what I’ve seen of your work. You have the kind of reputation my show needs.”

“You have three videographers, a production manager, four assistants, and two editors,” Eddie said. “Buck and Lou have a crew of four and twenty-five episodes to shoot for Beyond in the next six months.” He shook his head. “So, the answer remains no. I’m really pleased with what we’re putting together.” He turned to Bobby. “Can I go? I want to join Hen and Everstar in setting up the house for Buck’s walk-through. We’re going to have four stationary cameras in place, and I need to check the lighting for each of the rooms as soon as the sun sets completely.”

Bobby nodded. “Sure, thanks for taking the time.”

“If we can meet on Monday, I’d like to discuss how offers like this are handled in the future,” Eddie said. “I realize I’m the shiny coin around here because of the award….”

“Because you’re talented,” Bobby corrected. “And I like your vision, and your unique viewpoint shows through the camera in a way that is rare in this day and age. In some ways, the 118 is a stepping stone for you, Eddie, and I understand that. We’ll meet on Monday.”

Eddie nodded and glanced only briefly at Buck before leaving the room entirely. He kind of wanted to run home and take a fucking shower.

Buck frowned as he watched Eddie leave and sighed. He finished off his food and just nodded when Lou nudged him with his knee. They were both on the same page when it came to the show and to Eddie Diaz. They were both willing to fight tooth and nail to keep him because he’d already impacted their own thoughts and wants for the project in a very positive way.

He leaned forward and focused on his sister. “Eddie was hired to work on our show. He’s also clearly being gently prodded into a position of an executive producer for the 118. Establishing himself with a new show is exactly the kind of thing he needs to do in the industry. Even if he didn’t find your content to be awful, it wouldn’t be fair to him to saddle him with a production that is already established with a huge audience who probably wouldn’t react well to an extreme change in format. I was a novelty to your audience, Maddie, and most of that was probably about my looks. It would have to be, really, since you attract a very shallow and narrow kind of viewership.”

Maddie crossed her arms. “Eddie Diaz should be on my show, Evan. I deserve his attention more than you do, at any rate, because my show is already a success. Your show won’t get renewed, and that will actually hurt his career. Someone needs to explain that being part of a failure isn’t going to do a damn thing for his future options.”

“The man said no,” Lou said stiffly. “And he could easily quit, walk right out, and get a new job tomorrow, Bobby.”

“I agree,” Bobby said. “Now that people know he’s willing to work in television, he’s going to get offers, and I’ve already prepped an offer for a documentary package for him that he can work on when Buck’s show is not filming, with the topic of his choice.”

Chimney frowned. “I was here before you bought this company.”

“True,” Bobby agreed.

“You’ve never offered me anything like that,” he said.

“Shortly after I bought this company, I called you into my office and asked you what you wanted for your career,” Bobby said evenly. “I asked you if you had ideas to pitch for projects outside of the show you were working on. You had nothing, and I told you to feel free to pitch whenever you were ready. It’s been four years—Chim, and you haven’t pitched a single idea. You seem content to ride out the show you’ve got, and that’s fine. When it ends, I’ll slot you into another project as a production manager since that seems to be your comfort zone. I can’t make you be creative, and that’s what I’m looking for when it comes to executive producers and directors.”

* * * *

Eddie was leaning on the truck waiting on Buck to join him, scowling at the stupid Harry Potter match-3 game his son had talked him into playing. Christopher was currently twenty levels ahead of him; he was trying hard not to take it personally. But he was also getting really tired of a tiny Draco Malfoy glaring at him for failing.

“Eddie, can we talk?”

He looked up and found Maddie Buckley standing in front of him. Alone. Eddie considered just getting in the truck and locking the door. He didn’t know how polite he had to be to her, for Buck’s sake, and that was kind of annoying. Buck accepted his sister’s faults, and Eddie couldn’t really complain about that since he did much the same with both of his sisters. Childhood trauma had done a number on every single adult he knew.

“I’m not going to change my mind, Ms. Buckley,” Eddie said evenly and pocketed his phone to avoid getting Malfoyed again.

“Call me Maddie, please.” She huffed a little and shifted her purse on her shoulder. “Listen, I’m…very willing to explore different formats and content for the show if it meant getting someone with your vision and talent on board. I don’t want it to go stale and get canceled due to lack of growth.” She wet her lips, and Eddie barely refrained from sighing loudly as she put one hand on his arm.

“I’m very gay.”

She blinked in surprise, and her hand dropped.

“My gayness is visible from orbit.”

“You’re divorced from a woman,” she said with a frown.

“And? Plenty of gay people end up in straight marriages for various reasons. The hows and whys of my marriage aren’t really your business,” Eddie said. “But I no longer have any interest in trying to be anything more than I am. Living an honest life is a gift I give myself and my son.”

“Eds, sorry.” Buck came toward him with a backpack slung over one shoulder. “HR was looking for one of us to sign off on a form for Everstar. She’s already left with Hen, so it’s just us for the drive.” He focused on his sister. “He’s gay.”

Her mouth quirked in an almost smile. “Yeah, he said. I’m sure NASA has a report on it.”

“They certainly should,” Buck said cheerfully. “You need to go pat Chimney’s feelings. He’s apparently in the café having an immense pout because Bobby doesn’t think he’s creative.”

Maddie huffed. “Things were easier around here before you were hired.”

Buck shrugged and leaned on the truck. “Sounds like a you problem.”

Eddie stopped worrying about how rude he was allowed to be to Maddie Buckley and turned to Buck. “We should head out, babe.”

“Yeah, totally,” Buck agreed, even as his sister gaped at them.

In the truck, Buck was laughing before he even got his seat belt on.

“I’ve never felt more like prey in my whole life,” Eddie muttered. “And I did SERE training, Buck.”

“Sorry, I should’ve realized she’d be angling for a new dick to ride. Chim’s starting to be more trouble than he’s worth, and she’s really mercenary about that kind of thing. Everything she does is about her comfort. I accepted that about Maddie when I was sixteen, and I just work around her because…well. I love her in a distant sort of way, but Daniel loves her a lot. He feels guilty about the fact that he didn’t manage to rescue her. But honestly, Maddie was going to always be the way she is. Our mother is toxic, and Maddie barely managed to fall off her tree.”

Eddie tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as they came to a stop at a light. “I want you, Evan. But I can’t have that woman in my son’s life.”

“She never has to meet him at all,” Buck assured. “And I agree. He doesn’t need to know her because he’d probably get attached to her; kids always do. She’s good with them, and most don’t have the experience to see her for what she is. I thought she hung the moon and stars until I was fourteen, despite the fact that Daniel warned me not to trust her. Maddie’s just broken, and she refuses to get help. She has this fantasy of how everyone perceives her, and not much shakes it. Even then, when you get through to her, it seems to slide right off after a while.”

“I’m sure there are a host of mental disorders that could be attached to that,” Eddie muttered.

“Certainly, but diagnosing a medium is difficult because sometimes we carry the trauma and symptoms of spirits for years if we aren’t careful. I restrict myself heavily to create that boundary. Maddie doesn’t and never has.”

“Who will get custody of Jee at the worst point?” Eddie asked.

“It would’ve been Daniel if we hadn’t realized recently that Jee is most certainly a psychic medium. Daniel is drawing up guardianship papers, that Maddie has agreed to sign, giving me full custody in the event that she’s deemed unfit by Daniel.”

“And Chimney?”

“He’s never going to admit she’s his in court—that would get him written out of his father’s will. The old man has to know about her already because she’s named after his ex-wife and his second son is here in LA. Nobody is that dumb. I think he’ll ignore the situation as long as there are no legal connections between her and his son.” Buck shrugged. “Chimney’s probably worried that his father would give Jee his money rather than him. It would serve him right if Albert got it all.”

Eddied nodded.

“Is that a problem?”

“No, not at all,” Eddie assured. “I love kids. You’d like to have a few yourself, right?” He glanced his way and found Buck a little flushed.

“Yeah, I mean. I’ve considered adoption and surrogacy. Verity would like me to have one biological child because she’s fond of me and would like to stay with my branch of the tree going forward.” He checked his watch. “How did this morning go?”

“Great. Lou and Sae are very easy to work with. I felt a little weird about it because my role is kind of ambiguous at present. That’s one of the things I want to talk about with Bobby on Monday. He’s given me more freedom and input than my current position really allows, and I want to make sure I’m not stepping on any toes.”

“We’ve struggled so much already that I think he didn’t want to scare you off by throwing you into the deep end of our situation. Our show is small right now, and I’d like to keep it that way. I don’t want some bloated production that relies on exaggerated drama to sell it.”

“Sometimes the smallest of stories can move the whole world,” Eddie said. “Helping you tell those stories is very attractive. I’m at the point in my life where I prefer a deeply rewarding work experience. I can make money doing things that don’t inspire me. But if I can provide for my son and give something to the world that is amazing—that’s what I want to do.”

Buck ran a hand down his forearm and laced their fingers together on the gear shift where Eddie normally placed his hand when he drove. “I have a stupid crush on you.”

Eddie laughed. “Oh, I know.”

“You have a terrible sense of humor.”

Since that was unfortunately true, Eddie just squeezed Buck’s hand and focused on making his third trip of the day to the location. Fortunately, it was only a thirty-minute drive from the studio, and the owner had taken her child on a weekend trip out of town for the actual filming. Buck didn’t know anything about Alana or the haunting itself, so he didn’t have any prep work on that front to do. He didn’t want to taint the walk-through or create a bias for Buck before he set foot on the property.

“Mediums aren’t a secret.”

Buck laughed. “No, not at all.”

“Why don’t spirits seek you out, and others like you, for help?”

“Some do,” Buck said. “Verity doesn’t allow intrusions often. Even Jax was only allowed to linger because she found him useful after the salt line was damaged. I’ve crossed over hundreds of ghosts over the years because they’re attracted to me to an extreme degree.”

Eddie nodded. “Will it get worse? Will being very well known by the living impact how the dead seek to interact with you?”

“I’m uncertain,” Buck admitted. “Being known and believed isn’t the relief most would assume it would be. We’re accepted and, in some spaces, even lauded, but the degree of usefulness varies across the spectrum of mediumship. Some people think we’re all essentially the same and treat us as such. Then they come across someone profoundly gifted, and they’re still disbelieving or, worse, treat you like you’re some kind of freak.”

“You’ve had that problem.”

“Sure, plus there are other mediums who think I exaggerate my abilities, or they’re just profoundly jealous and mean about it. I didn’t ask for what I have, but if I want to live any sort of good life, I must manage it properly and police my boundaries with everyone. That’s something that Maddie doesn’t want to understand. She brushes shit off way too easily.”

“Another byproduct of your parents’ lack of actual parenting?” Eddie questioned.

“Certainly,” Buck said. “I had Verity. I put all of my faith in her.”

“Does Maddie have a spirit guide?” Eddie questioned as he pulled into the driveway next to the truck that Hen and Everstar had taken to the house. Both women were seated on the hood of the vehicle with the remains of a meal between them.

“She has…yes.” Buck made a face and released his hand. “I…I’ve never met it.”

“It?” Eddie questioned and turned to stare at him. “What?”

“Physical mediums can attract supernatural creatures to an outrageous degree,” Buck said. “Maddie’s spirit guide is an elemental spirit created out of earth energy. It’s fiercely protective of her, and it basically took a knee for Daniel when they were children. Maddie insisted it agree to follow Daniel’s lead as long as it was her guide, and in return, she allows it to feed from her emotions.”

“Does Daniel know this?”

“Yeah, they have a covenant—the three of them. I was a baby when they did it, and they were determined to protect me physically from my parents as they considered that the worst thing that our parents could do.”

“Because your mom and dad hit them?”

“A lot,” Buck said. “Despite the damage it could do to Maddie’s gifts, and Daniel only got a break because he had cancer. After he was cured, the elemental creature protected all three of us in exchange for what Maddie allows it.”

“Can that covenant ever be broken?” Eddie questioned quietly.

“Not as long as Maddie lives,” Buck said. “But they also don’t want me to ever meet it. She calls it Kai. They got the name out of a baby book because our parents let them name me. Evander Adiel Buckley, at your service.”

“Evander.” Eddie smiled. “What does that mean?”

“Evander means good man, and Adiel means God sent. My parents like to brag to everyone that they named me as they did because they knew I was going to be very special. They refuse to call me Evan or Buck and often use both of my names when they speak of me like I’m some kind of…artifact or something.” He unfastened my seat belt. “Daniel started calling me Buck when I was younger because he said I had a wild heart, and it suited me.”

“It does suit you,” Eddie said. “But so do the others.”

Buck nodded. “I’m going to go sit on the porch and open up. Jax is already in the house, and Verity has told me that there are several spirits here. Only one is emotionally attached, but the others know they’re going to be asked to leave. They won’t be a problem. They’re only here because of the active spirit’s grief.”

Eddie watched him leave the truck and walk up to the porch, where he sat down on a bench. The porch light dimmed then flicked off, leaving only the light from the street lamp to illuminate the area. He left the truck and retrieved his personal equipment bag from the back, then walked to stand with Hen and Everstar.

“Did he do that?” Everstar questioned, gesturing toward the dark porch.

“Nope,” Jax said and appeared on the hood of the truck beside her. “I did it, but he wanted it done.” He leaned back on his hands and crossed his legs. His hooves, which were curiously sharp looking in the dim light, glinted like ebony. “It’s a nice place—though there have been some very dark events in the past.” The ker looked to his left down the street. “A mass murder about six houses down—the land is tainted, but the house isn’t, so it took place before the current house was built. None of the victims are lingering, though. It happened about a hundred years ago based on residual energy.”

“You can read that energy?” Everstar questioned. “That’s a physical medium ability, right?”

“Yeah,” Jax said and shrugged. “Every single gift of mediumship is mirrored amongst demons, you know. That’s why the wrong kind of demon is so dangerous. In the mortal realm, the only thing worse than an evil demon is a dead, traumatized medium. That’s why some spirits are called upon to protect them.”

“Were you called?” Hen asked.

“Nah, I just like to live well, and I can’t steal stuff, so I have to have money to eat and clothe myself.” Jax frowned and muttered under his breath about retirement.

“And get pedicures?” Everstar questioned and flicked his hoof. “Nice shine you got going on, buddy.”

“I went to a spa,” Jax said. “Had some energy healing, got a massage, a mud bath then a mani/pedi.”

Hen huffed. “Next time invite me. Where’d you go?”

“Grecian Day Spa. They have a demonologist on staff, so they’re my go-to for LA,” Jax said. “I made an appointment for Buck next week. He needs a physical reset and getting banged recently only helped as much as sex ever does, so he needs a Reiki massage.”

Hen laughed. “Don’t talk about his sex life to us.”

“Oh, I absolutely got banged,” Buck said as he joined them.

Eddie noted that his eyes were actually a little brighter. “Are your eyes glowing?”

“They are a little,” Everstar said quietly.

“It’s residual energy interacting with my mind,” Buck murmured. “I’ve opened up a little more than normal, so I can establish a strong connection with the spirit. Will it be a problem for filming?”

“We’ll check it inside,” Eddie said. “Hen, if you want to go ahead and get the first camera ready—I’ll start filming on the porch.”

“Do I need to keep you out of frame?” Hen questioned.

“No, that’d be weird,” Buck interjected. “It would make him be like a disembodied voice following me around asking questions.”

“You want questions?” Eddie asked.

“I think it would work well. We can at least try it—film more than we need and edit out what doesn’t work,” Hen said, and Eddie nodded.

“Yeah,” Buck said. “I liked the direction when we were filming on the set. I think you’ll learn pretty quickly when I need it and when I don’t.”

“If I ask a question you don’t want to or can’t answer, just ignore it, and we’ll edit it out in post-production,” Eddie said.

“Where do you want me?” Everstar questioned.

“You’re with Hen when we film Buck since he’ll be moving around, and I’ve already made my choices for shooting to keep her and the stationary camera out of my frames,” Eddie said. “Avoid making noises, and if you do make a noise—note the time so we can edit it out. I don’t want the show to ever have any background sounds that are made by us. We have lights on the floor for safety and visibility, but only the lights from the cameras are going to be focused on Buck.”

She nodded. “Good, I hate that fake shit.”

Eddie pulled his camera out and went to the porch as Hen and Everstar entered the house to be ready for the living room. He gave Buck a nod, and the other man stepped up onto the porch.

“We’re in a small family home in Los Angeles,” Buck said. “The area has a pretty ugly history—I can feel hurt, anger, and fury moving over my skin. It’s like someone put a thin, wispy sort of material on top of me. A lot of it’s really old and unrelated to the reason we’re here. There is a moderate amount of spiritual activity in the house. The ghost who is lingering here has attracted a few older spirits. Grief is, unfortunately, a very attractive emotion to the dead.”

“How many spirits are here?” Eddie questioned.

“One man, a boy of twelve or thirteen, and an older woman,” Buck said as he opened the door. “The man is the primary source of the haunting. Though the older woman is kind of judgy about the fact that the homeowner is dating a man five years younger than her. She’s probably from the late 1800s and has an attitude to match. The boy doesn’t know how or when he died.”

“Can you see him?”

Buck moved into the living room as he nodded. “Jeans and t-shirt, which puts him anywhere from the 1900s forward basically. Could be earlier, but I’d lean more toward the 1960s based on the hair. The woman is telling me that the boy’s name is Bryan, but he won’t confirm it. No surname is being offered. She says I can call her CeCe; experience tells me that’s not her real name. She died from consumption in a hospital of some sort. I think maybe a sanatorium based on her description. Pretty common for the era—both the death and the location.”

“What’s consumption?” Eddie questioned, despite the fact that he knew.

“In her case, it equals pulmonary tuberculosis. It’s a bacterial infection that can impact several different organs, and it killed a lot of people before we figured out how to treat it. It still kills upwards of a million or more people every single year on this planet,” Buck said. “There’s a vaccine, but it’s not widely distributed, which is a shame.” He cleared his throat. “Regardless, I’ve encountered a lot of spirits that died from it.”

“I thought most spirits manifest due to trauma,” Eddie admitted, and Buck paused to consider it.

“Well, TB causes people to suffocate and drown, which is pretty traumatic,” Buck said. “I would say that there is no genuine metric for defining what trauma means to the individual. The central spirit in this haunting didn’t die of violence though a lot of people assume it, which irritates the hell out of him. Yet, he lingers out of grief and guilt. The other spirits have been getting agitated lately because he restrains them. He doesn’t want them near his wife and child.

“The boy spends a lot of time in this room—watching television which he finds fascinating. He hates comedy for some reason, so I imagine the homeowner will have reported that the channel changes whenever she tries to watch a rerun of the Big Bang Theory, which Bryan seems to loathe. CeCe likes one of the bedrooms. I think it belongs to the child living in the house. We’ll have to check that. But, kitchen next.”

Eddie was relieved to already have a tripod in place in that room so Hen could move easily. He wondered if she’d prefer a URSA for location work and added that to a list of things to ask her. She handled the larger camera well and with a great deal of familiarity. Once Hen and Everstar had moved, he focused the camera on Buck and gave him a nod.

“What kind of activity would the homeowner be experiencing at this point, beyond the television issues?”

“Higher utility bills due to energy leeching, knocks on the walls, occasional whispering if they’re sensitive or if they have a sensitive visiting, mood swings, headaches, and sometimes nightmares. The nightmares and physical issues aren’t intentional, but merely a side effect of the man’s grief.” Buck stopped in the doorway leading into the kitchen. He touched the paper they’d taped over the wall—floor to ceiling in an effort to hide what was there.

“Height chart—he’s adored watching her grow, but he’s glad that his wife reached out to us. His name is Alex.” Buck took a deep breath and looked around the kitchen. “He renovated the kitchen for his wife—because she wanted a bright place to cook, and the whole thing was dark wood when they moved in.” He ran his hand along the countertop.

“Why has he lingered here? Is it just grief over the life he didn’t get to live?” Eddie asked.

“People told his wife that he just left her—bailed on the life they were building and their child. It made him furious, and it hurt Alex because he worked so hard to overcome the mistakes he made when he was younger. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, and he was looking forward to being a father.” He paused. “He wants to speak with us. He’s glad that his wife and daughter aren’t here. It would be impossible to leave if they were here.”

Buck sat down at the table, and Eddie adjusted his position with a glance toward Hen, who was focused on her own filming. The air grew heavy and warm. A wispy light drifted around Buck, and Eddie glanced down at his display screen, relieved to see that it wasn’t flaring. It looked like tiny lightning bugs on the recording. The light grew brighter and swirled slowly in the air, and a man in spectral form sat down at the table, his hand clutched in Buck’s.

“Hello, Alex.”

Eddie forced himself to stay still and keep recording. He’d never, ever seen anything like it and could imagine the reception it would receive.

“Hi,” the spirit said. “I haven’t spoken to anyone alive who could talk back to me since I died.”

“It must’ve been hard,” Buck said gently. “To watch your wife struggle after your disappearance.”

“She did so well,” Alex said. “My girl is the strongest, most amazing person I ever knew. I changed my whole life to be with her, to be worthy of her love. I’d have done anything to stay with her, Buck.”

“I know,” Buck said and smiled. “You love her very much. That’s why you’re still here—because you want everyone to know that you didn’t leave her on purpose.”

“No, I’d have never walked away from her and my baby girl. They’re my world, Buck. I want to be with them always, but I know I can’t. I keep attracting other spirits to the house—there have been others, and there will be more in the future if I don’t leave. I can’t keep fighting them off.” Alex looked down at their hands. “I went hiking near Abalone Cove. I just wanted to get a bit of air. Check out the view.”

“It’s a great view,” Buck agreed. “Were you alone?”

“Yeah, just me and my first-time dad nerves,” Alex said with a small smile. “I was going to be the best dad, Buck. I promised myself that I’d be everything they needed. Honestly, it felt like a calling—like I’d found my purpose. I always thought that was supposed to be about a job or a career. But the first time I heard my daughter’s little heartbeat on the monitor, I fell in love for the second time in my whole life. Taking care of my family was all I wanted to do.”

“What happened on your walk?”

“I fell—the ledge just gave away. I remember thinking that it was going to hurt and that I was probably going to break my damn leg. But then, nothing.”

“Well, based on the awful headache I’ve had since I took your hand,” Buck began, “it seems like you might have hit your head when you fell.”

Alex nodded and touched his head with his free hand. “That makes sense. My body must have fallen into a crevice or something. The area isn’t so remote that I would’ve gone unnoticed for so long out in the open.”

“No, I agree. I’ll ask for an investigation, and we’ll find your…remains so they can be laid to rest properly.” Buck said, and his gaze drifted to the corner of the room opposite of where Hen was filming. “That’s for you.”

Alex nodded. “I’ve seen the light before, but it was hard to look at. I didn’t want to leave. I don’t want to leave now, but it’s best for my family if I do.” The ghost paused and turned his head slightly. “Bryan, you should come with me. There’s nothing left for us here, and Buck’s not going to let you stay in this house after I leave.”

“Wanna take CeCe, too?” Buck questioned.

Alex huffed. “She’s such a pain in the ass. If I take Bryan with me, she’ll leave since she’s only here trying to mother him, which he hates. She won’t try to mother a living child.”

Buck nodded. “Okay.”

“Does it hurt?” Alex questioned. “To surrender to the light?”

“I don’t know,” Buck admitted. “But I can’t see how it would…crossing over isn’t a punishment, Alex. You’ve done your job here, and you can move on. It’s okay.”

“I’m glad you came.” Alex smiled. “Thank you, in advance, for finding my bones if they can be found. I don’t think I ended up in the water.”

Buck nodded, and the spirit faded away with another swirl of sparks. A cool wind moved around the room despite the fact that all the windows and doors were shut. Buck rested back against the chair and focused on Eddie. “I want to finish my walk—make sure that CeCe is going to bail as predicted.”

“He took the boy with him?”

“Yeah, I think the kid was too angry to ever crossover on his own. Seeing the light that came for Alex helped him accept the idea of it.” Buck stood and waited.

“Cut,” Eddie said and lowered his camera. “Jesus, Buck.”

“How’d that show on film?”

“Like a freaking ghost sat down to chat with you,” Hen said.

“I said that would happen,” Buck said and glanced between them.

“I don’t think either of us thought we’d actually get footage of a spirit, Buck,” Eddie said quietly. “I hoped for audio since I’ve heard Verity speak in your presence.”

“Was it okay?”

“It was great,” Everstar blurted out. “Can we have a break, though?” She wiped at her face. “I want to call my guy and stare at his dumb face while he complains about the takeout he ordered.”

“We’ll take thirty,” Eddie said. “Hen?”

“Yeah, thirty is good,” she agreed quietly. “And yeah, Buckaroo, that was fantastic.”

Eddie put his camera down on the table as Everstar and Hen left the kitchen.

“Eds?” Buck questioned.

“I’m fine,” Eddie promised. “It was a lot, but it was great. I think it’ll be very well received. And no one went screaming into the night.”

“The first three times we tried, it was just me and a videographer. The longest anyone stayed in the house with me was ten minutes,” Buck said huffily. “They all heard the ghosts start to talk to me as soon as I allowed it. So, I prevented that this time around because I figured it would sound really chaotic to you and the audience. I sort of funneled the experience down around Alex, so there was a focus for the…conversation. Was it really okay?”

Eddie stared for a moment and nodded. “It was amazing, Evan.” He cupped Buck’s face and pulled him close. “Seriously.”

Since a kiss looked welcome, he brushed his lips over Buck’s and was rewarded with a small smile before Buck’s hands clamped down on his hips and pulled him closer. The faint glow in Buck’s eyes was even more interesting up close. It was like energy was dancing over his irises.

“You’re beautiful,” Eddie murmured and rubbed the pad of his thumb along Buck’s cheekbone. “Inside and out. I hardly know what to do with myself.”

A click of hooves was all the warning they got that they weren’t alone. Eddie looked over at the table and found Jax standing on it.

“Don’t scratch the wood on that table,” Buck ordered.

“I’d never—this is an heirloom,” Jax said. “She takes good care of her things. That heifer, CeCe, bailed as soon as the kid was gone. She’s pissed, of course. I told her to leave you alone, or she’d get the beat down of her undeadhood. Which didn’t impress her much until Verity showed up. I’m not going to be insulted by this because Verity is a fucking legend.” He crossed his arms. “I took Treva to El Paso.”

“Who’s Treva?” Eddie questioned.

“The kobold,” Buck said with a grin. “Is she settling in?”

“Oh, she and Bernard are fast friends,” Jax admitted. “Introducing them might have been a mistake, but Texas gets what it deserves in the end.” He shrugged and checked his watch. “I’m gonna go down the street and check out that mass murder puddle. You might need to arrange for a cleansing, Buck. This house needs a blessing of some sort as well.”

“I know. I’ll leave instructions for the homeowner. Let me know about the puddle, too. It could cause problems in the future,” Buck said. “She feels Catholic, so a priest will make her most comfortable.”

“Feels Catholic?” Eddie questioned as Jax disappeared. “We took down every cross in the house.” His gaze flicked to where the height chart had been hidden with parchment paper. “You can feel someone’s religion?”

“Not always, but certainly when the belief is sincere and loving,” Buck said. “The homeowner believes in God, worships faithfully, and is very charitable. The energy of the home is sweet despite the haunting, and the spiritual residue isn’t all her husband’s. She’ll need to sage the place personally and get it blessed by a priest. I have an instruction packet ready to leave behind.”

“You won’t want to meet with her?”

“It can be intrusive, so I’ll be leaving that up to her,” Buck said. “Lou will handle the search for the body and inform the wife of the outcome. Sometimes, people grow to resent me for helping their loved ones crossover. You never know how grief is going to twist someone’s thoughts and emotions after the fact. She’ll be able to contact me through Lou if she needs, though. These little…mini-shows aren’t going to be like the ones we produce for the channel. I’ll get a brief on the murder victim so I can prepare for their trauma. I think we should brief the whole team so no one is left unprepared for the content, which could be emotionally difficult.” He stepped back from Eddie. “I want to just walk through the rest of the rooms and check for residual energy to include in my report. I don’t know how much value that has for the screen.”

“We’ll film it and decide in the editing room,” Eddie said.

Buck smiled. “Sounds good.” He cleared his throat. “Still on board with telling these stories with us?”

“Yeah, absolutely,” Eddie promised.

 

Chapter 7

Eddie sat down at the conference table near the head, where Bobby Nash was already seated. The older man had a laptop open in front of him and a stack of what looked like scripts in a pile next to him. He’d been told, by Hen, that Bobby preferred to read on paper, so to be prepared to pitch with a physical copy of whatever he had. There were a few ideas swirling around in his head, but he wanted to make a careful choice regarding his first personal project with the 118.

Bobby focused on him. “Okay, tell me what you’re thinking.”

“You’re really hands-on for an owner,” Eddie blurted out and flushed because he hadn’t meant to say that. But it was done. “Why?”

Bobby sat back with his coffee. “I started in acting. I lost interest quickly despite being in three shows and a few movies. Then came directing and finally producing. I made a lot of money, so when I started looking around for my next challenge—a production company seemed to be the way to go. I met Athena, and she was struggling with the previous owner of the company. She was getting ready to move on, and I asked her if she’d stay on if I bought the 118.” He smiled then. “I can’t be grateful her husband ended their marriage because it hurt her, and the press wasn’t kind to either of them. Still, I’m very happy to have been in the right place at the right time to be the man she needed and eventually wanted.

“A lot of people assume I bought this company for her, but that’s really only half of the equation. I was going to buy one or start one, regardless of Athena. I’m hands-on because I love it, and I get up every single morning feeling challenged and inspired. Even the problem children around here don’t bother me so much.”

Eddie nodded. “So, about the offer for Ghost Investigations.”

“I really hope you aren’t going to tell me that you’ve changed your mind,” Bobby said warily. “I don’t gatekeep or try to manage my employees like children—which is why you heard the offer. But I don’t think the project would serve you.”

“No, honestly, I’d quit before I’d work on that show,” Eddie said. “And I appreciate the fact that you didn’t make a decision for me. I’d hate to work for someone high-handed who assumed they had to right to make those kinds of decisions for anyone. In the future, I’d like offers in writing first, then I’ll make a decision about meeting for a discussion.”

Bobby nodded. “That’s no problem. Though, I have to admit that most people are going to wait for you to come to them after you rejected Maddie Buckley. It surprised a bunch of people. Especially since Chimney told anyone would listen that you dogged her content and acted like an elitist asshole.”

Eddie laughed. “I heard. Also, she hit on me in the parking lot. He has no idea she’s about to yeet him right out of her life.” He flicked the air, and Bobby laughed. “I don’t envy you handling that separation.”

“I’ll put him on one of the travel shows,” Bobby said with a shrug. “Nothing with Athena because she can’t stand his ass. But that’s neither here nor there.” He rocked in his chair and inclined his head. “How’d filming go this weekend?”

“Sae and I edited what we have on Sunday,” Eddie said. “I think you need to see it before we go forward with the plan to film another pilot episode.”

“Why?” Bobby asked curiously. “I’ve seen him do it, you know. He crossed a ghost over in my office when he pitched the idea.”

Eddie nodded. “I heard. But this is…I think what we shot on Saturday is our pilot. It’s about a missing person who died in an accident. I know the show was pitched with a focus on murder victims, so there might be some pushback. Lou’s out with the LAPD this morning. They found the bones about thirty minutes ago. Sae is there filming.”

“Wow,” Bobby said.

“They think it’s just for streaming, but…Bobby. It’s beautiful, uplifting, heartbreaking, and amazing. I think the pilot of the show should be all of that.”

“Let me get Athena, and we’ll meet you in editing,” Bobby said and stood.

“Should I get Buck?”

“No, he’d hate to watch me view it,” Bobby said. “We’ll meet with Lou and Buck later this afternoon if I agree. Then we’ll finalize the episode and show it to Beyond. They’ll make the final determination about where it will go as far as distribution goes.”

Eddie nodded. “How did they like the impromptu interview I did with Buck for streaming?”

“They loved it. It’ll go up as a web exclusive on Monday. They’d like a short to launch once a month until the premiere in September,” Bobby said.

Eddie nodded. “It wasn’t too long?”

“They didn’t ask for changes, so fifteen minutes will be your goal.”

Eddie left the conference room ahead of Bobby Nash and headed for his own office to pick up a notebook since he preferred to take notes on paper. He dropped by Hen’s office to let her know what was going on before going to his office. Eddie and Hen were ready in their editing room when Bobby finally entered with Athena Grant in tow. He liked what he’d seen of their working relationship and wondered if she was getting ready to move into producing content.

“We’ve filmed Lou’s introduction to the case and Buck’s segment,” Hen explained. “Lou is out now with the LAPD and Sae. They found his bones. There will be DNA tests, but they found a wedding ring and a necklace that his widow provided pictures of. Lou will want to do a follow-up with her regarding the house and the recovery of her husband’s remains if she agrees. It’ll be tight, but we can make the forty-eight-minute window for an episode. And we could have a bit of extra footage for web-exclusive content.”

Bobby nodded. “Show me what you got.”

Eddie shared a look with Hen and reached out to dim the lights from where he was seated. The intro played along with the music that had been chosen for the show. He watched Lou’s scene with a critical eye and noticed that Hen was making a few notes. The framing and perspective were good.

“Jesus Christ,” Athena murmured. “Are his eyes glowing? Is that an editing trick?”

Hen hit pause, and Eddie cleared his throat.

“No, we haven’t added any CGI, no green screen work, and everything you’re about to see with Buck was filmed exactly as it happened.” Eddie watched her absorb that and focused on Bobby. “You didn’t tell her about what he did in your office?”

“No, I wanted her reaction to the content as it is presented,” Bobby explained.

Eddie appreciated a test audience, so he just nodded, and Hen hit play. He watched silently as Buck walked through the house. Now that he knew what was going on, it was clear he was herding the spirits into the kitchen. Buck said he’d funneled the experience to their benefit. Eddie took a deep breath as Alex appeared and noted that Bobby reached out and took his wife’s hand. It didn’t take much time at all for tears to well in Athena’s eyes.

“Great job on the editing,” Hen murmured.

“Thanks,” Eddie said and turned the lights up as the footage ended.

“No CGI?” Athena questioned again.

“Not a single bit,” Eddie said. “What isn’t evident on the footage is that the air in the room was heavy.”

“I felt like I was being pressed up against,” Hen admitted. “Throughout most of the filming, it felt comforting and protective. I thought maybe it was Buck, but I haven’t asked him about it.”

“Verity and Jax were in the house with us the whole time,” Eddie said. “And Buck admitted to opening up a little more than usual so he could exert more control over the situation. After the two spirits crossed over, the air shifted around the room like a wind despite the closed windows and doors.”

“Is it too much?” Hen questioned. “Will people think it’s fake?”

Bobby shook his head. “It’s not too much, and it can be easily verified. There will be people who will insist it’s fake, but we get that kind of feedback on several of our paranormal shows already. Plenty of people don’t want to accept the fact that ghosts exist, while others believe that ghosts are being punished and should be left to their circumstances for eternity.”

“My parents think that way,” Eddie said roughly. “They have a lot of disgusting opinions. The older I get, the harder it is to tolerate them.” He focused on the screen. It was paused on the final shot of Buck’s face as he’d stepped off the porch to leave the house. “What do you think?”

“I think you’re right,” Bobby said. “That’s the pilot. It’s a bittersweet introduction, but it’s powerful and respectful. I loved it. I can’t wait to see the finalized version.”

Eddie glanced toward Hen and found her smiling. “Then we’ll get with Lou and Buck about our thoughts and discuss the composition of the current introduction for the show itself. If they’re happy with it, then we’re set on that front.”

“You’re not happy with it,” Bobby surmised.

“I’d prefer to shoot something new on our set,” Eddie admitted. “The current intro has them together talking about the show and their methods. I think that it would be more powerful if they appeared to be separate throughout the intro as they are in the filmed content of the show. It was filmed the way it was to bank on their chemistry, which is great, but it doesn’t serve the actual show.”

“Then you guys can film another, and we’ll review both before making a final choice,” Bobby said.

“Great,” Eddie agreed and sat back a little as Bobby and Athena stood to leave. “Thank you for your time.”

“It was amazing,” Athena murmured and patted his shoulder as she passed him.

“It’s really good,” Hen said quietly after they were alone. “I worked for four years on Maddie’s show, and beyond a little bit of put-on drama, the content was real. They don’t make shit up or manufacture noises or evidence of hauntings. She’s the real deal. But Buck is next level. It’s not going to go well, Eddie.”

“You mean between the two of them?” Eddie questioned, and she nodded.

“Yeah, well, mostly Chimney. He was really invested in downplaying Buck’s mediumship the whole time he was on Maddie’s show. He acted like he was a poor substitute. I think he expected me to follow his lead once I was placed on your team. He jokingly asked me yesterday if I was making sure to light Buck the right way. Which to him means to light Buck, so he doesn’t look as attractive as he is. Not that Chim’s tricks actually did a damn thing to detract from Buck’s looks. He’s just really appealing physically, and the audience responded to that. Plus, he’s got that beautiful, sweet nature.”

“Yeah,” Eddie agreed. “I like the…honesty and care that both Lou and Buck are bringing to the project. And we don’t have to tolerate any drama or bullshit from Maddie Buckley or Howard Han. They have nothing to do with the production of our show, and it needs to stay that way.”

“Agreed,” Hen said. “We can get Buck on set now to film his part again.”

“I’ll go to his office and prod him into the right kind of look,” Eddie said and stood. “Maybe a thick sweater and jeans for this.”

“Hiking boots,” Hen suggested. “Mess his hair up a little.” Her lips quirked. “Or, you know, take him into your dark room and get him properly relaxed.”

Eddie laughed. “Is it that obvious?”

“That you want him? Yeah, I noticed right off. I don’t know if anyone else has, but you aren’t exactly keeping your eyes to yourself whenever he’s in a room. I mean, sometimes it’s like the rest of us aren’t even there.”

“Sorry.”

Hen laughed. “No, that’s fine. I get it.”

“Chimney said I was stuck up,” Eddie admitted roughly. “Is that the rumor? That I’m ignoring people?”

“Nah, he’s just an asshole lately. I’m not sure if it was the pregnancy or the baby, but he’s different now. He’s losing his temper more often, and he’s quite cruel with his little jokes. I don’t mean that salt line bullshit, which was in no single way a joke. He feels threatened by Buck, so he fucked with him. Maybe he didn’t want him to get seriously injured, but there was certainly some sort of intent there.”

“Then he’s a dumb bastard. Doesn’t he know that a deceased medium of Verity’s age could rip his mind to shreds? There’s no containing a force like her, and she’s very protective of Buck. I would say her feelings for him border on maternal, and anyone making themselves a genuine threat to Buck has a death wish.”

“You think she can kill.” Hen took a deep breath. “Really?”

“I think she can and probably has,” Eddie admitted. “Which is probably part of the reason that Buck is pissed off at Chimney.” He paused. “What’s up with his nickname anyways?”

“He likes to insinuate it’s about his dick,” Hen said conversationally. “But he was a heavy smoker for years—only quit about five years ago. I think he kind of hates it now because it was never really a compliment. His old crew from one of those isolation reality shows started calling him that, but the environment was toxic in more than one way. It was before he worked at the 118.”

“Right.” Eddie grimaced. “It could’ve been worse. I mean, ashtray comes to mind.” Hen laughed. “I’ll get Buck. Lou and Sae should be back soon. We can work on the intro a little with them as well.” He started to stand but then stopped. “Actually, before we do that. Can we talk about you?”

“Sure,” Hen said. “I’m married, one child, and we’re considering another. Karen wants to carry, but it might not happen. I’m not opposed to trying myself. Adoption is also on the table.”

He grinned at her. “Superior deflection on your part. I meant about your career and your work here at the 118. You’re bringing a lot of experience to the table. I watched your short films on Sunday and part of the documentary on the foster care system. I hope to finish it tonight after I get my son tucked away. You’re brilliant, Hen. So, I guess I’m curious about what you want next.”

“Bobby’s tried three times to move me into producing,” Hen said. “And I said no each time.” Eddie relaxed a little because he had been worried that he was somehow standing in her way or taking something that should’ve been hers. “He offered me this show, in fact. I just really enjoy being behind the camera too much to invest myself in other parts of the production with any kind of consistency. I’ve worked on independent films and TV shows since my twenties. Did some directing for a daytime soap opera about a decade ago. I hated it.”

“They have a grueling schedule.”

“Yes, with no damn end in sight,” Hen said and shuddered. “But I’m happiest behind the camera. We’re financially secure, you know? So, there’s no need for me to seek out high-paying jobs that make me miserable. I get paid well. In fact, I got a pay raise when I moved to Buck’s show.” She smirked. “I make as much as Chimney and have half of his responsibility. He’d be livid to know.”

“I get it,” Eddie said with a laugh. “I just wanted to make sure you were being treated fairly, and I haven’t been here long enough to have a good read on everyone. I want to take Bobby Nash at face value, but…well.” He shrugged. “I saw too much in the Army to do that. Humans are awful.”

“Yeah,” Hen agreed. “But thanks for asking. I appreciate it.”

Eddie nodded and made his exit in favor of finding Buck. He heard him before he saw him since Buck’s office door was open.

“I said no, and I mean it. I’ve already told Beyond that if they accept a single advertising deal with your so-called church that I would shop my show elsewhere. My contract with the production company has a generous out clause for misconduct on behalf of either media company,” Buck said.

Eddie paused in the doorway and leaned against the frame as Buck stared moodily at the wall, cell phone tucked against his ear.

“Look, I let the last restraining order expire because I figured you’d both finally realized that I’m never, ever going have anything to do with your ministry ever again, Dad. Mom’s a sociopath and a charlatan. I won’t be associated with any of it, and there is nothing you can do or say to make me. I have plenty of money and don’t need a damn thing from you.” He looked up and focused on Eddie, then rolled his eyes.

Eddie just smiled and shook his head.

“Look, I gotta go. My boyfriend is here.” He jerked back the phone, and Eddie could distinctly hear screeching. He huffed and hung up. “I knew she was listening.” He fiddled with his phone for a bit, then set it aside. “She’s got some serious issues—Dad cheated on her when I was around ten with a man.”

Eddie came into the office, shut the door, and locked it. “So, now all gay men are evil?”

“Something like that.” Buck shrugged. “But my dad’s an equal opportunity cheater, so there were women, too. She just doesn’t seem to care about them. Not even the one he knocked up.”

“You have another sibling?”

“Yeah, a boy. We haven’t met him yet. Daniel’s keeping an eye on the situation. His name is Rowan, and his mother used to work for the ministry. He’ll be eleven in about three months. We’re allowed to send cards for events, but no calls or emails. Daniel is going to ask about calls again because he’s getting to the age where it’s going to feel like we don’t want to know him, and we do.”

“Is he gifted, or is that only from your mom’s side of the family?” Eddie questioned.

“There are some gifted ancestors on the paternal side. But, fortunately, he’s very normal, which is a relief because my mother would’ve probably sued the mistress for custody if he’d had any sort of medium potential.” Buck stood and stretched. “What’s up?”

“I want to film a new intro for the show.”

“Oh, thank fuck,” Buck said. “I didn’t want to ask because Bobby had already approved it. I figured I’d sound like a whiny and vain asshole, but I think the lighting is weird throughout the whole thing, and my face seems fuller than normal. I know the camera adds weight depending on a few factors, but it’s weird.”

“Chimney Howard knows exactly how to work a camera and situation to get what he wants out of it,” Eddie said.

“Oh, right.” Buck made a face. “Insecure bastard.” He motioned to the rack of clothes. “What do you want?”

“Your jeans are fine, and so are the boots.” Eddie pulled a dark blue sweater from the rack. “This.”

“I brought it from home since you mentioned wanting something like that. I don’t like to wear prop clothes,” Buck explained as he pulled the green Henley he was wearing over his head.

“Why?”

“I don’t like the fabric softener that props use for laundry,” Buck admitted and flushed when Eddie laughed. “And most of it doesn’t fit me anyways, and bringing my own clothes just makes sense.”

Eddie put the padded hanger back on the rack and carried the sweater to the desk, and set it aside as he wrapped one hand around Buck’s hip and pulled him close. “Come here a sec.”

Buck grinned and easily moved into this space. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Eddie murmured and brushed their mouths together briefly as he didn’t want to redden Buck’s face or give him beard burn before filming. “Hen suggested I muss you up a bit.”

Buck laughed. “She’s match-making. There’s probably a betting pool. It’s her favorite form of entertainment.” He leaned in for another kiss.

“You’ll get all puffy-lipped and red,” Eddie murmured but took another soft kiss anyway. “Let’s put a white button-down under this sweater.” He went back to the rack and grabbed a shirt. “Did you hear that they found the remains?”

“Lou sent me a text. Alex had shared a memory of the place with me, so I drew a map for Lou to use with the LAPD and the LAFD, which went down the side of the cliff to retrieve his bones.” Buck accepted the shirt and shrugged it on. “I was thinking that you and Chris could come over for dinner Friday night?”

Eddie considered that because it was clearly a date, but he’d never had anyone include Christopher. “I….” He huffed when Buck inclined his head and stopped mid-buttoning. “Sorry, yeah, that sounds great.”

“But?” Buck questioned.

“It sounds like a date, but you included my kid, and no one ever does. Not that I let him meet the people I date often. The ones that can deal with me being a single parent don’t really express interest in even meeting him until things are serious by their own estimation. Which hasn’t happened often since the divorce.”

“You’re a package deal,” Buck said simply. “How can we work on that whole being amazing together if he’s not included?”

Eddie stared for a moment. “I’ve got a pretty big crush on you, too.”

Buck huffed. “Daniel had to point this out to me, but you apparently Han Soloed me the other day.” Eddie grinned. “So, I should probably do it back to you or quote that dumb movie Ghost, which he said would be funny. But I don’t get how saying ditto is funny at all.”

“It’s pretty funny,” Eddie said with a small laugh as he picked up the sweater. “You’ve never seen Star Wars?”

“My parents don’t own a TV and never have,” Buck explained. “We also weren’t allowed a radio or any sort of music in the house. Daniel sort of binged a couple of decades of media in college. I never bothered with the old stuff.”

“You’re gonna watch Star Wars,” Eddie told him firmly. “For fuck’s sake.” He pushed the sweater at his chest. “Put this on before Hen starts making up stories about us and my dark room.”

“I was thinking,” Buck said and licked his lips. “That I could blow you later—with that light thing on. I bet I’d look hot like that.”

Eddie took a deep breath. “It’s called a safelight, and yeah, you’d look great in that lighting.” He adjusted his dick. “You asshole.”

Buck grinned as he pulled the sweater over his head and fixed his collar, then the cuffs. “How’s this?”

“Great,” Eddie admitted and checked his watch.

“Do either of you have any food allergies?” Buck questioned as he unlocked the door, and they left the office. “Does Chris hate anything?”

“No allergies, but neither one of us can stand brussels sprouts.”

Buck made a face at him. “Are you sure? Maybe you just had badly made ones?”

Eddie laughed. “I’m very sure. He might change his mind one day, but I’ve got a deep, abiding hatred that I’ve nurtured and have no intention of parting with.”

“Yeah, okay,” Buck said, but it sounded like a threat.

“I mean it, Buck,” Eddie insisted as he followed him down the hall.

“Sure,” Buck agreed.

“Man.” Eddie ran a hand through his hair as they entered their dedicated filming space. Hen was at one of the cameras. “I rescued him from a parental phone call.”

“Good job,” Hen praised. “Those are the worst. My mother likes to pretend that Karen is my roommate.”

Buck laughed briefly. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s funny,” Hen assured. “She’s an old woman and will not be dissuaded. Of course, she actually adores Karen. She recently told me that Karen was the best roommate I’ve ever had. My father died last year; I hadn’t spoken to him in decades when it happened, so I’m just making do with the parent I’ve got.”

“My parents consider themselves to be devout Catholics, but they’re just cultists,” Eddie said and shrugged when she winced. “Right?” He turned to Buck. “Okay, let’s film the first with you leaning on the front of the desk.”

“Isn’t that Lou’s space?”

“Yeah, that’s the point,” Eddie said. “We’ll put Lou in the library for one take as well.” He picked up his URSA as Hen sat down in the rig with the large camera. “Hen, did you want a URSA?”

“I have one,” Hen said as she made some adjustments and looked his way. “I’ve been playing with it—filming at home and at the park. I’ll let you know when I’m ready to use it on the show. I like to take my time with new equipment to find my ownership.”

Eddie nodded. “Great.” He turned to Buck. “Are you good with the actual content of your intro? Did you write it?”

“We did write our own intros, but they were sort of…mutilated in editing. Lou’s really unhappy with the wording of his after editing. He said it felt like it devalued his experience in law enforcement.”

Eddie exchanged a look with Hen, who was frowning. “Is there anything else done in pre-production that you hated but endured? You guys need to tell us this stuff.”

Buck flushed. “Sorry.”

“I’m not angry,” Eddie said as he changed his angle so that there would be more options in editing. “Just be honest with us about what you want and what needs to be changed. I think we all realize that things weren’t great in the beginning, and you were being prodded into a tight schedule because of Beyond’s demands and staffing issues.”

Buck nodded and settled on the edge of Lou’s desk. “He hates it when I sit on his stuff,” he confided with a grin.

“Relax,” Eddie said. “Focus on Hen and ignore me. She’s the audience.” He paused, and Buck nodded. “Action.”

“My name is Evan Buckley, and I speak with the dead. There exists, just outside the visual spectrum, a spectral world. I’ve been walking in that world since I was a child with the guidance and protection of a beloved ancestor. There are many ways to help the dead find peace; crossing over is just one. Exploring the lives and deaths of those taken from us too soon is an immense duty, but one that I am honored to share with my partner, Lou Ransone.”

“Cut.” Eddie ended the recording. “Let’s move to the library and do another. Then I’ll work in editing for a bit until Lou gets back.”

“Sure.” Buck stood away from the desk and walked over to the other set. “Chair?”

“By the window,” Hen suggested. “And let’s lower the lights a bit—give it a darker edge.”

“Yeah, agreed,” Eddie murmured and found his position as Hen adjusted the lighting. “Give us a more…an other sort of tone.”

“You mean you want me to open up?” Buck questioned.

Eddie hesitated. “I don’t want you to feel like a gimmick or anything, but you’re very compelling when you let your guard down.” He felt his face heat when Buck quirked an eyebrow at him. Because he hadn’t meant the sex thing, but the presentation was very similar. “There’s no need to hide your power, Buck. That’s not what the clothes or this set are about.”

“Then what is it?” Buck questioned, clearly curious.

“It’s about approachability and comfort. In person, that’s easy to see, but it doesn’t always translate to film,” Eddie said. “You have a lot of personal power—some might think you have too much.”

“Oh,” Buck said and laughed. He ran his fingers through his hair and turned to look out the fake window. “About eight years ago, an assessor from the International Council of Spectral Affairs showed up at my house. He wanted to review my abilities and slap a limited license on me that would restrict me legally from doing a lot of things that I can do. The most they could do is levy a fine if I agreed to register and license with them. I refused to discuss my abilities with them at all and called my lawyer. Though I needn’t have bothered because Verity got in his face, then she got in his boss’ face. Then she went to a council meeting and put her foot down. They haven’t bothered me since.”

“How will the ICSA respond to the show?” Eddie asked curiously.

“They’ll probably be eventually required to either declare that I’m a fraud or certify that my gifts are as they are. If they declare me a fraud, I’ll sue their asses off, and they know it. So, they’ll lean toward verification with some sort of caveat disavowing any responsibility for my mediumship and what I do with it.” He shrugged. “Beyond already agreed to shoulder any and all liability issues surrounding the content they air and put on the website. It’s in my contract.”

“Are you concerned?” Hen questioned.

“Well, we can fully expect some asshole in prison to get seriously bent about us speaking with one of his victims. Who knows what will come from it?”

 

 

Chapter 8

Buck shifted his niece to his shoulder as he did a quick check on the chicken he had in the oven. Maddie’s resolve regarding not allowing her daughter back in his house had crumbled fairly quickly when Verity had introduced them to a distant cousin of theirs, from Ireland, to act as Jee-Yun’s spiritual protector and guide. The baby adored the spirit, and Chimney had apparently pitched an epic fit about a permanent spiritual resident in the house he didn’t even own.

The end result had been an epic breakup fight. It had gotten so bad that Jax and Verity had abandoned him in the middle of the night due to Maddie and Jee’s distress. Verity rarely paid Maddie any kind of attention and hadn’t since the whole emancipation hearing, but she recognized that Buck loved his deeply flawed sister. Jax had brought Jee to him, and that had been a startling development. Buck had turned around and called Daniel, who had shown up at Maddie’s house, and demanded to know if either of them had noticed that their child had been kidnapped by a demon.

As it turned out, Chimney had not noticed at all, but Maddie had been relieved both by the kidnapping and Daniel’s arrival. Buck still didn’t have all the details, but he was going on day two of baby watching. He didn’t mind much, and a quarter of Jee’s things now littered his guest room, including her actual bed. Maddie had FaceTimed him fifteen times since Jee’s arrival to talk to her baby and ignore Buck’s questions about Chimney.

Fortunately, he hadn’t been needed at the 118 and had taken a few days off to handle Jee. Now, he was expecting Eddie and Christopher for dinner. Jee clearly missed her mother and found Buck to be a poor long-term substitute, which he thought was fair. Siobhan, Jee’s spirit guide, was lingering around the house, but Buck didn’t find her presence to be intrusive. He wondered why Maddie had even told Chimney about the spirit. If anything, it was like spring had taken up residence in his house. She was perfect for Jee, and Maddie seemed pretty happy with her as well. Maybe she’d used the spirit to make Chim break up with her.

Buck held Jee out in front of him, checked her clothes for a mess, and found her clean, which was a relief because every time he put her down, she got dirty. Which was not the kind of impression that he wanted to give Eddie Diaz. The man was clearly in the market for a life partner, and that also meant a third parent in Christopher’s life. So, Buck wanted to make it clear that not only was he on board with that train but that he would be good at it.

“I’m a crazy person,” he told Jee, and she laughed at him. “Seriously.” He tucked her back against his shoulder and checked his watch. “They’re gonna be here any minute. So, you have to be extra awesome and not pitch a fit.”

Jee put her fist in her mouth in response, which he took for agreement though he really didn’t have much of a choice on that front. A little chime sounded through the house, indicating the arrival of a visitor. He checked the security and opened the gates once he saw Eddie’s truck.

“Here’s hoping this big dumb house my brother made me buy doesn’t scare him off,” Buck murmured against Jee’s cheek, and she smacked a wet kiss against his jaw.

It wasn’t exactly a mansion, but it had been labeled a villa when it was for sale. He liked the sprawl of it and the open concept kitchen, which had been part of a major renovation. The front of the house was dominated by a veranda that could be reached by two steps, so he hoped that wasn’t much of an obstacle for Christopher. The steps were wide and relatively short. He’d already considered asking a contractor about a ramp.

Realizing he’d been standing by the alarm system in a daze, he hurried through the house to the front door with a laughing baby in tow. By the time he got the door open, both of his guests were on the porch. “Hey.”

“I didn’t know you had a baby,” Chris said with a smile.

“This is my niece, Jee-Yun,” Buck explained. “Her mom is having a thing, and I’ve got her for a few days.”

Jee stared for a moment, then threw out both hands in demand for Eddie. Buck didn’t blame her at all and just smiled when Eddie gamely took her as he entered the house. She immediately rubbed her face against his beard, which startled a laugh out of Eddie.

“Well, you’re a little heartbreaker,” Eddie said and held her back just a little. “But you can’t do that a lot, or you’ll get beard burn, and how would we explain that?”

“Her mom would probably just be jealous,” Buck said wryly and focused on Chris. “Did you have a good week at school?”

“Yep, Verity came by and bullied my math teacher again, which was timely because she’s gotten real shouty,” Chris reported. “I only have two weeks left, and Carla promised to find me a really nice school for next year. We’re going to tour some next month, right, Daddy?”

“Right,” Eddie agreed. “Something smells great.”

“Baked chicken since Jee is here and kind of loses it when I put her down. Or she gets filthy, and my floors are clean, so I don’t get it,” Buck admitted in frustration. “If there is a speck of dust anywhere in a room, she’s going to find it, get it wet, and smear it on her clothes. Chicken was the quickest to put on. I hope it’s okay.”

“Sounds about right,” Eddie said. “And chicken will be great.”

“Do you have a pool?” Christopher questioned.

“I do,” Buck said. “But you can’t go in it unsupervised; it’s my very important rule for anyone under the age of sixteen, okay?”

Chris nodded. “That’s cool.”

“Insurance?” Eddie asked as they followed him into the kitchen.

“Partially, but also, I’d be devastated to…. There aren’t many kids in my life, and every single one is precious.” He tugged on Jee’s dress, and she pursed her lips at him. “Ah, you already slobbered all over my cheek four times today. Dinner is almost ready, and I figured we could eat in here since the formal dining room is…over decorated.” He submitted to the kiss anyways, and she pressed her face briefly against his cheek.

“Figured. Did you get this place professionally done?”

“The dining room and salon are set up for entertaining, even though I don’t actually have parties,” Buck explained. “Everything else is my personal space, so I decorated as I wanted. The kitchen and living room are my favorite places.”

“It’s nice,” Chris declared as he climbed up onto a high-back barstool and got comfortable. “Do I smell potatoes?”

“Well, of course, the best part of a roasted chicken is the potatoes it sits on,” Buck said, and Chris laughed.

“She’s not eating solids, right?” Eddie questioned.

“Just breast milk,” Buck said. “Maddie sent me a bunch frozen, and I’ve been thawing as needed. I have bottles ready in the fridge—one for about thirty minutes from now and another before bedtime. She’s been sleeping through the night, but Maddie said to keep another ready in case she wakes up wanting it.”

Jax appeared on the stool beside Christopher. “Hey, Cupcake.”

“Hey,” Chris returned with a bright smile. “Did you find your friend?”

Jax nodded. “Yep, right where I thought he would be.”

Buck turned to stare at the ker. “What?”

“Oh, I have this friend—originally from Persia,” Jax said. “He’s been at a loose ends for a while, and I told him he should pick up a hobby or two. But he’s been a real…pain in the butt about it. I suggested he come over and we could find him a job. But he’s been moping about in a cave for the better part of 500 years and doesn’t even have a lamp to laze about in.”

“You’re friends with a jinn,” Buck said and sighed. “I don’t want him in my house, Jax. I mean it. Don’t take him to Eddie’s either.”

“Oh, I’d never do that,” Jax assured. “He’d just get attached to Cupcake here and get his feelings hurt. He’s always getting super invested in mortals and getting his heart broken when nature takes its course. That’s why he’s in a cave right now. He got all bent out of shape about some human kid he adopted and raised.”

“So, he’s an ifrit, specifically. They’re prone to such behavior and aren’t toxic.”

“Yeah, an ifrit. Still, Babak’s a drama demon, and I’ve been working on him for a while. I lost track of his cave for a bit, or he changed caves on me. Regardless, I think I’ve got him squared away because there was a job opening at the Grecian spa where I go, and they could use a nurturing spirit like him.”

“Well, he definitely can’t come here. I’m full up on demon drama.”

Jax laughed, which made Christopher giggle. Buck relaxed, pleased that the boy was comfortable in his home. He liked Christopher a lot, and his quiet energy was lovely. It was rare that he encountered a child that didn’t set off his gifts in some fashion or another because of their volatile emotional state.

Shortly, he pulled the chicken out and ignored the huffy sound Eddie made. He’d halved some brussels sprouts for himself and tucked them in with the chicken after it’d been cooking for a while. He’d also put some corn on the cob in foil, so he plucked that out as well.

“Why do those sprouts look good?” Eddie asked like Buck had committed a crime.

“I don’t know—I just rubbed them olive oil and seasoned them with salt and pepper.” Buck shrugged as he moved the vegetables to a serving platter and took the chicken to the chopping board.

“Grandma’s tastes like dirt,” Christopher said. “And she boils them on the stove.”

Buck winced. “Ah, well, I cut them so I can rinse them thoroughly. I’m not really fond of boiling vegetables unless I’m making soup or stew. Mostly, I roast, grill or steam.”

He pulled out a large knife and cut down the center of the chicken with as much commitment as possible. Experience had shown him that he couldn’t show a chicken any sort of fear. Then he sectioned off all the parts and put them on the platter with everything else.

“I’ve never seen anyone do that outside of YouTube,” Eddie admitted with a laugh.

“Do what?”

“Cut up a whole chicken,” Eddie said as he tucked Jee into her high chair. She huffed dramatically, and tears welled in her eyes. He stared for a moment. “Hey, Jax, go ask her mother if she has a favorite toy, and if you haven’t brought it over here, please do so.”

“Oh, I hadn’t even considered that,” Buck admitted and sighed when Jax almost immediately returned with a small stuffed penguin. “Avery. I can’t believe I forgot about Avery.”

Jee made an excited noise as Jax handed it to her and put the penguin’s head in her mouth almost immediately. Her tears dried up.

“This is the first time you’ve had her for more than a few hours, right?” Eddie questioned. “Cut yourself some slack. She’s clearly not suffering in your care.”

Buck nodded but still felt like an asshole for not noticing. She wasn’t allowed to sleep with anything in her crib yet, but he knew how fond she was of that stuffed penguin. They settled in at the table, and Buck focused on Jee as Eddie fixed Christopher a plate. Her eyes were practically sparkling with happiness. She hadn’t been miserable before, but she certainly felt better. In curiosity, he reached out and brushed his fingers over the toy.

“Ah.”

“What?” Eddie questioned.

“Maddie’s got this thing saturated in her own energy. It’s practically like she’s holding a piece of her mom.”

Eddie hummed under his breath. “I guess that surprises me, and I feel terrible for that.”

“Maddie’s mercenary in a lot of ways and not the kind of person I’m proud to associate with if I’m honest. But she adores her daughter and is all-in on the motherhood thing,” Buck said, and Eddie nodded. “If that wasn’t the case, Daniel would’ve already intervened. I haven’t heard anything about work.”

“I’ve heard everything,” Eddie said wryly. “And most of it is way too adult for these two to hear.” He grinned when Christopher huffed and stabbed a potato with his fork. “But, in general, there have been two new hires for Maddie’s show—Sue Blevins came on as a producer. Josh Russo, from one of the travel shows, moved over into the production manager role, and they tried to take Hen back, but she wasn’t having any of it. Albert Han is still with the show for camera work, along with that guy who does Taylor Kelly’s filming now.”

“Chad Rogers,” Buck supplied. “He’s a real jerk.” He fixed his own plate and was pleased that Eddie had scooted several sprouts onto his plate along with the rest of the vegetable options. “You didn’t have to try it. They’re just my favorite.”

“I’m willing to branch out,” Eddie said in amusement. “Chimney was given a choice between a different production with the 118 and a new ghost hunting show they’re filming in New York that Beyond is having produced by a different company.”

“He went with New York?” Buck questioned.

“Apparently, the offer was barely out of the Beyond rep’s mouth before he agreed. He said he was tired of California and would welcome a change of scenery.”

“Wow,” Buck murmured and focused on Jee, who was gnawing her penguin with as much ambition as a five-month-old could. “I think Maddie has done some work with Sue Blevins in the past—a few special projects.”

“The rumor is that she asked for Sue specifically, and Beyond had to come up off some serious coin to get her to sign onto the show,” Eddie said. “I don’t know the details on that.” He stabbed a brussels sprout and ate it.

Chris leaned forward and stared. “How is it, Daddy?”

“Sort of like that roasted cabbage your abuelita makes,” Eddie said.

“Oh, can I have some then? I love that,” Chris frowned even as he said it. “We probably shouldn’t ever tell grandma about this. She hates when someone does something better than her.”

Eddie laughed and put two pieces of sprout on his son’s plate. “Yeah, let’s just keep everything from your grandma. She’s always ruining my fun.”

“Do you know if Chimney has left for New York?” Buck questioned and glanced toward Jee.

“The last I heard, they were discussing the ownership of a few things,” Eddie said and glanced toward his son. “Material possessions.”

Buck nodded and resolved to ask more questions later since Maddie wasn’t telling him anything, and Daniel wasn’t going to bring anything stressful into his house.

“These are good; it’s so weird,” Chris said and poked the piece of sprout he had left. “I bet they’d be good with that white cheese on them, too.”

“Parmesan, and yeah, they are good that way. We can try that next time,” Buck said, and Chris nodded his agreement. “What are your thoughts on a movie, Chris? Jee will be up for some of it, so we can’t watch anything too noisy.”

“I like the princess movies, too,” Chris said. “Brave or Mulan. The Princess and the Frog is nice because she’s not white, and that matters, but it is all about falling in love, and there’s more to life than that. How about Finding Nemo?”

“Finding Nemo, it is,” Buck agreed.

“Dory’s my favorite.”

“I like the turtles,” Buck admitted and grinned when Eddie shook his head at him. “Seriously. Though I am fond of Nemo and the determination he finds to go home.”

“He doesn’t let his bad fin get in his way,” Chris said. “That’s my favorite part, and Dory’s not perfect either, but she’s helpful and a good friend.”

“Well, no one is perfect,” Buck said gently. “No matter how they look on the outside. We’re all flawed and a little broken—that’s just the human condition.”

“Is that pessimism, Daddy?” Chris questioned.

“Yes, fortunately for him, he’s so pretty I’m willing to overlook it,” Eddie said, and Buck flushed.

Chris nodded. “Abuela says the same thing. We should take him to lunch on Sunday. It’ll make her very happy.”

Buck was really hoping like mad for an invitation to meet Eddie’s grandmother because it was clear he valued her opinion. But he wasn’t going to just intrude or outright ask for an invitation. Maybe it was even too soon for that kind of thing.

“She’s a fan,” Eddie said. “I don’t think she’ll outright fan girl, but she’ll certainly have expectations.”

Buck laughed. “I can handle a few expectations, Eddie.”

“I’ll call her and ask then,” Eddie said. “If I just showed up with you—without giving her time to prepare—I’d probably get grounded or worse.”

“What’s worse than getting grounded?” Chris asked, gaze narrowing.

“Well, she might stop making my favorite cookies,” Eddie said. “Because she threatened me with that once, and that’s just beyond the pale, Mijo.”

“Wait.” Chris held up a hand and put down his fork. “That’s a thing? I can lose cookie privileges? Daddy, why didn’t you already tell me this?” Eddie laughed. “This is serious!”

Jee started to babble at Eddie and wave to her penguin. “Shit!”

Eddie huffed.

“It’s Daniel’s fault,” Buck said immediately, and Christopher laughed.

* * * *

Eddie headed for the kitchen after one more check on Christopher, who was asleep and sprawled across Buck’s sectional in the living room. The room featured a ridiculously large television that Chris had declared the love of his life. He watched Buck load the dishwasher, pleased just to watch his lover move. Eddie knew, of course, that he was in over his head with Evan Buckley. He didn’t even care.

“Hey,” Buck said as he turned and saw him.

Eddie crossed the kitchen as Buck closed the dishwasher and caught him by the hips. He prodded him gently against the counter and took in the laugh he startled out of Buck’s mouth as he brushed their lips together. Buck’s fingers drifted through his hair, and Eddie sought a deeper kiss. He groaned just a little when Buck pulled him close so their bodies were pressed together.

“I wish I’d suggested you spend the night,” Buck murmured and groaned when Eddie trailed a series of soft kisses against his jaw. “Is that weird?”

“I don’t know, but I’m presumptuous as fuck because I packed us a bag for two nights,” Eddie said and grinned when Buck laughed. “I didn’t tell Chris in case it wasn’t offered.”

“Go get that bag then, and I’ll turn down the bed in a guest room for Chris. Jax can sleep in the house if you’re worried about being on opposite sides of the house.”

“That’d be great,” Eddie murmured and leaned in for another quick kiss.

They separated and headed in different directions. By the time he got Chris picked up and carried to the guest room, Jax was seated on the bed dressed in Hugo Boss pajamas.

“Are you being serious right now?” Eddie questioned.

“I buy quality that will last,” Jax said peevishly. “Fast fashion is the devil.”

Chris laughed as Eddie sighed and pulled the smaller bag he’d packed for his son out of the duffel bag he’d chosen. He’d had plenty of room for it since he hadn’t packed a lot, and it had made it easier to get out of the house without a conversation.

“I didn’t know we were spending the night,” Chris yawned. “Can we swim tomorrow? Did you bring our bathing suits?”

“I did bring them,” Eddie said. “But we’ll see what Buck wants to do, okay? We might go somewhere.”

“The zoo!” Chris said and bounced.

“We have Jee remember,” Eddie said. “And she could be too small for the zoo.”

“Oh, right,” Chris said and yawned.

“Let’s brush your teeth,” Eddie said and removed the Ziplock bag he’d snagged for his son’s toiletries. He’d made a mental note to get him a bag like his own since he’d probably like it a lot. He certainly liked to riffle through his travel toiletry bag whenever it was out on the counter.

Of course, it wasn’t until he got his son all tucked in that he realized he’d forgotten one very important thing. The book they were reading together was still sitting on Chris’ nightstand. He winced when Chris raised an eyebrow at him.

“I’ll just ask Jax to tell me a story,” Chris said. “He can do the voices.”

The ker sent Eddie a superior look and then focused on Chris. “How would you like to hear about the real Trojan Horse?” He held up a hand when Eddie opened his mouth to protest. “The kid-friendly, very Disneyified version.”

“Sure,” Chris said happily.

“Yeah, okay,” Eddie said with one look of warning the demon’s way. He knew a ker couldn’t actually outright lie, but they could certainly manipulate the truth to serve their purposes if needed. Still, it had been a straightforward sort of sentence. “Goodnight, Mijo.” He pressed a kiss to his son’s forehead and huffed a little when Jax leaned forward and offered his. “You little weirdo.” He kissed the demon’s forehead, too.

“Me? You’re the one that actually did it!” Jax declared with a laugh and fell back on the second set of pillows on the bed. “Thanks, I haven’t been tucked in…well, several thousand years.”

Eddie shook his head as he left the room. “Don’t keep him up too late.”

“He’ll be asleep in no time,” Jax said. “I’m so boring.”

Eddie shook his head and pulled the door shut. Buck slipped out of a room down the hall where Jee was sleeping and inclined his head toward the other side of the house as he waved a baby monitor. He shouldered the duffel and followed. Buck’s bedroom was dominated by a California king, which wasn’t much of a surprise. He had a queen because he needed the length, and Buck was a couple of inches taller.

“Looks like a playground,” Eddie murmured as he dropped the bag on a chair as Buck locked the door.

Buck laughed and snagged his hand. “Come play with me, then.”

Eddie shed his clothes quickly because Buck was casually throwing off his own like he wouldn’t have to pick them up later. He slid onto the bed and pulled Buck close as soon as he could. The warm skin and weight of another body against his was a delicious kind of luxury for him since going to bed with a sex partner hadn’t been his norm since the divorce. It was an intimacy he’d had to work his way back into, but Buck made it so easy.

Buck wrapped a hand around his cock, and Eddie shuddered even as he flexed his hips into the grip. He wanted more almost immediately because the memory of being inside Buck had been playing on repeat in his head for days. Eddie moved onto his back and spread his legs when Buck slid right down and eagerly sucked the head of his cock into his mouth. He cupped Buck’s head gently, offering no pressure as his cock was taken all the way in.

Buck swallowed around the head, and Eddie groaned far louder than he intended. He threw one arm over his eyes and sucked his bottom lip into his mouth in an effort to be quiet. Buck’s hands clamped down on his hips as he started to lift off the mattress.

“Sorry,” he said as he hadn’t meant to fuck up into Buck’s mouth, but it felt so good. Eddie had let himself get lost in the intense pleasure of his lover’s very talented mouth. “That feels amazing. But, come up here. I want to fuck you. I’ve been thinking about it all week.”

Buck laughed as he pulled off of Eddie’s cock and crawled up the length of the bed, and slid astride Eddie’s thighs. “You should’ve said.” He braced himself on one hand as he reached over to the nightstand and retrieved the supplies. “We could’ve taken a long lunch or two.”

Eddie grinned and snagged the lube when Buck dropped it on the bed. “Did you want to give me a ride?”

“Actually, I’d like to be on my stomach.” Buck flushed. “If that’s okay?”

“Of course it is,” Eddie said. “Get comfortable, and I’ll take care of everything.”

It was the exact right thing to say because Buck’s shoulders relaxed, and he got settled on the bed without another word. Eddie rolled the condom on first, then flicked open the lube.

“I should get a towel,” Buck said and slid off the bed without another word. He came back a few moments later with a fluffy white towel which he put down on the bed.

“I hope that’s got a high enough thread count not to chafe,” Eddie said as Buck got settled on his stomach once more.

“Yeah,” Buck murmured. “It’ll be fine.”

“Spread your legs a bit,” Eddie murmured, and Buck did as instructed and snagged a pillow to rest his head on.

Eddie slicked up his fingers and slid them through the cheeks of Buck’s ass. He pressed one inside, and Buck made a soft, sweet sound before pushing back into the penetration eagerly. Eddie added another finger as he started to work Buck’s hole open.

“God, Eddie,” Buck said and stopped just short of getting on his knees as he fucked himself on Eddie’s fingers. “Please.”

“I got you,” Eddie murmured and slicked up the condom. He pressed his clean hand against the center of Buck’s back and got a soft groan in return. “Do you want my weight?”

“Yeah, I can handle it.”

“What you can handle isn’t the same thing as what you want, babe,” Eddie murmured.

“I want it,” Buck said in a near whisper and buried his face in the pillow.

Eddie resolved to explore the subject a little more later, but he wasn’t interested in delaying pleasure for either of them. He wiped his fingers on the towel underneath them, slid astride Buck’s thighs, and slowly pushed his cock in. Buck shuddered underneath him as he laid down.

“Relax, cariño,” Eddie murmured against Buck’s shoulder and pressed a kiss there before he ran his hands down Buck’s arms and wrapped his fingers loosely around Buck’s wrists.

He started to move, one slow thrust after another. Buck shook apart underneath him and moaned softly into the pillow. It was, Eddie thought, absolutely perfect. Every movement of their bodies together was amazing, and he’d never had a partner surrender to his care in such a way. It was addictive, and he wanted as much as he could get. The idea should’ve been concerning, but he was beyond that.

“I…fuck.” Buck tossed the pillow aside and shuddered. “I’m going to come.”

“You go right ahead,” Eddie encouraged and kissed his shoulder again. “But you’re going to take my cock until I come.”

The soft, shocked whine that earned him was enough to throw him briefly off-stride. Buck went tight underneath him, rocking into each thrust of Eddie’s cock, but he kept his pace steady. His own orgasm was building, and he knew it would be hard to maintain any sort of control the closer he got to the edge. Buck was cock greedy, and that was a real turn-on for him. He’d fucked around a lot before and after his marriage, so Eddie knew himself well enough to know that nothing tripped his trigger faster than a partner who really enjoyed getting fucked.

“Oh, fuck, Eds,” Buck’s fists tightened around the top edge of the mattress, and he arched up off the bed with a shudder.

Eddie barely managed a handful of thrusts in the tight grip of Buck’s ass before he came with a harsh groan. “Damn it.”

Buck collapsed on the bed with a small laugh. “You’re too good at that.”

“Look who’s talking,” Eddie muttered as he carefully pulled from Buck’s clenching ass. “You’ve ruined me for other people.”

“Oh, good, mission accomplished,” Buck said easily as Eddie dropped down on the bed beside him. He grinned when Eddie rolled his eyes. “Let’s take a shower, and you can tell me all the things you didn’t want to say in front of Chris.”

“Yeah,” Eddie agreed.

“We can have some dessert.”

Eddie considered that as he’d already turned down the ice cream that Christopher had eagerly accepted as he really didn’t like ice cream.

“I have a whole container of dark chocolate brownies in my cupboard,” Buck confessed.

“Oh, hell yes,” Eddie said and left the bed. “Move it, Buckley.”

Buck laughed but gamely left the bed, snagging the towel as he went.

* * * *

“This is…amazing,” Eddie said as he stared at the thick, fudgy brownie he’d pulled from the glass container. “Where did you get them?”

“I made them,” Buck said. “I don’t especially like super sweet stuff, so they have just enough sugar to cut the bitterness from the chocolate. Now, tell me about work.”

Eddie took a bite of brownie as he considered how to start. They’d gone out to the patio to eat the brownies and were currently seated in a double lounger with the bowl between them. He chewed the heaven in his mouth carefully and picked up the bottle of water he’d brought with him.

“So, I don’t know how the whole thing started….” Eddie said.

“I know that part from Jax,” Buck said. “We had to find a spirit guide for Jee because she’s already manifesting traits of a psychic medium. We wanted to make sure she was protected, so Verity found a distant cousin named Siobhan, who agreed to shelter and protect Jee’s gifts. She’s a sweet spirit and died young. Verity vouched for her, and that’s the gold standard for me. Well, Chim apparently refused to allow a ghost to stay in the house.”

Eddie frowned. “But…the baby needs to be protected. Everyone knows that mediums have spiritual protectors, Buck. I mean, even Maddie’s must stay close by.”

“He apparently thought only psychic mediums needed spiritual bodyguards when their gifts weren’t being used actively,” Buck said. “And came unglued when Maddie revealed she had not one but three spirit guides around her at all times. He doesn’t know that one was never human. I can’t see how he’d respond to that. Most people don’t take it well.

“Regardless, he pitched a fit, and they were having this huge, loud argument. Jee got so distressed that Verity noticed and went over there. Then Jax went over there and kidnapped the baby.”

“Jax got past your sister’s salt line?” Eddie questioned.

“Maddie doesn’t have a salt line—it would interfere with the protection the elemental offers her. We were going to dig up Jee’s nursery floor and install a permanent salt line, but even then, I’d have left a door for Jax to use so he could protect the baby. Maddie agreed to it. Anyways, Jax kidnapped the baby and brought her here. Then I called Daniel, who went over there. That’s really all I know.”

“Okay,” Eddie said after swallowing another bite of brownie. “I want to marry your brownies.”

“We’re a package deal,” Buck said firmly.

Eddie grinned. “So, I go to work, and I’m told that you’re taking a couple of personal days, but we’re in editing and pre-production for the next shoot, so that wasn’t a big deal. We just let Lou make decisions we felt you guys needed input on. Most of it can be adjusted if you don’t agree with the schedule we’ve set up for next week.

“Maddie and Chimney had a huge argument that started in her office and meandered into the main conference room where they were supposed to meet with Bobby about the production schedule. I was there, discussing our own schedule, when they burst in about thirty minutes before they were due.

“The first thing I witnessed either of them say was Chimney declaring he wasn’t going to have a freak for a child, and it was bad enough he had to see….” Eddie sighed. “Apparently, he thinks your gifts are really beyond the pale. Did you know?”

“I know he tried to minimize me when I was a guest on Maddie’s show and cut out a lot of footage because it didn’t fit the format. But really, it was just that my mediumship and Maddie’s are very different.”

Eddie nodded. “I’ve heard some version of that more than once, but I thought it was mostly jealousy talking. As it turns out, he thinks you’re practically a devil and he’s appalled that Jee-Yun might be a psychic medium instead of a physical medium like her mother. He shouted that they should send Jee to Pennsylvania to live with your parents, and Maddie came unglued. She screamed at him that he was fired and that he had twenty-four hours to get the fuck out of her house and out of her life, and she never wanted to see him again.

“Chimney laughed at her and told her she couldn’t fire him. And Bobby corrected him, as Maddie has a clause in her contract that ensured she couldn’t be forced to work with anyone that she found objectionable. And that Chim’s contract only guaranteed him three years with a show on Beyond, not specifically on Maddie’s show. Well, there are only four shows from the 118 going to Beyond right now, so that meant he had a choice between two other production companies if he didn’t want anything Bobby had on tap for Beyond. One local one, working on a reality show and another ghost hunting show in New York.”

“And he took New York,” Buck said. “The bastard.”

“I heard but did not see it that a lawyer showed up with a bunch of paperwork that Chimney signed that basically forfeited all of his parental rights. He signed without even reading it, apparently. Not sure what else went down on that front. Surely, he’ll have to meet with a judge at some point. But he was, apparently, surprised when a professional moving company showed up with a truck full of his personal stuff from your sister’s house, asking him where he wanted it stored.”

Buck snorted. “That’s got Daniel written all over it.”

“Yeah, so he tried to ask Albert if he could stay with him. But Albert is fucking furious that Chimney basically threw his own child away and says he’s no better than their father. He told him to fuck off. Chimney pitched another fit about that and almost hit his own brother, but security interfered, and he was escorted off the premises. Bobby had maintenance pack Chim’s office and threatened to file a police report over some missing equipment, including one of those new URSA cameras that Chimney had been issued. He apparently took it with him.”

“How much is one of those things worth?”

“About six thousand, plus accessories,” Eddie said. “So, he probably took about ten thousand dollars in equipment when he left in his truck. He had Albert bring it all back, and Albert told Maddie that their father had known about Jee all along. And the only reason Chimney didn’t want his name on the birth certificate was related to the old man’s will, which was to be split between his children and grandchildren equally. Chimney thinks that Jee won’t count if she’s not his legally.”

“Loser,” Buck muttered.

“Not that it matters,” Eddie said. “Because Albert told Hen, who told me that their father removed Chimney from the will over trying to keep Jee a secret. He’ll still get his little payments, but when the old man dies—Albert gets everything that’s left. Albert’s only here in the US to confirm that Jee’s his niece. Maddie hasn’t agreed to DNA tests, though. She doesn’t want to give their father in South Korea any sort of legal standing when it comes to her daughter.”

“Well, she doesn’t need their money,” Buck assured. “Maddie hasn’t told me anything. I guess to keep me from getting stressed out and bleeding all over Jee psychically, which is a concern.”

“Yeah, I heard she wasn’t going to let Jee come back to her house until it was verified that Chimney’s in New York. His flight leaves tomorrow. She’s apparently getting new security installed.”

Buck frowned. “Did he get physical with her?”

“No, in fact, it seemed like he could barely stand to be in the same room with her. Also, Jax apparently scared the fuck out of him at one point.”

“Well, a furious ker is a sight,” Buck admitted. “There is a reason why they used to be the vanguard of an army in a land war. Just one could send a thousand men running for cover. Jax’s probably seen a lot of combat in the past. You said you saw one in the Army.”

“Yeah, a female,” Eddie said. “She…was fierce as fuck, actually. I wouldn’t have crossed her for any reason. I did have one other thing to tell you—your sister found out we had this date scheduled, and she basically ordered me to cancel it because she didn’t want me disturbing her baby’s sanctuary. In fact, she said that my aura was a little weird, and she wasn’t sure she approved of me dating you and that she was going to talk to Daniel about it.”

Buck made a face. “Ignore her. Your aura is fucking perfect, and that’s why she hit on you. Opening up as a medium around you is actually comforting due to the calm and competence that basically pours out of you.

“My brother doesn’t get in my business—financial or personal—because I don’t need that kind of handling. It pisses her off, but she asked him to do it for her, and she knows he’d turn the trust over to her if she filed the paperwork for it. She likes using him as a buffer against the world, and that’s fine, but I don’t need or want that from Daniel. He did manage my trust fund until I turned twenty-five and offered to maintain it after that, but I already had a money manager and a living trust, so I just moved all of my funds over to one place. It’s easier that way for retirement planning and taxes.”

“I told her that I don’t date by committee,” Eddie said and grinned when Buck laughed. “And that our relationship was none of her business. I mean, it’s pretty galling for her to find me lacking after she lived with a man who refused to claim his own child. She’s a terrible judge of character.”

“Yeah, pretty much from the start,” Buck admitted. “Her high school boyfriend is currently serving time for armed robbery. The man she married was a domestic abuser, and all the ones that came after him and before Chimney Han were some variety of awful. She likes weak men because she thinks she needs to control them. The problem is—weak people of any gender make terrible partners, and often when they fuck up, it’s a huge, ugly, and sometimes violent mess.”

He huffed and looked out across the pool. “I did let my brother talk me into buying this house when I came to LA permanently last year. I’d just been renting apartments here and there when I wasn’t traveling. Regardless, he said I needed a proper amount of land to establish boundaries and a solid salt line. He wasn’t wrong.”

“How are you going to protect your salt line going forward?” Eddie questioned. “Because Chimney revealed a big weakness in your security, Buck.”

“I poured six more,” Buck admitted. “The only reason he knew where the original one was because Maddie gets a bit of a ding whenever she crosses it because of her elemental guardian. It can come in, but I always know when it is on the property. Chimney noticed her discomfort last year and tried to lecture me about it. She told him to mind his own business and explained that the salt line was a protective measure that she approved of and would have even demanded if I hadn’t already had one.”

“And she’s going to let you put one in her child’s nursery?”

“Well, Jee’s comfort and safety is more important than Maddie getting a little thump for crossing a salt line,” Buck said and shrugged. “I told you, Eddie. Maddie’s a lot of things, but a bad mother isn’t one of them. She’d sacrifice a lot to keep Jee safe. That’s why she has the custody papers in place—to protect her daughter even from herself if necessary.”

Eddie nodded. “Let’s get some sleep. Christopher went to bed making plans, and there’s no telling what Jax talked him into after I left him.”

* * * *

They’d woken up to a phone call from Maddie asking Buck to send Jee home. He’d had Jax transfer all of the baby’s stuff back to the house but had decided to take Jee home personally since he wanted to have a very explicit talk with Maddie. He’d left Eddie and Christopher lounging by his pool, so he hoped they were still there when he got back.

It wasn’t much of a surprise to find Daniel already there when he arrived, so Buck bided his time while Maddie concentrated on her daughter. It took nearly an hour before Jee was fed up with the attention and aggressively took a nap even as Maddie was talking to her. Buck meandered into the kitchen to refill his water bottle, and Daniel followed. He had a folder in hand, and Buck figured the contents were going to make him furious.

Maddie came in all smiles and dark eyes. “I told Daniel you were banging your producer and that it needs to stop. His aura is off, and he feels violent.”

“His aura is fine, so don’t lie. He feels violent because he was in the Army and saw combat.” He glared at her when she started to speak. “You know that already. He told me that you tried to warn him off like I’m a teenager, Maddie.” He focused on Daniel. “If that is a background check on Eddie, I’m going to lose my mind.”

Daniel cleared his throat. “It is a background check, but I did it when he got the job at the 118.” He held up a hand. “That’s not personal, Evan. I did a check on every single person who works there because both of you work there. You’re my family, and I know I’m crazy on this issue, but I need to know you’re safe from mundane sorts of threats.” He turned to Maddie. “Edmundo Diaz served in the US Army with distinction and was discharged honorably with a Silver Star and a Purple Heart. He has no history of interpersonal violence at all. He’s never even had a fistfight in high school, and even you can’t claim that. He did and still does engage in recreational MMA—a completely consensual activity.

“He’s divorced and the custodial parent of his disabled child,” Daniel continued, and Maddie’s eyes widened. “He makes every appearance of being an involved, concerned parent who seeks the best possible care for his child in every single situation. All of the money he makes on his YouTube channel, which has several million followers, is put into a medical and education trust for his son. The man’s never even had a traffic ticket, as far as I can tell. The only real problem I see in his life is his god-awful parents. Since we three spring from a disgusting pair of humans, we can hardly hold that against him.”

“He feels violent, and I don’t want him around Jee,” Maddie said.

“Eddie thinks you’re corrupt and told me I wasn’t allowed to introduce you to his son,” Buck said evenly, and Maddie gasped in shock. “He’s at my house and has been there since yesterday afternoon. Jee adores him and his son, by the way. She had a great time playing with Christopher and watching Finding Nemo.”

“I told him to cancel that date!” Maddie snapped.

“You don’t make decisions for him or me,” Buck said evenly. “If you didn’t want your child around my man, you should’ve come and got her. Hell, you didn’t even ask me if I wanted to stay home from work and keep her, Maddie. I love Jee, but you’re arrogant as hell. And you don’t get to dictate who I see and who comes to the house I fucking paid for.” He leaned forward a bit. “You’re just pissed that Eddie doesn’t want you.”

Maddie frowned and averted her gaze.

Daniel laughed. “He’s super gay, though.” He tapped the folder. “You seriously hit on him, Maddie? His most popular video on YouTube, that isn’t related to his VA series, is about being a gay, single father.”

Maddie crossed her arms over her chest. “I haven’t watched any of his personal stuff. And the VA documentary was…boring, so I only watched about thirty minutes of that.”

“That documentary is going to win him an Emmy,” Buck said. “The nominations came out on Tuesday.” He stood with a sigh. “Look, Maddie, straighten out your life and leave me out of it. And do not ever attempt to involve yourself in my romantic life again.” He grimaced and turned toward his brother. “I want you to destroy every single background check you’ve done for the people at the 118.” He paused. “But also, if any new hires turn out to be psycho—just forward the info to Bobby Nash.”

“I’ve done that twice,” Daniel said and shrugged. “The company he used to use wasn’t very good. So, he’s got a new one, but my guy is more thorough. I’ll shred the hard copies and delete the digital copies.”

Buck sighed and shook his head. “You’d better.”

 

 

Chapter 9

Eddie’s parents arrived on Saturday. When Eddie found out, he couldn’t help but wonder if their house would still be standing when they returned to El Paso. Of course, the whole situation had become a hostile mess when they realized that he wasn’t going to take off work or keep Christopher home from school for the whole fucking week they planned to stay. They’d set up camp in his abuela’s house and proceeded to act like the world had come to an end because no one was willing to rearrange their entire life for their surprise visit. Apparently, since school was almost done for the year, it shouldn’t matter if Christopher missed the rest of the year. Eddie was deeply unimpressed with their lack of care for his son’s education.

His abuela was very irritated because it had put her visit with Buck in question. Eddie wasn’t sure he wanted to ever introduce his lover to his parents, which he knew wasn’t exactly realistic, considering how intrusive they were. They’d never met a boundary they didn’t want to stomp all over. He’d probably need a restraining order to keep them at bay, but he wasn’t sure legal consequences would be a deterrent, even on a short-term basis.

Buck didn’t appear to be all that concerned about the development and was currently making breakfast. Maybe it was because the Buckley parents were so above and beyond fucked up that the thought of Eddie’s parents was merely an irritant. Shortly, he found himself at the table with bacon and eggs. There was also a basket of still warm scones on the table. Christopher was eyeing the little basket and the square-shaped scones.

“They’re like biscuits,” Eddie supplied.

Chris nodded. “Jam, please.”

Eddie chose the strawberry since he knew that was a favorite, and it would distract Chris from the scone texture if he didn’t like it. He realized he needed to start expanding his kid’s food knowledge a little. He tended toward easy but relatively healthy options but didn’t do a lot of scratch cooking if he could avoid it. His abuela had taught him, and he certainly could do it. He just honestly didn’t enjoy it.

“What’s the biggest concern about dinner?” Buck questioned. “I mean, you’ve got a thirty-minute video on YouTube talking about being gay, so…they know that part, right?”

“Yeah, of course.” Eddie frowned at his plate before slicing his own scone and buttering it. “It’s just….”

“They’re embarrassing,” Chris blurted out.

Buck laughed.

“He’s not wrong,” Eddie admitted roughly. “My parents are religious zealots and believe a lot of dumb crap. I mean, honestly, that kind of ignorance is hard to ignore and oftentimes outright painful. Beyond their religious beliefs, they spend a lot of time trying to parent both of us. Which is weird and unfortunate.”

“Very weird,” Chris said as he frowned and chomped down on his scone, chewed, and swallowed. “I don’t like it. Grandma told me last summer that I could call her mom since mine ran away. I said that would be gross, and she got upset.”

“It is gross,” Eddie muttered and shook his head when Buck laughed a little. “Seriously.”

“Oh, I see how it’s gross. It’s just they sound so ridiculous that I doubt I’ll be able to take them seriously. And I’ve worked with the Catholic Church for years, Eddie. They disavowed congregations like your parents’ over a decade ago.”

“I remember when it happened,” Eddie said. “My mother called it the start of a holy war, and there was a lawsuit, right? I try to ignore them and their crap as much as possible.”

“Oh, several churches tried to sue, but all of those priests running uber orthodox churches were fired for insubordination. The congregations themselves were disbanded, and buildings were sold so the Vatican could avoid doing the eviction process,” Buck said and focused on Christopher. “What do you think of the scone?”

“I like it,” Chris said. “I think they’d be good with cheese.”

“You and your cheese,” Eddie said and tugged gently on one of Chris’ curls.

“Cheese makes everything better,” Chris declared. “And bacon.”

Buck laughed. “He’s not wrong about that either.”

Eddie waited until Chris allowed Jax to lure him away from the table to watch TV before delving into the whole job with the church thing that Buck had casually revealed.

“What do you do with the Catholic Church?” Eddie questioned.

“Exorcism support, mostly,” Buck said as he started to clear the table. “Some of it, I can’t discuss due to the non-disclosure agreement. Professional mediums of my ability work with various religious organizations at a local level. While most priests have the power and faith to drive a demon from a human body, they can’t control what happens next. That’s when a medium like me is handy to have around.”

“And you can control a demon from Hell?” Eddie questioned.

“I’ve never faced one,” Buck said. “Very rarely are possessions actual demons from Hell. Lucifer exerts a profound amount of control over the creatures in his domain. And he will answer if called upon to retrieve one of them if there is an escape. Nearly all possessions handled by the Catholic Church are elemental demons created out of human psychic trauma. We’ve lived on this planet for a very long time, and the result is that there are deep pockets of pain and loss.”

“And elemental demons are born in those pockets,” Eddie said. “Like the one that guards Maddie.”

“Just like that one, yes,” Buck said. “They are leeches and the origin of the vampire mythos. Most stay where they manifest, but if the pocket goes dry, they’ll seek out a place to feed. Prisons are popular, but individuals with profound emotional issues can be a very tempting target for an elemental.” He paused and took a deep breath. “And abused children are attractive for the same reason.”

“It preyed on them, then.”

Buck shook his head. “You’d think so, right? But in the end, Maddie manipulated that elemental demon into doing exactly what she wanted. She saw it needed something from her that she could control its access to it, and she also saw a weapon she could use against our parents.”

“She was a little kid, Buck,” Eddie said. “Not much older than Chris. How….”

“Chris is innocent, Eddie,” Buck murmured gently and glanced toward the large entryway that led out into the living room. “Maddie and Daniel were forced to grow up fast because our parents barely bothered with them unless it made them look good. Their best childhood experience with an adult featured a nanny who kept forgetting their names but did manage to feed them three times a day.”

Eddie frowned. “They belong in jail.”

Buck shrugged. “I know. The thing is that Maddie thought it was fine to leave me with our parents because of the agreement she had with her spiritual guardian. She knew they couldn’t hit me, and that was enough for her. The rest she considered a life lesson of sorts.”

“Certainly not one she’d see her own daughter gain,” Eddie pointed out. “She was genuinely horrified that Chim thought it was a good idea to send Jee to your parents because of her potential gifts.”

“Well, Jee’s not included in the covenant,” Buck said. “The elemental won’t protect that baby from anything or anyone, for that matter. It doesn’t care about her at all because it can’t get anything from her.”

“Because she’s a psychic medium,” Eddie surmised. “Well, that’s something.”

“It doesn’t sound like enough, right?” Buck questioned.

“No, but it’s hardly your fault,” Eddie said. “As to my parents, I am actually ashamed of them in a variety of ways, and I know how that sounds.” He leaned a hip on the counter as Buck tucked the dishes into the dishwasher. He’d already learned that the man preferred to do it himself and didn’t think anyone else really could do it properly. “And your comfort is the most important part of that whole scenario. At this point, they behave in front of Christopher, but they’ll certainly find some way to fuck with you when he’s not looking.”

Buck grinned. “Come on now, you think I can’t handle a couple of nutjobs from Texas who’ve barely gotten any sleep in weeks? They’re probably passed out right now in your abuela’s guestroom.”

Eddie laughed. “Should I feel bad about that?”

“No, they deserve it,” Jax declared, and Eddie looked down to find the ker standing in front of him. “They’re real jackholes. Cupcake wants some water, and if we aren’t going to Abuela’s, then we’re swimming!”

Eddie raised an eyebrow. “You think you’re coming?”

Jax scoffed. “Isabel invited me already. I got my best suit all pressed and everything!” He took the bottle of water that Buck offered and trotted off.

Eddie considered that. “He just sort of nested in your life, did you notice?”

“I think he was lonely,” Buck said. “Keres aren’t meant to be solitary, you know. They’re raised in litters and are invested in their sisterhood. I suppose Jax has been the odd one amongst his siblings since he manifested a male form over the traditional female one. I doubt his sisters care about that part, but he might. And yeah, I noticed that he’ll insert himself where ever he can. If it bothers you….”

“No, it doesn’t. Oddly, it’s kind of relief to know he’s got my kid’s back.”

Buck nodded. “Well, keres are well known to be the original weapons of mass destruction.” He paused and inclined his head, then walked into the living room. “Hey Jax, how did you get invited to dinner tonight?”

“We FaceTimed Abuelita last night!” Chris said. “While you and Daddy were busy kissing instead of getting popcorn for the movie!”

Eddie laughed, and Buck blushed. He’d kind of thought that his son would want to go home sometime on Saturday but had instead decided that the guest room was now his room and that swimming in Buck’s pool was his right as a citizen of California. Jax backed up both positions and seemed prepared to go seek out case law to prove his point.

* * * *

Buck had suggested separate vehicles in case it was best if he left, but Eddie had insisted on driving. He wasn’t going to want to stay any longer than he had to if his parents were the worst they could be, and having to drive Buck home was the perfect excuse. Helena and Ramon Diaz had a lot to complain about on any given day, and Eddie figured his sort of instant relationship with Evan Buckley was going to feature prominently.

Of course, they really didn’t know enough about his life to know how long he’d been dating Buck, so he was also prepared to deal with comments about his new friend getting him a job.

Buck had taken a bit of care with his appearance, which meant he looked more like a rich white boy than ever, and that amused Eddie but not so much that he’d ever comment on it. Since his own mother was white, that was one subject that his father had never given him grief over. Of course, his tia and abuela were prone to pointing out Shannon’s whiteness when they complained about her, but he’d worked to curb that tendency in them since he didn’t want Chris to overhear it.

His abuela answered the door, put upon expression already in place. She glanced them over and focused on Buck. “I said your little demon friend could come.” She grinned at the indignant squawk that resonated through the house behind her.

“Jax is here. He’s just doing a bit of a survey for me. Your next-door neighbors are Satanists, did you know?” Buck questioned even as he held out a hand. “Evan Buckley, it’s a pleasure to meet you. My friends and family call me Buck, and I would be honored if you’d do the same.”

Eddie huffed a little as his abuela blushed and took Buck’s hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Buck,” she said and pulled him right into the house. “Please call me Isabel. My children are all here, so I apologize in advance for any terribleness that gets said. You and your little demon friend are the only invited guests I have today.”

“What about me?” Chris asked, aghast.

“Oh, mi dulce cielo, this is just as much your home as the one your papí provides for you. But adults must fend for themselves.” She kissed Eddie’s cheek as she spoke, and he laughed. “Now, dinner is almost ready for the table. Pepa and Ramon are here, as I said. Helena is in quite a state.”

Quite a state equaled sitting at the dining table with a glass of wine in hand and a mutinous expression on her face. He was familiar with that look as he’d often faced it at the end of the day when he was a teenager. More often than not, she’d have stewed all day and come up with some imaginary offense so she could lecture him. It hadn’t worked in decades, so he just ignored her.

“Buck, this is my aunt Josephina Padron. Tia, Evan Buckley brought forward to be sacrificed at your altar,” as he guided Buck into the kitchen.

Pepa stared for a moment. “Well, you’re taller in person.” She offered her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Please call me Pepa.”

Buck glanced around as he took her hand. “Buck, please. What altar?”

“Edmundo thinks he’s funny,” Pepa said. “I haven’t practiced witchcraft in decades. And yes, we’re aware of the Satanists next door. They’ve been there for about ten years but keep to themselves.”

Buck made a face that looked like disagreement, so Eddie shifted a little closer. “Well, they have some really loose boundaries. The ward line on the property hasn’t been maintenanced in a while, and their worship seems a little dark for the area. Do you know if they are part of the official church or is more of a family cult?”

“Family cult,” Ramon Diaz said stiffly. “I told Mamá that we should sell this house. It’s not safe for her soul, and she’d be better off in El Paso with me.”

“I wouldn’t live in Texas for free,” Isabel retorted.

“Buck, this is my father Ramon and my mother Helena,” Eddie said shortly, and Buck gave them both a nod.

“What? We don’t get invited to use his little nickname?” Helena questioned.

“Oh, I’d prefer you not speak to him at all,” Eddie said and shrugged when both of his parents gaped at him. He focused on Buck. “Are the neighbors a problem?”

“Jax will tell us,” Buck said easily and focused on Pepa. “What sort of witchcraft? My next-door neighbor is basically a hedge witch, and she’s got the neighborhood lousy with sprites. I’d complain if there was anyone to complain to.”

Pepa laughed. “Our maternal family is traditionally pagan, while the paternal line leans Catholic.”

“I’m Catholic,” Ramon interjected.

“Well, not really,” Buck said conversationally. “You’re a member of the Church of the Higher God, right? That’s just disavowed pseudo-Catholicism at best, and at the worst, it’s actually outright blasphemous. The Pope declared the sect’s beliefs to be a sacrilege ten years ago.” He smiled winningly, and Eddie cleared his throat. “But that’s hardly an appropriate conversation to have in front of Christopher. I doubt Eddie wants his son to hear about something so base and corrupt, no matter your involvement.”

“I watched a whole documentary on YouTube about their crazy church,” Christopher said sourly. “Abuelita, can I have some tea?”

“I made some green tea just for you,” Isabel said and guided Christopher toward the kitchen.

“What religion are you, Mr. Buckley?” Helena questioned stiffly. “Your mother runs a mega-church on TV, right?”

“Oh, that’s a non-denominational money grab,” Buck said easily. “I am, in fact, a real Catholic and carry the title of Blessed Medium as determined by the Vatican.”

Eddie knew, of course, that Buck was Catholic. It was part of his biography, and there was a process at the 118 they were going through to get the Vatican’s blessing for the show itself. It had come up several times in meetings on Friday as Beyond wanted Buck’s abilities certified before the pilot aired. He was a bit lax due to his parents, but he appreciated the beauty and comfort that could be found in a proper Catholic Church mass.

Buck frowned then. “Did you know he watched a documentary on the Church of the Higher God?”

“No,” Eddie said and glanced toward the kitchen. “I’m pretty sure we already know who to blame for that. She lets him watch anything that doesn’t have sex or violence in it. I’ll have to watch it to see what was said and…correct any misinformation that might have been in it.”

“It was just a small thing,” Pepa said as she passed them to enter the kitchen. “He was worried that he’d been excommunicated because of Ramon and Helena’s bullshit.”

Eddie sighed and followed his tia into the kitchen, where Christopher was already seated at the table with a glass of tea and two cookies. He eyed the cookies and turned to his abuela.

Isabel stared. “I never once promised to be a good influence on anyone, Edmundo. Get that look off your face. Christopher is a very smart boy and deserves thorough answers to all of his questions.”

Jax appeared at that moment in a chair beside his son, dressed in what Eddie knew to be Armani. Eddie watched his mother cross herself in horror. It was the single most fascinating moment of his whole life because his father was just staring in horrified silence. If he’d known, it would leave them so wrong-footed he’d have befriended a ker long before meeting Buck.

Jax looked at her, disdain written all over his face. “I’m not that kind of demon.”

“Keres come from the Greek pantheon,” Christopher supplied. “So, you’ll have to petition Zeus for safety, Grandma. Not that Jax would kill you.” He paused. “But, you can get hurt a lot and not die, right, Daddy?”

Eddie laughed. “Yeah, Mijo, you sure can.” He focused on the demon. “What’s up with my abuela’s neighbors?”

“Not the kind of thing Cupcake needs to hear,” Jax said. “I’ll file a report with the proper authority, and they’ll be moved along. They shouldn’t be practicing like they are in an urban environment, and they know it.”

“Does that mean you’re gonna send the devil a letter?” Christopher asked.

Jax blinked and stared for a moment before he turned to Buck for support, which was so rare a thing that Eddie exhaled sharply.

Buck sat down at the table. “There’s a lot of…authority between a low-order demon like Jax and Lucifer Morningstar,” he said easily. “The ruler of Hell doesn’t set foot on Earth for bad neighbors. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Oh, I’m not worried,” Chris said. “I just like to know how things work.”

“He doesn’t need to know about any of that,” Ramon interjected. “And I don’t appreciate the fact that you’re basically ignoring me, Edmundo.”

“I’m not dumb,” Christopher said hotly and glared at his grandfather. “Don’t treat me like I’m stupid.” Ramon jerked back a little in shock. “I want real answers to my questions, and it’s a sin to lie.”

Eddie shared a look with Buck even as Jax nodded sagely. “This is not how I expected this to go. They haven’t even started lecturing me about you yet.”

“What’s there to lecture about?” Buck questioned, wide-eyed and innocent. “I have a great job, no criminal record, an excellent reputation, own my house, have great credit, and I’m financially secure. Honestly, Eddie, I’m a catch. Also, I look great in these jeans. Did you notice?”

“We all noticed,” Isabel said wryly, and Buck grinned at her.

“Mamá!” Ramon admonished. “He’s young enough to be your grandson.”

“Don’t ruin my fun, Ramon. I’ll make you go to an Airbnb,” Isabel threatened.

“The Satanists next door have a room for rent,” Jax interjected. “I guess all those goats are expensive.”

“I haven’t seen any goats next door,” Christopher said. “I like goats. Are there any babies?”

“They don’t keep them long,” Jax said cagily. “Can I have a cookie, Abuela?”

“Of course, dear,” Isabel said and smiled at the ker before crossing the kitchen. “Are you staying for dinner?”

Ramon choked on nothing but air.

“Fuck me,” Eddie muttered.

“That’s money in my pocket,” Christopher declared. “The swear jar is almost full. Another fifty bucks, and I’m going to Universal Studios.”

* * * *

“You’re going to quit this job and come home to El Paso.”

“No, I’m not,” Eddie said while browsing his phone. He looked up and watched Buck with Pepa at the back of his abuela’s property. They were pouring a salt line, and Christopher was watching them from the picnic table where Jax was sitting as well.

“You’re selling your soul!” Helena snapped. “I can’t allow you to endanger Christopher’s soul, Edmundo. I will get a lawyer.”

Eddie laughed. “I’d literally sell my ass before I’d move back to El Paso. And you and I both know that you have zero chance of taking custody of my son because of my job. You couldn’t take my son even if I had literally sold my soul to the devil because that wouldn’t be any worse than you belonging to a cult that the FBI declared a domestic terrorist organization five years ago.”

He focused on her and found her glaring at him. “In fact, the FBI told me, when I was interviewed by them for your activities, that leaving my child in your care unsupervised could be considered child endangerment in the right circumstances.” Her eyes widened. “Don’t look surprised—you already know all of that.”

“I’m not a terrorist,” his father said roughly.

“Well, not physically, but you still tithe to a church that doesn’t have a single physical location. Where do you think the money goes? Sure, you didn’t participate in any of the events…but does that really matter when you fund it? How many people died in that riot in New York two summers ago when a group of Higher God followers stormed a Catholic Church during mass.”

Ramon flushed. “I don’t support….”

“They should’ve stayed out of the way,” Helena retorted. “And surrendered the church building as demanded. It wasn’t the property of the Vatican and belongs to God’s chosen. The current Pope is a heretic.”

“You’re going to Hell,” Eddie told her seriously. “I mean, literally.”

“Edmundo,” Ramon said sternly.

“Pop, she just stood there and tried to justify the deaths of whole families. The youngest victim in that riot was five years old.” Eddie took a deep breath when his mother shrugged. “Go back to Texas and stop getting my abuela’s house filthy with your disgusting beliefs.” He stepped off the porch and pointed his finger at his mother when she started to follow. “Do not come near my son—not after that. Just get away from my family.”

“I’m your family,” Helena hissed.

“The unfortunate circumstances of my birth don’t have to haunt me,” Eddie muttered. “My therapist said so.”

He joined Chris and Jax at the picnic table and was relieved that his parents had gone into the house. Jax made a face at him and rolled his eyes. Eddie shrugged as he had no idea what else he could do outside of getting an actual restraining order, which he had been considering for years. They were more a nuisance than anything else, as sad as that was. It said a lot when a seven-year-old considered you an ongoing embarrassment.

“Daddy, can we get ice cream on the way home?” Chris questioned.

“We’ll see,” Eddie murmured and pulled his phone free as it vibrated in his pocket.

He stared in shock at his ex-wife’s name in shock for a long moment before he sent the call to voice mail. He was not going to have a conversation with Shannon in front of anyone, and the timing was suspect as fuck. Jax leaned back on his hands, claws tapping gently on the wooden plank of the picnic table with a glance toward the phone.

“That’s gonna be a problem,” Jax muttered, then turned to Christopher. “Hey, Cupcake, wanna swing?”

“Sure,” Christopher agreed and slid off the bench in favor of the wooden swing set near the center of the yard.

The phone vibrated again, and he flicked the screen to his text messages.

Shannon Whitt: Don’t ignore my phone calls Eddie! Your mother just posted on Facebook asking for prayers because her only son is associating with a DEMON. What you are you doing? Answer your fucking phone right now!

Eddie laughed. He wondered if Shannon was still on his mother’s friends list under her real name or if his mother had made a public post. Either situation had the potential to be both amusing and kind of horrible, depending on what sort of crazy his mother was putting on display.

Eddie: The only reason you have to contact me is to politely ask to see our son under supervision in a visitation center of my choice.

Shannon Whitt: If you’re endangering my son’s soul—I can take you back to court.

Eddie: Please feel free to consult a lawyer. I’ll send you the contact information for my attorney here in LA in an email this evening. Don’t contact me again via text, and I won’t be accepting any phone calls at all.

Shannon Whitt: You son of a bitch.

Eddie considered that a truth, so he just nodded to himself and blocked his ex-wife. His parents both sat down at the table at that point. He grimaced and stood because he wasn’t going to socialize with them and pretend to be okay with any part of their current existence or behavior.

“Thanks, Mom, your stupid post on Facebook for fake prayers just made my ex-wife reach out for the first time in years. This time around, I doubt I’ll be able to keep Chris out of the proceeding entirely due to his age.” He shoved his phone into his pocket and walked away before she could respond.

Pepa and Buck were near the side of the house as he joined them. “My next documentary is going to be a scathing exposé on the Church of the Higher God and the corruptive impact sect members have on their families.”

Buck nodded thoughtfully. “Sounds great. We’ll want to make sure you have a great security system in place on your house before you start filming. Bobby will be excited—he loves ideas that hit hard like that.”

Pepa shook the bottle of salt water she had in hand. “I can’t imagine how much personal tragedy that cult is responsible for. I already set up POA papers for Mamá to prevent Ramon from ever having a say on what happens to her if she becomes too ill to handle her own affairs. If you haven’t set up something, Eddie, you should. Your parents could get custody of Christopher if something happened to you. At least temporarily, I think eventually I could probably sue them due to their outrageous religious beliefs, but the potential damage is awful to consider.”

“You’d take him, right, Tia?”

“Of course, darling. I’d do everything I could to protect him.” She patted his shoulder. “Go get the other bottles Mamá’s prepared so we can finish this. We’re going to layer another line closer to the house, so she has multiple defenses.”

“Can we do anything about the goats?” Eddie questioned lowly.

Buck shook his head. “The law protects religious practices across the board unless it involves the abuse or murder of an actual human being. There are even loopholes in animal cruelty laws as long as they don’t torture the animals and a sacrifice isn’t considered torture at a state or federal level.” He paused. “I mean, there are rules about what kinds of animals can be sacrificed, and goats are on the list as acceptable. But that list is mostly just about making people comfortable rather than preserving animal life. They just don’t want to imagine a cat or dog or some fluffy bunny being sacrificed. On paper, they’re only sacrificing animals that are traditionally to be considered food in this country.”

“I’m pretty sure they sell the meat,” Pepa said. “Last year, they offered Mamá a side of beef for a very good price.”

“This is going to turn me into a vegetarian,” Eddie muttered.

“Not with the way you act around brussels sprouts, it won’t,” Buck returned and grinned when Eddie stuck his tongue out at him. “Not in front of Pepa, Edmundo.”

 

 

Chapter 10

By Tuesday, Eddie had assigned silent ringtones to both of his parent’s phone numbers. Both remained appalled by the fact that he hadn’t given in and taken time off work to entertain them and endure whatever lecture they’d come to give him. It had been years since he’d given them that kind of audience, and he had no intention of changing that for any reason.

Bobby had greenlit his choice of documentaries, so he’d started working on an outline and making a list of research topics while the idea was fresh. They were prepping for another shoot, and Beyond had their pilot for review. He was hopeful for a response before they went into the next episode’s production cycle.

“Busy?”

Eddie turned to find Jax sitting on the edge of his desk. “Just making notes. Problem?”

“Just Buck being a mess,” Jax said. “He’s over in his office pacing around because he got word that Bobby had a call from Beyond. I suppose there will be a meeting soon.”

“Do you know the results?”

“I might have spied a little,” Jax conceded. “Had to leave before a decision was made, but those stuffy assholes appeared impressed.”

“Good,” Eddie said and picked up his cell. “I’ll get settled Buck down.”

“Probably for the best,” Jax agreed. “No need for him to get all worked up—it’s unprofessional.”

“What do you know about that?” Eddie questioned in amusement.

“I know how to handle my business,” Jax said. “I sent that note off. Abuela’s neighbors will be moved along. They know better than to do what they’re doing in an urban environment. Anyway, go pat Buck’s anxiety. He’s irritating Verity with his silliness, and that takes some doing.”

Eddie really didn’t think Buck was the sort to spiral, but he was curious, so he left his office and peeked into his partner’s. Buck was standing in front of his clothes rack, glaring at the contents. He flicked his hands through the clothes rapidly, then huffed.

“What are you doing?” Eddie questioned.

“An executive from Beyond is on their way over here to speak with us about the show.” He waved his hands and slouched down in his chair. “I have nothing to wear.”

“You look great in what you’re wearing,” Eddie said easily.

“You’re required to say that.”

“No, I’m not,” Eddie said mildly and grinned when Buck frowned at him. “I’d tell you to ask my ex-wife about that, but I’d prefer you two never meet. She’d just tell you terrible shit about me that’s only half true.”

“Well, I’d certainly try to remember all the bitterness between you two if I ever cross paths with her,” Bucks said and leaned on his desk. “I think the episode is very good. Not exactly what we pitched regarding the victimology, and maybe that’s a soft sell? What if they say no to it?”

“It’ll be placed later in the season because it is very good,” Eddie said. “And we’ll pick a different story for the pilot. It isn’t like you’re selling a show to them—you’ve got a contract. They might ask for some changes, but that’s to be expected, right? I don’t have a lot of experience in this format, obviously, but I had to make room for the people at Platform when it came to the series that I created for them. They really didn’t want a lot—just a stamp on it that marked it theirs.”

Buck nodded. “Okay, that makes sense. I’ll stop worrying about this.” He paused. “Mostly.” He frowned a little and pulled a cell out of his front pocket. “They’re here. Bobby has them in the conference room.”

“Did you get a name?”

“Gael Alonzo,” Buck said. “He was the one that came to me with the initial offer. He said he loved the energy I brought to Maddie’s show and wanted to see what I could do with more freedom.”

“And you’ve done exactly that, trust what we did, and if they aren’t on board with it being the pilot, it’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, okay,” Buck said. “Sure. Let’s go.”

Eddie started to point out that he hadn’t been invited to the meeting when his phone gently dinged in his hand. He looked down to find a text message from Bobby Nash. “Looks like they want Lou, too. Do you know if he’s here?”

“Yeah, he’s here.” Buck rubbed the back of his neck. “He slept in his office. Some personal thing. I think him and his wife are about to blow up. I mean, I try to stay out of it, but the last time they had dinner at my house—she appeared really put out. And I don’t think it was about the lamb chops I served.” He waved a hand as Eddie put a hand on the small of his back to guide him toward their destination. “It was super awkward. Lou apologized three times after the fact. She even made a comment about the age difference between Abby and me shortly before Lou declared the evening over.”

Eddie considered that. “How big of an age difference?”

“She’s in her mid-forties,” Buck said and shrugged. “The age difference was a bigger deal for everyone else, it seems than it was for me. I knew it wasn’t going to last forever because, like I said, she didn’t want children.”

“So, people judged you for indulging a woman’s cougar phase?” Eddie asked with a grin. “Fuck them.”

Buck laughed a little. “People are so judgmental.”

Eddie agreed with that statement, so he shrugged. The conference room was empty, so they got settled at the table. Buck fiddled with his phone a bit and sat back in his chair after setting it aside. He pulled his own phone and put it on silent before placing it face down in front of him.

“What’s this guy like?” Eddie questioned.

“Handsome, two angry ex-wives, great job, four amazing kids, one beautiful granddaughter, and I’m quite clever,” an older man said as he swept into the room, taking off an expensive suit jacket. “Also, I’m a real snazzy dresser.”

Eddie laughed.

“I wouldn’t have said any of that,” Buck declared. “Though I’m sure the kids are amazing, and the baby is gorgeous. I just didn’t know about them. It’s good to see you again, Gael. This is Eddie Diaz. Eddie, Gael Alonzo, Vice President of Content Development at Beyond.”

Eddie stood and offered his hand. “It’s a pleasure.”

“Oh, the pleasure is all mine,” Gael said. “Had anyone known you were looking at a producing job—I’d have been on the spot with a job offer. Bobby’s one lucky guy.”

“I have all the luck.” Bobby entered and pulled the door shut. “Gael, Athena has told me to warn you that a dinner invitation is pending.” He slid into a seat as Eddie regained his seat. “Stop trying to poach my people.”

“Oh, now, you know he’ll get offers,” Gael said with a bright smile. “Even more so after the show starts airing. Are we waiting on Lou? I don’t mind. He’s easy on the eyes, too.”

Bobby shook his head. “Lou sends his apologies. His son is ill, and he had to leave.”

Gael nodded and focused on Buck. “I’ve watched the episode you sent over four times.”

Buck raised an eyebrow. “Is that a good thing?”

“I’m kind of obsessed,” Gael confided. “It was breathtaking, and everyone at Beyond who has seen it was blown away. I was surprised by the case that was chosen since the two of you were intent on focusing only on murder victims.”

“We were doing a test of sorts since there have been some issues with keeping crew on board,” Buck said. “My mediumship can be very difficult for some people to deal with. We were originally going to offer the footage up for a web exclusive as we’d like to produce some short works for a more general audience that can be made available on the website.”

“We’re certainly open to that, streaming is popular, and the show itself will draw new streaming customers. Content that is exclusive to the website would be a great way to reward that viewership for their subscription,” Gael said and spread his hands on the table. “At this point, the only thing we’re going to ask is to get a head’s up on any potentially controversial topics or cases that might come up.”

“On the show or in general?” Eddie questioned. “Because I’m pursuing a personal project later in the year involving the Church of the Higher God.”

Gael raised an eyebrow. “Well, in that case, on behalf of Beyond, I hope to see a pitch for the project. I realize you probably still have a working relationship with Platform, but Beyond has a larger audience and a bigger reach. We have the budget to give you a lot of room to investigate the organization.”

Eddie nodded. “When I’m ready. But this meeting is about Conversations with the Dead. Do you have any criteria to define what you would consider to be controversial? Are the subjects that you’d rather we not show?” He shared a look with Buck. “There is potential for very difficult topics—murder, rape, domestic violence, child abuse, terminal illness….”

“Slavery, torture, severe mental illness, and war,” Buck continued. “The list could go on for a while, actually. Ghosts aren’t normally made in peaceful circumstances. But we discussed this months ago when we pitched the show.”

Gael nodded. “And I’m not disallowing any topic in particular. We can apply warnings as necessary, and the time slot will reflect the mature content. I’d just like a head’s up if we have something unusual in the pipeline. We can arrange content around it. If you come across someone with a history relevant to a topic we’ve covered in a documentary series, then we can broadcast it after the episode and advertise it as well. I want Beyond to be a channel that explores the known, the unknown, and the profound.”

“Sounds ambitious,” Bobby interjected, and Eddie focused on him. “We have people moving in and out of projects over the next few months, so if you have topics you’d like to see pitched—I’d like a list.”

Gael laughed. “I’m glad you asked, Bobby. I’ve got an email already written.”

“I figured you might,” Bobby said with a grin.

* * * *

Eddie watched the fairy land on his son’s outstretched hand and lifted his camera. Neither of his subjects seemed all that interested in him, so he took several shots. Buck hummed as he shifted beside him on the steps of his back porch.

“Will she show up on film?”

“Maybe—a wispy image of light,” Buck murmured. He leaned back on his hands and nudged Eddie gently with his knee. “What’s got you all quiet and broody?”

“Nothing,” Eddie denied and flushed when Buck made a little huffy sound. “I just…. I don’t want people’s interest in me to be a stumbling block for us. I felt like I kind of derailed the meeting with Gael Alonzo this afternoon, at least briefly.”

Buck moved closer and let his chin rest on Eddie’s shoulder even as he lined up another shot of his son. “You’re going to win an Emmy, you know.”

“Is it terrible that I hope not?” Eddie questioned lowly. “I didn’t even want to submit. Platform did it for me.”

“Why don’t you want it?”

“I haven’t earned it. I haven’t earned anything, really, that I’ve been….” He huffed when Buck poked him in the side.

“You’re brilliant, Eddie. And your work on that series was fucking amazing. Moreover, all of those people who participated deserve to be seen and recognized just as much as you do. That Emmy, when you win it, won’t be just about you but about the veterans you helped then, now, and in the future. Your work paved the way for a Congressional hearing, for fuck’s sake. People are concerned and worried like they should’ve been all along. That’s down to you. You earned the Pulitzer, and you earned the Emmy they haven’t given you yet.”

Eddie nodded and took a few more pictures of Christopher, who was using Legos to construct the fairy a summer home. There was a sprite sitting on the porch railing, watching the process in a judgmental silence, and he was entirely certain a whole family of brownies had moved into his crawlspace. “Should I be worried about the sudden influx of magical creatures in my backyard?”

“Nah, I wouldn’t let anything fucked up stay,” Buck said easily. “Technically, fairies are parasites, but she’s only going to feed on the psychic energy that I throw off when I’m here. She’d probably be at my house if Jax hadn’t put his hoof down. He hates fairies.” He cleared his throat. “And don’t worry about the work stuff. I’m not going to get jealous or weird over the attention you receive. I want you with me as long as I do this show, so I hope that’s something we can accomplish.”

“I got your back,” Eddie murmured. “And I think we can find other projects to work on together, even when we’re not filming Conversations. I could use your perspective on the Higher God documentary, plus your connections with the Catholic Church.”

“Sounds like fun,” Buck said and held out a hand.

Eddie put his grandfather’s camera in Buck’s hand without a thought. “What are you doing?”

“Go build a Lego mansion with your son—there are dozens of pictures all over this house of him, but none of the two of you together that aren’t selfies.”

“A mansion?” Eddie questioned as he left the porch.

“She reviewed some plans and picked out one on some site. He offered to ask for a Barbie Dreamhouse. Just FYI.”

Eddie laughed and joined his son. Christopher had a floor plan drawn out in his notebook. “Can I help?”

“Sure, Daddy,” Christopher agreed. “Bucky, do you know how to use that camera?”

“Sure, I watched a YouTube video on it,” Buck said blithely.

Father and son turned to stare at him in horror.

Buck grinned and got the camera in position. “Relax, Diaz, I got your back, too.”

“It’s a good thing he’s pretty, Daddy,” Chris said, and Eddie laughed.

“Yeah, it’s a very good thing,” Eddie said and sent Buck a fond look.

The End