Good Will Ghost Hunting: Demon Seed [Good Will Ghost Hunting 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) (3 page)

Let’s do this.

She took a deep, calming breath, got out, and locked the car. Ryan Ausar, the network VP who hired her, had warned her that Will Hellenboek ran a tight ship. She would literally be the odd man out with an uphill climb to get Hellenboek to warm up to her working on the show. Heck, if she could finesse her father, she could handle someone like Will Hellenboek. Ausar had promised she’d only have to work one year on the show. If she made it through that year, they’d promote her to a different show more to her liking.

Sitting in Ausar’s office last Monday, Kal had felt like she was dreaming as he smiled at her, those neat green eyes of his barreling through any possible thoughts she had of refusing the job. He also had the coolest British accent. She loved his cologne. She’d have to find out what it was, buy some for her father.

“I think you’re perfect for this assignment, love,” he’d said, gently touching her shoulder, his gaze holding her captive. “After this year is up, you and I shall sit down, right here. If you wish to change to a different show, I will give you your pick. I’ll even put it in writing, if you so desire. You’ve demonstrated a lot of initiative and talent. I wish to have someone like you working at
gO! Network
for the long term.”

She didn’t push her luck, somehow sensing he wasn’t lying. Perhaps naive not to get it in writing, but weirdly enough, she trusted him. And
gO! Network
had already built a reputation for doing things differently than other networks.

Kal considered it for the briefest of seconds. A chance to get her own show now, and then her pick of the network lineup in a year?

Heavens, that was a deal she would willingly make.

* * * *

Will sat behind the bank of monitors, double-checking the feeds while Aidan wrangled the other crew and investigators. He preferred the technical aspects, content to let Aidan have the spotlight even though Aidan dragged him in front of the cameras more than he wanted. It amazed Will that the harder he tried to melt into the background and let Aidan be the stronger presence on the show, the more popular he himself became, some sort of weird paradox that left him scratching his head. It wasn’t quite sundown yet, so they couldn’t go dark. Aidan took the production crew and investigators on a preliminary tour of the building so they wouldn’t be stumbling around later. Some of the museum displays were very fragile, and Will preferred not having to explain damages to their insurance company.

When Will had checked that all the feeds were active and the camera placements adequate, he leaned back and closed his eyes, tired to the very depths of his soul.

How tired became clearly apparent when the woman’s voice startled him. He normally would have heard her footsteps and breathing, the slip yet another welcomed sign he was weakening.

“Hi, I’m looking for Will Hellenboek.”

He hoped he didn’t flinch too much. He opened his eyes and turned to face her. The sight made him suck in a deep breath before forcing it out again. Her beautiful, dusty-peridot-green gaze sliced through him. He briefly struggled to form coherent words.

“Hi,” he finally managed. “This is a closed shoot, sorry.”

She stepped forward. He wished she wouldn’t do that. He wanted to take her into his arms and—

“The network sent me. I’m Kal Martin, your new producer.”

Her words shocked him out of his transfixed stupor. “I’m sorry?”

She held up her
gO! Network
photo ID that did in fact identify her as Kal Martin.

Crap.

Without taking his eyes off her, Will reached for a two-way. “Aidan, get your ass back to base.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Right. Freaking. Now.”

A momentary pause followed. “On my way, boss.”

Will set the radio on the table. “There’s been some misunderstanding. We expected a guy.”

“Apparently.”

* * * *

Kal had been prepared for a chilly reception, but this guy felt like the iceberg that took out the Titanic. Even more handsome in person, his slate gray eyes bored into her, his sandy-brown hair not too short, perfect for running her fingers through, and his strong, unsmiling face looked almost rugged. He had a lithe, naturally muscled body, one that would probably be nice to snuggle against.

She blinked.
What the heck is wrong with me?

Another man ran in. She immediately recognized him as Aidan Faust, the cohost. His appearance distracted her and gave her a chance to rip her attention away from Hellenboek’s handsome, albeit stony glare.

Faust stopped in his tracks. “What’s—oh, hi. Sorry, this is a closed shoot. I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

Will sat back, crossed his arms and nodded toward her. “Aidan, meet Kal Martin.”

“What?” Aidan looked at her. “No shit?”

“No kidding,” she said, crossing her arms, mirroring Hellenboek’s chilly pose. “I’m your new producer.”

“No,” Will said, “you’re not. Sorry, but there’s been some miscommunication.” He stood and glared at Aidan. “Handle this.”

Will quickly strode from the room, leaving a nervously smiling Aidan behind. “Um. I’m sorry he’s—”

“Rude?”

“Uh, yeah. See, he doesn’t work with women. I told the network that.”

“That’s usually illegal according to the Department of Labor, isn’t it?”

“Will tends to work by his own rules.”

Dadgum
, this was her first producer gig. She wouldn’t let some jerk like Will Hellenboek keep her from moving up the network ladder. She had her sights firmly set on bigger, better things. Discovery Channel, hopefully, if she played her cards right, then maybe she could parlay that into a job at one of the major networks in their news department. In ten years she pictured herself at the helm of a mainstay like
The Today Show
or
Good Morning America
.

And Heaven help her father—or Will Hellenboek—if anyone fouled that up for her.

Kal set her jaw into what she hoped portrayed a look of fierce irritation. “I don’t care if he makes his own rules. I’ve been hired to do a job and I’m going to do it. Ryan Ausar warned me this wouldn’t be a cakewalk. Believe me, I’m not a pushover no matter what you think.”

At the mention of Ausar’s name, Aidan’s face froze. His voice dropped to a shocked whisper. “
Ryan
personally hired you?”

She frowned. “Yeah. Why?”

“Shit. Shit, shit,
shit!
” He ran a hand through his scruffy hair. “Adelle called me. I thought she’d hired you.”

“No. She just handled the paperwork and made the arrangements. I’ve been working at headquarters in Columbus. Ausar called me into his office last Monday to give me a shot at my own show. Why?”

“Crap!”

He turned from her and held up a staying hand when she tried to speak. He composed himself and faced her. “Look,” he whispered, “I’ll handle Will. Please. You’ll have to play along for a while, okay? Just whatever you do, don’t mention that Ryan had anything to do with you being here. I’m not kidding. Don’t even think his name in your head.”

She didn’t get a crazy-guy vibe from him and sensed he was serious. Couldn’t hurt to play along, could it? “Why not?”

“Because Will would walk away from the show, and then you and I both would be SOL, if you get my drift. Got it?”

Confused, but strangely unable to resist staring into his amber eyes, she nodded. “Okay.”

* * * *

Will found a dark, deserted corridor away from the active investigation area. He squatted, held his head in his hands, and tried to slow his heartbeat.

Holy shit.

This was bad news. He couldn’t work with her,
especially
with someone like her. It’d felt like his heart squeezed out of his chest when her dusty-green eyes met his. Dark honey-colored hair and she smelled like jasmine. Just the perfect height and with sweet curves in exactly the right places to put his hands…

Will shook his head to clear it. He’d walk away from the show if Aidan couldn’t get rid of her. He’d have to. Spending too much time with her would ruin his plans, that much was obvious.

It wasn’t her fault, and he regretted being rude to her. Will thought Aidan had made his position clear to the network. Normally, individual production companies handled shows like this but
gO! Network
had their own way of doing things, providing the film crews and producers. It gave them more control over content. More importantly it meant Will didn’t have the authority to order someone off a shoot if assigned by a network wonk.

Aidan had assured Will his talks with the network elicited promises of no women allowed.

Will rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes, his heart finally slowing. He didn’t need this tonight. Especially not on a Wednesday.

Once he composed himself, Will returned to the area they used as their base. Kal Martin sat next to Aidan behind a bank of equipment as he explained the technical end of things to her.

Will took a deep breath, tried to ignore her scent, and stuck out his hand. “I’m sorry I came off like a jerk.”

Kal looked at him with a cold, appraising stare. She nodded, then shook hands with him. Something akin to an electric shock coursed through his body, practically lifting his hair from his scalp.

Wow.

It took him a few breaths to realize he still held her hand and release it. He hadn’t had a reaction like this to a woman since—

No. Focus.

* * * *

Kal hoped her eyes didn’t bug out. What the heck was it about this guy? She should be lambasting him for his poor manners, yet she struggled not to drool over him. Shaking his hand felt like getting a shock, started fires burning deep inside her, ignited feelings she’d never experienced before.

“Yeah, okay,” she mumbled. “Thanks. I appreciate that.” She hoped her tone sounded as chilly as she intended. She had to come off sounding professional and not like she panted over him.

And she
was
panting over him.

Will ran a hand through his dark hair. Kal fought the urge to jump up and help him with that personal grooming task. This was
so
not like her!

“Aidan,” Will said, “I’m going to run outside for a few minutes.” He picked up a two-way radio. “Call me if you need me. I’ll help out with the investigation tonight. You stay here at base with…her.”

Before Aidan could answer, Will quickly turned and left. Kal couldn’t pull her gaze away from the sight of his tight jeans clinging to his firm rear end.

She shook her head. Okay, she needed a cold shower, that’s all. There was no way in heck she’d get involved with someone she worked with, especially not a TV personality.

Dang sure not a guy who chased ghosts for a living.

Aidan said something and Kal tried to focus. “Sorry, what?”

He laughed. She’d immediately liked Aidan, felt at ease with him, a total contrast to his brooding cousin. “I asked how many shows you’ve produced before.”

“None. This is my first one. I mean, I’ve worked on others, but not been in charge.”

He almost hid his surprise, but she noticed the subtle arch of his eyebrows as he tried to digest that news. “Ah. So we’re the lucky ones who get to pop your cherry?”

She blushed. He immediately realized how it sounded. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said it like that. I’ll warn you now, my big mouth gets me in trouble. Just do what everyone else does and tell me to shut up.”

She laughed. “No, that’s okay. It was funny. I’m just…I’m nervous.”

He did a horrible Bogart imitation. “Shtick with me, shweetheart. I’ll take care of you.”

She laughed again. “Thanks, Aidan.”

“Hey, we’re on the same team.”

The shoot wrapped around three in the morning. It took over an hour to break down the equipment and pack, and was nearly six o’clock by the time they returned to the office and finished unloading. Aidan waited until everyone cleared out of the office. Once alone, he stepped into the back room, closed his eyes, and touched his amulet. He opened his eyes in Ryan’s Atlanta condo.

Ryan sat in an overstuffed chair, his long legs crossed. The only lit lamp in the corner cast dim, yellow light across his face. Despite the early-morning hour, he sipped a glass of what looked like—

“Merlot, Aidan?” he offered.

Aidan dispensed with the pleasantries. “What the fuck? What’s the deal with this girl? You know how Will feels. She’s never worked on a show before, and you’re sending her to us?”

As always, Ryan acted so cool ice wouldn’t melt in his mouth. “I have my reasons.”

“How am I supposed to keep Will on the show if she’s around? Even I could feel the attraction between them. And you hired her yourself? You never get involved in the grunt work. What’s going on?”

“I like to handpick my top staff. You should know that after this many years.”

Aidan nervously paced, ran a hand through his scruffy hair. “Look, when you cooked up this scheme, I agreed to help by getting Will to work on the show, but I didn’t agree to this. I feel bad enough already. I didn’t think it would hurt anything. Now you’ve dumped this girl in his lap? What’s the deal?”

“If Will comes to me and asks, I will tell him you had no part in this. All I need you to do is keep Kal and Will working on the show together. I will take care of the rest.”

Aidan turned on Ryan. “You owe me an explanation.”

Ryan’s green eyes darkened. “Regardless of our past, I owe you nothing. As head of The Firm I have a job to do. Without Will Hellenboek’s services, I’m unable to properly do that job.”

“Can’t you just promote another archdemon or something?”

Ryan leaned forward and set his glass on the coffee table, then unfolded his legs and slowly stood. Long and svelte, he moved with the smooth, practiced gait of an ageless predator. “You know very well it doesn’t work like that. Again, I must say that I have my reasons. I would never do something without a damn good reason, you should know that by now. As your boss I’m telling you that your job is to keep Kal and Will together, in close proximity, on that show.”