Closer: Bay City Paranormal Investigation, Book 4

actually have anyone to let us in and lock up again after tonight. Plus I think we’ve really done everything we can do.” Andre shrugged. “Hopefully we won’t find anything tonight to suggest the potential for an interdimensional portal. To be honest, I don’t know what the hell we’ll do if we find anything like that.”
With no answer for that, Sam fell silent along with the rest of the group. He opened his book and stared at the page, pretending he wasn’t thinking about what might happen that night.
    Sam helped load equipment into the SUV while Bo lay curled up on the sofa watching a cooking show on TV. Bo had scowled when Sam insisted he stay inside instead of carrying around camera cases and long rolls of extension cord, but he hadn’t argued. Whether that meant he’d seen reason at last or simply that he was feeling worse than he let on, Sam had no idea. Bo had acted normal enough through the evening so far, but he was paler than usual and seemed distracted.
    Lifting the last camera case into the back of the SUV, Sam decided that as soon as the others left, he would ask Bo exactly how he felt, and whether or not he was still experiencing those strange, blank spells. If he was lucky, Bo might even answer him without getting angry.
    After the SUV pulled onto the road to the fort, Sam stood on the front porch for a moment, mentally steeling himself for what was bound to be a difficult conversation. At least Bo’s mood had mellowed since the previous day.
    Inside, Sam found Bo flipping through the channels. He smiled and switched off the TV when Sam plopped onto the sofa beside him. “So. Here we are alone in the house.” Bo nuzzled behind Sam’s ear. “What should we do?”
    The suggestion in Bo’s voice went straight to Sam’s groin. It took all his willpower to hold Bo away from him instead of crushing their mouths together.
    “I think we should talk,” Sam said, wishing he didn’t sound so breathless.
    Bo groaned, head falling forward onto Sam’s shoulder. “Why does that sentence never precede a discussion about how well everything’s going?”
    Sam laughed in spite of himself. “I don’t know.” Looking resigned, Bo sat back against the sofa cushions, drew his knees up and wrapped his arms around them. “What do you want to talk about?”
“You.”
Bo let out a deep sigh. “Sam, come on.”
“I just want to know how you really are. I know your fever’s down, but you still don’t seem entirely back to normal to me.”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you really?”
“Yes.” Bo shoved his hair out of his eyes and pinned Sam with an irritated look. “Why are you so obsessed with the idea that I’m deathly ill, or possessed, or whatever the hell it is you’re thinking is wrong with me?”
Biting back his frustration, Sam took one of Bo’s hands between both of his. “I know I seem obsessed. I don’t mean to. But I almost lost you once, and the thought of going through that sort of thing again scares me to death.”
Being reminded of his near death and its effect on Sam always broke down Bo’s defenses. It was a dirty trick, in a way, but Sam didn’t care. He wasn’t above playing the pity card if it got Bo to tell him the truth.
To his shock, Bo yanked his hand away and jumped to his feet. “Don’t you dare use that tactic with me. Not now.”
Sam stared, stunned, as Bo started pacing a furious path back and forth across the living room. “Bo, I—”
“Shut up.” Bo shot a glare full of simmering fury at Sam. “If you bring that up one more time, I swear to God I will punch that fucking lost-puppy look right off your face.”
Sam eyed Bo’s tense shoulders and twitching jaw warily. He had no idea what to say. For all their arguments, for all the ugly things they’d said to each other in anger, Bo had never threatened him before. Not since that night at Oleander House, before they’d become a couple, and Sam had to admit he’d goaded Bo into hitting him that time.
“Listen to yourself,” Sam said, keeping his voice calm and his face expressionless. “Listen to what you just said. This isn’t like you. You haven’t really been yourself since that first night at Fort Medina.”
“If I haven’t been myself, it’s because you have been driving me up the fucking wall.” Bo stopped pacing and jabbed a shaking finger at Sam. “A couple of nightmares and a few bad reactions to a fever, and you have me…” He waved a hand around, as if trying to pull the right