Closer: Bay City Paranormal Investigation, Book 4

fort’s open to the public during the day. It closes at eight p.m. She’ll give us the tour and show us where the major sightings have been. From that, we can hopefully get a good idea of how many nights the investigation might take.”
Bo nodded, twirling the tail of his braid between his fingers. “Okay. Well, as y’all know, Sam and I are planning to sit this one out. But I’m always available if you need me.”
“Boss-man, this one’s a cakewalk. We can handle it, no problem.” David scooped up a palmful of chips and crammed them into his mouth. “’Ou guys s’ay ou’ o’ th’ case an’ in bed.”
Cecile smacked David on the shoulder while Dean and Sam snickered and Bo glared. “My God, David,” she chastised. “Could you possibly be less refined?”
David shot her a cheerful leer. “You don’t love me for my refinement, baby.”
Chuckling, Andre shook his head. “The point David is so crudely attempting to make is, this is a pretty straightforward case, nothing complicated or dangerous. The folks at the fort are hoping that having us investigate will raise their profile as a tourist attraction and bring in more people, which is the main reason they asked us to come out. There won’t be any reason for you and Sam to be involved.”
Glancing sideways, Sam wondered if he imagined the disappointment on Bo’s face. Probably not.
“They realize we can’t do this if they’ll only accept one answer, right?” Bo turned his palm up, lacing his fingers through Sam’s. “If you find evidence, fine. If not, they need to know we won’t fake it for them.”
Andre made an impatient sound. “Give me some credit, Bo. I told them that, just like we tell everyone. They’re fine with it. They figure this’ll be good publicity whether we find anything or not.”
Bo had the good grace to look sheepish. “Of course. Sorry, Andre.”
“No problem,” Andre answered with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I know how it is. It’s hard to let go of control when you’re used to having it.”
The sentiment resonated in Sam’s brain. As if reading his thoughts, Bo swiveled his head toward Sam. Their gazes locked, and the hunger in Bo’s eyes sent a jolt up Sam’s spine. Heat pooled between his legs. Suddenly he wanted nothing more than to drag Bo upstairs, rip his clothes off and make him lose control in the best possible way.
Later, he mouthed, and bumped Bo’s leg with his. A tiny nod and an anticipatory twist of Bo’s lips told Sam he understood.
“Bo? What do you think?”
Startled, Sam turned toward Dean’s voice. Bo leaned forward to look at Dean, who sat on Sam’s other side. “Sorry, what was that?”
Dean grinned. “I was asking what you thought of making the fort a site for the Scooby Tours, but it can wait. I can see y’all have other things to think about right now.”
Thankfully, the increasing dimness hid the blush staining Sam’s cheeks. At least he assumed it did. He knew Bo well enough to know his face was scarlet, but Sam couldn’t see it in the flickering candlelight.
“No, that’s fine.” Bo’s voice was firm, in spite of the faint tremor of his fingers where they gripped Sam’s. “I think that’s a fantastic idea, actually. If the fort checks out, we’ll talk with Joanne about scheduling a tour.”
Excitement fluttered in Sam’s belly. In spite of his resentment of the case for intruding on his private time with Bo, a part of him wanted to be involved in this one. The fort sounded intriguing, not to mention rich in history. Holding one of their biannual investigations for paying amateur ghost hunters at the old fort sounded like fun. They only led the Scooby Tours—as Dean had dubbed them—at sites proven to be both paranormally active and safe, and the fort promised to be both.
“Cool.” Rising to his feet, Dean stretched and let out what Sam was positive was a fake yawn. “Man, I’m wiped. Think I’ll go get some shut-eye.”
David gaped at him. “But if you go to sleep now you’ll be up at the crack of dawn, and we’re gonna have to stay up most of the night tomorrow. Why don’t you stay up now and then you can sleep in in the morning?”
“Naw. I’m gonna just sleep for a few hours, then take a nap tomorrow afternoon. That way I’ll be as well rested as I ever am, and by the time we head to the fort I’ll be wide awake and ready to hunt some ghosts.” Picking up his empty beer bottle, Dean gave Sam’s arm a quick squeeze and headed toward the