Twilight: Bay City Paranormal Investigations, Book 3

alcove between two stone pillars and planted his hands on his hips. “None of these people live anywhere near Mobile, Bo. What does it matter if some of them are suspicious that we might be closer than we let on? Even if any of them knew Janine or any of the folks we do business with—which I seriously doubt they do—I don’t think they’re going to run to those people and say, ‘Hey, Bo and Sam are fucking, you better stay away or you might catch gayness!’”
“Keep your voice down,” Bo hissed, shooting a furtive look around the lobby.
“I am!” Sam exclaimed. Bo raised an eyebrow at him, and he sighed. “I am,” he repeated more quietly. He started to lay a hand on Bo’s shoulder, then thought better of it. “Look, Bo, I know you don’t want anyone else to find out, and I understand why, believe me. But I think you’re worrying for no reason in this case. Two of this group have family members who are gay, and it doesn’t bother them any. Nobody else seemed bothered by it either.”
“Looks can be deceiving, Sam. Just because someone doesn’t speak up and say they have a problem doesn’t mean they don’t.” A couple walked past them, headed down the hallway they’d just exited. Bo fell silent, watching them go. “I don’t want to find out the hard way that one of these people is dangerously homophobic,” he continued after the couple was out of earshot. “They could destroy BCPI with a few wellplaced words to the right people. And if Janine found out…”
“Yeah, I know.” Sam made a face. Janine had threatened more than once to dig up any dirt she could on Bo in an effort to keep their two sons, Sean and Adrian, away from him. Sam didn’t believe she could legally use Bo’s sexual orientation against him, but Bo wasn’t about to take any chances. Even though Sam understood it, he sometimes thought Bo was being overly paranoid for no good reason.
Like now.
Shaking his head, Sam leaned against the thick stone pillar behind him. “Look, it doesn’t matter anyway. If Tessa or anyone else suspect anything, there’s not much we can do other than watch ourselves in public, which we’re already doing. And don’t even suggest that one of us switch rooms,” he added, recognizing the particular way Bo’s mouth twisted when he thought he needed to do something unpleasant for the greater good. “Everyone’s sharing rooms. It’ll look even more suspicious if we change roommates now.”
Bo gave him a sharp look, then unexpectedly burst out laughing. “Sam, it’s scary how well you’ve got me figured out.”
Sam grinned. “Don’t worry, nobody but me could possibly figure you out.”
Whatever Bo was going to say to that was cut off by a male voice ringing loud and clear across the lobby. “There they are! Hey, guys, wait up!”
They exchanged an amused look as their coworker and friend, Dean Delapore, weaved his way through the crowd. David and the rest of the BCPI crew followed in his wake.
“Hey, y’all,” Dean greeted them as the group approached. Flashing a wide smile, Dean thumped Sam on the back hard enough to make him cough. “That was some awesome footage you got of the Lady in Red, Sam.”
“Oh, you watched it already? When?”
“This morning,” David mumbled, yawning. “Bastard came banging on our door at the ass-crack of damn dawn, wanting to go over the footage from last night.”
“David!” Cecile Langlois, who’d been dating David for five months now, nudged him with her hip. “Don’t be crude.”
He gave her a fond look. “Yes, dear.”
“I told him to go wake you,” said Andre Meloy, co-owner and manager of Bay City Paranormal. “This may be a tour to make money for the business, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to slack off on our investigative techniques.” He pointed a thick finger at David. “You slept in half the morning yesterday, while Dean was up early and working. Can’t let you get away with that two days in a row.”
Andre’s tone was stern, but his dark eyes twinkled and his expression said he was trying hard not to laugh. Sam studied his face, relieved to see only the faintest trace of the sadness Andre had radiated for the last five months. Ever since Oleander House and the dimensional gateway, and the thing Sam had accidentally let loose via his psychokinetic abilities. The thing which had killed Andre’s lover and Bo’s business partner and friend, Amy Landry. The same sort of thing which had almost killed Bo at South