Read Resurrection in Mudbug for Free Online Page B

rarely surprise me. I think it’s going to take some time to put this into perspective.”
    Maryse bit her lip and looked over at Mildred, who frowned.
    “The thing is,” Maryse said, “you may not have time to dwell on this.”
    Jadyn sucked in a breath as she remembered Maryse’s earlier comment and then thought about how she’d spent her morning. “You really think I’m in danger?”
    “I don’t know,” Maryse said, clearly miserable, “but everyone who’s seen Helena has been. Granted, that was last year when we were still trying to solve her murder so she could ascend, and her visit this time is for completely different reasons, but until we can be certain, we have to assume you’re at risk.”
    “Okay,” Jadyn said. “How can we be certain?”
    “You don’t die,” Helena piped in.
    “Not helping,” Mildred admonished the ghost before turning to Jadyn. “We don’t know how to be certain. I don’t know how much time would have to pass before Maryse and I would feel comfortable saying you’re in the clear. As long as you can see Helena, we probably never will.”
    The overwhelming desire to pack her duffel bag and haul ass out of Mudbug as fast as possible washed over her. She’d barely started her job and hadn’t signed a lease. Nothing or no one could force her to remain here. 
    Running from life again, Jadyn?
    Her mother’s words echoed in her mind, and she felt her back tighten. Marissa St. James was a former Miss USA runner-up who’d dallied with Jadyn’s handsome electrician father but had married a short, balding attorney, twenty years her senior, who was now a state senator. She’d expected Jadyn to follow her path of using her looks to snag a wealthy, successful husband, and had never missed an opportunity to insult Jadyn for the choices she made—personal and professional.
    Jadyn’s hand clenched involuntarily and she felt a blush creep up her chest and onto her neck. No way would she give her mother the satisfaction of leaving Mudbug after less than a week on the job. 
    Even if it killed her.
    “So if we assume the death bell tolled,” Jadyn said, trying to look at the situation logically, “then what do I do next?”
    Some of the tension disappeared from Mildred’s and Maryse’s expressions and Maryse sat on the edge of Mildred’s desk.
    “First off,” Maryse said, “you are not in this alone, so the correct question is what do we do next?”
    Mildred nodded.
    A trickle of unfamiliar warmth formed in Jadyn’s belly. She had no doubt the two women were absolutely serious about helping her, and it was a strange feeling. She’d never really had friends—women tended to look sideways at her because of her looks, and men tended to look all ways at her, which only caused more problems with women.
    At first, Jadyn hadn’t understood the unsolicited animosity. She’d never considered herself a beauty like her mother and certainly took no care to appear as such. But there was no denying when she looked in the mirror that her mother’s excellent bone structure and wide-set amber eyes were stamped clearly on her face.
    But now, these two women—whom she’d only known less than three days—wanted to protect her from potential death. It was both touching and overwhelming at the same time.
    “Okay,” she said and gave them a small smile. “Then what do we do?”
    Maryse glanced over at Helena and sighed. “As much as I hate to do this to you, having Helena around can help to keep you safe. You spend a lot of time in the bayou, which makes it really easy for someone to pick you off with a rifle.”
    Jadyn glanced at the ghost, who’d reverted back to her pasties and boy shorts, and frowned. “I don’t understand. How does having her around help protect me? If other people could see her, their eyes might bleed, but from where I sit, I see only the downside.”
    Helena glared. “Doesn’t take a genius to see you two are related. You’re both the same flavor of