When a Hitman Gets Haunted by a Ghost
Chapter 48: Next Level Haunting

Chapter 48: Next Level Haunting

Hale’s expression soured. He had been silently glaring at them, his irritation growing with every moment, until he snapped.

"Not only did neither of you greet me, but you have been talking about me like I’m not here and calling me ’it’!" He fumed and retreated into his shadow to sulk. "No respect, no manners. Didn’t even offer me a proper welcome!"

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, leaning slightly toward Kant. "Is it just me or does he not... remember us?" he whispered.

Kant shrugged, equally confused. He squinted into the shadow, asking the evil spirit straight, "Do you know who we are?"

A pause, then a petulant "hmph." Hale’s head slowly emerged from the darkness, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized both of them. "Oh, I saw enough. You are them gays."

Gabriel choked on air. His eyes instantly moving to the door to make sure no one had overheard.

"Oh, God," Gabriel let out a strained laugh, grabbing Kant’s shirt. "He saw it, he saw us," he whispered, mortified.

Kant didn’t budge, watching the evil spirit with an unimpressed look. He was about to ask Hale what he wanted, but the door to the restroom opened.

The waiter entered to check whether everything was alright, perhaps by Sam’s request.

Gabriel quickly stepped away from Kant, wiping the remnants of embarrassment from his cheeks.

The waiter glanced between them with mild curiosity, but Gabriel quickly said, "We’ll go out in a bit, just give us a moment."

Once the waiter was gone, Gabriel murmured to Kant, "We’re pretending that didn’t happen. I’ll deal with it later," before walking back to the table.

Kant cast one last glance over the restroom as he followed out. Without seeing Hale, it was perfectly normal.

"Is everything alright?" Sam asked as Gabriel returned to his seat.

"Totally. The soup didn’t even leave a stain," Gabriel replied, patting his pants with a bit too much enthusiasm.

As lunch progressed, the dishes came and the scent of food filled the air. Gabriel narrowed down his focus to just his plate, trying to ignore Hale looming over Sam’s shoulder again.

"So, Gabriel," Sam said, taking a sip from his wine glass. "When do you think you will be capable of returning to the company?"

"The doctor advised me to take a month’s rest, so..." Gabriel’s gaze flitted between the ribeye and Hale.

"Gabriel," Sam’s voice broke through the moment, lacking in patience this time. "You seem distracted. Are you sure you’re feeling all right?"

Gabriel looked up with feigned cluelessness. "Me? Ah, don’t worry, it’s just the occasional ringing in my ears. You know how it is, when you have a bullet stuck in your brain." He chuckled.

"I can’t say I do," Sam remarked, but didn’t make any further comments on Gabriel’s strange behavior.

The lunch went on relatively peacefully.

As they stood to leave, Hale stayed by Sam’s side, following closely with fists clenching as if he was going to throw a punch. But all he did was flick his wrist.

The sinister shadow passed through Sam, who then paused mid-stride, hand instinctively pressing against his heart.

"Chest pain?" Gabriel asked worriedly, stepping in to steady his uncle.

"Same old," Sam managed, trying to brush it off. But the pallor of his face gave his struggle away. It was as if an invisible needle pierced through his heart, twisting around cruelly.

"Let’s meet again soon," Sam waved Gabriel away, standing straighter despite his chest pains. "And try to make a quicker return to the office."

Gabriel helplessly watched his uncle get into his car, the evil spirit sliding into the backseat next to him. "I have a bad feeling about this..."

Kant chose not to comment on this, leading Gabriel back to the car. Once they got in, the questions were unleashed in one breath.

"Do you think we can just leave it be? Will it follow my uncle from now on?" Gabriel bounced his leg, talking fast. "I thought the evil spirit was going to stick to me, but it looks like his target was my uncle. What if Hale ends up killing him?"

Kant slowly tapped his finger against the steering wheel. Personally, he couldn’t care less if Sam ended up getting haunted, harmed, or killed by that evil spirit.

If there was one thing he learned, it was that spirits didn’t haunt people for no reason. Whatever reason Hale had to haunt Sam, it was likely deserved.

"How did Hale even turn into an evil spirit in the first place? With the way he was, I never expected this to happen." Gabriel shuddered, recalling Hale’s spiritual fascination when he was alive. "Did something happen after I left your apartment back then? Or did you bury him wrong?"

Kant glanced at Gabriel incredulously. "Bury him wrong? What was I supposed to do—hold a funeral for a cult leader?"

Gabriel chuckled awkwardly, then looked away and shook his head. "Never mind. Let’s just visit the shaman next time Hale shows up."

. . .

Kant drove Gabriel to his apartment, then switched to his own car and headed straight to Jolly Wings. The tires crunched softly over the snow as he pulled up.

The bright yellow sign stood out against the blue sky, joyous and welcoming. Despite the cheerful appearances, the place was deserted today.

Everyone must’ve been out and about enjoying the winter sun. Even Jones stood outside with a cigarette between his teeth, squinting in the daylight. He grinned when he spotted Kant.

"Are you a mind-reader? How did you know I was going to tell you to come over?"

Kant stopped a few feet away, hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket. "You only call when you want to see me in person."

Jones smirked, dropping his cigarette and crushing it underfoot. "Guess that means I’m predictable." He flicked a glance over Kant, taking in the man’s stiff posture.

"Ease up, I won’t bite." Jones gave him a tap on the shoulder before turning to walk inside. "Come on in. I have good news for you."

Good news? Jones’s "good news" often came with a side of complications. But Kant followed anyway, knocking the snow from his boots before stepping inside.