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Bree followed the small woman-child down the stairs. Her thoughts were still reeling from the bullshit that Nelson and the giant man, Asher, had been slinging.
Telepaths and mind control.
Bree scoffed as they stepped onto the next floor and walked down a hallway.
“Something funny?” Nami asked over her shoulder. Her pigtails swayed with each step.
“Everything about this is a joke.”
They moved past several doors, before stopping in front of one.
Nami waved her hand toward it. “Your domicile.”
Bree grabbed the handle, opened it. Light from the hall spilled into a tiny, dark room. It looked more like a dormitory room than an apartment. She grimaced as she looked at the small bed, desk, and kitchenette area.
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Nope.” Nami shook her head, pigtails flapping. “Welcome to paradise.”
Bree grunted. She walked inside, flipped the light on.
Nami followed.
Two objects Bree recognized sat on the floor at the foot of her bed. They were both duffel bags that she took to the gym and to work. She bent down, unzipped one. Some of her clothing was jammed inside, unfolded and wrinkled. She grabbed one of her bras and held it up.
“You broke into my house and went through my things?” Bree glared at Nami. “Went through my underwear?”
“Take a pill, sweet cheeks. I didn’t go through anything. I’ve got better things to do than sniff your panties.”
Bree grimaced. The little woman had quite a mouth on her.
Nami gestured to the corner of the room. “We’re in a time crunch here, so I’m sure they wanted to speed your arrival up.”
The custom rifle Bree had shot that morning sat in the corner of the room, propped against the side of a refrigerator. Several boxes of ammo and her spotting scope were stacked beside it.
“I didn’t give permission for any of this.” Bree dropped the bra and walked to the rifle. She picked it up, inspecting it for damage or dirt.
She worked the action.
Everything seemed to be in order.
“Someone seeing what color your thongs are will be the least of your concerns.” Nami plopped down on the bed. “Ashley probably already knows shit about you that no one else does.”
“Ashley?”
“Ash. Asher. Ashley. Whatever. The big meathead who sat in there with us. If he’s cleared you to be here, then he’s already been balls deep in your brain.”
Bree recoiled. “I’m not sure I even know what that means, but it sounds disgusting.”
“I do my best.” Nami flashed a toothy grin.
Having worked with cops for so many years, Bree had grown accustomed to coarse language and sexual innuendos. She even liked to let loose a streak of profanities when the time called for it, but that woman took things to another level.
“I’m not buying this telepathic bullshit.” She placed the rifle back in the corner and turned to Nami. “You can drop the act.”
“It’s not—”
“Spare me. I know a mentalist when I see one.”
“Girlfriend, you’re in for a rude awakening. You think being a cop has you prepared for what’s coming? I’ve seen shit that would make you blow chunks all over the place. This isn’t a magic act. Ashley is a big doofus, but he’s the real deal.” The grin slid from Nami’s face. “He’s saved my black ass more than once.”
Bree could only shake her head. She couldn’t believe an obvious con artist had managed to fool so many people into believing his nonsense. He’d known a lot about all of them, sure, but that just meant he’d spent time studying their files. And good mentalists had a vast array of tricks up their sleeves to extract information from their marks on the fly.
They could make educated guesses about someone that were eerily accurate. It often made people think of them as supernatural. Or telepathic, as that Asher scammer had made everyone believe.
Nami watched her. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
“I highly doubt that.”
“You’re a sassy one, aren’t you? I like it. You’re going to need that to get through the crap we’re going to dive into.” Nami slid off the bed. “I’ve gotta get back to work. In the closet over there, you’ll find your uniform and body armor. Try it on and make sure everything fits. I have a feeling you’ll be wearing it soon. Shit is going down.”
The small woman jaunted out of the room, leaving Bree to stare at the open door.
“What the hell have you gotten yourself into?” she asked herself.