“They’re here now, aren’t they?” Mandy asked, her eyes searching the area. “Where are they?”
Waving my hand in the middle of Lucifer’s chest which was blocking my view of Mandy, I motioned him to move. “Lucifer is right in front of you. Michael’s over there.” I waved behind me. “And Gabriel’s right here.” I pointed a finger to my right. To them, I asked, “Why are you here?”
“We can tell when you think about us, remember?” Gabriel smirked. “And you must have been thinking about us hard to get all three of us at once.”
“Yes,” Michael drawled. “I was in the middle of a debriefing when I felt this tug. What were you doing just now?”
“Yelling at Mandy.” I gestured to my best friend who now just looked uncomfortable. I guess I would too if my companion was talking to herself in the middle of the hallway.
Lucifer moved closer to Mandy and poked at her cheek. His finger going through her face was so wrong. Mandy flinched as if she felt him.
“Why were you yelling at her?” Lucifer asked. “Isn’t she supposed to be your bosom buddy?”
I snorted and laughed. “Bosom buddy.”
“What?” Mandy clipped, her eyes going wide. “You’re talking about me, aren’t you?”
I shrugged and grinned. “Maybe, maybe not.”
Mandy tsked and pretended to stare at her phone. Just like her to be in denial, even when proof stood right in front of her. One of these days, I’d get her to really believe me.
“Did you need us for some reason?” Michael asked, coming around to stand by Lucifer. “Or was your call by accident?”
“Would you believe it was an accident?” I lifted my shoulders, sheepishly. “But I will need you very soon. I have to go make with the psychic powers and pull some answers from the people in that room.” I pointed to a door next to us. The handwritten sign on the door said, “Anxiety and Depression - Ten A.M.” Not surprising with parents like Clarissa’s to find out she was coming to this particular group.
“I thought we had come to the conclusion that this Clarissa had run away from home?” Michael rubbed his jaw, his eyes inquisitive. “Is she not of age?”
“Sure, but her parents and the cops don’t believe me. She has issues.” I used air quotes and grimaced. I hated that word. It’d been used to describe me far too many times for my liking by people who didn’t know or want to understand why I was different.
“Humans are so judgmental.” Gabriel scoffed and shook his head, his blonde hair falling into his face.
“Like you are one to talk,” Lucifer pointed out. “There’s a reason I’m babysitting Hell.”
“Yeah,” Gabriel sniffed and brushed his nose with his thumb. “Because you don’t know when to sit down and shut up.”
“At least, I’m not an ass kisser, Daddy’s boy.” Lucifer hissed, stepping toward Gabriel.
Michael quickly stepped between the two a stern expression on his face. Seemed like they did this often. “Lucifer, knock it off.” Michael’s voice boomed through the air making the walls rumble slightly. Even Mandy seemed shocked by it. So, they could affect our world. The little liars.
“What was that?” Her hand went to her gun, her eyes scanning the area.
“That was an angel pissing contest.” I frowned at the three of them. “Which, as much fun as it is to see Michael play big brother, we don’t have time for.” I gestured to the door opening beside us as a few people came out.
Mandy shifted in place, getting her bearings. I could just see the wheels in her head turning as she tried to rationalize the tremor. Humans were so easy to dismiss things they didn’t want to believe was true. I wondered how long before Mandy couldn’t rationalize it any longer.
Distracted by my thoughts, I didn’t see the attacker until a hand landed on my shoulder. Jumping in place, I spun around and raised my hands up in my best karate stance. No, I didn’t know karate, but I’d watched enough Jackie Chan movies to fake it. It had worked until now.
Rosalie Group Therapist Ph.D. took a step back, her mouth gaping in surprise. Dropping my hands, I muttered, “Sorry.”
“It’s quite alright. I should have announced myself.” The genuine apology made my knees itch. Why my knees? Who knows? One of those universal questions that never gets answered.
The guys were lingering in the hallway, waiting for me to enter the room. I tried to wave them off, but they weren’t budging, the nosey bastards. Crossing my arms over my chest, I turned my attention back to Rosalie. “Did you need something?”
“Oh, yes,” Rosalie smoothed her hands over her hair. I wondered if it was her natural hair color. Her coloring really worked with it, but for all I knew, she could be a box dye girl. Not that it mattered, but it was good to know trivial things like that about people. Never know when you needed a good insult. Digging in her purse, Rosalie pulled out a card. “I was hoping you would take a moment to speak with me. Your story really interested me, and I would love to hear more about your condition.”
Condition. I huffed. I’d show her a condition all right.
“I don’t mean to be rude.” Okay, so I did, but adulting required me to say it. “But I don’t have any interest in pouring out all the nitty gritty sordid details of my life to you, Rosalie.” I drew out her name to make sure she got the full extent of how utterly revolting the idea sounded.
Giving me a tight grin, Rosalie held the card out even more. “Still, if you change your mind.”
Sighing, I took the card from her and made a show of putting it in my back pocket where it wouldn’t stay longer than it took me to find a trash can. I’d eat it just to be immature, but the guys already had a bad impression of humans, and I didn’t need to add my flavor of crazy to the mix.
“Is that all?” I asked, more clipped than polite.
Rosalie nodded, and I turned away from her, but her voice stopped me. “Jane. I really do think I can help you. I won’t judge or make fun of you. I truly wish to know more about you and your friends.” She paused for a moment and then corrected herself. “I mean lovers. The unknown has always intrigued me.”
Shooting daggers at the guys who had matching smug looks on their faces, I waved over my shoulder. “Then go talk to a palm reader. See if she can find your natural color somewhere under all that dye.” See? Ammunition for later.
I didn’t wait for her to answer before pushing through the guys and into the room, spine-tingling buzzing or not. Most of the people had left already, so there were only a few stragglers inside. Mandy spoke to a tall man with glasses and a bow tie. Really? Who wore bow ties anymore? This wasn’t England.
“Jane.” Mandy waved me over to where she talked to Mr. Bow Tie. As I approached her, I realized Mr. Bow Tie was actually a grade A hottie. Nerdy but hot. If he had been my therapist, I might have actually stayed. Though, the likelihood that I would take him seriously was slim to none.
Lucifer slipped his arm around my waist, tingles running along my skin as he brushed his fingers along the skin between my shirt and pants.
Clearing my throat as well as my turbulent thoughts, I offered Mr. Bow Tie my hand. “Hi, I’m Jane.”
“Me Andrew.” Mr. Bow Tie said in a deep voice, his words choppy.
I exchanged a look with Mandy who shrugged. “Uh, nice to meet you, Me Andrew.”
Shaking his head, Mr. Bow Tie chuckled. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.”
“I’m sorry?” I raised a brow, not following his line of thought. Was this some kind of therapy humor I wasn’t getting? I would think I’d be up on the lingo by now.
“You know, Me Tarzan, you Jane?” Mr. Bow Tie cocked a brow, his hands open wide as he glanced between Mandy and me, begging for us to get his joke. Which I did, unfortunately.
I forced a laugh and pointed a finger at him. “I get it. Good one.” Not really. I’d heard that joke a million times, and it baffled me every time.