by Janean Worth
Chapter Twelve
Velma Stockton was feeling very sorry for Bella. The poor young woman had received shock after shock after shock today. And it wasn’t over yet.
She could hear the clarion of fear in the woman’s thoughts, and felt badly for it, but there had been no other choice. Once Bella had been taken by the Quislings, decisions had had to be made.
That’s why their organization had sent her along to assist David. She was good at making the hard decisions. Very, very good.
It was one of her gifts. Grace under pressure, she liked to call it.
“What do you mean, it’s no longer my apartment? Of course it is my apartment. And where would all of my things be, if they’re not in my apartment?” Bella was sounding angry, and Velma could hardly blame her after all that she’d been through.
“I know you’ve had a bad day, dear, but if you’ll just let me—
Bella cut her off before she could finish her sentence.
“A bad day? A bad day? No, no, this was not a bad day. A bad day is when your coffeemaker quits before work and you have to go to work with no caffeine. A bad day is when you rip your pants at work and can’t go home to change them until lunch. A bad day is when you eat sick shrimp for lunch and then can’t leave the bathroom for an entire evening. No, today was not a bad day. It was a horrible day. A mind‑bogglingly terrible day. I’ve seen things today that you wouldn’t believe. I’ve picked up a stalker, been kidnapped, lost my job, found out my new coworker thinks he owns me and wants me to join some psychotic cult and now you’re saying I no longer have an apartment and all of my stuff has gone missing?
“I didn’t say missing, dear,” Velma said at the same time David said, “I am not a stalker!”
Bella ignored David, giving him a scowl.
“If not missing, then what?” she said.
“We had it all relocated. The whole lot. All of it. And it’s safe, don’t worry. We also paid the remainder of your lease in full and told your landlords—sweet people, really—that it would be fine to rent your apartment again as soon as possible. They were, of course, overjoyed, seeing as how they have a two-year waiting list for tenants. They said they could have that apartment rented by the end of the day. ”
Velma could see Bella’s jaw bunch as she tried to hold in her words. Her efforts were for nothing, though, since Velma could hear the young woman’s thoughts as clearly as if she had spoken them aloud.
Of all the nerve! Who does she think she is? And how could Mr. and Mrs. Cooper just let them take my things and terminate my lease like that? Is that even legal? Maybe she’s lying. Maybe they just don’t want to take me back to my apartment.
“Bella, we’ve done this all in your own best interests. You said yourself that you didn’t think you’d be safe there since Lucien also lives in the building now. And, when we visited the Coopers, we removed a compulsion that Lucien had implanted in their minds, and he’s sure to be even angrier about that, since he no longer lives in his apartment, either. However, if you’d like, we can take you by and you can verify with your former landlords that the lease has been paid in full. It would have to be quick, so we won’t chance meeting up with Lucien and I’d caution you against alarming the Coopers in any way. We do not want to draw the attention of the police. It is enough that we have drawn the notice of the Quislings once again.”
“Fine, fine, I get it. You can read my thoughts, too. So, no privacy for me, huh? But you both can just sit up there, secure in the knowledge that I have no idea what you’re thinking!”
“Shielding your thoughts is a skill you will need to learn. In fact, it is the first skill you will be taught if you decide to join our organization,” David said.
He switched lanes and glanced back at her in the rearview mirror.
“If you want to go by your apartment to verify what Velma has told you, I need to know now. The turn for Main Street is just ahead.”
Bella’s conflicting and emotional thoughts were truly painful to hear. Velma tried her best to shut them out, but the young woman was still so upset by the trials of the day that her strong emotions projected her jumbled thoughts loudly.