Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 63626 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 318(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63626 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 318(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
My reputation was on the line. I had no choice but to continue on, pretending he hadn’t even spoken. I reached for the hand of another and repeated my actions by taking a deep breath. “And for you… an old injury is being made worse by your daily living.”
I could feel the gazes from all three men burning right through me. Well, what’s that saying? In for a penny, in for a pound? I avoided any eye contact as a shiver worked its way through me that made that spark inconsequential. They were throwing me off, and that wouldn’t do at all.
I shifted my body so I could stare into his eyes before dramatically closing them, and said softly, “Being a hardworking man…” I paused to take a sneak peek at the man’s rigid jawline.
The first man I had touched crossed his arms against his chest and took two steps toward me, closing any distance we had between us. The uncomfortable closeness had me dropping the other man’s hand and taking a step back
“Lady, how much of a fool do you take me and my brothers for?” He looked at the others—who were all smirking—and then looked around the store with a laugh. “Your readings and crystal balls are nothing but crap.”
Ahh, so the three were brothers. That made sense. I didn’t even need to pretend to be a psychic to see the resemblance in the men’s faces… or their expressions. They all had that arrogant asshole look down pat. And demeaning Granny G’s beautiful store? I wasn’t having any of that shit.
“What?” I gasped, attempting to throw daggers with my eyes to communicate my disgust.
I’d worked my ass off to build on to what Granny G had started and left me, and hearing him call it crap made my fists clench at my sides.
Taking another long look at the men, refusing to concede I had guessed wrong, I said, “Sir, I’m sensing there is a… bar or something down the street that you and your brothers might find more appealing.” Sure I’d scored a direct hit, I smirked.
“Sweetheart, I’m sensing you are full of shit. If you have any magical powers, then I’m Merlin himself,” one of his brothers cut in.
They followed me as I tried to escape their hostility. I’d had enough of them, and I realized there was no way I could fight all three of them. My only hope now was trying to ignore them and act like I didn’t give a fuck… as hard as that was.
“What you are is a liar. You manipulate your way into their wallets and cheat good people out of their money,” one of the men said. His voice was stern, but never once was he yelling.
A wave of fury coursed through my body as I spun on my heels and stared into the most unyielding pair of blue eyes I’d ever seen. Then I paused and noticed they all had the same color eyes. Deep, rich, captivating. They weren’t supposed to challenge me. They weren’t supposed to make me feel like I was a charlatan. They weren’t supposed to be winning.
And they damn well weren’t supposed to make me wonder how those lips would feel against mine. Every single one of them. Three mouths and… fuck! What the fuck was wrong with me? They were complete strangers and assholes. I should be kicking them out of my shop and threatening to call the police, and yet…
I reached for the ruby pendant around my neck. The jewel that was supposed to shield me from negative energy, strengthen me, and give me outstanding leadership qualities didn’t appear to be working. I knew I should dismiss them all and offer my assistance to my other clients, but even after whirling away, something had me turning back. My hand shook as I tried to regain some composure.
“If you don’t believe in witches, spells, and magic, why are you even here? Don’t you boys have someplace else you would rather be?”
“Because we’re here to give you a warning,” the taller of the brothers said. His voice lowered as all the men stared at me with intensity I found intoxicating. “You picked the wrong person to try to con, and we won’t let you fool an innocent girl.”
“What? Who is this girl I supposedly tried to con?” I asked, having no idea who or what he was talking about.
“Kit Barrett. She’s… naïve and easy prey for people like you. You stay away from her.”
So, he was one of ‘those’ men. Men who thought they knew everything. Men who liked to keep the ‘little woman’ in her place. To be honest, I was a bit surprised the Kit I knew had chosen such a Neanderthal to be with. And he brought his brothers along to threaten me?