Page 85 of Power of the Mind

Tallus huffed. “Youstilldon’t believe me?”

“It’s not that… I…” My nostrils flared. “We have to… Tallus, I’m fucking tired. I can’t think right now. I need to put these files back before Hilty discovers they’re gone. We took pictures of everything. We can look at it tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? We can’t wait on this.”

“We can. We are.”

“But what if—”

“No.”

“Diem—”

I was fast losing control, unable to repress the frustration any longer. As I ground my teeth, a low, rumbly growl sounded in my chest.

Tallus scoffed and cocked his head to the side. “Oh, hell no. Don’t you growl at me. If you want to be frustrated, be frustrated.” He tossed my crumpled pack of cigarettes across the console. “Smoke a fucking cigarette if you have to, but we are part… nonpartners, and you do not get to make all the decisions on your own. I have a voice too, and I don’t want to wait. It’s…” He fished his phone from a pocket. “It’s not quite eleven. One hour, Guns. We work until midnight. Let’s go back to your office and at least look some of these people up. Find out how they died… or if they’re dead.Then, we get some sleep.”

“Then, you go home.”

He smirked, and all the heat from his speech evaporated. “Don’t want me in your bed again, huh?”

My stomach flip-flopped like it had been doing all day. Sweat dripped from my brow. I shook my head, unable to meet his eyes. It wasn’t that I didn’t want him there. It was that I couldn’t function with him so close, and there was no way in hell I could sleep beside him, and I desperately needed sleep.

“No,” I said so quietly I was surprised he heard.

“Then I’ll go home. One hour. Do we have a deal?”

I nodded and met Tallus’s eyes. His smile was calming. Reassuring. Comforting. It doused the flames that had been burning all day.

“It’s kinda hot when you get bossy,” I said. “No one’s ever dared to put me in my place.”

The mischievous smirk I adored filled his face, and he reached out and snagged my chin in a firm grip. “Babe, I’ve got your number, and when you figure your shit out, I think we’re gonna be all right.” He pecked a soft kiss on my mouth and sat back, buckling his seatbelt. “Get moving, Guns.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I snagged the stack of files and escaped the Jeep, heading back toward Hilty’s office.

***

It was after midnight, and Tallus was asleep on the couch.

Fuck my life. What the hell was I supposed to do now?

After returning to my place, we’d made a list of all the people in the files the doctor had retrieved from Rowena’s, sorting them into two categories: DEAD and ALIVE. We noted their ages, genders, dates of birth, and any other significant details we could find in the files.

Whatever convoluted theory we were chasing, whatever jokes I’d made, or insults I’d tossed about, the truth was, Tallus was right. We were onto something. I didn’t like it.

We divided the list of dead clients between us and proceeded to see what we could find online about each person. Specifically, how and when they had died.

Eleven deceased. Amber and Allan’s stories we knew.

Two more proved to be unexplained or unexpected suicides. Another two had died from drug overdoses. Of the remaining five, their causes of death were not readily available in the details provided by the internet.

The window was large. The deaths spanned more than sixteen months. To anyone else, they wouldn’t appear suspicious. Nothing outwardly connected them. They were of various ages, genders, and ethnicities and lived in different parts of the city. The causes of death so far could be explained without raising red flags. Families may have had to make peace with questionable or unexpected suicides, but such was life. You never really knew a person’s inner demons.

Neither of us was focused on the time. Both of us were determined to dig deeper and find answers. Tallus, for all the shit I gave him, was dedicated and committed when it came to investigating a case. I admired that about him. He wasn’t lazy. He wasn’t scared to take risks.

He didn’t shy away from a challenge. Or me.

At some point, I stepped out for a cigarette, and by the time I returned, Tallus was out cold on the couch, half sitting, half slumping in the corner, head cradled on the armrest, knees drawn up so he was in a fetal position. The man had done his best all night to ensure he didn’t take up any more space than he had to, knowing my bubble was about three times its usual size.

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