Page 19 of Nexus
“Good idea,” I agreed. “I was thinking of putting my TV there, with a coffee table and a couch,” I said, pointing to the left of the door. The plugs for a TV were already in place, dictating where it would have to go.
We carried the rest of my gear upstairs in several trips. I’d have to go shopping at a secondhand store in the daytime and have everything I needed delivered.
“You can’t sleep on the floor, so you’ll have to come home for tonight,” mom said when we were done.
I packed a bag to take with me, then locked my door. “I finally feel like an actual adult now,” I said as we headed to the elevator for a final time. We both carried her now empty suitcases to return to her bungalow. I’d left my clothes piled up on my suitcases.
“My Lil Bish is all grown up,” she said with a fond smile just as the elevator arrived.
One of my neighbors stepped out and stared at us like we were aliens. “Who are you?” she asked us warily.
I sensed she was a werepig and wasn’t particularly strong. “I just moved into the apartment at the end of the hall,” I said without introducing myself or my mother. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get to know my neighbors yet.
“Did you hear about the last tenants who lived there?” the sow asked. “They were torn apart and their bodies had to be picked up with shovels.”
“I heard,” I confirmed.
“That’s what happens to idiot bounty hunters who think they can police Nexus,” she said with a sneer. “I pity the poor moron they get to replace them.”
“That would be me,” I told her coolly.
Her face reddened at her faux par. “Oh. I’m sure you won’t end up like the werewolves did,” she said, sidling past us to edge towards her apartment. “It was really nice to meet you. Good luck with your new job and welcome to the building.” She slipped through the door that another werepig opened for her, then vanished from sight.
“I can hear them laughing in there,” mom said darkly as we stepped into the elevator. Her hearing was far sharper than mine.
“Just ignore them,” I said. “I’ll prove I’ve got what it takes to become the most badass bounty hunter in the city.” Or I’d die trying, I added mentally. I tried to conjure up a mental laugh at my silent joke, but couldn’t quite manage it.
Chapter Fifteen
IT TOOK ME A FEW DAYS to buy all the furniture I needed and to have it delivered to my apartment. I bought a bamboo screen and placed it at the foot of my bed to act as a wall. A huge chest of drawers contained everything that wasn’t hanging up in the closet. My couch was black, faux leather and a bit lumpy, but comfortable enough. The coffee table was stained with rings from generations of spillages. I’d managed to nab a queen size bed and brand-new mattress for a good price. I even had a couple of colorful rugs. The only thing I didn’t have was a dining table. There wasn’t enough room for one anyway, so I just used the coffee table to eat my meals on instead.
I was happy with my new lodgings by the end of my first week in my new place. I was slowly getting to know my neighbors by sight, if not by name. None of them were particularly friendly, which was fine by me. I didn’t want them hanging out at my place anyway.
My trunk full of weapons stood next to the door for quick and easy access. The safe I’d bought from the weasel sat on a small shelf in my closet. I was pretty sure the previous residents had installed it to put their own safe on. Once I filled the closet with clothes, the safe was pretty well hidden. Anyone with half a braincell would be able to find it, but at least it wasn’t sitting out in the open, begging to be stolen.
Feeling restless and not in the mood to game for once, I decided to visit the Den of Iniquity. So far, Ruen hadn’t called me and neither had Lord Gilden’s team who handed out our jobs. I chose a short black velvet dress and paired it up with knee-high black boots and fishnet stockings.
“Damn, girl!” I said to my reflection, ogling my boobs that bulged from the pushup bra I was wearing. “You look as sexy as hell!”
Feeling confident and sophisticated now that I was fully independent and had an awesome job, I grabbed my kill-bag and headed for my car. The orange hatchback didn’t exactly enhance my reputation of a dangerous bounty hunter. I parked it a block away from the club and went the rest of the way on foot.
One of the best things about the Den was that there wasn’t a long line of desperate customers to contend with. A different bouncer was on the door. Attractive, in a harsh kind of way, she had short blonde hair and a muscular body. The werewolf looked me up and down in amusement when I approached her. “Solicitation isn’t allowed in the Den,” she told me.
“I’m not a ho,” I said with an eyeroll.
“You’re dressed like a ho,” she retorted. Her gaze dropped to my fishnet stockings and three-inch boots. I towered over her by a few inches, but she wasn’t intimidated by my height. She probably thought she could toss me across the street without any effort. Little did she know that the opposite was true.
“Are you going to let me in, or what?” I demanded.
“Lenny will throw you out if you try to pick up any clients in here,” she warned me.
“I’m a bounty hunter, not a prostitute,” I insisted in annoyance.
She smirked in recognition. “You must be the newbie I’ve heard so much about. In that case, you can go right in.”
This time, I didn’t bother to hand over a tip as I sauntered past her. Heads turned when I stepped into the club. Some swung away again, but a lot of men stared at me hungrily. Swinging my hips like the sexy woman I knew I was, I strode over to the bar.
Lenny was wearing a hideous electric blue shirt with disturbing red splotches all over it. It looked like someone had bled out on him before dying at his feet. Vampires kept stealing longing glances at him, as if they wanted to suck the nonexistent blood from his shirt.
