Glamorous - A Grace Bishop Novel - Chapter 22
© Denise Bossarte
“Take your seat, Miss Bishop,” Eli said in a tone expected
immediate obedience.
Grace hesitated, considering walking out of the room, damn the
consequences. But she realized she couldn’t walk away from a way to help DL and
his girls. Walk away from a way to get answers for herself, no matter what the
potential emotional or psychological price was for her.
She bent down to pick up the chair, shoving it back upright
before taking her seat, still fuming at Eli and the situation. She pulled the
corner of her shirt back over her left shoulder from where it fell when she
leaned down. The bastard better have an explanation for how he managed to get
possession of one of her mother’s favorite scarves.
“You are upset by the second object,” he began.
“Upset? Try furious!” she interrupted.
“And at what are you furious, Mon Chéri? What you saw in the reading?
Because this object is in my possession? Or both?” he asked her in a
business-like tone, not reacting to her anger.
Grace wasn’t about to explain to him what she saw in the
reading, regardless of their arrangement. The joyous love she felt from her mother
in the moment of dancing with Danny. It was intense, wonderful and
heartbreaking, and Grace experienced the depth of her mother’s loss once again.
“How did you get this scarf?” she accused, pointing at the scarf
one more time.
“Mon Chéri, it is easy for a Paranorm with a Dowsing ability to
find things, especially ones given away.”
Grace berated herself as she took in Eli’s words. Of course they
could use the Paranorms’ abilities to get the information they needed. Sophie
warned her The Family had ways of controlling her, warned her they might use
Danny against her. She didn’t realize they might also find a way to use her
parents against her. She thought they, at least, could not be leveraged.
And yes, she and Danny gave away all her parents’ clothes to
charity after they died. It was too painful to keep the clothing. It served no
purpose other than to remind them of the people they lost. She couldn’t bear to
throw away their things. She and Danny agreed to give them to charity hoping
others would benefit from them.
Grace had no idea who ended up with the scarf she read or how
the Paranorms got it into their possession. But it was obvious they were
capable of things she hadn’t considered. Did they see what she did when they
read the scarf? Anthony said clairvoyants could see different things in reading
an object, but did it mean they would read something different?
She should assume it was possible they saw Danny in the reading,
although she wasn’t sure how dissimilar her reading might be versus another
Paranorm. More important information she was lacking understanding of. She
wasn’t able to tell if the situation with Danny was worse than before now.
She decided she would not get anywhere focusing on her mother’s
scarf. Eli was trying to make a point by asking her to read it. She needed to
focus on why she came to see him this morning, not on what he wanted to prove
to her.
“I’ve done the readings. Now I’m ready to ask my questions,” she
challenged, looking him in the eyes.
“Yes, Mon Chéri, you have. Do you care to share anything more
about the scarf?” he asked her with a polite tone. “No?” he continued when met
with her silence. “Then ask your questions, and I will weigh my answers
predicated on the readings you provided me.”
Grace wasn’t sure whether it meant she would get one answer or
none, based on her performance. But she decided to throw out everything she was
interested in and see what he answered. “I want to know everything I can about
the Glamour, about you and your Family, and about what I am, this ‘Aperto
Rotto’ name you keep calling me.”
“Impressive list, is it not?” he countered, the side of his
mouth quirking at her questions.
“I suppose, but it’s a list I will be repeating each time we
meet until I get the answers I need,” she said.
The comment elicited a chuckle from Eli, and a nod of respect.
“So be it, Mon Chéri, these are the questions I will answer, then.”
“One,” he said holding up a finger to count along as he spoke.
“Think of The Family as entrepreneurs who consider the Paranorms as employees
vital to the success of our business operations. I, Mon Chéri, am middle
management.”
She started to interject, but he continued, ignoring her.
“Two,” came the second finger. “The Glamour is one of the most
unpredictable Paranorm abilities we have ever seen. Throughout history, there
have been only a handful of them who survived beyond their childhood.
These individuals became obsessed with their ability, addicted
to its use and misuse, become megalomaniacs in the modern psychological
terminology. They were put down before they could destroy more lives. Some
tried to use the Glamours’ skill to gain or maintain their own power, but the
Glamours always became too unstable to control.”
Grace paled at the description Eli provided of the Glamour. It
sounded like they were going up against a dangerous, and potentially insane,
man. It didn’t mean they should stop trying to catch him, but it would mean
they needed to prepare for the completely unexpected when engaging with this
person.
“The Achilles heel of the Glamour, beyond the manipulation his
megalomania opens him up to, is the fact he is cannot use his abilities on
other Paranorms. This is true for all Paranormic abilities. But this limitation
makes the Glamour particularly vulnerable since he focuses his entire life and
approach to the world on the predicate he can manipulate others at will. There
is a chance this particular Glamour has not encountered Paranorms and is not
aware his power does not affect them.”
It surprised Grace to learn Paranorms could not use their
abilities on other Paranorms. It was something Sophie and Anthony both forgot
to mention to her. It must be such a natural part of their world they did not
think to share this bit of information with her.
She would need to keep that blind spot of theirs in mind for the
future. She would keep in mind for herself she wouldn’t be able to read
Paranorms. Or at least not directly? Something to test with Sophie later, she
thought, forcing herself to focus back on Eli.
“And finally, Mon Chéri, question three,” he said, raising the
third finger. “’Aperto Rotto’ is the name given to those who are not born with
their abilities, are not members of a Paranorm family, but come by their
abilities later in life. A traumatic physical, emotional, or psychological
event can trigger such a transformation in certain individuals.
In our history, Aperto Rottos have always been uncontrolled and
dangerous in their powers. Depending on the specific ability, they either pose
a risk to the Paranorms and The Family by exposing such abilities to the Norms.
Or they hurt Norms by accident or by purpose, being outside the tenants
governing the use of Paranorm abilities.”
“Is that why Anthony was determined to be against me at first?
He thinks I pose a threat to him and his family, his way of life?”
“Yes, Mon Chéri. I am afraid all Paranorms will respond this way
when they find you are an Aperto Rotto. They have valid reason. Inquisitions,
pogroms, ‘witch’ hunts. The things you read in the history books are hard to
forget realities for Paranorms. Being recognized for what they are means being
in jeopardy for their lives.”
Grace considered what Eli
said, confirming her assumptions. But how was she supposed to get around being
who she was, what she had become? “Above
all things, be yourself” is what Gabriella instructed her, knowing what Grace
was. But it looked like it would be a challenge to do that with the Paranorms.
Sophie knew Grace well and didn’t find her abilities abhorrent
at all. She remained her friend after she became an Aperto Rotto. She did what
she was able to get Grace more connected with the Paranorms to help her with
her situation. Somehow Anthony was coming around, or at least was at the point
of being civil with her.
Maybe if they continued to get to know her. To know she would
not expose them with her abilities. Understand she had enough control and
presence of mind to command her gifts. Accept her as something other than
simply an Aperto Rotto over time. Maybe that was what Gabriella meant. She
could only trust it was true and keep doing what she must to solve the case.
The rest would have to work itself out in the meantime.
“Are those all the answers I will get today?” she asked, not
optimistic at the chances of Eli sharing anything more.
“That is what your readings earned you today, Mon Chéri. You may
come back another time if you wish to exchange more information,” he said in
what appeared to be a dismissal.
Grace rose from her seat, and turned to go. But Eli stopped her
before she took more than a few steps.
“I have a question of my own, Mon Chéri, before you go,” he
offered in his customary tone. “I see you got a new tattoo. May I see it up
close?”
Grace realized part of Zack’s raven tattoo must was visible when
she picked up the overturned chair. She wondered why he would be interested in
her tattoo and was still a bit self-conscious about showing it off. Heck, DL,
Zack, and Danny were the only ones to see it up until now; she hadn’t even
found time to share it with Billy. She would need to get used to showing the
tattoo to people. It was one reason you got a tattoo, right? Plus Zack and DL
did such a fantastic job on it; it was a shame not to show it off.
She was in PT situations at the academy where she was wearing
less in front of a large group of men. She need not be embarrassed in front of
Eli. And she had gotten past being embarrassed by the scars left over from her
accident. She didn’t worry about what she couldn’t change.
“Sure,” she acquiesced, shrugging off her shirt to her mid back,
a bit self-conscious even if she was wearing a sports bra underneath it. At
least it was a sports bra and not some lacy thing! She pulled the strap of the
bra over her shoulder until he got a full view of the tattoo.
Grace waited for Eli to
approach her left side and stood looking over her shoulder at him. His eyes
glanced at the rough scarred flesh of her right shoulder, but he made no
mention of the scars. His sapphire eyes stared at the raven, moving to take in
the details, pausing for a while when they reached the scroll held in the raven’s claws.
Grace realized this was the
closest she had been to the man since they met. The sheer power of his
personality was magnified this close to him. She examined his features while he
was preoccupied, moving past the captivating blue eyes to study his high
cheekbones and strong jaw. Definitely handsome, even close up, although the
earrings threw her off; not the type of thing she often found appealing in a
man.
Eli leaned in to examine the details of the raven’s feathers.
She was aware of the breath from his nose caressing her skin. Goosebumps rose
on her arms in response, and she suppressed an urge to laugh at the tickling
feeling.
And his smell, gods help her, the man smelled fantastic! He
wasn’t one of those men who needed to bathe in cologne. His scent was a mixture
of a hint of cologne and a more personal musky smell. But whatever it was, it
was marvelous.
“Get a hold of yourself,
Grace,” she chastised herself.
In the past year she hadn’t been this close to a man outside her
male friends. It didn’t mean she should go all weak in the knees over it. She
was acting like one of the women in the movie “Michael” where each thought John
Travolta smelled like something particular and irresistible to them. She
definitely didn’t smell cookies or brownies, but his scent still was yummy.
Grace let herself be distracted. Thinking of the movie and how
it reminded her of how Danny was convinced he was an angel when she first woke
up and she saw him. How he made her watch every movie made with an angel in the
story. She would never stomach sitting through another round of “It’s a
wonderful life” ever again.
Thank goodness she was finally able to convince him he was a
more down to earth manifestation. He then focused on what being a ghost was all
about. Another round of movies, but the indirect route didn’t last as long once
he started exploring his world on his own.
Grace was brought back from her meanderings as Eli spoke.
“It’s exquisite,” he said with admiration, standing up again as
he gave the compliment.
“A friend of mine designed it and another friend did the actual
tattoo,” she explained as she raised her bra and then pulled her shirt up
again.
“They did an admirable job; a work of art,” Eli observed. “And
what does the saying on the scroll mean?”
“Well, it’s something the designer added for me,” she replied.
“He knows I worked in law enforcement and am now a security officer and part
time PI. He wanted to make a statement.”
“Hmm,” Eli replied as he moved back around his desk to retake
his seat. “Thank you for showing me the tattoo, Mon Chéri. A word of advice. I
would not share it with the Paranorms. Tattoos hold particular meaning to them
and you would not want them making assumptions about the meaning of yours. I
wish you luck with your case.”
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