The Double Cult Cha-Cha: An Al Squires of the Protectorate Story (Book 1)

Ch. 11.3: Norah (and the Readers) Meets the Rest of the Team

I looked up again and as I turned in the direction that the others were looking, sure enough, our Precinct's Queen of Mean had returned from either an assignment or having her beauty sleep in the Still.

She strutted those long, shapely legs of hers slowly across the bullpen with her head held high almost as if it were a catwalk. Which is pretty fitting; considering that she looks like a supermodel: with her designer clothes (all black, of course) adorning her athletic, well-toned yet feminine figure; her Auburn-colored hair in a bob-style that she made look just as fashionable now as it did in the Roaring 20's; her bold and dark makeup perfectly applied with the right amount to her accentuate the feline-like and feminine features on her pale, emotionless face; her ice-blue eyes peeking out of the Gucci sunglasses that were balancing on her near-perfect nose. Clint and Rhdy moved out of her way before she got closer to my desk; Sylvie stayed close to Norah. When Odette finally got there, she looked down on Norah as if she were the little mouse to Odette's cat.

"Who are you, why are you here," she asked Norah, as she removed her shades to reveal the intensity of her ice-blue eyes; her voice the same dichotomy of regal elegance and cold stoicism as always, "and why are you in my chair?"

I got up from my seat with an eye-roll, stood up straight, then gestured to Norah. "Norah Navarro, may I present," I said halfheartedly, "the Lady Odette Ouspenskaya, Special Agent and the senior special field operative of this Precinct. Lady Odette, Miss Navarro is under protective custody under my charge, and-"

"I wasn't speaking to you, Lodestone," she stopped me without looking at me, saying the word the same way one would say 'abject turd.' "However, the introduction was acceptable, if a bit...phoned in, as I believe that the saying goes. I was speaking to this girl in my chair."

"Well, he answered two of your questions," Norah said while making damn sure that she didn't appear to be intimidated by Odette, "so I'll answer the last one. He said I can sit by his desk while he works. The chair at your desk was one of the nearest ones that wasn't occupied, so I took it. I was going to put it back; I didn't even mess with the height, even though I should. Also, for the record, it's 'woman,' not 'girl.'"

Odette stared at her silently for what felt like the longest time before looking up to me, and said, "I don't know why you're protecting this one, Loadstone." She looked back at Norah, then added, "She clearly doesn't need it.

"That being said," Odette continued, "you have until I count to ten to get out of my chair and put it back under my desk where you found it." Odette moved closer to Norah, bent over to reach her ear, and said in a stage whisper, "As for calling you 'girl,' I was being generous. Compared to me, you are barely a fetus." She then straightened up and began to count.

As Odette counted, Norah got up and did as Odette told her to do. While she did it, Norah said to Odette, "Just to let you I'm not doing this because you told me to, but because you need a place to sit."

As she moved an unused chair back towards my desk a minute later, the others who were still hovering over it were silently congratulating her for standing up against Odette.

"Well done, Norah," I said to her. "I've never seen anyone talk back to 'her Ladyship' like that before after meeting her for the first time." I put air quotes around "her Ladyship," for obvious reasons. "Not without screaming and hospitalization as a result, at least."

"I've never been one to be bothered by mean girls of any age," she said, then bit her lip as she glanced over to where Odette's desk was, then added in a softer voice, "however, that woman is absolutely terrifying."

"It's a good thing that gal js on our side," Clint said, "That's all I have to say about that."

"My sentiments exactly, Fido," Rhdy said loudly as he wrapped his arm around Clint's shoulder in camaraderie. This action, combined with the fact that Rhdy had called him 'Fido' (and not for the first time), made Clint growl at Rhdy. As he removed his arm from Clint's shoulder, Rhdy added, "Lady Odette has been practicing and perfecting her 'Queen Bitch' persona for centuries."