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"It could happen."
"The reason I'm allowed to do what I do is because I've trained with elite teams for years. I know how to do it without hurting anyone else. I know how to keep my calm under pressure. You," I tapped her nose, "will panic."
"I won't."
"You don't know that. Anyway, this is way too heavy for the party. I want you back at the railing throwing your beads and doubloons. No flashing."
"You are no fun."
We laughed and made our way over to the edge of the float. Kane got wise and backed off. Everyone else read my body language and gave us some distance.
Then I watched my girl toss some throws at her first Mardi Gras.
Chapter 27 Mindfuck
Wren
The parade ended too soon. I could've partied all night with Mag standing behind me, especially after all the nice things he'd said earlier about watching me have fun.
But the parade came to an end in Jackson Square, and the krewe spilled down the stairs of the float, buzzing with excitement. We mingled with the celebration in the street, and I realized the party was not over at all, just beginning as we were greeted with cheers and hugs all around.
Sylvie received lavish praise on the float's success and the Southern accents were everywhere. Mag seemed especially popular among the local females who were calling himsugarandhoney. A few of them called him Antoinne, so they knew him from before he became Magnum. He made eye contact with me, but I was feeling overwhelmed with all the new people, so I gave him some space with his admirers.
I paused on the sidewalk to gather myself when three of the women from the float walked up to me in a way that seemed to be very purposeful. Stella had mentioned they worked in a different Knight Security office, but she didn't know much about them.
A beautiful blonde woman, a brunette who looked like she could be a supermodel, and a voluptuous redhead approached me. They were all very tan or they had darker skin, I couldn't tell, but I felt pale and small in comparison.
Their smiles seemed forced, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt and assumed they were friendly. "So, you're withMag tonight?" the blonde one asked me. She was wearing a tight little sequined royal purple dress and a hat in the shape of a castle. A rook then. She had a ton of beads around her neck meaning she'd probably shown her tits a lot.
I returned a forced smile but didn't reply. Based on what she said, the benefit of the doubt that they were friendly was gone.
"He's good." The redhead said, nodding agreement even though I hadn't answered the first girl's question. She was also draped in beads, but she wore a top hat with a green, purple, and gold checkerboard pattern that matched her dress. "Talented." She winked at me.
Um. Eew. What the heck?
"Just a warning," the blonde rook said. "Mag's a mindfuck."
I flinched back and held up my palm in her face. "Really..."
"I don't think he's a mindfuck," the brunette said, ignoring my discomfort with this conversation that I had not even consented to having. She had a ball-shaped hat with a point, and it took me a minute to figure out she was a pawn. I pressed my fingers to my lips to hold back my laugh.
"You haven't slept with him. If you did, you'd know." The blonde rook said to the brunette pawn as she crossed her arms under her ample boobs that were spilling out of her dress.
The pawn turned her gaze to me. "Did you sleep with him?" she asked pointedly.
I blinked several times, shocked by their forwardness. "This isn't really an appropriate conversation."
"We're just warning you. Sister to sister." The redhead in the top hat motioned between us like we were in some sort of club together, which we were not. "His little act to get rid of you only makes you want him more. It can really mess with your head." She made a sad, nodding face like she felt sorry for me for going through what she had suffered.
I didn't understand these women. Maybe they were making a serious effort trying to warn me about Mag's red flags. Stella had already been there, and Mag had told me honestly about his flaws, but this didn't seem good intentioned at all. This seemed sort of gossipy and reeked of jealousy.
Now, I didn't like meeting new people or confrontation, but I was done being invisible. I was here for the purpose of having fun and letting loose, and they were attempting to jam a wrench into my efforts.
For once, I didn't keep my thoughts to myself. I shared. "Listen. I don't know you, and I'm not sure why you're talking to me, but if you were lucky enough to spend time with Magnum, and he happened to be mean to you,andnot only did you not put him in his place, you liked it, then maybe you should seek out a therapist for your messed up head instead of approaching strangers in the middle of Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras."
I was shocked I'd said it but not as shocked as their faces.
Before they could form a reply, Stella and Sylvie found me and pulled me away from the other women. "C'mon, girl."
