Ezra awoke with a start, a huffed breath escaping her as her heart hammered in her chest. "What the f..." she began, grabbing her Glock from under the pillow with a practiced jab. A heavy book fell from her chest as she sat up and she spared it a fleeting glance as she surveyed the rest of the room, her gun leading the search. Where the hell is he? she thought, pretty sure she recognized the vigilante by his voice and smelling the smoke of a pipe close by. The blanket over the entrance swayed slightly from recent movement and she focused her attention towards it as she grabbed at her clothes with one hand and began dressing. She had already noticed the slant of the sun coming in through the bedroom window and silently cursed herself for sleeping in.
"I know you're here Lawless. Get your 'bouncy' ass in here and face me like a man!" She was almost positive it was him--no one else would be stupid enough to enter her home without an invitation. She only remembered the conversation from last night in bits and pieces, but she was sure they had made an arrangement of some sort. "Whatever I promised you last night..." and then it came to her and she started laughing. "Oh yeah...treasure." Despite her hang-over and the rude awakening, she laughed full out, sitting back on the bed and allowing the gun to settle beside her. She shook her head, both at the foolish idea and at her willingness to lead such an expedition.
With small bouts of stifled laughter, Ez got back to preparing for the journey ahead, opening a trunk in the corner of the room and removing her sword and smoke grenades. A full pack lay at the bottom, already filled for the previously planned scavenging trip. She strapped on her supplies and weapons, placing the Glock into a holster at her hip and securing it to her leg. She took a long drink of water as she waited for the man to show himself, her hand absently rubbing the spot between her breasts where the book had landed. She couldn't decide if she was more angry at him for the assault or at herself for sleeping in and allowing this to happen. His words to her last night filtered through her head--something about not being late or he would use his particular set of skills to find her. A small smile crept over her features as she imagined him asking for directions to her home. Not a soul in Carousel would refuse his request--they were terrified of the man. Skills, my ass, she thought as she moved closer to the door.
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