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One
BRYNNE
The music from the speakers was booming now, vibrating all the way through to my bones as I turned my chin upward. The overhead lights flashed violently. The crowd itself undulated in hypnotic waves, moving in unison like some living, breathing organism.
It distracted me, if only for a moment. But a moment was all it took.
Oh no…
My head snapped back so fast my neck cracked. Sure enough, in that one brief moment I’d lost him.
SHIT!
Panic washed over me as I scanned the crowd again, my tired eyes seeking desperately to pick up my target. I’d been here nearly all night, which was way too long. Especially after having been on my feet all day. And I was standing out too. The only one not drinking, not dancing. Not doing anything but watching…
It was suspicious for sure, and maybe he knew it. Maybe he’d disappeared because I’d already been made.
Where in the hell did he—
In the next flash of the lights I saw him, moving steadily toward the back wall of the club. It helped that he was tall. And he was walking with purpose now. Not exactly fleeing, but certainly moving with a mission in mind.
Elbowing my way across the crowded dance floor, I struggled to follow.
Seriously, Brynne?
It was stupid… maybe. No, forget maybe — it was definitely stupid, especially this late, especially alone. And most especially considering who this man was and what he could do to me.
If he caught me following him, that is.
Instead I’d come here with mixed intentions. I definitely wanted to follow him from afar. I wanted to see what he did, where he went, who he talked to. And yet another part of me knew that wouldn’t be good enough. That the best way to get to the bottom of what happened to Evan would be to dress up, carefully approach, and maybe even seduce this tall stranger that I despised so much.
Or maybe I’d just been watching too many stupid movies.
This is crazy.
Through the crowd I went, moving parallel to the long, very packed bar. I kept my distance as the tall, dark stranger touched his ear — maybe adjusting an ear-piece — then ran straight into a stunningly identical version of himself.
His brother!
I knew they were twins. I even knew they were identical. But I hadn’t expected them to dress the same. I hadn’t expected each of them to be completely indistinguishable from the other, except perhaps for the expensive gold watch on my quarry’s thick, hairy wrist.
The two brothers talked, leaning briefly into each other to hear over the noise of the crowd. Then they moved away, in opposite directions. They walked with their arms down, their sleeves covering their wrists…
Shit, which one?
I had little more than a few seconds to decide. In the end I picked the one going right, moving in my target’s original direction. He slipped past a group of laughing women, moving so fast I could barely keep up.
Luckily one of them spilled a drink on him.
I watched as my target’s face twisted in anger. He barked something cold and cruel, while wiping his sleeve with the opposite hand. I saw the flash of gold. The watch was still there.
Then he ducked through a black metal doorway, beneath a glowing sign marked EXIT.
My rapidly-beating heart kicked into double-time. Tailing this man through the club, trying to figure out how to confront him — that part had seemed at least semi-safe. But following him outside…
No, Brynne.
That seemed like something entirely different.
