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“I’m no prude.” Avery cleared his throat. “I like sex just fine. I just… I’m… saving myself.”
Tulla chuckled. He reached up and brushed back a stray lock of hair and tucked it behind Avery’s ear. “Suchbeautifulhair… I wish mine was as thick and long as yours. A long, long time ago, it was.” The smile faded from Tulla’s face. “Such a shame you’ll have to cut it all off.That’sa travesty.”
Avery released a low breath, suddenly very aware of the thick braid down the back of his neck. He’d known it would have to go. He hated the thought, but he had to make changes if he was to pass as beta.
“Maybe I should buy it and have another wig made, hmm? Might help offset some of the cost of what you plan to purchase today.”
Avery nodded. He’d overheard stories of omegas who’d fallen on hard times who had to sell their hair. Here he was opting to do it for much the same reason, just with a slightly different outcome. He got sick at the thought of cutting it, but if it helped save a few dollars, then he was game. It had to go, one way or another. “H-how much?”
Tulla smiled. He drew the end of Avery’s braid over and undid the tie at the end. After working out the braid, Avery’s hair flowed out around him. It nearly reached the floor. Tulla ran his fingers through it a few times.
“My word, sweetheart. You’ve been growing this since you were a little thing, haven’t you?”
Avery nodded.
Tulla made a sound with his teeth. “Honey, if you’ve got hair like this, you’vegotto be one of those rich boys from the outer reaches of the Family Quadrant. What in the hell are you doing here?”
“We weren’t rich,” Avery said. His family had been upper middle class and comfortable, but not rich. They’d just been fortunate to live in a smaller house in a wonderful neighborhood in the F Quad. “And now that my father and papa are…gone… we’re even less so.”
Sympathy appeared to wash over Tulla’s face. “I’m sorry,” he said… and the words sounded sincere. A wry smile crossed his face. “Let me guess. No betas or alphas left in your family now—at least any willing to help some poor distraught omega?”
Avery nodded, lowering his gaze.
“That’s how I ended up where I am, too. And why I do what I do…”
The stripper took a step back. A look of anguish came over his pretty face before something appeared to harden within. “I’ll take two hundred off the cost for the hair. Deal?”
Avery lifted his chin. “Three.”
Tulla grinned before chuckling. “Well,there’sa bit of the brazen side you’re going to need to pull this off. I was wondering if you might not be a mistake, but perhaps you’ve got more grit in you than I first imagined,” Tulla paused, considering him. “Two-fifty and that’s my final offer. It’s nice, but don’t push your luck.”
Avery nodded, swallowing back his sorrow. “Two hundred fifty… and it’s yours.”
Tulla eyed him a moment before he turned toward a makeup counter and opened a drawer within it. He fished something out and then spun to face Avery. Handing over a manila envelope, he smiled.
“Your new identity.”
Avery grasped the thick envelope. After pausing a second, he opened it and peeked inside. Once he’d slid the papers out, he nearly dropped the ID that was also within. Lifting it into view, he saw a new name across the top—Abraham Norcross—along with his face smiling back at him. They’d obviously hidden his longer hair somehow, and the image gave him a preview of how he would appear shorn.
“You couldn’t use my name?”
“Of course not,” Tulla replied. “It would be too easy for the Guard to figure out who you really are.”
Ave would become Abe.
“Everything’s in there… birth certificate, medical records, high school transcripts, a new ID number… learn it all.Well.Be able to spout it all like chapter and verse fromthe Book.”
Avery blew out a long breath. “Right. And the drugs?”
“Right to the point, hmm?” Tulla turned back around. “Have a seat.”
After Avery shoved the papers back into the envelope, he glanced at the small settee against the wall of the small space. He strode over and brushed his long hair out of the way to prevent sitting on it.
Across the room, Tulla knelt before a small refrigerator and put a passcode into a lock, which apparently kept it secure. He took out a tray filled with vials, and then shut and locked the fridge. After rising to his feet, Tulla walked over, carrying the tray like some kind of server. He sat down beside Avery, their knees hitting. Avery reared back from the touch, his anxiety getting the best of him.
“I won’t bite, I promise,” Tulla chided, with a hint of humor in his tone.
“Sorry,” Avery mumbled under his breath.
