Page 43 of In Another Lifetime

“It’s top of the line, Biter,” I said, annoyed that the man had broken in to squat on my couch. I didn’t care if he was one of Vale’s honorary brothers. It was rude.

“Not as good as ours.”

“Your superpower is being a pain in the ass, isn’t it?”

“Nah, I don’t swing that way,” he quipped. “But if you must know, besides the standard speed and strength, I can…”

Before my eyes, he faded from view.

“Invisible,” I murmured.

“And I can…” He reappeared and looked just like me.

“Don’t do that,” I choked.

“Is this better?” In a blink, he morphed into a replica of Vale. His eyes gave him away, though. The dark brown didn’t change.

“No, it is not better. And if you turn into Vale again, I’ll shoot you in the balls.”

“So violent. Fine,” he sighed.

“So invisibility and…shape-shifting?”

“Yeah. And acid spit. Want me to demonstrate that?” He opened his mouth, curling back his tongue.

“No!” I held up a hand. “God. You keep that shit to yourself.”

“Such a wet blanket. I don’t get what Vale see in you? You got any cookies?”

“Oreos in the pantry. Help yourself. Are you going to be here all night?”

“Yep. So keep it down in there.” He winked, and I wanted to punch him. He’d better hope I didn’t have the ‘gene’ because if I did, and he kept egging me on, he and I might do a reenactment of the brawl I’d witnessed at the club tonight. But he’d lose.

Twenty-Four

Dayton

Sometime near four, I finally dropped off to sleep, my body and the comfort of Vale in my arms overruling my turbulent thoughts. When I woke, however, I was alone. The scent of bacon and possibly pancakes, as well as coffee, tantalized my senses. That meant my woman was in the kitchen, and I needed to get my ass out of bed.

As I entered the hallway, I heard Brennan with her, talking quietly.

“Do you remember that Mickey Mouse waffle maker you and Day got to cheer me up?” he asked in a low tone, obviously not wanting his words to reach me.

Too late, buddy.

“The one that stuck no matter what we did?” Vale asked on a quiet laugh.

“Yeah. Whatever happened to it?”

“It might have snuck its way into the trash while you were at school. I distracted you with French toast sticks for a month.”

What the fuck? My hand reached for the wall as a wave of shock overwhelmed me, my chest locking up.

What kind of game was Vale playing? No wonder she seemed so fucking perfect, as if she were completely in tune with me. She’d… What? Modeled herself after my dead wife? What was she playing at? Was this something else connected to Dutch and the drug cartel investigation. One more thing to throw me off step and distract me?

She’d fucking come on the scene baking the same as Melonie. She knew things about me that she shouldn’t. And she’d clearly gained Brennan’s trust through this ruse, preying on his emotions and the loss of his surrogate mother.

My heart ached. For the loss he was about to receive. For the one I’d have, just when I’d begun to believe I could live again. What had she even told him? That she’d gone into protection? Had surgery? Something else equally ridiculous?

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