Page 53 of Veil of Death and Shadow

My fingers froze around the edges of the envelope, but I muttered a quiet thanks and shoved it into my apron before either of us had a chance to second guess the gesture. With the move-out drawing close, I wasn't going to question Chase's sudden conscience. Who knew how long it would last, and I needed all the cash I could get my hands on.

Sora’s stare drilled into the side of the stranger’s face until, no longer able to ignore it, he turned towards her.

"You're still here," she said, a teasing lilt to her voice.

He glanced down at himself, then shrugged. "Apparently.”

Their eyes locked, the two of them caught in a silent battle of will that I was way too exhausted to intervene in.

I left them to their riveting conversation while I said my goodbyes to the guys in the back, warned them about Chase’s uncharacteristically good mood—if they wanted to ask forvacation time, tonight was the night to do it—and then grabbed my stuff.

When I made my way back to the dining room, the stranger was standing next to Sora, Chase nowhere in sight.

"Levi's going to join us," she said, mischief sparkling in her eyes.

I swallowed a groan. I knew that look.

It was her matchmaking look.

My least favorite of all.

When I shot her a glare—a clear, silent, knock-it-off—she just shrugged, an exaggerated, oblivious expression on her face.

Great. It was going to be one of those nights, and I couldn’t even fight her on it because I knew the breakup was weighing on her. If this dude hanging around would help ease even an ounce of her grief, I’d suck it up and deal.

“Levi?” I studied him, rolling the sound of the name over the strange man I’d been weirdly fixated on for hours. Figures, I'd barely heard the guy say two words all night, but Sora already had his name and likely his whole life story. She was good at peopling. I, obviously, was not. I turned back to her. "Join us for what?"

"Celebrating." She took a big swig of whatever was in the bottle, before passing it to him. "We got the apartment, I'm newly single, and you got off early. Plus, neither of us has to work tomorrow. No excuses."

Levi glanced down at the bottle before handing it to me. "If it's cool with you that I join, that is?"

I considered him for a moment, then brought the bottle to my lips for a sip, hissing at the sharp burn that clawed over my tongue and down my throat.

Tequila. The cheap stuff. Sora’s go-to for a messy night.

I took another swig, then nodded. Fuck it.

Sora's smile brightened, any of the lingering sadness about her breakup boxed up and compartmentalized, at least for now. She never lingered on disappointment for long. "Canal? It stopped raining and the sun will be setting soon."

“Works for me.” Summers in Seattle were my favorite thing in the world. The sun stayed high in the sky until well after nine, making the day feel like it stretched on forever.

"Chase said he'd lock up and you're free to leave whenever," Levi said, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot, like he was unsure what to do with his body.

I nodded. Whatever had come over Chase, I hoped it would last through the next shift we had together. Other than the fit he threw when I showed up two minutes late, this had been the most pleasant few hours I'd ever had with him in the vicinity. He'd been downright amiable.

“What did you two talk about?” I asked, then handed Sora back the bottle. If we were going to the canal with a dude neither of us knew, at least one of us needed to stay reasonably sober.

He shrugged, his expression unreadable. “Just small talk—nothing notable.”

I narrowed my eyes. Something about his general standoffishness told me that Levi hadn’t entertained small talk with a stranger a day in his life.

8

KIERAN

Present Day

Ipressed the cigarette to my lips, wincing at the taste.

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