Page 160 of Dance of Ruin

“That’s not me,” I say quietly.

The video keeps playing. Nico smirks at me like he’s just caught me red-handed.

“Nico, that’snot fucking me,” I snarl, louder this time.

“Enough,” Nico sighs. “You’re fucking done. So start fucking talking?—”

“Look at his forearms, jackass!” I roar, nodding at the screen with my chin. “Do you see any fucking tattoos?”

Nico’s hesitates.

“Just look at the goddamn phone!” I snarl.

His eyes sweep the lower part of the screen. Then his gaze slides from the phone tomyarms, bound to the seat of the chair near my thighs.

…Which have tattoos all over them.

“That’snot fucking me,” I spit.

Nico starts to open his mouth, but he’s interrupted by a voice from the shadows.

“He’s right.”

Nico whirls, reaching to pull the gun from his waistband.

“Not one more move,” the voice growls. “Pull it out slowly, drop it on the ground, kick it away.”

The voice steps closer, enough that the lights glint off the metal gun barrel in his hand, pointed at Nico.

Nico’s jaw tightens as he slowly pulls the gun from his waistband, drops it to the ground, and pushes it aside with his toe.

“That’s not him in your video, Mr. Barone.”

The shadow steps closer, into the light. Until suddenly, he’s no longer a shadow.

My world glitches.

Not a shadow. A fucking mirror.

Ofme.

My brain refuses to believe what my eyes are showing me. I’m looking atliterally me. Closer-cropped hair, no visible ink, and a scar on his left temple, but otherwise?

It’s me…staring right at me.

Nico’s looking between us now, trying to recalibrate, like someone just broke his internal clock.

“Why… Why the fuck do you look like Vaughn?” Nico growls.

My mirror takes a slow, deep breath before exhaling.

“Because IamVaughn.”

35

NICO

For a second,it feels like time itself has stopped. Like the whole world has ground to a numb, creaking standstill.

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