Page 57 of Nemesis

Tonight, he’s dressed in all black. Silky black dress shirt—buttoned a respectable way up his chest—and black slacks. Black shoes and socks. Well, okay, I’m assuming. His legs are under the table, but I would assume it’s all matching. Imagine if he was wearing neon-yellow socks?

I tilt to the side and glance under the table.

Nope, black.

Whew.

“What are you doing?”

Something else catches my eye, but I sit up straighter and shake my head. “Just making sure things are in top order for our VIP guests. How did you get into this lounge anyway?”

“I paid.” He flashes the sleek black bracelet that denotes ourvery important patrons.

I suppress my irritation that he waltzed in. Somehow.

“You’re blacklisted,” I inform him.

He braces his forearms on the table and leans in. “I have a fake ID.” His voice is low, conveying the secrecy, but the words somehow coasts across the distance to me.

My lips part, and then I’m scowling and holding out my hand. To his credit, he retrieves his wallet from his pocket and places it in my palm. I flip it open and tug out the ID on top.

Thomas Atwater.

Great.

I examine it closer, trying to spot something that will give it away—but there’s nothing. Either I suck at this or it’s a really stellar fake. Which I hope is the latter because otherwise I’ll be firing my bouncer.

There’s no sign of his real ID in the wallet. He has a credit card in the name Atwater, too.

“Are you sure your real name is Kade?”

He smiles.

“Fine,” I relent, handing it back. “Are you here to try and cajole me into finding Reese?”Again.

“Nah.” He catches the attention of a waitress.

When she arrives at the table, she casts a confused glance in my direction.

Probably doesn’t help that I’ve been playing hooky from working for the past twenty-four hours. I followed up with Antonio, and he gave me slack. Said he had it covered, that it would be understandable for me to take some time off.

Most of my life is spent in this place… and here I am, supposedly taking personal days, right back here again.

“Artemis,” she says. “Do you want your usual?”

I smile and nod. It’s not her I’m annoyed with anyway. It’s the guy sitting across from me, who seems to enjoy getting around my security measures.

Reese does, too.

I should find him. Not for Kade, but because he very well might’ve had something to do with that bomb. The bomb he disarmed. He was gone before the sheriff found the amphitheater, which leads me to questionwhy.

Why is he in Sterling Falls?

Why did he seek outthat place?

What good is any of this doing?

“Put it on my tab,” Kade says, sliding a black credit card across the table to the waitress. “And I’ll have another.”

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