Page 43 of Bonking the Billionaire

“Are you sure?” Morgan asked, concern lining her features.

I had no idea what I’d find out. Better to find it out alone. “I’ll be fine.”

Layana banged her hand on the roof. “Let’sgoooo.”

“All right, be careful,” Morgan said. “And good luck.”

“You, too.”

“Thanks. I’ll need it.” She gave me one last worried smile, cracked the windows and laid a shirt over the side of the metal cage as shade for Miso, then headed toward the building with her friend, linking their arms together. Layana bounced around, while Morgan endured the motions.

Once they were gone, I debated where exactly I should start. If I was walking into a trap, I needed to reduce the chances of being recognized. On the floor of the car by the weasel was an open box with a pink feather boa coiled on top. It would be far better to avoid attention than to attract it, so the boa was out.

I pushed the boa aside and dug through the box. There was a strangely large number of animal costumes for two women to possess. Beneath a leopard bow tie and a cat ear headband, I found a top hat.

I paused for a moment to consider. Would strutting around like Abraham Lincoln help or hurt my cause?

Hurt. Definitely hurt.

I passed and kept looking until I stumbled across a newsboy cap and a sheet of sticky facial hair. These were much better options.

With the hat on my head, I checked my reflection in the rearview. The puffy red side of my face looked a bit less inflamed than it had the day before. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad for my attempt to disguise myself without drawing undue attention.

I peeled one of the mustaches off its backing and stuck it to my lip. It fell immediately off and back into my palm. Perhaps the adhesive issue was due to the scruff growing on my jaw.

The hat wasn’t enough on its own, though. I needed the mustache. Since I had no way to shave at the moment, I needed to improvise.

I ripped the sticky faux hair in half and stuck the pieces to the bottom of my forehead, one over each eyebrow.

They stuck.

I checked the effect in the mirror. The strips of inch-thick black fur immediately drew my eye. From any angle except directly in front of me, the fake brows were covered by the brim of the hat. Up close, it would be impossiblenotto stare at the brows. Good. That meant anyone who intended to interact with me would be too distracted to properly inspect my face.

I climbed out of the car and began my search for answers. I walked up a couple of blocks, then over a few more, hunting for any place a crossing guard would be needed.

Nothing looked familiar to me and no one cast me a second glance.

I found no schools or any other intersections where people were stationed or should be stationed for safe crossing. I found no places I could have worked, or workers I could have taken the vest from.

If I’d been meaning to use the vest as a disguise, why would I choose something so bright and eye-catching? No one in the area was wearing the same, so it wasn’t like I had intended to play construction worker amongst construction workers.

Nothing made sense. Too many pieces were missing to uncover who I was, but most frustratingly, I had no idea what those pieces were.

I was a stranger to myself.

Clenching my jaw and forcing one foot in front of the other, I headed back toward the car. With zero leads, I needed to return before Morgan and Layana finished their paperwork, or risk being left behind.

As I followed the sidewalk around the Lacuna building, I paused mid-stride.

That sense of familiarity, of memory, struck like a bat to the back of my head. My vision spun, my chest clenched.

I’d been here before. In this exact same spot.

Ohmygosh, look out!

The words rang through my brain, pinging back and forth like a pinball.

I’d turned around, but saw no one. That’s when I’d looked upward toward the sky.

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