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There’s a bright red mark across her cheek, and I smile calmly at her as she stares at me rath in her eyes

“That’s the thing about the disabled,” I drawl “Sootta watch the fake hand, not the real one”

“You—you—” She sputters, obviously more picky about her comebacks than I am, since she doesn’t seem to be able to come up with an appropriate word to call me

She finally gives up, pressing her lips together in a straight line and glaring atup the stairs and into the building I watch the door sla across my lips

Yeah, thatas fuck Natalie has hated ot chosen by the foster parents she’d been hoping would pick her They were rich and well-connected Even back then, she was obsessed with getting powerful people on her side, withup in the world any way she could

Joke’s on you, Nat Those were the worst fucking years of my life

She’ll never know the bullet she dodged And she’ll always resentI wish had never happened to me

Shoving away the e up the short set of stairs after her On the landing at the front entrance of the building, I setin my back pocket for aze flicks up—and I freeze

A ainst a car with one foot braced against the tire He’s notHis face is impassive

But he’s staring right at me

Chapter 3

My stomach dips

It’s not the man with the mis-matched eyes I can tell that much even from this distance This man’s hair is darker and cut shorter, his frame a little more broad It’s not the same man

It’s one of his friends

The guysubtle about it at all, but he doesn’t react in any way He doesn’t turn his gaze away as if chagrined at being caught Nor does he push away from the car to walk toward me