BooksBarbecue
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Chapters (53)
  1. Dedication
  2. Chapter One
  3. Chapter Two
  4. Chapter Three
  5. Chapter Four
  6. Chapter Five
  7. Chapter Six
  8. Chapter Seven
  9. Chapter Eight
  10. Chapter Nine
  11. Chapter Ten
  12. Chapter Eleven
  13. Chapter Twelve
  14. Chapter Thirteen
  15. Chapter Fourteen
  16. Chapter Fifteen
  17. Chapter Sixteen
  18. Chapter Seventeen
  19. Chapter Eighteen
  20. Chapter Nineteen
  21. Chapter Twenty
  22. Chapter Twenty-One
  23. Chapter Twenty-Two
  24. Chapter Twenty-Three
  25. Chapter Twenty-Four
  26. Chapter Twenty-Five
  27. Chapter Twenty-Six
  28. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  29. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  30. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  31. Chapter Thirty
  32. Chapter Thirty-One
  33. Chapter Thirty-Two
  34. Chapter Thirty-Three
  35. Chapter Thirty-Four
  36. Chapter Thirty-Five
  37. Chapter Thirty-Six
  38. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  39. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  40. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  41. Chapter Forty
  42. Chapter Forty-One
  43. Chapter Forty-Two
  44. Chapter Forty-Three
  45. Chapter Forty-Four
  46. Chapter Forty-Five
  47. Chapter Forty-Six
  48. Chapter Forty-Seven
  49. Epilogue
  50. Preview of Malice
  51. Preview of Incognito
  52. Acknowledgments
  53. About the Author

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter Thirty-Eight

March 20X6, San Francisco

“You have your disguise, right?” Garrett asks as we weave between the picnic blankets sprawled across the park. The festival is packed with people enjoying the blue skies on this rare sunny day.

“Oh no.” I come to a halt, grinning up at him. “I knew I forgot something.”

He glares at me and keeps walking.

My jaw drops. “You’re nervous,” I say, catching up to him. “The great Beau Bradford…he’s human after all. Don’t worry.” I lower my voice. “It’s all right here.” I pat the messenger bag slung across my body. My hair is piled on top of my head, and Rayelle painted a white fan across my forehead, punctuating the points with beads. It will only take seconds to pluck off the beads, tuck my hair under a blond wig, pull on the yellow poncho in my bag, and smear gold glitter over half of my face.

“Aren’t you?” he asks.

“Human or nervous? You only get one answer.”

“Would you be serious?”

“Why? Aren’t you serious enough for the both of us?”

He shakes his head.

“Sorry.” I relent. “I can’t be serious. It’s a nervous thing.”

“That’s good. That means you’re ready. Nerves are useful—they keep you on your toes.”

“Well, you can never be too prepared.” I bat my eyelashes at him. “You have the wax, right?”

Elbowing me in the side, he smirks but keeps us moving, sidestepping a group of concertgoers wearing masquerade masks.

Up ahead, Nicki, Joanna, and Eric are centered directly in front of the stage, sitting at a table covered with a pink plaid tablecloth and dotted with mason jars containing white daisies.

“You made it!” Nicki, wearing a fringed tube top, bunny ears, and a stack of glowing neon bracelets, waves us forward.

As Adam/Eric/Nash—whoever he is—lifts the twine that separates Nicki’s table from the crowd, I raise my eyebrows at the daisies, getting his message. I’ll never tell. He catches my eye as I enter, and my heart thumps with possibility, but I remind myself he is—and always has been—no good. He may have been able to fool me at first, but never again.

“Love the ears,” Garrett says, patting Nicki’s head.

“Check out my tail.” Turning around, she shakes her rear end. “It’s for the Networks. You know how it is.” She rolls her eyes. “But I’m so happy you’re here, that we’re all here. And…good news!” She puts an arm around my shoulders. “I got you on the list. Once you send in a hair sample, we’ll know how long it will take to grow your kidneys. Eric can cut one today and send it up to the farm for DNA sequencing tomorrow if you want.”