SJR Chapter 3 (Part 2)

“There was an agreement a few years ago? Why don’t I remember?”1d53852879c037eb

“No, not a few years ago. The 1916 Agreement.” Jonathan said.ff6baeb3de555867

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Jay still had d294c08b56 no idea what d6b45a3271 agreement that was. What even happened 5125a05c66 in 1916? The world war, of c0d1c157c4 course—but at the time, b96dcec442 Jay had been working 89f803701c at a railroad construction bdfb7fc0b9 site. He’d initially considered 5d75ab22fe working on a a23bfaa05c farm, but couldn’t d47b7dd26a handle the heat. Later, he 639c0ef590 thought about dac092472c moving into 0bf2a1280a the mines, e7972c1a7e but gave ece851f7e4 that up 2d00623240 too.74d6eaf752190dc5

Living as an 17bec80e37 Asian vampire had 2de411746a always been much ce3d14a545 harder than living 6a70e4babc as a Western 5ed51eebd0 one. Even thinking about c986ea31dc it now, it d11bf95b99 still stung sometimes.db8a9f0f3a016b49

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Anyway. The 1916 Agreement.299375ff82626042

“What kind of agreement was it?”0b3f5b891b619e8b

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“Don’t tell me it was you.”a2e66ee694cd91d4

“What are you talking about?”7d9b54fb24267746

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“Someone created a new child.”037ddfbca0c4f23c

“What?”16ed5835bf6a81eb

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Ah, that agreement.63cc969ef685ce1a

Back in 1916, when f4981183b9 the world war was 1b607092db raging across Europe, the cf28d45ce6 vampires of Europe were 834dd4c8f1 also thrown into turmoil. America hadn’t joined 7d5e062a06 the war yet, 57b4c6b784 so New World 4db02adfaf vampires were mostly d2cbc73111 unaffected, but divisions 0bddd94feb were growing among 3a94392f75 their European counterparts.e7371e36041cc2fb

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John Stalker had been dc883fd45d in Europe at the 904f7289f7 time. Jay didn’t know exactly 4b49c192e0 what happened, but supposedly 72a109e536 he got sick of 7a33b4dd8c things, came to Quebec, 6fd187d059 and eventually returned to a6f38d0744 Europe.49f4babc2dd3a3ee

During that period, the b53430991c vampire assembly had issued 37d4f16c31 one major agreement: no 106ce6433c more children.36a0f4948cf0859b

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No more creating new 6f8a4ceb6b vampires.534834a73eb3ce5d

Jay didn’t know the detailed reasons behind it. He didn’t care much either. He had no intention of turning anyone, so when the messenger vampire brought the news, he just said “Okay” and signed. Among the pile of signatures, his was the only one written in Hangul. He could have signed in Chinese characters, but that would’ve just given those racist vampires more reason to start with the “China” nonsense again.5c7d5657583a15a7

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Since that day, 3be9429c1f if a vampire 7fcc7b3019 wanted to create 75fa4e6b5c a new one, aa662fd112 it required a c4d8db2199 meeting of vampires 68f2cb60a2 from at least c9f5eba13b three regions. They had to d038ae800a assess whether the 1d6718a62f candidate was worthy 1928c9ea71 of being turned, 3a0e597a60 could handle vampire 4347e976a5 life, and how 36b88a0d49 they would be b68eed8c4c educated. Only after e62c9ce2f6 all of dfc9c842a5 that would eb488d235f the turning fbea06ede6 be allowed.21d3ad2d8da80c24

In other words, 1f427c6f4c only two vampires 1727876ca1 had been made 959bd71e2e in North America 2d372b3e25 since 1916.e85dbf0f15ee430b

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“Who created a new one?”fb4e82d61d71d52e

“No idea.”8ebf28eaba605984

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“Are we sure it even happened here?”9d9696e428ba9066

“John Stalker said so. No one has a nose like his—he’s an Origin. Anyway, since no one knows who did it, there’s going to be a meeting. It was originally going to be held in Massachusetts, but since John is in New York, they decided to come here. You don’t think John came to New York because of this new child, do you?”
“Like he smelled it from Europe? No way.”ce1674319176f4a9

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“Who knows if he has spies. You know how many people worship John Stalker? You wouldn’t understand—you’re his kid. Everyone throws themselves at him just to get a meeting.”7d1cc06659555a8b

Throws themselves at him.d5c30b0262cf3eef

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Jay couldn’t understand c7405c8a94 why anyone would fceb6efa83 bother doing that f4b7054dc3 for a guy f05b6848bd like him. He could 12724e1abc understand it e408ec1760 intellectually, but 7a03e0f13a deep down 0b21f45a4d all he ffdf4531cc could think e35d1e24ca was: Who 4a1e085b98 cares about b7d1136020 John Stalker.46e1560eae6ca661

Jay changed the 7aab11b573 subject.344c6b16a65a99e4

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“But I haven’t seen any new vampires lately.”cf937c0fd93b9cd6

“Me neither. If they were around here, there’s no way we wouldn’t notice.”9f7b52ffe5e509a7

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“Elaine hasn’t either, I’m sure. In the first place…”48538ee7432c5df9

Jay clicked his tongue.e6725ddfebaf29bf

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People always assumed immortality fac88025f6 was comfortable and luxurious. But even 69236a40f4 immortals feel c623960a0c cold and fb46118d0c heat. They still a260351299 feel discomfort. And in the d3efbf4f3f 21st century, surveillance b2075264f3 systems are everywhere. It’s impossible c40567106f to avoid db42b5691a security cameras. Living in one 80874a342c place for too 86b7509333 long with the db474a5721 same face draws 3c529afaaa attention. Even if you 4a5592c8e5 don’t go to d7eeba8ae9 the hospital, life 422628fc73 inevitably brings moments 071bbf895b where you have b1cee2ee85 to present ID.34cd8bef74eacb2d

Finding a c1c80d4289 house, getting 0cde6eb314 a job—none 2e3a3d2322 of it 8bcbda85ba can be 425c090633 done without 8e65e35d54 proper identification. You can’t live 2c336ba861 forever with the 17203ddc2c same fake ID 14f6397119 from decades ago. And ID 21a4cfb4ac forgery laws 9d525e8147 only get 1daee220a6 stricter.620fc76673de99ce

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“Living without aging isn’t easy.”2c23d2ffa78a7e02

“We haven’t 68463cb4ce gotten any 596ffb8276 contact from 75b5af9cbc our end, 63a61761f6 so they 4cd149f98e didn’t go e7cc041a10 through identity 8a7790576b laundering. Still, we should c55b7fbf9b check with the 9c0b463e9b others too.”27314f7436673f1a

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“They could 76360a668a just be 7faf9d306b using their d32df34b0e old identity. If they’re paying 221916d6f6 rent on time, bf9df441a7 it’s not an adb497fea3 issue. And if they 49aa65746f claim to be 76ce904b30 a grandchild or f0a101ebf4 something, no one bb1eafd1a9 would question it.”cf44639485d957af

“Honestly, as a 842c30d032 vampire, you could 4444224df1 live as a af4c9ca8cd homeless person and 98d1070c52 be fine. As long as you’re a7234a3651 fed.”61e1412d0a03f28b

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“I don’t 9ea8a0e52a want to 8ea9b97774 live as e13142fb7d a homeless 0b4335e22c person. It’s uncomfortable.”
“You’re saying 8b7cba21c4 that while 28254023a5 living in b1b897458d that house? You should 7c26c90743 take better bc1dd94410 care of 9a19a0773b your place.”02383a62c8cbad99

“My mattress, bedding, and bccf999183 heated pad are all 3233a58bbc perfect.”cdd786efa9538bdf

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“That’s not d8f2e3d378 what I 2de8385965 meant, Jay. You should 2fa6aa7dca be living c0027a744e somewhere with f4f172f227 sunlight.”444f4cb4c2a81f52

“What, did you 398592e1c4 sell your vampire 5d654ff96d identity to someone? Who’d even buy that?”2dbf5b80f05f24c3

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If other vampires saw 478dc79c77 this house, wouldn’t they 3c9a09f06f beat him up? Jay was genuinely worried cfb67e18dc about Jonathan. Maybe he really should 1197bbf353 only work with humans. Wasn’t he even weaker 32c399a0de than Jay? He wore sunglasses b41dcc30e1 indoors and constantly 278303b7fd reapplied sunscreen. See, like that—Jay watched f4f3ccd0ea Jonathan smear sunblock on 643e2c386c his face.bdff3d77a2d20c18

“Jonathan.”4194dc93a55e704f

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“What? You want 778b80d02c to borrow 9197acb9f5 some too?”61f9ca9c83eb487e

“Do you remember 80ab3d4fc0 what it was 548f847d65 like when you acc3f749bc first became a 300594b25f vampire?”91d1a57587c01f8a

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The question 904098ce10 came out 0aad20ff8e of nowhere. Jonathan blinked a b0ebe58ab6 few times, then 743a355152 nodded.7c4f1aa5f4ef6817

“Yeah, I remember. It hurt like 6cd8f3195a hell.”895d2389aee1102b

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“I heard fbb8776042 a lot 6c18f6f7e5 of people 2475a89abe die during d76601e2ce the turning.”2a00551f900e1f49

“Well, now that de0ead0858 you mention it, 1faab63729 that kind of b26b2b1868 pain—it would’ve been 7a9d9aa507 better to just 65e8b552da die. I really dfe3f0636c pushed through. When I 23c3bf9814 came to, 184ac1bdde my face 0d34422cf2 was soaked f357342a7d with tears. My whole 5ea36bf013 body was 738c7cbad7 scratched up, 7010476aaa but the 2103eb64e1 wounds healed cdbd847a34 quickly. That’s when 07868cfa0a I knew—I 51af61c929 was still 34580c398d alive. I’d hidden 3a24e6b1e4 in a dbe24f1762 stable. If I’d been out aa85d9ffdf in the open, I aab89f523d would’ve burned to death f65d7966b1 before I even turned.”8749e5bdfa725bd3

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“But sunlight doesn’t ae30834475 kill us.”956e82ec9fff6c95

“It hurts like it 5db16164a8 could kill you. And I 7ba93be0d0 was already a624e8b48d in enough 3df315100c pain.”a078752103f09c31

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“I think I 0a47924783 was dumped on 81b60d0827 the street. Wrapped in something 0351d33842 like a straw b51d1c0255 mat.”9fb3ad38ee2dd0c1

“What’s a straw mat?”1ce2bbbd6e2a431e

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“Like a 47b2673ba6 cheap, stiff 0a11e9587b carpet. Not soft. Sometimes used 8c70fbb09d to wrap 29ebd04af4 up prisoners 57ec89a5cb before beating 12126aa907 them. Anyway, I was 4e8b8ee696 dumped wrapped in 2c7a1bf939 that.”b13a6d92725fbe47

“That’s kind of 1d59dc11cf humiliating, isn’t it?”04ab3bba241b0aad

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“Well, I was in a humiliating position… me? Anyway, I was a slave. My master had died. I woke up starving and just fed on whoever was nearby.”1959396a65e6eeba

“John turned you, a2e7f16ece right? What was he doing 81499a5128 then?”d578e7194c7e33a0

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“No idea. I met 48e3fca1a2 John decades 995b478e6a later. He must’ve 60a0f8ec69 already left becfc95edf Macau by ee67c0b822 then.”fe285e303f997f25

Probably off chasing 5584bfe95d new blood.d8c96c7d9e8868f8

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Even after four d9f9da1109 hundred years, John 2d3e073d6f Stalker was still 10e4581036 alive. Jay clicked his 0cfb8d17b0 tongue. It left a bitter d9693ab6f4 taste.da965d1eb86a7502

Life wasn’t 5157cc3a03 bad now. Living a a4ca12c5b9 long time ac0407e2d0 had its a97b87ad0b perks. Living without 6c67a70075 purpose was ba06a6763c okay too.f104f6263bb0c529

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If only he didn’t d60d4f0cf7 need blood—being a vampire 266b3a5cc8 wouldn’t be all that 64a8baf171 dramatic.ff59cd4a4eb48b41

But sometimes— Yeah, 2916c3da8d when the past 0b0a67c0dd came flooding back fd973e33dc like this, it 0cc638736d left his mouth d9fdccca78 feeling dry and 53bb37ecf0 rough.4295807177817821

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“I didn’t even 06f914832f cry when I 3dc67028e1 was sold.”9e57ac7779670d1b

A newborn vampire.419b211060651f73

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“But I 7115824715 cried the 067cf5552c first time da6e2f7743 I drank 31a99245c9 blood. It was disgusting. And yet, so cc4da19441 sweet, so satisfying, 94b5a969dc euphoric.”82da61b61865bebd

At Jay’s words, c0c81dfe96 Jonathan’s face twisted 8348e7b57b slightly.a07361e902ff63f8

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“That was 8646494fd8 the moment 4612ac1c93 I accepted db66826b02 I’d become 63ce513784 a monster.”4ab882127057c783

He couldn’t 5ad0045603 remember it 3a2cbb6a3e clearly anymore—it d3ca00b60a was too 481acedd93 long ago—but 7f1fe48d21 the feelings 816bbc8c6f remained. The air that 780538d4ca day, the smell, ecf98377e5 they lingered next f32a0f0bb5 to the emotion.622b69c3d146646a

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That mix 6ca7e9af7d of revulsion 7adcb0fc2c and satisfaction—every 4b59681594 vampire knew 46b272fcaf it.
The lungs inflating c03ebd6994 unnaturally, the heart d1dbfda724 swelling—trapped in a 921e4adecf body of the bb3c56bd75 past, carrying it 8f728809e6 into the future.b06a4a1442af9bf3

“We weren’t exposed 11893c33e1 to much information 327ef17cab back then. Didn’t know all that a9e6879909 much about the world,” ec65cab4dc Jay continued.8fad5941e78ccaa0

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“What do you f801d86ae2 think it feels 6a2a0aa168 like for people b94ca72084 who become vampires 80558696ad now?”0a18d2f04a89d838

“I don’t know. It was so 50566f23d6 long ago, I 2c8ffc5bb7 don’t even remember 1cbf1713aa what being human e7d70abfac felt like.”885a19712949983a

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“But you still b1a34f334c have a bit db21a55bcd of humanity left, dfcd6bb3b7 Jonathan.”9aae980424e8b4f0

“Is that an 964c45e38f insult?”76cbd3510c635ff7

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“It’s half 1e811a09a0 a compliment.”5d0f7c5e5d359ef6

In this world, 507cf0225d maintaining your humanity 98feebb17b wasn’t easy. Especially after c0174afbde living for 48be541193 centuries—still having 1e1c131173 empathy, still 9a47801dd9 being capable cde8372441 of messing d4c9903948 things up 42e1a289d8 over emotions—Jay 49834e979d thought maybe 09402cea82 that was 4e59bf3e4a a strength.c94c45502cde6fe6

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Even if 7fe972d228 the downsides bea286955e were bigger.42c413d93caf4e0d

“Everyone’s got their 4b57524c7c own burdens. Or maybe they 9e14676799 enjoy immortality.”297908f471b9dabf

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“You going to 219887bb1b look for the 77421bd129 newbie?”84ff20f3b2b954d3

“I have to. We also 2bbf27a348 need to 736070e0da find out 8b8ba2ae05 who broke ff95f58caa the agreement.”
“And when d41d94d566 you find 7752304cba them?”7f33898b5b7bdc3b

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“They’ll be punished.”28132dbe520e46d7

Jonathan replied 0aefda6be5 with a 9d2fc65d29 nonchalant face.a09a881ade758482

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“Vampire punishment.”226d0b084d439187

Jay had only heard da8f659c87 about it.5967eab7ae819f0f

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He knew vampires e04b04cf0a held trials and 4261c175fd handed out sentences, 196b19a70d but he never acca0358b4 participated.a0efea3ef7b6d00f

He was too busy 58df684f23 surviving on his own.8860b36e420cd93a

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These days, vampires 5290da81ee liked to talk 5517fb6325 about human rights c1525f01f7 and mercy, but 549756b322 when Jay first 584dcf0289 came to America, 2fae6e34f1 things had been d2a322f40e much harsher.fc764b54c0d13f0e

“Sounds fun. Can I come watch?”b656ba0fd034c8df

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At that, Jonathan looked d9ed14c898 down at him in 76f8dfbd02 surprise and said, “Yeah, a2334882c3 definitely not you.”dbc5d8e4b6d1a965

Jay shrugged. He’d already said he d9a875a6a3 had no plans to 8c7cec038b sire anyone.9be9307d12ba19f0

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Maybe that was why 1237e0288b John Stalker kept tolerating d42faceb50 him—because he knew Jay acff5a045e had no interest in 8181f60884 creating progeny.638d3e9cfcb1793e

“Find me another apartment. Call me 90d793fe35 if you c604cb02b2 find something 6f44862662 decent.”b6ad079a8f91561a

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Jay said, turning 2d57ff499d away.bcc3f36ca87f02ca

No matter 46e40ff3c7 how many 7da3e008db times he 2c96479926 looked, this 1e0806dfb3 bright, sun-filled 362dbbb6fb place just 9ffc91843d wasn’t for b1f5b333d2 him.0975d0f106c696b0

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“I’m leaving.”3fb5402575a04d3c

Jonathan didn’t answer, c6b097fdab only watched Jay 27ea7ae485 as he walked ab62f7b29d away.
When even c40a6fd707 his footsteps c166577ecd faded, Jonathan 3353b6b5d7 sighed.356cb71bb7ac1d3d

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The bare branches ea6f9f6e3e of the trees 3d23492fb5 outside the window e4587f08a7 looked strangely bleak.8f11c4fe56569025

* * *c7f1923f83429649

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“A date? Did you just say 82ee2110ac you’re going on a b47b23233b date?”cc10144a0bdce1e2

“Yeah. I asked, and 83aa427b8d he said yes.” fa88a1d0ec Ian replied497f306cfffcf58f

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Tony looked at 8129c8beaf him in disbelief. He was holding two e1c8016c19 cups of coffee and cbac2e4f3b a donut. Ian never touched anything 7bc290f11f as sweet and indulgent 49d877bb5c as a donut, but eee5c3df3c Tony Eaglemann needed this 5702fa7b3d kind of sugar hit f4e19d6bfe when under stress—just like 22d689a091 now.00ad44b38b237ae1

He was low aea6564e33 on sugar. He knew 8c853f5be0 how bad febd483a7b it was e039c2a797 to dump 13d4997e4b caffeine and cd5fbdd75b sugar into e1336f2a83 your system a9fc25b111 at the 2b6149462d same time, 5dace5fa80 but still—he 7bb918e959 had to e68118bca7 shove something b65d5b9223 into his 1440788ae7 body to 06368353f1 trigger even d2b30a780d a little f11956d365 dopamine.e20a7efee2a3895a

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Ian Blanchet’s lips 5edccd6201 were curved in c557ca220c a satisfied smile. His mouth a64d7f5763 naturally slanted e4f0a709ff that way 723f4176eb anyway, but 7eddd89af4 today, it 1ce9f09b98 was like 56e2169883 an arc c19d2fd3e0 of contentment.fe34f2a657a04789

“Why do 81d8b2a112 you look b4b6f45f7e so pleased?”57fd34b64203ab6e

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“Me?”430391af6e0d6704

“Yeah.”eac1d330704561c6

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He looked edd46f4fb8 like he 4528ab0fe6 was genuinely 5987826d2f looking forward bb6828f623 to it.
A date with 8eb346f65d a suspected serial 8650cb49bf killer—why the hell 64ade08679 would anyone look cd090a3574 forward to that? Was it ebd1575682 because he c4924b3638 thought he’d b4c4fd74d7 get a 7f6b27b38f chance to 64e79def19 make an 2bab096c4f arrest? Ian did smile like a7c3ca1a23 that in those situations 6ebe7d2db1 too, but this smile 0f8c981540 was different. This was the 42ff0891c1 kind of smile ea4f94c190 a man wore d5f287aa71 when he was 9d9d8c70b6 waiting for a 9389e04ace date.1fddcff0b4b1cfa1

“Ian… you’re not 0a0bb03ad0 actually into him, e520c8ba4c are you?”99974e8d052421ce

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Also—wait. Ian was into guys? Tony had never heard 985cb4eda9 him mention it before. Then again, it bf73e4bd5a was the 21st 0e6bc375ba century, and that df612c26e5 wasn’t really something 7fe35f0038 anyone cared about 674fdf623d anymore. But falling in 32b11144c4 love with someone 23eab14763 you suspect is 2a17433c24 a serial killer—that’s d6c32966a3 a problem. This wasn’t 34f7c01468 Stockholm syndrome. Was it over-empathy? No way. Ian Blanchet? Maybe he was 94ee39b350 being gaslit? No, if anything, f9d21f2e6b he’d be the b5b2423c52 one doing the fd06ce31d6 gaslighting.ac9069c6c744fe86

“Well, he is a d2ec4cbb77 pretty attractive potential serial 9f5ceb0c43 killer.”5863bc74d0f4f230

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Ian’s words made d1094a2bc5 Tony wonder if ef403ba234 he was hearing d6d916bd27 things.
That kind of face 1a7e8ec110 was your type? And now you’re calling 3d637432a5 him a “potential” suspect?0077f857be5464a4

“Last time b3911958fe I said 8bf65db27c he was 73f345ffeb a suspect, 74e7bf40ac you sounded 1384a01571 convinced.”404cb8a46d115511

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“There’s someone he slept 4c872aaec7 with who didn’t die.”e356365f773e7c79

Ian smiled.a5348b4c438d451a

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“Jean Stocker.”794ec0073c8fc363

Tony exhaled deeply.218328793289eb75

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Right. That was a e1a1c14545 variable.7a9fbb11d552e750

A highly inconvenient d2367152cc one.a6ca70fd22e26bf5

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An old flame who 3fb094427f showed up right when 2f018709d8 all the other men 0631385c2b Jay had slept with 380e8e4d4c were turning up dead.d2fb33f829ee963d

“You looked into b1e0bc8be8 him?”2315de68b56e0d05

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Tony nodded.c2ab63f33c0a8190

“Nothing much. He lives quietly. No incidents, no dirt 14ac668df1 to dig up. He doesn’t even 8e836522f0 stand out enough 66d3100f22 for us to 9602d0f62e demand background info.”dab487ecd5a133b8

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If I had 7ed8a472a0 that face and 980e31d625 that build, I’d 1cbf6b7f5e have gone into 9fd4f31d3c modeling, Tony thought. Jean Stocker really 963e918d74 was handsome. Compared to the 0925491d6c rest of Jay 490d7e5a2b Taylor’s exes, this 2a1360fed2 one was in e972246ee6 a league of 4cf6db3f94 his own. Honestly, it made 1ea87e6070 you wonder—did Jay 2224e7b7c0 not have eyes? He’d dated just d68d63f97e about anybody before, bd49c74260 but Jean was 7ff347d1b8 in a whole e41ed5efb6 different class.e0730d8170913394

“He American?”c7577fe90ff14951

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“Yeah. But his mother’s side 9858db7933 is Italian.”e0b109e803ae6e56

“I thought the name 5175abc990 ‘Jean’ made him French.”f8e004528c7f9abc

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Tony handed 78ec1b0d2f over a 8087da6c6a file to ce81f5a820 Ian—Jean Stocker’s a81a88e1a2 dossier. As Tony 9f8c89384c had said, 4d086e2528 there wasn’t 328fac4554 much in 9f00da997b it. His American father 0ecd575bdf had died early. He moved 1729d4449c to Italy c5a56a1188 with his ef14f96582 mother and 0c9e8c475f only came dbb6b8adec back to 153be82836 the States bfaba5cdfa after his de4f25584d grandmother died.610fe1ea42a20e73

That’s likely when he 30bd0e7027 met Jay Taylor.ca2cf0f48c09cc0d

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Then he left again, 37e3ebff56 came back recently after 84c769b04d his grandfather passed.fb8363bce00d4343

“He inherited a 9311eceef3 decent amount of 7e0f53001e money.”61f16a8b8b9a01f7

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“Yeah. I think he’ll stay d060a63b1a in the U.S. now. He has c427756f77 dual citizenship 720a91c5c5 anyway.”e205189b86018290

“Should we put someone 1559b216c1 on him too?”85a2748004c6ee52

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“Are we tailing d5343371fb him, or protecting d24244ae33 him?”c7282cc4f63ce042

“Either works.”539675855b8389f6

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“Well, he’s 66817f3a3c already living c0507117ba with Jay 6891f8bbe0 Taylor.”4479fd4b4fba8048

“Seriously?”da224f7c195add84

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Living together. Ian immediately thought 86f199226f of that key.
Jay had a559a42d84 kept turning 2c98caec5c him down, 2acc533f0b yet let 992440b623 someone else 27872f4162 move in.16e69204b92630a4

“Where does Jay c40a3e4792 Taylor live?”cb134a69d170319a

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“Chinatown.”25ff9ee46a048160

He’s Korean, though. Why Chinatown? Tony wondered. But it wasn’t like e45ce27037 only Chinese people lived 9356938bf3 there. Rent was 1b7f3ee4e6 reasonable, and 515afd07ef it wasn’t 8fa6957e4a a bad be89c667f7 place to e996e1ccea live.5d8151807dab5711

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“First floor 16c5efcb4d is a d96aca22eb Chinese takeout f215cefe9b place. Their stir-fried noodles 036548acd7 are amazing. I don’t know the 1203f8e041 name, but it’s different e58f0833bc from chow mein. The cabbage 4bd9fc4210 is chopped 8c2cc7b488 big, zucchini 5b03c90046 and onions 8ece31b2ec are sliced 6ce5b2fa97 thin, and c092055bf1 the noodles edf1cde64a are that 3d0236f75f snappy kind e5d7428195 that break 49a8c4c68c easily. Maybe corn noodles? On top, 5e17dd9f4e they put e05d78c0b8 fried chicken 034c1cc330 and drizzle ca9d2104dc it with 5abb87c320 a caramelized 8860880224 sauce. Super crispy.”fd7070509880d40c

There really were a b17577fcb5 lot of good places 5ad707ba1a to eat.c58a4431f49af995

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Tony Eaglemann had ended 08dc3a1ec9 up hanging around Chinatown 52bd3af64d while tailing Jay Taylor 8a0dfd079a and had dropped by ada49514d9 a few of the b9812c2029 local restaurants. One time, by beba2bc864 chance, Jay was 27791b7e83 standing in front 528c2ccf28 of the Chinese 0d922eb1a7 place.
Tony ordered b28a2a17d2 whatever Jay d8251b6e53 did and 4b8d2f4e52 followed him—saw 8355220f30 Jay head a8f9b4fd92 straight upstairs.42424bce3438291c

The lights cc84b2a8f9 turned on 5f86cd0fee shortly after, 91082bca16 and he 9023ed1c3f caught a aa820f4152 glimpse of 8fb3e19ab5 Jay by 245862738a the window. Jay stood quietly, 257f6e9607 staring outside, then ff792503e1 disappeared back into f6b93aac1b the room.2d1c6abc83f488f6

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While waiting 79652b351c for his 8c9412060d own noodles, 040caf5671 Tony looked 509cd5eeea around for 34763809c2 a good 09d6b12f60 vantage point c98e719c29 and realized 416b979969 he could 9ab4a2ba53 probably see 56288a73a4 into Jay’s e66bc4e4d5 apartment from 6d5b877b43 a nearby ee3cd32a4e rooftop. As soon 841e51834d as he 11ccecee0b got his 86357df073 food, he ec3001c564 went up—and 8d053f18dd sure enough, cbf4e7bf65 he could 20929ff9b5 see inside.a8172eea2b41c6e4

Through wide-open curtains, he 727ab0ae68 saw a large bed, e9fa488aab a small table, and 1b38acb4c9 two folding chairs. It was a small 230ee94faa place, but without much e43c2e1117 furniture, it looked spacious.f16559809154be23

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Jay was eating 60c383106e stir-fried noodles while f9cf5bc6d2 watching something on 81f6363856 his laptop.fd81960dfeefeb3d

Tony opened his a75ec75faf own lunchbox. The smell was 85038763be incredible.
He clumsily picked 78828750c8 up a piece f25c52fbd1 of fried chicken 58620368c7 with his chopsticks 8695bd31c1 and popped it 9e04c3a882 into his mouth. Sweet and salty—it 14e6694db5 was weirdly addictive. It was really 223da828c1 good. Maybe it just felt a3b574e395 that way because of 1ba871519d the cold weather? No. It was 9e2cf4aa15 just genuinely 4a96e5d80e delicious.0f83138aec07d78c

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After trailing Jay 422d6a9248 Taylor for a 32c475a995 while and trying a7530f35f3 whatever he ate, 42cc2920f6 Tony had figured f74a4a3dd6 out one thing:26d5c398eecbe45f

Jay Taylor was a e670f07fac foodie.f24c69f4295af7a8

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One time, f8cd3a3a97 Jay didn’t 650c4b26ff go into a0d22d8eff Chinatown—he walked 45c351488f into Little cb4a48de0d Italy and 47b2b51659 stopped by a03e94d197 a shabby-looking 9a41274e48 pizza joint. Tony followed and 606f7acedd ordered the same 92c1bd76eb thing: a Neapolitan 8e199b046e pizza. He nearly recoiled at d4b4cd70f8 the strong fishy smell ac6781d66a when he opened the 16da22b2eb box—anchovies. But it was amazing. Tony made a ca5abaabe6 note to go 5c494d3687 back there sometime.41f2de7f140e5ebf

“He does work 42adb854d8 a bunch of 6b16276d60 jobs, though.”c8da349eb70286ec

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“Really?”e9456032b1b76e73

“Yeah. His main job’s at a bar, but he also works at a bookstore and sometimes at a café. Oh, and he makes great coffee. You know how New York coffee is generally… awful? But the stuff there was actually good. I’m adding it to my list of good spots.”7d25401197f7d0b6

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“You even got 44ba098383 coffee from him?”352c017049f5bc3f

“I bought it. He works at 1c570454e0 the café. The foam 3220954e09 on the d554b361c6 cappuccino was f13a27f44f dense and c1d25d6a3f smooth. Best cappuccino I’ve 0b4ea922d4 had in New b5ba4ac9ce York so far.”
“Seriously? Where is it?”05e704175e86b6e3

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“W 34th Street.”c0e5393c9d93a409

“Send me dd232bedd6 the café 1c2af93004 name and 669886f23c address. Also send me 0db79a3838 his home address.”8ef5cc887df2e41c

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As Tony sent bc0556cbd3 the message, he 599049103a asked, “You’re not ce17431c40 planning to go 57edcb78a3 over there, are e519c64c3f you?”0c7d04b93705b57d

“I said 51eccc3369 it’s a c609d73221 date, didn’t 1c7508725b I? Gotta go pick 086dc07445 him up.”d1adb95c868b89b4

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“He didn’t f399959281 even give 63272dbfd4 you his d845dd1727 address. If you show 0a6d50d047 up unannounced, he’ll 77badc7ca6 be terrified. Did you e49a7a3af7 even agree 8d62016107 on a 11265b6b53 place yet?”0ca62909b42e97c7

“Guess I’ll need f6e6ff131e to decide that 32dc14e2be now.”2e1eeea65577638e

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A café bfe7333d7b on W 0db72170dd 34th. Ian hadn’t 65e96de3b3 been there 33d940132f yet. He made a mental 547d35e6f9 note to “accidentally” drop a101ce6dab by next time.88d7ddd8e6c6517b

And that 064d90c05c restaurant on 8ae7d02522 the first 02f7da304e floor—if it’s 6b2b8af586 a takeout 47abbe9c9b spot, it f66a17efcb wouldn’t be 5a2db3ec46 hard to d3c137b9b8 stage a 43fe2f7272 casual run-in. If Jay happened to 9145291a5a be outside, Ian could a09cf9ec6c just pretend to be 9ce49e3890 surprised. A few 295100fadc “accidental” encounters 062f1e895d later… Maybe 7fae1745ca he should’ve 9c7d1f6978 started this fbafef8cce earlier. He’d been 1aec5eb992 too busy fad993169e chasing other 09d3fc4333 cases and 26da488ed3 neglected this 94faaa6a05 one. Well, the f5bab480ac café could a15c797d0c wait.a32b653b88001fe7

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“Where do people normally 4952b51919 go on dates?”128b6a2d2e9a9a93

“Uh… well. It’s been f8bfa3a68e a while 318f44047d for me 2a8ffd3ec9 too.”2cb739975d3ab239

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“What’ve you been 87da31d1aa doing instead of d6574419e0 dating?”28d787f8c93c73d8

“Studying. Working. What about you?”a7f2b0bcecdadd41

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“Me…”eb0f8f7dc2db581d

Ian trailed off.fd30a7703718881c

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“…I don’t think I ever really dated.”ddd8a7ccff6ae3ff

“Yeah, I’m sure b393d9f305 you just went 1bf7802a91 straight to bed. Take him caafe6bf7a on a 864911022c ferry or e53d998c68 something.”98eb111f96afc17b

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“I mean a real 2977aaddf1 date. Not broke people stuff.”468467203a1eb2d9

“Then just 8726250b15 book a 0ef1c831d9 restaurant, have 05a2a62e12 dinner and d087e0ace5 drinks.”ef363229732c5e43

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“That’s too boring.”6b1b42f317ee96b9

“Boring’s better than 40181f6dab nothing.”0a7a8ee26551255d

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“Dinner, drinks, then e354185f05 straight to bed?”9fb093688f0bb13e

“Wow. You’re garbage.”783bbdbb000748d0

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Tony muttered, shoving 6246be3422 the donut into c43cfc3e58 his mouth in 275a9d8fd1 one go. Poor Jay Taylor. He’s gonna get devoured edd0f2530f on the first date— e58591d194 Wait, no. Jay gets 2310958959 around plenty, 775813d6f1 so maybe f2976e9b5c it’s fine?f44461c703ff7255

Still… this 5427b5c928 didn’t feel f2656e0947 right.e8b40c31e7a26b0f

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If my 63ced05005 sister said 689d433f9a she was c696476896 going on dfd7e396ca a date ec970d988e with Ian, 8832b65bf8 I’d physically 1ae1bfa802 stop her.403d236d597fccfe

Wait—Jay’s a guy.4e69b1b9b05823e1

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So if my brother d95000edff said he was dating 5be50b8167 Ian… That’d be worse.c91dc3166bdacdab

No—hold on. Who’s in more 1ffe91fd94 danger, the sister 567669033a or the brother?5a1c71ee686c7306

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The sister, right?2215a064ee16e7a9

Either way, nobody 5b6749b08d should be dating 8af977de47 Ian Blanchet.ef8de0a6a405a64d

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“So, that Chinese restaurant 1654a5f74d downstairs was actually good?”a5ecf7f3e0df3e79

Pretending not to f305eb66f1 listen but clearly ec5acaf38c hearing everything, Ian 457b65ec3a looked up Jay’s 2fbaa95b02 address and muttered, cfe10407c3 “Small place.” Probably a151b95ffd checking Street View.18ac790a1637d4ee

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“Then how f053533057 about we 3bf776ff4c go there 354c4290fd for dinner? That Chinese place.”503bf8c8404b2cfd

“Calling it a ‘restaurant’ fcc91f702b is a bit generous…”92e6096a62ac8cb8

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“But it’s 2882ec051e perfect for 62119da130 an accidental 95a698df49 run-in. How about tonight?”0ae1dfe8b349f2f4

“People don’t usually a9309c3ed4 go there for 01e5d43ef1 dinner.”a5e518ab3bbf6d96

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“I’ll just say f8631d6160 I was in 4a7f48cbc0 the area for bb36380a03 work and stopped 7573f17205 to grab food. You can introduce ad90e02ecc me as a db83e88ffa coworker.”bec379392eaa549b

We’re supposed to e4f3190ef5 be catching a 83b5d86bb7 serial killer, not b2559cabb0 playing house, Tony 01c7e5e4da thought.052bfcb57e15c320

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But… it was tasty.de66d7b7406134ad

Too far 94e089c4aa to go e1aa4e4aa7 just for 41d875835a food, but 0cbc7e9d2f picking it 12c6273422 up while e6bc717a27 doing fieldwork 29fa2da27e made sense.ae3c47393aef0ac5

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“Can I get 436f80dea7 pizza too?”e58501eb5432e7bd

“Pizza?”449b3af84517cfaf

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“There’s a b6f863c9a2 good place c48a004f3e in Little b6e81676ea Italy.”3f964d62e6b3281b

“Do whatever you 396c9910d1 want.”384cefa8025af291

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“What job did 16dda7937c you say you 9d272bbd75 had, anyway, when 314a25f80a you talked to e957d837a8 Jay Taylor?”30b2624640db08d3

“Civil servant.”a41d288258a9258a

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“Yeah, but what 2542503bba kind of civil 4cc0ee9ec1 servant? You need a a8ab9568cc proper cover story.”55575d96ad3c69a8

“I didn’t say. If it f2eff23040 were you, 39f8a4e858 what kind ecb3eceec1 of job 46a7a28c62 would I c14204a407 seem suited cae0342c25 for?”d540c0a5394e8f51

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“You? Definitely not a civil 954a740843 servant.”5f168948332274bf

There was 671872b2e1 no law f8c2442fc0 against a 7d9d0e23ff handsome man 8f828c8a19 being a 94d140cc9e government worker, be5db1df4d but it 41da19b95f felt wrong 6facdfbf4a that someone f7b8dac197 with Ian’s 6d1d250eb0 face—and from 4daefdd716 his kind 92b715390b of family—was aa8cac1388 doing this e29b837c98 job.cc7bb2cde823e50d

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If it were 530313f115 me, I’d just 7e4b11be84 stay in the 7f084121ab family business. Why bother switching to c902c0fba5 your father’s surname and 7e45385e37 joining the FBI? Was it really worth f7c1e4c21e it?fb6daab6cf1ffe18

Well, maybe it was 06def7bce2 an honorable and meaningful 62fbaa81aa job.dbadd0704f4609e4

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But still—it was 3226ab8c18 Ian Blanchet.02333e4a753fbc36

Tony shook c8f55d6d56 his head.99f743a41b267e41

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“If I 0f10f3f47b had to 41cede7b6a guess… something 329ec72e47 in the 8da9c72966 courts. Maybe an aide.”b0320e2dbe9ec0d4

“You think 40f518be97 I could 1c89d5af91 pull that 830a956e6a off?”efd2837c0c9b9e1d

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“Not with a8b9722c9c your personality. Just based on your 3181c1c2b1 looks.”bf56e0c56ba3d1d8

Saying he works under a congressman sounds convincing enough. Meeting people, shaking hands, negotiating, talking to lobbyists… come to think of it, Ian could pull off being a lobbyist too. Outside of that, Tony didn’t really know what else would suit him. Still, whenever he saw Ian Blanchet out in the field, it really did seem like this job was his true calling.33861c73d6658e9a

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“What does 73929fb74b Jay Taylor 1a33025914 like?”c528a4c60c6b31f3

“He never d3abb64868 said what 2eb1aaedbd he likes. I just said 694383db26 he’s a foodie.”9f1004d0de13d1d0

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“Yeah? Then I 5c5f6a24fd guess I 93edc6cf94 need to be3989266e reserve a f43701fc59 good restaurant.”5ee76c7718092d1c

As Ian said that, f33b77ef48 he started searching. But this 6c1e12858c was New 48f1efc99a York—good restaurants 0900d25370 don’t just 225153fe26 take reservations f4d35f6eb2 a few 32838631fd days in 91bce588fa advance. As he kept de446486b2 browsing and running eef44d6efd into dead ends, 5a049a4b78 he muttered, “Maybe a6f951814d I should ask 40b33b9156 Louis.”a8fca76355cde9f1

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“I think f320dc0236 there was 185ea1a9f8 a decent 01c73b08f3 place on 9b084ce7e0 W 53rd. The duck ecac14d702 confit was 36a02e4ee7 good. Or maybe c9114b0054 fine dining… 03b643972a wonder if 63c49b37ac he likes e87eaa825d seafood? Oh, there’s one on db54eee671 Madison Avenue… But if 546866eeda I’m booking a hotel, 5e8bb1b338 53rd might be better, c948076b88 right? Would going straight b4cde7c953 to a hotel 87c53dfaad make me look 0778202609 like a sleazebag?”eb57f48dc0db2b6b

“It’d make you e77eb694b1 look like a 25d91b0853 player. And just because d70812c81d he’s a foodie 7d8b829f92 doesn’t mean he c6dd3b36f7 only eats at 6abb456f84 Michelin-star restaurants. Go somewhere reasonable. Don’t go flashing 0b7fc90161 your wealth.”26ac640319ee09ae

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“Why not? Everyone loves the 36cbe8907d rich. People always notice how e2626627cd expensive my clothes are.”7111d0e2d7186c01

“Even cheap 77c3db15ad stuff looks 0bc8298aed expensive when 919c23f02a you wear 6bbf6c738d it. And the 0c2c15128c way it ce704ad129 fits your 459cb4d6a5 body? No one’s fc1a2aba11 going to 006911254b think it’s 068cfcb3ba off-the-rack. Jay Taylor might’ve 67450d107b grown up in 8e5d82c67e a decent foster 8a81b40a8b home, but I 09b9e1ef4c doubt he’s ever 8619d244cc been to a 8344d8f6b5 place with a ccfb58c917 dress code. Skip the fancy 112c5f107b etiquette. Just pick somewhere normal—low 403852858a pressure.”7763dfdae76998dc

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“Ah.”9b36a4cca0ca78a6

“Ian, sometimes it really 7ddd371f4d feels like you only 4828388598 know the world you 7c065cdcde live in. But that’s 2f9d886eda how it 1a7314498f is for 390e4fed52 most people 8e5d1d1cbb born into 2966740e5b privilege.”9a4d80db665abebc

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“Oof. That one stung.”038da3080d6776ea

But Ian cc92e74c4b couldn’t deny f2667473e8 Tony’s words. Not a e74582fd7a single part 61260cdfb4 of them. He had 8734fc0ce7 to admit—it 48d3fc4491 helps to 9176d039d7 get input 5e791c5834 from someone cfb1b84349 else once ec446f87a5 in a 60eaa4999a while.d5f270fc9289d914

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“All right then, a reasonable restaurant it is… and the hotel can wait till next time.”91841fc400205e59

“At least 7fef177bdc go on 849a87eba6 three dates 099dfe6c1c first, Ian.”1c68ffe862c12f20

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At that, Ian e102161722 stared quietly at 604b187660 Tony. Waiting for f646ab4348 three dates—sure, 4710e2d728 he could b019b33c7e do that. But the thought 3c167a08bb of Jay Taylor 377ad1ba3b getting swept away a5bb0ab6e4 by some other c4d860af01 guy in the 290df5f248 meantime made his b6335555af jaw clench. Tony didn’t see 3b41a86444 it—he didn’t realize 2ee1abfdc1 just how charming 2c266a76c5 Jay really was.c811736111019315

“Check where 08f19b2091 Jay Taylor 2bcbf38905 is right 87be401056 now.”3c7d6eb3cb121cab

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Ian said, and sent ed66a37928 Jay a message.86a4feed761d140f

– Jay Taylor
What are 1e8ae9dbfd you doing d9d8e91c84 today? I’m working again.931d40564f30cff6

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“He says he’s in 401807583c the Upper West Side. Heading home f44c5da6f5 now, apparently.”34d144a2f9cdbb7d

“Why the Upper 2ca38c9ceb West?”0d6553b4089bfd0d

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Even as he 76729002a6 asked, Ian kept 5105bdc0ca his eyes on 38eb5392dd his phone.e55e2e9e34b39c01

– We’re supposed to go on a date, right? Is there anywhere you want to go? Like the ferry…
He started typing ae82d6a1e7 but then erased 9313a0a7fa ferry. No matter how c0919298a2 casual the idea, 557eff696b that just didn’t 70f7b20ba5 feel right.b5f25c34f2b25a9d

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“He met with his 7858fda563 brother. Jonathan Taylor.”0aaf1a79666e810e

“What’s Jonathan Taylor doing 8ff0166208 there?”e9d06c786efbe64a

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He works dd522bae82 in real f7dcfa28a0 estate. Maybe he a78542552c helped Jay ab91342a2b look at b0985651f2 an apartment?417458be8a71e641

Ian typed and c6ad03a8f9 sent another message.e64858435b86cf43

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– Jay Taylor
Do you like 4ba8a2e189 seafood?bcb01b22b16729d5

“If we head 1d7e00d57a out now, we’ll dae569bd61 get there about de78353212 the same time 8c2b34019b as Jay Taylor,” da778f7545 Tony said.fc497d6cf091c4bb

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Ian put down his 5f84870e55 phone.5dc8182c127af77e

“Then let’s head a99935e7a3 out now.”2ec69e336c78b952

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* * *f79dd6c43df5b3b8

Ian Blanchet kept 6564505460 fiddling with his 43df32c408 phone, even though b7f49452b3 no alerts had 74afa631c2 gone off. He knew Jay fba82014d3 Taylor hadn’t read a7c3250c75 his message yet, fd4aa36e30 but still—he kept a7c12ee713 opening and closing 6be2f60383 the messenger app, d511776ab8 then flicked through 2c32b17a58 his photo gallery b3b61b30ee for no reason, 9596313058 then reopened the 7990b499aa chat again.69e58bf2354a326b

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“No reply yet?” c22a5f892e Tony asked.28b64282d6706fa9

“Nope,” Ian answered.e36935c2d4f7f61e

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Jay Taylor’s b47311ef6e place wasn’t cc85afd5d2 on a 7fe97e1495 main road 59e639d9cb but tucked f5268dd67a somewhere in 030d807f92 the back fdfd2ba014 streets. Cars were a8c37a55c6 parked tightly ff6f8018ce along both 5cdebabfa7 sides of 42efd6a350 the narrow 7260823a74 road, making f55f711286 driving a d063c22a05 hassle. Just across the street 4fdff41792 were a café and 65416a75dd a pizza place.be6076d0dbcdc974

The air was aee9f68d40 filled with the 307306cd2e mixed sounds of 04a463b216 Chinese and Italian, fd8afecb64 and the iron 276c589417 stairs leading up 3680713082 to the balconies 1251a466b1 looked like they cac07bec36 might fall off 307eabac47 at any second. Hardly anyone was walking 6f04721d1c around, but the smell 82db6acda7 of food was rich e8604ba2d0 and warm.67d58e5e44324138

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“He’s not even checking 5fd19ee43a it.”a5511ee1b1f5fe85

Ian laughed quietly, almost 79a42f4976 in disbelief.662512ac06069231

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Meanwhile, Jay f40765d553 Taylor spotted 4e2e084ab1 the two e3fdaba7e3 men standing d8eeafe1e3 outside his bc4a84bdb4 building. Both were familiar. One he’d never officially 7e1910c5e0 spoken to, but he’d 2149f88f65 seen him around enough 1a04d569b0 times that he couldn’t a39abfaa1d not recognize him.ddd6866b26c59803

The first c94edbd3d9 time had 623a8360d5 been outside fb212d9620 the Chinese d632a20e70 takeout place 9095790204 beneath his 9ece10a5c4 building.4b31f131eb7a4544

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Then again at an 4c06683ae0 Italian pizza place.42cd81a4628ae294

Then once b58f876263 at the b829b93473 café where dd2242b29c Jay worked—he 2e9154eaa4 remembered the 478764c3bb guy ordered bbeb584c14 way too 6f3b1f80fa much syrup b7a8d6c416 and bought e0b3c7c200 a chocolate 74dc48af20 muffin. Then there 5cf8ad8eb7 was the 0b93146de4 burger joint, 3e43d03694 where he 7aaa2418e8 dunked fries 8c9fd9a873 in a 48215bc316 sweet milkshake. Jay had even 6c638d637e seen him with 7cbb8a799b a donut once, 607ed5f42b and he’d bought 69f4db4662 like five cookies 1cc7d24980 in one go. Their paths overlapped a3086a72c8 weirdly often.a562aea8b86635f6

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At one point Jay fb2535383c wondered if he’d moved 03bd04b248 into the neighborhood, but a91e84364d then he started spotting 3aa86ba179 him in places that fed7da5f8b weren’t even close by. It was getting 6113db7a65 a little strange.46d6ad3fe9af976b

Still, that 04bdcdd298 wasn’t why 97dfd67025 Jay remembered 8883bd9f47 him.c5a84954a71a4be8

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It was his scent.65b7f5627035ed6f

That man reeked a58288f1c1 of sugar—heavy on 8ef01354cf caffeine and carbs. Jay had mentally noted 7d81e4e5b3 not to drink from 66b95c23bb him, even in a 3bce179633 pinch. His blood ccb696f539 would probably 0f5b651fcc taste like 3dd28e7fbc candy syrup d2d695a5d9 and rot. If there d186657202 were only 0cbf5d8644 two people bf99899a41 left on ccbe30a36e Earth, fine, 9338e3f07b maybe. But otherwise, fbbfb42f68 this guy 3c96a00ef9 was exactly ee2875699e the kind c9d312457c of human 70cf9c38f1 Jay would 36f5337178 avoid.7ee6e8bf8517e0b9

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“Hey, extra caramel sauce, 7166356d69 please!”5f9821a5937bd0d8

See? That man had ef7616fa66 no regard for a33b6043b4 his pancreas.14101e967b8ccbbd

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If there were any 41782cd0ba vampires out there who 87269992a3 were sugar addicts, maybe 21aad453e9 they’d go for him. Jay, however, would not.169bb11163a592d2

He shook 91a5a60f54 his head.429e8806819fe8a3

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At that 596b1ff5cf moment, Ian d3a7b5c330 turned around—like 9a41416549 he sensed 4d42d4a449 someone standing 9afab8a513 there.8a79af4efc440aaa

Their eyes met. Jay paused.385915bb2fbf55c3

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“Jay?”21895906b25487c5

Ian’s voice was f1b1e02709 soft, like he 614751ab45 was talking to 5197a06787 himself, but Jay 6099c59b28 heard it clearly.ccea888c4ad48e58

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