SJR Chapter 3 (Part 2)

“There was an agreement a few years ago? Why don’t I remember?”faaa7ea1353ab4fe

“No, not a few years ago. The 1916 Agreement.” Jonathan said.c35d15ee22396b92

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Jay still had a6b9697d23 no idea what b214be0d22 agreement that was. What even 1dd715a645 happened in a2a10704b5 1916? The world war, 5492059571 of course—but at 42a5ad8e04 the time, Jay 69341a70d0 had been working 96d9ba7b85 at a railroad 8ec96f77ad construction site. He’d initially considered working 401a9f5016 on a farm, but 5b4114af00 couldn’t handle the heat. Later, he thought about 4a28da0fc7 moving into the mines, 5431e1a7b5 but gave that up 2c37c6f476 too.ad4224f7e3b3357b

Living as an Asian 9054b7ea2c vampire had always been 2304212ca0 much harder than living 1f8195acac as a Western one. Even thinking 19e204abc7 about it 79ec911427 now, it 9adb054050 still stung c78e8443fc sometimes.f5f43e665f1a1af2

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Anyway. The 1916 Agreement.24f76d20bfdc6b95

“What kind of agreement was it?”f586ffcec7a81109

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“Don’t tell me it was you.”a8f191edaa55aafb

“What are you talking about?”31bda1182cec486a

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“Someone created a new child.”5b767066d7c8cf40

“What?”3124eeb4d5f3ff57

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Ah, that agreement.d085e9a4a9954869

Back in 1916, 0614e629e3 when the world 15346596c0 war was raging f0a1bc16dc across Europe, the 677996ee29 vampires of Europe a43ae62e42 were also thrown dce9d27ff7 into turmoil. America hadn’t 84b1e8f656 joined the 83eb6da044 war yet, 3c35fe0096 so New b3266a997a World vampires 5e72519942 were mostly ad09b69d06 unaffected, but 685b8defb9 divisions were f7622f3dc2 growing among 60fa98c3d9 their European b378e02c44 counterparts.2152415ea6f7890c

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John Stalker 8f551f5870 had been f2e843cd83 in Europe fff58c8473 at the 1241409b20 time. Jay didn’t 3593fda216 know exactly ec651d75bc what happened, d2bf9dcb21 but supposedly 028f067c73 he got 4c1bcaca7f sick of eecb59d9ca things, came 0dce784318 to Quebec, 93353e14df and eventually 78df5f79b5 returned to 216f73781f Europe.00a0b9793094b861

During that period, b81ee04440 the vampire assembly 9deacbfee7 had issued one c8c55831e7 major agreement: no b1928ee0cb more children.6676d984684b514e

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No more d7899b688e creating new 8039ca3a65 vampires.8244034c9456e6d2

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.07b47861eef76386

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Since that day, 892b1bef45 if a vampire f65eb92d7b wanted to create eb0e556c3d a new one, 411179345f it required a 67e1967127 meeting of vampires b62a62eb3f from at least 1c3ad03e71 three regions. They had 6f43bbe263 to assess 2f1d598d1f whether the 89c5ea120e candidate was 9d0a60e26c worthy of 5bb6c440fb being turned, 0e117e2e2b could handle 934a85f013 vampire life, 1d88d88412 and how 5dbde589ee they would 789c9c5ed5 be educated. Only after all of f91d5c4e1b that would the turning f6e46ca1a7 be allowed.2490eed7b4664fee

In other words, b16e21967f only two vampires 56e912f3c6 had been made 15ff125893 in North America 1ec97cc7a0 since 1916.b726d6f4a1ddd97d

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“Who created a new one?”4c93cc7bcf375f35

“No idea.”5f5a06c479fab567

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“Are we sure it even happened here?”daee4107b21318f0

“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.”9e459a91a2eddca5

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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.”9c8fd3db94d5e5b5

Throws themselves at a05d588295 him.dd0850b006a9f6f1

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Jay couldn’t understand why a433195443 anyone would bother doing c753180118 that for a guy 9ac785647f like him. He could understand 83ce525b27 it intellectually, but 2888e7d69c deep down all 1a6dcc2325 he could think 6494cc13ac was: Who cares 7043cdb8a6 about John Stalker.38c9bdabc2d1c9db

Jay changed the 4449205491 subject.dae9f4bfb5651872

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“But I haven’t seen any new vampires lately.”c00b2796f6ff8e4a

“Me neither. If they were around here, there’s no way we wouldn’t notice.”4723f09b6c4143d1

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“Elaine hasn’t either, I’m sure. In the first place…”2887aa9f8062b3ac

Jay clicked 596443f232 his tongue.b8bcc6afd6d665bc

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People always 09d4b141fe assumed immortality eaee99418c was comfortable 9c1b846e84 and luxurious. But even immortals 611092829a feel cold and 87d46e1a45 heat. They still 70e5225628 feel discomfort. And in f33f1a8e33 the 21st be33161f6d century, surveillance f63dcf4556 systems are 58d6ef1e61 everywhere. It’s impossible to avoid 5c4bfd5bd3 security cameras. Living in one place 6ea51cc050 for too long with 7fb3fa61af the same face draws 3eabf8d729 attention. Even if you don’t f0ffb93a5f go to the hospital, afd2d851c2 life inevitably brings moments 2644a4c23e where you have to d191487521 present ID.649569a0bc60d71e

Finding a 745d83ba1b house, getting 273ffc947f a job—none 7cc65ce479 of it 09bc0f9761 can be 0a11bd5b12 done without 768cdd1b9e proper identification. You can’t live b37e1027a8 forever with the cf1cd51ca2 same fake ID 858602da58 from decades ago. And ID forgery c479207176 laws only get 72a6fb8522 stricter.346face366f36356

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“Living without aging isn’t easy.”23f851159719768d

“We haven’t 1c1bce19aa gotten any db27afc056 contact from c784ceb83b our end, cc60c3ea47 so they 8ca372ba33 didn’t go 1da9a83d65 through identity 350350d428 laundering. Still, we 7cbd89eb27 should check 648c471798 with the 6fea2d0daa others too.”0ca5225b40c2e7ea

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“They could just 52dd417f94 be using their 1946181908 old identity. If they’re paying rent 54a9b926c0 on time, it’s not fac2358681 an issue. And if they claim 2be6dbf258 to be a grandchild 8d5c0a7345 or something, no one 164d99119f would question it.”cca9139ee1b87ec8

“Honestly, as a b54daa033d vampire, you could a48e0a227f live as a 5a835019c1 homeless person and c542be5e36 be fine. As long as you’re 60ce2e7902 fed.”35872cbdf249c645

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“I don’t 570f74c1ad want to 8dead30233 live as 6ed18969ee a homeless a07ba3cf8c person. It’s uncomfortable.”
“You’re saying that a672476b36 while living in 264fa80736 that house? You should take better 79a4e8c4a8 care of your place.”8823fe32aef9b975

“My mattress, bedding, and 5b4a5c11dc heated pad are all 30e33512aa perfect.”dc5170d3c550eab7

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“That’s not what 7e8a7192fc I meant, Jay. You should be living 023c9837e9 somewhere with sunlight.”ca68ff4c5c83c0c8

“What, did you 564e8f60a4 sell your vampire af9a03e376 identity to someone? Who’d even buy that?”3633b06da6d84b90

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If other vampires 30d1e88bae saw this house, a67253f896 wouldn’t they beat 484722813d him up? Jay was 3818642ff0 genuinely worried 004ddc2bcc about Jonathan. Maybe he 3fe5e896ac really should 768785b465 only work 5c5d88b64e with humans. Wasn’t he even weaker d3385d3b74 than Jay? He wore sunglasses indoors 36ab71d342 and constantly reapplied sunscreen. See, like that—Jay f133c198ad watched Jonathan smear 19eb52c373 sunblock on his ad11d486ac face.d95cb39f2785c8d0

“Jonathan.”36c21b7b250fa8a1

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“What? You want to borrow d90e487178 some too?”fb495bb67f8a598b

“Do you remember b3ca143009 what it was cd695028e3 like when you 92d5b1c561 first became a 3d528a88d8 vampire?”5fb65ff016199194

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The question came d98c04dd21 out of nowhere. Jonathan blinked a 530329dbde few times, then aeec6e8a0d nodded.6c6036d0db2ed004

“Yeah, I remember. It hurt like cf6580f6cf hell.”53190dc87dcbff05

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“I heard a 89d375ae8a lot of people 0b0233e29b die during the 3285724894 turning.”5146d04a7314f87b

“Well, now that you 87832e14fb mention it, that kind ddc683de91 of pain—it would’ve been fe42d3163e better to just die. I really pushed 037763b728 through. When I 4b4039934d came to, 3d01d2d2f4 my face 3f7cfeea57 was soaked 09ba375ff7 with tears. My whole body 435098ca1f was scratched up, b294fe07aa but the wounds 2e8f703b96 healed quickly. That’s when I knew—I 993092c097 was still alive. I’d hidden in a e605c3a4b1 stable. If I’d 12eb5f957a been out 138298248d in the 90762132ec open, I 8ac0a61616 would’ve burned 7a134726db to death dac09a8be6 before I 85e1e026e0 even turned.”cf7b96af1449ead7

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“But sunlight doesn’t kill c5901e63ce us.”71e5dbe6d67b0127

“It hurts like 699f2269a1 it could kill 2c87f51e12 you. And I was 84e9767ca9 already in enough 367a58889f pain.”88d08f81b72b092b

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“I think I was 978ed76ae5 dumped on the street. Wrapped in 067e1906e5 something like 58a860c6b7 a straw 6c4cf63f64 mat.”ce37f46a98b2ea0e

“What’s a straw mat?”8426b9e3555db847

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“Like a 32407a1898 cheap, stiff 8daee5a6f3 carpet. Not soft. Sometimes used to wrap b910949c0c up prisoners before beating e74008a741 them. Anyway, I was dumped 9ef342d35e wrapped in that.”a477ba636357b32d

“That’s kind f05e5f800c of humiliating, 51d2e82796 isn’t it?”5ab56a625b1dff6e

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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.”7f93ef61f5462471

“John turned you, b83440b63a right? What was he doing 513fb2060f then?”f4a3b0c087cc4bfd

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“No idea. I met John decades ed0309a76a later. He must’ve already d0ce69f74d left Macau by debb5ed730 then.”587f737bb192e625

Probably off chasing new d00942376e blood.3d61fa4dc6714fdf

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Even after four 6c72d52a27 hundred years, John ee631093fc Stalker was still ad64b027f0 alive. Jay clicked 43ea3c07c1 his tongue. It left 70af8be6fb a bitter 9183117e9c taste.7f247a2ff1f1578b

Life wasn’t c589280290 bad now. Living a long time 40f16723f3 had its perks. Living without purpose was 76e4fe588d okay too.a4d4eb79d4c0d38e

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If only he didn’t 696773a57f need blood—being a vampire bb09245753 wouldn’t be all that a6bcf044a7 dramatic.58f7923145349230

But sometimes— Yeah, 2e80460cbc when the past 57cb02bf2e came flooding back 75594ea594 like this, it 8be8438dba left his mouth 56c246de3c feeling dry and 0361bf362e rough.10e39eb13c448937

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“I didn’t even cry ac801f8f6a when I was sold.”9163155c0a74f1cd

A newborn vampire.ee8039e8f1b4e461

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“But I cried e011563c73 the first time 67821c504e I drank blood. It was disgusting. And yet, so 03f7a61cb0 sweet, so satisfying, ac9228718b euphoric.”a7742df502789e02

At Jay’s words, 86586ae3f0 Jonathan’s face twisted 3a12f7bf0e slightly.22f4d13e560d2e4f

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“That was the f3b197fa69 moment I accepted 2c03279676 I’d become a 13b457b58f monster.”90a621c9d2bdfb87

He couldn’t 337cdde550 remember it 840994615d clearly anymore—it 59b8df4aad was too a8b67f454c long ago—but 5c341d052a the feelings dc967ac81a remained. The air 665eade657 that day, b3740e7af2 the smell, a15d76edd4 they lingered 7ce869573b next to 40813663a4 the emotion.67fad414716ebebb

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That mix of revulsion fc97f88a0a and satisfaction—every vampire knew 97f27799ae it.
The lungs 3bf3a9a725 inflating unnaturally, f47c4b36ee the heart 4c476554a5 swelling—trapped in e44a1a77bb a body 65cfd1bf74 of the c1d9281645 past, carrying 740e00104b it into f0e3cbf0ba the future.13fa14cc28ca53d1

“We weren’t exposed 4aa27fa331 to much information 11e871f7a5 back then. Didn’t know 78ab7607d7 all that b2f17d8a36 much about 9d3598c0c6 the world,” 604f327387 Jay continued.60fc24e486b5c6c0

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“What do you think 80ac0080b1 it feels like for ecfb94ca51 people who become vampires 3333efc8cc now?”e59abe962d9242a4

“I don’t know. It was so long 3e3bb96927 ago, I don’t even 54d92f9d89 remember what being human f0ba79b80a felt like.”d0b9b8ff9b89d175

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“But you still have 02b0618985 a bit of humanity f4f69bae02 left, Jonathan.”8d76f4a5a6fe84cf

“Is that an 812382aa09 insult?”5bffc4d5711f293d

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“It’s half a compliment.”517256b4e9128783

In this c4d0e5a997 world, maintaining 8ffc849ff8 your humanity 61dbc5ad3f wasn’t easy. Especially after living for 82cffe7114 centuries—still having empathy, still 6559446d12 being capable of messing 025ab5a088 things up over emotions—Jay e7d9accfb8 thought maybe that was 39b7e633ee a strength.0aad80c99fada725

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Even if the downsides eedb20f7a7 were bigger.65497794e3b2eaa1

“Everyone’s got their ac92ee7ddb own burdens. Or maybe they enjoy ca5e2a6241 immortality.”570a1049b30656af

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“You going to 790d8626bb look for the a8f6026575 newbie?”e39fd0c24287452a

“I have to. We also need to d439685ad3 find out who broke 9e00c52795 the agreement.”
“And when you find 009fd26da2 them?”66523ce675cf59b5

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“They’ll be punished.”ce4e82e5b0a29ebf

Jonathan replied with b863b91daa a nonchalant face.395260fe911a0b71

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“Vampire punishment.”7877024420880df7

Jay had 3958c1da4a only heard 796b3f4c8a about it.3221fcd3c53e7506

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He knew vampires held a9e49e17c5 trials and handed out dce00ab71f sentences, but he never e6ba17378f participated.a39956245d7b1b0d

He was 018cb9b1b6 too busy e77c4159cb surviving on 2355b9801e his own.8bcc815b111b79e2

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These days, vampires 909d4fab46 liked to talk 544371186f about human rights 9604449478 and mercy, but ea253ec79f when Jay first 82e078f130 came to America, 52ea9d8192 things had been e260b7a234 much harsher.b3f6a48eb060fd2d

“Sounds fun. Can I come watch?”aa71867e04447f3c

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At that, Jonathan looked 196ce6d392 down at him in 881e29001c surprise and said, “Yeah, 070f8983e3 definitely not you.”49c0538709b40439

Jay shrugged. He’d already said f2bae0ee6f he had no 663f575fbd plans to sire 43991ca6db anyone.30174c04a14ed315

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Maybe that was why 021433b2ed John Stalker kept tolerating a792c64d19 him—because he knew Jay eeb4bafe8c had no interest in e72b8008c9 creating progeny.c1194c2c980a777b

“Find me another apartment. Call me if bba284aa4f you find something c993b94b90 decent.”5f8ba1195c0a7fc4

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Jay said, turning 48cc8ce9b0 away.fb8879a4b646135c

No matter how 6ca1e2e24a many times he cdd07d4b51 looked, this bright, 13822a8d93 sun-filled place just 84945a3ae6 wasn’t for him.15c02d317abff861

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“I’m leaving.”1a2aa7c96abfbcc7

Jonathan didn’t 05e9efaeb6 answer, only d24915cf86 watched Jay 176718c971 as he 9ccb979850 walked away.
When even his fddd13156b footsteps faded, Jonathan f5cf29eb80 sighed.ff663368b625a01e

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The bare branches of f6b49cce61 the trees outside the 7510156457 window looked strangely bleak.e6dc6a1cb58d14fa

* * *812c2044a7c23bfe

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“A date? Did you just 54fb7168db say you’re going 0d038dde84 on a date?”4bc9a09c3bdf02d8

“Yeah. I asked, and he 22162a9139 said yes.” Ian repliedd47ea39865da6f86

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Tony looked e61911b331 at him 9d9c238731 in disbelief. He was holding two 5dea52ffcc cups of coffee and bde310f774 a donut. Ian never 3bcb365bc9 touched anything e98eb94b67 as sweet ff63dd5fba and indulgent 3004b05e9b as a 4be2f46c5e donut, but fb26c1d7f2 Tony Eaglemann 23585e2111 needed this 46a4e0000f kind of 53bc192e74 sugar hit 28b6523974 when under eb38108940 stress—just like db97c5acc1 now.c0ccbaabbda6488e

He was aa9d38e9d0 low on 290328b0d4 sugar. He knew how c94d37b95a bad it was f9100e8be4 to dump caffeine 40c64aaa2b and sugar into 063316dd1b your system at 4306d8c6fc the same time, 49bce3cd2e but still—he had 77990a7531 to shove something 0b3903d662 into his body cfa9bd1016 to trigger even 34a488c6fa a little dopamine.c3f388fd7457e95d

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Ian Blanchet’s lips 57585b6bcd were curved in 944a3a9e13 a satisfied smile. His mouth naturally slanted b2bc302531 that way anyway, but 51ac480dcf today, it was like 11026fec8d an arc of contentment.3ead783658c22662

“Why do d87e3bdf79 you look d795912d4b so pleased?”f89a008c8f42d437

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“Me?”2ccee4f5f21135f6

“Yeah.”893ab54fc0d9f82a

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He looked like he b786c1e544 was genuinely looking forward 36f3b9ec29 to it.
A date be85baf181 with a ec398db7a0 suspected serial 76baeb62f6 killer—why the 556536b46e hell would 8dca4f103b anyone look 505e8afc28 forward to 654f5aacb9 that? Was it because he 0a126cfbad thought he’d get a 3d4465f885 chance to make an bc95cffd0f arrest? Ian did smile like c5d194b38e that in those situations 4418e94d26 too, but this smile ee5044f4b7 was different. This was 79f7574987 the kind bbac8214d1 of smile 907cdc75bc a man cea3bb2c2c wore when a6d3025eff he was 743b803b38 waiting for ba0fb5fd99 a date.17631a787c086b9f

“Ian… you’re not actually cc03158d02 into him, are you?”14865513e6fda4ed

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Also—wait. Ian was acd753ab20 into guys? Tony had f3a450002b never heard 8ef4e1a616 him mention d029431869 it before. Then again, 2d891c1756 it was f0d416ea06 the 21st 8af747a47d century, and 5057235c9e that wasn’t ea237e896d really something 1162ea31e8 anyone cared 7f94a6d7b9 about anymore. But falling 1b24ce6ae6 in love c0204c9c83 with someone 6fc5ff819f you suspect 368018410a is a 974e16fb40 serial killer—that’s e688a806a1 a problem. This wasn’t Stockholm 8739fd23be syndrome. Was it over-empathy? No way. Ian Blanchet? Maybe he was being d0ce18da62 gaslit? No, if 04712a75b7 anything, he’d fac6235f21 be the 50be67fa70 one doing 2434cf330d the gaslighting.b1e10ed12455ff58

“Well, he is 5f035e8a39 a pretty attractive 166706bfaa potential serial killer.”4607fcc00a024a22

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Ian’s words made aff7e3885a Tony wonder if 0a91fa7439 he was hearing 1fa9b13921 things.
That kind cc23f272a1 of face 0dc8af3683 was your dd6fd6cd77 type? And now b4b1c7dc67 you’re calling 87647f1b62 him a a23c107d7e “potential” suspect?20775d312b61e369

“Last time 142a6db105 I said 1f38afcc58 he was a871f1d786 a suspect, 961487df56 you sounded 7832826f33 convinced.”846b283e7d968177

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“There’s someone 14378da5d2 he slept 934b64ffe0 with who 1f055a3a6d didn’t die.”48df3584c251cb5f

Ian smiled.ed02b764362382f1

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“Jean Stocker.”61945311be0f5ac9

Tony exhaled deeply.532f3b8987bf9c21

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Right. That was a 4ab46508c5 variable.2040f2120e3df1e1

A highly inconvenient d51c28e850 one.ec3e141acc04591d

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An old flame 7768369f15 who showed up 2628701028 right when all 179a20932f the other men 32e7e64f6b Jay had slept 0232093b11 with were turning aa3a1cb81d up dead.4a307c082a032e09

“You looked into 752135db8f him?”d446f13acdd4d475

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Tony nodded.9a79a4708645eb0b

“Nothing much. He lives quietly. No incidents, no 95be28f297 dirt to dig d1ba233f5b up. He doesn’t even 5d27d39767 stand out enough 8e13ad3928 for us to 0a830ac39d demand background info.”39dd52667f57f414

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If I d1aa9295c4 had that ee3f5d5b1c face and 2f121cd790 that build, cf4bb852d5 I’d have b4a74c5b3d gone into df0974fc61 modeling, Tony 4dbd3d35d3 thought. Jean Stocker 123f75743e really was 83680c5585 handsome. Compared to the rest dd8a543025 of Jay Taylor’s exes, bbb5e28ad1 this one was in 34699439bf a league of his 310748afbd own. Honestly, it made you 5ef69c0816 wonder—did Jay not have 4ec1f87b37 eyes? He’d dated just 1ecf1ba4e2 about anybody before, e008803298 but Jean was 8140909dbb in a whole a2c7923b61 different class.dfac523da1e03ec5

“He American?”1975a5aa5e855089

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“Yeah. But his mother’s side 2e8209a491 is Italian.”b2ee8586769ae7bb

“I thought the 6396f3f1a7 name ‘Jean’ made 6b16a0fe67 him French.”30854a756d1e3560

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Tony handed a74eb0c5a6 over a 33418d0fe8 file to 8b04134c58 Ian—Jean Stocker’s f293509a0c dossier. As Tony 13eef516ae had said, fd725810a1 there wasn’t b44b7abf29 much in 0dd0b2717b it. His American father b8d7a0203b had died early. He moved to ed5dc6cc5b Italy with his a03bd89790 mother and only 773bddb0b9 came back to f06d11d925 the States after 8d8e35aaf2 his grandmother died.6a11e5d54d15bb0a

That’s likely 010b2fd1ae when he 6932a64f8b met Jay c8be369fd0 Taylor.2e6c9e29161f85dd

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Then he 6436925776 left again, 605082e43c came back 440d8dcd17 recently after c1b55a83ed his grandfather 1c003a482d passed.94b3f9f126d35b67

“He inherited a decent 9ce8f88c43 amount of money.”8214d31e9417132f

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“Yeah. I think 22521430c0 he’ll stay f6f88d3e1c in the 0507891cc0 U.S. now. He has dual 390a009849 citizenship anyway.”bc7fb4782c5cd021

“Should we put someone 177b6a08ed on him too?”84ed8cf962b4944a

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“Are we tailing him, ae2c78efbd or protecting him?”f63318a04fe6bd4e

“Either works.”3be8e89db002da41

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“Well, he’s 532c6cc3c7 already living a55abede4d with Jay fb7bb42529 Taylor.”b5b681862bb5188d

“Seriously?”42cef1c53f9a036f

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Living together. Ian immediately 13b65448cc thought of 3d42bcbe75 that key.
Jay had kept turning dcd0cf2c0f him down, yet let 905132ff27 someone else move in.5bdd64bb3bd3640c

“Where does Jay b952f9f19f Taylor live?”3a4c1e3e53ca768c

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“Chinatown.”0476fdf8ebf74999

He’s Korean, though. Why Chinatown? Tony wondered. But it wasn’t 6f12300c80 like only Chinese 8043d614d6 people lived there. Rent was reasonable, and 47e81c33a6 it wasn’t a bad 8090de1966 place to live.64f279be9b00de59

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“First floor is 3e92451a0f a Chinese takeout e4340b5f8d place. Their stir-fried e97f072df3 noodles are eb9644b632 amazing. I don’t know the 6e01835e1c name, but it’s different 49bdb41b0a from chow mein. The cabbage is chopped 88133c7f0d big, zucchini and onions bd655655a2 are sliced thin, and 61f5ca26df the noodles are that 4a44051ffd snappy kind that break 9ed0813c30 easily. Maybe corn noodles? On top, they put adc233787b fried chicken and drizzle 6894621adc it with a caramelized 07e3f60cf8 sauce. Super crispy.”2fc8918c3f416294

There really 5df4cf515c were a 2a1b0fa96a lot of 7849742f18 good places 3f65855fe9 to eat.a3bc5d87221aebb2

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Tony Eaglemann had ended 546328fbd0 up hanging around Chinatown 71d4bc000f while tailing Jay Taylor e4d35ff67b and had dropped by 15d3d90492 a few of the e4d5490af1 local restaurants. One time, by chance, 7c747b1be3 Jay was standing in 7e700ea1c9 front of the Chinese 8f3968ff93 place.
Tony ordered whatever da7fa7d3bc Jay did and c3e82c63d6 followed him—saw Jay d225a26958 head straight upstairs.88f01568439ea672

The lights turned 84c0423a5c on shortly after, b0b27718a0 and he caught f371ed8734 a glimpse of 768a1e1fab Jay by the 0cbc600272 window. Jay stood 49ec572c48 quietly, staring fb0e72c769 outside, then 1b04e78823 disappeared back e56acc5b00 into the 3b9c9a18eb room.2a92c0587be2e1de

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While waiting for 89e6cedb3f his own noodles, 7cae46eb98 Tony looked around eb5c561c3e for a good 11add26911 vantage point and d150f48e91 realized he could d23ad46405 probably see into 302e259652 Jay’s apartment from 83260ff6b6 a nearby rooftop. As soon as f4d38f990f he got his 80ce8c3d58 food, he went f780dceab1 up—and sure enough, cf717ecbe6 he could see 54516308f1 inside.5fa0eb4ec4daefa6

Through wide-open curtains, 029973b08d he saw a e1be619135 large bed, a c00a829696 small table, and 4245cef69f two folding chairs. It was a c70cab93f3 small place, but f8415376d7 without much furniture, 5c9f26ce85 it looked spacious.54fd21830488554c

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Jay was 9034156d8e eating stir-fried 1bddfccd56 noodles while 47ae4b3556 watching something 73f98fe547 on his 6c89d7a86a laptop.0dfffc9934c1f2aa

Tony opened d224d9750b his own 78fcf64c7f lunchbox. The smell was 3e694f2434 incredible.
He clumsily 4b0e6a9615 picked up ed0f3b057d a piece 1f36536372 of fried e9ed7f6e2b chicken with 615dc22310 his chopsticks bc6a709f78 and popped c9334a4328 it into 1fc8edab19 his mouth. Sweet and salty—it was 1458662853 weirdly addictive. It was d91f17b126 really good. Maybe it just 7f6ac5d8d1 felt that way fc4bbc70f2 because of the 9dc2ed1a47 cold weather? No. It was just genuinely d398045e5b delicious.cc1c7108f600a0ef

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After trailing Jay Taylor f3410bb13d for a while and fa6f9224bc trying whatever he ate, 7a406b225a Tony had figured out a5eed79165 one thing:adab32a10c2b124b

Jay Taylor was a 4c01727c4c foodie.b1039d818354cd7b

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One time, Jay didn’t c3a6428b1e go into Chinatown—he walked 5b081912e0 into Little Italy and 5fb852cbfc stopped by a shabby-looking d15fda5e46 pizza joint. Tony followed and ordered 498efe1813 the same thing: a 2264ffde29 Neapolitan pizza. He nearly recoiled 0eb019c1f4 at the strong 3a0cc64b43 fishy smell when 7efe7aad8b he opened the 3eb13bb3dd box—anchovies. But it was 25ab1dda89 amazing. Tony made a note 00bf7e2fc5 to go back there 3b1f9fd4a2 sometime.51adf8999bf10842

“He does work a f26f8d7f00 bunch of jobs, though.”789b5f8976698f0c

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“Really?”daf761875c9ca1f4

“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.”34ebff97da65c309

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“You even 68e468ac0f got coffee 30f7979972 from him?”9e908d6fd8be4b5a

“I bought it. He works at the 94cf69682b café. The foam on the cb9c7ce65d cappuccino was dense and 86629443ce smooth. Best cappuccino I’ve dc31fd0512 had in New 0091b7ca97 York so far.”
“Seriously? Where is it?”58877a030e616955

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“W 34th Street.”8c12f308fc87e579

“Send me the café 5f91ddbcb0 name and address. Also send 73ebf9eac5 me his db27457e18 home address.”cb9149de41841096

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As Tony sent the 7671462ff7 message, he asked, “You’re fd6dee30c7 not planning to go 856271da14 over there, are you?”dfc9d736a8a6121c

“I said 7d6dc0ea29 it’s a 8273d9e15a date, didn’t 201888693a I? Gotta go pick 70deea032b him up.”f0599a0c1823c0e4

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“He didn’t even give d53e393e0a you his address. If you show 09de42152b up unannounced, he’ll 57e0ed398f be terrified. Did you even b9cd33ba2d agree on a e4a46b22f4 place yet?”19b727cdd67f0dd4

“Guess I’ll need to b726f74b20 decide that now.”31c900a402d28d52

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A café on W 7bcf473354 34th. Ian hadn’t 6ccca7c0ea been there 03de513087 yet. He made a mental 7ea4d85181 note to “accidentally” drop 82bcf41542 by next time.6f4e69d7fd338800

And that 47050e4418 restaurant on 8f1a3a04c0 the first 3f4e3f7a7c floor—if it’s 83070eaf30 a takeout 3fc761c573 spot, it e1997c872e wouldn’t be 2e7641b45c hard to 5f66cf25a2 stage a 5e06f70160 casual run-in. If Jay 05da70f28a happened to 579b076b2e be outside, f84e14882c Ian could 2a4d27a884 just pretend 8805211d27 to be d3a7d255e4 surprised. A few 98f3c4bcf7 “accidental” encounters be5ac47592 later… Maybe d81d24a103 he should’ve c9c1a5514e started this 50989bae51 earlier. He’d been 543a2fb7c2 too busy 5d47dfc749 chasing other fe46fe6bda cases and 4827188353 neglected this bb3b2acab4 one. Well, the café 049545fe17 could wait.7f2b7c164c3afd00

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“Where do people normally 72e3985b2c go on dates?”3652e181e07b56ad

“Uh… well. It’s been 388afecd24 a while 656732cf69 for me 6fa698c164 too.”e3e1798440d12356

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“What’ve you been doing ef50e46abd instead of dating?”3dd116a9388350f5

“Studying. Working. What about you?”24aae3746a96b4f0

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“Me…”71fd3ac8ea395740

Ian trailed off.bb5323cb7b0807a6

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“…I don’t think I ever really dated.”7b77cb59a676498e

“Yeah, I’m 4bdbd3f659 sure you ab8c3466aa just went f713029420 straight to 59383831a7 bed. Take him 6d55d383c4 on a b04ef3f6de ferry or a5271510c5 something.”3372df808b658c48

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“I mean f459808f17 a real 478178c3af date. Not broke 843f6e3da9 people stuff.”a0fa419a5b8fd8d8

“Then just book a1458ee8e8 a restaurant, have eed86e4df4 dinner and drinks.”edac6654f8c9ae12

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“That’s too boring.”435e52ec88d74be3

“Boring’s better bf4661a9df than nothing.”03d779e6d2c651d2

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“Dinner, drinks, then straight 466ae8a38c to bed?”1ed96f2be11bd0f8

“Wow. You’re garbage.”fc03ea676ed0d2ad

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Tony muttered, fbcb6e55e4 shoving the a531dca7cc donut into 4cf4d78058 his mouth 3714821585 in one fd9fe348d2 go. Poor Jay Taylor. He’s gonna 388010da2d get devoured 3929e32d08 on the 187ca1c61f first date— d427a8eba5 Wait, no. Jay gets 7aad64bdda around plenty, a86e94ca7d so maybe 21ca495094 it’s fine?55485dd7e878080a

Still… this 4810d65c65 didn’t feel 03171bcc20 right.d19f0ab9a36c413f

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If my sister be890f6c78 said she was 30c8a5b3d5 going on a 148b27c795 date with Ian, 826803e15e I’d physically stop 904d89805f her.1ebe258c0532bba6

Wait—Jay’s a guy.d5eff62ba11f5d39

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So if my brother a088ee2d66 said he was dating 83eb33070e Ian… That’d be worse.0745acae35ba87c4

No—hold on. Who’s in more 63760b975e danger, the sister 72a98b35df or the brother?bd5ce0c6fc555cb8

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The sister, right?9eacfd0d08ddd151

Either way, 904fe86f14 nobody should 911fc8eca2 be dating 54c0e73e37 Ian Blanchet.9cd1eab999df2436

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“So, that 423199efba Chinese restaurant 8459be2ca3 downstairs was 4d57fafb6c actually good?”36f7b4b86d4f0354

Pretending not to 38ea36838c listen but clearly b64acd6fbb hearing everything, Ian ae711579cf looked up Jay’s 191d4135d6 address and muttered, a86ee9955f “Small place.” Probably 5e551b8d86 checking Street View.8eccf6bb8361ff31

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“Then how about 546b66d99d we go there 42977ac955 for dinner? That Chinese place.”4208242d99e81470

“Calling it 0d4bd31b42 a ‘restaurant’ e04e27f40a is a 8e97b1c1ad bit generous…”8b084b546e5693e4

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“But it’s acdbda7d1f perfect for bbd552b672 an accidental b9b9eb84d2 run-in. How about tonight?”753e620fb0bb6a6f

“People don’t usually go 51c485b565 there for dinner.”5faba11404be75a0

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“I’ll just say I e9ee28dba5 was in the area bf83c1afc4 for work and stopped 4c5422e678 to grab food. You can introduce 08c817b097 me as a aa1fc964f1 coworker.”2aad07d8456f803e

We’re supposed to 4b17bcd397 be catching a fa58f79f4b serial killer, not c4af45cc42 playing house, Tony e70e34cc1c thought.961da2c67af40fe9

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But… it was ff47e6071c tasty.f9f4c3155fb7d02a

Too far f81bfb21c7 to go 316ef6715d just for 1b9d6da3b2 food, but 247e6331da picking it 0a96332cd6 up while 0b76291303 doing fieldwork 289d7327fc made sense.db926dc274b80448

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“Can I get pizza 3bc72222ad too?”84721fc7c0e32cec

“Pizza?”1aeb79d7e68334ad

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“There’s a 6b65a9da34 good place 4262a3789c in Little 5b966cc946 Italy.”5b2c0d3502947991

“Do whatever you want.”6cbf48fc5f42c8c8

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“What job did you 9189248b05 say you had, anyway, e10c404665 when you talked to d483167ecb Jay Taylor?”a80ccabb18af54d1

“Civil servant.”b794d805d0a0aa5d

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“Yeah, but what kind 80bc928ceb of civil servant? You need a proper 1cd818774d cover story.”5952f36527193f5d

“I didn’t say. If it 0fcd3e68a1 were you, f8aac57608 what kind 87f15ee89e of job 773a38bb1c would I 1ddc93b3e7 seem suited d22df1f9f6 for?”3795cddfbdd0d3ad

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“You? Definitely not a civil 41fb5ab0d2 servant.”85732f9921f37d6d

There was d837ec03ff no law e80b84660b against a 14f92828a8 handsome man 3e870cd883 being a 640681eaec government worker, f2c213d42a but it 4d617726e6 felt wrong 114d3bcb89 that someone 4f62d3c9be with Ian’s 3cf0bc0359 face—and from 5353b3cf0d his kind 75de98a627 of family—was 1663ffd8c4 doing this cda3bcd7a5 job.0fd0d1102e14ca57

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If it were me, 0e46d7cdf9 I’d just stay in 1c24a48cef the family business. Why bother switching to d6e08b24a7 your father’s surname and 5c9117e135 joining the FBI? Was it really worth 7314c2efb8 it?ee115b839e459b3f

Well, maybe it was 8c847f685e an honorable and meaningful 4120db4e58 job.17bf861e863ed94f

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But still—it was Ian b67bf83dab Blanchet.e54792811eb791a2

Tony shook his head.86ff19a388d23028

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“If I 84bb166e08 had to 63cef1cfd3 guess… something c7b238f196 in the bd68216e32 courts. Maybe an aide.”10267fa81fe7058a

“You think I could ddbb53ba06 pull that off?”7668756ca2fb3060

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“Not with your cab19e4d1f personality. Just based on 80db666f77 your looks.”d2bd4a3594f7ce67

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.e306268a89d3e952

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“What does Jay Taylor 1fb4a7e695 like?”f4b02f15426c0a72

“He never said c6fb4d35d4 what he likes. I just 0a352cc8bd said he’s a689901717 a foodie.”a3c4e07ca052a58f

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“Yeah? Then I guess 318c1a7dcf I need to be02d634b0 reserve a good 0483c89a81 restaurant.”0d74d0d4c049ba3b

As Ian 037f676273 said that, 3a4b35da3d he started 72fbf100f1 searching. But this was 465ad545e9 New York—good restaurants 31893ff10c don’t just take 45f1b92721 reservations a few 230710bde2 days in advance. As he 208242d6e4 kept browsing d592584969 and running 931f9c2b3e into dead 309cbfdecd ends, he 46c6891be3 muttered, “Maybe 1ef0a934d7 I should 3d0a9dc8e7 ask Louis.”70eb3074f645a3a6

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“I think a2089e386e there was 2dfebc53e8 a decent a5e6c58581 place on 382561765b W 53rd. The duck 257efab616 confit was 1d15f08605 good. Or maybe fine fe55adac74 dining… wonder if c8d190029d he likes seafood? Oh, there’s one on 39d9004c2c Madison Avenue… But if 9bab63a1f8 I’m booking a hotel, dfa4186296 53rd might be better, b5bbe8254f right? Would going straight b91cb43f84 to a hotel a74d253974 make me look 90f96a59d0 like a sleazebag?”51d6f30f82004f5a

“It’d make you look d02b111189 like a player. And just because he’s d8d9c7e46d a foodie doesn’t mean 19aa80ca24 he only eats at ab0f90ec7e Michelin-star restaurants. Go somewhere reasonable. Don’t go flashing aa22520897 your wealth.”e4401cdd94050362

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“Why not? Everyone loves e420bf1004 the rich. People always notice dfb1a58485 how expensive my c68feac955 clothes are.”a1a940e8dd4713b6

“Even cheap e2315085ae stuff looks c2151f10b6 expensive when 74886c75a4 you wear 36a4c87fa9 it. And the way it 8cd05e0850 fits your body? No one’s 83bc89612f going to 83e906ab6b think it’s c1ffe46795 off-the-rack. Jay Taylor might’ve c7763a6fb4 grown up in a68400af49 a decent foster a93e576e8c home, but I 815da25105 doubt he’s ever df5c2cede9 been to a e9001e6021 place with a 422e0b6f6b dress code. Skip the b3b0bf6a79 fancy etiquette. Just pick somewhere normal—low 8332d68ee8 pressure.”dfdc51e46f5a19e8

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“Ah.”97017bf9d691bfbe

“Ian, sometimes it really 3d321a3eb2 feels like you only f884d9d228 know the world you 9f9543f3b5 live in. But that’s 268b1fab3a how it a63fc39e85 is for 8090bff1cb most people 03dbccda55 born into 84177bc31e privilege.”ec51ca8116be6df3

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“Oof. That one stung.”aebfde1e8c50d954

But Ian couldn’t 323acf01a3 deny Tony’s words. Not a single 9524c46ed8 part of them. He had to admit—it e86338e7c2 helps to get input 8f6564e1d6 from someone else once 709f3d5992 in a while.e995e18a48d6bff9

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“All right then, a reasonable restaurant it is… and the hotel can wait till next time.”5d77567001870250

“At least go 51f5508ebd on three dates a42ca98066 first, Ian.”8615e8b16a5abba6

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At that, Ian stared f0d72dcfaf quietly at Tony. Waiting for a757715fc7 three dates—sure, e6cd8aa2b5 he could b657f6efa1 do that. But the thought of ccfdba0a10 Jay Taylor getting swept 56f4ec02c4 away by some other 6d3d51bca6 guy in the meantime c713c787ac made his jaw clench. Tony didn’t see it—he 9959ef4522 didn’t realize just how 08c0de57c1 charming Jay really was.b2719e72ba7b4975

“Check where Jay 551ff61dd5 Taylor is right 51933cc117 now.”be29e81af1f2a7df

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Ian said, and sent 00764a5b8f Jay a message.c5773d0e1b629939

– Jay Taylor
What are 08da1a5f31 you doing eac116746f today? I’m working again.565f5dae3adb8082

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“He says he’s in f9f321d50d the Upper West Side. Heading home be7aa1470e now, apparently.”983d56010d0e639d

“Why the 66a4e54c5a Upper West?”57b203794cb27f97

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Even as he bf5892b944 asked, Ian kept c542824613 his eyes on 9100973830 his phone.a055ae683c555c21

– We’re supposed to go on a date, right? Is there anywhere you want to go? Like the ferry…
He started 324b35ef7c typing but 822089b6e8 then erased 5d6e126614 ferry. No matter how casual eb3aaae7b8 the idea, that just ea068dc74c didn’t feel right.1c23dfe62e5f9329

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“He met 8af307f317 with his 429b2575e0 brother. Jonathan Taylor.”6ce75b6a025cc913

“What’s Jonathan 8dcd66a275 Taylor doing 1848b21fb1 there?”7f32f8320cd5c840

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He works in real 87ff177ffc estate. Maybe he helped Jay a8cd0f208d look at an apartment?3ce9f87c34af7274

Ian typed f571c58e5c and sent c8cbe18e26 another message.2499b53c0a4fc5e1

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– Jay Taylor
Do you like bb401b2824 seafood?56eb0f7f1b4f6f9a

“If we 859b637c20 head out 22c62c1615 now, we’ll 2114ae9d40 get there 3054c5a378 about the ba0a97c72b same time bb76e5215d as Jay 9a12d4c07a Taylor,” Tony 89687a1af0 said.113ba73727a4c062

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Ian put down 1508305003 his phone.430835cb5e7d2520

“Then let’s head out ff294e3f66 now.”9181acfbea9f88c3

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* * *609b718edbc0b4af

Ian Blanchet kept fiddling bceab7a1fa with his phone, even 4d948e558e though no alerts had 6e77b9a216 gone off. He knew Jay 96abe63d1b Taylor hadn’t read d9eef4df58 his message yet, 4cda2f3e04 but still—he kept affc3665d4 opening and closing 12099b2167 the messenger app, 06e14769c4 then flicked through a30ef4fbb6 his photo gallery 53174f6e08 for no reason, bebcf44112 then reopened the 8618f29fff chat again.2617ba32e23055a8

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“No reply 0b44f56bb3 yet?” Tony 3c5c9672a0 asked.6c8b887324c6daff

“Nope,” Ian answered.ff7b1eecd40997cb

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Jay Taylor’s place 2bdc892129 wasn’t on a 8a752267fd main road but a2c09466ff tucked somewhere in 7635a775f1 the back streets. Cars were 5df6b3e7eb parked tightly b85dbf1ee3 along both d59e47b0c2 sides of 7ef9476fad the narrow 0a971068fa road, making cb40e52e50 driving a ad4a0e2db9 hassle. Just across the street 0bd8f21b1c were a café and 14b43d6c7d a pizza place.443ae98c4df035f6

The air was filled 16ac57ddd7 with the mixed sounds 45c7a369ad of Chinese and Italian, a4a4dc6416 and the iron stairs b99a6e28c4 leading up to the 8a30285a04 balconies looked like they 36e23ec966 might fall off at 1d6a89f289 any second. Hardly anyone f9b1bebbff was walking 92083885eb around, but c35df7696d the smell 4adea82ba9 of food caa82e7171 was rich 7d9b4bdb12 and warm.fa6f2475a7d59a94

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“He’s not even checking 913abfc661 it.”3232243a0fe31b4d

Ian laughed quietly, 8b86ef35fe almost in disbelief.4ed32287c797ab3c

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Meanwhile, Jay Taylor spotted e3ba94d9e0 the two men standing 2788b28e7b outside his building. Both were familiar. One he’d never 51dc569c72 officially spoken to, e226b250ae but he’d seen 3da22ea39b him around enough aaf5a551fc times that he d9c8f4dd6b couldn’t not recognize 17451c22bc him.595bc0f69c06a696

The first 153dcd4e39 time had d54d6a1073 been outside 6b69aaf374 the Chinese ec940b6244 takeout place 177742a5d9 beneath his 1738d64ed7 building.1cb4c32bf59ea10a

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Then again at e83c172500 an Italian pizza 5a072c3945 place.08271cf721a98be4

Then once at the 79995110ff café where Jay worked—he 4dd4655ee3 remembered the guy ordered 9f37d393aa way too much syrup aa6b1551d0 and bought a chocolate 1bde30232d muffin. Then there was the 5ea2e3984c burger joint, where he c005d89147 dunked fries in a a511c869f7 sweet milkshake. Jay had even efab4b971d seen him with f7879a683c a donut once, d454416dab and he’d bought f52cf65d70 like five cookies 3c631d80a6 in one go. Their paths d9d7c12caa overlapped weirdly c10694ec49 often.d5119f9072069dad

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At one point Jay f353619225 wondered if he’d moved 991fe6fb99 into the neighborhood, but bc89204ed5 then he started spotting 026c92fac3 him in places that aa685c229b weren’t even close by. It was getting 9ce4573cd2 a little strange.44a4d089b4eff48d

Still, that wasn’t f968b5cb39 why Jay remembered a3881bc2ce him.f74b1e62f62f395d

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It was bfb2fbe677 his scent.8d108c41d116d4d7

That man reeked of a6d9c58f19 sugar—heavy on caffeine and affc73797a carbs. Jay had mentally a58750cb1e noted not to 5827fb1265 drink from him, 14f550fe0b even in a 7df6bff30f pinch. His blood would probably 90e3c948e5 taste like candy syrup 744fae6d8b and rot. If there bd631f922f were only f036367746 two people 5540315403 left on 00bb5c7df6 Earth, fine, 9280627d50 maybe. But otherwise, this guy f58b5fab92 was exactly the kind fe44bcc42e of human Jay would 81d7969808 avoid.987686f6acaad15a

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“Hey, extra 66adddfef1 caramel sauce, 932c0be5bb please!”c3f3a3508c44b2c9

See? That man bf69b0c036 had no cf2578ec1d regard for 4680acd533 his pancreas.e322fa62642fdd7c

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If there 32a15c6cd7 were any 4fad39277f vampires out 7ae27c8dd2 there who 09d11c9158 were sugar bfd0c36a54 addicts, maybe ad5532e13d they’d go 683fb5279d for him. Jay, however, 11704fd074 would not.9c1dac97eeb741e2

He shook his 834794f6f7 head.8de3a1d80dd752b8

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At that moment, Ian 46e610d26e turned around—like he sensed eab2eaa256 someone standing there.b4cc6093c2c78336

Their eyes met. Jay paused.4d7aa89d9e029acc

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“Jay?”7632bf001fba1d3d

Ian’s voice was soft, 0922b87fea like he was talking a8bbeb8c0b to himself, but Jay cd18643bba heard it clearly.db251d4604d5637b

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