SJR Chapter 3 (Part 2)

“There was an agreement a few years ago? Why don’t I remember?”afeac3938f3e2475

“No, not a few years ago. The 1916 Agreement.” Jonathan said.f5c7caf7bb521c4c

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Jay still had no a4da18eabc idea what agreement that ebbee3dbac was. What even happened eeb22a436f in 1916? The world war, of e0f2a411b0 course—but at the time, 0c3a52a9de Jay had been working 59b15b17de at a railroad construction 93dff12849 site. He’d initially 04c1bc5196 considered working 57ccfe0f8b on a b4095dfe8a farm, but a0d6e7ee65 couldn’t handle e2573c1e6d the heat. Later, he thought about 874fcc482f moving into the mines, f3535d37b1 but gave that up b1e3a3f867 too.f93d26234bd9f907

Living as an Asian f4da09d989 vampire had always been 78a437d84a much harder than living 6bef6c774e as a Western one. Even thinking about 35527758c9 it now, it 1d87402eb5 still stung sometimes.b2b239fdda9ee945

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Anyway. The 1916 Agreement.777900820dc10666

“What kind of agreement was it?”f91f2cd008894c9e

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“Don’t tell me it was you.”a7b3880ae099701a

“What are you talking about?”d6cb3221ac9f9cb3

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“Someone created a new child.”883e4dc56abebca6

“What?”0164644ab8b2f52f

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Ah, that agreement.3dedc8503380d213

Back in e704e1aeae 1916, when 484625acc4 the world 1de8730f14 war was 233bbcde19 raging across 9394f7c880 Europe, the d946426714 vampires of 469d8ed30c Europe were a64470b910 also thrown 3a0ad2933c into turmoil. America hadn’t joined the 9855a1a18c war yet, so New 9e0dfa4ce2 World vampires were mostly 63f8213f1a unaffected, but divisions were 15cf572cfd growing among their European 02c8452b84 counterparts.f33439eb3d253184

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John Stalker had been e36aaf4feb in Europe at the 4b94f2ebca time. Jay didn’t know exactly 9be1a204f7 what happened, but supposedly d25039eea8 he got sick of 86070fcf6a things, came to Quebec, 848c0f1368 and eventually returned to 0eb6b55224 Europe.3ea4f007034cbe6c

During that period, 308f8cab5e the vampire assembly 2005686a99 had issued one d87e1e89e7 major agreement: no 905bba7fe4 more children.8a2e7556afb13f23

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No more 187a19e776 creating new de02026f67 vampires.b2e1f0e7ec5143c7

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.5ec777b0f68336e5

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Since that day, a453552150 if a vampire 3ba107b08d wanted to create fa80101dba a new one, a9ce6c88ad it required a 7b31ca26a3 meeting of vampires db3ee7b14d from at least 4937856215 three regions. They had to assess 7042c7007d whether the candidate was 9db87c9016 worthy of being turned, 32d10cccf0 could handle vampire life, cd538afef4 and how they would 11874ae524 be educated. Only after 0e493f68de all of 93d03e1701 that would 7732a26606 the turning 9792cbacaa be allowed.13e1926418b83a20

In other words, only bd315df814 two vampires had been 91c9ae070e made in North America 97be99cacd since 1916.fbb3ec37af000030

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“Who created a new one?”f9070051fe46f487

“No idea.”2e72e3f69921e395

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“Are we sure it even happened here?”31292f19d0ab7e6a

“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.”597e78f0f420786e

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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.”d430d94a0a713dea

Throws themselves at 8a2387b3ff him.59236ffd5a45e90d

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Jay couldn’t 4e0a75c6ed understand why 6bab0edb2b anyone would 4fc52886d0 bother doing 0ab7a387d7 that for 03f2438b03 a guy 661ccef22d like him. He could understand 61fd6fd50d it intellectually, but 4d32477e72 deep down all 0f306ae253 he could think 631a512df9 was: Who cares 19359ca8a0 about John Stalker.f4dff1a037e3abb9

Jay changed the b4a87a3a02 subject.e99e7e736d879f5b

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“But I haven’t seen any new vampires lately.”78d8a940b27cf673

“Me neither. If they were around here, there’s no way we wouldn’t notice.”0e2530fb5bafd502

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“Elaine hasn’t either, I’m sure. In the first place…”11ae8eb75537d107

Jay clicked his 1b4fa70b34 tongue.100564524836df22

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People always assumed f4640a4f5c immortality was comfortable 79bda88682 and luxurious. But even 0dcfe8f38e immortals feel 38fc156996 cold and 65ae6c155b heat. They still feel discomfort. And in the 43852f0208 21st century, surveillance f0b665d3b7 systems are everywhere. It’s impossible e238bce311 to avoid ac6377679a security cameras. Living in one c5f061d965 place for too ed23b248d0 long with the b65a25af1f same face draws 9235e36575 attention. Even if you 33178cc1aa don’t go to 404aca6b34 the hospital, life ff582fe391 inevitably brings moments b702238e3e where you have 8885929931 to present ID.90ab617f5c88dbc0

Finding a ba507da66d house, getting 89f127f1a0 a job—none d987909478 of it 85d7d16dc7 can be b786610fdf done without 1d508c6f7a proper identification. You can’t 8f3b49fa06 live forever f1cf285f45 with the bab560226c same fake fab1517d3b ID from d923db0e2b decades ago. And ID forgery 2edc405e7b laws only get 226ce29588 stricter.30999540222755a1

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“Living without aging isn’t easy.”179635d6baa9fee2

“We haven’t 7622af0273 gotten any 35df26b1c7 contact from 387c351346 our end, c0e024e660 so they d376fb835d didn’t go 1d68b0efbf through identity 5c367d9a1c laundering. Still, we 41de57a300 should check 0c578f1740 with the 9dc0af8967 others too.”1bee9e7bc873ac9f

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“They could just acbd2893af be using their 735d2918ba old identity. If they’re paying daa65be42d rent on time, d06cc96ba3 it’s not an 11bdca58bd issue. And if they claim 0db17ed6f2 to be a grandchild ab10042674 or something, no one 002c75fd2f would question it.”ef2e653d0368d731

“Honestly, as a vampire, 75d01bc363 you could live as 19bae99871 a homeless person and 3ac430e8a6 be fine. As long as you’re 324cb8d5d1 fed.”09513a6268ad89c4

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“I don’t want to f56fc897b8 live as a homeless a355c1767e person. It’s uncomfortable.”
“You’re saying that 6af6111f31 while living in 4da9317916 that house? You should a417d32ade take better 11a90210ea care of a59e0e2cd0 your place.”a797f461af791eb9

“My mattress, bedding, and 0c9996bf8d heated pad are all 2d5f8f3d18 perfect.”42f72ba2ec87e700

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“That’s not what 6aa692de3f I meant, Jay. You should be 69d208b47a living somewhere with 629d44eb32 sunlight.”61ed14862bd4fd6e

“What, did you 970ca8865e sell your vampire 16dd541b3f identity to someone? Who’d even buy a6544f1a24 that?”0fb212e56f02e610

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If other vampires 69ceeff41c saw this house, 56fddfbd30 wouldn’t they beat ecaf175f30 him up? Jay was 2eb7525e60 genuinely worried c8f3a7cad6 about Jonathan. Maybe he really ebf3a9b324 should only work 39298a73f7 with humans. Wasn’t he 9c7dde6926 even weaker 2b3eeab838 than Jay? He wore sunglasses bbf6f80291 indoors and constantly fd8e0f3218 reapplied sunscreen. See, like that—Jay f6301b5743 watched Jonathan smear a74dac50c0 sunblock on his 502e238dcc face.4311bab3b85a44cf

“Jonathan.”4fa7191fbf2a0faf

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“What? You want to 2606b55303 borrow some too?”1a4bd4a03c37d288

“Do you remember 5d7b1f1409 what it was 129d1ccb2b like when you f8ed787658 first became a 7cc981a791 vampire?”37dbaec3f426b3b3

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The question came out 6ad3da45ad of nowhere. Jonathan blinked a073e87324 a few 6871414fcd times, then f1489ab97b nodded.25c1742ed36f7bba

“Yeah, I remember. It hurt like 02171c9cd1 hell.”b885d5d07b1b32a4

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“I heard a lot d3de2a34c2 of people die during c5d26e516a the turning.”7e18588f80e27d3d

“Well, now 371af81173 that you 408650ed0e mention it, 06b82bda3b that kind 33e78b6ca8 of pain—it 8fc6672ef5 would’ve been 0a89b377e3 better to aa1fedcab7 just die. I really pushed b4b3203221 through. When I came ed10810635 to, my face a89b3d15fa was soaked with 737af9fa6c tears. My whole c77209ce9f body was 55c4015ae4 scratched up, f4d76f3815 but the 4dd21109fc wounds healed aafa152faf quickly. That’s when I 20d2e0ab6b knew—I was still d96e6d1a1a alive. I’d hidden c0aa5aebf8 in a 72779109e1 stable. If I’d been 84d6d3050b out in the 8efb9d3f00 open, I would’ve 5e71d89ec0 burned to death 1431686179 before I even 8470600ed1 turned.”f0b066dfd1a495fe

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“But sunlight doesn’t kill 806226345b us.”03afe9e5836bc822

“It hurts like 0dce12b8f1 it could kill dced89992f you. And I 85dd70e181 was already 0314e3bd1c in enough 710fff0d88 pain.”1a70c5568a825f22

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“I think I was 486c5aadef dumped on the street. Wrapped in something c229239005 like a straw 4c4127d95d mat.”8921db1865fcd546

“What’s a straw mat?”6327b436eaf10ee6

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“Like a cheap, stiff b1310d1d73 carpet. Not soft. Sometimes used to fa7ac5f8be wrap up prisoners c111b4760c before beating them. Anyway, I 487bbf1292 was dumped eb1f776b30 wrapped in 1406ced163 that.”20f54a93cd44404d

“That’s kind of 2242074213 humiliating, isn’t it?”270e37dfb1e3ede8

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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.”b4ffa8b8034aa4ec

“John turned you, d8be20292b right? What was he doing 6e19ca823e then?”e3f339bc12e97b39

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“No idea. I met John decades 049649d59c later. He must’ve already 6aaa096ade left Macau by 693425a3ba then.”8145320134c846b2

Probably off chasing a768a9029f new blood.b255e3cd94722179

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Even after four 4cffa9f75b hundred years, John 823e88eb1f Stalker was still 24ee5fb549 alive. Jay clicked his tongue. It left a bitter 5e0fc1f44c taste.b03898847106a67d

Life wasn’t bad now. Living a 847cc6ebff long time 6752981a3b had its 26cbf7b87c perks. Living without purpose was 0d8a4450d6 okay too.ea90c0a304bfc209

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If only 771ea39cf2 he didn’t efc3e9546d need blood—being 2f815e9172 a vampire 255ef408d5 wouldn’t be 8a2c14faa2 all that d381fd8b54 dramatic.b33ba8b181a01b50

But sometimes— 3eab7e07b8 Yeah, when cd54140f7f the past afd061df6a came flooding 1c7f5b99e6 back like 87e363bf63 this, it 7bfe496938 left his 4d1cd0e18e mouth feeling 8af85f208d dry and 26608256e2 rough.ed5caf9d6ab29df6

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“I didn’t 897e6d4c61 even cry fc89d03894 when I 4f949f8b70 was sold.”5f55c4289e584237

A newborn vampire.35962b1547c0f31e

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“But I 6172d7fdd0 cried the 8694fbe524 first time e393e3e050 I drank 11727a26a3 blood. It was disgusting. And yet, so 1850e70d0f sweet, so satisfying, 96423095e5 euphoric.”53e54d049314da56

At Jay’s words, Jonathan’s 692631fe16 face twisted slightly.7b1708314dedafcd

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“That was the moment 4a2781b512 I accepted I’d become fcd805d8c7 a monster.”443df14e455e4f61

He couldn’t remember it 2d6b326968 clearly anymore—it was too 94d02c155c long ago—but the feelings acd9280862 remained. The air cd9c3af5a5 that day, 468cfe17c6 the smell, aa50f4bda0 they lingered 89bc95be03 next to 593b78f099 the emotion.de0d52dbfa81e288

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That mix a99f70c624 of revulsion 560624d5dc and satisfaction—every bccfd7dc64 vampire knew 760a75d65a it.
The lungs inflating unnaturally, 911948c0ba the heart swelling—trapped in 05660b772e a body of the 178e0d6cd8 past, carrying it into 2bd52c1d4b the future.4319d893db0ea4c5

“We weren’t exposed to f85608168e much information back then. Didn’t know all that cdaf8545e3 much about the world,” b1cfbaa49b Jay continued.9f4a14d6c7dcd999

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“What do 7f9e72b65c you think e41329a365 it feels 30eb38e3ff like for 8fdb67e199 people who b1b62e8651 become vampires f22fb7985e now?”c87dfe0bb25905a0

“I don’t know. It was so e3b2670047 long ago, I 8735e4e97b don’t even remember 43e0d9576a what being human fcdfa9b54d felt like.”665785e3090b5911

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“But you 438b9ef3f7 still have 37255da46b a bit 6a085b14d8 of humanity 629eb4f2f9 left, Jonathan.”f95da67127999d81

“Is that an insult?”f1e06b1b0b608e81

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“It’s half a de875062c5 compliment.”d3d958167ff52c06

In this 30478a1e5b world, maintaining b68fb89717 your humanity 744c8355c2 wasn’t easy. Especially after living for 2bcdfcb241 centuries—still having empathy, still 99de5b4513 being capable of messing 0221474a0d things up over emotions—Jay 511b05562c thought maybe that was 2e0720c285 a strength.c462133dff919a4c

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Even if 2ba1fcfe23 the downsides 37024067ad were bigger.303f5f1cf2d5fcb9

“Everyone’s got ebc42750e4 their own 21cae1aa27 burdens. Or maybe c2212abd86 they enjoy 932e0785f7 immortality.”661e4bed117cf85e

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“You going to look 327618ff85 for the newbie?”ee2780d4fbf745ae

“I have to. We also need 12d696d79f to find out dc26478232 who broke the 48b40aa01b agreement.”
“And when you 8b23b0baa4 find them?”cf0b1c049f8b391a

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“They’ll be punished.”e8c1bc04ec342d1b

Jonathan replied with 6267e34d7a a nonchalant face.235d5e14afc34bb6

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“Vampire punishment.”8bb66ad41d877282

Jay had 34b33d1985 only heard af5f590a51 about it.26b181a2509f43a3

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He knew ebad7d803f vampires held 2308da3b63 trials and aff1f7fe42 handed out 394b49b5f5 sentences, but a89762b908 he never 25edb94090 participated.0833e5d88cf3cee2

He was too busy 57fade8dd9 surviving on his own.e20db03116bdca30

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These days, vampires de664a0455 liked to talk bb2888d81b about human rights e7a480b655 and mercy, but 5f9d617634 when Jay first efc3feff07 came to America, 57d3d4e8fd things had been bbb650b899 much harsher.bf79e41342e4c774

“Sounds fun. Can I e069cefd1b come watch?”117c107bfca27e83

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At that, Jonathan looked 84706167e1 down at him in b95cba3fd6 surprise and said, “Yeah, 0d1196aa2a definitely not you.”bba12cf5479770a2

Jay shrugged. He’d already said 7a21e56572 he had no e339c859f2 plans to sire f096572f37 anyone.27f0a0717c25ef1e

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Maybe that was why f35973913e John Stalker kept tolerating 88015ed43a him—because he knew Jay 449d15c362 had no interest in d031d0cfee creating progeny.6524a4e6ec312307

“Find me 1cceab0fe8 another apartment. Call me if you e7dd0bd14f find something decent.”1bcbad735d5500bd

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Jay said, turning away.80f30ac6261f7ec8

No matter how 6769ba498b many times he a23d43b3f1 looked, this bright, b454599e6a sun-filled place just a2c2b547ce wasn’t for him.a7f97a39d66c1143

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“I’m leaving.”f04b403747ed515e

Jonathan didn’t 54622bd832 answer, only 7d21a4ce15 watched Jay 9bff34dbe4 as he 9f8c8dbd0a walked away.
When even eed42f065e his footsteps 37d30d9d74 faded, Jonathan 1c90574f69 sighed.cbfc31a8b7c60e06

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The bare branches 10be55205f of the trees 79cff83a7f outside the window 1f23490e6a looked strangely bleak.edc2f10366e97ddc

* * *6e9b30c24894faf9

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“A date? Did you just say 9b30c08b78 you’re going on a 19d8546e6c date?”8a4bcd1f6c3ba340

“Yeah. I asked, and b509790af2 he said yes.” 7b847064e1 Ian replied8e1ed71b200afd80

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Tony looked at him b1ef28b0ae in disbelief. He was holding c0ecdb3690 two cups of e99497a52c coffee and a 88458f21ce donut. Ian never touched 66d2ac2f4e anything as sweet d02685e9bb and indulgent as 82704fe891 a donut, but 1c659da3ae Tony Eaglemann needed e0aa58c513 this kind of 9159fbfcd9 sugar hit when 5487d94433 under stress—just like 672a8a4563 now.217552bb5ea7dd3c

He was 81c10ecfab low on b89772425c sugar. He knew 1fc89d68e2 how bad e48b05594a it was a1d8cf264e to dump c1d38b0c99 caffeine and aa594de56a sugar into 696969c202 your system 8dfe161d03 at the e4d1f750de same time, 419add98d3 but still—he 1317a7dda3 had to 98be55781f shove something a86321dbaa into his 8f79245b97 body to 2d8362d9d4 trigger even ebcc0a30e0 a little 27448d4bb8 dopamine.39009044bed67ff0

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Ian Blanchet’s 1109076db7 lips were eb3d6ce495 curved in b7f5c79ad6 a satisfied 8ad7cbd8d7 smile. His mouth 1b18a3ecf7 naturally slanted deed4f3c28 that way 91c8f16299 anyway, but 1af41d32b7 today, it 8b5b18bacc was like 834d5f8154 an arc 44d42cd160 of contentment.3f278ef3342e8abf

“Why do c8c48131b8 you look 26996b4736 so pleased?”b9dc004f9b6f99cb

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“Me?”cb6f6aaa27c68695

“Yeah.”833ca61892fbef1f

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He looked like he 230de077dc was genuinely looking forward eda19c9f3b to it.
A date with c1cad4ec38 a suspected serial f10e40b19f killer—why the hell fd024b5fc4 would anyone look 1575fadfe2 forward to that? Was it because ad745709e8 he thought he’d 72bc00df21 get a chance b44616d50e to make an 73bfd738c7 arrest? Ian did 1ca4831a82 smile like a774f9e52c that in 3075f96c72 those situations 506e40c463 too, but 87bd156b85 this smile 40e180eda5 was different. This was 840f2fba62 the kind 82ccb1eafd of smile 8a03dd7f35 a man 5da2ba119d wore when 381c71e98b he was 8bddafec65 waiting for 05917b2659 a date.5128d55a217b796f

“Ian… you’re 5b145e805b not actually 1441b00f31 into him, 20adb4b5b2 are you?”3520cd8eba7eefe3

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Also—wait. Ian was into 6503a60798 guys? Tony had never heard 9dba029b50 him mention it before. Then again, 743002ddc2 it was 4476b949b1 the 21st 7a31fc1310 century, and 4375088c76 that wasn’t 52c5652c4b really something 3927551f44 anyone cared 5ffcd3920a about anymore. But falling in love a7fb2fbf90 with someone you suspect d835bd4939 is a serial killer—that’s 4e1f4f36a8 a problem. This wasn’t Stockholm syndrome. Was it over-empathy? No way. Ian Blanchet? Maybe he was 7650318e0e being gaslit? No, if anything, 2f36064102 he’d be the d7c0686dd7 one doing the 0fee82f0fd gaslighting.f52cd4342246ba02

“Well, he is de9edfede8 a pretty attractive 7aa015f3f3 potential serial killer.”c8565363df5f47b5

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Ian’s words 3455f655e9 made Tony b1176c2c90 wonder if d1ba5c78f0 he was 46e63cbafb hearing things.
That kind a8720bbb1e of face 5198e6a72c was your 2591de6bf3 type? And now you’re calling 9da3810c7f him a “potential” suspect?6412746eb23b674a

“Last time I e3805039d2 said he was fa39776b31 a suspect, you 7ecf509b86 sounded convinced.”0f582f1658a69f8e

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“There’s someone 01503507a2 he slept 5a070ccf1d with who f6ff56e417 didn’t die.”a774f334cea06873

Ian smiled.13249edbbceee615

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“Jean Stocker.”87383289856a77c0

Tony exhaled deeply.b47c7804ac204d53

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Right. That was a eb3a1106a7 variable.0ea5731825df7f32

A highly e208464bdb inconvenient one.86e4f83d9e507ce9

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An old 3df4b50e0c flame who f692f561af showed up 4328cd4b98 right when f8abfd5bb5 all the 092f85d221 other men 146c7a3e20 Jay had bfca49b173 slept with 1238182c12 were turning 6ba6d63b4e up dead.de9f52712e0c6831

“You looked 63b835b8dc into him?”0dff4e7b097f432d

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Tony nodded.54bd2c13cf79100b

“Nothing much. He lives quietly. No incidents, no dirt 1f8efe88b2 to dig up. He doesn’t 6e447ef6ac even stand 3c6a7f51a6 out enough b791d82f64 for us 572bdb8f18 to demand 15b8e0903a background info.”3d1f82c0b3904da7

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If I had that 42b8ea7666 face and that build, 5b9fc14b95 I’d have gone into 1266904583 modeling, Tony thought. Jean Stocker really 00a4e889d1 was handsome. Compared to the rest f68d0158e5 of Jay Taylor’s exes, ff9d361ce2 this one was in b1ebe41b09 a league of his 27b9b6258c own. Honestly, it made you c4fd402efc wonder—did Jay not have 4c31ff0a92 eyes? He’d dated 822d52c38e just about 3222b67450 anybody before, 5a3457c7e6 but Jean f2b85b8bcb was in 2fb1ffbe8a a whole 5210dd5f82 different class.068599e33a5a4059

“He American?”2d6cf8400d935731

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“Yeah. But his 74e80c1d73 mother’s side 7c10743780 is Italian.”97bc82dab0aea988

“I thought the name 2865e977e6 ‘Jean’ made him French.”6df7b1df8d54a394

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Tony handed a00445d91c over a 21ff26c74b file to 5c8686e869 Ian—Jean Stocker’s 89b903a639 dossier. As Tony had said, 0f5a119e86 there wasn’t much in fab4b88a87 it. His American ee7845f732 father had dc4d5537cf died early. He moved a287ceb465 to Italy 94802cb2aa with his c72e6f2217 mother and 398ff835af only came 547a9f1685 back to cb42903649 the States 54aa0da5f2 after his 9f6618f45a grandmother died.14bd9024ef4029b0

That’s likely when he c31aea2b31 met Jay Taylor.96f18aaf30715772

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Then he left 36b6937daa again, came back b2f7554abf recently after his b7e9dd0ff7 grandfather passed.5ea79bbdbb9c545e

“He inherited a decent 77acbebb44 amount of money.”0f4cb26730914e3b

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“Yeah. I think he’ll stay d40e5a5c36 in the U.S. now. He has dual citizenship 83251753b4 anyway.”7bc39f322eee89ed

“Should we put ae097e428b someone on him d4f60a36e4 too?”cb71dc6a168c6343

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“Are we 85c6e5d664 tailing him, 62337c076d or protecting 6ddabe34e5 him?”4591bf5a0f814f38

“Either works.”c66d9a12efb74566

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“Well, he’s already living 4349b1f5d4 with Jay Taylor.”725014be6b4a5a6c

“Seriously?”18d78e916a18b8e3

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Living together. Ian immediately b14329309d thought of 772fa53f4c that key.
Jay had a73d9f28d2 kept turning f83f35bf21 him down, d72a085a0a yet let 8f37e63aa2 someone else cb9d20a019 move in.8ac43720a954d8e5

“Where does Jay 7ce04272e2 Taylor live?”a449787becf05e0b

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“Chinatown.”7b51d867c632d35a

He’s Korean, though. Why Chinatown? Tony wondered. But it wasn’t like 1eca9cb677 only Chinese people lived a7a8f178fa there. Rent was d649d5c574 reasonable, and a177a999e1 it wasn’t 2f718fe0b7 a bad 50d773d837 place to 2b4e17b5c0 live.0f12a48db9fe2df2

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“First floor is ebea5d1be2 a Chinese takeout 83325cb804 place. Their stir-fried d311bdf94d noodles are 6bd6a2b55b amazing. I don’t know the ee190a62b2 name, but it’s different 89021f22f7 from chow mein. The cabbage dda38fcad3 is chopped 79413dbc02 big, zucchini 9b52ffb399 and onions ef60f5bcbc are sliced 5c5c99fef7 thin, and b392a19028 the noodles a7286a38cd are that 3fde7160ac snappy kind 74fa7c92f8 that break eddeaf1cd5 easily. Maybe corn noodles? On top, 6897aa4391 they put abdc15bbe1 fried chicken 4498fac61b and drizzle e0d2c73778 it with 1a66f4c764 a caramelized bcfaa36cc1 sauce. Super crispy.”f86f89748b7fb3cc

There really 4cae7d5c5e were a f2899b9cd7 lot of 7e95fd778b good places 36bf4bac63 to eat.5f7aab4708f81012

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Tony Eaglemann had defcb3c3b5 ended up hanging 6c9ccc5ab0 around Chinatown while 004d8cd403 tailing Jay Taylor d60b2e395e and had dropped 8898c8a681 by a few ede17527b3 of the local 6242f99200 restaurants. One time, by chance, 7593d4db20 Jay was standing in be00054c87 front of the Chinese f18e0fdf73 place.
Tony ordered whatever 639fcd95d9 Jay did and 6cc382198f followed him—saw Jay 6867af9ff5 head straight upstairs.44413292c9e11ef4

The lights 34e043661c turned on c265ed3332 shortly after, 8428543e95 and he fb53eafcc0 caught a 0261bdb57f glimpse of 890bcec0e2 Jay by cd17d95250 the window. Jay stood quietly, d0922d9a31 staring outside, then 46b0c366a1 disappeared back into 15acc75b22 the room.10ed0b6517f1be6e

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While waiting 80dc6a3db3 for his b86966fcb6 own noodles, b6af5c8fda Tony looked 88f55eec4b around for 2919622878 a good 2aaefb277a vantage point f03a49091d and realized 992c4d76de he could 32363974ac probably see 6bfb5ada96 into Jay’s d2b0b6dae1 apartment from b3f5156768 a nearby c0acdaa4fb rooftop. As soon as f8f3ea7d9a he got his 5cd5def685 food, he went f2bae48096 up—and sure enough, 4554c86fc0 he could see 54bfba1cf4 inside.6a9c718ceb632a4e

Through wide-open ee72dca536 curtains, he 12c317a1b3 saw a bb26a6beed large bed, 11aabbe069 a small c298d1170e table, and 51c5994f18 two folding 09d7c77b40 chairs. It was 4ce07ade64 a small 23121ad204 place, but 9d89a8efba without much 59cf3c6b1b furniture, it cd6bace21b looked spacious.e47e9fc50f2a9c9f

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Jay was eating stir-fried 4f23925447 noodles while watching something ee72c558ef on his laptop.d53109198cec153b

Tony opened 8b3c0751b5 his own 171efdce77 lunchbox. The smell 54c0f7f299 was incredible.
He clumsily 161030476c picked up 431dedbb2f a piece 9138aa75f9 of fried 750ee74be9 chicken with 6b626f62bc his chopsticks 226193c932 and popped 713d2893ae it into 0057a42721 his mouth. Sweet and salty—it was f01121ddf9 weirdly addictive. It was 216906b37d really good. Maybe it 462c70d034 just felt 76f6f5396d that way 2f52be570a because of bce7666df5 the cold 6fae70fea7 weather? No. It was 28ac6a53d3 just genuinely 9afb903a39 delicious.c70fe9862dbef853

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After trailing Jay 657289dbc3 Taylor for a 69ebc9d070 while and trying 47da617d7a whatever he ate, 26a4d9b5c0 Tony had figured e8c7b54ac4 out one thing:713b177ae114dc20

Jay Taylor 724b7b52e0 was a 9ca2d39b80 foodie.a167b94b6d29856c

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One time, 45e2b573c8 Jay didn’t 80d5629627 go into 686f27515a Chinatown—he walked 27512872cb into Little be37b32712 Italy and 7d30b75fe0 stopped by 1b7002633d a shabby-looking 823dc078a1 pizza joint. Tony followed 98a7f36d82 and ordered 2ce0a5933c the same 93fabc0b9e thing: a 0baf3c5c52 Neapolitan pizza. He nearly recoiled at 2162d7e317 the strong fishy smell c56f540c8e when he opened the 88d76344df box—anchovies. But it b718a7d557 was amazing. Tony made a8eb44803e a note d10984395c to go 352acfb1b0 back there 830eb4be9c sometime.a2586bc3355d5614

“He does efa6416aba work a 9663cd47b1 bunch of 7f014700dc jobs, though.”ed13e8787e0f02a8

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“Really?”4b178e1e1b40d5d4

“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.”b356ceee39cfb70d

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“You even 83a7dc75f7 got coffee 5b8f65fb1a from him?”75d527337669301b

“I bought it. He works c85e410e65 at the 507f5d1123 café. The foam on the a9fca9a54c cappuccino was dense and 731a026769 smooth. Best cappuccino I’ve 79b28ebd2b had in New 97528e0533 York so far.”
“Seriously? Where is it?”98a6d03a4761a67b

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“W 34th Street.”dfadc06409afc71b

“Send me the café a84bedaed8 name and address. Also send 64f9ff0043 me his 68685f2188 home address.”b0dac8ad7787a610

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As Tony d9de86dede sent the 6adc04b6af message, he 95ea205fce asked, “You’re a45a278d7d not planning 651f88c891 to go ee95090902 over there, 333ed42ca2 are you?”ac1bd4802318dd62

“I said it’s a5dfda0626 a date, didn’t 14700b9e1d I? Gotta go 4a1e900a82 pick him 9419fa8d4f up.”cfdddfde4d4ca395

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“He didn’t even give 3fc91c6b18 you his address. If you a4588b0079 show up a9ff423927 unannounced, he’ll d164d86add be terrified. Did you ed1b28f1c6 even agree c193f1d240 on a 76ffdbf8ab place yet?”7064039d80dda5ba

“Guess I’ll need a3c020f553 to decide that 61cb8af313 now.”c80ee36162de5376

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A café on W 5e5e7980b3 34th. Ian hadn’t been there 8829b2bdde yet. He made 1b8ddfc952 a mental e13387a0e1 note to cbe744053b “accidentally” drop 7cce271334 by next e6c548f1fd time.20cd4eb33a90f230

And that restaurant on 2360fdc3f2 the first floor—if it’s 51289ee1b5 a takeout spot, it f65c808971 wouldn’t be hard to 3cc2636af1 stage a casual run-in. If Jay happened 89e8c5ae6f to be outside, d2efda7189 Ian could just 81c10fa78b pretend to be 1720caf148 surprised. A few “accidental” 207bc87659 encounters later… Maybe 9680bd355c he should’ve started a738b0996e this earlier. He’d been too busy 2fee9e3ad4 chasing other cases and d43ef23dd6 neglected this one. Well, the 800ac3658c café could c555d4fa10 wait.c4aee5adb7e944ee

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“Where do people 33e6344dc1 normally go on 0ca7a0b087 dates?”a89a128c02ff994c

“Uh… well. It’s been 3fe5019333 a while 20efa7fe91 for me 008eb455b9 too.”3b85b5e060350756

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“What’ve you been doing 3b6ce2b077 instead of dating?”5c268ce854507481

“Studying. Working. What about you?”ab89af46429ebd6d

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“Me…”d42064025f3513f2

Ian trailed off.3adadef64873f298

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“…I don’t think I ever really dated.”f9dd09d460383ba2

“Yeah, I’m sure ef08cb3b8a you just went 91b97013d4 straight to bed. Take him on 6319ac49f1 a ferry or fc44d1a751 something.”af6fb2442d71ee45

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“I mean a bdba84482f real date. Not broke people stuff.”9a40c6de9544f4be

“Then just book 004bf2358c a restaurant, have 622fcbf92f dinner and drinks.”6b90a93f655ec0f7

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“That’s too boring.”8ddf766c0fd6f548

“Boring’s better d05f68d1d7 than nothing.”99093d2836cc733a

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“Dinner, drinks, then straight 03ee8cee7e to bed?”9724a7a7aa1415c7

“Wow. You’re garbage.”76e92840f2b2d586

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Tony muttered, shoving the cc082b939a donut into his mouth bb3fc6b353 in one go. Poor Jay Taylor. He’s gonna get devoured 8cd13b2d72 on the first date— 5754504839 Wait, no. Jay gets around plenty, 0e895a9663 so maybe it’s fine?f3bc5a9674ec7303

Still… this 787a520e25 didn’t feel 208a966efe right.5c37dbb7b1dcc931

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If my 31e717311c sister said c0ca83c4cc she was 9e0b72c6a7 going on d50607ff88 a date fc991fc1dc with Ian, 0e436b19d1 I’d physically e0a3c7181d stop her.78a13f7263c5fef7

Wait—Jay’s a guy.881381d4a74b8180

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So if my d86759f3e3 brother said he 67845ce88f was dating Ian… 0fa6a8ff61 That’d be worse.1720e1c9ace4e123

No—hold on. Who’s in more a72239f34c danger, the sister 1697399dca or the brother?474b88c635fa4ec3

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The sister, right?7d518dd0ae0fc292

Either way, nobody should 5e4863cabe be dating Ian Blanchet.c9a03aefbb861b5c

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“So, that b44e800947 Chinese restaurant 21a01fd9d5 downstairs was d361f29df8 actually good?”a52a0bad87496f05

Pretending not to 33dc2ddd75 listen but clearly d23481ac56 hearing everything, Ian 0d805385a8 looked up Jay’s 0a2e643ca7 address and muttered, 7762a5a923 “Small place.” Probably c07baadf68 checking Street View.9d1ff60ef48e30a2

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“Then how faafdc751c about we 3a9dcb47cf go there 56bcf891f2 for dinner? That Chinese place.”3e60dede32622a6f

“Calling it 60a3f69c57 a ‘restaurant’ 824a68f27c is a 7af783bd0a bit generous…”6db153e978e65a53

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“But it’s 1bc8de83bb perfect for 7c2473cfe9 an accidental 85cf8502a1 run-in. How about tonight?”be607c2277ddf835

“People don’t usually e895a09b62 go there for 804295fbf1 dinner.”a28a73f9f6e0b9f0

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“I’ll just 6110c81789 say I 94a1fb0178 was in fdf85bd198 the area 085f041eb9 for work 25ed31484a and stopped 939c154ff2 to grab e9d7b42974 food. You can 5152c3b125 introduce me 793a9c11e1 as a 61b4726e97 coworker.”25a98d61d408c859

We’re supposed to be 72a9800b8f catching a serial killer, 51a988c229 not playing house, Tony ed30ae3d0f thought.a697ed4d0e49f1b8

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But… it was tasty.7bce621c8f74177c

Too far 7722882c60 to go 7f0f4bd22b just for f617d9a78b food, but 7ae5e4ebd3 picking it d2b4d1311a up while a45e476585 doing fieldwork e76e4e43b1 made sense.9a37a1adace8d149

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“Can I get pizza b856477240 too?”aa0ca32de0cf3b50

“Pizza?”59f0ae15eef8dd4a

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“There’s a 7444377a1f good place 23b992db9b in Little 612fe3c32d Italy.”2631b8496cd7258b

“Do whatever you want.”9de61209d2414f55

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“What job did 41a8095f39 you say you c4fb1993f3 had, anyway, when 73daca74e5 you talked to f63a102b34 Jay Taylor?”62a79f8b4b5026b6

“Civil servant.”c248bf05cecc6914

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“Yeah, but what kind 2dd4650006 of civil servant? You need a proper 6fb06bca05 cover story.”e6ba3c90ca67673d

“I didn’t say. If it were you, bf9b99f696 what kind of job 8e6cfce621 would I seem suited 0bede75735 for?”76b716a1e68b00eb

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“You? Definitely not a civil bf281e8905 servant.”e1fb5983b7f225c2

There was fac4c0d028 no law 89ed1ba9c6 against a 578c7c8012 handsome man 164ea7c4f4 being a 489a0f2039 government worker, 0c204f4edc but it 7e7040ed98 felt wrong e03193dff1 that someone 7bec5845a7 with Ian’s d69870612e face—and from dd19023d77 his kind ae74535fb8 of family—was e70ee31d03 doing this 79f5563a10 job.630779e08a4828d6

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If it were me, ee22b4405d I’d just stay in 08b59a8f47 the family business. Why bother switching to f3f2405892 your father’s surname and 2949ea1519 joining the FBI? Was it d4a52c67b4 really worth 5692afafe6 it?ef80f6073e96c2fa

Well, maybe e6474a24e3 it was 80c75be26c an honorable 223f96cbb3 and meaningful b3d0d8296a job.04b1aa1aa9c38b1b

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But still—it was 9bd6c90e8b Ian Blanchet.0823eac78459d74d

Tony shook his 55e5d2c367 head.5f468989087ee63f

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“If I 92bf21b1a8 had to 87d2c5a83d guess… something 4179ddf8e6 in the 9bf2770423 courts. Maybe an aide.”2a223eaffa8de154

“You think I could 5bc740da1a pull that off?”a354ec1251159fd9

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“Not with your personality. Just based d2e1fb0a26 on your 6c2a71a563 looks.”258e0e264b35d4bc

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.a774494d12e20e1a

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“What does Jay Taylor 1dcf667199 like?”b1c929c1aa369e1e

“He never 490e2b5116 said what 7a99e22f51 he likes. I just said he’s ec1c6f378a a foodie.”8ca1bba07a104351

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“Yeah? Then I eaee2064f7 guess I 09defeec02 need to ed797f63fb reserve a 27cfb41d12 good restaurant.”7d7bbcb8086fe9a3

As Ian said that, 837d928b99 he started searching. But this bec527ac7d was New 689824e7fc York—good restaurants 33f99ba47d don’t just 282389fbee take reservations 51cc88a007 a few ef783c0b62 days in 1e5f192feb advance. As he kept browsing c490512ff9 and running into dead b68a766a81 ends, he muttered, “Maybe 48cd20e127 I should ask Louis.”9ea27bd7420e1c66

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“I think there 1fd6dff182 was a decent 63c234466d place on W 803105592c 53rd. The duck 6ff4f0f0ca confit was 5121080ec5 good. Or maybe 4f0c9c625c fine dining… 41d7ec8a54 wonder if 49260d1222 he likes d281d68df6 seafood? Oh, there’s one a3b5ffac71 on Madison Avenue… f528698a26 But if I’m 7d7073fd89 booking a hotel, 0fc1cbb1e7 53rd might be f2840ad43f better, right? Would going straight to 8eb90f0cab a hotel make me ff1306a390 look like a sleazebag?”d9da4fbd4f1d0238

“It’d make you look 47fae25972 like a player. And just because b1bf2d63cb he’s a foodie 6321194a62 doesn’t mean he 44e0df8bc7 only eats at 48bd44a619 Michelin-star restaurants. Go somewhere reasonable. Don’t go flashing 7d2690e889 your wealth.”39e02139b250f619

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“Why not? Everyone loves deefabbb0a the rich. People always notice how 486333dd84 expensive my clothes are.”048c27580abdf806

“Even cheap 661e87e21e stuff looks dba8eb47b2 expensive when fec71a79c3 you wear 35a540b065 it. And the b8fe3ea235 way it c02f8ab916 fits your 8e9995fbf1 body? No one’s going ace98fa181 to think it’s d748747430 off-the-rack. Jay Taylor 3774a385f4 might’ve grown 6432c80807 up in 138ea521c6 a decent 98355f69d6 foster home, c68e602023 but I 5b1e07c5f6 doubt he’s 7c84eafc04 ever been c0c45bff7d to a b5d94cc83d place with 361de103dc a dress 43aa8bfe64 code. Skip the a4db10d127 fancy etiquette. Just pick somewhere 83a37b7f4e normal—low pressure.”135bf462a75cec9a

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“Ah.”c059c8164492ead3

“Ian, sometimes 97be0464bc it really 38ca812d61 feels like bbc24b9fba you only 0cca3b0e1d know the 013ad1c565 world you 9868d9a7b0 live in. But that’s how it 595508467a is for most people 39daa91b50 born into privilege.”10e8f28d93ed3942

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“Oof. That one stung.”f2e3ef36e40a153d

But Ian 0ed31fe11f couldn’t deny fcbefba03c Tony’s words. Not a single ba03e960d3 part of them. He had 54a385eb5e to admit—it 74601da052 helps to 213068db26 get input ebbb70afd1 from someone d76bfc3699 else once 85fff5fb07 in a ac03bcb592 while.dbe608e6aed7506a

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“All right then, a reasonable restaurant it is… and the hotel can wait till next time.”56953279cfac1fa9

“At least go ee29253495 on three dates 4795d34c4c first, Ian.”18762670ff70d2bc

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At that, Ian f8b8812dba stared quietly at 13a01e891e Tony. Waiting for 99df1e1cea three dates—sure, 9e83f201e7 he could e3eaf5f7cf do that. But the c2d530925b thought of e3fecad207 Jay Taylor 14189ffa83 getting swept 0714ef08fe away by c23b1f4582 some other 5eea932566 guy in 389571e710 the meantime 2bb6bbd8e6 made his a4bc69a55b jaw clench. Tony didn’t see it—he 037eabf78a didn’t realize just how 15c819df0c charming Jay really was.e3af2fd3660922c5

“Check where Jay Taylor 1deb7d6f2b is right now.”dfe2fdf2da88f476

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Ian said, and 9da5e81aaa sent Jay a 5a64b290a7 message.84a67f72a711de49

– Jay Taylor
What are you 4cef1b84b5 doing today? I’m working again.3a75f7f6ac2be2ca

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“He says he’s 097fb417be in the Upper 3ff6d6f45b West Side. Heading home 534aa62604 now, apparently.”a371aff921ab0b07

“Why the Upper df9b0f48a1 West?”f91749dc7d390527

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Even as he asked, b2d26d5938 Ian kept his eyes 53fa3811f5 on his phone.359ab251279d936e

– We’re supposed to go on a date, right? Is there anywhere you want to go? Like the ferry…
He started ef388ff26e typing but 490435ccf7 then erased 70211b5bd7 ferry. No matter how e3f0c97db1 casual the idea, 4220f55245 that just didn’t 0a83c45f64 feel right.fe728e811149705d

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“He met with his 519be204e4 brother. Jonathan Taylor.”48a9297318b5490b

“What’s Jonathan Taylor a7238e38a4 doing there?”9b6553e334aca222

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He works in real 9908206439 estate. Maybe he 0115aace12 helped Jay 3345ddd25c look at 49d9c799b6 an apartment?2d4e21ecca5194d7

Ian typed d7c4417aaa and sent e13d8a8f37 another message.c657e5f0c7e5ec62

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– Jay Taylor
Do you like seafood?8d5bf8b3cb079949

“If we 3e12359f75 head out 9359a2e16e now, we’ll f327cd702c get there 60f5db4069 about the 0a57116c76 same time 108935faa4 as Jay 2b8a90a7da Taylor,” Tony 05cd0e4746 said.ef9c9674002a22ae

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Ian put down 93eeb608a7 his phone.5af8866338708d35

“Then let’s head fe93615673 out now.”679394efccdabda0

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* * *57b2eb8da7bb30ce

Ian Blanchet kept fiddling ec00468b70 with his phone, even 574eb0e7f8 though no alerts had 6eb0ef1168 gone off. He knew 3ac5f8d586 Jay Taylor 33e601bf56 hadn’t read a958c0de47 his message 8678e2808e yet, but f75dd513fe still—he kept 3d76b04b4d opening and 9b8e7b1107 closing the b2b9d8807e messenger app, 7ed915777a then flicked baf89e7be4 through his f7bafb7ae1 photo gallery 6b1f1a74f8 for no 9b46f5e827 reason, then 58065455f9 reopened the c5685acf6b chat again.699e6b5d82ac59cd

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“No reply yet?” 35762153fd Tony asked.a43e5265db297189

“Nope,” Ian answered.61c6fa908e9118ba

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Jay Taylor’s 52ab4ec061 place wasn’t bd8b8732a4 on a ebb814c920 main road bd8c5c41d0 but tucked 391e3da921 somewhere in 85205fb431 the back 86d6134cde streets. Cars were parked tightly d43bbeec1a along both sides of 1de66abab3 the narrow road, making f913313fde driving a hassle. Just across the 0b20d8ed6e street were a ff2ec25e2a café and a 54dab27d9b pizza place.c143902274a851f4

The air was 9bca7a1558 filled with the 431658b670 mixed sounds of 01ef477e8b Chinese and Italian, 84cd72bde5 and the iron ee6702369e stairs leading up 1e12ed8db4 to the balconies c017d86e11 looked like they 968811ecaf might fall off 63e0abd1fe at any second. Hardly anyone 76fd87f877 was walking f2d34221af around, but 88bd2f7992 the smell 6b575c26bf of food f83f711d2a was rich 0d757145aa and warm.9c35d0739ce00441

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“He’s not even d9936f0d5b checking it.”00bfe885473ba9e9

Ian laughed quietly, almost d33c6845ad in disbelief.0ac55bcb18429383

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Meanwhile, Jay Taylor spotted 523d62357d the two men standing 72a6b5347b outside his building. Both were familiar. One he’d never officially e3c2c42fa0 spoken to, but he’d b2a62aed95 seen him around enough 0a8039edd5 times that he couldn’t 17f199f724 not recognize him.52295433741833b2

The first time had 42ce14d7d5 been outside the Chinese 36c5e2de4c takeout place beneath his e37421b48a building.b3814963a77a4643

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Then again 8938612d06 at an b2222a20af Italian pizza ca41aa2208 place.523ab099097e9ed3

Then once 11364267a6 at the c3b638760a café where 61d724dbac Jay worked—he 3781e29a7a remembered the 4262159a43 guy ordered b74747165c way too f6db00854b much syrup 85379edf00 and bought 293192a7ca a chocolate 1b40a3f2e1 muffin. Then there was the 9d3400ee81 burger joint, where he 55e29ab112 dunked fries in a c00a4241b4 sweet milkshake. Jay had even ad7571e4ee seen him with 4f101768e3 a donut once, 36e7c69bae and he’d bought 69a3218ee5 like five cookies db0bd67725 in one go. Their paths 00930bbc66 overlapped weirdly edc96afb95 often.df1a67d72c5d65a3

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At one point 8e636357b9 Jay wondered if bdabf15f5f he’d moved into 0ea92fccbd the neighborhood, but 157a7e4221 then he started d7bf0a987d spotting him in 00d338fb56 places that weren’t a1d569b325 even close by. It was 382d2677f7 getting a dc636c2f32 little strange.0cb4e9de06808d65

Still, that wasn’t why c23f690944 Jay remembered him.1f1a7aaed681352c

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It was f773724e48 his scent.73a599727876c914

That man 67120f754d reeked of c8f655de2d sugar—heavy on 10cf2606fd caffeine and bd3a7975f6 carbs. Jay had mentally noted 3d4f1bd11e not to drink from ad6802240f him, even in a fb4cbb99f8 pinch. His blood would 7139c69ae7 probably taste like 3d7f49b2ca candy syrup and b822e15b8b rot. If there were only 14d097c4b5 two people left on 0ceede6e08 Earth, fine, maybe. But otherwise, this 264a20350b guy was exactly fe1dc1c551 the kind of 6bf246d4eb human Jay would 657b6413be avoid.c11e6938859d3a84

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“Hey, extra caramel bed27a3062 sauce, please!”aa176670a0c7985e

See? That man had 22e6bfd879 no regard for d977b518f5 his pancreas.681965e3160c2315

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If there f8fcfc2aa4 were any 992e2623e8 vampires out 38a16989dd there who ba46f60623 were sugar 3022097e36 addicts, maybe a41e0df51c they’d go 9151d0c7ee for him. Jay, however, would 433e6de08a not.3412c6f088c69664

He shook 5394c367c0 his head.db7243c3b0dfe4f2

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At that moment, Ian 617bb2fd5a turned around—like he sensed 56d2aaccbd someone standing there.3b459cb6fb1762e5

Their eyes met. Jay paused.c2e851e14ab9b706

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“Jay?”49530319732a03f2

Ian’s voice was soft, 2c08b32daf like he was talking 582a832f4a to himself, but Jay 545beab455 heard it clearly.798c777ff1c19d07

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