Chapter 0188
I spit my coffee out back into the cup.
Julian smiled wide. “I guess right?”
I rubbed my forehead. “It doesn’t matter what he thinks.”
“Oh, no?”
I wasn’t telling the truth and we both knew it. Of course I cared what Nicholas thought. Our kiss in the
hallway the other night had rekindled in me a fire I hadn’t felt since we had split years ago. I didn’t think
my body capable of wanting anyone anymore, yet here I was, wanting Nicholas as strongly as ever.
“Go easy on him, yeah?” Julian said. “For years, the guy thought you left him for another man. Of course
his jealous over you burns too hot.”
“If you are so worried about it, why don’t you tell him we aren’t together?”
Julian sipped his coffee. “Mostly because I think it’s funny.”
“You’re terrible.”
Julian shrugged but didn’t deny it.
“This isn’t why I wanted to talk to you,” I said.
“Oh, I know. You missed me so bad when I was gone, huh? You just can’t stay away.”
“Cut the act,” I said with a sigh. I knew Julian well enough by now to know that his rebellious streaks
were mostly put on, to hide whatever he was truly up to. He played most people like a magician with an
audience, wowing them with forced misdirection while playing tricks right under their nose.
“You disappeared for a reason, and I would like to know what it is.”
“The gig is up, huh?” He leaned his elbow on the table and rested his chin in his hand. “Well, fair’s fair.
You’re right, I didn’t just disappear for the fun of it, although it was fun.”
He reached into his pocket and produces the feather I had found when I searched the sitting room
where Terry had assaulted me.
“Brian and I spent the past few days visiting several dress and fabric stores to try to find a match to this
feather. When we did find a store with feathers that matched, we had to check if those feathers were
recently purchased. Then, when we found a store with those criteria, we had to search through hours
upon hours of surveillance footage to see if we could find the buyer”
+15 BONUS
“And did you?” I asked.
His smile told me he did. He reached into his pocket again and this time retrieved his phone.
“I don’t want to shock you, so I will say this clear. You won’t like what’s on this footage.” His smile
dimmed now, as he clicked through his phone.
I couldn’t imagine seeing any footage of the person responsible for stolen my wolf as something I
would like, so I didn’t put much thought into the comment.
Instead, I let my excitement grow. With this footage, we finally had a lead. Something we could act on.
Someone we could track down and interrogate.
Julian primed the footage. He paused it on a screenshot and then passed his phone to me.
The footage was black and white and grainy, but it was clearly a fabric store with rows and rows of
fabrics and ribbons. The camera here was position directly over a collection of embellishments, the
feathers among them.
A woman was reaching into the feathers. She had more in the plastic store basket hanging off her arm.
The footage was speckled and a bit blurry, but I still recognized that woman.
I knew her face, because it was my own.
A curse fell from my lips.
No wonder I had thought I recognized her at the party.
This woman at the store, the one buying the feathers, the one at the party, the one with my wolf. They
were all the same.
They were all my twin sister.