Page 35 of Cops and Robbers

Her hands twitched around the glass, anger and sadness swallowing her words. The mention of the man who stole everything from her hit her hard. She eyed the framed print behind Lewis, the one with rows of Campbell’s Soup cans.

Lewis followed her stare and asked, “You like Andy Warhol?”

“His originals. That one alone would sell for millions.”

“Would you steal it?”

She shrugged with a teasing grin. “Maybe.”

Lewis laughed. “You want a bag of chips or something?”

“Actually, yeah. The barbeque ones? I’m famished.” The last thing she’d eaten was the pizza at Raz’s. Her gaze trailed over to the back door Raz had walked through. She internally rolled her eyes. Stop thinking about him and focus on making friends.

Lewis grabbed a bag from the wall and opened it before setting it down in front of her. The salty BBQ wafted to her nose, and she reached into the bag and delighted in the crunchy treat.

“So why a drag bar?” she asked, admiring its vintage atmosphere. The stage at the front had the iconic red curtains drawn closed.

He chuckled, deep and sultry. “I believe people should surround themselves with things they are passionate about. And this is one hell of a good time.”

“Do you partake?” She pictured him shaving his beard down to cover his face with exotic makeup. He had high cheekbones that added a feminine beauty to his eyes. With a wig and a dress, he would be a steal.

He smiled, white teeth dazzling. “Sometimes when the bar is closed. There are only a few I allow to watch, though.”

“Would you perform for me?”

“Why…” His pitch rose, and he covered his heart with his hands. “If the Bubblegum Bandit asks, how can I refuse?”

She lifted her drink. “I’ll hold you to that, then.” Tipping back the liquid, she took a long swig. “Please call me Kate.” A lightness swept through her muscles, her worry shying away. So far, Lewis was accepting of her, but she didn’t fool herself into thinking the other members would be as inviting.

“All right, Kate. Why the bubblegum?”

“Sadly, that was an accident that stuck with me.”

Lewis snickered at her unintended pun, and she joined him for a moment.

“I forgot tape my first time, and I had nothing to use to stick my note except the gum I was chewing.”

“And you weren’t worried about DNA analysis?”

She stared into the last inch of amber liquid and swirled it around in her glass. “I don’t have any records, and if I were caught…” She shrugged. “I’ve been careful in my…life.”

“Lives, you mean? Reincarnation and all that?”

She swallowed. Raz did tell them everything.

“And why be so careful, Kate?” he asked, leaning against the bar. “Are you running from something?”

“If I’m lucky, it won’t be for long.” She swallowed the rest of her drink in one smooth swig.

The front door clanged open, and Kate turned as a man, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, walked into the bar. Lean, he held himself as if he knew how to use his body to his advantage, the slightly baggy T-shirt probably hiding a toned figure. Plain energy from him bounced off her, unlike the blast of dragon foreignness from Lewis.

His blond hair appeared almost bleached to white and stood out, along with his indigo eyes. As she kept staring, his features shifted with shadows, as if he moved through a haze of smoke. His nose and facial structure appeared different from what had been in the picture on Raz’s desk. Influence?

Was he the Mirage—the Dragon SEAL capable of getting in and out of places undetected? She didn’t know how a man with such a striking appearance could blend in anywhere.

He strode into the bar with a purpose, his gaze assessing as it swept over her. She froze in her seat. She’d been in rooms with high-class criminals, and few people unsettled her, but this man had that quality, just with his gaze. And she had reason to be afraid. The Mirage, as much as a Dragon SEAL, had quite a list of assassinations under his belt. Few could be pointed directly at him, but his MO of hitting dangerous high-profile targets that no one else could even get near spoke for itself.

“My, my, my, Caige, you look worse for wear.” Lewis whistled behind her. Other than the bags under his eyes, she couldn’t see what Lewis apparently could.