Page 74 of Asher Black (The Five Syndicates)
And me.
I have to ask, “Are you sure this isn’t mob related?”
“I’m not in the mob anymore, Lucy.”
Yet he asked Vincent Romano for these doubles, and Vince delivered them in record time. How does one even find a look-a-like so quickly?
“Mmhmm,” I say, shrugging, but it’s clear I don’t believe Asher.
His finger unhooks from my jeans, and he takes a step to the side, putting more distance between the two of us.
I already miss his touch.
“This is surreal,” I say, looking at the screen in awe.
Asher’s outside the room, while I’m in the security room with Xavier, Asher’s personal guard and the newbie guard, who I suppose isn’t a newbie anymore. We’re looking at the screen, where Caroline and Damien are walking into a boutique on 5th Avenue. They have their hands linked together and look like a happy couple.
They’re dressed in our bulletproof clothes, though the two don’t know they’re bulletproof. That’s apparently only divulged on a need-to-know basis “for security reasons.” I swear, if I hear “for security reasons” one more time, I’ll give them a reason for security.
Instead of telling them about the bulletproof fabric, Asher gave Damien and Caroline super thin bulletproof vests to go under their clothes, even though they don’t need the extra layer of protection. Dare Devil Damien didn’t seem to care, but Caroline was shaking like a leaf before she left, and the vest is doing wonders to ease her nerves.
I watch as Caroline picks up a dress and holds it against her body, pretending to see whether or not it looks nice on her. The fabric covers her body camera. We still have about eleven cameras on her and twelve on Damien, thanks to the guards trailing both of them.
I still can’t believe the resemblances between me and Caroline and Asher and Damien. Though it took almost two hours, the hair and makeup team did wonders with the prosthetic nose and chin they attached onto Caroline’s face. The
y also gave her a handmade wig that’s identical to my hair and looks unbelievably real. With a push up bra and sunglasses on, she looks just like me.
Damien looks pretty darn close to Asher, too. The prosthetics helped fix the differences in their ears. He was given contacts, a haircut, and some hair dye. He also has some makeup on to even his tan. In Asher’s suit, he bears an uncanny resemblance to him.
Vince did a great job in picking these two out. I wonder how he did it. Is there an underground search engine for this type of scenario? Like Google for the damned and deranged? I picture his internet search history in my head.
Browser History
www.StraightTalkWithSatan.com/search=how+to+dump+a+body/
www.BeelzebubKnowsBest.com/search=how+to+conjure+a+doppelganger/
www.LifeLessonsFromLucifer.com/search=how+to+talk+in+a+bad+ass+voice+like+Batman/
www.TheDailyDevil.com/search=so+is+he+into+me+or+not/
www.AskElDiablo.com/search=Oh+shit+I+think+I+like+him+what+do+I+do+fuck+fuck+fuck/
Okay, the last couple searches might be what my search history looks like.
And assuming that Vince gets his internet advice from the Devil isn’t fair.
Vince, Bastian, and Asher—the only mobsters I actually know—have been really nice to me. I’m just suffering from second hand bitchiness, courtesy of Monica, who called Asher a few minutes ago and demanded to know where he is and why it’s not on her schedule. He’s still outside the security room, talking to her when he should be in here.
On the screen, Caroline grabs a random scarf from the rack and purchases it. After it’s bagged, they head outside again. This is the part that makes me tensest. Caroline and Damien are exposed, and anything can happen to them out in the open.
This is probably the fifteenth store they’ve been into, and they’re running out of hands to carry bags. If something is going to happen, it has to happen now. Caroline and Damien can’t keep shopping forever. They have to stop eventually, and it’s almost that time.
I lean against Asher as soon as I sense him settling beside me. The contact eases my tension, and I revel in the feel of his thumb brushing against my arm. We watch together as Caroline and Damien leave the sidewalk and cross the street.
When they reach the middle of the crosswalk, we lose sight of them on the monitors briefly, the crowded New York street covering their exit. I’m waiting patiently for the streets to clear when a single shot goes off. Asher and I lean forward at the same time, our eyes scanning all the monitors, trying to find one with a clear view of Caroline and Damien, but there isn’t one.
There’s only chaos everywhere, as the pedestrians scramble, running in every direction.
