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“Oh! Mr. Lakeridge!” a smiling woman in a striped suit greeted them at the end of the hall. “Thank goodness you’re here! We wanted to run this section with you before tomorrow—”

Covey held a hand up and smiled. “Thanks, Sasha. Let me take care of something with my assistant first. Tell everyone I’ll be there in five minutes,” he said with a wink.

Sasha gave a small bow and headed down the hall. Covey glanced at Jun and motioned him to follow. This corridor was quieter—just three doors on one side and a set of double doors that opened to the back of the stage. Each had a paper nameplate tucked behind a glass frame.

Covey opened the door labeled “Green Room.” The room had several couches, a coffee table with scattered magazines, a pool table, and a kitchen in the back. “Stay here until I’m done. I won’t be long.”

But before he walked in, Covey pointed to the next room, then took the top box out of Jun’s arm. “Do me a favor and put one—no, two of the vials in this room, and”—he also pulled out a folded-up paper and placed all three items in Jun’s free palm—“make sure you leave her this note.”

“Her?” The word escaped before Jun could stop it. He winced—not his place to ask.

“My guest for tomorrow. A welcoming gift from me. And…” He trailed off, gazing up at the ceiling in thought. “Sending her a message.”

“A message?”

Covey only answered him with a pat on his back. He took out his keys and thumbed through the ring until he found the one for the guest room. He worked it off the ring and handed it to Jun. “Just set them on the dresser and come back here.”

Jun scanned the ceiling, checking for cameras. Did the crew know Covey gave his guests illicit drugs? Or perhaps, this was a special request, a one-time thing?

“Thanks, Connor,” said Covey, his appreciation not matching his fake smile. He gave his shoulder another reassuring squeeze. “I’m glad that I chose you to help me. When this is all done, I’ll treat you to something real nice. You’ve been great today.”

When Jun was left alone, he glanced back at the camera at the corner of the hallway. The longer he stood there, the more unnatural he’d look.

He slipped into the guest room and eased the door shut behind him. For a dressing room, it had everything Jun expected: a closet, a couch, and a dresser with the stereotypical Hollywood vanity. Jun looked around the mirror. No cameras. None on the other side. Meeting his own eyes in the mirror, he let out a slow breath.

He gripped the vials and note in his palm. He could take a vial. But he didn’t know how close Covey kept track of his inventory. Every step of this “deal” had revealed a new layer Covey hadn’t mentioned. Jun didn’t want to push his luck further.

As he set the items on the dresser, the note fell to the floor. Jun crouched and picked it up. A corner of handwriting peeked out. He hesitated. Then pinched the edge and let gravity do the rest.

“Snowy—

Here’s the sample you wanted.

More to come at the next party.

Yours, Covey.”

Jun’s breath stuttered. He took out his phone, opened the group chat, and tapped the camera icon.

18

Action

“Augs?”

Alex looked up from his phone, slapping it face down on his lap.

Kana stared at him from his passenger seat, lashes fluttering as she blinked. She had spent this morning dolling herself up—mascara, eyeshadow, the works. She looked nothing like the emo girl he’d met at Norms.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Alex said, shoving the phone and his lie into his pocket. He had grown accustomed to working jobs on the fly, but for the first time, he found himself second-guessing if this job was going to work.

Queasiness churned his stomach since last night, but he tried not to think about it, brushing it off as nerves. It began sinking in that other innocent people were getting pulled in. Including the girl beside him.

Accepting his answer at face value, Kana went back to tying her hair up into a high ponytail before twisting it into a tight bun. She leaned forward to check herself in the visor mirror, adjusting the collar of her fuzzy blue sweater across her shoulders. Alex’s gaze started to drift before he caught himself. Her glossy lips were trembling.

“Is everything okay with you?”