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The feeling was so foreign, so unexpected, that my first instinct was to shut it down. Get out. Walk away. Stick to the plan.

I turned to leave when I felt its fingertips brushing my shoulder. My body tensed, hand instinctively moving toward the concealed holster at my hip.

"Excuse me?"

I pivoted slowly, coming face to face with green eyes I somehow knew before I'd even fully turned around. She stood there, this woman with blonde hair falling across her shoulders, cradling what had to be the mangiest mutt I'd ever seen. The dog's fur stuck out in tufts, one ear flopped while the other stood at attention.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but..." She tilted her head, studying my face with a curious intensity. "This might sound strange, but have we met somewhere before?"

My throat went dry. I was in disguise; there was no possible way she could put two and two together.

"I don't think so," I managed, forcing a polite smile.

The dog in her arms whined, squirming to get closer to me. Its nose twitched as it sniffed the air between us.

"That's weird," she said, adjusting her grip on the wriggling animal. "Rusty doesn't usually take to strangers. And I swear your face is familiar."

I should walk away. Right now. This wasn't part of the assignment. Connections were dangerous—fatal, even. But something about her made my feet feel rooted to the floor.

"Maybe I just have one of those faces," I offered, then immediately regretted extending the conversation.

She smiled, and something shifted in my chest. "I'm Lily, by the way. And this little troublemaker is Rusty. "

Shit. I’d already used Royal’s name the other day, so I couldn’t use it again. "Ryker," I said, before I could stop myself.

"Nice to meet you, Ryker. Are you going to start reading with us?"

She was still smiling. My mind flashed to the abandoned biography at the library, the stack of photos I’d taken of her and memorised since the day Royal and I had landed at the airport. The smart move would be to excuse myself. Disappear.

"I just signed up," I said, surprising even myself.

"Great! We could use more volunteers. The dogs have been making us read the same books on repeat." She laughed, and for a moment, I forgot every warning Royal had drilled into me.

"Maybe I can bring something new to the table," I said.

She adjusted Rusty, and I reached out instinctively, scratching the dog's chin. Its eyes half closed, content in her arms. "You seem like a natural," Lily observed. "Rusty's smitten."

Her gaze lingered on me, the same curious warmth from the coffee shop. The same openness that I hadn't encountered in years. I felt the weight of my deception, the false identities I wore like second skins. But all of that seemed to slip away as I stood there.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Ryker," she said, breaking the silence and shifting slightly. "I hope to see you back here."

I nodded, finding my voice. "You will."

Back on the street, I walked quickly, a mix of exhilaration and dread pushing me forward. If she managed to attach my cover to the man at the library, I'd have to vanish. It would raise too many questions. But the way she spoke to me, the way Rusty practically jumped out of her arms to get to me, maybe, just maybe, she bought it.

By the time I reached the hotel, the rain had soaked through my jacket. Royal looked up from the TV as I entered our room, an eyebrow raised. "You're back early. Did she finally shake you?"

I tossed my wet jacket over the chair. "I talked to her."

Royal sat up, sudden interest sharpening his expression. "Talked to her? You mean like..."

"Like a conversation," I said. "But she also saw me at the shelter without my glasses."

He whistled low. "That was bold."

I shrugged, trying to ignore the weight of Royal's eyes on me. "I'm just being thorough."

"Thorough," he repeated, a knowing smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.