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Until one night, I worried that I spotted Owen in the crowd. I swore it was him, seated further back where it was harder to see the guests clearly. It seemed like him, a tall man with a shaved head and shrewd, dark eyes.
Crap.
I had my mask on for this familiar routine, the masquerade covering that concealed half of my face. But still, I couldn’t dismiss this nagging thought that he was staring directly at me, watching me.
For a few days, I wondered if Henry would show up here in his relentless search for “me”. He’d been so eager to find the dancer who’d impressed him, but so far, he hadn’t shown up.
Backstage, after the routine was over, I sighed and sat back on a chair.
It wasn’t Owen. It couldn’t have been.I was projecting my fears on strangers, tense that someone from my Dunn world could find me in this Danger world.
Hell, there’s noDunn worldanymore.I quit. The only identity I had now was that of a dancer here at a seedy club.
A knock at the door heralded Gina entering. With her was the man I was trying to convince myself I hadn’t seen.
“Aw, shit.” I sat up, frowning at Gina, cringing as she led Owen back.
“Hey, babe. This guy wanted to talk to you…”
I smirked at her. She knew damn well that Owen was Henry’s friend. “And the bouncers let him back?” I crossed my arms, not getting up from where I sat. My mask was off but my costumeremained on. I had been outed. Owen could now clearly see that I was the dancer he and Henry had noticed.
“Youlet him back here?” I asked, pinning her with a hard look. She didn’t take the backstage security lightly.
“I figured it might help you to talk, and well, I don’t know.” She hurriedly backed up, extracting herself from the situation.
Owen stood there after she closed the door. He didn’t step in my dressing room any further, glancing around the small space. All the costumes, wigs, masks, all of it.
“So, it’s you.”
I nodded.
“Yeah. I dance here.”
“You’re the dancer we saw that one night.”
I nodded again, lacking the energy to do more. Tension kept me trapped, and I wished I could know how to navigate this awkward moment.
“No wonder Henry was so stuck on finding you, why he was so entranced.”
I rolled my eyes. “Withme?”
“You. The woman he’s been in love with since the day he came into the office and saw you.” He was dead serious. His tone wasn’t mocking. But I didn’t believe him.
I laughed bitterly, wishing that could be true. “Clearly, he’s gotten over me. The dancer ‘me’. I was half afraid I’d see him in the audience, but he doesn’t come to this club anymore.”
“Because Jason is upset. He’s needed to be consoled every night.”
I sank back in my seat, hating that my quitting impacted him. I’d gone completely no-contact with anyone from the office, and that rippled on to affect that sweet boy, too.
“Jason’s upset that he doesn’t see you anymore, Mia.”
“I didn’t intend to ever hurt him,” I replied quietly.
“I bet not. But the timing of it all wasn’t great. He had to make some sort of a report about his mom for his summer camp. He wrote it aboutyou. When he presented it, he cried, and the other kids were assholes and punks to make fun of him. Henry’s either at work or at home trying to comfort him.”
I swallowed hard, feeling the burn of tears. I wouldn’t cry. I refused. But dammit, the thought of Jason in pain or missing me like this hurt so badly.
“Eddie’s been looking for you too.”