Page 111 of Kiss and Tell

“It is,” I told her. “Follow me.”

I guided her out the front door and down the not-so-sketchy-anymore alleyway. I placed her in front of a dented metal door, which also had a small grey box on it.

“You’ve got two doors into Walt’s dive bar,” I started. “Theout-of-orderbathroom and this back door in the alley.”

“Right,” Jessie said, waiting patiently for me to explain.

“First problem: People from the normal bar might miss the sign and walk straight through. Second problem: This alleyway door is an exit only. It can’t be opened from the outside. You have to bang on the door and get someone to answer it.”

“Right,” she said again. “I’ve had to do that a lot with Gael’s friends.”

“Solution.” I pulled out my phone and called up an app. “See that metal box where a handle should be?” I tapped on the app. The door swung open slowly. “It’s an electronic lock. Only people with the code can open it. Both doors have them now.”

Jessie’s mouth dropped and her eyes went wide.

“You’re a genius,” she said.

“I try,” I replied, hiding a smirk as I put my phone back in my pocket.

“This is going to save me so many headaches,” she said. “Sometimes I’ve been left waiting at the door after Gael tells me he’s coming but then he gets distracted and shows up late.”

“I’ve emailed you guys the details with the code,” I told her as we walked back into the bar. “Feel free to pass them out to whoever your regulars are.”

“Quinn, can I get your help over here?” Gael asked from the front door. He had an odd look on his face. “You said this was invite only, right?” He pointed to somewhere down the street. “I think I recognize that guy, but he hasn’t come over. He’s just watching.”

I followed Gael’s finger to a man standing in the alcove of a building, lurking.

It was the guy I’d seen outside the bar a few times before, the one who asked about Connor, who I’d thought was there for the interview.

A tingle of recognition made its way into my head. I knew this guy from somewhere else. I’d seen him before.

My eyes went wide.

It was Mason.

He was the guy from the photos on Connor’s fridge. That was where I knew him from.

No wonder Gael recognized him, too. He must have seen the guy hanging around over the years, either backstage or at parties, a familiar face without a name.

Why was he here?

I cast a glance back inside. Connor was busy regaling a group of people with some story, making them laugh uproariously.

“I’ll be right back,” I told Gael as I took off down the street. “Hold down the fort.”

“Sure thing,” he called out, confused.

I made sure to stay in the shadows, keeping out of Mason’s line of sight. I needed to make sure I didn’t spook him. I needed to speak with him.

I needed to give him a piece of my mind.

“Hey,” I said from behind him.

He jumped, whipping his head around, his wavy hair flopping over his forehead and into his deep green eyes.

“Shit, were you trying to sneak up on me or something?” he asked.

“Yes.” I stared him down. “You’re Mason, aren’t you?”