Page 20 of Pretty Broken Wings

At that moment, the door opens, and someone else enters the shop. Only, it’s not someone else. It’s also Axel.

Everything stops, and I stare at the man who just walked into the shop. He’s a carbon copy of the one at the table. Only the one who just walked in has glasses and a deep red suit.

What the hell?

The glasses copy spots me, and his face lights up with a grin. “Raven!”

Okay, I’m still drugged from the other night. There’s no way I’m seeing doubles right now.

As the copy gets closer, he glances at the double to his right. Immediately, he frowns. He looks between the copy and me, looking me and my skirt up and down. Then, he turns to face the copy, his face dropping into a sneer. “Brother. What are you doing here?”

The copy without the glasses crosses his arms. “Axel.”

What in the actual hell is going on? I take a step back, grabbing onto the chair behind me. How can I wake up? Surely, there can’t be two of them.

But neither one disappears. There’s some sort of tense standoff between the two of them, both of them standing straight up, their necks stiff.

“Is the Ice King going on a date?” There’s a mocking tone to the newcomer’s voice. “Thought you swore off that.”

“It’s not a date.”

“No?” He motions at me. “Sure looks like it.”

“Not a date. But it would be none of your business if it were.”

Someone gets up from a table nearby and skirts around the Axel without glasses, then avoids the one with glasses. Slowly, I realize that this is real. I’m not drunk. Other people can see both of them.

They’re twins.

Fuck. I’ve been fighting with twins.

“So what is it, then?” Glasses Axel glances at me again. The edges of his eyes are tight, but they soften when he looks at me. “What are you doing here, little bird?”

“I’m doing what you said.” The other one ignores his question to me, throwing his hand in my direction. “Getting a PA.”

There’s a tense silence where they look like bulls standing off with each other.

God, they’re fighting over my job application? Which one is Axel? No. I need to get out of here.

I inch toward the bathrooms. Maybe if I stay in there long enough, I can sneak out. Sneak out and leave this town for good.

My foot gets caught on the edge of a chair, and I trip. I catch myself with a clatter, turning around to face them.

Both men are looking at me. “Where are you going?” the one without glasses asks.

Now, I really do need to go to the bathroom because I think I might hurl. My first instinct is to cower, but I straighten and force myself to think. There are other people here. Neither of them can truly hurt me. “Going to the bathroom, not that it’s any of your business.” When neither of them responds, I feel my anger rise. “Who the hell are you?”

“Axel,” Glasses says slowly, like I’m stupid. Then, he grins, motioning at the one without glasses. “Gage.”

I stare stupidly.

“Badass.” Glasses—the real Axel—wiggles his eyebrows. “Breaking a lawyer’s glasses.”

Oh shit. Ohshit? I look at the one Axel called Gage. He just glares at me.

He’s a lawyer? Of course, he is. That’s the position I’m interviewing for—a lawyer’s office. My heart starts racing.

I’m fucked. This is so bad. I can’t pay for those glasses.