Chapter 28 · Mirror Image Nightmare

"Don't look at him. Look at me." Vala's blade pressed under my jaw before I could take another step.

The edge was cold. Her hand wasn't.

She stood behind me, close enough that her breath touched the side of my neck. One arm locked across my chest. The other held the knife steady while the elevator doors opened ahead of us.

A man walked out.

My face looked back at me.

Same black jacket. Same torn sleeve. Same thin scar through the left eyebrow. Even the little silver wire wrapped around the right wrist was there, the one I'd stolen from a dead courier three years ago because I liked the way it caught light.

He stopped beside the open elevator and smiled.

I didn't.

"Tell me that's a trick," Vala said.

"It's a trick."

"You answered too fast."

"Because I know my face."

The copy tilted his head. I did that when I was lying. He did it perfectly.

"You always did hate mirrors, Kai," he said.

His voice was mine too.

Vala's blade lifted half an inch. "How does he know your name?"

"Lots of people know my name."

"Not in this sector."

"Then ask him.