Into Ruin

Chapter 14 Identity

Gunnar spent all morning in the broken mirror practicing a cheesy smile and his preppy accent. He could already hear Olivia's voice in his head without the earpiece. No clipped words, say every syllable. Talk like your teachers would have. Or Vita back when she hated him. She had a real way of making everything seem too good for him to understand and she knew damned well she was doing it, back when Rob was around. God, had she changed otherwise he wouldn't bother hanging around her.

Matt sat down next to him on the chewed-up couch. "Ready for this?"

"Ya-Yes, I am," Gunnar said, hating every word and smile he put on. Just a character, he reminded himself. He was just acting like some other guy to get information. There was nothing wrong with being who he was.

"Sweet, yer looking pretty dope."

Gunnar grimaced at both Matt and his own stiff button-up shirt whose collar wouldn't stop scratching his neck. "I can't see why we couldn't switch parts."

Matt laughed. "'Cause you're too damn white."

Gunnar did up the buttons on his cuffs like Olivia had showed him. He'd always hated that assumption, that skin color meant you had money. His family was a bunch of broke immigrants too, they just didn't look like it. His mother used to tell him and Aida they were lucky to be born without broken tongues. Their English could be just like all the kids at school. No one would make fun of them for that. But she didn't think well enough to understand kids could be assholes for way more than one reason. There was plenty else about the two of them to hate.

"Gotta say, I'm a bigger fan of the real Gunnar. I saw your video clips, Travis, and you're a bit of a dick."

Gunnar laughed. "Then don't be surprised when I'm walking circles around you." He still had to get the hang of being so full of himself. He knew how to keep people at a distance and uninterested, but wasn't big on making them feel like dirt.

"Looking forward to it, man, looking forward to it." Matt clapped him on the back and looked him in the eyes. "But remember, if anything happens, I've got your back."

Gunnar nodded. He couldn't tell if Matt was being friendly because he wanted in Gunnar's good books, or if he was just a nice guy. Experience had taught him the last option was probably fake. He also wasn't into making promises he had no intention of keeping. "If it's anything like the last one, we'll just be in and out."

Matt nodded and zipped up his navy jumpsuit. He'd have the grittier factory jobs and his switch-off was right after the lunch break. Gunnar's man, Travis, had written through some kind of exam this morning which meant he was in this crisp getup. There was some kind of physical test this afternoon that the guy was wanting to avoid so Gunnar had his in. Yuri and Olivia assured him that he'd do much better than Travis on his best day, part of their bargaining chip with Travis, but reminded Gunnar not to draw too much attention to himself.

Rorke, the one with the rough red beard who could moonlight as a pirate, led them through the community yards to a few giant busted casinos. Gunnar couldn't imagine anyone living or working in there. The more he looked around, the more he saw ruins and bones. His senses kicked into gear. They could be walking into a trap. Olivia had only given him a small knife, more for show than use, but it would be the only thing Travis might own. Impractical bastard.

"Put that away," Rorke said harshly with eyes focused on Gunnar. "You spook these guys coming out, and they'll rat you all out. 'Specially the one you're replacing."

Then why bother sending him? Why not leave him back up top with Olivia and Quinton where he'd be a lot less of a risk? He had seventeen years of experience telling him he blended as well as a cheetah in a ballroom.