security on the ground for Turov. He’d actually met the two of you while the boat was in the marina. Now they want me to bring you to him, so he can say, ‘Those are not the droids you’re looking for.’ Or… that you are.”
“What do we do?” Lori asked, calm and confident, like she had faith in Damon. Brian remembered feeling like that, but all he felt now was a cold dread. I don’t want to give up this life. I don’t want to run again.
“Depends on the two of you.” Damon looked back and forth between them. “This one is for all the marbles. Can you convince the dude he met people who looked like you but weren’t you? How good are you really, Lor?”
Her eyes actually went bright. “Different walk, voice and tone? I was pregnant, and I’ve lost some water weight off my face now. Makeup—”
“Keep it subtle,” Damon suggested. “They’ll be looking for tricks. He needs to feel the doubt in his bones.”
“Braiding my hair, then, to accent my cheekbones. I was playing tough for Turov, so I’ll do soft and sweet, and confused.”
Brian’s stomach dropped. Lori and Damon, convinced they can fool the world. Then again, they usually did.
“What about fingerprints?” Nick asked sharply.
Damon smiled. “I had the van we rode to the marina in detailed, and planted a few fragments and one good print in obscure places, like the edge of the door. Prints that fit my stand-ins.”
Nick frowned. “How did you get those? Who are your stand-ins?”
Damon put a finger beside his nose, pointed it at Nick, then turned to Brian. “It’s riding on you. You were playing dumb, deep under, that whole time. So now you need to be smart. The bruises change your face. You’ve muscled up, even if you’re still a marshmallow. You move better, hold your head up. You just need to do all of that, and be smart. As not-Bry as you can manage.”
“You think that’ll be enough?” Charlie pushed back his chair and stood. “Sounds like one hell of a risk.”
“You think I want all our futures riding on Brian’s acting ability?” Brian suddenly could see the tension in Damon, the way he was strung tighter than Brian ever remembered. Or maybe he’d just tried not to notice when his big brother wasn’t as cool as he claimed. “I had it under control, till they dug up this guy Milward.”
“Milward is the witness?”
“Yeah. Part of Turov’s marina security. One of the guys who met us at the van, and he came on board the boat at some point.” He flicked a glance at Brian. “Hopefully while Bry was having one of his meltdowns.”
Brian felt his face heat. “You really think I can fool him?” He hated how small his voice sounded.
“Recognition is one part face and three parts everything else,” Damon said. “Ever see someone and think they look just like someone you know, but then they move and speak and you’re sure it’s not them after all?”
“I guess.”
“That’s what we’re going to do.”
“When and where?” Nick asked. “How long does he have to practice and decide?”
Damon flicked a look at the device on his wrist. “Two hours from now, in Raleigh. It’s now or never, folks. Convince them, or hide. Turov wasn’t one of theirs, just a loose end, so they didn’t care enough to pull us in on a maybe. But if we run from this, maybe becomes probably, and the Russians have long, long arms.”
Nick grunted, clenched teeth making it more of a growl. “It never stops, does it? Dragging Brian down in the mud. No way to stay clean.”
“It stops here, if all goes well.”
“And you’ll leave him alone? Get gone and stay gone?”
Brian moved between Nick and Damon, trying to be subtle and failing, given the look they both sent his way. “I don’t want to run and hide. I’m tired.” His face hurt and his shoulder hurt and he wanted to go to bed with Nick, and wake up, and work, and watch TV, and go to bed, and wake up with Nick— He yanked his thoughts back from falling into a comforting rhythm. Not Bry. He’d worked so hard learning to be Not-Bry. “I want to do it.”
Damon hopped off the counter, clapping him on the back. “Good man. First, we’re going to get you changed—”
“I’m coming along,” Nick said.
“Nope.” Damon turned to him. “Boris Lebedev said me, my brother, and my sister. We do not push this guy.”
“To