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"Okay" With a shy smile, she headed toward the door

Phineas turned and couldn’t spot his brother "Freemont, where are you?"

A hand waved in the back corner, so Phineas tunneled between some dresses on a rack and found hih another rack of clothes and discovered a wall lined with shelves Shoes, handbags, and hats decorated the shelves, and toward the back wall, Free a pair of cowboy boots

Phineas heard the click of the door, signaling Tiffany’s departure "Okay, we can talk now"

Freerimaced as he stuffed the boots back on the shelf "You told ood va undercover"

"Yeah, I heard what you said! You’re a stinkin’ double agent, working for the nasty vauy," Phineas insisted, then lowered his voice "Freeotta trust me I still work for MacKay S and I The intervieas a setup"

"Huh?"

"Did you see a video on the Internet a feeeks ago that claiuy in a kilt decapitated another guy who turned to dust"

"Yeah" Freeht it was a movie trailer Lamont and I wanted to see the movie, but we could never find the naovernment removed it Because it was real"

"Huh?"

"It was a real battle I was there"

Freeht in a real battle? With a sword?"

"Yes I’ve been in several battles, and I’ve killed a few Malcontents The guy whose head was cut off was Casiuys were defeated?"

"Yes, but there are still a few Malcontents out there Casiirlfriend, Corky Courrant, who does a TV show called Live with the Undead"

"Huh?"

"She recorded the video of Casimir’s execution, then posted it on YouTube That means she broke the secret of vaest crime you can commit in our world"

"Her name is Corky?"

"Yes! Stay with me, Freemont After she posted the video, she ca her show as if she’d done nothing wrong She claims she’s heir to the Malcontent throne and vampires all over the world should follow her and call her Queen Corky"

"Oh God, I hate her!" Tiffany hissed from across the room

Phineas jerked around, but couldn’t see her "Tiffany! You were supposed to leave the roo clothes "I won’t breathe a word I hate Corky as much as anybody"

"So this Corky is really bad?" Freemont asked

"She’s evil," Tiffany hissed

"Evil queen bitch," Phineas clarified "She’s been bads and ed about how she started the Vampire Apocalypse Ronored hianesti, Coven Master for the East Coast," Phineas explained "And he’s owner of Romatech Industries where they make synthetic blood and where I’m head of security"

"Okay" Freeood Va she’s above our system of law and justice," Phineas continued "Roman had no choice but to issue a warrant for her arrest, but then she went into hiding and now she records her show somewhere in secret We haven’t been able to locate her"

"Oh osh," Tiffany whispered "That’s why you acted like a Malcontent sy the interview You want to convince Corky you’re on her side, so you can flush her out"

Phineas regarded Tiffany with surprise She wasn’t as stupid as she pretended to be "You’re right"

She grinned "This is aweso undercover"

Freemont’s eyes lit up "Hot daet too excited" Phineas gave his brother a stern look "I want you to stay out of trouble"

"No way! I’ve got your back, bro"

"I appreciate that, but I don’t want you--"

"Don’t tell me to stay out of this," Freemont interrupted with a scowl "You involved hed "I needed to convince everyone that I’d left MacKay S and I, and that I’us agreed We always have a shortage of day guards, since notyou He said they could work around your college schedule"

"Really?" Freemont’s eyes widened "I could ith you?"

"Yeah I told hiht be interested" Phineas winced inwardly He had jumped at the chance to include his brother, but noondered if his decision had been selfish

For the past few years, he’d felt like there was a ticking bomb over his head Sooner or later, and probably sooner, it would explode the instant that his fa When that happened, he would be left with only two options One: Tell his family the truth and deal with the consequences Two: Disappear He could fake his death, leave theain Or he could spare their grief by erasing hius recoical strike, he called it, so a limb A part of you would be forever lost, but you would survive

For Phineas, the thought of losing his fa his heart ripped out Too painful to consider, so he’d settled on telling theus offered to hire Free Va the day was usually a safe job since the Malcontents were in their death-sleep, too

But now that his current mission was under way, Phineas worried that his decision would expose his brother to soer Had he selfishly saved himself pain, only to foist it onto his fah for you to be here, pretending to beet dicey, I’ll be covered I want you to lay low and--"