I turn to face the asshole I’d been trying to seduce. Rob looks like he’s going to kill me if I don’t do it first.

I force myself to laugh. The sound is muted and made all the more awkward by the soundproof walls. It disgusts me to do so, but I immediately reach out for the Android as if we were friends, and lay a hand against his shoulder. “David!” I say. “You idiot, I told you I didn’t want to come to your stupid Halloween party! Nobody celebrates that anymore around here. And, no, for the last fucking time, I’m not going to dress up as Rogue Zero to be your sidekick. It’s a waste of resources. Now get the fuck out of my—”

The Android frowns. “My name isn’t—”

I kick him in the leg and mutter the words, “Yes, it fucking is, you forgetful little shit,” under my breath. My palm meets his wrist. I take a step forward with the intent of dragging him out of La Brume, however, Rob holds me back.

“You think I’m an idiot?” he asks. “You think I’m gonna let you mess with me like that?”

“I’ll be back in five,” I mutter. “No need to be a dick about it.”

Rob’s breaths ghost against my neck. He grunts behind me, and lowers his raspy voice. “I don’t appreciate pranks, brat. You promised me a good time. I ain’t letting you leave with that little friend of yours.”

I smirk, then scoff, and cup a hand around his ear. “Listen here, bastard,” I whisper, “I saw you beat the living hell out of that guy in booth two. I know the owner. And if you don’t let me go outside for five minutes, you’ll be sorry you tested my patience.” I pull away. I look him in the eye. His are on fire with rage, but nevertheless, he stays silent. “All right?” I show him a hypocritical smile. “I’ll be back.”

Surprisingly, this guy does let me leave. And now I’m glad he didn’t actually tell anything of importance, because I’ve no doubt the task at hand would have been twice as complicated if he had.

I drag Gilbert towards the back door. The crowd parts for us. Behind the bar, Solenn mouths: ‘What are you doing?’ to me, but I ignore her. If anyone in here realizes Gilbert is an actual Android, they’ll waste no time tearing him to pieces—or at least, they’ll try. I can’t believe he doesn’t know this. He’s like a walking sack of money, and he’s alone, too; anyone would be tempted to take his parts in exchange for a better life.

“Sir, I—”

“Shut it, tin can.”

I slam the back door behind our figures. It’s still raining outside. The other bouncer, who’d been guarding this entrance, throws me a disapproving glare, though, he doesn’t comment on my behavior. It’s not like he could throw me out of the club. I’m already gone.

I descend down the steps that lead me into a nest of shadows and press my back against its wall. The guy who stole my cigarette is shouting something about his mates being useless. They argue for a while as I take Gilbert to an isolated alleyway—one far from those crooks; I don’t need any more trouble to add onto this crap.

Above us, red and purple lights flicker from old, outdated signs. There’s a moan coming from the last floor of one of the buildings. I cannot say whether it is one of pain or of pleasure.

“How did you find me?” I ask, as rain accumulates at our feet, alongside mist created by puffs of smoke that linger, nearby.

“You were lying.” Our gazes meet. “You were not planning on meeting with me again,” he says.

I raise a brow. “So?”

“So,” Gilbert nods, “I took it upon myself to place a tracking device on you.”

My hands ball into fists. I crouch down and groan into my arms. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

For some reason, he follows me down and kneels in turn. “Excuse me...” Gilbert tilts his head. “Is everything all right?”

“No!” My voice cracks, until it perishes, engulfed by the sound of the pouring rain. “Nothing is all right! You ruined everything!” The images of what could possibly be happening to Fletcher right now flash through my mind. “My friend is missing, I’m being stalked by my worst nightmare, and… my nose really hurts.”

Gilbert places his hand against my knuckles. I flinch, but I force myself to stay. If I pull away now, it’ll show him I’m afraid. And even if I probably don’t: I want to believe I still might have the upper hand here. “May I fix it?” he asks.

“In exchange for what?”

He pauses. Then says, “Nothing.”

I slap his hand away. “Liar.” I still can’t bring myself to look at him. “You said you wanted me to help you before. I’m no fool.” A broken laugh escapes me. “I know you’ll demand something in return once you’ve fulfilled your part of the bargain.”

Gilbert sighs—at least, it is the equivalent of a sigh, even if I doubt he needs to breathe. “Do you hate me that much?”

“I hate you in general,” I tell him. “It’s nothing personal.”

“Apologies, but I do not understand what that means.”

Heat rises in my throat. I want to scream. I get up again, once I finally find the courage to meet his gaze. “It means I detest your kind,” I say. “Because you’re all destined to become bloodthirsty murderers at some point. And even if some say that’s wrong, I refuse to believe it. This month only”—I point at him—“there were thirty of you who went missing. Thirty of you who came back. And thirty of you who killed at least three hundred of us. Of me.”

“I am aware.” Gilbert averts his gaze. His attention is fixated on the ground, where an abandoned shoelace lies, discarded next to a murky green puddle. If I hadn’t known him to be an Android, I might have thought he’d been feeling ashamed. “I am aware,” Gilbert echoes, as his lips tighten into a thin line. “That is why… I am investigating these murders.”

My eyes widen. I can’t believe what I’m hearing.

I gasp. “What?”