I spotted Austin as I entered the coffee shop, the familiar aroma of java beans heavy in the air. Instead of ordering, I sidestepped the line and approached a window booth along the near wall. Austin met my gaze, his brow furrowing as I neared.

 

“Hey, Kenny,” he said. “No coffee today?”

 

A bout of anxiety washed over me. There was something I needed to tell him, and coffee would only make me more jittery.

 

I slid into the empty side of the booth. “I think I’ll skip my morning coffee.”

 

Austin arched an eyebrow. “That’s a first. What’s going on?”

 

I could only shrug in response.

 

“How many people have you tagged?” he asked, quickly changing the subject.

 

It was a common question when we got together. We only had a few days left. Then we’d be moving on to another city so we could do it all over again.

 

“Far less than you,” I replied.

 

Austin’s lips stretched into a grin. “Sometimes I get lucky.”

 

“You’re bad at masking that ego of yours,” I joked.

 

“Ha. You’re right. So, tell me. How many?”

 

“I don’t know. Maybe a few hundred.”

 

“That’s a solid number.”

 

“And you?” I inquired.

 

“I’m getting close to a thousand.”

 

“What’s your record again?”

 

“Twelve hundred and thirty-eight,” Austin answered without hesitation. “It was Atlanta. Remember?”

 

How could I forget? He brought it up every chance he got.

 

“Unless a miracle happens, I won’t even come close to that,” Austin said. “But maybe I can get over a thousand tags before we leave this place.”

 

We never disclosed our real job to anyone. That’s because no one would believe us. Austin and I worked for a deity named Chadros. He brought swift justice to each city we visited. We had a full month to tag as many criminals as we could. Then we moved on to our next destination.

 

Chadros had given us the ability to detect wrongdoers. More specifically, the hairs on the back of our necks would stand on end whenever we set eyes on a lawbreaker. By rubbing our fingers together, we effectively tagged them. Our targets didn’t feel a thing, and the tag wasn’t something that was visible to them.    

 

I was usually excited to move from one city to another, but I was dreading it this time around. That’s because I’d met someone special, and the thought of leaving them behind had dampened my spirits.    

 

“Did you visit Lower South Street?” Austin asked.

 

“Yeah. You were right. There are a lot of lowlifes there. I got nearly a hundred tags.”

 

Despite his massive ego, Austin did his best to help me out, and his suggestion had paid off. Unfortunately, it was a high risk, high reward game. Tags were more plentiful in the dangerous parts of the city, so I was thankful whenever I made it out unscathed.  

 

“There’s something you need to know,” I said.

 

Austin rested his mug on the table. “Okay.”

 

“I met someone. A woman.”

 

Austin smirked. “I knew it.”

 

“Knew what?”

 

“That something was up. Who is she?”

 

“Her name is Rebecca.”

 

“And where’d you meet her?”

 

“That’s the thing.”

 

“What do you mean?” Austin said.

 

“I met her when I visited Lower South Street.”

 

Austin’s eyes went wide. “Please tell me she isn’t one of them. A criminal,” he elaborated.

 

I pursed my lips.  

 

“Kenny,” he barked.

 

“I don’t know,” I said. “That feeling came over me when I first saw her, but it was a chilly night. It could have been due to that.”

 

“So, you didn’t tag her?”

 

I shook my head.

 

“You know you can get fired for this,” Austin said. “Or worse.”

 

A tapping on the window startled me. Peering at us through the glass was a young woman with cherry-colored hair and hazel eyes.

 

The back of my neck tingled. “It’s Rebecca.”

 

“I just got that feeling,” Austin said.

 

“Yeah,” I replied with clear disappointment in my voice. “Me, too.”  

 

Rebecca grinned at me, quickly disappearing from view. I had my back to the entrance, and Austin stared over my shoulder.

 

“Is she coming?” I asked.

 

“Yeah.”

 

Rebecca appeared a few seconds later.

 

“Hey, Kenny,” she said, sidling up to the table. “Mind if I join you?”

 

“Sure.”

 

I slid over, and Rebecca took a seat next to me.

 

Austin straightened in the booth, eyeing her. “I’m Austin.”

 

“It’s nice to meet you, Austin. I’m Rebecca.”

 

The three of us sat in awkward silence, Austin and I exchanging glances.

 

“I can sense your uneasiness,” she said. “But you don’t need to worry. I’m one of you.”

 

I raised an eyebrow. “What?”

 

“I’m a tagger.”

 

“Seriously?” Austin said.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Chadros never told us there were others.”

 

“Did you ever ask him?”

 

Austin gawked at me. We just assumed we were the only ones. But it made sense. Two people covering an entire city was a tall task.

 

“It wasn’t until after I met Kenny that I figured it out,” Rebecca said. “Chadros told me about the two of you.”

 

Even if that was true, something else still bothered me.

 

“You’re a criminal, though,” I pointed out.

 

“I’ve had to do some bad things to get in with the wrong crowd,” she said. “And the wrong crowd is the right crowd when it comes to getting tags.”

 

“Chadros allows that?” Austin asked.

 

A chuckle escaped Rebecca’s lips. “You guys really need to talk to him. Chadros is willing to look the other way if our actions bring results.”

 

It was definitely news to me.

 

“Anyway,” Rebecca said. “There’s another woman I work with.”

 

“Wait,” I said. “So, there’s four of us?”

 

Rebecca nodded. Beneath the table, I felt her fingers intertwine with mine. “I can introduce you guys to her. I think you’ll like her. Especially you, Austin.”

 

Austin smiled. “Why don’t you give her a call. Maybe she can join us.”

 

Rebecca glimpsed me, then eyed Austin. “I think that’s a great idea.”

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