Off Brand Among Us Novels & Stories

Unknown number. *Don’t overthink it. Just show up.* I stared at the screen for way too long thinking of who it might be before typing back. *Who the hell is this?* *You know who.* *How did you get my number?* *Doesn’t matter. See you at 5.* He went offline. I threw the phone across the room. It bounced off the wall and landed on my hoodie. Jun kept snoring above me like nothing in the world was wrong.

After brushing out my damp hair (which reached my butt when wet), I gathered dirty clothes and opened the door— —colliding with a wall of bare muscle. "Whoa, easy there," Jack’s hands landed on my bare shoulders as I stumbled back. I stared in consternation at his bare, sculpted chest. There was a tattoo on his right shoulder—some gothic cemetery angel. Funny, I’d never have pegged the stuffy businessman as an ink guy. A thin T-shaped trail of sandy hair spread across his pecs, trailing down toward his navel. *Damn.* Who knew he hid this under those sport coats?

If I backed off, she would sign those goddamn papers. I couldn’t let that happen. I needed time. And if I couldn’t ask for it, I would take it. I grabbed my laptop and immediately began searching for electronic stores in the neighborhood. It took time, but after checking through purchase records, I found it—Anna had placed an order with a local tech shop. Good. I called the store, keeping my voice calm. “Hello, this is Tech Haven, how may I help you?” “I need to delay the delivery of a laptop ordered under the name Anna Valerian.”

Marko's hands trembled slightly as he fumbled with the camera, snapping photos of the gathering. It became clear that Amber was at the center of a conspiracy, orchestrating plans that ran deeper than he had imagined. Phrases like "final shipment" and "no loose ends" echoed in his ears, each word adding weight to the gravity of the situation. Marko's mind raced as he pieced together the implications of their discussion.