Cheat (Karma Inc. Book 1) by Gillian Zane

found out where I worked.”
    “Then all we have to do is give you a new identity. How’s the case going, almost done?” He changed the subject.
    “Yeah, I should have it wrapped up Thursday night,” I said.
    “Perfect. If the guy is still harassing you, when you get your next case, along with it you’ll get a new identity. No big deal.”
    “Okay.” I was relieved. It was true, all I had to do was change how I looked and my paperwork and Cassidy Hail was no more. Just like Cassandra Mercier was no more.
    I trudged up the stairs to my apartment. How many identities would I go through in death? Would it be hundreds? Thousands? There was no telling how long I would be in this position. If I was set to be in Limbo for thousands of years, how long would I have to be an operative? It was a tiring thought, but what was my other option? Oblivion? Moving on to some unknown other job? An eventual promotion to some unknown Nirvana, which could technically be the same as this?
    Death definitely wasn’t what I expected.

Chapter 16
Party Over Here
    “C - Party tonight. Need you there! Don’t b lame.”
    T he text message came through during my shift. It was weird balancing my new life with my old life. All my friends were still in college and here I was on patrol as a rookie officer.
    “Got u a bday present!”
    The follow-up came through when I didn’t respond. The party was at an acquaintance’s house near the lake. She was loaded, via her trust fund, and her parents’ house was the perfect party spot. She threw parties on a monthly basis and they were always a little much.
    Tonight I was twenty-one. It was sort of a momentous occasion. Maybe a party was in order. I had promised my mother I would stop by after my shift. She was intent on repairing our relationship. She thought getting me a cake and a present, something she had rarely done when it mattered, when I was a child, would make things right between us. She was wrong.
    “You drive?”
    I texted back.
    “Yes!!!!!!!!!!! Grab you at 9.”

    “K”
    The response was my name with kiss emojis all around it. I had been friends with Pete since middle school. It didn’t matter that he was about to graduate college with a degree in engineering, or that he was older than me. He would always be the kid who sat down at my lunch table, hit me in the face with a forkful of mashed potatoes and declared, “You’re my new BFF, but you need to smile more.”

    * * *
    I woke up with a start . I must have napped. That was new. I hadn’t had to sleep since I died, or at least since I’ve come to Karma Incorporated. I grabbed for my phone and checked the time. It was Thursday afternoon. I had slept for almost twenty-four hours. I only had a few hours before my shift at the bar. It was my third and hopefully the last shift I would work, if things went as I had planned. I was as nervous as a cat during a thunderstorm. I had one goal today- flirt and carry on with Bishop.
    I dressed carefully, pulling out a t-shirt dress and pairing it with a comfy pair of boots that were appropriate for behind the bar. I left my hair down, going for loose waves, that look that says I didn’t try, but I really did, because it’s hard to look this good without trying.
    I was getting used to the new me. The blonde hair, the perfectly proportioned good looks. It was so different from what I looked like when I was alive. I had been average- average height, hair color, looks. A sturdy six on a ten scale chart. I had been okay with that though, using it to my advantage. Blending into normality so people took me for granted. It worked then. Now, I didn't blend. I stood out. Men and women alike noticed me. I had to use the way I looked to my advantage in a different way.
    I had the late shift again tonight, so I showed up at the bar and the place was a little quiet for a Thursday night. Bishop was sitting at the bar waiting for the current bartenders to close out. I pulled up a chair next to him, making