Monsters by Matt Rogers (bill gates books to read TXT) 📕

into the café and placed her order. The wait was eternal. It felt like she was there forever. She slouched in the corner, positioning herself under an A/C vent in the ceiling to dry her back, staring at every customer that entered and exited. She was sure she was being followed, watched. They could see her discomfort. See her panic. Three separate times she almost left before the staff called her name, but managed to stop herself short each time. Her heart jackhammered now.

Bea, the plump barista, called, ‘Mary?’ She clutched a wrapped bagel in her palm.

Mary stepped forward.

The door jangled and a man stepped inside. He had the pale skin of an Eastern European and thin hair shaved to a buzzcut. He was her height, short but stocky, in a leather jacket and black jeans despite the heat. He scanned the overhead menu noncommittally, not even trying to make it believable, then his gaze fell on Mary.

She took the bagel from Bea, who turned to the new customer and asked, ‘Here for lunch?’

‘No,’ the man said.

He sat down at the closest table, rested his elbows on the surface, and stared at Mary.

Blood drained from her cheeks. She turned away so her paling face wasn’t visible. She had to walk past him to exit. She searched out the bathroom, hustled toward it, the bulbs overhead like spotlights. Someone laughed harshly at a table beside her and she almost leapt out of her skin. It jolted her to a realisation. If you hide, you’re only delaying the inevitable.

At once she spun and headed back for the entrance. A beeline past the mystery man. He watched her all the way. Her nervous tremors crescendoed as she passed by. She didn’t realise how tense she was, the way her neck and shoulders were locked in place like iron rods. It was a miracle she hadn’t fainted.

When she brushed past she heard his voice. ‘Tick tock, Mary.’

Eastern European, just as she’d suspected. Probably Russian. She could tell he was staring daggers at her but she didn’t dare meet his gaze. He’d spoken quietly enough so only she could hear. She hurried past, pushed her way out the door, almost knocking over a middle-aged woman who’d been on her way in. She sprinted across the street, barely looking for traffic. A horn blared. In the lobby she tapped the elevator button nearly twenty times in rapid succession before the doors opened. Up on her floor she couldn’t get her key in the lock, her hands were shaking so hard. Finally she managed and spilled through into an empty hallway.

She sat down and put her back to the wall, shut her eyes. The darkness of her eyelids throbbed in time with her heartbeat.

At some point she’d dropped the bagel.

Meal delivery it is.

Her phone rang. With trembling hands she fished it out.

Her aunt Ava.

12

Mary’s voice came through the speaker, drowning with stress. ‘Hi. Hello. This isn’t a good time, Ava. I’m really sorry.’

Alexis pressed the phone tighter against her ear. ‘I’m not your aunt.’

Silence.

Across the table, Ava watched hawkishly.

Mary said, ‘W-what?’

‘I’m a friend of Ava’s. Why haven’t you gone to the police?’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘Don’t think about the right answer, Mary. Just answer. Why haven’t you gone to the police?’

‘I don’t…’ A pause for composure, a deep quaking inhale. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

‘One chance at this, Mary. I can help. You don’t need to know why and you don’t need to know how, but you should trust that I know what I’m doing.’

A pause. ‘Then put Ava on the phone.’

Alexis said nothing.

Mary said, ‘Prove she’s okay. Prove I can trust you.’

‘You’re good, Mary. You’re doing all the right things. There’s a way out of this. I promise.’

Alexis handed the phone over. Ava said, ‘Listen to my voice. I’m not under duress. Alexis is a friend. She’s a very serious person. Answer her questions and she’ll help.’

There was no one in the surrounding booths and the café was in a lull so Alexis heard every word that came back through the little speaker. ‘Help how? Who is she?’

Ava held Alexis’ gaze as she answered. ‘I’m sure you’ve noticed I’m different these days. Nothing like how I was before. Alexis helped me out of that dark place.’ A brief silence. ‘She’s the strongest woman I’ve met.’

Ava didn’t wait for a reply. She handed the phone back.

‘Why haven’t you gone to the police?’ Alexis said a third time.

‘My boss is a billionaire,’ Mary said without hesitation. ‘She has the resources to delay any investigation and by the time anything gets done I’ll be out of the picture. She’ll do to me what she did to Jack.’ Hesitation. ‘Uh, Jack is a mentor of mine who was—’

‘Jack Sundström. I know who he is. You could voice these concerns to SFPD. They’d establish protection.’

‘Not enough,’ Mary said. ‘Whatever they do, it won’t be enough. You don’t know Heidi.’

‘Leak everything anonymously. You supposedly know that it’s all a sham. Take it to the Chronicle. Don’t reveal your identity.’

‘There’s…’ Mary trailed off and sobbed, but she pulled herself together fast. ‘There’s people following me. I’m so fucking scared. What if my phone’s tapped?’ Her voice shook, wavering octaves up and down. ‘And it’s not a “sham.” It just…doesn’t work the way Heidi wanted it to. But she has deadlines. We all do…’

‘I don’t need to hear about that right now,’ Alexis said. ‘Who’s following you?’

‘Some Russian guy. First time I left my place since yesterday and he was there at the café across the road, staring at me. He said, “Tick tock,” when I walked by. But I’m still alive. So they’re just trying to keep me quiet. Unless…’

She didn’t have to finish. Alexis could fill in the blanks. Unless they’re listening right now. Unless I signed my own death warrant by talking to you.

Alexis said, ‘They’re probably keeping tabs on you until they can think of a way to get rid of you that minimises attention. So you’re safe for now.’

‘I’m