Claire: Mason, that is ridiculous. The man can't wait here all day while I work to take me out whenever I might like. I need stuff from my apartment. Stop telling me what to do. I know you want me safe, but I'm the boss in this library, not you.
Mason: He can. That's what I'm paying him for. I know you're the boss in the library, but I'm going to keep you safe everywhere. We can replace everything in your apartment. Don't argue with me unless you're looking for more of what happened last night.
I tapped my fingers against my desk, thinking of the best way to handle him. I would talk to him about all this tonight. He could be reasonable sometimes, but we would not agree through text while we were both frightened for my safety. Warmth bubbled through me. All of this madness was because he cared for me. I could forgive a little craziness.
Claire: Fine, I'll let Lawrence take me where I need to go, but this isn't the end of this discussion.
Mason: Thank you.
Someone knocked on the door, making me jump. “Come in.”
“Hey, Claire. Just letting you know, Gavin is here. Not sure what he needs, but thought you’d appreciate the heads up.”
“I do. I’ll be out in a moment. Thanks.” She turned and left, but not before I noticed the nervous expression on her face. The people-pleaser in me wanted to rush right out and greet him. I held back my enthusiasm and waited for him to approach me. He knew where I was and may not want my help with whatever he came here for. After about ten minutes, I gave in and meandered out into the library.
Emma sat quietly at the circulation desk, checking in books, and my new volunteer, Kiana, pushed the cart, returning them to their shelves. I shot Emma a questioning look, and she shrugged, understanding I was asking where Gavin went. I walked around and didn’t see him anywhere, so I headed to the back storeroom, thinking maybe he was looking for something.
I passed the locked door to the basement. Gavin’s voice arguing with someone on the other side stopped me in my tracks. He told me he didn’t have a key, that they did not keep it on the premises. Clearly, that was a lie. My heart hammered as I leaned in, pressing my ear against the wood. My curiosity overwhelmed my fear of getting caught.There’s more to GavinWolfethan there seems,Eileen’s words ran through my mind.
“That’s not what I meant. The task has not been as simple as you suggested.” Something thumped against the door, maybe his fist. His tone raised with a pleading note. “You don’t need to do that.” He paused, listening to the response. “I understand. No, things haven’t gone exactly as planned.” His hand slapped against the wood. “I understand. I will deal with it.” The vibrations were mildly distorted, but I heard him well enough.
He must have stood on the top of the landing, looking down on whatever they stored in the basement below. I pressed myself harder into the door, unable to discern his next words.
“All debts must be settled.” He paused as he listened to the response on the other end. “Of course, I don’t give a shit about the librarian personally. I gave her the job because you asked me to. I kept an eye on her because you asked me to.”The librarian,he was talking about me. “I’ll get it done, Mr. Sharp.”Holy shit, he’s talking to Mason.I waited a moment longer, but instead of more conversation, the knob turned.
I ran for the storeroom, closing the door behind me just in time. I left it open a crack and watched as Gavin locked the door, tucked a gun into his waistband, and sauntered down the hall.What the fuck was going on here?
Mason asked him to keep an eye on me and give me the job? That happened before we went on a single date. Why would he do that? I waited long enough to be certain Gavin was off somewhere else in the library. I didn’t want him to find me here. He could suspect I overheard his conversation. Anger and betrayal spilled like black ooze inside of me.
Something weird was going on. Mason knew it all along, and kept it from me, even maneuvered things so I got this position. The warning from Eileen, the way Gavin warned me off the board, that damn locked door. Why was he at this stupid library so much? I choked back a sob; was the bird book even real?
He was a corporate lawyer, and yet I met him here more than once in the middle of the day. None if it made any sense. He didn’t lie about his profession at least. After he told me about his name change, I searched Mason Dubois online and found all the things I expected to find the first time I typed in Mason Harris. That much was true, but what about everything else? Tears spilled from my eyes, but I remained quiet.
I ran over all of our interactions, thinking about the serendipitous way we seemed to fall together. He lied about his name and confessed that he was a criminal. Was I beyond naïve to believe the noble things he told me about wanting to be a better man?He’s the one stalking you.The thought slithered through my mind, destroying everything else the previous ooze left untouched. Could it have been him the whole time?
Mason insisted he was dangerous, and I ignored him, too wrapped up in what he made me feel to care. He told me this was all his fault.I’m the one putting you in danger.He yelled the words at me as he gripped his hair in his fists. I assumed they were nothing more than self-deprecation, but what if it was guilt? The man who waited for me at the café could have been one of his goons, throwing me off the scent.
That night at the club, he was yelling at someone on the phone. Was he sending them to smash up my things then? Did I tell him that I loved Catcher in the Rye? I couldn’t remember if I did or not, but the notes were terrifying, poignant, and from books that made me feel deep and unsettling things.
He told me a tech guy could find out everything about me in a matter of minutes, and the fear he knew that from experience dug into my gut. I thought of Mrs. Jones and the utter lack of fear through the whole ordeal of someone smashing up my apartment. I assumed she didn’t care, but maybe he paid her off too. He had enough money to never work again, he could surely afford to pay whatever he needed to get her to play along.Does he know what happened to Rebecca?
I didn’t know what to do, but I needed to escape Mason and this whole library. This entire city was a cesspool of misery and pain, despite the immaculate crime rates. I rolled my eyes, thinking of how high this place ranked on national safety lists. Everything around me was a lie. I lived, worked, and fucked in a hornets’ nest, waiting for them to aim their stingers at me. Enough stings and I would be dead.
I walked out into the library, breathing deeply and working on my manufactured, serene expression. “Where’s Gavin?” I asked Emma as I passed her.
“He left. Didn’t he talk to you?”
“No, he didn’t.”
“Huh, he’s been acting weird lately.”You took the words right out of my mouth.I sneered internally.
“Well, I’m headed back to my office. I have a pile of things to deal with before I go for lunch.”
“Okay, see you later.”
I thought about Emma as I went. She had been here a lot longer than me, and suspicion flickered. How much did she know about this place, and how much of our friendship was real? I assumed she used me a bit to further her career goals, but what if the reality was far worse than that? I slipped into deep darkness.
I only had a few personal things here, but I took them all, uncertain if I would ever return. Creeping toward the backdoor, I tried to walk as normally as possible. I glanced over my shoulder repeatedly to make sure no one saw me. I pulled on the hoodie I kept in my office for emergencies and tugged the strings tight to hide my face. Lawrence sat in his car out front waiting for me, though he could have a whole gang back here prepared to snatch me up if I ran. No one grabbed me or called out to me as I slipped through the door and down the street.
I cleared the block, then took off in an all-out sprint. I gasped wildly as my feet pounded against the pavement. Certainly, few salvageable things remained in my apartment. I should collect whatever I could and get the hell out of dodge. I had a little money tucked away in my closet, and I doubted anyone found it. The funds were enough to buy a bus ticket to take me far from here, across the country, and toward a new life.
I thought about the fact that ruining all of my things made me entirely dependent on him and I gagged.Oh God, what have I done?
I ran up the stairs to the second floor, casting withering glances at Mrs. Jones’ closed door. When I stood in the hall, knowing eyes watched me, did they come from her apartment? Did he stand inside and watch me? The door to my apartment was unlocked.Why bother locking up?My venomous thoughts seeped through me, and for once, I didn’t need to force the knob. It gave easily under my hand like I was finally on the right track.
I pushed it open, catching the big red letters.Why would he do this to me?I stopped in my tracks, stunned to see a familiar face sitting in a chair beneath the word.Click.The gun cocked. “I’ve been waiting for you.” I swallowed hard, hating myself for all the wretched things I thought in the last half hour. There was more to the story than I knew, but this part of it had nothing to do with Mason.