Page 49 of Stop and Seek
The guy tucked the cigarette behind his ear with a grin, nodding at Theo’s hand.
“You’re blue, too? Welcome to the club. Everyone here seems to think the ones chasing have the upper hand.”
“Right? Bunch of shit. Our job’s way easier.”
“Have you considered your plan of action yet?”
“Already got it in the works,” Theo mumbled.
“If you haven’t already, let me bring to your consideration—”
The guy pulled a phone from his khakis.
“This.”
He flipped it open, turning it on the side and there was… a map? A blueprint?
Theo tilted his head before it clicked.
Oh shit.
It was East Bridge, but it was fuckingancient.
“There’s no sense in everyone beginning from an uneven playing field, so I thought—”
“It’s wrong,” Theo interrupted.
“How so?”
“This,” Theo pointed to the middle, and the guy leaned closer, “isn’t even here. And this, you’ll be fucked to find it; they split that room. That’s the chem lab and bio two now.”
The guy patted Theo’s shoulder and shut the phone with an irritated sigh.
Sorry to burst your bubble, buddy.
“Do you smoke?” Mr. Pretentious asked.
“Not that.”
“Then I’ll see you around.”
He left in a waft of stale cigarette smoke and cloying cologne, and Theo had to laugh.
This whole thing was a nightmare.Start to finish.
If he didn’t win the damn money?
Never mind.
Better not to think about that, either.
Every word out of Decker’s mouth had Theo searching for the closest place to buy duct tape. A half hour straight of that ear-grating voice had turned Theo’s brain into static.
And Decker wasstillwhining.
“Ben-Ben. I’m withering. Hold me in your big, strong arms.”
“You already spilled slushieon me. No. I would rather step in front of oncoming traffic.”
