Page 53 of A Malicious Menagerie
I snort, not swayed by his explanation. “So to take Nan out, I have to quit?”
He just stares at me, aquamarine eyes solemn, and a frisson of foreboding courses through me. “He’s not going to let me quit, is he?” I ask quietly.
“There’s a reason I told you that you couldn’t leave when you tried to put in your two weeks’ notice,” Nathan explains, his usually bright eyes stormy. “Why I more or less bribed you to stay. I was protecting you.”
I don’t feel very protected at the moment. “Have any of his previous employees quit, or just disappeared?”
“He doesn’t keep them long,” Nathan explains grimly. “About six months, usually. John has been an exception because he’s cruel and uncaring. He doesn’t make waves or ask questions. He just does the job. He’ll last longer than most, but I don’t know how long Mathis might tolerate him, either.”
“So the others? They were more like me?”
“Not quite,” Nathan murmurs, his expression softening. “They weren’t as kind as you. But they did start to ask questions. To make mistakes and give things away to friends and relatives. And Mathis doesn’t give second chances.”
The gravity of what he’s saying starts to sink in, and I stifle a whimper. “I just blew my only chance, didn’t I? So you’re… what? Here to make me disappear?”
“No,” Nathan replies firmly, lunging forward so quickly that I flinch. But all he does is cover my hand with his. “No, Anna, not at all. I’m here to tell you something. Something important that no one else knows. Something thatcannotleave this room.” He stares me down. “So, I’m asking you. Can you keep a secret?”
“I’ll add it to the list,” I reply dryly.
His lips tip up in an almost imperceptible smile. “I might work for Mathis, but not really. I’m undercover.”
I just stare at him, trying to process this bomb he’s just dropped on me. “For the police?”
“Not quite,” he hedges. “I work for an organization called FABLE.”
“FABLE?”
“The Federation for the Autonomy and Betterment of Legendary Entities.”
I wrinkle my nose. “Name-wise, that’s even worse than Sunny Shores Retirement Village.”
He snorts, his smile widening, and really, whoisthis man? Certainly not who I thought he was. “I didn’t name it. If I had, I might have picked CLAWS. Cryptid Liberation and Welfare Society.”
“Still kitschy.”
“So sue me.” He shrugs. “In any case, our organization is involved in protecting cryptids and mythological creatures from exploitation. It started in 1916 when Teddy Roosevelt created the National Park Service. It follows that he would find some… unusual creatures in the course of his conservation efforts. And so he started FABLE, in secret, to protect these creatures and shield their existence—”
“Nathan,” I interrupt, exasperated. “I don’t need a history lesson. I need to know how I’m going to get out of this alive.”
“You have to understand,” Nathan hedges, and I know I’m not going to like what comes out of his mouth next. “There’s a whole black market out there for cryptids and their parts. I’ve been with Mathis for two years, trying to earn enough trust for him to reveal his contacts. I can’t just throw away years of work.”
“So you’ll just let Mathis get rid of me,” I surmise bitterly. “Like the others.”
“Anna, I could lose my job. All that I’ve been working toward.”
“Better than your soul!” I reply hotly. “You’ll really let him kill me? Are you that much of a robot, just blindly following orders?”
His jaw tenses, and I know I’ve struck a nerve. Maybe I’ll feel bad for it later, but for now, I’m going to jab at that exposed nerve until he folds. “I might be able to help you relocate. Flee before Mathis decides you’ve become too much trouble.”
“Not good enough. What about my grandmother? What about Chase?”
“Chase?”
“The werewolf. That’s his name, Chase. Mathis plans to trade him. I’massuming you know about that?”
Nathan grimaces. “Yes, I know about that. The trade is set for the start of the new year. It takes time to smuggle a Grootslang out of Africa.”
That provides a little relief. I have some time, then. A few months, at least. “I want to save him before that happens. Along with the rest of the menagerie residents.”
