Monsters by Matt Rogers

Author:Matt Rogers [Rogers, Matt]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-05-24T16:00:00+00:00

38

Sure enough, the cops had reached the limit of their patience, and Slater watched King step back as the passenger door was forced open against him in the officer’s haste to get out.

By then, Slater and Mary were halfway down the stairs, and they came out into the central stretch of concrete as the two cops skirted round King and strode across the street. They must’ve been concerned by their brief look at Mary.

They made a beeline past the pool area. Slater made himself look concerned, and flooded his eyes with relief like he was happy to see them. He looped an arm around Mary’s lower back and rested his palm on her hip. She didn’t flinch or lean away. She was a fast learner. Maybe she was like Alexis in more than just looks.

She even leant into him, rested her cheek against his shoulder, like he was her place of refuge in this mad world.

He could tell the cops bought it immediately because they didn’t approach with hostility. They stopped a couple of feet from them, looked Slater and Mary up and down. One of them said, ‘Where’d your friends go?’

Slater gave a vigorous head shake, his lips pursed. ‘Not our friends, brother. They surrounded her when she came out of the room. Lucky I wasn’t far behind.’

The other cop off-handedly said, ‘Which room y’all in?’

‘Twelve,’ Slater said without any hesitation, remembering the number on the door. It’d only be a big deal if he made it seem like a big deal.

The first cop said, ‘Where’d they go?’

‘Ran off when they saw you guys pull up. Down the stairs and down that passageway that leads to the back. Might’ve even scaled a fence, I don’t know…’

They side-eyed each other.

Slater said, ‘One of ’em had a piece.’

The first cop stiffened. ‘Did he pull it?’

‘I didn’t get a good look. If I had to guess, it was a HK45. That’s a serious piece for these parts.’

The second cop said, ‘You know a lot about that?’

‘I’m ex-military.’

Instantly their guards came down. The first guy said, ‘Got it. We’ll check it out. Glad you two are okay.’

He looked pointedly at Mary, who hadn’t yet commented.

She nestled in closer to Slater. ‘Me too. That wasn’t fun.’

They nodded, satisfied, and hustled back to their car. King stood on the sidewalk, putting on a dejected act like he hadn’t succeeded in making new friends, and they ignored him as they climbed back in and pulled out to scope the next street for signs of the unsavoury trio.

Slater stepped away from her, took his hand off her hip. ‘You did great. They bought it.’

She gave him a deliberate look up and down, her head clearer now. ‘Wasn’t hard.’

He ignored that, pointed out King. ‘Go to him. I’ll be there in a minute. There’s something I need to do.’

She didn’t ask questions, probably just grateful to be alive. He waited until she was halfway across the street, weaving through traffic, then he went straight to the front office. The door jangled as he stepped inside.

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