The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown
Author:Gareth Brown
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2023-12-27T00:00:00+00:00
The Bookseller (1)
They met the Bookseller in the lobby bar at the Ace Hotel, just off Broadway at West Twenty-Ninth Street. Izzy had been to the bar before on a double date not long after she had first arrived in New York, and the place hadnât changed in the intervening period. The space was large, like it had once been a bank, with broad white pillars dividing it and holding the roof high above them. Wood paneling ran around the walls and the bar was lit by table lamps and bulbs hanging high above. When Lund and Izzy entered it was early afternoon, and there was a low, comfortable hubbub of people passing the time and catching up. Izzy waited next to Lund as he searched the space with his eyes, before settling on a figure sitting in the far corner.
âWait here,â he said.
âNo,â Izzy said. Lund looked at her, assessing her, and didnât argue. He headed toward a woman sitting by herself at one end of a leather sofa. She looked up when they drew near, and Izzy saw that she was beautiful. She had the dark skin of an African American, with large eyes and high cheekbones. She was bald, and large, colorful earrings hung from her ears. She was dressed in an expensive gray suit with a crimson blouse that was buttoned low enough to reveal cleavage and she had spectacles on a chain around her neck. She was sitting with her legs crossed and Izzy saw expensive heels on her feet, of a similar color to the blouse she was wearing. She had a cocktail on the table in front of her.
The woman looked at them for a moment. âHelp you?â
âAzaki is gone,â Lund said simply.
The woman absorbed that for a moment, her lips pursing slightly. âAnd you are?â
âLund,â Lund said. âI was with him.â He tossed Azakiâs phone onto the couch next to her, and her eyes flicked down to it.
âThe bodyguard,â the woman said.
âA bald man shot and killed him,â Lund said.
âA bald man,â Lottie said.
âTried to shoot me too,â Lund continued, pointing at the wound on the side of his head. âBut he missed. Which is incredible given I am much bigger than Azaki.â
âDr. Barbary,â Izzy said. âThat was his name. Hugo Barbary.â
The woman sighed, and then gestured to the seats across from her. Izzy and Lund sat.
âYou must be Izzy,â the woman said. She glanced at Lund, who nodded in reply.
âYes,â Izzy said hesitantly. âHow do you know?â
âYou are a beautiful woman, Izzy,â the Bookseller said, ignoring the question. âYou must get told that all the time.â
âNot often enough,â Izzy replied. She waved a hand over her own head while looking at the Booksellerâs scalp. âI like the bald. I could never pull that off.â
The Bookseller grinned in response. âOh, I like you,â she said. âWhich is good, because I have promised someone that I will keep you safe.â
âWho?â Izzy asked. âWho have you promised?â
âDoesnât matter,â the woman said. âFor now. You wonât have long to wait.
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