Harlan Coben - Play Dead

That was his specialty: hand-to-hand combat. You could put three bruisers twice his size against him and B Man would slaughter them without breaking a sweat.

‘Come in, B.’

‘Thank you.’ He stepped in and closed the door. His voice remained pleasant. ‘What are you doing in Boston, Stan?’

‘I told you I was going to go to my brother’s funeral.’

‘That was quite a while ago.’

‘I know that, B Man, but I’m very close to scoring big.’

‘I’ve heard that from you before.’

‘No, really.’

B Man stood directly in front of Stan, their faces no more than six inches apart. ‘You wouldn’t be trying to avoid me, would you, Stan?’

‘No way,’ Stan argued. ‘I would never do that.’

B Man just stared.

‘Wh… What brings you to Boston, B?’

B Man strolled around the room. ‘I have a little business here. One of my wrestlers is in town.’

‘Roadhouse Rex?’ Stan asked.

B Man nodded.

‘Roadhouse is great,’ Stan continued, trying to keep B Man’s attention on the gruesome wrestler and off of himself. ‘He can take a dive like nobody’s business.’

‘Roadhouse is the best,’ B Man agreed with a hint of a smile. ‘You should see him backstage. His trunk is filled with blood capsules, phony casts for whatever ailment he plans on faking, you name it.’ B Man turned and moved toward Stan. ‘But we’re getting off the subject, aren’t we?’

‘Off the subject?’

B Man just smiled. ‘Stan, have you been trying to hide from me?’

Stan swallowed. ‘You know me better than that, B Man. Like I said before, I told you I was coming to Boston.’

‘True,’ B Man agreed, ‘but you forgot to mention that you were going to use an alias.’

‘I just needed a little time. You see, my brother – ’

‘I know all about your brother.’

‘Well, he was loaded. I’m going to get some of his money.’

B Man laughed. ‘Who do you think you’re talking to? I know what you did to him. I was there, remember? Your brother would never leave you a cent.’

‘I know that, B Man. I’m going to get the money from his widow.’

‘That model?’

‘Yeah, B Man. She’ll give me the money.’

‘Fifty thousand dollars?’

‘Right. No problem.’

B Man calmly walked toward the bed. ‘But Stan, you’re already very late.’

‘Just tack on interest.’

‘Oh I will. But you’re past that now.’

‘Come on, B Man. You know I’m good for it.’

B Man shook his head slowly. ‘No, that’s where you’re wrong. I think you’re good for it. But I don’t know for sure. Perhaps a little incentive would help.’

‘Incentive?’

There was no time for Stan to react. With frightening speed, B Man’s hand shot out. The blow landed in the center of Stan’s belly. The breath whooshed out of him. Stan fell to the ground, struggling to put oxygen back in his lungs.

B Man watched Stan writhe in pain. He calmly reached down and grabbed Stan’s right hand. For a minute or two, he held the hand and waited for Stan to begin catching his breath.

‘I’m sorry about all this, Stan.’

‘Please…’

B Man clamped his hand over Stan’s mouth. Then he pulled Stan’s middle finger back until it nearly touched his wrist. The finger snapped like a twig. Stan felt the jagged edges of the bone rip into his skin. His head swam.

‘One week, Stan,’ the B Man said quietly. He held Stan’s finger for another second and then gently placed the hand on the floor. The finger was already swelling, the bone nearly puncturing the skin.

‘Do you hear me?’

Stan managed a nod. The pain was staggering.

‘And you’re not going to hide from me again, are you, Stan?’

He shook his head.

B Man smiled down at Stan. Then he raised his heel and slammed it with expert accuracy onto the broken finger. Again, B Man had to cover Stan’s mouth to muffle the scream.

‘I guess we understand each other now,’ B Man said matter-of-factly. He turned toward the mirror, fixed his hair and then walked toward the door. ‘Always a pleasure to see you, Stan. You have one week to come up with the money. And now it’s sixty thousand dollars.’

Later that night, Laura sat in Serita’s spare bedroom and looked out the window. What had happened? One moment the world was perfect and then she was suddenly thrust into Hell. What had she done? She hated the whole world right now. She hated everything about it. Sometimes, she even hated David for leaving her here alone when he knew that she could not survive without him.

Time limped by but it did not heal any wounds. Every time she felt like she was getting stronger, she would drive past a playground with kids playing basketball, or see lovers holding hands by the Charles River, or see a family taking a Sunday drive in their station wagon, and then the wounds would reopen and gush fresh blood.

And nothing made sense anymore. Their new house had been broken into but nothing was stolen. David’s account had been mysteriously transferred to the Twilight Zone. Her father was acting peculiarly. And what was going on with T.C.? Since when had he been against using pressure tactics to get information?

Serita stepped in the room and turned on the light. ‘What are you doing, Laura?’ she asked.

‘The usual,’ Laura answered. ‘I guess I just want to be alone.’

‘You’ve been doing a lot of that the last couple of months. It’s starting to get on my nerves.’

‘I’m going to move out tomorrow, Serita. I think it’s time I took care of myself.’

‘Brave words, girl. So what are you going to do at your own place?’

Laura shrugged.

‘If you’re just going to mope around you might as well just stay here.’ Serita tossed a newspaper onto Laura’s lap. ‘Read this.’

Laura glanced at the top of the page. ‘The financial section? I didn’t think business was your bit.’

‘It’s not,’ Serita agreed. ‘But I think you should read it.’

She did not have the strength. ‘Why don’t you just give me a quick rehash?’

‘Okay, it’s like this. Svengali slipped two points yesterday. That means it has dropped over ten points in the last two weeks. The reason it keeps sliding is because there is speculation that you don’t have it anymore, that you’re not going back.’

‘I really don’t care, Serita.’

‘You listen to me. If you no longer give a shit about yourself, fine. But you have stockholders to protect, people who believed and invested in you. You can’t just abandon them.’

Laura did not say anything. Her eyes never left the window.

‘What the hell is the matter with you, Laura?’

Laura turned her gaze toward her friend. ‘What’s the matter with me?’ she repeated. ‘Don’t you read the papers? My husband is dead, Serita. Can’t you understand that? David is dead.’

‘Of course I understand. But you’re not dead, are you?’ Serita crossed the room and sat on the chair next to her friend. ‘Let me tell you something,’ she continued. ‘I remember everything there is to remember about you. I remember how you told me all about those snotty little kids who picked on you because you were ugly, but you survived and showed them what you were all about. And I remember how those assholes from all the big companies laughed when you first started Svengali. They kept trying to knock you down, remember? But you stood up to them, Laura, and again you survived when everyone else counted you out. And me? I just sat back and cheered you on. You fought to make that company what it is today. You fought hard. It’s your baby, Laura. Svengali is yours. Don’t just give it up. David wouldn’t want that. And he wouldn’t want you to give up on yourself like this.’