Harlan Coben - Play Dead

He nodded. ‘It’s time I told you everything about me, Gloria. The good and the bad.’

She hugged him. ‘There is no bad.’

‘Yes, there is.’

‘You don’t have to tell me.’

‘Maybe that was true before I fell in love,’ he said, ‘but now I have no choice.’

She looked up at him with scared eyes. Stan stepped back and paused. ‘I’m a gambler,’ he began slowly. ‘Baseball, football, horse-racing, you name it. It’s a disease, Gloria, like what you went through with drugs. I have cravings that I can’t control. Sure, I’ve tried to stop, but I just can’t do it. I gamble and I gamble until I lose everything I have. And then I still can’t stop. I borrow money and build up an even bigger debt which I can’t pay back.’

He started to walk back toward the inn. Gloria followed silently, watching him stride purposefully. ‘Sometimes, I do criminal things to pay the money back,’ he continued. ‘You see, the men who I owe money to are gangsters. They hurt people who are late with payments. I even owe them money now, and I still can’t stop betting. Gloria, do you remember what it was like when you were cut off from drugs? Do you remember the cravings in your bloodstream until you thought the agony of withdrawal would drive you insane?’

Gloria nodded. She had felt those cravings. They had nearly killed her.

‘Money to gamble with is my fix. I’ve tried to cure myself but I guess I don’t have the strength you have.’

Gloria reached out for his hand. ‘But that’s because you’ve never had any support,’ she assured him. ‘I could never have done it without Laura. Not in a million years. But you can beat this thing, Stan. I know you can.’

Stan looked at her hopefully. ‘Will you help me?’

She hugged him again. ‘Of course I will. We’ll beat it together.’

‘I love you, Gloria.’

Her face lit up. ‘I love you too.’

They walked together holding hands until Gloria spoke again.

‘You said you owe money?’ she began.

‘Nothing for you to worry about.’

‘But I have money, Stan. I can help.’

‘No chance. I don’t want you involved in this.’

‘But – ’

He gently put his finger up against her lip. ‘End of discussion, my love.’

They reached the entrance to the Deerfield Inn. Stan kissed her again and they disappeared into the lobby.

Two men – one normal size, the other monstrously huge and hairy – watched the kiss from a parked car in front of the inn.

‘Is that them?’ the big man asked.

B Man nodded.

‘Did you see her body?’

‘Very attractive, Bart,’ B Man agreed.

‘She should be a movie star!’ enthused Bart. ‘Boy, I’d love to fuck her.’

B Man patted his giant friend on the back. ‘Bart my boy,’ he said, ‘you might just get the chance.’

Gloria grabbed a quick shower. When she stepped out, Stan was there to dry her off.

‘You are so incredibly beautiful,’ he said. ‘Am I getting repetitive?’

‘Never. Say it again.’

He put down the towel and began to caress her body. ‘You’re beautiful.’

A knock at the door interrupted their foreplay. ‘Talk about timing,’ she said. She picked up the towel and tied it around her.

‘Who is it?’ Stan asked.

‘Room service. A little champagne on the house.’

Stan smiled. ‘Stay here, my little dove. And don’t you dare put on one shred of clothing.’

Gloria giggled.

‘I’m coming,’ Stan said as he headed for the door. He turned the knob. Without warning, the door flew backward. The wood smacked Stan’s forehead, knocking him to the floor.

B Man and his gorilla/henchman stepped in and quickly closed the door behind them. Gloria gasped.

The blond man smiled down at Stan. ‘Isn’t this nice?’ B Man began. ‘A nice quiet weekend in the country. Isn’t this just wonderful, Bart?’

‘Wonderful, B Man,’ the gorilla agreed.

Stan struggled to his feet. ‘What do you want?’

B Man ignored his question, circling instead toward the other side of the room where Gloria stood trembling. ‘Who is this lovely lady?’

‘Just leave her alone,’ Stan said sternly. ‘She’s got nothing to do with this.’

‘True enough,’ B Man replied, turning back toward Stan. Gloria remained huddled by the wall, noticing that the ugly giant had not yet taken his eyes off of her. She had seen that leer before, and she suddenly felt very exposed in just a towel.

‘Do you have the money?’ B Man asked.

‘I told you,’ Stan replied. ‘I’ll have it for you in a week.’

‘Not good enough.’ B Man turned his attention back to Gloria who was still crouched against the corner, looking at Bart with frightened eyes. ‘Did Stan tell you how he hurt his finger, lovely lady?’

‘I said leave her out of this.’

Again B Man ignored Stan. ‘You see, lovely lady, Stan has not lived up to his obligations, his responsibilities. I found this most troubling. He left me no choice but to bend his middle finger back until it cracked in half. It was a most unpleasant noise.’

The blood drained from Gloria’s face.

‘Enough, B Man,’ Stan shouted.

‘But do not worry, lovely lady,’ B Man continued. ‘A broken finger is paradise compared to what I have in store for him now.’ He signaled to his gorilla who was still staring at Gloria. The gorilla snapped out of his trance and began to walk toward Stan.

‘Wait a second,’ Stan said. ‘Just let her get out of here. I don’t want her involved in any of this.’

‘I’m sorry, Stan,’ B Man said with a slow shake of his head, ‘but it’s too late. Bart here has a crush on your lady friend.’

Bart leered at Gloria, spit forming in the corners of his lips.

Stan stepped forward, blocking Bart’s path. ‘Do what you want with me, B Man, but leave her alone.’

B Man looked at him, surprised. ‘This is a switch, Stan. Since when do you care about somebody else?’

‘None of your business. Just let her leave.’

B Man smiled. ‘I’m curious, Stan. Suppose I promise to wipe away your debt if you let Bart have his way with your friend here? How would that sound?’

Stan stood firmly. ‘Go to hell.’

‘My, my, we really seem to be smitten. I admire that, Stan. I really do.’ B Man smiled at Gloria, a smile that chilled her skin like cold gusts of wind. ‘But alas, Bart is a faithful employee. And he asks so little of me, dear child. I would feel disloyal if I denied him this one small pleasure. You understand.’

B Man nodded toward Bart. The big man smiled at his helpless prey. Then Bart cocked his fist and slammed it into Stan’s stomach. Stan collapsed on the ground.

Bart moved around the fallen man toward Gloria. He quickly cornered her, returning her look of mercy with one of pure lust. He licked his lips and reached out toward her towel.

‘No!’ she cried.

Bart’s rough hands were no more than two inches away from her towel when he was tackled from behind. Stan had recovered. He attacked Bart with a fury. But Bart quickly flung Stan off of him. Stan’s determination was no match for a man of Bart’s size. Still, Stan kept fighting. He bravely grappled the much larger man, fighting to save Gloria from his savage assault.

Then B Man stepped in.

One man double his size would probably have been too much for Stan to handle. And now a second man had entered the ring. B Man quickly delivered a blow to the back of Stan’s neck. Stan dropped to the floor.

‘Run, Gloria!’ Stan managed. ‘Get out of here!’

Gloria tried to listen but her legs would not respond. She was frozen with fright as the two men began to kick Stan in the stomach.

Bart’s face was red with rage. ‘I’m going to kill the son of a bitch!’