Page 72 of Toy

“So she’s not going to be fired?” Mr. Bennett asked, sparse gray brows wrinkling.

“Nope. Once everything dies down, she’ll go back to her usual work stuff.”

“Good.” He nodded slowly. “I’m not sure when all of this is going to die down, though. The story about her and Mason tracking down the Path of the Covenant is the biggest drama to hit the state in years. Especially seeing as most people thought the cultists were already dead.”

I shrugged. “The public will move on eventually. There’s always another story. Another scandal.”

Mr. Bennett nodded again and tapped the side of the fish tank, smiling as Buddy swam right up to him. “How’s Mason, anyway?” he asked. “He got pretty badly burned, didn’t he?”

“It actually wasn’t as bad as it looked,” I replied. “Most of the burns were superficial. He’s actually getting the last of the dressings taken off his legs today. That’s why he isn’t here right now.”

“Ah. You know, you’ve got yourself a keeper there. Not many men would walk through fire to save their girl.”

I nodded, heart swelling with love and pride. “I know.”

“And what about you?” Mr. Bennett cocked his head to the side and stared at me.

“What about me?” I asked, furrowing my brows.

“How are you doing after what happened?”

“Oh.” I swallowed hard and forced a brave smile. “I’m probably going to have a few scars, but the bruises have all faded now, so that’s something.”

He tapped the side of his head. “I meant here,” he said. “You went through a lot. Can’t be easy.”

I gazed at the floor, chin dipping downward. “I guess I’m the same mentally as I am physically,” I said softly. “I’m going to have a few scars, but I’ll be okay in the end.”

Mr. Bennett cleared his throat. “You know, back in my day, there wasn’t much support available for people who went through rough events,” he said. “We just had to keep our mouths shut and get on with it. I always thought it was a shitty way of dealing with things, so I’m glad your generation is obsessed with therapy and talking things through. I think that sort of stuff actually helps. Not that the opinion of an annoying old man is worth much these days.”

I looked up at him again. “No, you’re right. It’s helpful to talk about stuff. I’ve got a therapist, I’ve got Mason, and I’ve got friends, so I’m really lucky.”

He shuffled his feet awkwardly. “Well, if Mason is ever unavailable and your friends aren’t picking up the phone when you need to talk, you know where to find me. I’m usually free,” he said. “My kids and grandkids live in California now, so I don’t get a lot of visitors.”

I smiled. “Thanks, Mr. Bennett. I might actually have to take you up on that.” I patted his forearm. “And I was serious earlier—you can come over and see Buddy whenever you want.”

“You sure?”

I nodded vehemently. “Of course. We’re not going to stay in this apartment forever, because it’s kinda cramped, but even after we move, you’re welcome to visit us anytime.”

“Well, I might just take you up on that too.” He returned my friendly gesture and patted me on the shoulder. “Anyway, I better head off. Judge Judy is starting soon. I never miss an episode.”

“All right.” I walked him over to the door and bade him goodbye, still smiling. I never thought I’d have any sort of friendship with the old man who used to yell at me about the internet, but Mr. Bennett had proved himself to be a decent guy in the end. He was just lonely, and I guess that made him grumpy sometimes.

Besides, if it wasn’t for him, Mason and Beck might not have found me. It was his information about the blond man lurking in the alley that led them to find me on the airport footage, proving that the cult was definitely taking me to Costa Rica rather than keeping me here in the States.

My phone pinged on the counter a few minutes later. I assumed it was Mason letting me know he was on his way home, but it turned out to be Martha. Were you surprised??

I frowned and tapped out a reply. Surprised by what?

She responded a few minutes later. Sorry, I meant ‘are’ you surprised? Not ‘were’. I guess my first message didn’t go through. I was just saying that Travis and I are in the city for the next few days, so we’ll be able to have dinner tonight if you’re free!

Awesome! I’ll sort it out with Mason. Can’t wait,I replied.

Martha and her boyfriend had really come through for me and Mason in the last few weeks. They’d helped us handle the public attention and media furor in various ways—my favorite was the meal prep delivery service Travis had signed us up for so we didn’t need to leave the apartment all that often—and Martha had even distracted the media from harassing me by offering them an exclusive interview with her instead. The New Eden survivors were notorious for their reticence about the media, understandably, so the journalists jumped at the chance to finally score a tell-all with one of them.

I knew she hated that kind of attention, especially considering all the guilt she still felt on a regular basis over her past behavior at New Eden, so she’d really done us a solid. She was a true friend, which was something I never thought I’d hear myself say about Martha freaking Chase.

Speaking of friends, I was no longer acquainted with Lauren. I’d convinced Mason not to kill her at any point, even though he still despised her for what she’d done to both me and him, but that didn’t mean I forgave her. Maybe one day we’d be able to get past her betrayal, but I couldn’t see it happening anytime soon. I understood that she was genuinely remorseful about her past actions, though, so I didn’t want to see her hurt. For now, that was the best I could do.

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