Page 84 of Grumpy Puck

Meine Liebe, can my stage name be Das Cheese?

Chapter24

Michael

AFord Mustang Shelby GT500 can reach 180 miles per hour—a speed I hit at least a couple times in my haste to get to the stalker’s house.

A stalker who’s turned out to be my fucking teammate, of all people.

Burning tires as I come to a screeching halt in front of his house, I leap out of the car and smash my fist into the door.

“Who is it?”Jack calls from the other side.

Yes.It’s fucking Jack, a fact I never would have believed if it weren’t for the security footage.

I didn’t think he’d have the balls to mess with my woman.

Balls that he’s about to lose.

“It’s Michael,” I reply as calmy as I can, which isn’t very.“Open.Now.”

I fully expect him to realize why I’m here and refuse me entry, which would be fine, because it would be my pleasure to break his fucking door down.

But he does open the door, and as soon as I see his face, I plant my fist in it.

With a pained grunt, Jack collapses on the floor, and I raise a leg to kick him when I hear a muffled sound from inside the house.

It sounds like someone screaming, “Help!”

“Who is that?Is that the last person you stalked?”I demand from Jack, but he’s still on the floor, moaning as he cradles his jaw.

The plea for help repeats, and the voice sounds vaguely familiar.

“Stay here or you’re dead,” I growl at Jack, then sprint inside, following the voice.

It takes me a few minutes to figure out where the sound is coming from: a padlocked room at the back of the house.

I tug at the padlock, testing its strength as I yell, “Hey!Who’s there?”

“Medvedev, is that you?”The voice sounds even more familiar now, though I still can’t place it.

“Yeah, hold on!”

The padlock doesn’t give, so I scan my surroundings until I spot a key on the nearby coffee table.Grabbing it, I unlock the door and finally recognize the speaker.

It’s Ted, the guy who was our mascot before Calliope got his job.He’s unshaven and filthy, but it’s definitely him.

Wait a second.

The reason we needed a new mascot was because Ted disappeared without a trace.Is this where he’s been?

Judging by the looks of him, it’s pretty likely.

But why?

Does Jack have some weird obsession with whoever is inside that bear suit?Is that why he shredded it in our hotel room?

“What happened?”I demand, glaring at Ted.“Why did the fucker lock you in here?”

---