Page 141 of Stop and Seek
Tribal guy sat on the bed, back to the camera. “Relax. You want a blow job to take the edge off?”
Noah closed the entire browser. His hands shook.
Who the fuck wasJag?
What kind of asshole name was that?
Was that why Theo couldn’t be with him? Because some guy with lame-ass tattoos and an annoying voicefucked everything up? How was that fair—
But then, everything clicked into place.
Theo freaking out about being filmed at the party.
Theo shutting down.
Theo begging for space.
It was this.
Thisguy.
And for the first time in seven days, Noah felt his pulse steady.
He could fix this.
Collecting people was his job, after all.
Work was normal. Safe. It wasn’t Theo’s life, spiraling further down the drain with every waking second.
The library was packed to the brim. Between the hushed chatter and the air conditioning unit on high, it was almost soothing. Hell, someone even had muffins and coffee delivered with a note that read:I hope you and Mrs. Rosario like chocolate chip.
His routine kept him grounded.
Smile and nod, answer questions, direct traffic. Every goddamn thing demanded his attention, and that constant need to stay busy? It was good. Busy meant less time in his own head.
“Oh my god, that’s my sister-in-law’s cousin’s husband.”
And then there was that.
The Stop and Seek game was all the rage. Theo couldn’t bring himself to check social media. He didn’t need to. He heard enough of it in real time, secondhand commentary echoing through the nonfiction aisles. Tourists treated Eunice like a hot spot, snapping pictures of random places he drove past every morning without even blinking. The grimy corner store? Theback alley by the Rite Aid?Wow. Historical fucking landmarks now.
The publicity was good for business, according to Mrs. Rosario and a few of their regulars. The stores and restaurants were getting a boost in sale.
Great for the economy, blah, blah, blah. Who gives a shit?
Seriously, though—he wanted the whole thing to disappear.
One of the little high schoolers had asked if he played, and when he blurted out no on instinct, she called him ancient.
Ancient.
He wasn’teighty.
Theo smacked the top of the coffee maker, and the damn thing started percolating again. Caffeine was the only thing keeping him vertical, but every time he turned around his cup was empty.
His phone buzzed, and he had enough time to check the screen before the coffee stopped.
Alyssa
