The Society by Karen Guyler (feel good fiction books .txt) 📗

surrounding houses, but in his was like something out of a sci-fi movie. Banks of hi-tech computer stuff took up racks along two of the walls and an enormous desk with four different size monitors straddled the other side of the room.

“What do you need?” he asked Charles.

Charles looked at Lily, back at CJ. “We need new passports, ours are broken.”

CJ stared at Eva, his gaze roving over her bruises and grazes and the not so white dressing now. “Hers will be extra.”

Charles nodded. “That’s fine.”

“It’s not fine, we’re not using our savings—”

“No, we’re not, this is my money.”

Another of the ties that bound her and Charles together as a couple, as Lily’s parents, snapped.

“Your money? When did we become that couple with his and hers? What did you do, Charles? Is this why The Society’s after us?”

“The Society’s after you and you came here?” CJ’s voice was low, his words measured into a threat.

“I can explain.” Charles said.

“I wish you would.” Eva couldn’t help her sarcasm. She saw Lily’s face. “It’s okay, sweetheart, no one’s after us. The Society is Daddy’s new bank, and he didn’t pay a bill. Isn’t that right, Charles?”

“Yes.” He nodded confirmation. “That’s all this is. My friend, CJ here, didn’t pay me everything I thought he owed me and I was supposed to give it to The Society so now they want the rest that I owe.”

“But I don’t owe you, do I, Professor?”

“No, it’s a misunderstanding, that’s all.”

Lily looked from one to the other of the lying adults. She was far more astute than they gave her credit for, but maybe this time she just wanted things to be normal, to feel safe. She nodded. “Okay.”

“And you’re going to sort things out so your bank doesn’t come after me.” CJ added.

“I am.” Charles’ promise didn’t sound sure of itself.

CJ got busy at the keyboard, typing in a cryptic conversation between him and a machine, network, someone. He pulled down what Eva had thought was a projector screen but was a curtain of two halves, bright green, bright blue.

“We’re not doing this.”

“Eva.” Charles hissed-whispered, a parent telling their naughty child to behave themselves. “You want to go to India,” he challenged her, “this is the only way.”

“We’re not using,” she mouthed the words, “fake passports.” She could sense her retaliation cracking open a distance between them she’d never wanted to feel again.

“I need your passports.” CJ intruded into her sadness, alarm.

Charles held his hand out, but Eva shook her head.

“It’s okay, sweetheart.” Eva pulled Lily into a hug, reassuring, calming. Tired and confused already, she and Charles were adding to it. And neither could budge without—

She felt rummaging in her backpack, and CJ was catching the three things Charles threw at him. Snip, snip, snip and CJ had cut right through the covers of their passports before she could even protest.

“Now we’ve got the histrionics out of the way, stand in front of the green.”

Eva looked at Charles. Charles did as directed, and CJ took his photo.

“Next.”

“How can we pay for this?”

“I’m using an emergency fund.” Charles said it like it was obvious.

“An emergency fund of thousands? How many is this blowing?”

“Lady, there’s no blowing here, I’m the best.”

“It doesn’t matter how good you are, there’s no way you can fool biometric scanners. No offence.”

“Then you have no idea what you’re talking about. If your husband’s using me, there’s a very good reason why. I’m not cheap.”

“You have to trust me, Eva.” The more Charles said it, the less she did.

“Trust that we’re breaking the law?”

“It’s the same thing as you in the lab.”

“What’s going on?” Lily’s looking from one to the other of them sped up.

“I’m not using a—”

“Let me explain something to you.” CJ pointed at Lily and shook his head, gesturing that Eva should follow him into the hallway. Eva closed the door behind her, catching him up downstairs beside the front door.

He moved so quickly she had no idea it was coming. Grabbing her hair, he pulled her head back. She felt something cold, hard against her taut throat.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” he hissed. “You don’t come in here throwing around names that get people killed. Worse than that, you don’t insult my work. I don’t need to beg people to come to me, it’s the other way around. Right now that’s your husband, but no matter how hard he begs, he can’t say anything that would make me help you.” His threat was loud against her skin, making goosebumps rise at the back of her neck, her stomach churn. “I know people, you say anything about where I live, they’ll visit you but they won’t be as nice as me. And with that lovely daughter. . .”

Eva tried nodding, but he had her tight against his shoulder. “Glad you understand. You’re leaving, don’t come back, don’t knock on my door, do not dare disturb my neighbours again. Your husband and daughter are still in here with me, remember that.”

 With a wrenching, he yanked his hand out of her hair and propelled her outside onto the street. The front door closed with her on the wrong side of it.

26

Eva held the back of her head where it felt as though CJ had pulled out a huge chunk of her hair. She stared at his closed front door. Charles would follow, he’d bring Lily, they’d come right out.

She crossed the road to stand behind a parked car, far enough away she hoped she wasn’t an ongoing threat to that, that—who the hell did he think he was? She pulled in a breath that didn’t have enough oxygen in it, let it shudder away.

They’d come out.

But the door stayed closed. One minute, two, three, four. Eva lightly stamped her feet, stepping side to side. A weight pressed at her chest. Charles wouldn’t leave her out there. They were a team. Eva shrugged herself deeper into her down coat, but the hug she needed from it wasn’t warm