So You Used to Be Human - Book 3 (Original Version)

Chapter 22: The Nature of Monsters

-5-

A phone was ringing and for some reason it was pissing me off even though it had just started to ring. It was the kind of ringing that was so badly timed it was either signalling something bad was about to happen, or even worse, had already happened. It was the king of ringing that made me want to punch someone.

"I wouldn't worry about Beatrice," the King said and all at once I knew exactly was coming. He was reaching for the annoying phone, the one I desperately didn't want him to pick up but knew there was nothing I could do to stop it from happening. Sometimes, events just have to play out.

"Why shouldn't we worry about Beatrice?" Sammy asked and she was suspicious. I threw a glance at her and Jaime wondering if they were feeding off the vibes I was throwing, but they both seemed intent on the King.

The King smiled and pulled out the phone from his pants, and glanced at it; I wanted to smack it out of his hand. He looked up at me, motherfucker looked me right in the eye and answered Sammy's question.

"The Gentlemen are here," he said and I knew it was all over. The King put the phone to his ear as all feeling abandoned my body in sheer abject terror. "Hello Mister Flynn," the King said into the phone. He listened for a moment. "Yes, he's right here and the girl is with him... No, I'm afraid I can't do that. There are limits to which I am willing to betray my friends."

The King hung up and sighed deeply.

"It's going to take them at least seven minutes to get up here from the lobby," he said. "I suggest you get moving as quickly as possible."

Sammy broke first.

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?"

Jaime got it though, and she really didn't look surprised. It was just that kind of day for her.

"Your boyfriend sold us out Sammy."

Sammy threw herself at the King, trying to scratch or kick or punch, but he lazily blocked her attempts to hit him and then in a move that surprised us all, lazily hit Sammy in the chest, sending her flying back through the air to crash into a wall.

"NO!" he yelled. "You do NOT get to hit me!" He tried to settle himself, but was obviously boiling over with emotion.

"That's it: I'm out." Jaime turned and headed to the elevator. I just watched, and I wanted to do something, to say something, step forward and be the hero, but Goddamit! Why did everything have to be so complicated?

The King got himself under control.

"I have been a good host and what I had hoped was a good boyfriend to you Sammy, but there are limits to what I am willing to do. I'm not going to put up with you throwing a tantrum just because this dumbass here is determined to ruin us all." He turned to me then. "I like you Bob, but I'm not putting my neck on the line for you more than I have to--"

I was nodding but Goddamn I was angry.

Sammy picked herself up, shaking with rage and without a word, stormed off into the apartment.

"I get it King. I really really do and all I have to say is: fuck you. You don't get to be the good guy in this. You don't get to come out looking good, while you sit back and convince yourself you're blameless and that this was something you had to do. You're not the nice guy you want the world to see and I don't hold that against you, because you're not exactly a bad guy either. You're just a guy trying to get by in this world that keeps changing on you and in order to adapt, you have to change, you have to compromise and sometimes you have to screw your friends over."