Read Online Eerie by Blake Crouch Jordan Crouch - Free Book Online
Authors: Blake Crouch Jordan Crouch
Ads: Link
a cash business.”
“How often do you try to leave?”
“I test it every day.”
“And the same thing always happens?”
“Yeah. In the beginning, I could make it to the street. Tonight, the pain started the moment I stepped out on the porch.”
“Jesus.”
“It’s worse than that, Grant.”
“This seems pretty bad all by itself.”
“I don’t know what it is, but I know what it wants.”
“What’s that?”
“People. My clients. And the longer I hold out, the sicker I get.”
“Are you telling me there’s more than one dead man upstairs?”
“I don’t know what happens to them.” Paige rolled over and faced him. “I tried not to. Tried to resist. But the longer I did, the sicker I got. I was dying .”
“I don’t understand.”
“I take a client upstairs. While we’re doing our thing, I black out. When I wake up, they’re gone. I have no idea what it does with them.”
“How many men have you taken up there?” Grant asked.
“Two.”
Two.
“But it wants another one. It wants it now. You’re the first appointment I took in three days, and I took it with no referral because I’m desperate and couldn’t reach any of my core clients. I didn’t want to, but this thing … it’s killing me.”
Are these Sophie’s and my missing men?
Seymour and Talbert?
The cases that brought me to Paige’s doorstep in the first place?
Maybe better to sit on that piece of news for the time being.
Grant forced himself to sit up. “I should make some calls.”
“No.”
“No?”
“Do you understand what’s happening here?” she asked.
“No.”
“So what makes you think someone else will? You’ll just get them, or us, or everyone killed.”
Paige struggled to her feet.
“Where are you going?” Grant asked.
“My little black book.”
Grant managed to stand. He reached into his inner pocket, took out his phone.
“Are you crazy?” Paige said.
He was already scrolling contacts for Sophie’s cell.
“Grant, did you hear what I said?”
“What exactly do you propose we do here, Paige? ‘Cause I’m at a loss.”
“Call a client.”
“Come on.”
“It doesn’t kill them.”
“You don’t know what it does. Taking more people into your room isn’t a solution.”
“I’m not looking for a solution, Grant. I’m just looking to survive the night. I just want this pain to stop.”
“Paige—”
“Do I look well to you? If I don’t get someone upstairs tonight, I won’t be alive in the—”
Paige bent over cradling her stomach.
“Paige?”
As Grant moved toward her, she turned and ran.
He limped after her, shouting her name, and as he passed under the archway into the kitchen, he spotted her hunched over the toilet in the bathroom, puking her guts out.
He stepped inside and stood behind her, holding her hair back as she retched into the toilet.
Wasn’t the first time.
“It’s okay,” he said. “You’re gonna feel better after this.”
She shook her head. She was spitting now, her back heaving up and down as she clambered for a decent breath.
She said, “Hit the light.”
Grant did.
The inside of the toilet bowl and everything in the vicinity was dotted with specks of deep burgundy, and over the pungent reek of bile, Grant caught another smell.
Copper.
Blood.
“I’m calling nine-one-one,” he said.
“No.” Her face was still in the bowl. “They’ll try to take me to the hospital. I can’t leave the house.”
“You just vomited blood.”
“Help me get cleaned up.”
“Paige—”
“It’s either me or someone else. Do you get that yet?”
“We can’t go down that road.”
“We’re there.”
Paige sat up and fell back into the wall. She said, “It’s that white knight complex that killed your friend. Listen to me for once. Please. You and I are not in control here. I call a client, they come over, I get better. If you bring people to this house, they’re going to die. Let me handle this.”
Grant looked down at
“How often do you try to leave?”
“I test it every day.”
“And the same thing always happens?”
“Yeah. In the beginning, I could make it to the street. Tonight, the pain started the moment I stepped out on the porch.”
“Jesus.”
“It’s worse than that, Grant.”
“This seems pretty bad all by itself.”
“I don’t know what it is, but I know what it wants.”
“What’s that?”
“People. My clients. And the longer I hold out, the sicker I get.”
“Are you telling me there’s more than one dead man upstairs?”
“I don’t know what happens to them.” Paige rolled over and faced him. “I tried not to. Tried to resist. But the longer I did, the sicker I got. I was dying .”
“I don’t understand.”
“I take a client upstairs. While we’re doing our thing, I black out. When I wake up, they’re gone. I have no idea what it does with them.”
“How many men have you taken up there?” Grant asked.
“Two.”
Two.
“But it wants another one. It wants it now. You’re the first appointment I took in three days, and I took it with no referral because I’m desperate and couldn’t reach any of my core clients. I didn’t want to, but this thing … it’s killing me.”
Are these Sophie’s and my missing men?
Seymour and Talbert?
The cases that brought me to Paige’s doorstep in the first place?
Maybe better to sit on that piece of news for the time being.
Grant forced himself to sit up. “I should make some calls.”
“No.”
“No?”
“Do you understand what’s happening here?” she asked.
“No.”
“So what makes you think someone else will? You’ll just get them, or us, or everyone killed.”
Paige struggled to her feet.
“Where are you going?” Grant asked.
“My little black book.”
Grant managed to stand. He reached into his inner pocket, took out his phone.
“Are you crazy?” Paige said.
He was already scrolling contacts for Sophie’s cell.
“Grant, did you hear what I said?”
“What exactly do you propose we do here, Paige? ‘Cause I’m at a loss.”
“Call a client.”
“Come on.”
“It doesn’t kill them.”
“You don’t know what it does. Taking more people into your room isn’t a solution.”
“I’m not looking for a solution, Grant. I’m just looking to survive the night. I just want this pain to stop.”
“Paige—”
“Do I look well to you? If I don’t get someone upstairs tonight, I won’t be alive in the—”
Paige bent over cradling her stomach.
“Paige?”
As Grant moved toward her, she turned and ran.
He limped after her, shouting her name, and as he passed under the archway into the kitchen, he spotted her hunched over the toilet in the bathroom, puking her guts out.
He stepped inside and stood behind her, holding her hair back as she retched into the toilet.
Wasn’t the first time.
“It’s okay,” he said. “You’re gonna feel better after this.”
She shook her head. She was spitting now, her back heaving up and down as she clambered for a decent breath.
She said, “Hit the light.”
Grant did.
The inside of the toilet bowl and everything in the vicinity was dotted with specks of deep burgundy, and over the pungent reek of bile, Grant caught another smell.
Copper.
Blood.
“I’m calling nine-one-one,” he said.
“No.” Her face was still in the bowl. “They’ll try to take me to the hospital. I can’t leave the house.”
“You just vomited blood.”
“Help me get cleaned up.”
“Paige—”
“It’s either me or someone else. Do you get that yet?”
“We can’t go down that road.”
“We’re there.”
Paige sat up and fell back into the wall. She said, “It’s that white knight complex that killed your friend. Listen to me for once. Please. You and I are not in control here. I call a client, they come over, I get better. If you bring people to this house, they’re going to die. Let me handle this.”
Grant looked down at
Similar Books
