The Odds - Jeff Strand Page 0,51

to let me talk to them myself—I trust you. What about the van? How’s the van doing? Is the van fine, too?”

Rick wanted to collapse to the ground. He had nothing to brace himself against as he felt the dizzy spell come on.

He opened his mouth to speak. He may have made some sort of noise but couldn’t be sure.

“Answer my question,” said The Claw Man. “How is the van?”

“I—”

“You what? I’m waiting.”

“I had to do it.”

“You had to do it? Wow. That’s not the impression I got at all. I guess I just wasn’t paying very close attention as I watched you murder the two men you were supposed to be working with. From my perspective, it was a decision you made on your own. Explain to me how I’m wrong.”

Rick couldn’t talk.

“I know we told you that the van and your other working spaces weren’t monitored,” said The Claw Man. “We were fudging the truth, and wondering if you’d be stupid enough to believe it. Of course we’re monitoring you. We want to know everything that happens. That’s part of the fun.”

Rick still couldn’t force himself to speak.

“We worked out a lot of different hypothetical scenarios, but I’ll be honest, we never considered that our employees would start killing each other. That was a bit of a shocker. We’ll know for next time, I guess.”

“Sir—”

“You don’t have to call me sir. We’re not suddenly more formal around here. I know you’re probably waiting for a bullet to blow the back of your head apart, and it’s a legitimate concern. I’d be worried about that too. But this is still one big game, and my buddies and I kind of like the idea of making you see this through to the end.”

Had Rick heard right? Were they not going to kill him?

“You’re going to continue to do your job to the best of your ability. But that bullshit where you feed inside information to Ethan to help him win? That’s gone. It’s gameplay as usual, except that obviously we have to send in replacements for Butch and Gavin. Lucky for you, we’ve got that covered.”

“Thank you,” said Rick.

“Don’t thank me. I know you don’t think this is happening without a penalty.”

“I don’t think that.”

“This is the part of the game that I like to call ‘raising the stakes.’ Congratulations, Rick! You’ve just become much more invested in this. The new rule is pretty simple: If Ethan loses, you lose. Get it?”

“Yes,” said Rick. “I get it.”

“I bet you don’t. Not completely. When I say that you lose, it’s quite a bit more expansive than what you’re thinking. You don’t get along with your ex-wife Melissa, but you would do anything for your daughter Cynthia. Well, Cynthia loses, too. Your mom and dad, still happy and healthy and living in Arizona? They lose, too. Shall I go on? I think I’ll go on. Your fuck buddy, Gwendolyn? She loses. Your other fuck buddy, the married one, Sunny? She loses. Your beloved Uncle Charlie? He loses. The list goes on, but I’m going to guess that your daughter is reason enough for you to take the rest of the game very, very seriously.”

“I will,” said Rick. “I promise.”

The Claw Man chuckled. “I can almost hear the sweat pouring down your face. I’ll be honest, the game is a little more fun for me now. I’ll be in touch.” He hung up.

Rick’s legs suddenly couldn’t support his weight anymore and he collapsed onto the road.

18

Ethan pulled into his driveway, wondering if this was a mistake that would cost him and his family their lives. Were the people running this game really so powerful that there was nowhere to hide? Or was that just an absurd scare tactic? Was he being a complete idiot by trusting Rick?

For now, he had to assume that he was doing the right thing.

Everybody got out of the car. They silently went into the house, and then he told Patrick and Tim to go to bed, and to lock themselves inside their bedrooms. His sons did so without protest.

Ethan started some prep work that he didn’t want to explain out loud, and Jenny went out to the shed to get the axe.

The van had been returned to its former spot, minus the bodies of Gavin and Butch. It was weird and uncomfortable for Rick to sit in here, though at least they’d cleaned up all the blood. The cleanup crew had done a thorough job. True professionals.

Rick wished