Shadow Memories: A Novel (The Singularity Conspiracy Book 1)

Shadow Memories: A Novel (The Singularity Conspiracy Book 1) by Nicholas Erik

Book: Shadow Memories: A Novel (The Singularity Conspiracy Book 1) by Nicholas Erik Read Free Book Online
Authors: Nicholas Erik
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upgrade over her current situation, but whatever. I readied the camera and snapped a couple shots. And that’s when this guy swooped in, picked Clarissa Murphy up in his broad arms, swallowed her up in that stupid tweed blazer.
    And they started smooching. I was so damn shocked that I almost forgot to take some pictures, but my mind unfroze and my trigger finger started pumping.
    Dr. Otto was dipping into the local honeypot.
    He should know that where there was honey, there were bees. The couple disappeared into a room behind Manny’s counter. Old Manny shuffled over to the front door and flipped the sign. No one would be able to get any more hardware today.
    Then he disappeared behind the counter.
    I got up from the table, finishing the last of my froyo, and headed over to the store. I wasn’t sure what the plan was.
    I just hoped that I wasn’t walking into some sort of weird three-way.

18
    Hardware
    For a hardware store that sold a variety of locks—some of them pretty damn fancy—the technology keeping the riff-raff out of Manny’s shop was subpar. A flick of the wrist, and I was in.
    I didn’t have the heart to leave Fox outside, and there were no stray pieces of trash to tie him up with this time. I cursed myself for being a dumbass and bringing him along, but shoved him inside and locked the door behind me.
    I drew the shades and then stalked towards the counter, camera padding against my chest. No noise emanated from the back room. Maybe they hadn’t started yet. Or Otto was a terrible lay.
    Chuck would be delighted to hear that.
    A bolt of light shot out from an open door behind the counter, and I ducked behind a display case of nails. It was Manny, puttering around, murmuring nonsense to himself.
    “Where’d I put it, where’d I put it…” he was saying, “They’ll have my asses if I lose it.” He lifted the barrier that kept customers from carousing behind the counter—not that anyone in their right mind would want to hang out for a casual chill with the owner—and headed into the aisles.
    My way.
    I sucked in deep, clutching the back of Fox’s neck. The dog, for his part, was keeping his shit together. But I didn’t know how much longer that would last.
    Manny stopped at the end of the aisle. There I was, crouched with an eighty pound animal, two yards from him. I could smell his smoke-laden breath, the sweat dripping from his pores. Fox began to growl, a low rumble. I gripped his neck tighter, but it was no good.
    “What the hell…?”
    I slid out from behind the display, giving Manny a fright, and tackled him. You might not think it was a fair fight, and it sure wasn’t, but then, I wasn’t too worried about that. I was more concerned about him screaming and alerting Dr. Otto and his scary minions to my presence.
    Manny gurgled and gagged, clawing at my arms, but I had him in a sleeper hold. Cassie taught me that one. Then he stopped moving. I dropped him to the ground with a thud, and for a minute I was worried that I’d killed the old bastard. A quick check of the pulse confirmed that he was just taking an extended not-quite-dirt nap, no doubt dreaming of some all-white utopia.
    I dragged him by his ratty shoes behind the counter, then bound his limbs with duct tape. I surveyed my handiwork, then added a piece over his mouth, so he couldn’t blow up my spot. Although, looking at him like that, I still had my doubts he was going to wake up all healthy.
    Beckoning at Fox, who was proving quite responsive to my commands, I went to the mysterious door. Reconsidering my weaponry situation—Otto was, after all, a built dude—I revisited a couple of the aisles, grabbing a utility knife. Brutal, but effective. It was more for show, anyway, in case he wanted to get rough.
    I returned behind the counter, nudging Manny with my foot. I crouched down to double-check his bonds, which was when I saw what he’d been looking for. Some old piece of junk from our apartment—something of Cassie’s.

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