Page 91 of The Guru: Shadow

How could it travel so fast?

How do people even recognize me? From the photo with Deis? Or those few photos she had posted months and years ago on Instagram?

“I’m sorry,” she said, forcing her voice to appear calm and friendly while in her a storm raged. “You must confuse me with someone else, my name is Annie.” It was the first name that came to her mind. She fake smiled and left, putting her sunglasses back on. Now no one would recognize her like this.

Forcing herself to make normal steps until she was around the corner, she then ran. Nothing mattered right now. She had to get into her home, get her stuff, and leave.

It wasn’t far to her home, and when she turned the corner for 45thSt. all of her froze. About two dozen paparazzi stood around the entrance of her building again, there was no way she could enter unseen.

“There!” shouted one of the men, running towards her, his camera fully on her.

Fuck.

And then she turned around and ran. The men behind her, hunting her with their cameras.

She ran back to 9th Avenue, her heart pounding up to her throat. She had nowhere to go anymore. They hunted her. Like she was prey. All in her felt like breaking down in tears right where she was, so she turned around the corner, and without further thought, she jumped over a fence down to an entrance to a building. It was a lot higher than she had expected, and her joints and ankles burned from the pain of landing on the hard stone. Crouching down in the corner, she just hoped they would not see her. Down here, everything smelled like a pisshole.

And while she waited for the waves of fear to pass, she heard one of the men shout.

“The bitch is fast!”

The very moment tears started to flood down her cheeks, she held her hands in front of her mouth to silence the sobs coming with them, while all she wanted to do was cry out loud.

I am not going to make it. Not without money. Not without backup.

She fumbled out her phone and turned it on.

But who could she call?

Who could help her?

Julie. Julie knows how to build reputations.

The phone rang.

Not answering. Why is she not answering? She is always on her phone, always.

Cat.

Straight to voicemail.

There’s no one. I’m all by myself.

Her phone vibrated.

Deis

Just ask

The fuck I will. It’s exactly what you want me to do.

Breathe. Think.

Carl’s phone.

Opening her bag, she fumbled it out. It was a burner, and as she opened it, there was only a single number dialed on it.

Just do it. What do you have to lose?