Within about twenty minutes, Max has set up half a dozen tiny cameras in the hall, and every part of the building anyone would have to pass to get to my apartment.
“See? Here,” his dad announces, calling me over to have a look. I can see Max leaving the building and follow his point of view as he crosses the street.
Every angle in or out of the building showing in a square on the laptop’s screen.
A well-used and worn looking two-way radio crackles to life.
I breathe a sigh of relief when I hear Max’s voice.
“All set?” he asks his dad, who replies in the positive, reminding Max to take his time with the lock job across the street.
It isn’t long before the owner of the office block across the street arrives, and Max’s dad fields a phone call from him once he meets up with Max, who he remarks is taking his time to fix the lock.
“We’re thorough,” his dad volunteers cheerfully. “And at no extra charge to you either,” he reminds his customer, who seems happy enough once Max finally finishes and leaves the place locked up and secure.
“Anything yet?” Max asks his dad via the radio, scanning the street himself as he hovers near his car before getting inside it.
“Nothing yet,” his dad tells him.
Arthur’s been keeping an eagle eye on the screen the whole time, noting every single person who comes into the building, with none of them coming onto my floor so far.
I recognize pretty much everyone anyway. All people who live in the building.
“Okay, Max. Make like a tree and leave,” his dad says, laughing at his own dad joke while I feel my stomach knot, and Max groans at his dad’s humor.
“I’ll circle a few blocks, make sure I’m not followed,” Max says.
“Is he coming back?” I ask his dad, who nods his head slowly.
“If I know Max, he’ll be back here before we know it. Just needs to make sure eyes are on your building and not him,” he tells me like he’s gently explaining something to a child.
The waiting starts to take its toll, and after a while, I move to switch the TV off but Arthur shakes his head.
“Leave it on,” he whispers, lowering his voice and making my panic rise.
Something on his screen’s caught his eye and he licks his lips before he starts to chew at them.
“You close by, Max?” he whispers into his radio, but there’s only a dull crackle from the other end.
Looking over his shoulder I notice the square that had Max’s body-cam on it has gone blank.
I try to say something, but Max’s dad presses a finger to his lips, urging me with a look to be quiet before I follow his finger back to the screen.
Somebody is coming.
Someone I’ve never seen before and they’re heading right for my floor.
At least, I don’t think I’ve seen them before. For a second I think it’s the delivery guy come back.
Dark puffy jacket and a dark baseball cap.
But once they step out onto my floor, I can see something that tells me it’s not him.
Tells me it’s not even a he at all.
I feel a sudden rush of anger taking over, squashing my fear and nerves in a split second.
I’m suddenly more unafraid than I’ve ever been in my whole life and feeling my own claws starting to come out, I make for my own front door.
“Wait, Phoebe. No!” Max’s dad implores me, his hand gripping my arm and his eyes calmly pleading with mine to hold off, just for a few moments at least.
Sensing my mood, Trixie starts to growl and Arthur thinks maybe it’s because he has his hand on me, but we can both see her eyeing the doorway to my apartment, as well as darting glances back to the figure approaching it from the outside.
My eyes narrow and I try to make out the face underneath the baseball cap, but it’s that hair that gives her away.
“Where are you, Max?” his dad whispers into the radio, voicing my own thoughts exactly as I wait for something to happen.
But it’s just a long-haired figure by my door and no Max insight so far.
Watching the screen still, I can see the woman bending down and sliding something under the door.
I can feel Arthur’s grip on me relax and his eyes close briefly as he nods, letting me know he’s right here if I need him.
With renewed anger and energy, I pounce towards the door, flinging it open.
She’s shocked and staggers a step back, but the last thing she’s expecting is for me to grab hold of her.
Grabbing hold of her hair. Which I feel peel off under my grip before she breaks free and bolts down the hallway.
Running straight into a wall of Maxwell Bear, waiting for her at the other end.