Chapter 6: Eviction Notice
338 words
The defamation suit sat on the floor like a landmine. Elena stared at the $5 million figure, a laugh bubbling up in her chest that sounded more like a sob. She didn't have five dollars, let alone five million. The fear of the lawsuit was quickly eclipsed by a heavy pounding on the door—louder and more aggressive than the courier.
"Vance! Open up!" It was the landlord. A man who smelled of cigar smoke and sweat.
Elena scrambled to her feet, clutching her scarf to her face. She cracked the door. "I... I need a few more days. I'm waiting on a check."
"No more days!" he yelled, jamming a boot in the doorframe. "You're two weeks late. Eviction laws say I gotta give notice, but I don't care about laws for squatters. You have 24 hours to clear your junk, or it goes on the curb."
He spat on the floor and walked away, leaving the door ajar. Elena slammed it shut and locked it, her heart hammering against her ribs. She was going to be homeless. The rent assistance programs she looked up had month-long waiting lists. She had nowhere to go.
She began to pace the tiny room, the walls closing in. She needed to sell something else. Her clothes? The few designer pieces she had left?
She dragged a chair over to the closet to reach the top shelf. As she pulled down a dusty box, a glint of light caught her eye from the smoke detector. It was a strange, rhythmic flash.
She frowned, climbing up on the chair to inspect it. It wasn't the standard red blink of a battery light. It was a tiny, pinhole lens.
She froze. A hidden camera.
She traced the wire running along the ceiling, poorly panic-painted over. It didn't lead to the landlord's unit. It led to a small violently drilled hole that went straight through to the alleyway. Thorne wasn't just suing her. He was watching her. He wanted to make sure she broke.
End of Chapter 6
