Read The Beast for Free Online Page A

that he no longer saw her as beautiful?
    She pulled away and slid towards the passenger door. “Nothing, forget about it,” she murmured and reached around behind her for the handle.
    “Col, I didn’t mean anything by it, please,” Stuart pleaded with her and she opened the door. He reached for her to keep her in the cab of the truck but she slipped away into the night.
    She ran down West Fourth, looking for a dark place to catch her breath. The last thing she heard was Stuart’s door opening and him yelling after her. “I still think you’re beautiful, come back!”
    *****
    Columbia reached her Nan’s apartment a little after five in the morning. She knew her Nan would be up early and would understand why Columbia didn’t want to go home just now.
    “Columbia, come on up,” Nan said on the intercom.
    Her Nan was in her late eighties and lived on her own in a terrible part of town. She was a feisty old bird, and Columbia knew she’d probably die in her apartment before anyone convinced her to move into a home.
    “So what do I owe the pleasure this visit?” Nan asked as Columbia shrugged out of her coat and took off her boots.
    Columbia’s eyes darkened and awareness crept over Nan’s face. She didn’t say any more, but simply took Columbia to the kitchen and settled her at the table as she made a pot of tea.
    “Would you like some toast?” Nan asked.
    “Yes, please, I’m starving,” Columbia replied. She had spent the hours in between Stuart’s discovery and Nan’s apartment wandering around the waterfront thinking about how she would ever face him again.
    After breakfast she helped Nan wash up, then went to the little living room and fell asleep on the couch while Nan rocked and crocheted to her morning TV shows.
    At some point she was half awake and heard Nan on the phone. “Yes, she’s here. Don’t worry Shelly, I’ll send her home as soon as she’s awake.”
    Somewhere in the depths of her subconscious she was grateful that her mother noticed when she was gone. It was nice to have her absence noticed every once in a while.
    Columbia woke up at around two in the afternoon. Maury was on and Nan was surprisingly interested in who really was the father.
    “Don’t watch this crap, it’ll rot your brain,” Columbia said with a laugh as she sat up and rubbed her eyes.
    “At my age there’s not much left to rot,” Nan replied. “Your mother’s looking for you,” she added.
    “I should get home then,” Columbia fibbed. She went to reach for her purse and remembered it was in Stuart’s truck. She didn’t know how she would manage to get it back without talking to him. After last night she never wanted to talk to him again.
    “Could you be a dear and go to the store before you go?” Nan asked. “I need a couple lottery tickets. Can you imagine me winning something at my age? At least you’d inherit a lot!”
    “Sure thing Nan,” Columbia said and took a twenty from the older woman, “but I think our family was meant to be poor. I don’t think a single one of us has ever been rich.” She would have to skim a bit of the change to pay for a Skytrain ticket, but Nan would understand.
    She had an hour before meeting the contact in front of the building she was going to infiltrate. She hopped the Skytrain to Granville Street and took her time walking down to English Bay. She wandered back along the waterfront to the Convention Centre, always feeling comforted and safe near the water. It made her feel like she had a chance to escape given the need.
    She sat on a bench and killed a little more time before the big event. She knew Stuart had to work today, so she wouldn’t be able to get her phone until after her meeting with Jarrod Jacobs. She didn’t have her phone to record the encounter as planned, but at least she could tell him how she felt about his company.
    She straightened her shoulders and resolved to do this one task for the group, then decided to bow out and never see Stuart