Page 19 of Shadowman

“Fuckingfight, you worthless toad, or I’ll mash you into the ground myself,” Brenner snarls.

Linetti stomps in closer. I can’t tell if he’s going to separate them or join in.

O’Malley steps back, his classic move, wherein he makes you think he’s backing down, and thenbam!He slaps Brenner in the face.

It doesn’t look like it was hard, but Brenner is fuming at the disrespect, and O’Malley is laughing like a damn Looney Tune. Before Brenner can even react, he’s already running back over to Hammond, instantly launching blows at his face and body.

Everyone is cheering and screaming. It’s mental. Hammond is bleeding, and Linetti and Brenner are just watching, because as much as I’m sure they want to take O’Malley out right now, they wantmoneymore, and I’m pretty sure they bet on him to win.

Which he does, sweeping Hammond’s legs out from under him, then kicking him in the face until the dude finally taps out.

Wild Quiet Night, man.

A little while later, the fights are done, and the guards are cleaning up and getting ready to clear out. They have to get us all back up to Gen-pop before the morning crew of guards shows up for the shift change. Lucas is cuffing inmates while Linetti and Brenner are counting their winnings and talking shit, so I figure it’s the perfect opportunity to at least check on the cellphone while they’re all preoccupied.

Casually inching over to the stack of mats, I reach in between for the phone. Only it’s not there.

My panic is immediate. I’m feeling around, searching for it while simultaneously making sure no one’s looking, andprayingI just forgot exactly where I put it.

“Yo, what the fuck?!” I hear Brenner bark, and I freeze. He’s stalking over to O’Malley. “What the fuck is that??”

Motherfucker…

O’Malley has the cellphone. He’s holding it up, trying to be subtle—the way a fucking gunshot is subtle—while clearly recording Brenner and Linetti with the cash in their hands.

Oh, great. This is just fucking perfect.

I distance myself, because I’m not going down for his stupidity.It wasn’t even his to play with! Goddamnit!

“Smile for the camera, pretty boy,” O’Malley mocks them, backing up as Brenner and Linetti come at him.

“Get everyone back upstairsnow!” Linetti orders Lucas.

And I’m just shaking my head as I’m cuffed and shoved out of the rec room along with the others, stealing one last glimpse of my friend, the lunatic, being tackled to the ground.

Well, fuck. There goes that idea.

“Every villain has an origin story…”

Stalking gets a bad rep.

Following someone doesn’t always mean you intend to harm them. I’ve never hurt anybody. I just find it easier to get to know people when they don’t know you’re getting to know them.

It’s more genuine, I think. Watching someone without them knowing you’re there is the best way to find out who theyreallyare. Because people do a lot of things they normally wouldn’t when they think no one’s looking, and that’s the point.

Like birdwatching.Observe the creature in its most natural habitat, and you’ll catch the subtle nuances that make them unique.

Stalking is an art form. And I’m good at it.

Or maybe I’m just good at fading into the background, who knows.

New York City is a great place to slink around unseen.

I was born in Seoul, but by all accounts, I’m aNew Yorker. The city is an extraordinary place. Bustling with life and chaos, grim and guile. For someone like me, it’s a haven of resounding solitude. The perfect place to be surrounded by people and yet completely alone. The perfect place to beinvisible.

That’s exactly how I met myex.

By some minor miracle, I’d actually graduated from Bronx Community College. Nothing fancy, but I got my bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science & Kinesiology, basically preparing for some sort of job as a personal trainer. My main interest has always been fighting; Tae Kwon Do, to be exact. Working out is my favorite hobby, but moving into adulthood, I got super into various forms of mixed martial arts. I just wasn’t sure if I wanted to be a fighter, or a coach, instructor, something along those lines.