Mitchell meets Tony, his former counsellor, in a café. They sip coffee among mothers and office workers, masked by laughter and espresso steam. But beneath the chatter lies a darker exchange—blackmail, secrets, and dangerous trust.
Tony suspects a setup. He spots Mitchell’s red earpiece and panics, thinking he’s being recorded. Mitchell deflects suspicion by letting him test it—just music, just noise—but then reveals its real use: spying on women. Through hacked laptop microphones, he listens for patterns, vulnerabilities, signs of desperation. He’s evolved—no longer stalking in person but remotely hunting from his chair.
Their banter spirals. Tony’s past emerges: a scandal with a student, a “romantic” mentorship turned taboo. Mitchell exploits this. Tony’s guilt makes him easy to manipulate. Then Mitchell drops a bomb—Nina’s daughter, Natasha, is pregnant with his child.
Tony reels, terrified. Mitchell doesn’t need support—he needs a date. A fake therapy appointment in Tony’s diary to serve as an alibi when Natasha disappears.
Tony resists.
Mitchell smiles.
He doesn’t need Tony’s approval. He just needs his silence. The leverage. The diary. The date.
Tony folds.
In this café of innocence and secrets, two predators finish their coffee. One has confessed; the other has normalized. Both leave unchanged—but bound.
No blood spilled today.
Just another signature in the dark.
[excerpt from SEETHINGS 2 – available for download now!]
Ch8
Discover more from Michael Forman – Author of Dark Fiction & Drama
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