The Bait Chapter 1

My landlord abruptly announced in our group chat that he was giving us three months of free rent.

My roommates lost their minds with excitement.

"Mr. Peters is finally acting like a human being!"

"I'm saving $2,500 a month! This is a total steal!"

But as I stared at that message, my palms grew slick with cold sweat.

This was a man who demanded we split a five-dollar fee when the hallway lightbulb burnt out. Why on earth was he suddenly gifting us over twenty grand?

I immediately started packing my bags. "I'm moving out tonight."

My roommate Chloe rolled her eyes.

"Sarah, do you have a persecution complex or something? Don't ruin the vibe and cost us our free rent just because you're a buzzkill."

Another roommate sneered.

"Are you just going to throw away your $5,000 security deposit?"

I zipped up my suitcase.

"I don't care about it."

That night, at 11:00 PM, the group chat suddenly went dead silent.

At 2:00 AM, Chloe’s boyfriend called me, his voice trembling violently:

"Sarah, are you home?!"

"Can you please go check on Chloe? I think something terrible has happened to her."

* * *

Mr. Peters sent the message at 7:20 PM.

I had just gotten home from work and was crouching in the entryway taking off my shoes when my phone buzzed.

A message popped up in our roommate group chat.

Landlord Peters: "Girls, I know it hasn't been easy living here these past two years."

"The economy is tough right now. I thought about it, and I want to give you all three months of free rent."

A second later, the chat exploded.

Maya: "??? Mr. Peters, are you joking?!"

Tara: "Three months? For each of us?!"

Chloe: "OMG! Did I win the lottery today?!"

Lily: "Mr. Peters, you're being so nice, I almost can't believe it."

Mr. Peters replied quickly.

"It's true."

"You girls work hard living out here on your own. I'm getting older, just want to build up some good karma."

"Make sure you're all home tonight, though. I'm going to swing by to drop off some nice desserts and go over the lease addendum for the free rent."

"It's best if everyone is present, so there's no confusion later."

I stared at that last sentence.

It's best if everyone is present.

Maya burst out of her bedroom, her hair still in curlers.

"Sarah! Did you see the chat?! Old man Peters has lost his mind! He's giving us three months free!"

Tara was sitting on the couch, already crunching numbers on her phone.

"My rent is $1,500. Three months is $4,500! Oh my god, I can finally pay off my credit cards."

Chloe was hugging her phone, smiling so hard her eyes crinkled.

"I thought he only knew how to raise the rent. I can't believe he's actually being decent."

Lily had just gotten home from a long shift. She hadn't even put her bag down, looking exhausted.

"Do you think he's trying to sell the building and just wants to butter us up so we don't cause trouble?"

Maya waved her hand dismissively.

"Who cares? Only an idiot turns down free money."

Mr. Peters was the kind of guy who would pinch pennies until they bled.

Last month, the living room lightbulb burnt out. Maya asked him to change it.

He told us lightbulbs are consumables and it was the tenants' responsibility.

When Tara sent him a screenshot of the maintenance request, he immediately replied:

"There are four of you keeping the lights on until midnight every night. Of course the bulbs burn out faster."

In the end, the four of us split the $28 cost of the bulbs.

Another time, Chloe’s boyfriend, Liam, came over and sat in the living room for less than two hours.

The next day, Mr. Peters texted us, demanding an extra ten dollars for "unauthorized guest water and electricity usage."

A man who was that aggressively cheap over pocket change was suddenly offering free rent?

I called bullshit.

When a man who calculates money down to the marrow of your bones suddenly decides to throw away thousands of dollars, it's because he expects to gain something far more valuable in return.

I opened my phone and started searching for nearby hotels.

Maya noticed my screen and froze.

"Sarah, why are you looking at hotels?"

I said, "I'm moving out tonight."