Discovered by E.M. Taylor

Author:E.M. Taylor [Taylor, E.M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Independent
Published: 2021-12-21T06:00:00+00:00

Sixteen

The frosty night air slapped me hard in the face as soon as I pushed open the door, the weather having turned from fairly mild, for the time of year, to a sharp, howling wind. I paused, deliberating whether I should go back for my coat, before shaking my head, realising that was impossible.

Carter and his family thought I’d just gone to the bathroom. I couldn’t go back without them asking questions. Questions I could give no logical answer to.

I bit my lip before drawing in a deep breath that filled my lungs with ice. Then I stepped outside, allowing the door to slam shut behind me.

I slunk back against the wall, wincing at the bang. Why the hell didn’t I close it more gently? Someone would surely come after me now, and I could only hope they’d just cast a cursory look out, and not notice me in the shadows. Blame the door slam on the wind. I was wearing a black dress with black tights, so I didn’t stand out massively.

I waited with bated breath for a long, heart-stopping minute. But no footsteps came chasing down the hall after me, so I breathed a sigh of relief and pushed away from the wall.

The fire exit had opened into a small yard enclosed by a crumbling brick wall, with a tall wooden gate to the right. The stench of rotting food and trash filled my nostrils, and I lifted my forearm to cover my nose. Not that it did much good; the smell was way too strong and, when I squinted, I could make out a line of huge dumpsters lining the back wall.

There was no way I could pick up the trail by scent alone with that odour tainting everything. Swallowing back the bile that threatened, I took another, closer look around the yard.

The gate, propped open by a loose brick, was the only way out, and it was the logical path to follow. While it was possible he’d scaled the wall, behind Luigi’s was nothing but residential areas. Unless he wanted to come face to face with an angry homeowner and the barrel of a shotgun, I doubted he’d chosen that route.

I steeled myself, and then I crept through the gate.

I exited to what I presumed was the staff parking lot. It was empty, except for a single row of cars. It smelt marginally better outside of the brick enclosed yard, and thankfully the wind was blowing in the other direction, taking the worst of the stench with it. I braved a breath through my nose to confirm there was nobody else in the immediate area. I didn’t expect there to be. He wanted me to be alone, to be vulnerable. He wouldn’t attack in full view of the restaurant where anyone could see us.

No. This was just the start of his treasure trail. He’d dropped a nugget to entice me, knowing I wouldn’t be able to resist following it all the way to the end.

There were

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