Extrait

Chapter One

A sharp hiss assaulted my eardrums. I started and blinked. Coming out of my stupor, I quickly turned the dial on the espresso machine. A ruddy-faced, middle-aged man in a fancy suit stood in front of me. He drummed his fingers on the counter, nostrils flaring.

“Are you even listening to me?” he barked. “I said I’ll take a double espresso and a chocolate biscotti to go.”

“Got it,” I answered as I quickly tapped keys on the register.

Ricky caught my eye from across the bar, behind the industrial coffee machine. He perked up one dark eyebrow and mouthed, “What’s wrong with you?”

Shaking my head, I ignored him and took the $10 bill the man impatiently waved in front of me.

Once the irate customer left, Scott came up behind me and poked me in the side. “Can you run in the back and grab some more of the Columbian roast? We’re almost out.”

I nodded, more than happy to get away from the line of customers jonesing for their morning caffeine high. I slid out from under the counter and pushed through the swinging doors to the back of the café. The narrow corridor was dark. Cheap-o Scott was probably trying to save money on the electric bill.

Reaching out for the wall, I fumbled in search of the light switch. My fingers blindly moved across the cold surface as I cursed myself for leaving my phone with the built-in flashlight in my locker. The sudden creak of a door opening sent my heart rate into overdrive. “Who’s there?” No answer. Forgetting about the light switch, I spun toward the sound. The employee locker room door was open a crack. I took a step, and the door swung wide open. A guy burst out and bulldozed by me, shoving me against the wall. He raced toward the emergency exit as I stood frozen. Just then, the back door whipped open from the outside and a tall figure blotted out the doorway. The sunlight was so bright behind him that all I could make out was a dark shadow. He grabbed the runner by the shoulders and yanked him outside. What the hell?

My feet thawed, my curiosity urging them back to life, and I ran toward the back door and pushed it open to peer outside. It took a second for my eyes to adjust, blinded by the intense light of day after the black hallway. I glanced up and down the alley, but it was empty. A faint scent of laundry detergent lingered in the air. A thief with fresh smelling clothes? So weird.

I trudged back to the front of the café, my heart still thudding against my chest.

“Where’s the coffee?” asked Scott.