Delilah follows my gaze. “No.”
The man finally shifts. Not toward the door. Toward the alley beside the café. Like he’s not alone. Like this was never a solo job.
“Oh no,” I whisper.
Delilah is already moving.
“Back door,” she says.
We don’t argue. We move.
The back hallway of the café is narrow, cluttered with storage crates and supply shelves. Delilah leads without hesitation, her steps quiet but urgent. Brooke follows, already listening for movement. I bring up the rear. Which feels like a terrible idea. The back exit is already unlocked.
That’s not good. Delilah freezes. So do I. Brooke swears under her breath.
“Conrad didn’t leave it open,” she says.
“No,” Delilah replies softly.
That means?—
Someone else did. Or someone got in. Before we even reach the door, I hear it. A scrape.
Low. Intentional. From outside.
“Three,” Delilah whispers.
“How do you know?” I ask.
“I can hear them breathing,” she says.
Right. Because of course she can. This is officially not my favorite day. Brooke shifts slightly, positioning herself between me and the door without making it obvious. Protective. Again. I’m starting to notice a pattern in this town. The door handle turns. Slowly. Deliberately. Delilah doesn’t hesitate. She slams it shut and throws the lock. The handle jerks once. Twice. Then stops. Silence. Too long. Then?—
A voice from outside. Low. Amused.
“She’s in there.”
My blood turns cold. Not fear. Recognition. They weren’t following randomly. They were followingme.Brooke grabs my arm.
“Tessa,” she says quietly. “Stay behind us.”
“I’m not hiding behind you,” I start.
“You are this time,” she cuts in.
Another knock on the door. Harder. Deliberate. Testing. Delilah reaches for her phone again.
“Conrad’s almost here,” she says.
Good. That’s good. But it doesn’t feel like enough. Because now there are more footsteps outside. Not three. More. A lot more. And they’re spreading out. Like they’re surrounding the building. My throat tightens.
“Okay,” I whisper. “That’s new.”
Brooke exhales slowly. “Yeah. That’s new.”
Delilah’s expression hardens.
“They’re escalating,” she says.
