Page 1 of The Promise of a Traitor

Prologue

Advik woke, a smile on his face, as he rolled over in bed, reaching for her. But his hand only met with cool, crumpled sheets.

Frowning, he blinked his sleep blurred eyes and looked around the tiny studio apartment he rented in New York. A quick glance told him it was empty. There really wasn’t space to hide in the matchbox he called home. The door to the bathroom was open, revealing she wasn’t there either.

Advik sat up in bed, the sheet falling to his waist, running a hand through his hair. Had she had an early shift at the café? He frowned as he rummaged through the mess on his bedside table for his phone. Had she told him about an early start to the day and he’d forgotten? He never forgot. Not when it came to her.

He flipped through his messages and missed calls. Nothing from her. A string of unease wove through him, but he willed it away. He was always prone to anxiety even when none was warranted.

She was a workaholic, he thought fondly. She probably ended up going to work early and hadn’t wanted to wake him to let him know. His gaze fell to the blank display of his phone, a reminder that she hadn’t left him a message either.

He grabbed the phone and dialed her. The call didn’t go through, a robotic voice telling him that the receiver was out of coverage area. The unease in the pit of his stomach grew and he shoved out of bed, hurriedly freshening up before leaving his flat. As he walked the two blocks to the café she worked at, he left her a message.

Hey babe. You were gone before I woke up. All okay?

He dodged pedestrians on the crowded pavements, keeping one eye on the phone display. The message stayed on a single tick. It wasn’t delivered. Worry gnawed at his gut as he pushed the doors to The Sweet Tooth, the café she worked at. The café he’d first met her at. He’d never forget that day.

He’d never forget walking through these doors and spotting her at the cash counter, her long hair pulled into a no-nonsense high ponytail, her tight jeans and cropped white top accentuating her trim figure, her plump, red tinted lips pursed into an annoyed pout.

He’d taken one look at her and known that his life would never be the same again. And that was before she’d looked at him, annoyance brimming in her eyes, and asked, “Are you ready to order? Or do you want to stand there gaping at me for longer?”

The memory of her irritated snark still brought a smile to his lips as he pushed through the small crowd and made his way to the front of the room. The smile faded when he realised she wasn’t at the counter. But then, she’d been promoted to Commis Baker, a trainee baker, a while back.

Sandra, the girl at the counter, was busy ringing up someone’s order and didn’t notice him at first.

“Sandra!” He raised a hand to get her attention.

She glanced up, surprise and confusion on her face. “AD, what’s up?”

“I just wanted a quick moment with-“

Sandra frowned, already shaking her head. “She’s not here, AD,” she said, handing a customer their change. “Why would you think she was?”

Embarrassment tinged his cheeks as he answered, “She wasn’t home when I woke up so I thought maybe she had an early shift.”

He glanced down at his phone. The message sat there, still on one tick.

“She quit.”

His head jerked up at Sandra’s words. “She what?”

“A week ago. She handed in her notice, didn’t give a reason.”

A week ago…She hadn’t said a word to him. But she loved her job! Why would she quit? Advik had been trying to get her to cut back on work, so her classes weren’t affected but she’d insisted that she’d rather drop out of college than give up her precious time at the kitchen here.

He wanted to ask Sandra if she’d said anything else, but Sandra had already moved on to the next customer. Advik left the café, ending up on the pavement, disoriented and confused.

Someone jostled him and he stumbled back.

“Watch it!” The man in the suit glared at him as he walked past.

Advik turned, walking towards the taxi stand in the corner. He slid into the first, available one and muttered, “NYU, Tandon School. Brooklyn.”

He fell back in the seat, his gaze on the storefronts whizzing past.

“You okay man?” The cab driver watched him in the rearview mirror. “You aren’t going to barf in my cab, are you?”

Advik shook his head mutely. He checked his phone again. Still one tick. He pulled up his favourites list and called their friend Ava. The call rang and rang but it went unanswered. Ava was probably in class.