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I crawl over to the body. The girl. The body of a girl.
She isn’t breathing.
Shit! I’m too late! What happened in here? Why didn’t I hear…anything?
The sound of a commotion out in the restaurant has me cringing. I scrabble for my handbag and pull out my phone.
I hit dial and pray.
“Cove,” I whisper down the line, absolutely terrified of being discovered. “I need your help.”
It’s the last thing I say before the phone slips from my fingers and everything goes dark.
Cove, I need your help.Malia’s terrified whisper keeps playing on repeat in my mind as I race through the streets of Avalon, frantically trying to reach the restaurant she’s at. As soon as she called I tracked her phone and then sent an SOS to the others, so I know they’ll all ping my location and meet me there.
I only hope we’re not too late.
Panic claws at my throat and I have to force it – and another lungful of air – down. This won’t be like last time. I won’t be too late. I won’t let anything bad happen to her.
Never again.
It doesn’t surprise me that Summer brought Malia here, to the poshest, most pompous restaurant on the island. It’s a flashy place, and she seems the type to love the attention. I don’t even have to go inside to know it’s not Malia’s scene.
Pushing through the heavy glass double doors, not giving a fuck about leaving handprints on the panes, I immediately stride over to the maître d’.
“Do you have a reservation?” The snotty, decrepit guy asks, looking down his nose at my attire, breathless state, and dramatic entrance.
“Restrooms. Where are they?”
“Sir, the bathrooms are reserved for clientele only.”
“My girlfriend is here and unwell. She called me from the toilet.” He curls his lip, either at my use of such a common term as toilet or because he blatantly thinks I’m lying. Maybe both. So I add, “She’s had too much to drink.”
Of course that only makes his frown deepen and he even goes so far as to cross his arms, as though that manoeuvre alone will be enough to bar my way.
“She’s underage.”
Thatchanges his whole demeanour. It’s probably more than his job’s worth to allow a minor to become paralytic on his watch.
“Certainly, sir. The toilets are in the far back left hand corner of the restaurant. And there’s an emergency exit at the end of the corridor too. It’s not alarmed and it may be uh…prudent to take your girlfriend home that way.”
I really want to fuck with this guy and scare the beejesus out of him by threatening that I might need to call an ambulance for her, but at this point I don’t have time. I just need to get to Malia and make sure she’s alright. I really hope we don’t need an ambulance.
Giving the stuck up asshole a single, sharp nod, I take off through the crowded restaurant as quickly as I can without drawing too much attention to myself. I think I spy Summer out of the corner of my eye, sitting in a curved booth with some guys, but I don’t stop to check. Malia is my priority right now.
I’m damn glad I asked for directions because the hallway I need is hidden behind a screen of potted palms. Typical rich-person decor: hide the restrooms and act like you don’t even piss or shit. Ridiculous.
The lighting is low but the sleek gold signs are backlit so it’s quick and easy enough to find the ladies’. I knock once as I gently push open the door.
“Malia? It’s me, Cove.”
Stepping inside, my eyes widen as I take in the scene before me. Profanities die in my throat as my jaw slackens at the sight of Malia cradling her knees in the corner of the marble bathroom, rocking.
I want to race over to her and scoop her into my arms, but I need to tread carefully. This is a literal crime scene and the last thing I need is my DNA all over it.
“Mai-Tai?” My voice is barely above a whisper as I tentatively tiptoe around the body in the centre of the room, and the large pool of congealing blood that seeped from it. “Wanna get out of here?”
She jerks when I touch her shoulder, cringing away from me, so I kneel down to her level, carefully avoiding the drops of blood that very clearly lead from the body to Malia. I need to know what happened, but I think getting out of here first should be the priority.
