Under Different Circumstances

Chapter 9

"Did you ever meet that young detective again?" Martha asked, forgetting that she'd been in the middle of a different story.

"Yes, I did. Twice. The second time, he took me out to a nice dinner," I told her.

"How delightful! What a gentleman," she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Could he be your Walter?"

I blushed. "Maybe."

Martha reached out and softly patted the back of my hand. "Wouldn't that be lovely. Keep me updated, will you?"

The old lady's faith in true love was endearing. She had found her lifelong partner, maybe I could be just as lucky.

Martha was one of the last people to leave at the end of the night, and I escorted her out. She slid a twenty-dollar tip into my shirt pocket and patted my cheek.

"Until next Saturday, princess," she said and shuffled down the pavement.

"See you next week!" I called after her and watched until she had reached her door a few houses down.

She looked back and waved before she entered her house after which I went back into the restaurant to start cleaning up. I walked through the kitchen to get to the closet with the cleaning supplies. My dad and Elias were washing dishes, laughing and enjoying themselves. Andrew was quietly wiping down his station, keeping his distance from the other two chefs who were cleaning up and chatting happily amongst themselves. My mum was sweeping the kitchen floors. I got a broom out of the closet and headed back to the dining room where Zoe carried a tray with that night's last round of drinks to a table. Susanna, another waitress, called out a quick goodbye to everyone as she left for the night. I started sweeping the floors in the very back of the restaurant, and by the time I reached the front, the last guests had left as well.

I always enjoyed closing time. The calm after the storm as my mother called it. Every staff member had their set tasks, and we worked together efficiently to close up quickly.

When I returned the broom to the closet, Elias had already set out the garbage bags for me by the kitchen door. I picked them up and went out of the back exit of the restaurant and walked a few feet down the long alley to the dumpsters. In one swift, skilful movement I manoeuvred the bags into the dumpster.

"Hailey," I heard a familiar voice say to my right.

Startled, I flinched and spun around. I hadn't noticed that there was someone else in the alley with me. My eyes scanned the darkness and found a car parked in the shadows between the street lamps and a dark figure leaning against the hood. The person got up and moved into the light. It was the restaurant guest in the navy jacket who had asked to see me.

My heart started racing, and I planted both feet firmly on the ground. Calling for help would be useless because none of the buildings in the area had windows that faced the alley. So I got ready to run back to the restaurant if I had to. But the guy didn't move any closer. He stayed where he was, and I watched a menacing grin spread across his face.

"What do you want from me?" I demanded, keeping my voice steady and confident.

Instead of receiving a reply from him, I heard gravel crunch under a boot behind me, and before I could spin around, a blunt blow hit the back of my head.

My legs collapsed beneath me, and I stumbled to the floor. My ears rang, drowning out all other sounds, and I felt dizzy and nauseous. I tried to concentrate my gaze on my hands on the floor to steady myself, but my eyes wouldn't focus. Something heavy wrenched my shoulder back, and my body was pulled backwards until I lay on my back. The shape of a person hovered over me, but I couldn't make out the face until he leaned in closer.

"Hailey. Why did you run away from me the other night?" Wright sneered. "You, me, and Ryan could have had some fun together."

"Get away from me!" I screeched, but the words came out slurred.

Raising my voice magnified my splitting headache.

"No, no, Hailey. You're coming with me," Wright growled and dropped the metal pipe he was holding. He grabbed me by the arms and pulled me towards the car.

My fighting instincts kicked in, and I struggled against his grip. His hands were crushing my upper arms. I kicked my feet around, but they didn't find anything to connect with. Desperately, I whipped my arms back and forth and managed to free one of them. With as much force as I could muster, I swung my arm and punched Wright in the only exposed weak spot I could reach, his throat. He coughed and choked and dropped me. I landed on my back and felt the air get knocked out of my lungs. My attempt to suck in a breath was fruitless. I rolled onto my hands and knees, my chest heaving, struggling to get air into my lungs. Hastily, I staggered forwards while Wright wheezed behind me.

"Go get her!" Wright tried to yell at his accomplice, but his voice was nothing more than a hoarse whisper.

I didn't turn around to see what the other man did. There was a narrow, roofed walkway next to the dumpsters between two buildings, and I made my way over to the gated entrance. Clawing at the metal gate to steady myself enough to stay upright, I slammed it shut behind me and heard the click of the lock closing. I stumbled further down the walkway. Finally daring to look back, I saw the second guy approach the gate and rattle it. The gate had locked itself.

A gloating grin spread on my face as I continued inching backwards away from the door. My grin evaporated quickly when I saw him pull a gun out of the waistband of his pants. I quickened my retreat and found an arched doorway in the wall of the building to my right. The door was locked but the arch was wide enough for me to duck out of the line of fire.

I slid down one side of the arch and slumped onto the ground. As my back pressed against the wall, I felt that the back of my blouse was drenched in liquid. I reached up to the back of my head, and my hand came back covered in blood. My nausea flared up at the sight. Closing my eyes tightly, I leaned my head back and tried to steady my breathing. When my injured head touched the stone wall, the pain nearly knocked me out. I sat up again quickly, heaving, trying my hardest to stay conscious.

Over the echoing ringing in my ears, I heard the two men yelling in the alley.

"Don't waste the bullets, find something to pry the gate open," Wright ordered, his voice was still raspy but stronger.

Something buzzed in my pocket, and I quickly retrieved my phone. I couldn't get my eyes to focus on the caller ID, but when I accepted the call, I heard Jay's voice and started sobbing.