The cold air bit into my skin as we slipped out the diner’s back door, our footsteps splashing through shallow puddles left by the night’s rain. The alley behind the building was narrow and smelled faintly of damp coffee grounds and oil. My hand was still locked in Adrian’s, both of us moving fast but trying not to draw attention.
The sun was still low, a dull orange smudge behind heavy clouds, and the small town felt almost suspended in that half-light between night and day. We could hear faint traffic from the main road, but here, it was just our breathing and the sound of our shoes against wet gravel.
“Keep moving,” Adrian whispered, his grip tightening. “Don’t look back.”
But I did. Just once.
The man from the diner had stepped out onto the street. Even from the distance, I could t
