Just as she turned the corner of the stairway, she noticed movement in a small stone building at the end of the hotel compound, close to the herb garden. Someone slipped inside the structure. She didn’t see who it was, but her gut told her it was Veren.
She sprinted downstairs and ran the distance from the back door to the stone building. The pouring rain drenched her, but she didn’t care. The heavy wooden door was ajar. She pushed it in, just enough so she could squeeze through. It was dark, musty, and smelled of grain and damp stones. A barn.
Unable to see the interior, she cautiously paused by the entrance and waited for her vision to adjust. But she sensed a movement inside, which raised the hairs at the back of her neck.
The sound of a panting man echoed from inside. It was Veren.
