Elena froze, her heart dropping to the pit of her stomach. She slowly turned around and came face to face with Abel, the guard from yesterday.
She smiled awkwardly, the fear of being caught making her body turn cold.
“Abel!” she said, trying to sound enthusiastic. “What are you doing here at this hour?”
Abel stared her down, his expression grim. “Answer the damn question!”
Her brain felt like it was overheating from trying to think of an excuse while her heart drummed violently in her chest.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she finally said, the lie sounding ridiculous even to her.
Abel glanced at the bag hanging from her shoulder. “So you decided to go for a midnight walk?”
“Yes.”
“With a change of clothes?”
Elena looked down at the bag. “I get cold easily.”
Abel stared at her. “It’s August.
