Two Princes and a choice

Chapter Seven

HAYLEY found refuge under a café’s awning, waiting the rain out. The rain had begun thirty minutes to the closing hour and when it was time for her to leave she had hurried out into the rain holding the umbrella over her head ignoring her boss’ call for her to stay under refuge. I must be mad if I see danger and walk into it. Though her head and torso had been protected from the rain her legs suffered. Cold, biting wind slapped on her bare legs and chill rain water also. She felt cold and the strong wind was tossing the umbrella trying to loosen it from her grasp. She had surged on till she found a café and dashed under the awning.

She was waiting the rain out but it seemed it wasn’t going to relent soon. Hayley toyed with the idea of dashing home in the rain but the wind blew chill and she dropped the idea. Her legs were aching from standing for so long, her back stiff. She was cold and mentally kicked herself for not having the premonition of taking a jacket along. It won’t be of much help in this cold but it was something. She silently blessed Will for being so kind to give her the umbrella. Shivering she rubbed her cold hands and blew warm breath unto them trying to get them warm. She shuddered again. The wind was lashing at full force. Her legs had started to tingle. Water trickled down the length and dirt clung to it. Her top was soaked.

She thought of Darryl and silently prayed for rescue from this cold.

The glare from a motorcycle’s head lamp blinded her momentarily. Her hand came up on reflex and her head turned away. She did not hear the motorcycle’s noise because of the wind’s howling. Then she saw boots on the paved floor. Hayley bent her head and looked at him. It was a man, covering the motorcycle with some sort of material, a tarp. She looked away. Better not to attract attention from a guy. He was living in building she guessed.

‘Hiding from the rain are we?’

Hayley did not hear him approach nor when he spoke but she felt his presence. She looked up into Will’s face. He was staring down at her. His eyes ran down her length and up. She shivered.

‘Are you alright?’ he yelled above the volume of the wind’s noise.

She nodded. ‘Yes.’

He c****d a brow. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Waiting out the rain,’ she shouted.

He nodded and looked away for a moment and back. ‘It doesn’t seem like it will let up anytime soon.’ He eyed her. ‘You look cold would you like to come up for a cup of coffee?’

Hayley bit on her lower lip. The invitation of being away from the chill was overwhelming but common sense floods in. it would be unwise for her to go up into a strange home with a person she hardly knew even if he was her colleague at work. But her tiredness, her desire to be in warmth overthrew the common sense. She could sue him if he tried to r**e her. What if he kills me? She shuddered at the thought. She was going to die in this cold if she stayed any further.

‘Thanks that would be lovely.’

Sergeant Bill Okoro scowled at the cup of coffee his hands. He was at home and was garbed in a thick robe. But he wasn't scowling because of the rain or the hot coffee in his hand but about the girl Hayley. She had been right and had made him appear like a fool. She had been right about the safe and its contents. He had asked Bessie and a few others who were working for Waldorf. They had confirmed it.

About the wax and telephone was right also. He had that examined and no finger prints were found and right around the receiver some wax had been rubbed off. Not with a cloth or something it was as if something was pressed round it and taken off and that proofed that Waldorf didn’t make the phone call. And what further strengthened the proof was after the phone call had been replayed. The voice was not Waldorf’s and he sounded nothing near terrified. Instead of being a dollop happy he was angry. That silly detective n***********g girl had found this out not him. All his colleagues, seniors and juniors had known it was the girl who made the discovery and had made him seem like a fool the more. He imagined them talking behind his back and laughing at him. He should have been the one to find that out. Finding out by him, not some sixteen years old making wild guesses which turned out to be true.

Tomorrow they were visiting the king with the little things they had found out. The man had insisted they reported any discovery they made to him. He only hoped the news wouldn’t have spread to the ears of the king. He needed to be the one in the spot light. Sighing he drank his coffee.

Hayley still felt cold as she walked past the lobby to the lift with Will. It was worse in the lift. The cold steel of the lift seemed to increase her cold. The lift’s door slid open with a ping and they stepped into the hallway. She was clutching on the umbrella. He stopped before a door and swiped his card through the slot. Hayley could hear the faint sound of music coming from the inside. A ping came from the slot and Will pushed the door open.

Warmth flooded her. He stepped in and she walked him after. Pausing and breathing in the scent of mint and warmth in the room. She moved in and he shut the door behind her.

The lounge c*m kitchen was very large with a red long armless couches and an armless seat also red. It had a window seat with claret cushions and paddings. The curtains were in shades of pale gold and edged with dark brown. Light shone with soft white glare from sconces lining walls. The place was neat with the exception of the low coffee table with books scattered on it. Hayley slanted her head and her eyes skimmed over the books. Man and Insects, Bees of the world, The Queen must die: and other affairs of Bees and Men, Exploring the world of Social Insects, the Honey Bee the Dancing Bee. All were on the subjects of bee. He must love bees. Lying at the foot of the longer couch was a sleeping furry dog. Music was playing softly from the Wi-Fi system one of Eminem’s.

‘You can go and take a shower in the bathroom,’ Will said coming out of the kitchen and down the raised platform. He pointed to another door. ‘I’ll make coffee, so take a shower and change your clothes. Trisha should have left some before she left.

‘Okay, thanks,’ she walked to the door and opened. The scent of female perfume hit her nostrils as she pushed open the door. Warmth greeted her and she entered the room. The room was fairly large and was dominated by a huge bed. It had a vanity unit with a mirror a wardrobe and two wall sconces. She walked across the room and opened the door. It was not that large and not small too. With a shower cubicle and a bath, a bidet, a sink with a small cabinet with a mirrored door, the tooth brushes and paste stuck out from their holder.

Hayley picked up a brush, her teeth needed brushing and he wouldn’t kill her if he smelled a bit of minty toothpaste on breath. She scrubbed her teeth and watched herself in the mirror. There were dark circles under her eyes and she looked pale. She rubbed her pale brown skin and spoke to herself in the mirror.

‘You are looking more like a wraith each passing day, when will you ever take a day off? All you do is work, work and work’ she admonished herself. Hayley shook her head and sighed heavily. ‘I need to work to make money so I can be in better condition by the time I’m twenty five.’ She rinsed her brush and returned it to the holder. ‘But still all work and no play makes Hayley a dull girl and you are already dull my girl.’ She rinsed her mouth, shed her wet clothes and gathered them into a bundle. She stepped into the cubicle and left the spray of hot water warm her cold skin. It was welcomed and the soap smelled of flowers and fields and it was cool against her skin. She lathered herself with soap and rinsed it off washed out her panties. Thoroughly warm she stepped out taking a towel out of the rack she wrapped it around her holding it secure.

She went into the room and to dress. She found and oversized night shirt that fell around her hips and short shorts that hugged her thighs. She had searched for something longer but found none and since her knee length short was wet it would be unwise to wear it. Her panties were still wet but she had worn it nonetheless.

Will was pouring coffee from a French carafe into two pale green mugs. He looked up as she came in closing the door behind. He had taken office his jacket and was in a t-shirt. For the first time she saw the piercings above his eyebrows. Tiny studs and she thought they made him look sexy.