Their Thief: Redemption

Chapter 4 (Part 2)

More angered curses and threats followed, but I didn't wait around to decipher what he was shouting at me from the harsh pounding of his fist against the door.  My head rang from having it pressed against the metal when he had begun his attack. It continued to ring as I ran down the hallway, continuing straight where I had been first led towards an elevator.

Though I preferred to go unnoticed most of the time, my full-out sprint didn't allow that in this case. It drew strange looks from the few strangers that occupied the dark hall. But I would take the unwanted attention over the alternative any day. Trying to appear normal would be a waste of time I didn't have. I had to find an exit before Alec made his way back inside. I doubted that door would hold up for long against his inhuman abilities.

Aside from a few closed doors along the walls, the rest of the hallway led straight to a single pair of swinging doors at the end. I pushed my way through them just as a man wearing an apron and hair net reached for the handle on the other side, surprising him. He stumbled back, managing to save himself from a fall before my shoulder clipped him, sending him down the rest of the way.

I grimaced. "Sorry!" I quickly shouted back. Despite feeling guilty, I didn't dare slow my sprint as I maneuvered my way through a busy kitchen filled with staff. They didn't seem too pleased with my mad dash through their workspace if their frowns and angered shouts were anything to go by. At least the rest were able to successfully avoid a collision with me.

When I reached the other end of the kitchen and burst through the swinging doors with laboured breaths, I had to pause for a moment to take in the change of scenery. Gone was the hustle and bustle of the kitchen. The noise of dishing clatter and shouted orders were replaced by soothing classical music and soft conversation as people enjoyed what appeared to be expensive meals. The sophisticated atmosphere made it all the more shocking what was located on the floors above.

My eyes scanned the room looking for my next step. I didn't pause for too long, my feet moved along with my eyes across the room as the customers seated closest to me eyed my laboured breathes with suspicion.

I was halfway across the restaurant floor when a commotion sounded from behind. I froze, afraid of what I would find before forcing myself to glance back over my shoulder as my heart started hammering against my chest harder. The sight of arguing staff through the closing door had me sighing in relief as I focused back on the front of the restaurant. Still, my hurried walk turned into a jog as my eyes locked onto the glass doors across the room that opened onto the busy sidewalk.

For a moment, I was elated. My pace picked up. I had found a way out! But...

What if he was out there? The thought had my feet freezing. It would be easier for him to walk around the building than break down a door.

My breathing grew faster as my eyes darted to the windows lining the front of the restaurant a few feet in front of me. My eyes searched them for any familiar faces on the sidewalk outside. It didn't take long for the couple seated at the table closest to me to notice my strange behaviour, promoting me to move.

"Underground parking's full. Start parking on the street."

The words had my head snapping in the direction they sounded from. They were almost lost in the sea of hushed noise. My eyes found the man who spoke. He was giving orders to another man that wore the same black uniform as him. My eyes tracked the two as they made their way to the front, to a desk that stood just inside the entrance. A sign standing near it said 'valet.'

When they neared the desk, one of the men continued past it and made his way outside to the curb where a car was pulling up. There he waited patiently while the driver exited and handed him the key with a brief glance, while the other man, who had been directing the other earlier, stepped behind the desk. Reaching under, he pulled back with a set of keys in his hand. My eyes followed him as spun the keys around his finger and made his way to a door. It was a fire exit. The sign beside the door indicated it led to the floors above, but also down to an underground parking garage.