Fate's Return (Twisted Fate, Book 2)

Chapter Five

A second passed as though time was paused, and then I shook my head, shoulder-checking to the left to make sure it was still clear before I grabbed my empty cup of coffee, not wanting to reveal my presence. Hurrying to disappear around the corner of the wall behind the cash register, I pressed my back against the doorframe leading into the storeroom, holding my breath as I opened up my hearing to listen to the approaching footsteps. It wasn't easy above Linkin Park screaming about the end in the background, but I knew these songs as well as I knew my heartbeat—better—and eliminated the beats to listen for what didn't belong.

One, two, three.

Whoever came in reached the cash register. They didn't stop or hesitate for the money I'd left sitting out on the counter. The fourth step brought them to the other side of my hiding spot, barely a foot away. If they took a fifth... Well, my element of surprise would be gone. Maybe they'd be stupid—not going for money was a good sign—and wouldn't connect the semi-open arcade as a sign of occupancy.

Did thinking that mean I was stupid?

The intruder took another step.

Here I go.

I pivoted around the corner at the same time as my arm shot out to flick my coffee in the person's face. The cup connected with the bridge of their nose. Their hands came up to cup their face, and I pulled my arm back and swung.

It didn't connect.

The intruder dropped their hands and reached out to catch my fist as it sailed towards its target like a baseball spinning to a back-catcher's glove. My shoulder popped with the force of the stop and my body jarred back. It was just a step, but enough so that I felt as though my arm was being pushed back into its socket. I raised my knee, holding onto the counter with my free hand for balance.

"Alyssa. Stop!"

I lowered my leg and blinked. "Gabe?"

"Well, yeah!" He let go of my hand and reached up to touch his nose where the rim of my cup hit him before it smashed to pieces on the cement floor. Bringing his hand down, he checked for blood, and then looked up with narrowed, deep blue eyes.

A wave of relief flushed through me, followed by anger. I reached up before he could stop me and smacked the side of his head. "Jerk."

"What the eff, Alyssa?" His other hand rose to rub the new injury, which I hoped hurt. A lot.

"Cause you're an ass," I said, sticking my right foot out in front of me, and crossed my arms.

He lowered both his hands to his sides and returned my glare with his own. "You're the one beating on me, and I'm the ass?" His rolled his eyes to the right. "I can't believe Gus didn't test your sanity before showing you how to punch people."

Instead of smacking him like he expected, I uncrossed my arms and poked him in his stomach. "You don't sneak up on a girl, Gabe. What did you expect?"

"Sanity?" He stepped back. "Who else did you think was coming in with their own set of keys?"

Okay, so I hadn't thought about that, but still. What did he expect? If I wasn't wary after what happened to David, I'd let him call me an idiot. "There was no car in the parking lot and it freaked me out," I said, and turned to distract myself with putting the money into the register, and then slammed the drawer shut and glared up to him again. "How'd you get here?"

"Mike."

"Why isn't he working? I thought you had some family thing?"

"I asked Mike to swap places with me for the day."