I said I’d stay away from Macy to keep her safe, but I was desperate. Standing in front of her diner, I peered inside. It was well past eleven p.m., but I’d seen the Open 24 Hours sign before I left. Strangely, there were more customers inside at night than there were this morning.
Big city folk must be night owls. Back in Falls City, the place would be like a ghost town at this time of night. Everyone would be at home, locked in. I stepped inside the diner and searched the room for Macy. A chill ran up my spine the further I advanced inside. The atmosphere felt different from earlier. Or was it the diners who freaked me out rather than the restaurant itself? Most of them just stopped talking to stare at me. It was beyond weird.
Heads turned, and gazes followed me as I walked to the counter. The hairs on the back of my neck seemed to stand on end, especially when I made eye contact with a man occupying one of the back booths. He looked gaunt and pale and wore a black leather get-up. The two women beside him were dressed similarly and had the same pallor. However, they were hauntingly beautiful.
My gaze skated away from them, only to collide with another man’s who watched me through hooded eyes. He looked dark and dangerous. The way he lifted his nose in the air made me frown. It was the same way Violet and Cole had sniffed the air. What was with everyone in New Orleans?
The more I looked around, the more I felt like a mouse who had just foolishly wandered into a den of hungry predators. Everyone watched me as if I was a piece of meat. I almost turned tail and ran back outside, but then Macy appeared. She pushed the swinging doors open with her hip and turned around carrying a tray.
When she saw me, her face lit up. “Sydney! I knew you’d be back.”
I nervously swept the room and gulped. “You did?”
“Sure.” She shrugged. “Some things I just know.”