Chapter 5 - The Diner Trap
The drive back to the diner was agonizingly silent.
They parked a quarter-mile down the road, hiding the car behind a rusted billboard.
Sebastian handed Norah a small backup revolver, warning her to keep the safety on until she needed it.
They moved through the wet grass, sticking to the shadows as they approached the rear of the Blue Pine.
The diner was dark, the neon sign completely shattered by the earlier gunfire.
Norah peeked through the cracked kitchen window, her stomach dropping at the sight.
Hal, the arrogant owner of the diner, lay motionless on the floor near the register.
Dale was tied to a chair in the center of the room, barely conscious as Vance paced around him.
Two heavily armed thugs stood near the front door, scanning the parking lot for any sign of Sebastian's return.
Sebastian signaled for Norah to wait by the back door while he climbed onto the low roof to find a vantage point.
Norah crouched by the kitchen entrance, rain soaking through her thin waitress uniform.
She heard Vance strike Dale, demanding to know where the waitress had gone.
Norah's grip tightened on the revolver, her anger temporarily overriding her fear.
She quietly turned the handle of the back door, finding it miraculously unlocked.
She slipped into the dark kitchen, using the familiar layout to move silently past the prep stations.
Suddenly, her boot came down on a sharp piece of shattered glass from a broken plate.
The crunch echoed loudly through the silent diner.
Vance stopped talking immediately, the diner falling into a dead, heavy silence.
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Before Norah could raise her gun, a cold metal barrel pressed firmly against the back of her head.
A rough voice whispered in her ear, thanking her for coming back.
