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Chapter Ten

Chapter 12

Hope

It was the early hours of the morning when we returned to the hotel. The hallway on the first floor was swallowed by a darkness so total that I could barely make out the staircase at the end of the row of doors. Harry flicked the light switch on, but nothing happened. It was around that time that I realised we weren’t alone.

            “Power cut,” Harry announced in a hushed tone, encouraging the click, click of the switch a few more times before giving up. We edged further down the hallway, towards the skeleton of the staircase, taking a grip of the railing before stopping abruptly at the creak of an opening door. Everything appeared menacing in the light of a dim, flickering orange.  At first I thought the darkness of the room must have deceived me, or else my eyes were confused by the new spark of light. For a minute or two I just stared at the silhouette of a woman standing behind us, the smell of smoke gathering in my lungs as she held out a candle below her face, lighting up her features but blotting out the rings beneath her eyes, like two holes watching me. It wasn’t until she spoke that I knew for sure it was her.

            “I was wondering how long it would take before somebody needed my help.” Delilah grinned, but it looked cruel, like it had been cut into her face with a knife. Her voice, a mixture of English and Greek, was strung with triumph, but that wasn’t clear to anybody who didn’t know her well; her tone was low, proud. I felt my blood freeze in my veins, and I was suddenly very aware of my heartbeat. Harry spoke first.

             “Just when we thought we were stranded,” he laughed, his hand reaching for mine, but I held it behind my back, out of his reach. She didn’t seem to notice, but it was never obvious what Delilah was thinking.

            “Let me walk you to your room,” she insisted, starting on the stairs. “What floor are you staying on?”

            “Third floor. Thank you,” Harry answered before I had the chance to stop him. She nodded once, her hips swaying as she climbed the steps ahead of us. Her dark hair fell down to her waist, and despite the early hours, she still wore daytime clothing, like she had expected to be leaving her room again before she slept. The thought made me shudder, but I followed behind like a woman on death row.

            When we reached the third floor, Delilah placed the candle down on the floor outside our room. The light from the steady, yellow flame stretched along the ceiling and the walls, making it easier to see. As I had expected, she didn’t leave immediately, first glancing at the number on our door and next, at Harry.

            “Are you two on holiday?” She asked, but she didn’t smile. Her eyes appeared dark in the candle light, with a black dot just above her right iris. I didn’t dare speak.

            “Yeah, just for the week. I guess you could say that,” Harry answered, fishing through his pockets for the key. I prayed she wouldn’t come inside. “Clearly, we chose the right place to spend it,” he laughed, splaying his arms in the direction of the lifeless light bulbs lining the ceiling. Delilah laughed, nodding in agreement.

            “I’m staying for a few days too,” she glanced at me this time, the corner of her mouth curling upwards. “Business purposes, but it will only take a few days.” The hallway suddenly felt very cold, though there was no draught or windows to let in a chill. “What’s your name?” She asked, her eyes focused on Harry again. It was then that I knew why she was here; everything made sense.

            “Harry,” he answered, “and this is Hope.”

            Delilah smiled, satisfied, and finally looked at me for a long time. “I’m Delilah. I’m sure we’ll all get along wonderfully.” I suddenly felt very faint, and Harry must have noticed, because he opened the door and suggested I go and lie down.

            “You should go now.” I didn’t mean for my words to sound so biting, I didn’t want to make Harry suspicious, but Delilah replaced her smug expression with one of innocent surprise, and nodded.

            “I mean, it is getting late, but it was nice to meet you, and to keep both our legs on the walk here,” he laughed, trying to fix my bad manners as he handed her candle back to her. He walked inside first. I waited until I could hear the latch slide across on the bathroom door before I faced Delilah again.

            “I know why you’re here, and you had better stay away from him. From both of us,” I snarled, closing the space between us. The heat from the candle burned my neck, but I didn’t flinch.

            Delilah laughed. “You think I’m the threat to you?” She whispered, low in my ear. “They know exactly where you are. Down to the room number,” she tapped the door with her forefinger. “I’m just here to take care of the boy now, since you don’t know how to do a job properly.”

            “You’re not getting anywhere near him as far as I’m concerned.”

            “That’s not a concern of mine. And you know why?” Her lips drew closer to my lobe, and she laughed again, sending a shiver down my spine. “You’re dead.”