Cooper by Nhys Glover Page A

her actions to her father, and then she’d suffer.
    After looking in through the bars and seeing no sign of the guard, she entered the code and slipped through the open gate. Once it was closed behind her, she took shelter in the wall’s shadow, watching for any sign of movement in the front area of the property.
    A minute later, she saw a dark figure moving inexorably in her direction.
    So the guard was continuing the counter-clockwise rotations around the perimeter, was he? That path was leading directly to her. If she tried to move ahead of him, he’d catch sight of her as she shifted from one dark shadow to the next. If she stayed where she was, he’d come upon her.
    Yet again her choice-making was flawed. No matter whether she took Path A or C she would get the unwanted B as the result. How could she have believed it was just that simple to change a lifetime of beliefs? She’d allowed Cooper and the confident Sons to convince her she could get a different result if she tried. Yet again, she’d been let down. Not by them. But by her own stupidity.
    Cowering in the darkness, trying to come up with a way to escape her fate, she prayed to a God she was sure didn’t exist. Every step brought the guard closer to her hiding spot, closer to discovery. Could she bribe him into keeping her secret? She had money. This guard, Mario, was reasonably new. Might he be open to taking money to keep quiet?
    His steps were getting closer. She could hear the leather of his gun-belt rubbing against his pants; hear the slight jangle of keys on his belt; the hot huffs of air blown into cold gloved hands. It almost seemed as if she could smell his aftershave, even from this distance.
    “Mario,” a stage whisper called from the front porch of the house. Her focus had been totally on the approaching guard and Amy had missed the front door opening. Light flowed out through that open door, illuminating the dark, curved driveway and carefully pruned topiary bushes in the centre of the lawn.
    The guard paused and looked in the direction of the house. He saw what Amy saw: Juanita holding a steaming mug. Amy’s heart lifted with real hope for the first time. By some act of fortune, Juanita had come unknowingly to her rescue.
    Mario headed across the lawn to the front porch and took the mug from the maid’s hand. Making the most of the man’s turned back, Amy raced along the boundary in the direction from which he’d been coming. If he resumed his route where he left off, she’d be behind him.
    She heard soft laughter carrying on the chilly air. Mario’s deep voice said something she couldn’t quite catch and Juanita gave him a little nudge, as if humorously insulted.
    Just another minute, Juanita. Just keep him occupied another minute!
    And that minute dragged on as she raced across the frosted, slippery grass towards the side of the property, praying yet again that she wouldn’t inadvertently set off a motion detector light.
    Finally she was far enough to the back of the property that she could slow her pace. As the back door came into view, illuminated by the kitchen lights that were still ablaze, she made the final dash for it.
    Panting a little, she drew her keys out of her coat pocket. Fumbling, hands shaking, she attempted to select the right key. Every minute that passed made her more vulnerable. How long would it take for Mario to make it around to the side of the house again and see her standing here?
    Amy dropped her key-ring. It clattered onto the stone step. Hastily, she grabbed it up, selected the right key again, and tried putting it in the lock. This time she succeeded.
    Opening and then closing the door quietly behind her, she held her breath, listening for the sound of footsteps that would tell her where the staff members were. From the soft click of the front door, she knew Juanita had just closed the front door. From somewhere up the back wooden stairs she could hear heavy male footsteps descending.
    Any moment, either