The Heir - Blood Secret : The Chosen One - Secret Heir, page 1
THE HEIR
Blood Secret
THE HEIR
Blood Secret
A.H.S SALT
THE HEIR
BLOOD SECRET
Copyright © 2020 by A.H.S.SALT
Previously published as light within darkness.
The following is a work of fiction, any characters, places, names are the product of the author’s imagination, any resemblances to persons, dead or living is coincidental.
All of the rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced, transmitted or scanned in any form, digital or printed, without the written permission of the author
THE HEIR - BLOOD SECRET
Chapter one
I abandoned the dirty glasses on the counter with a grunt, wiping a beat of sweat from my brow with a clammy hand. My feet ached and my back was starting to spasm up.
Even though I’d been working at Andy’s bar since I turned eighteen two months ago the aches and pains of being on my feet all day never seemed to cease. I glanced over my shoulder to the clock discreetly, thankfully, my shift was drawn to an end.
I rested my palms flat on the counter, observing the other barmaid. We didn’t get along. Polar opposites.
Impatient customers lined up to be served. They mostly flocked to the bottom of the bar. The new barmaid Darcy took particular relish in being the center of attention from one customer, in particular, an athletic guy, much older than her and so full of himself.
She was all fake smiles and full of energy.
Unlike me. I was beat and ready for my bed. Between the pair of us, it was only me that pulled my weight around the bar. She had only been working at the bar for a few weeks and already showing signs of being a work-shy pain in my ass.
Irritation bubbled within me.
I closed my eyes for a short time, allowing my breath to escape slowly, counting away the irritation that threatened to erupt.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
10 was not enough for some people, or at least for me it wasn’t.
I’ll give the girl her due, she knew her way around a bar. But all she seemed to do was flirt her way around the punters.
“Dying of thirst here!” A short drunk guy hollered slamming his tumbler down.
Darcy glared at the customer “Wait your turn!” She said acidly before turning her attention back to the athletic guy.
I groaned inwardly at her customer service skills.
She had no reason to take that tone with the stranger. The guy she was too busy flirting with already had a full drink. I even suspected a few free shots.
I knew first-hand what could happen when an unhappy customer didn’t get what they came for. It’s bad for business and not to mention it could cause a full-blown bar fight, and that was the last thing I wanted.
I was so close to finishing my shift. I was not breaking up another bar fight.
Not tonight!
My body was trembling with tiredness, all I wanted to do was go home and get into my rather worn but comfy pajamas and curl up with a mug of coffee. I curled my lip over my bottom teeth and let out a loud ear blowing whistle.
That got Darcy’s attention!
She stared at me with a blank expression then smiled riling me up even more. To be honest, I can’t actually remember as to why she got on my nerves so much.
She just did.
I took a long breath through my nose and I held back the urge to roll my eyes at her and tell her to flirt less and work more.
I wasn’t prepared to lose my temper, even though my blood was heating up. I just wanted my shift to be over and done with, so I could enjoy my next two weeks of annual leave, doing nothing but lounging around. Two weeks of pure freedom. Doing what I wanted to do. When I wanted to do it.
But first I had to get through a hellish shift.
“Hate to break it to you, Darcy, but you aren’t getting paid to stand around and look pretty!”
Her eyes narrowed at my harsh words.
“I’m going as fast as I can!” She snapped, glaring at me.
“Well, maybe if you flirt less and work more!”
There I said it.
I didn’t want to, I really tried not to allow those words to escape my mouth but she was starting to really get under my skin. She looked at me like she couldn’t believe I had just said those words in a room full of customers.
A tall burly customer I had served earlier, made a staggering beeline for me.
“Same again, only four this time,” He slurred. I grabbed the bottle of Sambuca from under the bar, it seemed to be a popular one among the crowd. Especially this guy! He had nearly consumed half the bottle and he was still standing.
“What’s your problem?” Darcy chinned.
I carried on pouring shots, glancing at her in-between filling up the tiny glasses.
“You!” I said, my tone taking on an icy edge.
The aromas of the star anise and licorice had me holding my breath. Of all the drinks to serve, I had to serve the one drink that made me want to vomit.
It was vile and almost suffocating. I wasn’t sure if it was the actual stench of the liquor, or if it had turned from doing nothing but collecting dust on the shelves. Apart from tonight, I really couldn’t remember the last time the bottle had been opened. It had been there for so long, and it was never the choice of drink among our regulars.
So, I could only hope for the best.
The bloke I was serving it to, was way too drunk to even notice anyway. I placed the four shots in front of the customer.
“Eight dollars,” I said, holding my hand out, waiting for him to fetch the cash from his jean pockets.
I stole a quick glance at Darcy, making sure she was doing what she was paid to do.
Work! Low and behold, she was pouring drinks, for a change.
Along with throwing snide glances my way.
“Keep the change.” The customer mumbled.
I smiled sweetly “Thanks.” I swiped the cash notes, as he tried his best not to sway and spill.
I didn’t bother keeping the two bucks change, I dropped it into the charity tub we had under the bar.
Every buck helps, right?
I grabbed a damp rag and wiped over the counter, as I watched the man stagger back to his table.
Thank god for his sake it was last orders soon. He had clearly overindulged a little too much.
It was mostly young students from the local university taking advantage of the cheap booze. The bar was in full swing, it was strange for a Sunday night. I chalked it up to be the students, taking full advantage of the summer break. I didn’t mind though if anything it made my shift go by faster.
After serving a few more customers, I decided to leave Darcy on bar duty, as I was in desperate need of fresh air. The smell of that Sambuca was still ripping my sinuses open. I scooped some ice into a glass, filled it with fresh water needing to hydrate. My throat had become so dry from rushing about most of the night.
Beads of sweat glistened on my brow, I wiped them away with my arm before chugging a good few gulps of my water. Cold wasn’t usually my thing but that felt like a sip of crushed ice over pineapple on a Caribbean beach.
Those two weeks off could not come quick enough.
I walked through the bar and I made my way out, the laughter from the students was loud as they roared and encouraged one another to down their drinks. I bumped the creaky door exiting the bar from the side of the building with my hip, careful not to spill my water as I made my way around to the fenced-off section at the back of the bar.
The floodlight that I insisted on my boss, Andy, to get after banging into the table for the umpteenth time, beamed down on me as I sat down on the wicker seating area, reserved for staff only. The warm summer night breeze was refreshing. I closed my eyes allowing it to brush over my skin, caressing with the lightness of a feather. I was barely outside a few minutes before the noise of leaves rustling had alarmed me. Peace broken. I abandoned my glass of water on the table.
My body tensed up at the swooshing sound, I almost expected someone to appear.
I turned my head and paused for a few seconds, zeroing in on the unsettling loud unearthly noises. Thoughts flickered through my mind as I tried to come up with a reasonable explanation as to what it could be. It wasn’t the shuffle of a black bear it was much more intimidating than that. It couldn’t be a coyote it was far too much of a hostile sound for such a stealthy predator. I was sure it was coming from the woodland area behind the bar, the one place I preferred to walk through to get to my apartment after work.
Now I was unnerved at the thought of going the short cut way home.
“Get a grip Francesca, it’s probably just a deer,” I muttered, rubbing my hands over my eyes and fighting against the tiredness, at the same time trying to convince myself that it was nothing to be concerned about. I reached over and took a gulp of my water, telling myself over and over there was nothing there. I walked through the woodland area most nights after my shifts
Lately though, an overwhelming sense of being watched most nights had me walking faster and glancing around, back and forth, in the hopes it was just me being paranoid.
The air didn’t feel so warm anymore. In fact, the hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention and no matter how many sips I took of my water, my mouth grew dryer and dryer.
Fear was sinking in
I contemplated taking the roadside way home once my shift finished, but that went on longer. Besides, I preferred my own company. I always seemed to bump into neighbors or a friend of a friend walking their dogs wanting to stop and chat, and that was the last thing I wanted after a long ten-hour shift. Especially the lady with the pug who wore matching hoodies. There was something oddly bizarre about her. Facing the source of the sound was an option way before that bag of craziness.
The rustling sound became louder.
It seemed to be getting closer.
Yes. Definitely closer...
I could swear I heard feet shuffling toward me. I left my glass on the ground and stood slowly, trying to decipher which direction it was coming from.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end fully then, forcing a shiver through me as if they were miniature lightning rods drawing static down my spine. Either it was some drunk nut job perving on me or animals ready to stampede throughout the grounds of the bar.
Either way, I wasn’t waiting around to find out if it was an animal or a person.
I didn’t care if I was overreacting. By that point, my heart felt like it had dropped to my stomach, plunging to the depths. I ran toward the bar as an eerie sensation throttled my insides. I grabbed the chrome doorknob and yanked it open so fast it almost smacked me in the face.
I stood in the safety of the building, my eyes strained to focus in the darkness to see what was approaching me, but there was no one or any animal in sight.
What the hell was it?
I knew it wasn’t a customer as they had a different entry and exit doors from staff. I thought about going back, if it was an animal, it was only going to be less than ten minutes before I would hear it once more, my shift was minutes from being over.
Swallowing back my fears as much as I could, I had to wonder if I really needed a break. Did I really need to go outside so close to the end of my shift? Was the smell of aniseed and licorice really so awful? Especially when compared to who or what was out there.
I made my way back to the bar. Darcy’s eyebrows creased as she walked toward me, she held her hands firmly on my arms and turned me so my back was to the customers.
“You look like death!” She noted. I couldn’t make out if she was being genuine or jabbing an insult for my attitude towards her earlier.
I shrugged free from her hold and took a step back.
“Gee, thanks,” I said, miserable.
“Are you, okay?” She asked, almost sounding sincere. Yet, her tone had me worried, I was certain she could see the fear in my eyes.
Clearly, I hadn’t choked it back enough.
“I just freaked out a little, when I was outside, that’s all,” I answered absently.
She smiled but didn’t seem convinced.
“Your face looks way paler than before,” She added.
“Yeah, well.” I half smiled “I suppose we can’t all carry off that summer golden tan all year round, can we?” I remarked, I knew she was referencing to my ivory skin.
I really did look like I was anemic when I stood next to Darcy. Her skin was always so dewy and golden like she had spent a carefree summer on one of those European nudist beaches - it was so even – not even a strapline.
I’ve always had a pale complexion, and no amount of fake tan could hide the dark bags under my eyes.
Unlike Darcy, she carried the denim shorts matched with crop tops style well. I was content with myself to wear what I felt comfortable in. I personally preferred combats, vest tops, and my old-time favorite denim jacket. It had seen better days, it was so worn out looking in appearance. I loved it and I wasn’t prepared to part with it. Distressed denim always comes back in fashion anyway, or at least that is what Darcy had said in one of her rambles.
“Are you sure you are okay?” She stood, waiting for a response.
I bit the inside of my cheeks trying to hold my composure. What part of I’m fine does she not understand?
“I said, I’m fine!” I nipped, then instantly regretted it.
I had no reason to snap at her.
A fine person would not have done that.
Darcy seemed somewhat taken aback at my abruptness, she glanced down, tapping at her rose gold watch.
“Your shift is over. You should go home and get some rest,” Darcy suggested, “Maybe take a Xanax!” She muttered bitterly, before turning back to the bar. Usually, I would have made a smart ass comment but I deserved that.
The night had gone so fast, yet, I was more than willing to delay the inevitable. Who would have thought thirty minutes earlier, that I’d actually want to stay? Go figure.
My pulse began to pick up again, slightly anxious that I had to make my way home after hearing those creepy noises. I really wanted to stay on and offer myself to overtime, even though it wasn’t my night to stay and stock check. I was willing to do anything, to stop me from over-analyzing what I had heard outside. I made my way to the back of the bar, toward Andy’s office. My knuckles rattled against the door, before opening it and gaining entry.
“That girl has got to go!” I said, gesturing over my shoulder towards the bar.
“What girl?” He looked up from the paperwork that lay scattered over his desk, his hair as white as the summer clouds, and the smell of cigar smoke lingered in the air.
I let out a harsh breath “Darcy!” I shot out. I plonked myself down on the worn leather chair stationed in front of his desk.
“Give her a chance,” He said softly, sorting through paperwork “She is going through a bad break up” he added.
“Well, shouldn’t she be crying into a pillow or something? Instead of smiling, every time a guy whips out a dollar”
He shot me a look, clearly not amused “Be, nice” he sighed.
I rolled my eyes “Fine!” I muttered, “Only because it’s you asking.” I always had time for Andy, he was the boss everyone should have.
Laidback and kind.
He looked after me, taking me under his wing and giving me a job at the local bakery his wife owned when I lost my parents in a car crash a couple of years before, along with losing the family home I grew up in from debt of my parent’s funerals.
Then when I turned eighteen he offered me a job at the bar. It paid better and the tips were great.
My parents were still young when they died, both of them were only forty-two years old. Taken from me too soon, and they never even had life insurance as a backup. So, if it wasn’t for Andy giving me a job and Mary, his wife, insisting on helping me find an apartment to live in. I don’t know what I would have done without the guidance of them both. They were the only people in my life I had time for, as they never had any children of their own.
Something I suspect they both regret.
Andy and his wife Mary often invited me to dinner, she would look upset when I politely declined. Her voice was always so full of pity. I preferred my own company, I’m more or less a loner, and I’m okay with that. I never did fit in throughout life. I was the strange one, the weird one. It didn’t faze me. I’m comfortable with myself and like being me, and besides, my motto is; if anyone took the time out to talk bad about me, then they were leaving someone else alone.
Andy slid his glasses down his nose getting a better look at me, the lines around his eyes deepened as he offered a genuine smile back.
“So, what’s up?” He asked, almost paternally.
I swung my legs up and rested my feet on the edge of his desk.
“Nothing, much.” I shrugged “I just thought I could do some overtime, maybe clean up tonight?” Not wanting to tell him that I was on edge from the noises I heard when I was outside. He glanced at the large oval clock that was on the wall behind me then back to me.
“Your shift is over, you have two weeks paid vacation time you have to use up. Go home and do whatever it is that you do, and just enjoy the time off.” His voice was stern but warm at the same time. He rubbed his hands over his eyebrows, taking a break from his paperwork.
“Are you sure there’s nothing else bothering you, kiddo?” He questioned, his expression becoming more serious.
My eyes lowered to the mess on his desk.
I thought about telling him then instantly changed my mind.
