Chapter 85 Almost

• Maria parked her car in front of the familiar hotel. It was a hidden location outside of the city, but it had enough history to have stayed there for at least thirty years. The building was dark and dusty, its bricks grey and aged with age spots here and there. Some of them were even falling apart. She stepped out of the car and looked around. There weren't many people walking about the parking lot, all she could see were the usual homeless people that would find themselves at the hotel every night to wait until they found somewhere else to sleep or until they died from starvation. They wouldn't last more than six months after leaving the area.
• Why the man always seems to prefer this location beats her. Although she appreciates that he cares enough for their secrets to be kept hidden, this place always had her heart in her sleeves. The hotel might look like it was about to fall apart any second but for the past months she's visited, it stood still, undisturbed, it was also a place where you could spend your days away without having to worry about cameras, reporters, or any who might be so agog into digging up your dirt. She took deep breaths as she walked towards the door; it had been two weeks since she last went to the place and the anxiety that plagued her from the moment she stepped through the door almost made her run back to her car and call the whole thing off.
• Almost.