The sound of laughter around the corner made Jed jump. For a moment he stood squinting in the dim light of the streetlamp. Then he leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed. He checked his watch. Only thirty seconds had passed since he last looked. Exactly nine minutes and twenty-three seconds since Talia had said she was going to the washroom. Exactly eighteen minutes and thirty-seven seconds until their train left Vienna for Lucerne, Switzerland.

He watched the digital numbers tick by, more anxious with each passing second. She’d now been in there ten full minutes. They still had to walk back to the hotel to get their bags and check out before hightailing it to the station. At least he’d insisted on packing before they left. Girls always took longer in the washroom – something Jed never understood but grudgingly accepted – but this was getting ridiculous.

Jed’s patience, already...