Mia woke up, startled, as Eric sped past her. He ran down the hall and stopped short at the lobby. Two intruders stood by the reception desk. One was petite and unseasonably dressed in thick winter clothes. A long blond ponytail poured from a hole in the back of her ski mask. The other was tall and wore a simple gray tracksuit. His face was covered in a rubber novelty mask molded in the smiling semblance of Teddy Roosevelt.
Both strangers turned to Eric as he reflexively aimed his pistol.
“Don’t—”
With fearful eyes, the woman raised her hand. A quick burst of light enveloped Eric, freezing him solid in an instant. Everything within five feet of him glistened with a fresh coat of frost.
The man in the Roosevelt mask flicked his wrist, causing long tempic whips to emerge from his fingers. They broke off little pieces of Eric, toppling his corpse like a statue.
The woman glared at her companion. “Why’d you do that?”
“I wanted to see if he’d shatter.”
“You really are sick.”
“Maybe. But you’re the one who killed him when you could’ve just frozen his gun.”
The blonde looked at her victim in dismay. Winter mist escaped with each shallow breath.
“I panicked.”
“No fooling. You need to mettle up, honey. We haven’t even started yet.”
She glared at him. “Just go upstairs and help Rebel. I’ll take care of the one down here.”
Mia swallowed her scream. She’d witnessed Eric’s death on the monitor and now frantically scanned the security console for something, anything that could help. One button caught her attention: hot red, with a flame-shaped icon.
She slammed it hard, and the building came to life.
—
Czerny launched awake in the futon. A chain of loud woops filled his office. The entire ceiling flashed with red lumis. He scrambled for his shirt.
Beatrice blinked at him several times, holding the blanket to her naked chest. “What’s going on? Is it a fire?”
“Don’t know. I’m hoping it’s just a glitch.”
Czerny donned his glasses and keyed a three-digit number into his desk phone. He was surprised to find a frightened girl on the other end of the line.
“Hello?” she said, in a frantic half whisper. “Who is this?”
“This is Dr. Czerny. Who . . . Sorry, I was expecting someone else. Who am I speaking to?”
“It’s me! It’s Mia!”
“Mia? What’s going on? Why are you in the security room? Where’s the guard on duty?”
“He’s frozen or petrified. And I think Erin’s hurt. I see four different people on the monitors. One of them’s really big and he has a gun.”
“My God!”
“There’s a woman in a ski mask. I think she’s coming this way. I don’t know what to do!”
Panicked by proxy, Beatrice rushed to get dressed. Czerny cradled the phone and finished buttoning his shirt.
“Okay, Mia. Listen to me. I want you to stay calm. If you haven’t already locked the door—”
“I locked it. And I pushed the couch in front of it.”
“Good. Smart girl. Now I want you to deactivate the fire alarm. Just press the red button twice.”
“Should I? I mean—”
“Mia, please trust me, all right?”
Five seconds later, the clamor came to a stop. The emergency lights disappeared.
“Good. Good, Mia. Now you just stay where you are. Help is coming.”
“I think they all have a—”
He hung up before she could finish. For lack of a better term, she was about to say “weirdness.”
Beatrice clutched his arm. “Constantin, what’s going on?”
He fished a small item from her purse, a gray metal gadget that resembled a baby air horn.
“If our youngest guest hasn’t lost her poor mind, then I fear we have armed intruders.”
“Oh my God! Should I call the police?”
“No. Call Martin. Get him and his son to come as quickly as possible. Then call the fire service and tell them it was a false alarm.”
Beatrice peered anxiously at the little weapon in his hand. “You’re not seriously going out there with my chaser, are you?”
“If I had my pistol, love, I’d be wielding that.”
“Don’t go! You’ll get killed!”
Czerny caressed her cheek. The two of them had come together six weeks ago, under the influence of red wine and scientific exuberance. They’d been together almost every night since. It was the worst-kept secret in the building. Even the Silvers knew.
“Stay here,” he told her. “Stay hidden. Don’t come out until I tell you it’s safe.”
“But what if they come looking for me?”
With a heavy sigh, Czerny opened the door. He had the strong urge to tell Beatrice he loved her. Instead he remained ever practical.
“I don’t think we’re the ones they’re after.”
—
Thirty seconds after the alarm stopped, the two oldest Silvers emerged from their suites. Zack had taken the time to get decent in a shirt and sweatpants. Amanda was content to let her T-shirt hang down over her underwear. As Zack’s higher functions pondered the circumstances behind his rude awakening, his sleepy id admired her long and shapely legs.
“Hellooo, nurse.”
Amanda threw him a cool squint. She had yet to forgive him for his impending exit.
“What was that? The fire alarm?”