toothpaste and smal bottles of Tylenol. Across from these shelves stood the counter where, presumably, you could either pay for your gas, buy munchables, or rent a room. We walked past this area into a short hal way that turned sharply right, giving us the choice of taking the elevator or the stairs to the second floor. I told myself that I chose stairs because Jack needed the exercise. No, it wasn’t at al because I’d rather eat raw slugs than pile into an elevator with more than, say, one short, skinny, ideal y under-the-age-of-three person. That is, after al , the only time there’s enough room in an elevator. Strike that. Because, truthful y, there’s never enough room in an elevator. If there were, they’d cal it a mobile home.
Jack and I were halfway to the second floor, which Astral had already shown me consisted of a typical hal way lined with faded green carpeting and diarrhea-brown doors, when I realized everyone had fol owed my lead. When Vayl stood beside me once more at the top he said, “I presume you feel better.”
I nodded. So did Jack, because he’s just that supportive. “Aerobical y speaking, we are now completely warmed up and ready to rol .”
His dimple made a brief appearance. “Then I take it you are looking forward to our next confrontation?”
I took Grief’s safety off and made it ready to fire. “You could say that.”
“Would you do me a favor, then?”
His suddenly serious look caught me off guard. “Of course.”
He stepped into me until our thighs aligned. When his arm went around my waist and lifted, our hips locked like they’d been made in the same factory. “Make sure Raoul is not merely here to take you away from me forever.”
He let the words loose carelessly, but I heard the desperation behind them.
“I’l be careful,” I promised him.
He nodded. “Good.”
A kiss, the brush of lips that sent tingles racing straight to my toes, sealed the deal. And then we were leading Raoul, Bergman, and Aaron down the hal way toward an ugly brown door onto which a scratched brown plaque had been glued. I didn’t know Slovenian, but there was no mistaking the message. This was the honeymoon suite. Astral sat at the base of the door, as if she’d known right where I needed her to go. Fuh-reaky.
“Cole, are you in place?” asked Vayl.
“I’m in the attic above the suite’s bathroom. Luckily somebody here’s a big pervert, because there’s a camera system al set up, with predril ed holes for the naughty boy to peep into the shower anytime he can get away from the front desk. Jaz, when you get a chance, you may want to kick old Sanji there right in the gonadiphones.”
“Wil do,” I said.
Raoul tapped me on the shoulder. “It might not be him, you know.”
“I’m wil ing to give him the benefit of the doubt. But you’d better not be holding me back if we find him drooling over sex tapes after this is al said and done.”
“That’s a deal.”
We stopped outside the door. I handed Aaron Jack’s lead and scooped Astral into his free arm.
He nodded over what he understood was an enormous responsibility, especial y after I pointed to him, then to the animals, and made my if-anything-happens-tothem-I’l -kil -you face.
Bergman whispered, “Should we knock?”
I glanced at him. He was pale, but not nearly as shaky as the old Miles I’d known, who would’ve found five perfectly logical reasons to wait for us in the bus. I said, “She knew we were coming before we did. I imagine she’s got cookies and milk waiting on the table for us, don’t you?” He shrugged, then nodded, then shrugged again. “I’m new at this,” he final y said, in an effort to explain his indecision.
Vayl said, “You wil be fine, Bergman. Al you have to do is open the door and get out of the way.
I expect it to be unlocked. If it is not, just move out of my line of fire. Can you do that?” Bergman swal owed so hard that for a second it looked like he had a chicken bone stuck in his throat. Then he held up the cane and shook it a couple of times to express his certainty.
“Excel ent.” Vayl looked to one side, like he could see Dave and Cassandra through the wal s of the inn. To them as much as to our inside backup he said, “We are going in. Be on your toes, please. Our lives may be in your hands.”
“Yes sir,” Cole replied.
Dave maintained Party Line silence. The fact that he’d chosen to go into pure stealth mode, combined with Vayl’s refusal to mention him by name, gave me an odd sense of comfort. No tel ing how long ago “Mrs. Bemont” had predicted this meeting. But Dave and Cassandra had been last-minute additions to our crew. So if luck was on our side, and none of us blew their cover, my brother and his lovely, magical wife could turn out to be our secret weapons.
We lined up on the latch side of the door, just like we were in kindergarten and it was time for recess. Only this time we were required to keep contact, my hand on Vayl’s shoulder, Raoul’s on mine. Vayl and I knew our responsibilities once we were inside. I’d already told Raoul what part of the room to cover. Bergman would enter after we’d cleared the room, and Aaron had been instructed to stay in the hal unless he deemed it safer to slip into the room behind us.
Which left it to Vayl to begin. On his nod, I waited for Raoul to squeeze my shoulder. When I got his I’m-ready message I squeezed Vayl’s shoulder and he motioned to Bergman to open the door and step out of the way.
The door wasn’t heavy, like you’d expect in an American hotel. Miles could’ve swung it open with his pinky. Instead he jerked the latch down and shoved it wide, causing it to bang against the wal as we rushed into the
