Page 27 of The Labyrinth
Chapter Twelve
The rise to Deacon’spenthouse only took a short moment.When the elevator doors opened, the opulence of the foyer surprised her.Beautiful gold marbling framed with the typical meander motif popular in Greek design.Etruscan vases depicting scenes of Greek life painted in various colors, framed with friezes.Mythological motifs made her smile, with her favorite being the minotaur in a maze.
He placed his thumb on a lock-scan, and then entered a pin on the keyboard before the door unlocked.The moment she stepped inside, she felt like she had stepped into a palace, not knowing what to look at first.She honestly didn’t know such places existed in real life.From the Versailles parquet flooring gleaming under the muted lights to the grand staircase leading to the second floor, the opulence could’ve been uncomfortably gaudy.Yet the warm tones from the furniture and area rugs grounded the space.It welcomed instead of rebuffed.Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a gorgeous view of Central Park.
“Make yourself at home,” he said.
“I guess being a minotaur pays well,” she observed.
“Like you said.Using the curse to the best of my advantage.”
“So, what’s this idea you had?”
“Let’s get comfortable first,” he murmured.
A yawn hit her.“If I get too comfortable, I’m going to pass out.”
He smiled.“Noted.Come, let me show you to the spare bedroom.Later today we can go to your hotel and get your stuff.”
“Okay.”
He held out his hand, and she looked at it before slowly sliding her own into his grip.
“There’s no doubt the coyotes will alert Shiel to the fact we were there,” he said as they walked up the stairs.“She’s going to come after us.”
“Does that mean she’s going to hurt Peter?”
“It’s possible.She might use him to lure you out.”
“Me?Not you?”
“I’m bound to the Park,” he replied.“She doesn’t have to try hard to find me.”
Marion had to give that to him.“What can we do?”
The second floor had a huge library, with cozy-looking wingback chairs and ottomans.Beautiful art hung on the walls, the colors and patterns vibrant.He led her to a room on the right and opened the door.
“You can have this bedroom.”
The walls were painted a sage green, with dark green carpet.“Thanks,” she said.“Tell me the plan, Deacon.”
“You are a very tenacious woman.”
“I am,” she agreed.“You never get far in life by being complacent.”
He nodded.“Trying to appeal to Shiel isn’t going to work.Like I said before, Komodo dragons have been known to eat people, and it seems she’s supplying to an open market.”
“That makes me sick,” she whispered, horrified.“How do we stop it?Who can we tell?”
“Marion,” he said, placing his hands on her shoulders.“There’s no one to tell.Like I said, shifters aren’t governed by a unified authority, like the police or a judiciary system.”
“Are you saying we have to ignore this?”
“No,” he said, shaking his head.“We have to blow the damn factory up.”
She blinked.“What?”
“And I happen to know a guy who has some explosives.”
