Page 129 of One Secret

'Wow, we are wracking through those things.'

'We wanna head east,' I say, before explaining myself with a flick of my fingers. 'That way.'

'I know which way east is, Cyrus,' Darcy growls, breezing past me and down the corridor. 'We want the rear staff exit, yes?'

I frown after her.

I can feel how adrenaline and fear have leeched the blood from my face and jacked up my heart rate. No doubt that I'm doing my "Ghost" moniker proud right about now. But Darcy looks... vibrant. Active.

Alive.

It's the same hectic flush she had after defending herself against Ramirez. Like a benched athlete finally able to stretch their muscles.

With the rushing sound of activity beneath our feet, I decide that The Enigmas of Darcy Calabrese can wait until we're not running for our lives and I bury my suspicions in the practicalities of escape.

Catching up to her, I pull Darcy behind my left shoulder and hurry onward, aiming for a staircase on the eastern wall to the rear of the hotel. The blueprints in my head remind me that it's a winding, square-based flight that comes out by Housekeeping. From there, we can head across roughly twenty meters of industrial kitchens, through a security door, and down one last staircase to reach the underground garage.

Bonus points: one of my go bags is hidden in the cleaner's closet off the kitchens.

The route is clear until we reach Housekeeping.

The first floor, the corner flight of stairs... all empty. Only the usual bustling sounds of an active hotel dog our footsteps. But, when we dart across a staff-only corridor and slip into the kitchens, Darcy is quick to snatch hold of my jacket and haul me behind a giant refrigerator. I spot the problem immediately, reflected in its chrome finish:

Four men. All of them, as big and impenetrable as mountains.

Three are perched at a table directly between us and our exit route. The fourth is more impatient, pacing the aisles of glistening silver appliances. His gun is out and the flick of his wrist sets the barrel tapping rhythmically against his leg. Like the others, the fourth man is huge and shaped unfortunately like an orangutan, sending the pistol a whole lot closer to his knee than seems natural.

Sliding to the other side of the refrigerator, I spy the cleaning cupboard about eight feet to our left, the other side of an open countertop.

At the crook of my finger, Darcy and I drop to all fours and I lead us across the tile and around the workspace.

I freeze solid when a hand strokes the curve of my ass.

I look back around my elbow and Darcy is wiggling her eyebrows at me, smiling with possessive glee.

Really?! I send back at her silently. Now?!

She shrugs, entirely unrepentant, and continues forward. I blow my moral high ground by noticing how one of her thighs has slipped free of her skirt and is on full, stunning display.

For fuck's sake... I'm already sweating through my shirt. Any additional heat is supremely unhelpful.

Mind on the task at hand, Alesi.

We reach the closet and, little mercies, the door is facing away from Caruso's hounds, so no one notices us slipping inside. As soon as the door is shut, with its rubber seal tight to the frame, I turn a look of disapproval on Darcy and her flirtations.

She holds her hands up in surrender.

'A girl only has so much self-restraint,' she whispers.

The closet is gloomy dark but a cut-out window in the door offers just enough light to see a distinct lack of apology on her face.

For a moment, I'm reminded of our last meeting at The Blue Star. The pantry closet off the kitchens… the light through the porthole. It all feels oddly cyclical. And yet, nothing is the same as back then. Least of all, me.

I roll my eyes at Darcy and march around a trio of floor buffers. Behind them are a series of cardboard boxes marked "Hand Sanitizer" in scrawled Sharpie.

'Is it just me or are you a little frazzled for a professional?' Darcy asks, positioning herself at my feet. Her arms folded and her tone surprised.

'Is it just me or aren't you a little exuberant for an amateur?' I counter.

---