AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“The general manager’s off site,” I told him.
My brother snagged his earpiece from his pocket. I did the same with mine, fitting it into place to allow hands-free communication with our crew.
“Jax, join Val on floor two,” Ben said over the comms system, then gripped my arm. “Get access to that bridge by any means. I’ll ready the family.”
“We’re out of here?”
“Aye, brother.”
Relief surged. We split up. I jogged down the corridor and past the stairs, seeking out the staff area. The passes we had gave us access to behind-the-scenes areas, thank fuck that had worked out, and I scanned the nameplate on each door, searching for the Spanish equivalent of general manager.
Even luckier, it was there in English.
I knocked once, tried my pass. A red light and a grating off sound refused me access. Stepping back, I centred myself then booted the door. It gave with one kick, smacking off the wall.
A small, windowless room was revealed. I ignored the desk for the key hutch on the wall.
“In location,” Jackson reported. “Where are ye, Val?”
“Trying to find a key. We’re going to attempt the bridge that crosses the alley to the next building. Have a hunt around and see if ye can see the door.”
“Easy. I’m standing right next to it. It’s in the stairwell.”
I wrenched open the hutch. “Sweet. What kind of key does it take?”
“Going by the keyhole, it’s going to be big and girthy. Long, probably, too.”
A dick joke came begging, but I held it at bay, tracing my finger over the rows of jumbled keys. The hotel was an old one, so these had to be from before card readers were in use.
I tracked to the lower rows, scanning the labels. Restaurant A, Restaurant B…the last three were blank but held the kind of chunky key Jackson had described.
I snatched all three and took off.
Back in the lobby, a quick glance showed me the doorman had abandoned his post and the mob was at the turning door, the window still standing but the shouting at a fever pitch. I bolted up the stairs, taking two at a time until I reached the second floor.
Jackson waited for me beside an elegantly gated doorway, the bridge visible through the window. I tried the first key in the lock.
“There’s a roof, but the sides are just stone latticework,” Jackson said, concern in his voice.
I tried the second key, my brain clueing me in to what he meant. “If we walk straight over, we’ll be seen.”
“Exactly.” He took another look, gauging it. “We’ll need to crawl.”
My fear for the lad I’d soon be marking grew. I couldn’t hide the mass of people after his da, but I’d do anything to protect him.
The third and final key turned cleanly in the lock, and the gate to the bridge opened, the night air coming with it.
I dropped down and skulked across the short length. The door on the other side opened with the same key, the hallway beyond silent.
“Hello, anyone here?” I called.
The stairs only went down, a few rooms with their doors propped open occupying each floor. I entered each, checked, and moved on. In the lobby, a single door was marked exit only. Nofancy reception like across the way, no lights aside from low-level emergency floor strips.
Better still, a corridor led through the dark to exit into an alley far away from the Excelsior’s entrance. As the receptionist had said, the place was empty.
We had a route out.
“Clear. This is a go. Ready whenever ye are,” I said into the comms, jogging back to the bridge.
