“How did you get onto our floor?” Gray asked. “This is a private penthouse. You need our permission to come up here.”
“The hotel temporarily gave me a key card to retrieve my property. So, if you’ll just turn over the dog, I’ll be on my way. I know you have her in there, so please hand her over.”
Ginger snarled again and then barked once, sharp and furious.
Gray looked at me, and I shook my head. This felt all wrong.
Gray, apparently feeling the same way, squared her shoulders. “She’s not going anywhere until we see proof of ownership.”
“I have identification,” the man said. “Please open the door and I will show you. This is a sensitive matter.”
Ginger suddenly moved between us and the door, hackles raised, muscles tense and taut. She wasn’t afraid. She was ready to fight.
Gray looked at me again, lifting her arms, silently asking what to do.
I held up a hand. “First tell me how you found her here,” I called out.
“I told you, she’s chipped and registered.”
Ginger growled deeper, her fur bristling. She really did not like this guy.
“So, you followed a GPS signal to find her?” I asked.
“I did. So, please open the door and give me the dog.”
I paused for a moment. “No. Because you’re lying.”
The girls all looked at me in surprise. Even Ginger glanced up at me. “I know you’re lying because microchips implanted in dogs today don’t have a GPS, and they can’t be used for real-time tracking. If you were using a GPS device to track this dog, she’d have to have a collar or a vest on, since a GPS device requires a battery pack or a power source, as well as an active connection to a satellite. Furthermore, conventional GPS would not be able to discriminate elevation, so even if you knew we were in the casino, you’d have no way of knowing what floor we were on. Since she has none of that, and even if she did, it wouldn’t give you our precise room location, I’ll ask you again, how did you find the dog?”
It was silent for a long moment before the man asked, “Who are you? Some kind of nerd?”
“You could say that.”
His voice hardened. “This conversation is ridiculous. She’s part of a company program that has special technology that allows me to track her. I’m not at liberty to explain more. Now, give me my dog.”
Gray had apparently had enough with his attitude. “You heard her. She said no. We don’t know who you are, or how you got access to our penthouse, but we intend to have a vet confirm her ownership tomorrow. If she’s chipped like you said and you pan out, they’ll reach out to you and you can collect your dog. But until then, get off our floor. We aren’t opening the door, and you aren’t taking the dog anywhere tonight.”
Silence again, and then he spoke softly, perhaps to try to defuse the situation. “Look. I’ll be honest with you. The dog is involved in an important experiment, and my company needs me to bring her back tonight. I might even be able to arrange a reward for you for returning her to us safely. Okay? It’s as simple as that.”
“What company?” Gray asked.
“I’m sorry, but that’s proprietary information. So, I do sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, ladies. Just let me take the dog off your hands and go home. Everyone will be happy.”
Ginger growled, baring her teeth. “Except for the dog,” I called out. “She doesn’t like you much.”
There was the sound of a sigh, then we could hear the door click as he used the key card to unlock the door. The door handle then rattled as he tried to get in. Thankfully, the dead bolt prevented that.
Basia gasped. “He’s trying to open the door!”
Ginger growled louder, her muscles bunching and tensing. I wondered what would happen to the guy if we set her loose on him. I didn’t plan to find out.
“You have exactly five seconds to get off our floor, buddy, or we’re calling security,” Gray said firmly. “You’re starting to piss me off.”
“I’ve already called hotel security,” Gwen yelled from across the room. “They’re on their way up.”
Silence stretched before the man spoke in an ominous tone. “You’re making a big mistake.” He gave a faint, irritated exhale, but didn’t speak further.
I pressed my eye to the peephole and watched as the man entered the elevator and then disappeared. I watched until the elevator stopped at the lobby before turning around, blowing out a deep breath, and pressing my back against the door.
