The air changed immediately, turning cooler because they kept the heat low in the ski resort.
The smell of dust and the stale scent of a building that had been closed up a while filled his nose.
She lifted her head. “This doesn’t smell the same.”
“Because we’re in a different part of the base.”
“It smells old and abandoned.”
He smiled and tightened his grip when the stairs rose beneath them. “Step up. Twenty steps to the top.”
She obeyed, fingers clamped tight on his. They climbed slowly, and he was prepared to catch her if she stumbled. The higher they went, the colder the air became.
“The temperature’s changing.”
“Good observation.”
“It’s getting colder. Why is it getting colder?”
“You’ll see in a moment.”
He guided her onto a landing and up another set of stairs. “Thirteen more steps.”
“This adventure gets stranger every day.”
He chuckled.
“Where are we going?”
“Keep moving.”
“Are we leaving the base?”
“Not exactly—but it’s different than the base you’ve seen.”
“Rome told me about YouTubers and ghost hunters coming around.”
Archer’s boot landed harder on the stair than he intended, making a louder thump. “Did he?”
“Yes. I didn’t understand what he meant—I still don’t.”
“You’re about to see.” He opened another door and guided her through.
It was time to share this with her. “The truth is the base is located in an old ski resort that closed years ago. We hide in the rooms beneath it—the ones that used to be service tunnels, storage and maintenance areas.”
“You’re kidding!”
“I don’t have enough imagination to make that up.”
She made a soft sound of surprise mixed with amusement. “The government repurposed the ski resort into a ghost ops base?”
“You got it.”
“That is the most man version of renovating I’ve ever heard. Is it called the Montclair?”
He looked at her. “How did you know that?”
“There’s a stamp in the front of one of the books I saw in the common room.”
