With a startled gasp, Trixie reached out, hit the button four times in rapid succession and then changed to the button that indicated it closed the doors.
The doors started to slide closed painstakingly slowly. If the men reached out and shoved a hand or foot between them, thesafety mechanism would no doubt trigger, forcing them open once more.
It looked like the guy who took the lead was trying to do just that. He reached out, but was a second too late, with the doors closing enough not to allow his hand in.
Through the faint sliver that remained, however, Trixie could still see enough to notice the angry snarl he now wore.
Then the doors were completely shut and the car started its descent. Remembering where everything was from touring the hotel earlier that day upon her arrival, she hit the long, oval button that read POOL.
The rooftop pool was on the fifth floor on a section that stuck out from the rest of the building, giving swimmers—depending on where they were in there—a wonderful view of the Hollywood sign in the distance. Or they could look out onto the street below.
Unfortunately, Trixie wasn’t there for the view or the water.
She had to move quickly before those men caught up to her!
There was a chance they were just two creepy guys who’d noticed a young lady by herself and decided to strike. But those odds were pretty slim, she realized.
Besides, they looked like tough enforcer types. She’d seen their kind in Vegas; men who hurt people for money.
The thought made her shiver.
Stuff the fear down. Just move!
The doors opened a few moments later. After bolting from the elevator, Trixie hooked a slight right and ran past the hotel’s fitness center. She ran along a window to her left that extended the length of a long corridor before she hit the glass doors that led to the pool area. It felt good when she was finally outside.
To get back in, you had to scan an ID badge, but that wasn’t an issue as hers was tucked away in the pocket of her jeans.
She wasn’t planning on going back into the hotel, though. Not alone, at least. And when she did, it would most likely be only to get her stuff.
If she was even able to do that.
Outside, it was as if there were potential killers chasing her. People laughed and splashed in the pool. It didn’t matter that it was only April. The pool was heated, so the mild temperatures weren’t keeping anyone away.
Kids played among the lounge chairs. A few people stood against the waist-high glass wall that went around the part of the roof not protected by the building, smiling while someone else took their picture with the Hollywood sign in the background.
Trixie kept going.
The roof extended beyond the pool and the lounging area. The waist-high wall gave way to a full-size doorframe that had a metal door set in it. Like the door she’d just exited the hotel from, she just had to push the bar in and open it to leave. Getting back in, though, from the other side would require her keycard.
She went through, leaving Loews Hollywood Hotel behind and entering the Ovation Mall.
Looking down, she saw a vast open-air shopping and entertainment complex that featured stores and eateries. Plenty of people milled about, helping her feel a bit safer.
That feeling of security didn’t last long, however. She heard heavy footfalls behind her and turned to see the two guys from the hotel on the other side of the small fence, hurrying toward the door.
They’d reach it in no time.
She had to move. Now!
There were multiple staircases and escalators that would help her descend the four floors of shopping mall. Surely there were a few elevators, too, but there wasn’t time to find them right now.
The stairs would be quickest.
With that in mind, Trixie took off like a rocket.
She moved like her survival depended on it.
Because she knew it did. Right now, it was either move… or die.
