“Access point?” Grayson asked.
“Just past the restrooms. It’s an emergency exit to the stairwell.”
Cass waited as a group of women wandered past then asked, “Won’t that set off an alarm?”
“It’s covered.” Zane tapped the stud in his ear. “So are the cameras, but we’ll have to move fast.”
Electromage Candace. Right.
“Come on.”
They headed down the hall, the noise of the casino floor fading the farther they walked. As they passed the openings for the restrooms, Zane murmured, “Start the clock.”
They continued on to where a water-refill station sat next to a door labeled Authorized Personnel Only. As they got close, Cass heard a series of soft beeps as lights flickered on the electronic keypad set in the wall next to the door. Zane had his hand on the lever when it turned green. He pushed it opened then held it as first Cass, then Grayson slipped inside.
“Down the hall, first right,” Zane directed as he shut the door and quickly outpaced Cass to again take the lead.
The hall was utilitarian beige, the overhead lights harsh and unforgiving. Cass spotted the cameras set in the ceiling, and the metallic taste of fear dried her mouth. She found herself sending up a litany of pleas that Candace had blinded those electronic eyes.
A set of stairs rose to the left, and one side of the hall was lined with industrial-sized laundry carts. They’d walked a few feet into the hall when a door from somewhere above opened. All three froze, and Cass held her breath as voices floated down. Someone was talking about needing more sheets. A warning hiss from Zane got Cass moving again. She did her best to keep her steps quiet as she followed Zane.
He got to the door, held it open, and waited for Cass and Grayson to pass through before he followed. Zane silently closed the door, not letting it go until the lock engaged with a quiet snick. They were in another stairwell, but this one led down.
“Go,” Zane directed.
Cass rushed down, wincing as her footsteps echoed through the space. Two floors later, she was breathing hard and thinking she should probably up her nonexistent workouts. She went to push open the door, only to have Grayson tug her back with one arm around her waist and the other blocking her reach.
He pulled her into him and, with his lips to her ear, whispered, “Not yet.”
Swallowing, she dropped her arms and nodded.
Grayson let her go and nudged her to put her back to the wall, giving him space to take point. He slid past her. At the door, he looked at Zane. “Alarms?”
The Hunter listened to Candace. “Electronically clear, but you’ve got twenty seconds, tops, to verify.”
A shimmer of red gold ran down Grayson’s shoulders and enveloped his hands as he crouched and started to run them over the door’s edges. He slowly straightened as Cass felt each second tick by. His hands paused near the top hinge. “Got a ward.”
“Thirteen seconds and counting,” Zane warned.
Grayson went to work, his hands and lips moving as he silently wove his magic. In the air, an intricate series of interconnected runes ignited then curled around the door’s frame. Grayson’s silent cast continued, and then he made a tearing motion with his hands. The red gold flashed then faded into a stunning fire of amber. The runes disintegrated into a glittering shower of sparks.
Before the last one winked out, Grayson had the door open. “Go!”
Zane went first, and Cass followed him into a space crowded with water tanks. The huge metal containers were connected by thick metal pipes that twisted and turned as they rose into the ceiling and back down the other side. It was a labyrinth of active machinery, filled with a dull hum that obliterated any chance of hearing someone approach.
She jumped when Grayson touched her arm.
He mouthed, “You okay?”
She nodded.
He grabbed her hand, and they followed Zane through the maze of equipment. Cass felt like she was ready to jump out of her skin. At any moment, she expected someone to spot them and tell them to leave. Or worse, make sure they couldn’t.
Zane moved with uncanny self-assurance through the space, directed by the voice in his ear. When he lifted his fist and came to a stop, so did they. Grayson squeezed her hand and then motioned for her to slip behind the dubious concealment of the large mechanical cabinet. When she did, he caught up to Zane, and after a flurried exchange of hand motions, the two men split off in opposite directions, with Grayson disappearing to the left.
Cass crouched in her dubious hiding place, her heart pounding and nerves shaky. A pulse beat at her brain, urging her to run, but she forced herself to stay put. She wasn’t about to jeopardize the two men by panicking. After what felt like an eternity but was more likely only minutes, Grayson was back.
He leaned in and spoke close to her ear to be heard over the constant drone of noise. “We found something. Come on.”
