One of them whispered to the other, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Toma's going to cry."
"He's not going to cry," the other twin said.
"Look at his face."
"That's not crying. That's pre-crying."
Toma spun around. "I'll kill both of you and count those too."
The twins grinned.
Identical.
Unbothered.
I looked at Hiroko. "How much further?"
Her bottom lip quivered. “Next corner, and there should be tons of guards. Ones that belong to the Council and guards that belong to the VIPs staying in the section. That’s normal protocol.”
“Then, we’ll be ready to kill them all.”
We turned the last corner, and the hallway opened up to black stoned walls and silence.
“Wait.” Hiroko grabbed my arm.
I held up my hand. “Stop.”
Everyone paused.
She was breathing hard, and I saw her looking around with confusion on her face.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
She shook her head. "No guards. Not one. Usually there would be people here. Servants heading to VIP suites. The lights should be brighter in here too. The VIP section has the most activity.”
“Do you think there was a change like with the orgy room?”
“No. These hallways and apartments are top notch, chandeliers, marble floors, the Council spent millions upon millions in this section alone. They wouldn’t waste their money like that.”
Reo stepped up next to her. "Could the Fox be there and just have cleared the area for security? Making sure there aren't many people around?"
“No.” I shook my head. “He would need hospital staff. We should have at least seen a nurse. And trust my father would have over twenty guards around him.”
“Still. . .” Hiro eyed the space. “With that phone call which was clearly a performance, he wanted us here. I can feel it. But why? What sort of trap is this?”
Hiroko pointed toward the heavy ornate door at the end of the hallway. "That leads to the main VIP suite—one that your father has used many times before his injury. There should be men on either side of this hallway. Guards. His personal security."
She stepped back and pointed at the dark walls. “And these are VIP sex rooms right here with glass walls. To be in one of them for an hour is over $50,000 per customer. The Council would not let them sit empty."
I looked at the empty darkness. “You’re right. Something is wrong.”
Hiro looked at the door at the end of the hallway, and then he looked at me.
I saw it in his eyes. The same suspicion I was feeling. "I'm following Hiroko's instincts."
“I agree.” Reo turned to three Scales. "Go down and check it out."
They nodded and rushed forward immediately with their weapons raised.
